I've never been big on Star Trek, but I understand that many of you self-identified geeks truly love The Original Series, or The Next Generation, or even the new JJ Abrams film. If that describes you, consider this post aimed directly at your face. Everyone else, just skip past this one.

Now that it's just the Trekkies and me, I've got some great news for you. Star Trek Online, the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game in development at Cryptic Studios, has just entered open beta.

As with most MMOs, the developer needs to have a few thousand people actually playing the game to properly stress test the hardware, so you're being given the opportunity to play the game for free. Simply navigate your browser to the Official Open Beta website and follow the instructions to set up an account and download the necessary software.

You should hurry though. All the other Trekkies here in The States are vying for the same open beta spots, and if they see you hesitate for even a moment you'll catch a Bat'leth to the groin.