I thought we were going somewhere with the six-eye thing on Dewa being linked back to the Iconians. I think it'll be interesting and hopefully some really cool feature episodes.
Fate - protects fools, small children, and ships named Enterprise Will Riker
Member Access Denied Armada!
My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
Please tell me you are not about to just add a bunch more Queued events and call them STFs ( I truly hate you for that). I would like to finally see some type of REAL end game content again.:(
I'm liking the sound of those Iconian ships, I want NPC's that are terrifying to fight against, those that can kill you outright if you don't use tactics.
I don't just want more Vaadwaur HP sponges, but ships with powers that can unleash the power of a star or mess with gravity at will should be interesting.
They need to be genuinely scary to fight against with a real risk of getting flattened if you just go in all guns blazing.
As for why there are only a few Iconians left. Hmm could it be a key to reproduction was lost on Iconia? Some species reproduce differently, a third sex, or entity that was native to Iconia and can not be reproduced else where? Perhaps as a species they could never reproduce as one of the first ones? So many possibilities.
Are these Herald the "Alpha Predator" of Dewa III ?
I think more like the Iconian version of gorillas or chimpanzee, uplifted to have human (or greater) level intelligence. Or maybe even what's left of the original Iconian species, before they passed through the Galactic Barrier.
possibly a hint got dropped by the few iconians and the limitless heralds, what happens if enough heralds start thinking for themselves that the war doesnt mean as much as they had hoped, that they could have their homeworld back if only to abandom the non-diplomatic means and the iconians themselves? iconian powerbase isnt as secure as i would of expected.
The Heralds will make their appearance in Season 10, and will be among the most challenging enemies captains have ever faced in Star Trek Online. They wield the full might of the Iconians, and stopping them is the key to saving the galaxy from subjugation. Be ready for anything.
if it means; "we will increase the npc hull values and shield values, jack up the dps instead of actually finding a real challenging conncept. instead we got the next way around the issue, rehash a previous power the elachi frigates use and rename it."?
then that isnt would you would call "most challenging" as its already done, and you will likely receive a lot of complaints about it being too difficult. cryptic have in the past ignored the playerbase only to find out it will be changed anyway. lets see where this goes first before doom mongering.
T6 Miranda Hero Ship FTW. Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
The Iconians never truly disappeared. Their 'absence' have simply been marked by their servants
Actually, I've been playing other video games lately. But thanks for your concern, although I don't think a dev blog was required to explain my reduced presence on the STO forums.
Seems like the Iconians are energy beings that can focus their shape anyway if you look at the one we saw in the aftermath of the Undine attack. and while we saw that the Q can reproduce, they never actually state that the Q are energy beings, I've never seen an Organian child, or a Metron child, or, or, or.....and i have no idea what Trelane was (maybe a Q according to the books). Charlie X was human.
so maybe its an energy being thing.
and interesting fact, the rage being from TOS known only as (*) apparently accidentally got itself killed during the Dominion War, at least in the Novelverse. no idea about this one, but that would make for an interesting game mechanic, suddenly everyone, Player and NPC has to fight melee style for a mission. Coliseum doesn't count because the enemies had ranged attacks.
I find this to be highly unlikely. Cryptic has hinted repeatedly that the Iconians are skilled in the ways of genetic engineering. They've also had 200,000 years. If the Iconians were rendered infertile during the Old War (the one they lost 200,000 years ago), they probably could have fixed it. Failing that, they almost certainly posses the technology needed for binary cloning, since Terra Prime was capable of it in 2155. Combine that with their engineering skill, and they would certainly have been able to repopulate by now. You say "there aren't a lot of Iconians left." I say "male bovine fecal matter, they're way too smart and arrogant to risk extinction."
so my question is after we defeat them who will fill in the big bad guy void after?
Why do we need one?
I'd love for this to run its course and the game to focus on what is going on in our back yard instead of what is going on in the Andromeda Galaxy or whatever.
Storylines regarding socio-political government factions in established Federation/Romulan/KDF territories seem way more interesting to me and would give Cryptic reason to revisit these places instead of jumping into the Andromeda Galaxy (or wherever).
But that's just my opinion. STO doesn't need a man-behind-the-man big bad villain. It just needs to address what happens when you have an interstellar culture clash and how to get everybody to work together despite their differences.
In that case, perhaps the Alliance need not fight them - the Alliance can work to resolve the problem. The Feds can fix what's wrong with the Iconians physiologically, the Klingons psychologically, and the Romulans stylishly?
In that case, perhaps the Alliance need not fight them - the Alliance can work to resolve the problem. The Feds can fix what's wrong with the Iconians physiologically, the Klingons psychologically, and the Romulans stylishly?
So what you're saying is that this may be Counselor Troi's moment to shine?
so my question is after we defeat them who will fill in the big bad guy void after?
The Borg. Right now they're wimpy and pose no real threat to us, but their return did get the community's attention. However it seems everyone has become side tracked by the Iconian's return and with no one watching the Borg, what's to stop them from rebuilding their empire?
Imagine if the Borg assimilated Preserver or Iconian technology. They could return to pre-Voyager levels of strength, or even surpass their TNG level of power and become a real threat to the Galaxy once more.
I wonder how long it'll take for these ships to end up in a lock box...
No longer than it took for the Vaadwaur hehe! I can hardly wait! Though I hope one of them is at least suitable for a science captain. it would be a shame to be shafted of a decent science Herald vessel.
The Borg already got stomped into the ground, first in the Borg Advance storyline, then all the Borg STFs, ultimately ending in us killing the Borg Queen.... again, which should put them down for another decade or two.
They shouldn't be a threat again any time soon.
Killing the Queen means nothing. She has "died" multiple times on the various series and she still remains, as do the Borg. I already mentioned that the Borg are pathetic or "wimpy" now but I suggested they could succeed in assimilating Preserver or Iconian technology which returns them to a former level of power.
Mir Fighters Like the Constructs, Mir fighters are unmanned. They are machines held together and controlled by gravitic forces. Mir Fighters can reinforce their hull and simply ram your ship, causing no damage to itself.
Baltim Raider The Baltim is a small Iconian ship, if you can call any Iconian ship small. Like the Thralls on the ground, the Baltim can open a gateway to fly through. When it emerges, it will appear behind its enemy and ram them with devastating effect. Destroy the gateway before it enters, or try to outmaneuver the ramming attack.
Quas Cruiser The foundation of the Iconian Army, the Quas can open energy gateways that can repair its shields not unlike the Vaadwaur Shield Repair drones (undoubtedly a similar technology). The Quas can also launch Iconian probes that can shut you down pretty hard.
Vonph Battleship These battleships are similar to the Quas, but much more powerful. Their probes are more advanced and deadly, and they can also open gateways that can bring in Mir Fighter reinforcements. They can also open a very nasty solar gateway.
On the other side of this gateway is a solar flare, and the Vonph can direct its energy directly onto its target.
Iaidon Dreadnought Massive doesnt begin to describe this terrifying ship. In addition to all the aforementioned gateways, the Iaidon can create an oblivion gateway. This gateway exposes the area to a pulsar. The massive burst of energy can destroy all nearby ships. If you see one of these, destroy it immediately or get away as fast as you can.
So, they're from the same planet. And after 200.000 years there are billions of Heralds but only few Iconians left, even though the Iconians were spread out through the entire Milky Way galaxy?
I hope there will be some story details on why exactly there are only a few Iconians left and why they chose to breed Heralds rather than reproduce.
Maybe they're too old to get it up. Would actually explain why they're grouchy.
This program, though reasonably normal at times, seems to have a strong affinity to classes belonging to the Cat 2.0 program. Questerius 2.7 will break down on occasion, resulting in garbage and nonsense messages whenever it occurs. Usually a hard reboot or pulling the plug solves the problem when that happens.
A theory I have on non-reproducing Iconians and the plentiful Heralds. If you look at the Iconian we have seen (And the one in the "Buy Fenegi War Bonds" poster, it looks like energy contained in a suit. My theory is that the "Iconians" are now energy, and well... makes reproduction difficult. Can generate more energy, but not another mind/spirit/etc. The suits are basically a containment shell.
Heralds? They are examples of the original organic Iconians that did not transcend corporeal form.
This is my line of thinking as well. The Iconians are no longer biological, they are truly immortal but are not multi-dimensional like some of the other God-like beings in Trek. My guess is that there's about 5-15 Iconians left, the Heralds were their attempt at reproduction but could not quite become true Iconian. The few Iconians left have split up the Andromeda galaxy and each rule a part as Gods.
I believe we are dealing with only one Iconian and "Her" faction as we've only really encountered one true Iconian after all.
Great blog. I love reading all this lore, and I'm super excited to test these Heralds in combat.
Do we have a launch date for S10 yet? Or even a name?
Release date: Late Spring. Or somewhere close to it.
"Our history, our past, our present and our future is now forever changed. All we can do is preserve what is left and continue onwards. This is not a surrender nor defeat, we will continue the fight. This is our last hope, our last chance... for victory."
Vlasek D. Lasor - 4.19.3580 Star Trek Online: Foundry Storyline Series
Alpha quadrant hybrid ship tech came from their technology in the Spheres. And the use / manipulation of gateways is very much fitting of the science ship style.
Comments
Member Access Denied Armada!
My forum single-issue of rage: Make the Proton Experimental Weapon go for subsystem targetting!
Clearly the weakness to things like this are big rocks.
Fortunately for us, we have a secret weapon.
I don't just want more Vaadwaur HP sponges, but ships with powers that can unleash the power of a star or mess with gravity at will should be interesting.
They need to be genuinely scary to fight against with a real risk of getting flattened if you just go in all guns blazing.
Cirran
I think more like the Iconian version of gorillas or chimpanzee, uplifted to have human (or greater) level intelligence. Or maybe even what's left of the original Iconian species, before they passed through the Galactic Barrier.
if it means; "we will increase the npc hull values and shield values, jack up the dps instead of actually finding a real challenging conncept. instead we got the next way around the issue, rehash a previous power the elachi frigates use and rename it."?
then that isnt would you would call "most challenging" as its already done, and you will likely receive a lot of complaints about it being too difficult. cryptic have in the past ignored the playerbase only to find out it will be changed anyway. lets see where this goes first before doom mongering.
Been around since Dec 2010 on STO and bought LTS in Apr 2013 for STO.
Actually, I've been playing other video games lately. But thanks for your concern, although I don't think a dev blog was required to explain my reduced presence on the STO forums.
Ah, authorial fiat, that's the best kind of justification.
They just can't.
Seems like the Iconians are energy beings that can focus their shape anyway if you look at the one we saw in the aftermath of the Undine attack. and while we saw that the Q can reproduce, they never actually state that the Q are energy beings, I've never seen an Organian child, or a Metron child, or, or, or.....and i have no idea what Trelane was (maybe a Q according to the books). Charlie X was human.
so maybe its an energy being thing.
and interesting fact, the rage being from TOS known only as (*) apparently accidentally got itself killed during the Dominion War, at least in the Novelverse. no idea about this one, but that would make for an interesting game mechanic, suddenly everyone, Player and NPC has to fight melee style for a mission. Coliseum doesn't count because the enemies had ranged attacks.
Just because you aren't told the reason right now doesn't mean there isn't one, or won't learn in the future.
I find this to be highly unlikely. Cryptic has hinted repeatedly that the Iconians are skilled in the ways of genetic engineering. They've also had 200,000 years. If the Iconians were rendered infertile during the Old War (the one they lost 200,000 years ago), they probably could have fixed it. Failing that, they almost certainly posses the technology needed for binary cloning, since Terra Prime was capable of it in 2155. Combine that with their engineering skill, and they would certainly have been able to repopulate by now. You say "there aren't a lot of Iconians left." I say "male bovine fecal matter, they're way too smart and arrogant to risk extinction."
there doesnt always have to be a main antagonist? maybe it'll be a bunch of stuff in the Gamma Quadrant
Why do we need one?
I'd love for this to run its course and the game to focus on what is going on in our back yard instead of what is going on in the Andromeda Galaxy or whatever.
Storylines regarding socio-political government factions in established Federation/Romulan/KDF territories seem way more interesting to me and would give Cryptic reason to revisit these places instead of jumping into the Andromeda Galaxy (or wherever).
But that's just my opinion. STO doesn't need a man-behind-the-man big bad villain. It just needs to address what happens when you have an interstellar culture clash and how to get everybody to work together despite their differences.
This explains the Iconians motivation perfectly.
In that case, perhaps the Alliance need not fight them - the Alliance can work to resolve the problem. The Feds can fix what's wrong with the Iconians physiologically, the Klingons psychologically, and the Romulans stylishly?
So what you're saying is that this may be Counselor Troi's moment to shine?
The Borg. Right now they're wimpy and pose no real threat to us, but their return did get the community's attention. However it seems everyone has become side tracked by the Iconian's return and with no one watching the Borg, what's to stop them from rebuilding their empire?
Imagine if the Borg assimilated Preserver or Iconian technology. They could return to pre-Voyager levels of strength, or even surpass their TNG level of power and become a real threat to the Galaxy once more.
lol
+1
No longer than it took for the Vaadwaur hehe! I can hardly wait! Though I hope one of them is at least suitable for a science captain. it would be a shame to be shafted of a decent science Herald vessel.
Killing the Queen means nothing. She has "died" multiple times on the various series and she still remains, as do the Borg. I already mentioned that the Borg are pathetic or "wimpy" now but I suggested they could succeed in assimilating Preserver or Iconian technology which returns them to a former level of power.
Where is the Obex?
Maybe they're too old to get it up. Would actually explain why they're grouchy.
Are we World of Trekcraft now? Come on. So far the plot has made sense, but fighting wizards and golems in Star Trek? Give me a break.
Actual join date: Open beta, 2009ish.
This is my line of thinking as well. The Iconians are no longer biological, they are truly immortal but are not multi-dimensional like some of the other God-like beings in Trek. My guess is that there's about 5-15 Iconians left, the Heralds were their attempt at reproduction but could not quite become true Iconian. The few Iconians left have split up the Andromeda galaxy and each rule a part as Gods.
I believe we are dealing with only one Iconian and "Her" faction as we've only really encountered one true Iconian after all.
Release date: Late Spring. Or somewhere close to it.
"Our history, our past, our present and our future is now forever changed. All we can do is preserve what is left and continue onwards. This is not a surrender nor defeat, we will continue the fight. This is our last hope, our last chance... for victory."
Vlasek D. Lasor - 4.19.3580
Star Trek Online: Foundry Storyline Series
Aren't they all in a sense?
Alpha quadrant hybrid ship tech came from their technology in the Spheres. And the use / manipulation of gateways is very much fitting of the science ship style.