CBS Interactive and startup publisher GameSamba announce development of Star Trek: Alien Domain, an upcoming Star Trek MMORPG, though Trekkie gamers already used to let-downs may be disappointed to learn this is a browser-based dealie, rather than a standalone game. "We're excited to make a game based on a franchise we're all such huge fans of," said Scott Wong, president of GameSamba. "The chance to add our own story to the Star Trek universe, and help bring it to a global audience, is one of those opportunities you can only dream of." This doesn't carry a release date, but the placeholder Star Trek Alien Domain website says "coming soon," and GameSamba promises more about the game will be "revealed in the coming months." There's a rendering on the game's fledgling Facebook page and Twitter account that bears a spooky resemblance to Spock, but this must be the result of a little pon farr based on the time-frame outlined in this description:

Set in the mysterious extradimensional realm of Fluidic Space, players will make strategic decisions to maintain control over limited resources, balance defensive spending with research, establish colonies, and prioritize power distribution for optimal efficiency. Players will also have the option to participate in PvP encounters such as one-on-one skirmishes, raids against player-controlled outposts, and large-scale, guild vs. guild Alliance Battles.

Taking place after the most chronologically recent Star Trek canon and featuring a new Star Trek story, players will control a variety of starships and technologies native to their chosen faction. Starships include Constitution-class and Defiant-class starships for the Federation, and D7 Battle Cruisers and Bird-of-Prey for the Klingon Empire. Players will even be able to craft and pilot unprecedented super starships created through emerging technologies. Creating a diverse starship fleet is essential for exploring the deep reaches of Fluidic Space and quelling its threats, as well as for defending against rival colonies and players.