In Star Trek Online the player will achieve skill points and Bridge Officer points over the course of their career. Skill points are directly related to your current rank and are required if the player wishes to receive a promotion. They are comparable to experience used in other MMO games.
The skills window for bother player skill points and Bridge Officer points are viewable and spendable in game by pressing the K key on the keyboard.
Skill Points
Skill points are player-only points that advance your character and ship. They can also affect your Bridge Officers however affect them as whole rather than individually like the Bridge Officer points. Skill points are acquired by completing missions in both PvE and PvP. They can also be accrued more slowly by killing players and NPCs of the opposite faction.
These points must be gathered in bulk before they can be spent. At Ensign, Warrior and Lieutenant levels your skills cost 100 skill points to be able to go up one level, to a maximum of nine. For example, if a player earns 32 skill points for completing a mission and they have zero points to begin with, then they will need to earn another 68 points before they can improve on their skills.
Bridge Officer Points
These points are slightly different to the points that a player earns. They are obtained via the same means however are solely used to advance your Bridge Officers skills.