Star Trek Online First Contact Day 2026 event hands out free Sovereign-class variant ship

Developer Cryptic Studios has announced that the yearly First Contact Day celebration event in MMORPG Star Trek: Online runs from its opening on April 7, 2026, through May 7, 2026. Players who participate for a period of time will be able to earn a free playable starship. First Contact Day is an in-fiction holiday in the Star Trek universe typically celebrated on and around April 5th, commemorating the first contact between humans and Vulcans as shown in the 1996 feature film Star Trek: First Contact.

Players who participate in the First Contact Day event will be able to earn a new playable starship, the Noble-class Intel Battlecruiser. The battlecruiser is a variant of the Sovereign-class starship (known in Star Trek Online as an Assault Cruiser), which the U.S.S. Enterprise-E debuted as in Star Trek: First Contact and subsequent feature films starring the Next Generation cast. The Noble-class design's appearance is an update of an alternative skin option for the Sovereign-class dating back to the game's launch, and also references concept art used for a 2008 Game Informer cover feature. The Noble-class comes with a usable console that allows players to voluntarily "blow up the damn ship," triggering a self-destruct sequence that conveys a variety of combat benefits but destroys the ship if it isn't turned off in time.

This is the first year since Cryptic began celebrating First Contact Day with an event that the main reward has been a playable starship. Previous years rewarded special equipment or novelty items. However, the participation method hasn't changed. As before, players can join in one of several themed activities each day to earn progress towards the grand prize, which can be claimed once the progress bar is filled up. The activities include a "Historical Reenactment" set in Bozeman, Montana, that has players building and launching models of the Phoenix warp ship. They can also participate in battle simulations depicting the Synth attack on Mars referred to in the first season of the Star Trek: Picard TV series, or the Battle of Wolf 359. Finally, players can also engage the Borg in ground combat alongside Seven of Nine in a brief time-travel themed mission.

Star Trek Online is available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The First Contact Day event runs from April 7 to May 7, 2026.