I just reached the rank of captain and received a new ship. It has 3 slots for rear firing weapons, I have a photon torpedo launcher inserted in one of the slots. However, the rear firing torpedo does not come up in the control panel as a firing option, nor does it come up in the option menu. Does anyone know why?

It will display as a normal photon torpedo launcher in the 'Powers' window (Press 'P' while in space). When you drag it onto your toolbar, you will see either the top or bottom of the circle around the icon is solid, where the rest of the circle outline is faint. The top section being solid shows a forward launcher, and the bottom section being solid shows a rear launcher.

My favourite rear firing torpedo has to be the Breen Transphasic Cluster Torpedo.

I'm down with Tricobalts.

Tricobalts do look like fun, but I never was specced for them before. I may well go and take another look at the weapons available now they are all open to me without spending ludicrous numbers of skill points.

They've been significantly nerfed, but I haven't played enough since the switch to be able to tell just how badly. You may not find them to be as notably hammerlicious because of that.

Then again, with the simplification of the skill tree, it's easier to spec for them and so you're not risking very much by giving them a go. You don't need to waste loads of skill points specifically for tricobalts; you can just spec for "torpedoes" and try them out.

Tricobalts? I'm loving the new and currently free Klingon "Bio-Neural Warhead", which is like HY tricobalt with shields and a gun.

Ahh...barrelling in....wasting pelting someone's shields....then crapping a Tric out as you pass by....Good times....Works well with HY Plasma too...AKA "Balls of Flaming Death"

Sounds like my Klink tac has a party to go to this weekend.

Rear firing torps just give Klingons something pretty to look at before they move in for the death blow.