Star Trek Online Interview

Allakhazam.com interviews Star Trek Online executive producer Craig Zinkievich.
Allakhazam : Most MMO's include a "loot reward" system in which the player upgrades their character with currency and items obtained from defeated monsters. However, Federation captains aren't known for their graverobbing, so how does STO handle this?

Craig : We're not going to have Federation captains looting corpses for gear. Much of your currency will come either through rewards or trading. You will be able to get new technology from races you meet as you explore, or you can create new items with resources you gather or trade for and information you learn as you complete missions.

That being said, there is a chance that you will discover technology or a resource in a salvaged ship or on a planet. If you're a Starfleet captain who finds a new Klingon weapon, for example, it would make sense that you might try to adapt the technology for yourself or return it to the Federation for analysis.

Allakhazam : Since time travel has always been a staple of the Star Trek universe, are there any plans to incorporate it in some way within STO?

Craig : Not only does time travel play a big part in the Trek Universe, but it's also really cool! We already have content in development that will send players through time.