To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the First Contact expansion set.

PICTURE: I generally like the black suit which has something of a Nazi look to it, but the eyepatch plus the hidden other eye, while cool, don't make him look like a navigator at all. Since drone identifications are pretty much arbitrary (I mean, this guy was just walking down a corridor), points should be attributed to the choice. One mean drone, but doesn't look like a pilot. A 3.1.

LORE: It's the usual deadpan Borg lore basically explaining engineering in its own terms. Astrogation is a good ID, as good as any. A 3.

TREK SENSE: Seems to me calibrating the warp matrix might have merited ENGINEER, but the function, which has to do with the ship's range, is definitely part of the Navigation subcommand. As such, I see nothing wrong with giving the drone the Navigation skill. Computer Skill is represented by the actual calibration. And the increased efficiency shows up as a bonus to your ship's RANGE. I buck slightly at human (or any other Alpha quadrant species) drones having the Delta quadrant icon, because they originated (for the most part) in the Alpha quad. They probably got assimilated over here too. Through transwarp, they may have returned to Delta space and re-reported there, so I won't dock the card much (expect a decimal drop on all such Borg without my mentioning it every time), and reporting to a Borg Cube sort of mimics on-the-spot assimilation of individuals. The astrogator gets a pretty good 3.5.

STOCKABILITY: Navigation Borg aren't as generally useful as other subcommands, but they will make good probes for Establish Gateway (where, I expect, they'll be most useful) and, if you're ambitious, a necessary one for Build Interplexing Beacon. The Astrogation drone has two of the most common skills in the Collective, Navigation and Computer Skill. It just so happens those are some of the most needed skills in the game. Even the Borg don't want to be bogged down in the Badlands or when facing Tetryon Fields. Computer Skill shows up a lot too. Since there are other sources for both, it really comes down to your needing the extra RANGE. A regular Cube has only RANGE 8 (with up to 10 on unique Cubes), but these hardly have to outrun enemy ships. The Spheres and Scouts you use in Gateway decks however have timid ranges of 4 and 7 respectively. Good thing we have Sphere Encounter to help out a bit, but a few Astrogators will also help here. Due to low SHIELDS, these ships may become any other affiliations' personnal duck hunt. Increased speed will help. Space missions may be too far apart to reach easily too, especially if long Spans are the rule. Again, 18 of 19 will help speed things up. Admitedly, not the most necessary of Borg drones. An even 3.

TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) Would you leave your navigator at home?

PICTURE: Much too dark, but one of the scariest zombies in the lot. I especially like the prothetic eye that makes him look like some sort of Nazi baron with a huge monocle. It also looks like something a doctor might use to check you out, which goes with the whole Bio-Med image. Uninteresting background on the whole, nice pipes... A 3.9.

LORE: An okay identification name, but the lore is a little vague. Are the biological components meant to represent the drones themselves (living beings, but only components of the Collective)? Or the biological parts which are components of the individual drones? The second option is pretty grisly. I'm imagining large tanks full of spare arms and heads. The vague lore actually does pretty good for itself. A 3.6.

TREK SENSE: Is Medical part of Communications? Navigation? Defense? I might be tempted to say Defense, since repairing drones must be done after a battle, and the Borg have dreadful bedside manner. I suppose the Blue/Integrity connection is there, but it doesn't fly too high. As for what a medical drone would have as far as skills, MEDICAL is of course, paramount. Biology is also a good choice. The special ability to reabsorb (love it when Trek words are used in the game text) dead Borg into the Collective is an interesting one. These drones drag Borg carcasses around and bring them to a reclamation center where they are rebuilt, repaired and parceled out as spare parts. When these are ready to rejoin the work force, they report to your hand again. The trip through the draw deck represents the time needed to get repaired. And if the drone is downloaded into play instead, well, the Queen simply put a rush on that order. Of course, on away missions, dead Borg are made to disintegrate, but they've probably adapted beyond this strategy from First Contact on. An elegant 4.1 (dropped because of the mismatched subcommand).

STOCKABILITY: One of your two regular sources of MEDICAL if you are Borg, and the more appropriate for Assimilate Planet strategies. Its Communications icon is great for all sorts of probes, and it'll help keep you stocked in probe results by sending dead Borg (each with its own icon(s)) to the draw deck where they'll do the most good. MEDICAL is a necessity in this playing environment (unless you don't plan on passing dilemmas, which is rare), and Biology will help with a few as well. The last ability will work great with smaller deck sizes, eventually creating a tight probe deck, and it's not like that drone is REALLY at the bottom of the deck. The Queen, Activate Subcommands, et al. will download it from anywhere. It's a free Res-Q, almost. Good in any deck (except a non-Borg deck, of course) at 4.5.

TOTAL: 16.1 (80.5%) The usual Borg mark of quality. They indeed seek perfection...

PICTURE: A little cluttered, but it's one of the few shots of that ultra-cool First Contact battle so that's always a plus. The cube takes a back seat visually to an Akira-class ship being shot up. The fireworks coming out of the borg ship are nice and colorful, but detract from the overall image. It's a good thing only one enemy starship is visible (the all-out battle isn't a result of a ship elimination objective, which targets only one ship, but of a homeworld assimilation), but that explosion on the side of the cube seems to have some other origin. Clocks in at 3.3.

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

TREK SENSE: An odd Borg objective, as we've rarely seen them care this much about a ship that they had to destroy it above all other objectives. Stop the assimilation, men, we've got to blow the Enterprise out of the sky. It's still a valid objective though, and obviously allows you to attack your opponent's ship. The probes are, at least, interesting. I'm not sure where drawing the probe card makes any sense though, as battling costs you resources rather than helps provide them. On a Borg icon, you do what Borg do best with their ships - turn the ship into a tidy piece of wreckage. Salvage Starship then becomes the logical next step, and you may download it. On an AU result, an AU effect takes place, namely the possible creation of a Temporal Rift. This is a rare occurence at best (and there shouldn't be that many AU icons in your deck), since we don't see this popping up too often as a result of ship-to-ship battles on the show. One problem: you just destroyed a ship at your location, so you may be playing the Rift somewhere else on the spaceline or keeping it in your hand for later use. How then does the Rift apply to the explosion of the targeted ship? Answer: It doesn't. On a Borg use only result, we show off once again  the sheer power of Borg weapons. Another ship present is damaged by the action. A lot of good clean Trek Sense on here, but some flaws keep it at 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: An objective that's basically an excuse to use your big 24-25 guns against your puny opponent, Eliminate Starship noneheless is a valid strategy. By the time you get to the Alpha Quadrant with your Cube, your opponent may already by well along. Losing his best ship could set him back enough for you to get a lead. Since Salvage Starship requires a ship be destroyed, make sure one does by supplying the space hulk yourself. 30 points is actually a pretty good thing, better than the usual 25. A Borg probe result (probably the easiest to get) will make sure you can download the necessary objective. The other two probes are bonuses. If you do get those icons (and they can be weeded out of your deck somewhat), you might still get a hit on a ship (think armadas) or, if you're stocking AU Doors or AU counterparts, an annoying Temporal Rift. Less useful, but not without interest. If you're going to do this sort of thing, bring some nice Defense drones along, including the Tachyon drones so the target ship can't escape via cloak. Be nasty, go for empty ships around planets with stopped away teams. This is one of those support objectives that'll help you accomplish the real ones with greater ease, as well as provide you with minutes of fun (I'd have said hours, but Borg battles never last that long). A 4.3.

TOTAL: 15.33 (76.67%) Another strong finish for a Borg objective.

PICTURE: Doesn't it feel great to be home? Our home planet, the Federation homeworld, the center of Sector 001, is one of the biggest, and most beautiful, planets in the game. Probably THE most beautiful. The choice of hemispheres brings us dead center on San Francisco where Starfleet has its headquarters. The large blue pacific ocean area is really nice with that kind of cloud cover. Lovely. For a mission, this is a 5.

LORE: For starters, doesn't say "Solar System Region", but should it need to? It says Earth. Who doesn't know where THAT is? Of course, regions weren't yet included on the cards when First Contact made them part of the rules. The rest of the lore features an interesting non-Fed mission, and doesn't fail to mention the homeworld-ness of our home planet. Pretty standard at 3.

TREK SENSE: While I think one Founder could infiltrate Starfleet easily enough, we did learn there were at least two in the San Fran area in "Homefront". Still, one could do the job alone. The same goes for any of the options. Easy to get one guy on the inside, but two? One personnel with a x2 will do it (except Founders), but that's not specified here. In any case, each affiliation gets its own "secret police" mentioned. Tal Shiar for the Romulans, Klingon Intelligence for the Klingons (who else?), FCA for the Ferengi and Obsidian Order for the Cardassians. Now, we've seen the Romulans and Cardassians use cosmetic surgery to infiltrate their opponents, and even the Klingons might stoop to it (think of the Tribble-hating Darvin), but the Ferengi?!? No go. Not only isn't it their style (they'd use hired spies first), it's not even within the FCA's perview. They don't spy on non-Ferengi. Given what we know of Section 31, maybe they should have been on here too. They could have cooperated with Romulans on an Espionage event. As for how to even attempt the mission, the card's pretty unique. You need either Selok, the infiltrator without an infiltration icon (the other infiltrators are included in the requirements, fair is fair), or an Espionage card, which makes perfect sense given the mission title. It's in fact, more attuned to the particularities of a homeworld than most. The 40 points are well worth the difficulty here, and the Span is just regular. Mostly good at 4.

SEEDABILITY: Very seedable. As a homeworld, it'll be a good pick for both The Federation and the Borg. For the Borg, it's the very best homeworld because you can either assimilate it now, or in the past using Stop First Contact. Timeline disruption can really shut down an opponent's game. Even more, it's the only target for Population 9 Billion-All Borg, a card which will double your other objectives as well as give you an Alpha quadrant Outpost. For the Federation, it's the only place to play their HQ cards, including Office of the President at which tons of Admirals can report (including Riker who can download a strong ship directly here). And Zefram Cochrane aside, you'll need Earth to play with Visit Cochrane Memorial and do all that funky drawing/discarding/downloading using your human ENGINEERs. The other affiliations will want to use it as a mission as well, since it's worth a good 40 points, and can be solved pretty easily. The Romulans can send Senator Vreenak on alone (or with Selok, simply to attempt). The Cardassians have Enabran Tain. The Klingons have no double K.I., but send in two Atuls with Assign Mission Specialists to jack the mission up to 50 points. The Dominion can save a lot of time by reporting Leyton Founder directly to Earth, where he can either solve the mission with some changeling help, or infiltrate any Away Team or crew there. Yes, there's a cost - an Espionage card to be played for most affiliations - but with Plans out there, and those spy skills already in the mix, Cardies and Rommies will have no trouble managing their options. And if you're afraid of being relocated to Montana Missile Complex, you might need Earth just to return. Even more if you're using the native personnel who could be forced to report there. Is there anything it won't do? Well, help the Bajorans. A 4.8.

TOTAL: 16.8 (84%) How can I dis my home turf?

PICTURE: A nice bit of digital design, this image never occurs in the film (or on any show). Though a bit dark (and the scout ship a bit small), it looks good. Especially well-done is the way the light from the opening gateway reflects off the scout's surface. There's a lot of motion in the card, from the scout ship's dissolving into the hole to the whirling vortex of the gateway itself. Add to that Decipher's hinting that Scout ships are the better option for Establish Gateway decks, and you've got a great image. A fine 4.9.

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

TREK SENSE: It's the Assimilate Planet of space missions. Since the Borg have been shown to have a network of transwarp gateways (which really explains the haphazard nature of their presence in the Alpha Quadrant), it goes to reason that they must create those spatial anomalies to make use of that mode of travel. This is how: once they get rid of the dilemmas facing them there (always a space mission, since a planet's gravity well might disturb the anomaly), they establish the gateway. One Transwarp Network Gateway downloads here, obviously. You can download a new objective (the Borg don't remain aimless) and you score points, pretty much equal to the difficulty and tediousness of the task (25). Now, if you don't download a gateway (are incapable of doing so), you have a little problem with Trek Sense. "Sector cleared", sure, that may be your real objective, simply making outer space safe for the Collective, but it doesn't jibe with the title of the card. A minor problem. Another is that you can't just probe "Space". Why not? The probes required are Communications and Navigation subcommands. Navigation because we're in space, Communications to coordinate this effort with the rest of the network. Good stuff: a 4.7.

STOCKABILITY: Well, if I tell you there's an entire Borg strategy based around this one, can you guess what the score will be? Swarm decks are your usual alternative to the weightier Cube decks and depend wholely on Establishing Gateways with your Borg Scouts. Since scouting in space is easier than scouting planets (because you don't have to beam down one drone at a time, the entire crew can attempt at once), smaller crews can do well, and Scouts only need a little staffing, AND can report to your original Gateway at the end of the spaceline. Added bonus: you can seed it. As many as you want in fact! The probes are easy, especially if you're stocking a lot of ships. The added speed of low staffing will serve well as you go along the spaceline and establish the four gateways needed for victory. Each Gateway also gives you a place to transport more ships to the next using the selfsame card. There are risks however: your ships are vulnerable to dilemmas (but no more so than other affiliations' ships) and the mission is then free to be attempted by your opponent, free of any dilemmas now. I could recommend Beware of Q's ability to seed Q-Flashes under that empty mission, but I would probably ask you if you had Sphere Encounter first. If you do, convert some of those scouts in your deck to Spheres and simply plop them down with crew as soon as your opponent tries to attempt the mission. By all means, attack the two-bit profiteer. Another option is of course to seed Fair Play. Even if you're using a Cube deck, you might want to seed an Establish Doorway. One of the ways to speed up your slow Cube deck is to use Retask to turn a rogue Borg Ship dilemma into a fully staffed ship. Now, to trigger your own Borg Ship, you'll need to be able to scout a space mission, won't you? That's where Establish Gateway comes in. The most important Objective in the Borg arsenal: a 5.

TOTAL: 19.47 (97.33%) Yow!!!!!! A new (and probably lasting) high score!!!

PICTURE: Since Borg drones are very similar to each other in function in First Contact, picture is very important to the choice of which drone would do what in the game. The Countermeasure drone is well chosen, I think. Formerly a Klingon (though very odd as it is now beardless), it at least used to be tough. Its moving away from the beacon rods likewise speaks of its coutering resistance to the Collective's plans. Well done. Add to that the cohesion of color in the image, all blacks with the white rods in the background centering our eye on the drone, and you have a nice little success. A 4.2, in fact.

LORE: Its function is well explained, and the second title (Countermeasure Drone) is a good one. The Borg see dilemmas and battles alike as "resistance to scout operations", but you know what? Resistance is futile. A 3.8.

TREK SENSE: I might have placed the Countermeasure drone in the Defense subcommand (because of the battling aspect), but Communications suits it too. The way to adapt to dilemmas and weapons has to be communicated to the rest of the Collective. The download is quite sensical (it's the drone's primary function, in fact), as if it were responsible for adapting for the rest of the Hive. Of course, in the show and film, all Borg can adapt (likewise in the game, with the direct play of Adapt cards), but 15 of 17 makes the process a little faster and more efficient. I'm somewhat at a loss for explaining the two completely incongruous skills. ENGINEER may be because this fellow was working on the Interplexing Beacon, as rightful a judgement as any. Exobiology though? Maybe take it this way: When the Borg first came out, he was the only one with the skill (now also supplied by the Reassimilation drone). He was the only countermeasure against Exobiological dilemmas like Coalescent Organism and the host of DS9 dilemmas that would soon follow. My only real objection here is that the Delta Quadrant icon appears on what is an Alpha Quadrant-born person. Gone back or no, he was assimilated here and should probably not be reporting directly to the Delta Quadrant. Just an opinion, but that's all I ever give here. A sound 4.3.

STOCKABILITY: Aside from the fact that Communication drones are some of your better subcommand types (in amount of good probes, and for Interlink compatibility), 15 of 17 has the necessary skill of ENGINEER, which will be found on a number of dilemmas. He's one of 4 drones to have it, but you can never have enough! Exobiology, featured on some of the more difficult dilemmas, is unique to him and the Enhanced First Contact Reassimilation Drone. Finally, there's the Adapt card download which will make your life easier. Since it's not a special download, you can download as many as you need (of either Negate Obstruction or Modulate Shields) by replacing card draws. So you don't have to play them at your drone's location. As long as he's in play, you can play your Adapt anywhere, having downloaded it to you hand for later use. The Borg stand to gain a great deal from deck management. Any time a card draw would just land you a card you don't need right away (maybe you saw it through a probe), go get something else. Even fill your hand with Adapts with Kivas Fajo-Collector and then send your Countermeasure drones to the slaughter unworried. Helpful ability, but not necessary. I give this one a 3.5.

TOTAL: 15.8 (79%) Or should I say 15.8 of 20?

PICTURE: When compared to the Countermeasure drone, I find it real strange that this assimilated Klingon still has a moustache. Doesn't assimilation make all your hair fall off? Points off, even if it's the film's fault. Other than that, the shot is unimpressive. Off-centered, blurry, too dark and not evocative of its function in the least. Looks like it's points off again. A 1.4.

LORE: "Analysis" is a very passive thing, and different from "prevention", especially where the Borg are concerned because they themselves aren't really concerned with anything. And while I understand the appelation Cyber Drone related to its Cybernetics skill, the thing about suspended animation isn't so related. Maybe the task could have said something about that. A lame 1.8.

TREK SENSE: 5 of 11 prevents drones from being placed in stasis, what is called here "suspended animation". An odd function, though I suppose the ever-adaptable Borg must want to resist stasis from time to time. You would think stasis is a very natural thing for the Borg though, since they all seem in stasis until activated or Awakened. In any case, can all instances of stasis in the game be likened to "suspended animation"? Qualor II cannot, because its stasis is totally non-Trek sensical (maybe the personnel are being held up at customs); DNA Metamorphosis simply makes a personnel incommunicado as it becomes an invisible creature, no real stasis there; Quantum Singularity Lifeforms stop time, is that like suspended animation?; Pla-Net merely blocks personnel with a Q-Net. Only Frigid and maybe (stretching it) Vulcan Nerve Pinch really place personnel in that kind of stasis. Points off is quickly becoming my mantra here. Going back to the drone itself, since stasis prevention is a form of Adapt ability, the drone is in the Communications subcommand and can communicate its adaptations to other Com drones. As extra skills, it has SCIENCE and Cybernetics, more in line with its Identification than anything else, but since drones are all in stasis anyway (according to me), the drone-alcove relationship must be a cybernetic one. And I've already spoken about Alpha quadrant species making it as Delta quadrant Borg, so to recap: hard to swallow, but the universality of the drone makes it probable that most are NOT Klingons (in this instance) and we can accept at least one finding itself to the Delta quad like Seven's parents did. Late justifications don't help the score much - a 2.5

STOCKABILITY: Well, the other affiliations don't really have a way out of stasis, but the Borg do... if they care to bring it along. Face it, 5 of 11 isn't the best of drones. You're not likely to go assimilate Qualor II because its point value is too low, and losing a drone to stasis here or there isn't any worse than losing any kind of personnel that way (in fact, it's far from as bad, since Borg are principally universal, report aboard Cubes, are downloadable, and often expendable). Quantum Singularity Lifeforms IS scary if a Romulan ship is present to stop your clock, especially where your well-staffed Cube is concerned, but even so... you're not necessarily likely to hit that dilemma. So maybe use it for its skills? Without the ability to stock androids (and report them) or any way to steal missions, Cybernetics has only one use to the Borg: half-passing (with MEDICAL) Borg Servo, presuming your opponent is playing Borg too. SCIENCE, while more useful, is found on 3 other Borg (including the lamest counterpart) and can be Interlinked easily enough. Nope, I don't see how this one would get in the majority of my decks. A 2.1.

TOTAL: 7.8 (39%) Points off indeed! Are First Contact cards allowed to go this low in the Rolodex?

PICTURE: Not a bad picture, if a little messy. They might have called it Bouncer Drone, since it looks like he's guarding the entrance to some neon-lit nightclub. Shadow and light play a role here in making the drone more three-dimensional than most (probably because he's backlit), which creates the illusion of him interceding between you and whatever's behind him. Some cool prosthetics too. I'd say a 4.

LORE: Not bad with its fancy way of explaining the shield bonus. This is the guy (or, really, guys) who modulates the shields to deal with every conceivable weapon. The identification is ok, but doesn't quite go with the drone's abilities. A guard guards people/personnel no? He guards ships. Sorta. Doesn't quite work, so only 2.7.

TREK SENSE: Let's see, he computes and maximizes defense effectiveness. What does that mean? Well, basically, it makes him able to boost the Shields of the ship he "serves" on. I have no problem with the ability being cumulative. After all, the Borg ARE a Collective. This is the equivalent of Adapt: Modulate Shields for ships, storywise, but it works quite differently, more simply. Too bad, because Trek Sense would have been much more satisfied with a mechanic where you would have had to take a hit from a particular ship class before the bonus could come into effect. The other skills are filler. Computer Skill makes sense as much as giving it to ANY Borg. They're half computer anyway. MEDICAL? Identified with "defensive functions" I suppose, but as strange as any SECURITY(Defense)/MEDICAL combo. Of course, by his very nature he's in the Defense subcommand. Overall, an unoriginal 2.9.

STOCKABILITY: Why would you want to boost SHIELDS that are already in the 24+ range? Well, you probably wouldn't boost your Cubes, but those Scouts and Sphere have puny SHIELDS and a point value attached to destroying them. Unfortunately, Defense drones aren't as useful in Scout/Sphere strategies which depend on Establish Gateway to score points. The Defense subcommand icon is a bad probe for Establish Gateway, and Defense drones can't staff one of the small ships. And if you're swarming, you're playing for strength in numbers, and you're not about to stock a great number of 4 of 11s (all bad probes), one or more for every ship you plan to have on the spaceline. As for the rest, he's one of only two Borg with MEDICAL, which may be the reason to include him, but the Bio-Med drone is probably superior in every way for this. The Computer Skill on the other hand, is found on 5 other personnel (3 of them universal). He's the only reasonable requirement on Vole Infestation (as ANIMALs can't be assimilated, and hand weapons aren't used by the Borg), so that's something. Blah. A mismatched 2.8.

TOTAL: 12.4 (62%) Excluded from my decks more often than not.

PICTURE: Computer screen shots are rarely interesting, but I'm not sure anything else would have been all that appropriate (maybe the shot on Access Denied). This two-tone one is particularly boooooooooring. Most of the lettering is too fuzzy to read, not that tiny numbers would hold much interest anyway. Pretty bad for a First Contact card. A 1.3.

LORE: A good explanation of the procedure and how it was used in the film. Avoids being too technical. A 3.2.

TREK SENSE: Your android encrypts computer control which, like in the film, prevents the Borg from assimilating the ship. Naturally, commandeering, which hinges on Computer Skill, is also prevented by the maneuver. Okay, let's pick this one apart. Why only androids? Isn't it possible for other personnel to know how to encrypt the system? We often hear of people doing this on the show. It was even a "trick" B'Elanna Torres taught her former lover according to "Equinox". Yes, androids have powerful computer minds, but so does the Borg Queen, mutants and some holograms. Then, there's the prevention of assimilation. Not really true is it? The ship was still (partly) assimilated, but the Borg just couldn't do much with it (like fire weapons or move around). Maybe the Code disables the ship if it is assimilated. Of course, the same android can nullify the Code. Makes sense. In the meantime, your crew use the ship for battling or flying. It's locked down for its crew as well. Problems do tend to crop up, but there's a good foundation. Giving it an even 3.

STOCKABILITY: Like most defensive cards, its stockability is heavily based on your feeling that your opponent will use the offending cards/strategy. Fearful of commandeering or ship assimilation? Planning to use one or more androids anyway? This is the Interrupt for you. But that's just it. It needs an andoid to work so if you're not including one in your deck, forget it. FC Data at least has this as a special download (so your android is included), but lose the droid, and you've got a wasted card slot. The Dominion in particular won't be able to start with Soong-Types in the Gamma Quadrant, so will have to fiddle around with extra outposts, etc. Ship assimilation isn't a very popular strategy, even with Add Distinctiveness's points for drones ability. That leaves commandeering. With ships, it's a matter of having that darned android at the right place at the right time, and then of not caring if you lose WEAPONS and RANGE. Your android can restore everything back to normal, but again, if you lose it, you're dead in space. One hidden ability of the card is to prevent Deactivation from being played on Auto-Destruct Sequence, but that sounds a little lame. One idea is to take control of a crew with Alien Parasites, and if it has an android, play a Fractal Encryption Code on the ship then send the android to its death. You just killed that ship's ability to function. "Hard to pull off" just about describes EVERYTHING about this card. A 2.4 at most.

TOTAL: 9.9 (49.5%) A turkey that's too difficult to use to be worth the trouble.

PICTURE: Almost looks like Geordi's posing for a photographer, the way he looks in our direction. Is this really from the film? The chair behind him is terrible. The black and charcoal on black and charcoal is terrible. That yellow scarf of his is incredibly gaudy... I would have liked something from the surface mission, it would have been much more à propos. But instead, we got something deserving of a 1.4.

LORE: The changes between then (TNG) and now (FC) are plainly stated, mostly that thing about switching from the VISOR to ocular implants. The cute bit about Zefram Cochrane High School is cool, and just about the only new bit of information we got on LaForge in the entire movie. Relatively good lore: 3.6.

TREK SENSE: There are many differences between the Geordi of yesteryear and that of today. The double-ENGINEER is still there and a great skill for the flagship's Chief Engineer. Computer Skill and Physics likewise make sense. The former, at a minimum, to fiddle around with Data's innards. The second, to calculate warp fields and such. FC Geordi then deviates from that. Leadership replaces Navigation for one thing. Yes, he seems much more decisive than he used to be (almost worthy of a special download of Assign Mission Specialists there) and deserves the skill. But while Navigation is probably an out-of-date skill (he hasn't helmed the Enterprise in quite a while), it might seem inapropriate to remove it from the First Contact version, After all, he was part of the Phoenix's flight crew (not at the controls, but...). The special download of Ocular Implants is natural for someone who has them already, though it seems bizarre that he wouldn't from the get-go. Report blind, get eyes later? The attributes show a lot of smarts and fair strength, that's okay. But why has Integrity dropped a point? He's got little patience for Cochrane, but is that enough to warrant the reduction? Since he doesn't kill a lot of Borg in the movie, and is pretty much relegated to the more light-hearted section of the story, I don't see any reason for it. Further, the Enterprise-E has its share of problems, already discussed, and particluarly pertinent in the case of a great engineer like Geordi. Okay, he can singularly help run Starfleet's newest, but why should he lose the ability to staff the rest of the fleet's fine vessels? Mostly loses in this translation from past to present. An even 3.

STOCKABILITY: Always a great ENGINEER, Geordi has a double dose of his classification, the useful Computer Skill, less useful Physics and now, instead of the useful Navigation, the semi-useful Leadership. Well, now he can initiate battle (against the Borg, I guess) and newer dilemmas ask for Leadership. Let's say it's a move towards planet mission solving from space. Add to that a download of Ocular Implants, and it's a definite move to planets. The Implants can peek at the next dilemma so you can form a better Away Team (like a mini-Scan), or look at those Away Teams you need to battle with. The stats are good and don't differ too much from the original, and the icon is something that can be used to report to the Enterprise-E if you're using it (with Crew Reassignment) and that can be worked around if you're using lots of other ships. Which is the better Engineer? I'd say this one, by a margin. But you can always switch personae for that extra Navigation. A clean 4.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) Sorry Geordi, but they did you in with that awful picture. (I have problems with most of the FC bridge crew in that respect.)

PICTURE: Wow, this guy could almost be a Vulcan. Seriously though, it's just your standard bust shot. Very clear because it's on film, and you can see he's punching in coordinates at the helm. Blah background. Standard stuff at 3.1.

LORE: All the right points are hit. His post, his navigational prowess, his big assimilation moment (or what led to it). The second sentence is a little weak in my opinion. Giving it a 3.

TREK SENSE: 24th century redshirts are commonly OFFICERs, and as a helmsman, he gets Navigation. Helmsman of the flagship? Ooh, that deserves a x2. Sure. The extra navigational ability (he's apparently an expert at flying through nebulae) isn't really supported by the film. Sure, the Enterprise starts off at a nebula near the Neutral Zone, and it DOES get to the battle site mighty fast, but it never actually enters the nebula. And think about this: nebulas don't currently, as a rule, slow down ships. So Hawk's not neutralizing a nebula's soupiness, he actually finds a way for it to boost a ship's speed? Total nonsense. And what's that staff icon doing there? Why no Enterprise-E (even with all the misgivings I have about THAT one) ability? He's at the helm of the thing! Okay for the science specialists, but the navigator? It's just as bad as the Counselor actually needing to be specially trained for the new ship, except in reverse. As for the attributes, Integrity 7 is fairly standard for a Fed, and Cunning seems about right too. The Strength of 7 though, is a little mystifying, since he came out in the same set as Maglock, a dilemma he wasn't able to pass in the movie, yet can here. His Strength should have been 6, I'm sorry. That would also have put him under that of a Defense drone, which again, is more in line with the movie. A lot of drek... 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: The big question is - how many nebulae are there? The answer is 9, only 4 of which are missions attemptable by the Federation (one can't be attempted at all). So is that really a good ability? Depends. If you're building your deck around nebulous phenomena (with Isabellas for example), the extra range certainly won't hurt. He can make sure you don't have to stop on Paxan Wormhole, removes (with his double Navigation) 3 span off of FGC-47, and helps overcome the super-long span on Intelligence Operation. And now that two planets are in nebulas, you don't have to be afraid of your theme deck being hindered by Balancing Act. So this guy's very specialized, with a special skill enhancing his normal skill (which helps against a number of slow-down pollution). Not bad in the stats department, but doesn't quite make the cut in every deck. 2.8.

TOTAL: 10.7 (53.5%) And this guy was considered bridge crew material? (Well, judging by how everything turned out, I guess he wasn't.)

PICTURE: A simple shot from the movie, from where Data says those exact lines. While this is usually fairly lame as far as picture selection goes, the fact that Data is half-Borged (except in reverse) and the Queen's eyes admiring her work, it makes it look like SHE's saying it about him. To those who haven't seen the film anyway. Aside from all that, the colors are a little dark, but not distracting, except for the fine sliver of green behind the Queen's neck, which thickens her up strangely. I notice these things. A 3.2.

LORE: Describes the scene from the film and uses one of many great lines for a title. The whole "seduction" and "temptations of flesh" is nicely double-entendred. And it even points to the game text. Better than average at 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Well, this mechanism must exist in the real Borg Collective. There can't be more than one Borg King. If they pull a Locutus at any homeworld that's giving them trouble, they'll wind up competing for Queenie's affection (or is this three-dimensional thinking?). Once the species is assimilated, the "spokesman" might as well become a drone with the rest of its people. And Counterparts were so great, they make excellent drones, like, say, Seven of Nine and other Borg overachievers. There's even a Trek Sense relationship with the picture/lore, because the line was uttered after the Queen selected another counterpart and left Picard to just become a drone if he were assimilated. Puts it a little higher at 4.

STOCKABILITY: This is one of those cards, like A Change of Plans, that are necessary to Borg mechanics. Since only one Counterpart can exist at the same time, you couldn't normally assimilate more than one homeworld in the same game unless you got the Counterpart killed. Having it die means you lose both it and its Assimilate Counterpart points. How about just losing one of the two? Play Excellent Drone instead and though you lose the points, all those skills remain with you. But with five ready-made Counterparts available, why even bother with Assimilation? Report any one of them, and, once its former home is assimilated (40 points), turn it into a drone. It keeps all its skills including the WEAPONS/SHIELDS bonuses and such things as Gowron's battling ability. Just want the skills and don't care about the homeworlds at all? Who cares about the one Counterpart in play restriction when you can turn it into a drone, then report the next one. Drone, report, Drone, report. Collect them all! (That Collective joke was not done on purpose.) Necessary to some strategies, fun in others. A 4.4.

TOTAL: 15.1 (75.5%) Just makes ya wanna see a Data of Borg, don't it?

PICTURE: Picture taken at the moment he says the title line, the best part of the shot is without a doubt the banged up door in the background. I also like how the EMH's apparent smugness from his personnel card is gone here. It requires that we know the line and its place in the film though, which is a problem I see on a lot of Star Wars cards which just have shots of people talking to each other. This one is a bit stronger than those however. A 3.4.

LORE: The title is great, and I keep imagining that if this was a TOS-based game, we'd have plenty of "I'm a Doctor, not a..." cards. Maybe we eventually will! I always appreciate it when lore starts off general (the first sentence) and then goes into the picture's specific instance (the second). The game text borrows heavily from both sentences. A well thought-out 3.8.

TREK SENSE: The first function relates to holograms balking at orders. You can stop a hologram, supposing it's been given orders contrary to, or not included in, its programming. After all, would an EMH participate in a personnel battle? Would a holographic Fek'lhr go on away missions? The second function has your hologram become, well... a doorstop! You leave it to fend off an attacking party while everyone else escapes. The hologram, unfortunately, is destroyed. This is the only bit that doesn't exactly work within Trek Sense. How would your hologram's program be destroyed by an attacking party? Sometimes, I'm sure it's possible. They get at a console or whatever, but say you're using Holo-Projectors, and the battle is at a planet, wouldn't "beating" the holo just cause it to be deactivated? This brings down the score to 4.2. Still good.

STOCKABILITY: Primarily defensive, the Federation is most peaceful and at the same time, hologram-heavy, and may want to stock this. There's little reason to stock it for the first option which presupposes that your opponent will use holograms, which is not a given at all, since most affiliations don't even have access to them. No, you should stock it for the other function, if YOU're using holograms (who have always made good redshirts, for one thing), and if it so happens your opponent's using them too, you might use it against him. But the effect is fairly weak, so I dunno. And what about that second function? Avoiding personnel battles can be important to a weak Federation party going against some mean Klingons or Jem'Hadar, though it'll still cost you a personnel. It's also possible to nullify a Rogue Borg attack, but again, it'll cost you a holo. You can run, but you can't hide. Players who play too defensively are always running and forget to try for their own points. Only 2.9.

TOTAL: 14.3 (71.5%) Trek Sense saves this one, and I'm an overall picture kinda guy, not a strategy expert.

PICTURE: Inge just before her untimely demise in First Contact. She's as worried as the tone of First Contact is worrisome, with a semi-interesting background and good shadows. The shot from the Jeffries tube is pretty original. A good 3.5.

LORE: Mention of her "universality", and her post aboard the sixth Enterprise. The rest is invention, just to justify a skill selection Decipher wanted to introduce. At least, they went and used concepts from First Contact (the lunar city) to do it, but I fail to see how seismology and diagnostics are all that related. A 3.1.

TREK SENSE: I'm a little surprised at seeing Eiger as a universal. After all, she had a speaking part, and her name in the credits. Other FC universals were just background filler. She's more on par with Porter. In any case, she IS an Engineer, and, having a more subordinate position, counts as Staff. If we're to believe the whole seismologist thing, then she is a Geology mission specialist, clear and simple. Computer Skill is better related to diagnostics, but we really don't need another Reg Barclay. As far as the attributes go, they seem fair enough. Integrity is pretty high, but she was brave enough to follow Porter into the Jeffries tube. Her Cunning is real low, but she was stupid enough to follow Porter into the Jeffries tube. Actually, I do object to a supposed specialist having such low Cunning. I'm not sure any kind of decent engineer (who would be posted on the flagship) would ever be this dumb. Strength is an average 5, seems okay. So, she's okay, but there are a few inconsistencies. Just plain 3.

STOCKABILITY: While Geology is making its way onto dilemmas, her mission specialist status should really help out with the many Geology missions available to the Federation (9 of them if I count the "Any Away Team" missions). Some of these missions basically only require Geology (plus some attributes) or skills that can be supplied by other mission specialists. INTEGRITY's good, but other attributes are pretty weak. Well, that's what you get from universals. ENGINEER is a good classification. She's pretty basic, I think you can do the math. A 3.7.

TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) Average for a First Contact entry is at least in the high 60s.

PICTURE: The image is reduced even further by showing the sides of the screen, but I do like it. The colors are interesting and, while the text is unreadable, the Phoenix and its warp field (the first in human history!) look good. It's always harder to picture a concept like this that doesn't have a pictorial element to it. Somehow this does the job, though I have to wonder how the computer graphics were better on the Phoenix than on the original Enterprise ;-). A 3.4.

LORE: Well reasoned to make the picture even more appropriate. The flippant "of course" in the last sentence pokes fun at the episodes where, somehow, the ratio is NOT 1:1, as well as making reference to "Coming of Age" in which we learn that 1:1 is the only possible ratio. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Since this card has nothing to do with ship efficiency, we'll have to go the conceptual route. Even so, I don't see (except game mechanic-wise) why this should be a Hidden Agenda. Is the Ratio secret? I would say no, since every species and its cousins have the secret of warp drive. Maybe in Cochrane's time, but I don't see an AU icon anywhere. Conceptually, the game text itself works. Matter is mission points, anti-matter is bonus points. Any extra anti-matter doesn't count towards the ratio. Simple and elegant. The immunity to Kevin Uxbridge is again game-related, not Trek-related, but there's no reason why Kev would interfere with intermix ratios, so okay. Conceptual cards rarely go as high as the others - a generous 3.

STOCKABILITY: You use this one if you're actually afraid that your opponent will use heavy bonus point strategies against you. And I do mean heavy - up to 50 bonus points can still count (without Q's Planet, etc.) so you have to fear someone will use mostly or entirely bonus point strategies. Not a common thing. In particular though, this is a card for the Borg. With those juicy bonus points attached to their ships, and even Federation armadas sometimes making the scene, you don't want to lose because your opponent went Borg hunting. Two Cubes, and that's practically a victory. And you can turn the Hidden Agenda around at the worst possible time, when your opponent thinks he's won. Not bad, but you gotta know your opponent, and some opponents are unknowable. Still, a good precaution for the Borg. A 3.4.

TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) An 11 would have been funny, but also undeserved.

PICTURE: Hurt beyond measure, but trying not to let it show. That's pretty much how you could describe Picard throughout First Contact. Then again, I've always thought every other shot of him in this set (Abandon Mission, Remodulation, Don't Call Me Ahab!, Sense the Borg, etc.) were more original and/or more dramatic than this one. The background in particular is quite dull, and the idea of getting most of the bridge crew from the staff meeting, is just plain boring! A 3, no more.

LORE: At a specific point in his life, Jean-Luc's lore is specific to his experiences with the Borg. I'm not opposed to it, but it lacks the invention of Premiere's lore. Still, it's less telegraphic, as they try to stuff less ideas into the small box. Plus, let's not forget the matching commander status for the Enterprise-E. A good 3.4.

TREK SENSE: A relatively good job here. Picard is definitely an Officer, though we must still object to the Trek Sense of the Enterprise-E icon. It really shouldn't matter that the ship is advanced, when staffers like Hawk seem to have no special training. Similarly, just because Jean-Luc can command such a ship, it doesn't mean he loses the ability to staff or command another vessel. As for the skills, Picard is still a Leader (captain), still has the piloting skills he's shown from time to time (Navigation) and Archeology, for which he has a great love. Still the Diplomat, he loses one level of Diplomacy because of the way he deals with the Borg in this movie. Well, you can't really negociate with the Borg, can you? (Tell that to Janeway.) He still retains one level since he befriends Lily. Two skills disappear from the list on this version: Music (which has no place in the movie) and Honor (again, the way he dealt with the Borg). They are replaced by two special downloads. Sense the Borg makes a perfect download for Jean-Luc since he (along with maybe Seven of Nine) seems to be the only individual Trek-Sensically able to do this. Make It So is one of his catch-phrases, so it's a pretty evident download, though we don't know what it does yet. As for the attributes, he's dropped 1 point in Integrity (man, was he ever nasty to the Borg!), but upped his Cunning by one point (more experience). Strength stays the same though I would have thought Patrick Stewart's physical training for the film would have given him an extra point here. He's quite the action hero when he wants to be! The lesson: obsessions make you lose skills and points! Factoring in the E-E icon loss... gives a 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: Premiere Picard is an excellent personnel, so how will the FC version fare? Not as well certainly. You lose Honor (not that useful), Music (only good for Ressikan decks, really), one level of Diplomacy (now he can't get through Q-Nets alone), 1 point of precious INTEGRITY and his all-purpose Command icon. He keeps lack-luster STRENGTH, the semi-identical OFFICER classification and Leadership skill, Archeology (good for mission-solving) and Navigation (also a good skill). He remains matching commander of the Stargazer and replaces the Enterprise-D with the E, a better ship if you can drive it. He gains an E-E icon that only staffs one ship (for which he's matching commander though), 1 point of CUNNING (not bad, protects his ship from Crimson Forcefield) and two special downloads, including one that has no card (and it's been the equivalent of some 4 expansions!) and another that will really only help against Borg cards (not just the affiliation). Sense the Borg still can be used against non-Borg strategies by playing Rogue Borg yourself (or the Borg Ship dilemma), setting off a chain of downloads: Sense the Borg-Ready Room Door-a Captain's Order (perhaps Captain's Log or Crew Reassignment to staff the rest of the ship more easily). Start the sequence sooner by getting Picard with a Ready Room Door in the first place. As for the Persona option, he can be switched with the other Picard (once the download hs been effected maybe) or Galen even. Still a good personnel, though more specialized (and thus, less useful) than the great mission solver of yore. A 4 here.

TOTAL: 14.3 (71.5%) Number 400! And I couldn't have planned it any better.

PICTURE: One of those Security pics I keep thinking is from Picard's little meeting (like Lightner), but it's actually from the Borgified corridors of the Enterprise-E. Travis has rifle in hand and a good pose, and the background is interesting, and very Aliens-esque too. A little dark, but pretty good at 3.6.

LORE: The name is total invention, but the lore isn't. They stuck to what we pretty much know about all those security guards in First Contact, so he makes a good universal personnel. Homage is paid to their courage, and I think the mention of checkpoint 3 is pretty cool. Fairly basic at 3.3.

TREK SENSE: SECURITY and Staff are obvious. The Youth is apparent from the picture, and Honor is a way of including "brave" in there. He stood his ground against all adversity. The universality of the personnel is acknowledged in the lore ("representative"), and given the lore and skills, is way more representative of a whole group of personnel than most universals. Integrity is appropriately high for an Honor personnel, Cunning pretty low since he's basically a grunt, and Strength... a little low? Nothing special here, but nothing was really known about this extra. A 3.7.

STOCKABILITY: Do people use two-skill personnel? Especially Federation ones? When Travis first came out, it was my feeling that the Feds got a number of new SECURITY because that was the least represented classification in the fleet, but now, we've got many more. Honor isn't that useful a skill to the Federation, and Youth is a common and still not that useful one. What's more, many SECURITY personnel have either skill, then follow it up with something more useful. Joseph Travis actually has my vote for weakest Federation SECURITY personnel. Even the STRENGTH bites. A 1.8.

TOTAL: 12.4 (62%) Well, he's in line for a mercy kill...

PICTURE: You know, I had a feeling this girl would score a card when I saw First Contact, since she gets an unexplained close-up. (My actual thought was that she was some producer's daughter or something.) A crisp clear picture, true to the usual quality of First Contact. Good movement on the hair, but she might have blown her nose. A 3.6.

LORE: Total invention, it nonetheless makes sense for the people present at First Contact to be inspired in this fashion. It's part of the spirit of Star Trek that individuals can make a difference, and Kathleen here (a name that seems to suit her), did just that. A fine 3.5.

TREK SENSE: She's from 2063, so she's AU and per force, a Civilian. Her being at First Contact may have inspired her to learn about the Vulcans (and emulate their form of government) so the Anthropology is warranted. It's also a mission specialty clear of any problems. Her ideals give her a high Integrity. Her Cunning is pretty good for a backwards person ;-). And the Strength seems fair as well for a young girl. What, no Youth??? I knew I could find a bug. 3.9 then.

STOCKABILITY: A mission specialist who'll do more than pass Primitive Culture, she can be used with any affiliation. With a few affiliations totally without specialists, she and Farek might make a tempting duo. But can the right missions be found for each affiliation? Anthropology isn't a common skill... Well, a little research yields 8 Anthropology missions only, scattered over every affiliation save the Dominion. The Feds already have an Anthropologist (with a better classification), so she's best used with the Ferengi (who can also use a couple of Fareks on Gunrunning for +15 points, or multiple Market Researches). The Klingons and Romulans could also make use of her somewhat efficiently. She has the problem that she's AU and also a Native of a Time Location. If perchance your opponent is using Montana Missile Complex, you'll lose your Kathleen to the tunnels of time (I admit the pun was a little intended, sorry). Easy, since your Ferengi don't have a lot of AUs, throw them in a Cryosatellite and she'll already be reported. That's if you don't report her first thing! So there. Useful in some decks, not in others. A cool 3.7.

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) A young girl with a lot of potential.

PICTURE: How do you represent such an abstract concept? Not easy, and the arriving Away Team is a pretty good way to do it (the potential is there), and a pretty unique pic as far as the cards go. The night lighting makes it very different from Near-Warp Transport, tough Invasive Beam-In would later copy it a bit. The main fault of the card is that this particular Away Team wasn't really unprepared. In fact, I'd say the TNG crew was very much at the height of its powers in First Contact. Or do they mean that the engineering team has yet to beam down. Ooh, big delay that was! This dark pic is good, but far from perfect. Only 3.5.

LORE: Good explanation of how this could be a dilemma, and of how the game text works. A better than average 3.5.

TREK SENSE: You can be less than prepared at a space or planet mission, and this may delay your mission attempt or scouting attempt. For the non-assimilated among us, this will cost us 10 points if we couldn't attempt the mission with our first beam-down (or shipload). I'm not sure the penalty is really Trek sensical, but it's fair enough. In reality, redshirting isn't particularly in line with the show's ethics, a show that has the all-important command crew beaming into danger every week while the expendable extras sit snuggly in the ship. And would Starfleet send a barber in a shuttle to investigate some spatial anomaly? No way. For the Borg, they'll need one of every subcommand present to continue. Between the three of them, they have everything needed to scout a location. I guess. The confines of the Borg mind remain a mystery to me. A good card at 4.1.

SEEDABILITY: Well, it'll certainly put redshirting players in a bind. -10 points? Ouch! Put it in front of any combo as a point-sapping wall to make sure your opponent goes into it with all his important personnel. Too many players leave the mission solvers aboard ship while the expendables try to pass the dilemmas. Of course, it won't do a thing against the mega-Away Teams of my usual playmates. It'll fit better under a huge mission like Hunt for DNA Program, or under one of those specialty one-man missions like Investigate Time Continuum. And for the Borg? Well, needless to say, the way they scout, it'll be more effective on planets, acting as a drone-catcher until there's a large Away Team of them there. That's why I recommend it for use BY the Borg player. If you want to head into dilemmas in full force rather than have one drone hit something like Alien Parasites alone, seed a Lack of Preparation after your opponent's done with that particular planet, and build your drone army at the foot of it during your scouting attempt. A dilemma that'll fit many decks, but not every strategy, and it can be nullified by, oddly enough, Preparation (though not the point loss). 3.8 here.

TOTAL: 14.9 (74.5%) Something that changes the meta-game, but not by that much.

PICTURE: A really cool place for a First Contact Easter Egg, it's unfortunate that Decipher couldn't get one in. I kept looking for a secret code in those squarish zeroes surrounding the Portal until I went cross-eyed. Cool detailing, the Portal is never seen this way in the film, so I'm guessing there's some CGI in there somewhere. Either that, or I can't stop-motion on my VCR fast enough to catch it in the Borg Sphere release sequence. A distinctive 3.8.

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

TREK SENSE: As a failsafe option, Launch Portal suspends play to do a number of things. Releasing an Escape Pod makes the most sense, and since you could escape a ship's destruction on a shuttle-type craft, the Portal doubles as a shuttle bay door, by downloading Engage Shuttle Operations. It'll also get you that shuttle or, for the assimilated out there, a Borg Sphere to make that escape. It'll also get you a scout ship, since these are considered small enough to fit inside a larger ship. The carried ships can then be loaded and lauched before a ship explodes. That's a lot to have happen in "suspended time". Why would anyone use Escape Pods if it took just about the same time to launch a fleet of scout ships and shuttles? The doorway can then be placed on Engage Shuttle Operations to make scout ships carryable and landable. Sure, they're usually small enough for this to be possible, but why would we need an extra two cards to make it happen? Either the ships have the ability or they don't, methinks. Launch Portal also protects Engage Shuttle Operations, possibly because as long as the doorway is open, you have a hole to send your ships through. It's a good card, following the events of the Borg Cube's destruction in FC, and the only other small confusion is that non-Borg ships probably don't use "Launch Portals" for small craft (only escape pods). A 3.9 here.

STOCKABILITY: Carrying ships gives you extra range, and landing them protects them from attack (also protecting your Neutral Zone) or avoid anti-beaming cards. That, we all learned from Engage Shuttle Operations. Launch Portal makes that card much more useful. Not only does it give you everything you need to launch a carried ship and land it, including the ship itself and Engage Suttle Ops, it makes scouts like shuttles in this respect. Don't know about you, but I'd rather use an 8-3-5 Flaxian Scout Vessel than a 6-1-3 Yridian Shuttle (to give the NA example). Scouts have better RANGE than shuttles, and usually better WEAPONS and SHIELDS too. Scout Encounter also gets scouts into play, staffed. Think you can land on a planet and immediately solve it with some Geology or Greed personnel as soon as the dilemma is encountered? All the affilitions have access to scout ships (with the Flaxian ship) though the Dominion might have a harder time of it unless they're running an effective Alpha quadrant strategy. They've got their own Engage Shuttle Operations anyway, and it too can be downloaded and affected by this card. The Bajorans, Borg (who can also get a Sphere), Klingons and Romulans (many choices) all have ships specific to them. The Borg will find this useful if something bad happens to their Cube. They can continue scouting from their Sphere just as easily. Launch Portal will also make your landing strategy immune to Kevin Uxbridge, and allows you to suspend play while you have all your personnel escape their ship's destruction. Especially useful for ships carrying mega-Away Teams. If an armada attacks, you can load your personnel into some ship and fly out of there, leaving your Enterprise to the dogs of war. Or make your own armada by launching carried ships, suspending play to do so just as you initiate battle. I don't think too many people use the card for the Escape Pod function though. A fun 3.8.

TOTAL: 15.33 (76.67%) A card that changes the landscape a little, and helps make plenty of cards more interesting.

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