In a move that's almost as shocking as a "red shirt" being removed from life duty on the original Enterprise, Cryptic confirms that Star Trek Online for consoles is taking the shuttle to retail reality at impulse speed. The studio told VideoGamer that STO is "pretty much in the same boat as the Champions console version right now." Cryptic had previously stated that the console version of Champions Online is -- as Miracle Max from The Princess Bride would put it -- mostly dead.

Cryptic claims that the technology is there to do the game "on certain consoles" and was ready to move, but "it's a little difficult to make that final leap on the business side of things." Well, if it's any consolation, this console generation appears like it's going to be around for a while. Perhaps the traction required for console MMOs will pick up before it's too late.