Real Trekkies know this already, but anyone hovering on the periphery of Trekdom who’s interested in delving further should know that Atari and Cryptic Studios are accepting invitations for a Closed Beta of the MMORPG known as “Star Trek Online.”

Considered one of the most anticipated MMO’s of all time, “Star Trek Online” promises to let participants live the life of Star Trek by designing spacecraft, creating alien races and leading starship crews onto new worlds and across the final frontier. The Closed Beta allows a select few to explore this new Trek environment — set 30 years after the events of the movie “Star Trek: Nemesis” — ask questions and get an early feel for the game.

“Star Trek Online” is scheduled for release early next year. Anyone interested in boldly going where a lot of other people are already trying to go should fill out an application to join the Closed Beta as soon as possible. Those selected will be notified by e-mail — sometime soon, we hope.