Hundreds gather in Star Trek Online for virtual event honoring medical professionals fighting COVID-19
Players gather in Star Trek Online to honor medical professionals. Image @Zeithri on Twitter
Players of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game, Star Trek Online, spent part of the weekend honoring medical professionals on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Last week, Star Trek Online announced that a gathering was to be held in-game on Saturday, and on the day, hundreds of players turned up, dressed in their finest medical gear. Star Trek Online had asked players to “please show up in your best Medical Uniform, of whatever faction you choose, and show your support for the doctors, nurses, and other medical workers out there right now.” The event took place on the upper promenade of Deep Space Nine, outside Quark’s Bar.
Twitter user @Zeithri posted a screenshot of the event, where several players in varying medical-style uniforms posed holding torches. They said of the picture, “A total gathering of approx 1500 people split up between sev. instances in DS9. People of #StarTrekOnline gathering, dressed in Medical Uniforms, to show solidarity to those in the medical profession who are taking care of and healing people during these #Covid_19 times.”
A total gathering of approx 1500 people split up between sev. instances in DS9.
— Zeithri (@Zeithri) April 18, 2020
People of #StarTrekOnline gathering, dressed in Medical Uniforms, to show solidarity to those in the medical profession who are taking care of and healing people during these #Covid_19 times. pic.twitter.com/g8Tg5yl6wq
In addition to the event, Star Trek Online is also giving away free in-game medical packs to all players. They say: “We’re offering a free pack to players on PC, which will come to Xbox One and Playstation 4 on May 7th. The pack contains: A brand new Vanity Shield, to deck your starship out in medical colors, a Holo Bashir Bridge Officer for Federation Captains and their allies, an Emergency Medical Hologram Bridge Officer for Klingon Captains and their allies, [and] a new Admiralty card, for medical ship the USS Hope.”
Ships using the medical vanity shield gather at Deep Space Nine. Image @Zeithri on Twitter
Star Trek Online is free to play and available for PC, Xbox One and Playstation 4. Get more information, including how to download the game, at startrekonline.com.
