Have you been eagerly waiting for the Star Trek Online Beta to begin? While that may yet be a while, Cryptic is giving you a chance to win a guaranteed beta slot this week with Star Trek trivia! The only downside is that they'll only be giving away one beta slot and there is sure to be some pretty fierce competition. Still interested? Here's how you win:

Each day, for five days, we will post a new Star Trek centric trivia question. The first person to correctly answer the question within the forum thread will receive a point.  After the fifth day, we’ll tally up the points; the person who has the most points will receive a guaranteed beta slot!

Unfortunately, I don't have a chance to win; but maybe you'll have better luck. Keep an eye on the news section of the Star Trek Online website. The first question will be going up soon.

It's hard to believe January is over. As we begin the second month of 2009, let's take a look back at some of the most noteworthy news stories and Allakhazam features of the past week. There's more links after the jump.

Allakhazam Features

Wizard101: Our First Look : Allakhazam editor Christopher "Pwyff" Tom supplies a first-hand look at Wizard101, a children’s MMORPG with "collectible card magic, wizard duels, and far off worlds."

Champions Online Interview with Bill Roper : We sat down to talk to Roper about Champions Online, the vision that he brings to the team, and what he learned from Hellgate: London.

Talking Vanguard with Jason "Ikik" Weinmann : We talked with Weimann, a programmer on Vanguard, about some of the changes that he's made to the game's tools as well as some of his secret projects on the side.

The folks over at Cryptic have begun releasing Kobayashi Maru scenarios on the official website and it's actually  turning out to be rather enjoyable. For those of you unfamiliar with what the Kobayashi Maru is, in the movies (most notably, The Wrath of Khan) it was the name of a spaceship in a training exercise that simulated a no-win scenario. In an interview we did a few months ago with Executive Producer, Craig Zinkievich, he gave us his solution to the original scenario, but I'm not quite sure it would work. Nice try though Craig! Below you'll find the newest scenario.

You are the highest ranking officer sent in a delegation to broker a trade agreement between the Vulcans and Romulans.  After the second day, there is an assassination attempt on one of your chief mediation delegation officials. Someone from either the Romulan or Vulcan party does not want this trade agreement to continue.  How do you investigate and solve the crime without insulting either party in this sensitive dispute?

If you'd like to chime in with your solution, head on over to the thread in the STO forums!

It's about that time again for another weekly recap. We have a ton of exclusives to share with you, so let's jump right in! Keep reading after the jump for even more links to some of our most noteworthy news stories of the week, as well as editorials on casual MMOs, professional gaming and machinima by members of the Allakhazam staff.

Allakhazam Features

Interview with Mia Rose : Editor-in-Chief Andrew "Tamat" Beegle got the chance to meet up with Mia Rose at the Consumer Electronics Show this month and she discussed all things WoW, including her thoughts on WotLK.

'Free Expansion' on the Horizon : Tamat talks with Vanguard's lead designer, Salim "Silius" Grant, about all of the new expansion-like content coming soon to the game.

Fasaria World Beta Giveaway : The Fasaria World team gave us 500 beta keys to give out to Allakhazam members. If you'd like to participate, we suggest you hurry before they're gone!

TwelveSky 2: Our First Look : Our friends at MAYN sent us 10 exclusive screenshots of this upcoming MMO set in ancient China. Check them out to see the style of the game.

The Star Trek Online development team has answered five questions in the newest Ask Cryptic segment that focus on ships, art design, custom species and NPC interaction. As far as ships go, the speed and maneuverability of the ship will be determined by its size, and you'll be able to keep all your ships and use earlier ones if you feel the situation requires it.

Also, here's the team's response to a question asking why the artistic direction seems to be bright with solid shade colors: "We’re aiming for a fantastical style, not a 'cartoony' one. It’s going to look realistic, in terms of planets, environments, and characters, but we want to take it up a notch and make it feel more fantastic."

To view this realism in planets and environments, check out these two new screenshots. The first one shows trouble at the Federation outpost, and the second shows a ship approaching an asteroid base. Also, keep reading the Ask Cryptic segment after the jump.

The Star Trek Online team continues to fill in the gaps leading up to 2409, and this time they're writing the 2384 section of the history book. The update is tense, with the assassination of Praetor Tal’aura leading to an upheaval in Romulan space. Also, a Gorn attack kills 207 Klingons.

Federation analysts say that a shakeup in the Romulan power structure has left the empire vulnerable to attack from within and without. Starfleet is dispatching additional ships to the border of the Neutral Zone and considers the Romulan situation one of the main threats to Federation safety and security.

In celebration of the new year, here's links to the previous timeline updates so you can catch up if you missed any: 2379-2380, 2381, 2382 and 2383. With 2384 written, that leaves only 25 years to go!

While we're always excited when the Star Trek Online team release gameplay details, such as on the NX-91001, Cryptic has been great at keeping us up-to-date on the faces behind the game, as well.

In the newest Meet the Team interview, we're introduced to Nicole Hamlett, the senior online community relations representative. While the Q&A session doesn't really shed any light on the game itself, it does cover other topics, such as advice on how to break into the gaming industry.

Be diligent. Get involved in fansites, wikis and other media networks. Get yourself known within the industry and create outstanding work. GDC and AGDC are fantastic places to network with industry professionals. It’s worth the trip.

You can read the full interview here or below.

I think it's safe to say that most Star Trek fans are interested in the various ships that can be found throughout the universe. And since you'll be piloting them in Star Trek Online, you'll be even more interested in their specs.

Well, the STO team has released a ton of information on the NX-91001, a starship that is "able to function as a deep-space explorer with extensive sensors and laboratory facilities for scientific research." But don't worry, it's also armed with the latest Starfleet weapons technology for when diplomacy fails and you have no other tactic but to fight your way out of a situation.

You can find out a lot more about the ship or after the jump, from exact specifications to its history.

The last Star Trek Online timeline update focused on 2382 and the unstable situation of the Romulans. Well, the newest one jumps ahead one year to 2383 to continue the story.

Starfleet Intelligence continues to gather reports of unrest on Romulus. Praetor Tal’aura enacts food rationing and strict limits on replicator use on the homeworld, saying that the empire’s resources must be reserved to support the military’s campaign against Donatra and the breakaway Imperial Romulan State.

All of these updates are filling in the gaps leading to 2409 so we can enter the game with as much background as possible. You can read the full 2383 post here or below.

The Cryptic team has once again filled in part of the timeline for Star Trek Online. This time it's for the year 2382 and focuses on the unstable situation of the Romulans.

The Klingon Empire takes advantage of the weak position of the Romulans to stage lightning strikes into Romulan space, retaking Khitomer and the sector surrounding it. The Federation Council criticizes the move, but Ambassador K’mtok responds that the empire is simply reclaiming territory that belonged to the Klingons by right.

Keep reading here or after the jump for the full post. While it's not required reading to enjoy the game when it comes out, it's highly interesting for any Star Trek fan.