To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for The Dominion expansion set.

PICTURE: The golden form of Odo knocking out a couple of Jem'Hadar is luminous and dynamic. The three tentacles are at a different stage of their movement, with one just reaching a Jemmie, another hitting one hard, and the last having already hit an out-of-shot character. I like the texture on the background wall, especially how it contrasts with the changeling's, and that red bar in the center fixes the composition in place. There's a candy cane-colored object in-frame on the left which I would have cropped, but an otherwise excellent image at 3.8.

LORE: The story, told in quick, precise fashion. It even brings a smile and connects the card to its relationship with In the Bag. That said, the title is a little odd. With Sisko's baseball fetish, we're all too sensitive to baseball references, and this really has nothing to do with that. Still a good 3.6.

TREK SENSE: We've seen shape-shifters sometimes use this tentacle trick in battle, and it works pretty much like it says here. Basically, it stuns a few opposing personnel. It's hard to avoid because the changeling is so fast, and when I say changeling, I really should say shape-shifter, as I think Anya and Salia could probably do this. That you can't attack non-shape-shifters testifies to that speed, though it may be something of a cop-out. It really isn't possible for one shifter to attack another this way? Or is it that they can't be STUNNED this way? Probably the latter. More than 3 personnel would be pushing it if you want your shifter to have any kind of precision, and the move seems just instinctive enough for it to be random. After all, it has to be based on who is standing together. It of course expose an infiltrator, as it did in Martok Founder's case. That all shape-shifters would do this at the same time raises an eyebrow, but is a symptom of a card-driven game. Normally, if a character can do something, it should be able to do it at any time. But STCCG forces us to see a tactic as a resource by making it a card. That's just the way it is. Perhaps not allowing EACH shifter present to do it would have fixed this. A fine, fine 4.1.

STOCKABILITY: Strike Three goes a certain way to make changelings as useful in battle as Jem'Hadar, or at least allows them to hold their own. A single shape-shifter can take out 3 personnel at the start of a battle, then go on to pair up with a 4th. If they have enough STRENGTH, they might stun that one too (maybe use The Guardian too?). Since this works for each shape-shifter present, a duo or trio could probably survive an attack by 6 or 9 attackers. The thing is, they'd really have to leave after that before the stun effect wears off (unless you've got tons of Strike Threes in hand). They'd get their end-of-battle kill, but the rest could not possibly be mortally wounded. Founders can still take the additional defense with a smile, but a guy like Odo, with his high STRENGTH will help the Bajorans in fights too. You could even add Salia and Anya to a deck if you really wanted to use this card. In combination with In the Bag, Strike Three becomes a little more interesting. In the Bag allows you to switch an equipment card with a shifter at the start of a personnel battle, DOWNLOADING (ahh, useful) Strike Three at the same time. See this PADD? It's really Lovok Founder! Oh, and take that, and that, and that! Such surprises are fun (read: cool) and are better than waiting around for the card to come to you naturally as the personnel battles go on under your nose. If you need added defense, it's a good card. If not, it's not really necessary. I'll say 3.4 here.

TOTAL: 14.9 (74.5%) A good design. I give it 2 tentacles up.

PICTURE: The pic is from "The Ship" which isn't a planetary subjugation episode unfortunately, but images for that haven't really been show (I suppose CGI of Jem'Hadar landing on Betazed would have worked). I'll also complain that the Jem'Hadar is alone (in the pic) to do this objective, that his lips are too red (he looks like he's wearing lipstick) and that there's a slight blur of motion which doesn't really add to the image. Boring background too. On the upside, I do appreciate the grittiness of the card, something rarely done with this product. A 1.9.

LORE: N/A (score will be adjusted accordingly)

TREK SENSE: An alternate set of mission requirements for the Dominion who indeed are more interested in putting various planets under their thumb than solving missions. The Objective cannot play on a mission with a Dominion icon because those do have a link to the affiliation already. It can't be played on a homeworld either, perhaps because that should be a greater objective still. The logic is tenuous, but within the framework of a television series, such events should either not happen, or else be defined by their own card (see Assimililate Planet/Assimilate Homeworld). It also can only be played on a mission you yourself seeded. A mechanical detail that has no real bearing on reality, except that the missions you seed are not the missions that exist, but rather the targets your leaders plan to hit. So there's no real problem there. As for the requirements, it takes a number of Jem'Hadar (of course, not really enough to Subjugate an entier planet, one of the few times Jem'Hadar are treated as equipment cards or ensign Bobs in that each one represents a number of beings present) with attending Vorta (the shock troops and their leader), plus Treachery because this isn't a nice thing to do, and finally, much like Secure Homeworld does, it requires an attribute total linked to the card's points. That last requirement does bear scrutiny as it's pretty mechanical (is the deserted location of Hunt for DNA Program a tougher planet to Subjugate than the  Klingon-infested planet of Bat'leth Tournament?), but it is an elegant means of creating a difficulty/points ratio. The controlling attribute of Strength is the right one in any case. As an added bonus, solving a mission this way can also download a couple cards. Now, it's okay that having Subjugated said Planet, the Dominion would build a Remote Supply Depot there, but as with most outpost building, I think it's done awfully quickly (though I admit, Supply Depots are pretty small and could be carried in modular form on a Warship), and without an Enginneer even. The Ketracel-White simply gives the Depot something to Supply. Oh, and the whole thing is a Hidden Agenda because the Dominion wouldn't inform a planet's citizens of what was coming. Though I detect a small cheat here and there, I think it's a great card that makes the Dominion distinctive from other affiliations. An excellent 4.6.

STOCKABILITY: The Dominion, being one of the newer kids on the block (relatively speaking), have fewer missions than the older ones, so this card is important in giving them access to others. What's more, using Subjugate Planet in multiples insures your missions will have all the same requirements. You'll of course need to run a Jem'Hadar-based deck (rather than, say, Breen), and these will invariably use Vorta, a natural source of Treachery anyway. Jemmies' STRENGTH is always excellent even without hand weapons, but any mission could be solved with less than one Jem'Hadar per 5 points featured on the point box. You could opt to use an army of Jem'Hadar with high-point missions (like Diplomatic Conference) or smaller groups going after a bunch of more conservative missions (25-30 pointers). You could slide in Betazoid Invasion with its similar requirements (and high points), and some space mission to balance it out too (Construct Depot requires a Vorta too). The Hidden Agenda isn't that useful in that you can only target the missions you seeded yourself, but keeping your opponent in the dark as to what you're gonna do next is always interesting. In addition to points, the objective allows you to set up an outpost (and grab a quick and necessary Ketracel-White), which you'd have probably done at least once per quadrant anyway. You can use it to recharge your Ketracel-White and to report hand weapons for free (more STRENGTH for the next Subjugate Planet!) or even more Jem'Hadar via Birthing Chambers. Oh, and it can also be downloaded by Obedience Brings Victory, which can be triggered by rationing anyway. Quick and deadly, it's a good showcase for Jem'Hadar personnel. A strong 4.5.

TOTAL: 14.67 (73.33%) Fun stuff... unless you're on the other end of that rifle.

PICTURE: One Jem'Hadar? Big surprise! But wait, is that another one de-shrouding next to him? Day in, day out, I never really notice him because the effect isn't very good-looking. It's just one of those Jem'Hadar pics on a yellow planet, and everything's blurry and far away. And 2 Jem'Hadar still isn't that impressive. It's like a far shot of Subjugate Planet, and quite dull. I can think of other unshroudings that were way more massive. Only 1.8.

LORE: There's a lot of emphasis on the "Surprise" aspect, but not a lot on the "Assault" side of things. ("Ooh, he took me by surprise!") And while I'd rather see a shrouding card per se for the Jem'Hadar, I'm happy to see the ability canonized into the game (though it'll be a cause for concern in Trek Sense). A pretty square 3.2.

TREK SENSE: Let's first lay it all out in the open - while a "Surprise Assault" could be carried out by anyone, all the lore talks about is Jem'Hadar. But the Jemmies are part of an affiliation! Would these dilemma guys actually jump a Founder? I don't think even the rogues with the Iconian gateway would do that. But strictly going by the title and game text now... A Surprise Assault takes out 2 personnel (as many as there are Jemmies on the pic), one the stupidest who probably stood too close to the hidden enemy, and the other the weakest, unable to defend himself properly. To fight off the attackers, you need a strong defense. One way to do it is to be a fighting complement yourself, as represented by Security and leaders (Leadership and/or Officers); the other is to have a couple of hand weapons ready (as many as are represented on the card). Only with this kind of "equal force" can the Jem'Hadar (or other attackers) be subdued, driven back, or killed. It pretty much works, with an interesting targeting scheme too. It's not too focused on actual events, but does well for itself at 4.

SEEDABILITY: Two kills and the requirements can be tough. Tough in that they ask for a lot of things. You might have an OFFICER with Leadership and a SECURITY, but 2 of each classification? Maybe not. You might have one hand weapon, but two? Maybe not. Then again, a lot of Away Teams are packing heat these days, and SECURITY personnel are getting more and more common all the time. That's why this works best once you whittled down the Away Team a bit, either with well placed filters or killers, or with equipment destroyers like Common Thief or Disruptor Overload. The two killed will have some of the lowest attributes, but that doesn't mean they're not useful in some other way (or else why use them?). The dilemma is particularly nasty against the Borg, who require specific Counterparts to pass it (the Queen can't be both OFFICER and Leadership, and they don't use hand weapons). The drones' all-the-same attributes makes the dilemma a kind of surer hitter, first of a Com or Def drone, then of a Com or Nav drone, unless they decide to use Cortical Node Implant to modulate their attributes. In more usual situations, it's a matter of how big the Away Team is. Mega-Away Teams will breeze through (hose them with The Higher... after, or something like Denevan Neural Parasites before), while smaller, faster teams will be decimated. I think I can call this one a 3.7.

TOTAL: 12.7 (63.5%) Surprised?

PICTURE: By the lighting, the Defiant is under cloak here, which is appropriate, and T'Rul is her classic sourpuss self. Captures her well at 3.6.

LORE: One sentence describing exactly her function and nothing else. That's fine, but she appeared enough to be elligible for a little more (it WAS a two-parter, after all). A competent, but not very satisfying 3.

TREK SENSE: She installed the cloaking device (Engineer), operated it (Physics) and safeguarded it (Security), all skills present on the card. The Exobiology, however, I'm at a loss to explain. I mean, I think it's an ironic skill given that Martha Hacket played both this Romulan and the Cardassian/Bajoran/Federation/Non-Aligned/Kazon Seska. So is the skill an Easter Egg of sorts? A very subtle - no, obscure! - one if it is. I can find no reason for it on T'Rul per se. The special skill seems fine, but is a little backwards. In the show, she made the ship SLOW DOWN so that the cloak would have less chance of being penetrated by Dominion sensors. But since you can't really enhance a cloak in the game, the bonus went the other way. That leaves attributes. We start off with relatively high Integrity... well, she managed not to backstab the main characters. For a Romulan, that's something. The Cunning and Strength seem on the mark enough. Starts off well, but segues into some unexplained abilities. Adding Cloaking Device to her ship may well have been the way to go. A 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: T'Rul has one of those popular dual-classifications, and it's a strong one, ENGINEER/SECURITY. Both are quite necessary to dilemma passing, as is Exobiology, which isn't the most common skill in the Romulan deck. The Romulans have always been good in space, and she can bring an extra Physics to the party, but that Exobiology will help with planets as well. The RANGE boost can be useful in extending Engage Cloak's reach, and since most Romulan ships have a Cloaking Device, she'll be able to use that bonus which, admittedly, isn't very big. A good mission solver, especially since those decks put RANGE at a premium. I'll give her a 3.5.

TOTAL: 13 (65%) The again, you could leave her out like the show did.

PICTURE: We're talking about a console? We're seeing a console. This is the Valiant's targeting of the Dominion Battleship, byt the way, and so is quite appropriate, seeing as the small ship was trying to boost its fighting power against the behemoth. The Battleship actually looks better here than on its own card, there's the magical Trek number 47 in one corner, and "Vessel Config: Unknown" is legible. The color resolution wasn't as lucky however, with the blues looking especially dirty. Console shots are often just columns of numbers, but this one might interest more than just accountants. A 3.4.

LORE: All sorts of links are made between the lore and game text, and though it's pretty techie, it's not technobabble. Nothing that really sticks in your mind after reading, but a fair 3.2.

TREK SENSE: Here's the thing - if it's a standard display on most modern starships, why does it need to be "installed" in the way described here? I applaud the more realistic play of this event, requiring installation at a facility, but it shouldn't be necessary. Likewise, should non-modern starships have access to this piece of equipment? How about shuttles? You need a tactical officer, as represented by Security, to operate it at peak efficiency (and only at peak efficiency does it afford its bonus), but Miles O'Brien will do as well. Why? Well, he's got Security in his skills, but the card requires a classification. So this reestablishes him as a former tac officer, and as someone who can fall back on his soldiering skills at a moment's notice. The bonus is, of course, to Weapons, and +3 is arbitrary, but high enough. Whether this card is actually a Captain's Order may be a point of debate, since it doesn't take the form of an order, but it does make this piece of equipment more of an event. It's like the captain saying "target that ship's whatever". Works for me, but it's another point against the Console's need of "installation". Problems such as that one keep the score at 3.

STOCKABILITY: +3 WEAPONS is a very interesting boost, especially when it's semi-permanent like this one. As long as you have a SECURITY-classification personnel aboard ship, the bonus stands. It doesn't even have to play at Event speed either, since it's a Captain's Order card. Ready Room Door can download it lightning-quick. Same for Commander's Office, since the ship needs to be docked at a facility anyway. You must, of course, make sure you have SECURITY-classification, not -skill aboard your ships, or, in the case of the Feds, Miles O'Brien (a very good personnel indeed), but such personnel are easy to get early with Defend Homeworld. The Bajorans have an added bonus if using it on an Assault Vessel: General Hazar adds another +1 to the boost. Makes the Assault Vessels WEAPONS 11 before any matching commander bonuses. Excellent, and almost worth using those bulkier ships. Attack Pattern Delta can provide even more help by doubling the bonus for an entire turn, from +3 to +6 (or +8 on those Assault Vessels). APD can be downloaded by a couple personnel (Keogh and Senator Letant) so it's easy to get into play during a battle. A strong tool for battle decks, or those wishing to counter them, at 4.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) Of course, it didn't work real well for the Valiant.

PICTURE: The top part of Dominion PADD, Talak has to deal with strong shadows, slight blurring and crooked background elements, and still he looks pretty good. I guess it's the peaceful expression that does it for me, coldly dangerous. And that aforementioned background piece? Seems to be a red alert. Red alert indeed, that's the first Jem'Hadar to find his way into Ops. Enough for a 3.6.

LORE: His role in the show takes pretty much the entire lore space, and I really like the three suspension points which create the illusion of an ultimatum right there on the card. Thumbs up: a 3.7.

TREK SENSE: *Third* Talak'talan is high enough in rank to merit Officer status, but not enough to get a Command icon. Jem'Hadar aren't really consistent on the subject, with Remata'Klan being a Third with a Command icon (because the first two died), but Toman'torax being a Second with only Staff. In this case, since we didn't see anyone higher up than Talak at the Jem'Hadar base on the "camping planet", I think Command could have been justifiable, but I won't really make it a point of contention. Because he was in charge of keeping Sisko and Quark imprisoned, he gets Security, but the other two skills are cheats of a sort. Sure, he beamed in and out of Deep Space 9, and seemingly through the Wormhole, but that little Transporter Skill/Astrophysics maneuver was no doubt done by another Jem'Hadar, standing at a console. You don't generally beam yourself unless it's a dire emergency. The downloads make sense of course, with both also showing Talak'talan in this particular scene. He held the dubious "Dominion PADD", and gave the Ultimatum. True naturals. As for attributes, his Integrity is a little low because he did things like spit on all species but the Klingons and grabbed Quark's chest in a show of strength (Strength is fine at 10 too). The Cunning is more arbitrary, with him coming off as a 7 rather than an 8, but I suppose such messages are not entrusted to anyone dumb. Touch and go on a couple skills, but the rest is good. A 3.5 even.

STOCKABILITY: Talak'talan is most interesting for his special downloads, but he has some good skills too. First there's a dual-classification, both incredibly common among Jem'Hadar though. Transporter Skill allows him to enable your Invasive Beam-In, and Astrophysics is a rather rare skill in the Dominion, yet still required of both missions and dilemmas. Attributes are high, especially STRENGTH (have any Jem'Hadar ever had trouble with Maglock?), except for INTEGRITY. But those special downloads! If you choose Ultimatum, please don't do so for the first, "quick-start" functions. For Wormhole and Depot downloads, you want the incident out very early. You CAN achieve this by downloading Talak'talan with Defend Homeworld, then going for the rest, but you might as well seed the card and use your seeded Defend to grab Deyos. No, only use the download after you've discarded your first Ultimatum for ship points, to get a shot at a second ship. As you destroy it even. The second choice may seem paltry, but equipment downloads are great for the Dominion because they provide platforms for reporting Founder In the Bag. You might think twice about unBagging a useful Disruptor Rifle, but who cares about PADDs? Actually, if your opponent pulls the "Crimson Forcefield" Tactic on you, it's a great time to boost Talak's CUNNING to 10, THEN unBag that changeling. The flexibility insures him a place in a couple different decks, so a 3.8.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) Though a Third, he was the first.

PICTURE: The dark beige background complements Telle's pockmarked face, but I can't say we learn much about this regretful character from his picture. 3.1 here.

LORE: Not much more than what is here was known of this character, but they did include all the interesting bits (but not a mention of his universality). I'd have to say that scores 3.4.

TREK SENSE: I'm not sure what the guy is representative of, but he's universal. Only a Glinn, the Staff icon is deserved, and the Computer Skill is needed to access the data he was trying to get his hands on. Since it's tactical data, Security is likewise à propos. What isn't though, is the Medical. Why Medical other than the fact that the Cardassians have a deficiency in the classification? There's nothing in the episode to warrant it. Treachery, yes. Medical, no. Based on the premise that Cardassian Security are good at torture? Who knows. You know, he did claim he accessed the information by mistake. Decipher judged him to be guilty though since he gets a low Integrity (you'll get no argument from me). Because he got caught and gave such a thinly veiled excuse, the Cunning is likewise on the low side. Finally, fair Strength for a Security officer. Nicely done on everything but that eyesore of a Medical. Sets it at 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: Not only is he the only Cardassian support personnel with MEDICAL, but also with Computer Skill! Both extremely useful skills. And while Computer Skill is common enough on non-support personnel, MEDICAL is at a premium in a Cardassian deck. His two skills are not often found on the same mission (only Eliminate Virus comes to mind), but are recurring themes on dilemmas. And the SECURITY isn't bad either. Nothing great about the attributes, but his talents lie elsewhere, and for giving you ready access to some always useable abilities, he gets a 3.5.

TOTAL: 12.9 (64.5%) Always stays around the middle.

PICTURE: The saaaaaaaad Jem'Hadar, his card needs a little more contrast in spots, but is generally pleasant. Good color palette, composition et al. A balanced 3.4.

LORE: First off, where'd they get that name? Sounds lile Montezuma, but not like a Jem'Hadar, not really. Still, they tell me it's from the episode's script. The lore itself works for a true universal, as it explains how such a Jem'Hadar could be found on every ship, etc. And since his kind are that universal, it doesn't really matter if the archetype is on a planet surface. He was once part of a crew. Joyless, but ok at 3.1.

TREK SENSE: A well supported universal personnel, he's Security because he's mostly a soldier, but is an Engineer to work the transporters with peak efficiency (so understanding of shields, transporter repair, etc.), and Transporter Skill too, obviously. Works as a universal, and works as a support personnel, given the quality of his skill package. The only thing I have issue with is the Cunning attribute, a little too low to be such a transporter expert. Fairly high Intergrity is a sign of Jem'Hadar honor (if not Honor), and the high Strength is likewise common among his kind. I know such personnel aren't very original, but he's pretty well constructed at 3.8.

STOCKABILITY: A simple little personnel with a lot going for him. He's easily reportable, whether it's with Assign Support Personnel or the more expensive Defend Homeworld. He's got the oft requested ENGINEER for building Supply Depots and such. He combines that with another classification, SECURITY, which is good for redundancy in Dominion mission solving, and to turn him into a leader with Prepare Assault Teams. The Transporter Skill is instrumental in using Invasive Beam-In to board and smush the opposition. To help with that, he's got very good STRENGTH, which can be further boosted by Lower Decks and hand weapons. Good INTEGRITY as well, but lame CUNNING. Ah well, can't have everything. There's another Jem'Hadar support personnel with Transporter Skill, and there's another yet with ENGINEER, but the two skills complement each other so well here. A 3.6.

TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) A cute little Jem'Hadar.

PICTURE: Quark's arm disappears into the darkness leaving the Earring itself relatively well exposed for our eyes. It of course becomes an ugly shot of his silver nails, but what're ya gonna do? A not-so-inspiring 2.7.

LORE: The story behind the Earring is simply and straightfowardly told, though perhaps a bit specific for game purposes. I guess it's an average 3.

TREK SENSE: It fits in your pocket, so it's like Equipment. That's the way I prefer Artifacts anyway, since they are basically objects. This one has 2 distinct effects. The first is very much related to storytelling, tying it in with its actual purpose in the show. In such a case, if the discovery of the Earring leads you to rescue Li Nalas at Rescue Prisoners, you get a bonus to the mission's points. Here's the rationale: If you just Rescue Prisoners without the Earring, you didn't even know the legendary resistance leader was there, so it's worth what it's worth. If, however, you know who you're rescuing, the mission becomes all the more important, as represented by its attractive point box. Rescuing Bajoran prisoners from Cardassian camps in always a worthy pursuit, but getting Li Nalas out was a priority on the show. Furthermore, this encourages players to recreate events from the show which is a big plus for Trek Sense. Otherwise, Li Nalas probably wouldn't find himself trapped on Cardassia IV. The other effect is less stellar, but implies that without Li, the Earring alone inspires Resistance fighters to great heights (+3 in EACH attribute!). I would have been more comfortable with Li Nalas actually initiating the effect when present with the Earring (as a representation of his legendary status). As is, it's a pretty big bonus to swallow. A personnel might be inspired to be more honorable (Integrity) or tough (Strength), but that much smarter (Cunning)? Some strong stuff, some not as strong. Places at 3.7.

SEEDABILITY: The Bajorans stand a lot to gain from this Artifact. In the first place, it turns Rescue Prisoners into a 50-point mission (very lucrative) which also scores you Li Nalas and a bunch of universal personnel. This works whether the Earring is still in play or not, or even if the artifact was earned (read: stolen) by your opponent. If you have it handy though, the second function actually helps solve the mission since its main component is STRENGTH, and all your Resistance personnel present would be STRENGTH +3. Resistance personnel are in fact +3 to each attribute which should make pooling attributes very easy indeed. Li Nalas and Gantt are the only Resistance personnel you could pick up on Cardassia IV, but the others you report normally will have quite an advantage in personnel battle. The Bajorans have huge assault team potential, as it's easy to up their STRENGTH with a variety of cards. The only universal Resistance personnel, Gantt, can be downloaded via Bajoran Civil War, and then benefit from the Earring (+3), War Room (+2), Shakaar Edon (+2) and any extra hand weapons. His STRENGTH 7 soars up to 14 or more quickly enough, and you can have as many of him in play as you want. There's another dozen Resistance personnel that can be added to that too, some which can even add Keeve Falor's bonus on top of that. The Earring of Li Nalas really pays off both in battle and mission solving (great for a specialist-less affiliation). Furthermore, it can be downloaded via Starry Night or Secret Compartment, making it all the more attainable, especially when using a Nor. I'm giving it big Bajoran back-handed applause and a score of 4.4.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Artifacts should pack a punch.

PICTURE: This was never the Great Hall in my book. The one they used in TNG was much more impressive, while the DS9 set had the look of an auxiliary conference chamber. We do get a regal Gowron pointed to by a large Klingon "dagger" on the ground, and part of the Council itself, but the top carpentry makes it look like they're in the hold of a ship. Some good points, but badly chosen. Only 3.1.

LORE: Only the facts, m'am. There's very little to hold interest here, even if it makes no mistakes (how could it with so short a sentence?). A just as brief 2.

TREK SENSE: Obviously, the Great Hall is on Qo'noS. The free reporting here is simply to represent that the affected cards can be found here on any given day. I.e., they are conceptually present since the beginning of the game and more or less make their presence known when they "report". Klingons involved in the Empire's governing (or in some cases, simply "staffing" the Hall itself) should be able to do this. Never seen the Emperor (Kahless) there, but I'm sure he entertains audiences. The chancellor is at the head of the Council, that's good too (though Decipher hasn't been too good at putting that word in the right people's lores). Finally, personnel with the words "High Council" are included, and I think this is probably better Trek Sense than any kind of title. This ends up including heads of Houses, security guards, Council leaders (i.e. chancellors), ambassadors and agents SENT by the Council and other, more vague, "members". There's only one wannabe member, Toral, and we HAVE seen him at The Great Hall. Pretty seamless, and allows for a more diverse group of personnel than most other HQs. How many include guards and attendents that we know to be there? HQ cards can also play for free, since they represent governmental orders that emanate from the Great Hall, so even its legislative characteristics are included. SHIELDS are very high, but consistent with a military people's main camp. Homeworlds are highly defended, after all. A strong 4.6 (every possible personnel is of course not included in the "High Council" definition, like Mogh for example).

SEEDABILITY: I don't have to sell you on the usefulness of Headquarters as a concept. They act as a sort of highly shielded outpost with certain free plays, often of excellent personnel, or of HQ cards. Speeds up any deck. So, are the Klingon free reports at all valuable? Well, there are currently 15 personnel that report here, from the valuable Chancellor Gowron, Governor Worf and Martok to the truly lame Toral and K'mpec. Some are mission specialists that can be downloaded even more quickly than reported here (but the free guy would add to the 2 downloads and get you all the more bonus point power), and others are support personnel. D'Ghor stands out as uniquely skilled, Morka has that Klingon Intelligence, and there's that nice MEDICAL on Margh. Indeed, there aren't just VIPs and OFFICERs here, but SECURITY as well. Plus, there's actually a universal in there which can be reported multiple times, each time for free. The important thing is that you get to report personnel for free. The Klingons have very easily staffed armadas that will benefit from the extra speed. Let's not forget HQ cards, since War Room will only make them tougher (giving them even greater advantage) and smarter (fixing their weakness), Secure Homeworld is easy to solve with the free personnel's skills. A good boost to speed, and just a tad better now with Chancellor Gowron coming out. Watch out for a Klingon opponent who could also report their personnel here. Klingons have no attack restrictions, so attack them on sight. How about a 4.2?

TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) Points for content, points off for presentation.

PICTURE: I always liked the second homeworld myself, with its impressive changeling ocean and more distinctive island, but I sort of understand the need to place The Great Link at the original planet, since that's where it'll have to play. Too bad though, as the set has always been a little lame with that miniature train grass and strange colors. A 2.9 only thanks to suitability.

LORE: More interesting than most facilities' lore, we get a short but informative treatise on changeling existence. Certainly original, and worth its 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Will there be a second Founder's homeworld? I ask because it's apparently feasible to transplant the Link onto another planet. Maybe that will be adressed later. The Great Link also includes actual facilities that surround the lake itself (some of them underground, according to the show) as in whatever is emitting the Shields, and the Ketracel-White laboratories. The former is set very high, making the Shields here +2 over the military-minded peoples of the Alpha Quadrant. The Dominion has similar attitudes, but also a fanatical devotion to protecting the Founders and slightly more powerful technology. The latter allows Ketracel-White not to count down by providing replacement White instantaneously. Now, as with other HQs, some personnel are considered to likely be present and thus, to report for free once per turn. These are limited to Founders since they're in the lake, though there are doubtless permanently assigned Vorta and Jem'Hadar here as well. The Founders are the only true governors though, so only they are named, and that's fine. HQ cards can also be played here for free, since they represent decisions made by the ruling body of the Dominion. Though some questions remain, they are about cards that don't exist yet (like a Return Odo-type mission) and cannot penalize the card too much. I'd say it would be fair to call this one a 4.4.

SEEDABILITY: Headquarters are great alternatives to Outposts because they allow free reporting and free card plays, higher SHIELDS, and reporting ships undocked, all in exchange for a limited place to seed (only a real problem if Assimilate Homeworld is in opponent's plans) and your opponent's ability to report there too (but they have to be playing the same affiliation you are, again not likely). The Great Link, for its part, only freely reports (once per turn) Founders, but these are usually excellent personnel. Not only do many of them have a lot of skills, infiltration ability and some downloads, but there's also the matter of those shape-shifting cards that make them more versatile. You can use standard card plays to report Vorta and a Jem'Hadar Birthing Chamber which can report its own free Young Jem'Hadar, which turn into whatever universal Jem'Hadar you have in hand at the end of the turn. Supply Depots get you the equipment quicker, but the HQ is faster on Founders. Any Jemmies stuck here won't be prone to White Deprivation so long as at least one White card is present, though this is less important now that an incident is required to starve the Jem'Hadar. As for free HQ cards, I have to mention War Room as an excellent boost to Jem'Hadar soldiers, just making them even stronger, Secure Homeworld which should be real easy using Dominion personnel, and to avoid the events of the show, Orbital Weapons Platform. Supply Depots make better Outposts than the regular stuff other affiliations get, so it's a matter of wanting to use lots of Founders and/or HQ cards. As high as 3.9.

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) Can there be a second version of this?

PICTURE: Toman'torax's severe expression suits him, and is pulled from one of his confrontations with Worf. The background, though simple, is note-worthy for being, on the bottom, the same color as the Dominion affiliation, and on top, the same as his uniform (even looking like a shoulder strap). Better than average then, at 3.5.

LORE: Everything we really know about him are given away (except his death, of course, though it may be implied by the past tense on the duration of his servitude). A good enough 3.2.

TREK SENSE: A Jem'Hadar Second is indeed an Officer, but in the Dominion power structure, only Staff (so as to include Vorta and Founders higher up). His 3 standard skills aren't really proven fact, but doubtlessly are Founder-implanted genetic abilities. His disobedience to Omet'iklan might have warranted Treachery, or his willingness to die for his fault, Honor, but none of that is here. Leadership is probably required of a Second, but not in evidence during the episode. Engineer and Stellar Cartography, again, not impossibilities for a Jem'Hadar, are likewise absent from his performance. Treachery of sorts is implied by the low Integrity, and the Cunning is likewise on the low side, showing how he could let his emotions get the better of him when he fought with Worf. Strength is on par with the Klingon's, which does make me smile. Ah, but what of the special skill? Well, his over-eagerness to fight Worf is translated as a pairs-first mentality. First into the fray, if you will. Of course, it's hard to tell if he would have been like that against any opponent, as here, he clearly attacked an ally. Also, shouldn't his First kill him after using this ability if it constitutes disobedience? Just a thought. Built like many Jem'Hadar, showing off skills that weren't there so they aren't all Security/Honor personnel, his special ability is interesting enough to forgive the character, but not entirely as it is itself flawed. A 2.8.

STOCKABILITY: A very good Jem'Hadar personnel, all things considered, what with his dual-classification which includes the ever-useful ENGINEER. Leadership and Stellar Cartography are likewise good dilemma-busters, and useful on missions too (like Reignite Dead Star, for example). None of them are rare in the Dominion, though, which makes Toman'torax's true usefulness hinge on his special ability. Guess what, it's pretty good. When facing a smaller Away Team in battle, there's always a chance that, in those random assault piles, your weak but important Vorta will be near the top of your pile and have to face a much stronger opponent. Meanwhile, your big strong Jem'Hadar are hanging out back doing nothing. Toman'torax can pair first and put his STRENGTH 10 (plus hand weapon bonuses) to work every time instead. Throw in Bodyguards, and you can insure the survival of most everyone in your party, I imagine, but doesn't quite make him obsolete. Aside from his STRENGTH, his attributes are nothing to cheer at, though they might be useful against Chula or Clown dilemmas that require certain numbers. That all sets him up to be a 3.8.

TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) Disobedient, maybe, but still useful.

PICTURE: I've never liked Galors very much, aesthetically, and this one's not really any different. One "wing" looks distorted here, and the running lights have always been to prominent. Ehh. A 2.4.

LORE: We get a synopsis of "The Wounded", which is good enough. Bonus points go to correctly identifying the ship's matching commander as Dukat-lookalike Gul Macet. A 3.4.

TREK SENSE: How does the Trager compare to the baseline Galor class? +1 Weapons and that's it. Well, it was out to destroy the Phoenix, so the nod to Weapons is sensible. The rest pretty much conforms to the Galor mold, and the matching commander is well-ascribed. Not that interesting at 3.5, but I can't fault it.

STOCKABILITY: Galors aren't that hard to staff, so can make for potable Obelisk-resistant armada. A matching commander makes one a little more competitive, and a Macet/Trager/Plaque/Log combo will yield a ship rated at 10-11-10. Macet's a fair personnel, and downloadable via Ready Room Door to this vessel, a vessel which is rated exactly the same as the Aldara (why?), but a bit more aggresive than other Galors. I'll give it a 3.5.

TOTAL: 12.8 (64%) Possibly the shortest review since the very first weeks of the Rolodex.

PICTURE: I would have found the Treaties much more interesting if they'd dug up pics of collaborating affiliations, or even mocked some up by juxtaposing the appropriate ships. The splitscreen logos are just dreadfully boring. Even worse, velour magenta and yucky brown simply do NOT go together. Heck, the Dominion's lime green and pink on brown is a 1970s eyesore in itself! No doubt the worst-looking Treaty in the collection at 0.1.

LORE: The story of how the Treaty came to be is well told, and qualified as the non-aggression pact it was. We get a lot more detail than we do on most of these, so a competent 3.3.

TREK SENSE: Treaties could have gone one of two ways initially, either between affiliations under your control, allowing them to cooperate, or with your opponent's cards, disallowing attacks of any kind. While the second version would have have low Stockability, the Bajoran/Dominion non-aggression pact nonetheless seems to be more of this type. Aside from uneasily mixing on Deep Space 9, you never saw a Bajoran working with a Jem'Hadar (unlike the Cardassians). That's why I think the Treaties should have had different effects based on the true events on the show. Some affiliations HAVE cooperated, though not used mixed crews, others mix freely, others gain other advantages from their alliance. I do like the idea to allow the Treaty to report for free thanks to the personnel responsable for it. In this case, The Emissary definitely fits the bill since he asked the Bajorans to sign it. Kai Winn herself signed the Treaty. The free play option only brings it up to a 1.9 though.

STOCKABILITY: Treaty stockability depends on two factors really - 1) are the two affiliations compatible (i.e. can you use the same strategies with both) and 2) do they complement each other (i.e. can one be used to overcome the other's weaknesses). On the first front, Bajoran/Dominion both have great assault teams, and with the new rules concerning white deprivation, Jem'Hadar assaulteers need not necessarily require Ketracel-White. In fact, seeding only Bajoran facilities might keep White Deprivation (the card) off the table until later in the game, by which time you could have built a Remote Supply Depot. Alpha Jem'Hadar and Breen are obviously the best choice, but Gammas might come through the Wormhole handily situated in the Bajor region anyway. While most boosts to Bajorans' stats only affect Bajorans (potentially making them as tough as Jem'Hadar), Orta's special skill will help all your personnel in the battling department. On the second front, well, the Dominion certainly has better ships than the Bajorans do, and a Treaty will allow a player to use only Bajoran personnel in combination with Jem'Hadar ships and their nasty Invasive Transporters. The Dominion, on the other hand, might pad its ranks with able-bodied Bajorans who aren't addicted to the White. A Treaty would also be the easiest way for the Dominion to use a Nor (in this case, Deep Space 9), though quadrant reporting rules would limit its usefulness. Let's not forget that reporting it for free is a bonus, and that in any case, Kai Winn can download it. The Emissary can't, but he'll have that Wormhole open in no time. Don't want to wait? Open Diplomatic Relations in the seeding phase. I'd say the two are pretty compatible at an even 4.

TOTAL: 9.3 (46.5%) It's just so ugly...

PICTURE: Dukat and Weyoun together on their warship would have been greatly superior to these split-screen messes. They weren't so bad when all we had were the basic colors, but the shades used for latter-day affiliations just aren't cut out for this. Grayish purple and [censorific] brown makes for a dark and dirty card, made worse by the eyesores that are the two icons (especially color-wise). Not the worst of the Treaties, but still only amounts to a 0.2.

LORE: Describing one of the best "reveals" in Star Trek history, the lore hits all the right marks, though we know the alliance turned a little darker after that. Good enough for a 3.5.

TREK SENSE: The Cardassian/Dominion Treaty was exactly like a STCCG Treaty with Dominion and Cardassian forces mixing it up when it came to staffing ships and facilities, or to assembling armadas. This isn't always the case unfortunately, but I gotta give this one high marks. The Hidden Agenda icon is perfect too since it was signed behind everyone else's backs, coming as quite a surprise. And since Dukat was the one to negotiate it (behind the Cardassian leadership's back even), his free play is great. The only (minor) beef I have with the card is its seedable nature because it came late in the story (unlike the Federation/Klingon alliance, for example, which was part of DS9 from day one, yet isn't seedable), and as a reaction to lots of other stuff happening. It's minor because the 2 affiliations did cooperate for a large number of episodes, so it's still a 4.1.

STOCKABILITY: Two things to always consider with Treaties is 1) compatibility of the affiliations, and 2) how well the complete each other. Well, both the Cardassians and Dominion have a large Treacherous element, but are also relatively high on Honor, and they both have some infiltrators. That means they can use some of the same support cards and missions, and does a good job of setting up compatibility. The Cardassians even have their own Jem'Hadar Attack Ship, so they can make use of Invasive Beam-In and Tactics similar to the Dominion's. Both are somewhat good at capturing strategies, and your Cardassian Ilon Tandro, for example, can nab someone the Founders want to Impersonate. They mostly complete each other though, since the Dominion will want a steady supply of personnel and ships when in the Alpha Quadrant, which may be supplied by the Cardies. Heck, they may just want a place to report their Alphas to, and though a Nor won't really do that very effectively for you, it's still necessary for any cargo runs and the like you might want to try. The Treaty is further helped by the fact that it's seedable, making its free play by Dukat near irrelevant. You usually need a Treaty out real early, so you'd waste Open Diplomatic Negotiations on it anyway. In case The Devil does what he did in the DS9 finale, your Dukat (a great personnel) could enable a free play, but I'd much rather rely on Turrel who can keep it from being nullified. When seeded, the Hidden Agenda icon can help you fake out your opponent a little, and might keep White Deprivation off the boards initially, for example. Oh, and it's with this Treaty that you can use Dominion War Efforts to its ultimate potential, really racking in the support personnel. Not always the closest symbiotic relationship, but enough to be worth a 4, especially through its seedability.

TOTAL: 11.8 (59%) Pictures! We need pictures!

PICTURE: None to speak of, even in the shows themselves, though they could have pasted some ships together. Any Treaty with the Dominion further suffers from a horrible color palette (brown, green and... pink???), even if the green sort of bounces off the Romulan half. An ugly 0.2.

LORE: A lot of information in 3 little lines, including how and why the treaty came about and even the limits of its terms. An excellently done 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Not all Treaties are alike in the real world, but they are in the game. That's too bad because it'll hurt this card's score. You see, the Romulans and Dominion had nothing more than a non-aggression pact, and never acted in concert to attack common enemies or attempt missions. The card should, by all accounts, prevent one affiliation from attacking the other, perhaps also allowing Range modifiers in certain spaces (free run of one another's territory) like the Neutral Zone region and/or Gamma Quadrant. The person who negotiated the Treaty does get a helpful mention in the game text, as Senator Vreenak allows it to play for free. I'd say there was even less mixing between the Romulans and Dominion than there was between the similarly allied Bajorans and Dominion, so a lesser score of 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: I'll keep applying the idea that Treaties are only as useful as pairing up the two affiliations might be, and that such a pairing is dependent on two factors. One is the two affiliations' compatibility, and the other is their complementarity. On the former, we get two affiliations steeped in Treachery (Vorta/Founders and lots of Romulans) which helps in skill redundancy, and thus, mission solving, and at the same time, 2 of the best-equipped affiliations to carry out infiltration operations. Indeed, the Romulans are quite good at capturing, and captives can be put to good use with a Founder/Impersonate Captive combo that doesn't even require the stocking of specific infiltrators. The high STRENGTHs of both Romulan and Jem'Hadar and Breen soldiers makes them good assault team material too. Come to think of it, the Dominion even has a Tal Shiar personnel! (Lovok Founder can report to Koval, etc.) On the latter idea, I can see the Romulans enjoying more easily-staffed ships and Invasive Transporters (a boon to capturing), and the Dominion taking a fancy to Cloaking Devices and even Holodecks (for the few Hirogen holos). As with any Alpha Quadrant affiliation, the Romulans can provide a nice patch of home turf for the Dominion, allowing Alphas and Breen to report easily. The Treaty gets a special bonus for playing for free if Vreenak is in play, though you'll note he can also download it directly, which is probably the best way to go in most cases (unless already seeded with ODN). A fairly good match at 4.

TOTAL: 9.5 (47.5%) Treaties' generic nature is what costs them.

PICTURE: One of the better Galaxy-class pictures, the Odyssey showcases the size of the saucer better than even the Yamato does and has better lighting. In any case, the card is superior to other Galaxies thanks to better printing methods. A very sharp 3.6.

LORE: First off, bonus points are afforded by the show's creators themselves. Ships are rarely so well named as this ship that went to a far away quadrant and never returned (it might have been a more appropriate name for Voyager!). The lore itself however, is problematic at best. First, there's the registry number without the usually appended words "Starfleet registry". The Defiant uses this same formula, but does use up the entire lore box, unlike this ship. Second, it comes very close to telling us the ship was destroyed, a big no-no for personnel and ship lore. "Victim of" may not be the same as "destroyed by", but it does draw attention to the ship's ultimate end. Finally, I think "Captain Keogh" should have been used instead of just "Keogh" in the matching commander statement. It's bad enough he has this odd (almost alien) one-word name that it has to sound all the more alien on his ship's card. Well, it does mention a matching commander, so the score goes up a bit there. Total? 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Your basic Galaxy-class ship with the following attribute adjustments: +1 Weapons and -1 Shields. Well, Keogh was a pretty confident tactician, so I would believe his ship's Weapons were boosted to fight the Dominion, and since the ship's Shields proved ineffective against Jem'Hadar weapons (and the ship was destroyed), the minus to Shields is likewise believable. The across-the-board bonus to attributes when in the Gamma Quadrant, not unlike the similar Klingon Toh'Kaht, is attributable to a specific mission profile. The ship was sent into the Gamma Quad, so its crew was specially trained and the ship specially outfitted for survival in that part of space. That only flies so far since 1) I've seen no proof that the GQ has different physical properties that would allow a ship to have more Range there, and 2) the ship's destruction there shows its Dominion-fighting enhancements weren't everything they were cracked up to be. Ultimately, the card just doesn't really cut it Trek Sense-wise. Only an average 3.

STOCKABILITY: Still no USS Enterprise (better stats, better matching commander), the Odyssey is still a fairly strong ship, in particular if you're going to Explore Gamma Quadrant with your Federation mega-Away Team (mega-Away Teams have little trouble staffing the big ships). In mission solving, the extra boost to RANGE is actually more interesting than the boost to WEAPONS and SHIELDS, though that's not a bad thing either, especially if the Dominion IS lurking around the quadrant. Keogh may report directly aboard using Ready Room Door, and he has a good skill base and a battle-related download (perhaps helping you draw the Galaxy-specific Full Phaser Spread). With Plaque and Log, the ship comes to 11-12-12 in the Gamma Quadrant, and -1 from that everywhere else. There are a LOT of ship choices for the Feds, and this one's pretty specialized. Still, if the GQ is in your cards, you might want to boost. A 3.4.

TOTAL: 12.9 (64.5%) Don't tell Keogh, but his ship's a bit over-rated (well, not by the STCCG community).

PICTURE: An oft-seen stock shot of the DS9 runabout(s), the underside pic is less flattering than most, and a little blurry to boot. I generally dislike underbelly shots, and the same holds true here. Deep color scheme though... a 2.5.

LORE: It's important for low-stat vessels to have matching commanders to compensate, so the mention of Ben Sisko is welcome, but really, are there ACTUALLY commanders to such support craft? The Rio Grande was piloted in turn by quite a few characters since it's the most long-lived of the original Runabouts. Anyway, the rest of the lore makes it the very first, and mentions the Prakesh in what would be its first chronological mention in "Emissary". See, the first we hear of Dukat's ship is in "Way of the Warrior", but yes, it could be the same vessel. Playing fast and loose with the facts? A little, so only 2.9.

TREK SENSE: I've already mentioned Sisko's shaky matching commander status, so let's move on from there. The ship gets a download of Activate Tractor Beam (which adds Tractor Beam) since it clearly had one (as per the lore and the show). Now, is this really the only runabout with a Tractor Beam? Somehow, I think the events in "Emissary" proved that all Danubes were so equipped. Nevertheless, the download makes it all seem like the Rio Grande was special in that way, and all very game-legal. Otherwise, the ship has a +1 to Weapons from the universal Danube, and while I don't deny that it's seen its share of scrapes, the fact that it survived for so long might have warranted a boost to Shields (too). Is my problem more with the Danube as a class? Yes and no, as the Rio Grande makes its own fuzzy assumptions. A 2.7 here.

STOCKABILITY: There are so many ships that are commanded by Benjamin Sisko that he can just jump from vessel to vessel boosting each one as he comes aboard. The Rio Grande is such a ship, having the potential for respectable 9-8-8 attributes with Plague & Log, pretty good for a staffless, sometimes landable ship. Against Sisko's other ships, it's landable which either Defiant isn't, but of course, not as powerful, though is a stronger than the Type 18 Shuttlepod. Sisko is a good matching commander to have because he has ENGINEER and can call up the unique ones through Construct Starship as well as the usual trick of reporting aboard them via Ready Room Door. Against other Danubes, it can report to Docking Pads, but not for free like the universal Danube (though you could fudge it if you really wanted to with some Dom Perignon), and its attributes aren't as high as the Yangtzee Kiang's. Its special download does gives it a Tractor Beam, which is fine, but available on tons of other ships. If a dilemma asks for it, you could suspend play to add it on, but the best use is probably for you to add the Tractor Beam without using the download, then use it for Activate Tractor Beam's other ability: towing one of your ships or better yet, an empty opposing ship, possibly disrupting a mission attempt, and giving you time to pull Commandeer Ship from your deck. It's an idea, but hardly makes this Danube actually better than the others. The matching commander does help it though, so a 3.4.

TOTAL: 11.5 (57.5%) Small support craft... small score.

PICTURE: A somewhat painterly effort, the planet looks very nice, partaking of earth, wind and water. It's a good-looking 3.2.

LORE: An odd-sounding one. Ruah IV was one of the stops made by Richard Galen before his death, and it supports a proto-humanoid form of life. The lore itself implies that the affiliation(s) attempting are sort of "catching up" at this point, becoming interesting in a larger puzzle which will only be complete in with Hunt for DNA Program. But more on that below. For now, a fine 3.3.

TREK SENSE: The big deal here is that this is the prequel to Hunt for DNA Program, and the problem with that other mission is that it doesn't allow every relevant affiliation to attempt it. Sure, the Feds, Klingons and Romulans were certainly there, but so were the Cardassians, yet, no attemptability icon. Well, we'll just have to believe that the first 3 affiliations were tracking the DNA puzzle before, and that at this juncture in time, they already have the clues available at Ruah IV. Indeed, this mission's presence will lead you to Hunt for DNA Program and allow you to attempt it (fixing the previous card's Trek Sense with storytelling). A "once solved" clause would have made more sense though. So the Cardassians can start here, fine. The other two were not present in "The Chase", but are good candidates. The Bajorans, by their almost human looks, were definitely seeded by the same progenitors. The Ferengi are different enough not to have been (cousins to the more alien Dopterians), but would in any case be interested in this "holy grail" if only because every other power in the quadrant is. So what is required? Well, it's a Scientific mission to be sure, and the whole DNA Program thing smacks of Archaeology, though the DNA aspect might have required something along the lines of Exobiology, Biology or Medical, no? The endeavor is Archaeology for the fossil record, but how well is DNA preserved in those? This being a "holy grail" means that you need your personnel to have faith that it isn't a wild goose chase, so I can see the 2 Leadership working there. And since Ocett doesn't have Leadership x2 and still DID command her crew to accomplish this mission, we'll make her an alternative to that skill. Nothing against the Span or the points, which are lower than DNA Program's because they don't really yield final results. I like how the new affiliations now get to attempt DNA Program, but the requirements fudge it a bit. A still good 3.9.

SEEDABILITY: The DS9 affiliations (if I can call them that) have a good opportunity to score a 2-mission win with Uncover DNA Clues and its sequel, Hunt for DNA Program. One allows the other to be attempted, and if both are, that's 85 points. The other 15 points you'll have to get some other way. Now, it may be unfortunate that the Cardassians and Bajorans do not have mission specialists or else this would be over very quickly. The Ferengi can only add +5 to Hunt anyway, but of course, there's always Non-Aligned help. Simpler recommendations might be Particle Fountain, self-seeded dilemmas (you don't need so many that you'd be affected by Writ), Interrogation, the Phoenix, Duranja, etc. The missions share 2 requirements, Leadership and Archaeology, so that helps. And while DNA Program has massive requirements, this mission can usually be solved with a couple of personnel alone. SCIENCE/Archaeology is a natural skill combo, and affiliations usually have a Leadership x2 personnel somewhere (or anyone can use the Non-Aligned Ocett for their own). I'd even say this would be a cool one to use even if you don't plan to attempt DNA Program. In fact, the presence of both on your spaceline might invite your opponents to stack most of their dilemmas under DNA Program, taking the heat off your other missions. An excellent 4.

TOTAL: 14.4 (72%) Premiere couldn't see ahead far enough, but these fixes make everything better.

PICTURE: It's a dark pic, but not an unenjoyable one. Virak'kara looks less dangerous than your regular Jem'Hadar, which is a welcome contrast. Not much else to say, so let's cut to the score: 3.2.

LORE: I find it odd that universality isn't acknowledged, and I'll have cause to discuss this further under Trek Sense, but for now, let's just say that there was definitely room for the extra word. The first part of the lore is pretty standard, you know, the usual stuff. The last sentence thankfully picks up on a cute moment between Virak' and Dax, and I think giving his age just before puts it all in context. That alone gets it up to a 3.4.

TREK SENSE: Virak'kara wasn't just a background extra, he was given a personality and a relationship with one of the cast members, so I really think making him universal was a mistake. And in fact, he's not listed as a "typical soldier" or anything. As a soldier, he's of course Security. The staff icon suits a "Fourth" fine. As for the skills, I think Honor should have been part of the package, but the two that are there make, well, as much sense as the next thing. He was paired up with Dax, so sharing in some of her skills makes sense, especially Navigation because he was watching her at the helm. Physics seems useful in tracking down that Iconian Gateway. The Integrity looks fine, as does the naive Cunning and high Strength. Some basic design flaws hurt the score a bit. Only 2.5.

STOCKABILITY: As a support personnel, Virak'kara can help with a very important Dominion mission - Construct Depot. And it's a universal, just like he is. (Test Propulsion Systems could be nice too.) Navigation is never a waste anyway, and the other support personnel who has it is saddled with the generally more useful, but not for Construct Depot, Limara'Son. Physics is finally getting featured on some dilemmas, but isn't that hot yet. So a relatively good skill combo, with ok attributes. Nothing too special about him, but you do have flexibility in reporting him despite his Gamma Quadrant icon (with either Assign Support Personnel or Young Jem'Hadar). Say... 3.4?

TOTAL: 12.5 (62.5%) A run-of-the-mill effort.

PICTURE: A picture of the very first Weyoun we met (Weyoun 4) from "To the Death", he"s got a pretty strange expression on his face. Smarmy like we're used to, with a good background compositionally, the image is fine as it is, but doesn't necessarily strike me as the best choice for him. Of course, if he's just Weyoun 4 with others to come, then I lift my objections. A 3.4 in any event.

LORE: See, here, it's not just Weyoun 4 they're talking about. Indeed, it's not even mentioned that he is the 4th of the series. What is here is well written though, with some space given to the Dominion war, his relationship within the Dominion organizational structure and some of his abilities. The last sentence is particularly well done. Overall, we're looking at a 3.6.

TREK SENSE: The Weyoun clone has the usual Vorta skills of Diplomacy and Treachery. His Diplomacy is doubled because of the many alliances he's forged with enemies, treaty coordinations and the like (with Sisko in To the Death, right to the Dominion-Breen alliance). His experience with treaties no doubt inspired the Law skill, since these documents are steeped in contractual obligations and such. Leadership is warranted not only because he supervised Jem'Hadar, but because he was placed in charge of strategizing the Dominion war effort, running Deep Space 9, etc. Biology? Well, Weyoun may have been more cognizant than we think of cloning techniques or Ketracel production, or the skill might even have been inspired by the Vorta's immunity to poison and possible knowledge thereof, or even from "In the Cards" where he shows an interest in Dr. Geiger's work. Maybe. Like Law, it's not as clear where the skill came from. While I agree that Weyoun is a loyal citizen of the Dominion (he can't help it), he's such a rat that I don't think he should have that high an Integrity. At the very least give him an impersonator's number (4). The high Cunning does suit him however, and I'll buy the Strength even though that shouldn't be his forte at all. In fact, if they'd put a couple of 4s on the card, it'd have made me happy on a thematic scale. Ah well. VIP, Command icon, Gamma Quadrant nativity... they all check out. Total: 3.3.

STOCKABILITY: You'll find Weyoun's skills on enough Dominion missions to warrant his inclusion, and even if not using those missions, his 5 skills will definitely help where dilemmas are concerned. Law is especially rare (only on Founders otherwise), and Biology is always good (with his low INTEGRITY, it even allows him to clone himself). Not to mention the double Diplomacy (anyone still using Q-Nets by this point?), the battle-initiating Leadership and the universal mission solver for the bad guys, Treachery. High CUNNING rounds out this personnel card which can ration White if necessary. The Federation/Dominion Treaty can be played for free with Weyoun in play, but that's a minor ability as any important Treaty would be seeded anyway. If Deviled though, you won't lose as much time reintroducing it to the table. Weyoun's the matching commander of - surprise! - Weyoun's Warship, a massive ship that can be boosted to 12-12-12 (Plaque/Log) WITHOUT a VR Headset, a rare thing in the Dominion. Weyoun can report (download) directly to the ship via Ready Room Door, even once it's in the Alpha Quadrant, and from it use all sorts of cards from Make It So to Picard Maneuver. A solid multi-skill personnel, but one I'd like to see get more options. Setting the score at 3.8.

TOTAL: 14.1 (70.5%) Here's hoping for some Weyoun clones or more versions of the persona.

PICTURE: More than an expressive head shot, it's also an action pose thanks to the gun, the rock, et al. I like these golden-colored shots from the "Rocks and Shoals" planet for their unique palette. All I would really criticize is the angle on this Jem'Hadar's eyes which makes his pose stiffer than it ought to be. A still nice 3.5.

LORE: We get episode placement quickly enough, then the rest is used to well justify the skills. I'm happy with this rather generic lore, though universality is not acknowledged, and the invented (?) name is rather silly (don't yaks have hooves?). In toto: 3.1.

TREK SENSE: Jem'Hadar at this level (7th) are by necessity only soldiers (Security) with Staff icons. While their skills are usually academic in the sense that they are grown into them by the Founders, but never really affect their personalities, at least his are justified in the lore. His working on communications equipment would require both Engineer and Computer Skill. This is more than invention since someone must have been assigned the duty in the episode. His Integrity's a little low for a loyal Jem'Hadar, but his never passing 7th may be reason enough. Following that reasoning, his relatively low Strength works too, while the Cunning could have been a tad lower (though I have no real objection to the 7). A good example of lore being used to fill in the holes left in an episode to accomodate card design. It's a 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: ENGINEER and Computer Skill couldn't be more important to mission solving, especially when it comes to dilemmas (and Construct Depot). Add SECURITY for a number of Dominion missions, and you won't hesistate to use Assign Support Personnel and Dominion War Efforts to download/report Yak'Talon. In any case, the Dominion has PLENTY of support personnel to warrant the inclusion of these cards, and Yak's skills are excellent even if Computer Skill can be found on several other SPs. Can't beat that price for 2 classifications. Attributes aren't too high, but in such a deck, you're likely using Lower Decks and War Room, so don't whine so much. Good support here, at 3.6.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) Last of the Jem'Hadar (alphabetically).

PICTURE: That's Iggy Pop in the Vorta role, and he looks sufficiently smarmy, but I gotta question the wool shawl. The lighting and composition are fine, but the costume has to go. A 3.4.

LORE: Love the way it starts off. That's not a descriptor you see often, and it really suits him. Then, we get the basic bones of the story, and finally, the kill: "Got less than he bargained for", where usually you'd expect "more than he bargained for". Not only is it a sweet crack at the Ferengi, but you also have to remember Keevan was quite dead during the exchange. An excellent 4.2.

TREK SENSE: The usual Vorta profile is there, with all the right icons, VIP classification and the skills of Diplomacy and Leadership. Anthropology allows him to deal with Ferengi, though he wasn't particularly good at this. It's pretty standard Vorta issue anyway. Music is a fun "easter egg" pointing to Iggy Pop being a rock musician, but I'm afraid it's really hard to swallow in the character himself. Not only is the Dominion not known for its music, but I doubt the Founders would breed it into a Vorta (thye have no aesthetic sense, remember?), and this guy? Seemed very far from the kind of person who would enjoy that sort of activity (maybe he's good at math...?). At least the download is a direct pull from the episode, right down to its pic. His loyalty to the Dominion no doubt informs his Integrity, though I like my Vorta a little more treacherous. You'll note that it's the Ferengi who were the duplicitous ones here. Perhaps his Cunning should be a bit lower to allow for his being tricked? Strength seems about right - just a Vorta, but relatively bulky. I like the Music as much as the next guy, but you know it's just a guilty pleasure. Just 3.4.

STOCKABILITY: Where else is the Dominion going to get its Music? (Answer: From NAs.) But Yelgren is the only in-house source of the skill for passing such chestnuts as Wind Dancer. He's also one of few Anthropologists, a skill that's always getting more useful. Of course, neither of his skills can be found on any Dominion missions (Historical Research, I guess), but his Diplomacy and Leadership can easily be used in normal mission attempts as it's found on many other personnel. Downloading Prisoner Exchange requires you to catch, then release a captive, but it'll release all of yours or download you a personnel. The special download is a good way to get it into play, just as your Brigs align, or get that special personnel in the middle of a mission attempt. Fairly good attributes too. He's got stuff no one else does, enough for a 3.8.

TOTAL: 14.8 (74%) Any Pop fans out there? ;-)

PICTURE: Heavy blur negatively affects this otherwise ok image of Odo as a rat, which has always been an odd thing for him to become. Are there such rats on Bajor or the station? And why isn't the rat's face all smooth and featureless? None of that affects the picture score, of course, but the ugliness of the background and poor image quality do. Well, it IS meant to be a "dirty" card ;-). Just 2.

LORE: The title is great, especially given Odo's interest in noir detective stories, and the lore does a fairly good job of explaining the game text. I'd say 3.8 here (mostly thanks to the title).

TREK SENSE: Shape-shifting into a rat, or other small creature (though the game text does say "rat"), hides away your shifter, but also makes it useless in personnel battle, mission attempts, ship staffing, etc. (i.e. it is technically disabled). It can still be moved normally of course. The mechanic works fine, allowing the shifter to return to normal size at any time. The only small note of concern has to do with rats being specifically mentioned in the game text, where perhaps they might not be known by specific shifters (has Salia ever seen a rat, for example?). Simple and to the point, I'll be brief too: 4.5.

STOCKABILITY: Shape-shifters are important personnel, especially if you're using various shape-shifting support cards. Wouldn't want to have them become useless because your shifter's spending time in your discard pile, right? Well, where Flight of the Intruder may protect them from killer dilemmas, You Dirty Rat protects them from personnel battle. Well, Flight does that too, but the personnel returns to hand, so you'd have to re-report it. A very defensive card, You Dirty Rat wouldn't be my first option in personnel battle, not when shape-shifters can be made more effective in battle with The Guardian or Strike Three instead. This interrupt keeps its place by virtue of suddenly excluding your shifter from an Away Team or crew while not returning it to hand, but I'd rather use its skills to good effect. Just 2.7.

TOTAL: 13 (65%) Not a squeaky clean design.

PICTURE: The lighting makes the young'n's face look very much like a mask, as it's much brighter than the rest of the card, and that's a very strange effect. Add a boring background, and you've got a 2.8.

LORE: One of the few personnel cards without an actual surname, the lore goes the same way - very generic. Indeed, there's no mention of this particular Jem'Hadar's encounter with Odo though there was plenty of room for it. Too bad. A ho-hum kind of 2.8.

TREK SENSE: If any personnel would have time to grow up during a game, it's the Young Jem'Hadar. They grow so fast that you could believe that they could become viable personnel right out of the Birthing Chamber, and only a little later, become a "named" (adult) Jem'Hadar. I think the mechanic that allows this is pretty elegant, though the growth of a particular Jem'Hadar may vary in the extreme. They only allow it to be exchanged for another universal, so you don't have to contend with a Youngster becoming Goran'Agar or any other Jemmie whose led a particular life that couldn't be accounted by the growth spurt. In the meantime, this Jem'Hadar has Youth (duh!) and isn't yet a soldier (Security) or Officer, he's just a Civilian. It has not yet learned what it means to be a Jem'Hadar and is becoming violent as per its nature, so that accounts for the uncharacteristically low Integrity. At the age pictured, we humans would be infants, so it's lucky to get even 5 Cunning, but it's already strong physically (bred for combat). Few cards can hit perfection here, but this one does its darnedest. A 4.3.

STOCKABILITY: There are two real ways to use the Young Jem'Hadar. One of these is as a free "version" of any universal Jem'Hadar's persona (in a sense if not in fact). Jem'Hadar Birthing Chamber can report these personnel cards for free. At the end of your turn, you can exchange it with another universal personnel in hand (only when that Jem'Hadar enters play could Deyos get you card draws, by the way). At that point, you'll have another Young Jem'Hadar in hand to report for free on your next turn, and the cycle goes on. It's a quick and easy way to report cannon fodder, sure, but also to report it in any given quadrant. You have a choice of over a dozen Jem'Hadar, most support personnel, but some with 3 skills or a special download, and many with the second classification of ENGINEER. The other way to use the Young Jem'Hadar is as itself, and in multiple copies. It's still free and reports to an Equipment card (which universal Gurat'urak can protect from Disruptor Overload). That means you can go on a mission attempt and encounter a self-seeded Ooby Dooby: as many card draws as you have Young Jem'Hadar present (just make sure Yelgren isn't the one rationing the Ketracel-White). And he's the only way to pass I Hate You! for the Dominion without going outside the affiliation. Adds speed to a Dominion deck, and opens up a couple of support strategies as well: a cool 4.

TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) The Jem'Hadar get their kids in the game pretty early.

PICTURE: Kinda creepy, the light fixture reframes the image with a slight skew, creating the uncertainty associated with his angry mob. A good 3.5.

LORE: His role is well explained, with the bonus of the little-known position he occupied on the station. A well-written and informative 3.3.

TREK SENSE: It's obvious from the show that he was a Civilian, but working at Transit Aid seems to include transporting people (and thus, Transporter Skill), so the Staff icon would also be required. Inciting a lynch mob against an innocent man would require Treachery, especially if in cahoots with the still-living Ibudan, but I can't really find proof of Archaeology. If it's rooted in some kind of "shape-shifters have never been trustworthy" rhetoric, it's a thin argument. The special skill allows him to use a dilemma as an interrupt, which is a very interesting thing for him to do. Sometimes, personnel who have gotten cards are responsible for published dilemmas. I think it's perfectly natural to link those cards. Zayra in fact appeared on quite another dilemma: Angry Mob. He's also responsible for a Hate Crime, and that card is easier to use as an interrupt (doesn't mention an Away Team, for one thing). Good enough. Integrity's about right for the crimes he committed (could have gone lower if he'd actually killed or attacked someone). The underhanded nature of his scheme makes Cunning 8 acceptable, but I'm not sure the Strength is right. He's just a Civilian hiding behind a mob, so a point less maybe? With one odd skill thrown in, can't go higher than a 3.

STOCKABILITY: Zayra's got a lot going for him. As a Bajoran CIVILIAN, he can share in the usual attributes bonuses offered by Keeve Falor, as well as report for free at the Chamber of Ministers if First Minister Shakaar is present. Archaeology and Transporter Skill are very rare skills for the Bajorans, so his existence broadens your mission options a bit, and covers a few dilemmas besides. Treachery's too common for Bajorans though, especially given the number of Treachery mission actually available to them, but if Espionage on Cardassians is your strategy, it's suddenly not that bad. Aside from INTEGRITY, attributes are pretty good too. What's fun about using Zayra however, is his ability to use Hate Crime as an interrupt card to lock down a personnel's skills for a 3-turn countdown. The dilemma can be used to slow down mission attempts and force Away Teams into other dilemma effects as usual, but now that a planet mission attempt need not be in progress for Hate Crime to be encountered, the same can be done at space missions (bumming a transporter ride with Open Diplomatic Negotiations might get him at the right place). It can also be used to keep skills from being used for things other than mission attempts. Zayra can go right in and choose which personnel to lock off, perhaps stopping attack initiations by getting rid of key Leadership, or removing special skills and downloads at a critical time. And there's no limit to this! You could stock any number of Hate Crimes and play them all on the same turn, or on the same personnel again and again at the end of each one's countdown. Hate Crimes seeded normally can further be added to your deck later through some kind of card cycling. Zayra can be a real pain for your opponent, so he can be a joy to you. How about a 4.2?

TOTAL: 14 (70%) See? He shouldn't be that angry.

PICTURE: Not one of her more aggressive poses (she just caught Quark and Pel on top of each other), it's nonetheless a fun image. The character is more colorful than she seems at first glance, and that reddish veil background isn't something you'll find on other cards. The black saucer and bright patch of white are a little distracting, but that's it. A 3.4.

LORE: Universality is acknowledged in an awkward way ("Representative female member of"? Sounds like a government position), and the main gist of the lore is more about the Dosi as a race, than it is about her specifically. The small phrase at the end helps, but not too much. A plain ol' 3 here.

TREK SENSE: I have no real problem with Zyree being universal. She and Inglatu were the only Dosi we ever had to deal with, and so they may well be "typical" of their species. As a merchant, she's only a Civilian, and the driving force in her life is Greed. Because she's an expert in tulaberries, it's expected that she would have training in botany, or as this game knows it, Biology. Archaeology, I can't explain. As a little better negotiator than Inglatu was, I think she should have gotten some Diplomacy instead. The Dosi seemed to only know the Dominion tangentially ("you have to deal with the Dominion") as if they weren't part of it, though indeed, they may well have been inside its territory. Anyway, it does put their affiliation into question a little, though the sparse knowledge Zyree had on the subject could be the basis for that Archaeology skill. She dug it up somewhere. She was out for herself, but much nicer to the Ferengi than Inglatu what, so 6 Integrity sounds about right. She was kind of cheated on Cunning though, especially if Inglatu has a point more. They both seemed equally smart or dumb to me. Strength is good enough for this aggressive race, especially given her stature, though they could probably have sold us more. Some weak justifications aside, there is some good here. Not enough to rise above 2.9 though.

STOCKABILITY: The Dominion doesn't have a whole lot of CIVILIANs (especially with one of them turning into other classifications soon enough), so any deck wanting to take advantage of CIVILIAN-based strategies (Colony, passing The Higher... the Q-er, Bodyguards) will want as great a variety as possible. Ok, yeah, those probably don't sound that great, but a Colony in the Gamma Quadrant can stay unmolested for a long while if you don't use Bajoran Wormhole to go to another quadrant. As a mission solver, she's one of the rather few females in the affiliation, and a universal to boot. Her skills (including CIVILIAN) are probably better for Espionage than solving Dominion missions. For now, she can help solve no Dominion missions whatsoever, only a few "any Away Team" missions. Greed and Archaeology don't figure a whole lot on dilemmas either, for that matter. But if you'd like to do some spying, she can help with your opponent's Archaeology deck, the Ferengi stuff that has another attemptability icon, and some MEDICAL-type missions. Greed does have another effect: the 33rd Rule of Acquisition allows her (and only 2 other Dominion personnel) to ingratiate herself to the boss, and she's only dressed to 3 skills for use of the 47th Rule. Note that Inglatu is a better all-around personnel, and for the 47th Rule, Ornithar is. Good thing she can hold on to her gender. That makes her a 2.4.

TOTAL: 11.7 (58.5%) You'd expect more of a bang from a Dosi.

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