Why Star Trek Online: Agents of Yesterday went classic — and its plan to bring players back

Star Trek Online’s newest expansion launches today, and the massively multiplayer online gaming is hoping to use nostalgia to bring fans into its game world.

Agents of Yesterday celebrates the 50th anniversary of the franchise by adding ships, characters, and more from the Original Series era. Previously, Star Trek Online was set in a post-Voyager era, so it had more in common with that show, The Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine than the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and crew. This expansion will not only give current fans of the free-to-play MMO content to enjoy, but it could bring in new or relapsed players (including those who try the console version when it launches later this year). The expansion is also available for free.