Closed beta for Star Trek Online officially began when it was announced on October 22, 2009.Cryptic Studios offered guaranteed beta access to users who bought 6-month and lifetime subscriptions to Champions Online. However, the offer did not explicitly state how early in the beta process the access will be granted.
On November 19, 2009 Cryptic announced that Star Trek Online would exit Closed Beta and begin Open Beta from January 12 to 26, 2010.
Cryptic Studios partnered with several retailers for distribution of preorder copies. Each retailer had a version with unique and exclusive content, such as a Borg Bridge Officer (Amazon), a classic Constitution Class starship (Gamestop), Chromodynamic Armor (Steam), 500 bonus skill points (WalMart) or a Tribble/Targ pet (Bestbuy). All versions of the game came with access to the Open Beta and Head Start launch date.These are on a limited basis, but may still be found after launch, depending on stock.
In addition, the code for a "Wrath of Khan" Admiral's uniform is included in the DVD release of "The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation Volume 2" and the Blu-ray release of "Star Trek: The Original Series -- Season 3."
Also, Cryptic partnered with Del Taco to offer codes with collectible cups (Macho size drinks) that come with a Type 8 Shuttlecraft non-combat "pet", as well as two days of trial time per code that allow a total of 10 days of trial play time when a player uses all four available codes.
On Feb 25th, less than a month after the game's initial release, Cryptic announced that they would be reducing the cost of Star Trek Online by $10 and including an extra sixty days of free game time, as a limited time offer that expires on March 3rd, 2010 . This lead to outrage by players who had pre-ordered, forcing Star Trek Online to cancel the promotion early.
