Most of the time i've experienced countdowns in STO for shut downs. My experience with MMO's suggests that countdowns are a GM/Server Admin tool that can be adjusted and initiated at any time they need to shut a server down. It's a matter of bringing up the tool and setting the amount of time they want the countdown to state.

That is why I stated what I did. It isn't like they don't have the tools or the ability to trigger the countdown whenever they want to or for whatever duration they need to. It's a matter that they chose not to. If their tool doesn't allow them to adjust the length of the countdown warnings (such as an semi-emergency shut down timer of 5 minutes) then they simply fail at coding their software to work at a Standard level for the Industry.

I've played a LOT of MMO's. Last count off the top of my head in excess of 20 odd MMO's and every one of them had the ability to trigger a 5 minute warning. If STO doesn't have that ability.. lol *fail*.