Welcome to the first edition of Star Trek Online 101. Over the next week and a half we'll be taking a look basic skills and information you need to be successful in STO. Each day we'll look at a different subject, and we'll kick it all off by talking about the different types of STO currency.

There are three types of currency in Star Trek Online:

Each type of currency is gained through completing various actions in game, be it completing quests or selling off items. Each type is earned in distinctly different ways and provides different rewards, meaning that a successful STO player will need to be concerned with amassing all three types. Fortunately this shouldn't be too much of an issue -- in the closed and open beta energy credits and Starfleet merits seem easy enough to come by.

Some people think that STO shouldn't have a currency system, while others point to the fact that Star Trek always did have a currency system, just that it wasn't really used in the shows. Either way, for an MMO to properly function there has to be some sort of reward unit, and Cryptic has developed a system which could potentially allow for a vibrant economy to develop.

After the break we'll take a look at the different ways to earn these three types of currency and what you can spend them on.