Cryptic has released a ton of Star Trek Online news over the past week for eager fans. The revamped site and finalized box art have been unveiled, the open beta has been scheduled for Jan. 12-26, and we were just given five exclusive screenshots to share with our readers. In the midst of all that, Cryptic also released two videos outlining starship combat.

Parts one and two of the Starship Tactics series can be found on the site's video page, and both of them give you a taste of what it's going to be like to engage your enemy in starship combat. Players will need to use their energy weapons to weaken enemy shields and then cripple the hull with photon torpedoes.

The first video focuses on the three types of ships, component customization and the importance of bridge officers. The second video explains how you will be able to allocate power between your weapons and shields, and confirms that you'll be able to launch shuttles full of boarding parties at enemy ships. Both videos are full of pre-beta gameplay footage and show examples of the user interface, so check them out to see what Star Trek Online will look like when it launches on Feb. 2, 2010.

Is your phaser polished and ready to fire? Let's hope so, because every day draws us closer to the launch of Star Trek Online, which is only months away. Cryptic Studios - the folks behind Champions Online and City of Heroes - have been working like the tireless Borg to bring the farthest reaches of space home to dedicated Trekkies everywhere.

To whet your appetite for STO, the ZAM staff has gotten ahold of five exclusive screenshots from the depths of space. Are you ready to dive into that cold abyss firmly seated in your captain's chair? Don't wait any longer, go check out those screens!

Star Trek Online may have just entered closed beta about a month ago on Oct. 22, but Cryptic just announced that the open beta will be held from Jan. 12-26, 2010. Keys will be given on a first-come, first-served basis on the game's revamped Web site.

Star Trek Online is scheduled to launch on Feb. 2, 2010 in North America and Feb. 5 in Europe. Do you expect the game to actually be released on those days, or do you think the game will be delayed? We asked this question when the launch dates were announced, but it seems like a good time to ask it again since the open beta has already been scheduled.

Regardless, we're looking forward to the launch of the Star Trek MMO. We gave the game the "Best in Show" and "Most Innovative Gameplay" titles in our 2009 PAX Awards, and we also took another look at the game at the convention.

In anticipation of Star Trek Online's Feb. 2, 2010 launch in North America, Cryptic has completely revamped the game's official Web site. According to the announcement, "in addition to the new overall look, we'll be updating a lot of the features we've been bringing your way to look and feel more interactive, so they're informative and fun to read."

In addition, Cryptic has revealed the finalized box art for the Star Trek MMO. Just click the above image to see the full box art in all its glory.

Star Trek Online Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich has confirmed to the Associated Press that ship bridges will appear in the upcoming MMO as social hubs where players can hang out with their bridge officers and other captains.

"We didn't want to have interiors at launch," Zinkievich said. "We thought it was just a little bit too much. We really wanted to make sure we delivered a really deep experience, but your bridge not being in the game, it really felt like a hole in the game, and it was just something that we had to put in."

Zinkievich said players will be able to choose from about 20 different bridges in Star Trek Online. You can view a screenshot of a bridge that Cryptic gave to the Associated Press after the jump.

Eurogamer had already confirmed it, but now it's official: Star Trek Online is scheduled to launch on Feb. 2, 2010 in North America and Feb. 5 in Europe. If all goes according to plan, we'll be playing the MMO in less than three months. The closed beta began on Oct. 22, so only time will tell if this launch date will hold firm or if the release gets pushed back.

While you wait for the launch of Star Trek Online, you can make sure your PC is able to handle the game. Cryptic released the system requirements today, and it looks like most gamers will easily meet the minimum requirements. Just make sure you have 8GB free on your hard drive by February. You can check out the minimum and recommended system requirements after the jump.

As hinted to in an earlier developers chat, a new Star Trek Online developer blog at MMORPG.com explains the episodic progression in more detail. The post, "Star Trek Online: Episode Missions Explained," reveals the mechanic used in the upcoming MMO that link main story arcs together, progressing the content in 45- to 90-minute "Episodes." Apparently, Cryptic Studios decided to base the MMO's main "quest lines" on a format that better lends itself to the franchise; a series of "Episodes," each containing missions that advance the overall story at a familiar pace.

Just like watching a TV episode or movie unfold, the Episode missions "have themes, interesting dialog and dramatic moments designed specifically to look, feel and play like Star Trek," according to the blog. At launch, STO will feature three "Seasons," containing 14 Episodes each. "Post-launch, we already have plans in place to continue Star Trek Online's story with even more Episodes," the dev post indicates. Again, check out the full post for complete details, and stay tuned to our STO portal site for future news.

According to Eurogamer, Cryptic and Atari have confirmed that Star Trek Online will be released for PC on Feb. 2, 2010 in North America, followed by a Feb. 5 launch in Europe. Both Amazon and GameStop started listing Feb. 2 as the release date earlier this week, so it may not come as a surprise to excited Star Trek fans.

The closed beta for Star Trek Online just started on Oct. 22. Do you think the game will actually be ready to launch in three months, or will the release be delayed? Start placing your bets now! Personally, I hope the launch goes smoothly because I'm looking forward to taking command of a starship.

Gamespot has posted the second part of "The Future Past" video series for Star Trek Online. In case you missed it, the first part focused on the civil war between the Romulans and Remans and explained how the the Klingons and Gorn got involved in the battle. Associate Producer Andy Velasquez kicks off the second part by discussing how an alien race attempted to infiltrate the Klingon high command in 2395, which ultimately made the Klingons' attitude toward other races more aggressive.

After seven years of war, the Klingons seized control of the Gorn homeworld and discovered that the Gorn government had fallen prey to the same alien plot. Executive Producer Craig Zinkievich then picks up the lore starting in 2404 and explains the chain of events that led up to the war between the Klingon faction and the Federation. Zinkievich then welcomes players to 2409 and the setting of Star Trek Online. For more details, check out the Path to 2409 series on the official site.

For the past few weeks, the ZAM staff has been titillating our readership with exclusive Star Trek Online screenshots that have managed to be - as a whole - utterly captivating. This week's batch of exclusive STO screenshots is no exception and features a few spectacular shots of starship combat and one of our first peeks at a (rather studly) Cardassian!

So don't waste your time reading this, go check out the images!