To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Energize! set.

#2414-IKS Qam-Chee, Ship, Klingon, Cost: 7, unique, BC /Ener/

-Vor'Cha Class [1 Command, 3 Staff] Cloaking Device; While this ship is at an opponent's mission, if this ship is staffed, each of your opponent's personnel and ships at this mission is attributes -1.

"Like the battleground where Kahless and Lukara withstood the attack of five hundred warriors, this ship is where the chancellor stands against new enemies of the Klingon Empire."

-RANGE: 8, WEAPONS: 9, SHIELDS: 9

PICTURE: Look familiar? It's pretty much 1E's IKC Qu'vat. Then again, the same shots are used for different ships of the same class all the time, so the switch is possible. Always found this shot of the Klingon cruiser incredibly dumpy. Bottom-heavy, with a big grating on the side, it's saved a bit by the sharper colors from 2E printing and the Klingon call letters on the wing. Though slightly better that in 1E, the fact it's a reuse but for a different ship is annoying, especially if you use both in a 1E game. So it remains 1.5.

LORE: Takes Klingon mythology and turns it into an over-the-top analogy. I appreciate the effort, and it's way more interesting than a lot of lore out there, but it may be overdoing it. My small Klingon dictionary doesn't have "Chee", but "Qam" means "to stand", so that's in there. On the outrageous side, but still 3.5.

TREK SENSE: A big ship with staffing, Cost and attributes to match. The focus is definitely on Weapons and Shields - these are Klingons! As for the special ability, I suppose it's meant to represent the sheer intimidation radiating from the Klingon flagship. If it's here, you've attracted the wrong kind of trouble! Still, I find it a little hard to swallow that all personnel and ship's crew (to account for ship attributes) would fall all over themselves when K'mpec arrives with his ship. As with the lore, it comes on a bit strong. Still an interesting idea, and worth the 3.5.

1E TREK SENSE: Straying from the regular Vor'Cha's attributes is fine, since there's a lot more variety in 1E, and the differences are fine. They've sacrificed engine power for bigger offensive/defensive capability. Staffing is more problematic, but could be explained by the bigger staff the Chancellor might need (of course, similar ships don't agree with that line). The rest reads the same, though it should be mentioned that no K'mpec can act as the ship's matching commander. So down to 3.2.

STOCKABILITY: All the Vor'Chas are big, solid ships, but they're Costly and need more staffing than K'Vorts. That's a given. The Qam-Chee has a few powers to still make it a choice ship for your strategies. First of all, it has a Commander. K'mpec's abilities don't really combine with it, but that's not to say he's not a good deck manipulator for Honor decks. He can still use all those Commander-related cards, and we know there are plenty. One thing that's important about Klingon ships is that they perform well in battle. Its special ability is good for battle strategies since it lowers the attributes of any opposing ship by 1 (at an opponent's mission only, mind you). When your own ship has high 9/9 Weapons/Shields, that may be all you need to win. Similarly, your assault teams will be dealing with personnel that are -1 to Strength. And if you just want to act like a Romulan, you can fly over to an opponent's mission and drain his or her personnel's attributes. Attributes are important in 2E, and such a drain could make it harder to complete a mission. But that's less the Klingons' style, and it's too bad Escaping Detection doesn't work on ship abilities. I'd say 3.7.

1E STOCKABILITY: No matching commander in 1E, and the staffing is expensive to boot (even if the ship is not). The special ability can be used much the same, but with so many attribute boosters going for +2 and +3, that -1 comes off as paltry. So there's little to recommend it for battle decks or otherwise. The edge it might offer save it from uselessness, but it only manages a 2.6.

TOTAL: 12.2 (61%) It's really the picture that sinks this boat.

1E TOTAL: 11 (55%) Joins the universal ship of the line at the bottom.

#2427-If Wishes Were Horses, Interrupt /Ener/

-Order: Discard a card from hand to download an event, then discard a random card from hand.

"Let me guess. Another clever Federation experiment has gone awry and you turned the whole station into one vast holosuite."

PICTURE: More like birds here, but wish fulfillment is well presented, and Quark delivers some interesting lore at this moment. Color palette's a bit haphazard, but still enough for a 3.4.

LORE: Lovely. First, I like it when an episode lends its title to a card, and this one's interesting. Next, we get this wonderful comment on Star Trek as a whole from Quark. It's funny and relevant. A strong 4.4.

TREK SENSE: Pretty mechanical, it has you destroy a potential resource to make an event happen. And then, you realize it was all too good to be true and you destroy another resource. It's all hopes and (dashed) dreams and nothing tangible, I'm afraid, but it has a certain thematic sense. It has nothing to do with the wish-fulfillment aliens, and you'll note the event wished for remains in play once played (if indeed you don't discard it before then!). It's too bad, but I can't go over 1.4.

STOCKABILITY: If Wishes Were Horses allows you to download any event at no Cost in counters, but does require you to discard 3 cards to do so. There's this interrupt, then a card you choose, and finally a random card (eeech, that's scary). And you can't play the event until your next turn because you're already in the Order phase. Players into card manipulation would be best equipped to use this, probably emptying their hands during the Play phase and then getting that sought-after event. You could still wind up discarding the event you downloaded! The Bajorans might also be less afraid of discarding something good. But generally, I find IWWH a difficult sell with a hefty price tag after all. Giving it the benefit of the doubt, I'm giving it 2.9.

TOTAL: 12.1 (60.5%) Or maybe I just don't know how to use it right.

#2440-Investigate Maquis Activity, Mission, planet, Alpha Quadrant, unique, BC /Ener/

-Diplomacy, 2 Leadership, and Integrity>27

-Region: Demilitarized Zone; You cannot complete this mission if your [Maquis] personnel is on this planet. When you complete this mission, if you have completed no other missions, score 5 points.

*Volan III: "... they've managed to start their own little war out there."

-Bajoran/Cardassian/Federation; 30 points; Span: 2

PICTURE: Wow, beautiful. Those red flames at the edge of the Badlands are really distinctive, and the planet remains in the same color palette. A strong 4.2.

LORE: I like it. It really defines the Maquis' relationship to the mainstream Federation. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: I agree that this is in the DMZ, but it's too bad there's no spatial relationship between that region and the Badlands. Given the navigational hazards represented by the Badlands, however, the Span relief such a proximity would have afforded is a moot point anyway. So the Maquis are causing problems. Feds and Cardassians have an obvious interest, just like on the show, since their two affiliations are concerned. The Bajorans could Investigate because their system is so close to the DMZ, and as part of their alliance with the Feds. However, and this is something I like, Maquis may not participate despite their Fed or Bajoran affiliations. They wouldn't betray the cause like that. The clause can also be taken that, like Hudson or Eddington, a Maquis personnel would run interference and keep you from completing your mission. They WOULD betray their uniform. The requirements are pretty simple, with Diplomacy trying to resolve the dispute (or at least get a hearing) and Leadership having the authority to actually affect the colonists' lives. Integrity is the controlling attribute, since you have to take the moral high ground not to inflame the situation further. It's a little more abstract than usual (a more concrete Investigation might have required Security, Anthropology or Law), but it works in the context of the show. The game text I like the most is the clause that gives you 5 points extra if you complete this mission first. Not only does it give you props for noticing the problem early and give it the importance it deserves, but it also marks the start of a story arc, just like in the series. 30 points is fine for a simple Investigation, but 35 is good too when you see it for what it is. As for the Span, it's short, since this is close to so many other systems (DMZ, Bajor, Badlands). Aside from some vague requirements, this is extremely well designed. A 4.5.

1E TREK SENSE: I'd say the same review applies in every way, so 4.5 again.

SEEDABILITY: If you're playing the Maquis, you can use this mission to play For the Cause, one of 3, in fact. The other two are worth 35 points outright, but this one is only 35 points if you complete it first. Since all DMZ missions would require the same requirements, it doesn't really matter where you go first anyway, does it? For non-Maquis, this is a very easy mission. The Feds and Bajorans especially can come up with 28+ Integrity with relatively few personnel, and the skills are super-common. Complete it first, and you get the bonus. Shouldn't be hard to get the required personnel early at any rate. Using multiple DMZ missions gives any affiliation a break on Range, eliminating this mission's 2 Span from the equation entirely while remaining within the region. Too bad the Maquis HQ is in the Badlands, eh? Anyway, we've got an easy mission that fits in with a couple decks. Hits 3.9.

1E SEEDABILITY: No For the Cause in 1E, removing a major component of the mission's 2E value, but it remains an easy (easier since INTEGRITY totals are easier to reach) starter mission. Again, the Cardassians are at a disadvantage, but there are enough honorable ones to get you to 28, and the few skills are very easy to get. If the Bajorans are using multiple DMZ missions, their Interceptors can even get here without using any RANGE. The Feds are probably best served however, because they can use Assign Mission Specialists to get Leadership and Diplomacy specialists very early, and solve this mission for as much as 50 points. Of course, with the "solve it first" clause, it might attract a load of dangerous dilemmas, since 1) an opponent would want to hurt you early, 2) keep you from completing the mission entirely to deny you the 5 points, and 3) can be sure this is one of the missions you will attempt. Play on that perception and only use the mission as a dilemma magnet, avoiding it for the totality of the game. That'll show 'em. I think we can make a case for a high 3.7.

TOTAL: 16.1 (80.5%) Top 5!

1E TOTAL: 15.9 (79.5%) Top 10!

#2453-Ja'chuq, Interrupt /Ener/

-When you win combat or an engagement involving your [Kli] Leadership personnel, choose one of your missions. The player to your left places the top card of his or her dilemma pile face up beneath that mission (that dilemma is overcome). Remove this interrupt from the game.

"It's a long, involved ceremony in which the challengers list the battles they've won, the prizes they've taken."

PICTURE: Gowron has such great presence here (all the time, but here especially) and he's very dramatically lit. I'll forgive the incongruous wood paneling because it all works beautifully. A good set-up to the ceremony at 4.4.

LORE: Dialogue from the show, but reads as well as any dictionary definition, even syntaxically. Good thing too, because I can never remember what all those Klingon words mean. A 3.

TREK SENSE: The purpose of the ceremony isn't really included in the concept, which I liken more to the singing of songs the Klingons are always talking about. After they win a battle, the Leader breaks into song (or into a speech, if we go by the Ja'chuq itself) and reveals in his COMPLETE list of achievements that he also had such and such a victory, equivalent to overcoming a dilemma somewhere. It's a retroactive effect, if you will, but an ingenious one. "Add this victory in battle to my list of victories, which includes surviving an Assassin's Blade on Beta Lankal!" Of course, most dilemmas don't actually invoke that kind of epic feel. What kind of a Klingon victory is overcoming DNA Analysis, Racial Tension or Financial Pitfall, for example? Figuring that reality check into the score still gives us a high 4.

STOCKABILITY: Your Klingon battle deck offers a couple of useful results from winning battles (why would you run such a deck to lose those battles?), including enemy casualties and all-important points, but they ARE one-sided (no captives, event destructions, etc.). A card like Ja'chuq adds an excellent extra reward to winning a battle: it "consumes" a dilemma at a mission of your choice. A great help for Klingons that don't really specialize in mission solving to begin with. A strong 4.2.

TOTAL: 15.6 (78%) It's all about the battling.

#2466-Jaglom Shrek, Personnel, Non-Aligned, Cost: 1, BC /Ener/

-Yridian; Navigation, Physics, Transporters; Staff icon

-When you play this personnel, you may examine the top card of any player's deck.

"I am Jaglom Shrek - a man with information to sell."

-INTEGRITY: 4, CUNNING: 5, STRENGTH: 3

PICTURE: Ugly little rat creatures, these Yridians, no? I don't usually hold that against a card though. In this case, if I have something to hold against the card, it would be Jaglom's missing arm, and somewhat psychedelic color palette. A bit blotchy and weirdly angled without any real reason for it, it's a little below average at 2.8.

LORE: You know, I never noticed until this moment that Jaglom's surname was stolen and successfully commercialized by DreamWorks. Anyway, a good introduction to the character, and no subtitle to confuse him with his Interrupt version, Information Broker. Renaming him is redundant though, especially since it takes away from his universality. A 3.3.

TREK SENSE: Representative of informants throughout the galaxy, Jaglom's relevant ability is the examination of the top card of a player's deck. He arrives in play with special information about what's coming, and that you can then go and pick up (if from your own deck) or prepare for (if from an opponent's deck). Jagloms have just this bit of information to sell you, probably seeing it as their best chance for a little money or security. They came upon it somehow, but aren't really good at gathering new information (no Intelligence, for example). The skills make these informants space-faring loners, with everything you need to staff a small one-man ship. Navigation to pilot it, Physics to run sensors and engines, Transporters to beam to planets, and a Staff icon for any other ship's function. Integrity presents a selfish, but not dangerous being. Cunning's average, and Strength is weak. This is all fine and in keeping with the Yridians we've seen, and weaselly snitches in general. Cost is also in line with this concept. A very good 4.5.

1E TREK SENSE: No classification, but that's par for the course in these conversions. Cunning might be a bit low, again a frequent conversion bug. He's also missing Greed, and that staffing icon isn't as easily justified (Yridian Shuttles don't need it). No matching commander status for that Shuttle. And no relationship to Information Broker (would make his ability redundant, probably). Still quite good, but there are more problems in this environment. A drop to 3.5.

STOCKABILITY: Few skills and very low attributes, even by weenie standards, so Jaglom's usefulness hinges largely on his special ability. Each time you report a copy of this card, you get a peek at the top card of a deck. This might be your own (for checking before you discard it for an effect, or before you download/shuffle) or an opponent's (before you force a discard or shuffle, or gearing for Pickpocket, or just to see what's coming up). Minor, though you can use cards that return a personnel to your hand to reuse the ability as often as you like. It's not like Jaglom Shrek is Costly. Stalling for Time seems to be a good bet here. Minor advantage though, and in a game that makes attribute totals important, not a very good choice at all. An average 3.

1E STOCKABILITY: Attribute totals aren't as key in 1E, but Jaglom Shrek doesn't help much when they do become an issue. Transporter Skill is one of the rarer skills, so he does bring that, but three skills and no classification? Less interesting (not that CIVILIAN would have been that great). The special skill can be used to rig probes or prep for Energy Vortex, but he'll cost you your card play, so you're better off using a better peek-a-boo card (like Jaglom Shrek-Information Broker!!!). Again turns out to be a lesser effort, again a 3.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) Use him and throw him away, just like on the show.

1E TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) Yeah, do that.

#2479-Jake Sisko - Temporal Anchor, Personnel, Federation, Cost: 4, unique /Ener/

-Human; Anthropology, Astrometrics, Biology, Physics, Programming, Science; Earth icon; Future icon

-Order: Place this personnel in owner's discard pile to download a [Fed][DS9] personnel.

"'To my father, who's coming home...'"

-INTEGRITY: 7, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 3

PICTURE: Very moody with its bright yellow flash (a soul leaving or arriving?) and deep shadows, it only gets better with the addition of that clock. Perfect for a "temporal" card. Composition's a bit jumbled, but this is still a great card at 4.5.

LORE: The dedication to Jake's last book and related to the Temporal Anchoring as well. Subtitle's a bit technical though. Still, a lyrical and touching 4.

TREK SENSE: Future Jake is a novelist, which makes Anthropology quite fitting to draw his characters, but the rest is all about his quest to get his father back from outside space-time. All parts of it are there except a Staff icon for running experiments on the Defiant (though he now lives on Earth): Astrometrics (the accident is related to the Wormhole), Biology (involves a connection between 2 humans), Physics (a temporal event), Programming (running models) and Science (to tie it all together). The special ability is meant to simulate his death releasing an individual caught in the void since those days on Deep Space 9. Now, it need no longer be his father, just a Fed from DS9. Why a Fed though? Isn't he more likely to be linked to Kira or the Ferengi version of Nog than some random Federation security guard? Still, one CAN imagine someone else in the Benjamin Sisko role here, but it would never have worked as well. Another point to consider with the Future personnel is that he isn't a time traveler. He LIVES in the future, and that's where he must break the link. How is that affected if he's in the present? Attributes show someone with enough Integrity to devote his life to someone else, enough Cunning to take up a whole other field of work (a complicated one at that), and the low Strength of a dying man. The latter could and should have been much lower. Cost, at least, respects the fact that it takes a major event for this Jake to even exist, much less getting him to interact with other cards. Not without its problems, it is a mostly good card at 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: An excellent Science personnel with tons of relevant skills for both planet and space missions. Weak Strength, but the rest is very good. He has all the skills required of Avert Danger and almost everything for a large number of missions. Though he has an Earth icon, and can supplement TNG decks, he's best used in DS9 decks, since you can discard him to download any Fed DSNiner. But do you really want to lose a Cost 4 personnel with all those skills? Hard to see you would. The key perhaps lies in the Future icon, since The Edge of Forever allows you to download another one to your HQ at the cost of 5 points. Alternatively, Temporal Test Subject allows you to draw him back from the discard pile by discarding another AU personnel from hand (maybe an extra copy of something, or something cheap from TOS eventually). He can be back in no time, though it'll cost you. The icon can also be used with Tampering With Time (to peek at cards) and Fitting In (to share attributes). A strong skill horse, which is what you look for in Feds. Manages 3.7.

TOTAL: 15.8 (79%) Another Sisko way up there.

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