To see the cards themselves, check out this Card list for the Premiere set.
Some of the cards have been corrected in the Beta Set.

PICTURE: What makes the Exocomp as cute as Spot (almost) is probably those big feet, or maybe it's the chimney-like apparatus on top. Whatever it is, the Exocomp sure makes for a distinctive personnel card, and though the reds all tend to pink (a common printing artifact in Premiere), it's a classic shot, with the lines of the Jeffries tube supporting those of the Exo quite well. Thematically, its location works in the context of its repairing ships. A fine 4.

LORE: As technical as an equipment card or a Borg drone, the lore is nonetheless competent, if workmanlike. Calling it some kind of android would have placed it in line with recent rulings, but they never thought of this. A 3.

TREK SENSE: Since Exocomps can be manufactured more easily even than androids, there's no reason they shouldn't be universal. I would hope though, that Decipher eventually make other Exocomps with different special skills (pics would feature different tools). In the meantime, I'll believe that Exocomps are all Engineers of course, and their special ability to repair ships is dead on. Regular skills like Honor or even Computer Skill might have worked too (and there would have been room on the card for that Honor), but the main thing is that they can repair ships. It doesn't work as fast as an outpost of course, it's just one little robot, but it does the job. Odd that humanoid Engineers can't do this, huh? After all, is it really a good design to build ships with parts your full-sized crewmembers can't get to? Well, maybe open bulkheads and such require remote and durable work-bees like the Exocomps, who can also crawl through toxic gases and such. The Federation affiliation matches Dr. Farallon's, and it's a good bet they would have decided to remain included in the organization. As for attributes, the very high Integrity makes a lot of sense given that they were willing to risk ther lives for the beings who refused to accept their sentience. Speaking of that sentience, I was under the impression from the episode it was a rather limited one, but here they get an 8. A bit much, in my opinion. I'm not too thrilled about the 1 Strength either, even if I realize they must be very poor fighters. I'm simply worried about how undurable it makes them seem. It doesn't just make them bad at attacking, it makes them easy to destroy. Since we send them through safety hazards, I don't think that works too well. The worst thing about Exocomps isn't on the card itself, it's in the recent ruling that Exocomps are to be considered androids (albeit not Soong-type androids). While this works well by making them immune to Hyposprays, Barclay's Protomorphosis Disease, Assassin's Blade, and can't die if thrown out an Airlock, it causes a few problems, chief among them the fact they can use Android Headlock; and what fingers are they putting in the Chinese Finger Puzzle? It also means that apparently, they have an Off Switch, have Fractal Encryption Code ability, the potential for Ocular Implants ("I can SEE!"), and are as interesting to Kivas Fajo as Soong-types are (see Jovis). This ruling actually helps more than it hurts (including the fact that Cyberneticists can now build Exocomps), but you can see the flaws. All in all, a good job at 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: Low on regular, misson-solving skills, the Exocomp nonetheless has that ENGINEER classification working for it. It's a good one, and would allow it to have extra skills thanks to equipment and the like (would you let an Exocomp with MEDICAL operate on you though?). I think it's become more important a card since the advent of the Battle Bridge side-deck because not only is damage more common, it's more disruptive. The Exocomp can get rid of those nasty damage markers (as long as your ship survives) without you returning to your outpost. With damage markers that reduce RANGE possibly more than the old-style damage, you might not have time to get to your outpost, but there's another advantage: stopping for a full turn at your outpost for repairs isn't particularly cost-effective. Just keep your Exocomp aboard ship (it's not like it's good at solving missions), and it gets fixed in a couple turns, even with your ship doing its thing. I wouldn't really get your Exocomp in a fight either, since its STRENGTH of 1 is pretty impossible to save, but those other attributes are sky-high (and better still with Lower Decks), so maybe Exocomp's better in mission attempts than I first let on. And don't forget, it now counts as an android! That means it's immune to a number of dilemmas, passes others (like Security Precautions and Ktarian Game), but is affected by others still (Finger Puzzle, Cascade Failure, etc.). It WON'T be affected by gender-related dilemmas though, because it is effectively a neuter. Other android cards it can use? Fractal Encryption Code, Ocular Implants, Android Headlock (though expect it to be mortally wounded as soon as it moves to the next opponent unless you're packing big guns), Paxan "Wormhole" (in keeping the ship from being relocated, and in solving the mission) and their reporting free using any personnel with Cybernetics. Watch out for Reactor Overload and the Jovis though. And if you don't play Federation, there's always Lore's Fingernail which will make Exocomps Non-Aligned. They make great support for NA Data, Lore and the family, and can thus help any ship from any affiliation. That INTEGRITY can't be bad for your Romulans and other devious races, can it? Mostly a defensive card, it can at least serve most affiliations: a 3.7.

TOTAL: 14.3 (71.5%) I always was an Exocomp person (see Spot).

PICTURE: Not a nebula folks, but a good splash of gas nonetheless. I find the dark matter inside the cloud to be the richest part of the image (and look closely, you'll find actual stars in the cloud), but the original printing methods just don't do justice to it. Turns out this thing's just a big purple splotch. Consequently, a 2.7.

LORE: With the room they had left, they could have done something a little more interesting, but that would have meant fessing up to the fact that the Cluster is a dangerous place, something ignored in Trek Sense. Get to it in a second. Let's go for a 2.9.

TREK SENSE: This is the Black Cluster from "Hero Worship", the same phenomenon that had dangerous wavefronts running through it, the same that destroyed the USS Vico, the same that almost did the same to the Enterprise. Where is all that on the card? Nowhere. A "damages ship unless..." clause would have been nice and appropriate here. Instead, we get more problems. If the card represents an entire sector (according to the lore), or even if it's just the Cluster (which seems pretty big), crossing it should represent a greater Span. Of course, Span has always been a little nebulous about its meaning - does it represent how far something is, or how difficult it is to cross (à la FGC-47 for example). Requirements? I can see the Stellar Cartography, and would have added Astrophysics for sure, but the Leadership? It probably has to do with the ignored dangers of the Cluster, needing to keep the crew together in a moment of deep crisis. The alternate requirement of 51+ Cunning seems less interested in solving the mission, than in escaping it. That's a big problem about a mission that wants to be its own dilemma. No problem with the Feds and Klingons attempting, I really don't know where Sector 97 lies. I'll buy the point box, but give my own points the big axe. Only 1.4.

SEEDABILITY: Not a difficult 35 points for either Feds or Klingons, and even fairly easy for thieving or helping affiliations. All you need is a Stellar Cartographer with Leadership, and it can be solved by a single personnel. Federation just has Morgan Bateson, but as a support personnel, he can report to your ship when the dilemmas are cleared. The Klingons have no combo (unless TwT surprises us with one), but they have access to both skills. Both affiliations can make use of Assign Mission Specialists to its fullest as well, bringing the point box up to a nice 45 points. And even if you lose key personnel on the attempt, the second requirement of CUNNING>50 can work with any personnel in a snap, though Klingons will require more personnel than the Federation. One mission I'd protect from theft since it's as easy for anyone to solve (actually easier in some cases), but not a bad difficulty:points ratio. A 3.7.

TOTAL: 10.7 (53.5%) They missed the boat on this one.

PICTURE: The metallic ballbearing in the sky misses the point (though it's in harmony with my silver-bordered Collector's Edition version) of the Dyson sphere. It's supposed to be gigantic, yet looks so small. Real close-up, Death Star-like, it would have been so much cooler. This small sphere is only worth a 2.1.

LORE: While the Dyson Sphere is explained okay, its given location is wrong, wrong, wrong! Strike anyone as odd that a planet designation is given to a space mission? It should, since Norpin V was the colony where Scotty was headed before he crashed on the sphere. NOT the location of the sphere itself. I even doubt it would remain a mystery that long if it was in the actual Norpin system. Bad mistake, it costs. Just a 1.6.

TREK SENSE: This marvel of engineering of course requires multiple Engineers, but also Physics. Computer Skill is used to open the structure's doors to explore its insides. Navigation is used to get around it, and probably to escape it. Requirements are fine. I also have no quibble with the points which seem proportional to the task at hand and its importance. Only Federation may attempt? Maybe Norpin is deep within Federation territory, but given that the Sphere was not a known phenomenon, I tend to disagree with that comment. Other affiliations might have been able to check it out. The low Span of 2 has the same basic improbability. If it was that close, it would have been discovered before "Relics". Good enough, but not exemplary. It gets a 3.2.

SEEDABILITY: Fits into a Federation ENGINEER deck easily enough, especially with Geordi along for the ride. He only requires one more ENGINEER to solve the mission. Using mission specialists, you can boost this puppy up to a whopping 60 points (Mendon + Gibson + Barclay + 2 Brahms, holo and not), or you can just use Rager to get you an extra +5, though the past has shown this isn't too cost effective. The low span makes for fast fly-byes. As long as you keep it within your own space, that's good. So, perhaps not one of the most used missions, but you can see how it could quickly become a monster with AMS. And at the same time, it's an easy 35er that can be solved by only a few personnel. A 3.7.

TOTAL: 10.6 (53%) Production value was pretty low.

PICTURE: The area of space from "Cause and Effect" didn't have any special visual properties, and I guess we were bound to get a card with just space (can't wait to see a card fo the Void, all black), but I can't say this'll get a high score. I like its originality and daring, but there's not much to say other than that. A 3.1.

LORE: Spelling mistakes of 7th season characters and places are fairly common in the Premiere set because nothing on that last season had been published when the set came out. Unfortunately, Typhone Expanse can't hide behind that because the episode came way before. Canon sources agree it's "Typhon", no "e". Aside from that mistake, the lore's pretty good, using a rare adjective, and even managing to sound interesting for your personnel to try. A simple 3 because of the lost decimals for losing the spelling bee.

TREK SENSE: I'm not convinced this is very good. The absence of any kind of special game text, in itself, hurts the card considerably (where are the time distortion effects?). This could have been a cool mission. It simply isn't. Two choices: Either Astrophysics and Stellar Cartography or lots of Cunning. The first possibility is okay, though I link Physics much more to temporal effects, these might have been created by "astral" phenomena. The Cartography is for mapping the region, and perhaps allowing ships to avoid the distortions. The second possibility tells us that, with enough brain power, you can solve the temporal mystery. Sounds here like this is for passing the hidden dilemma behind this mission, just like the crew of the Enterprise discovered, little by little, that they were caught in a time loop. I've talked before about missions that are dilemmas at the same time, and how you can't have it both ways. I like the long Span, perfect for this region. The points are okay too. The affiliations allowed to attempt, well, they're okay (I'm sure the Expanse is large enough for everyone), but perhaps incomplete (since we know the Federation also did). I still can't get over how neat this place could have been if a timelost ship could report to it, or if it had to (or could) be solved multiple times, or if you could undo a dilemma selection, or if it required an android as well, or SOMEthing. Doesn't go beyond okay, and even less than that: a 2.4.

SEEDABILITY: In a Romulan space deck, it fits right in. You can watch Dr. Telek R'Mor solve it all alone, or assign some mission specialists to bring the points up to 45 (Tarus and Tomek). For the Klingons, no one-personnel option, but mission specialists Torin and K'Tesh can bring the points up. (Odd: both affiliations have a holographic specialist in that short list.) Even if you lose the skills (but both affiliations have plenty of each), you can attempt with the CUNNING requirement. The Romulans have a decided advantage here, that's certain. 7-8 Romulans will usually be enough. The Klingons are less intelligent though, and could require up to 9 personnel to complete. It all depends on your personnel choices. The 5 Span is dangerous to slow K'Vort armadas, but otherwise, its usefulness all depends on your keeping you ships fast and those of your opponent slow. 35 points is a good result for the science skills option, a bad one for the multi-personnel CUNNING requirement. Not a bad one at 3.5.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) An average patch of night sky gets an average score.

PICTURE: The Klingon homeworld being green may seem a bit odd, given that the Romulans are the greenies, but the episodes support this, right down to the sky's color in the matte paintings. It's not a bad pic of the planet either, with its toothy dark clouds, but it's not very impressive. A 3.2.

LORE: Uh... the issues I have here are more concerned with Trek Sense and will be dealt with there. The lore itsef? I'm not sure this was the best mission for Qo'noS, but it's otherwise relatively well written. A plain ol' 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Yuck. Again we get a planet mission that sounds more like a space mission. Supply lines are in space, right? And while I don't dispute that the evidence of those lines could be on the planet somewhere, the Navigation in the requirements is a space skill. Again, Navigation could be used on the ground to decipher navigational information on the route taken by those covert supplies. While that's a little iffy, putting the Romulans on this is ridiculous. There's nothing to uncover: they themselves, the Romulans, are the ones running supplies to the Klingon rebels (the House of Duras). This is a Federation mission, or a Klingon one. Indeed, requiring 3 Treachery is nonsensical if you somehow assume there's an honorable contingent of Romulans uncovering this plan (say if Sela was not acting with the approbation of her government), but Honor and Treachery don't mix. Like I said, ridiculous. Treachery, while "it takes one to know one", isn't the policeman's skill the title and lore seem to be asking for. Run Covert Supply would be more like it. A real goof. Further, the Span of 4 puts the Klingons a little farther from the normal shipping lines than what I would have guessed. And the points are kinda lame for a homeworld mission. Spiking it would have been another nice idea. A total disaster, or almost, at 1.2.

SEEDABILITY: As a mission, it's pretty easy for the Romulans to do. They've got Treachery coming out their tailpipe and Navigation is as common there as it is everywhere else. The points can't be boosted above 40 points with mission specialists (unless you Refelction Therapy a Navigation one), but that is an option (with Parem and Selok). As a homeworld, and that may be a reason not to use the mission for the Romulans, it's Borg fodder and somewhere for the Klingons to play their HQ cards. The Great Hall plays there, and it probably features the greatest variety of personnel that can report for free of any Headquarters. War Room is a card that can easily help the Leadership/OFFICER-heavy Klingons. Defend Homeworld can build your armada real quickly if you get your opponent to attack you there. Secure Homeworld is easily completed by one or two Klingons plus accompanying attribute totals. There are other abilities, but these are the ones that help the Klingons the most. Better as a homeworld than a mission to solve at 4.

TOTAL: 11.3 (56.5%) That Trek Sense really stank.

PICTURE: With a name like that, I'm glad to see the planet is a crevassed fiery hades. Excellent match-up of name to pic (since Cerebus was never seen onscreen), becaue Cerebus sounds a lot like Cerberus. For those who need a refresher course, Cerberus was the mythological three-headed dog who guarded the underworld according to the ancient Greeks. Cerebus however is Dave Sim's excellent aardvark barbarian comic book series. I don't know how it got on there, but the reference is one I applaud since it's one of my favorites. A fine and forbidding 4.1.

LORE: A simple "here" at the end of that sentence might have made the whole thing tighter. Otherwise, it's an okay description of what Admiral Jameson must've done prior to the events featured in "Too Short a Season". A 2.9 from me here.

TREK SENSE: With the word "acquire" in the lore, this one cries out for a Ferengi icon, but that wasn't possible yet. In fact, why should it be the Romulans who are set to acquire this drug? They must already be about as long-lived as the Vulcans! Obviously dangerous and illegal, I don't think the Feds should try for it either. Fearing death isn't the Klingon way. Well, except for the Non-Aligned mercenaries, I don't see many of the original affiliations actually attempting this mission, especially from affiliated ships (especially Starfleet). The Romulans'll do, but their participation is as iffy as anyone else's. Acquisition isn't required (but then, the Romulans don't have any Acquisitive personnel anyway), but Treachery is (the drug is illegal and secret), as is Biology/Medical because it is, after all, a pharmaceutical. The Span and points look fine to me, but overall, the card doesn't do that good a job recreating the episode's events. A simple 3.

SEEDABILITY: Only the Dominion can spy on the Romulans, so a Romulan-only mission is one of the hardest to steal, barring any interference from turncoats such as Major Rakal or Koval. 35 point is a good bounty, an all you need is Vakis to get all three skills, or you can go for two mission specialists to bring the points up to 45 (Selok and Mopak). The Romulans don't have the best MEDICAL staff in the quadrant, so it's not the best of missions for them, but the inclusion of Treachery easily slides it into a deck based on the very common skill. I'd say a 3.5.

TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) What, no teeth pulling?

PICTURE: The Federation Outpost may have one of the weaker pics for that card type. Maybe it's the Earth skies which are less exotic, but it's probably more due to there being no great building in focus on the card. Starfleet Headquarters, though not an HQ, is really off to the side and in shadow as tiny groups of people walk around an airstrip. This doesn't mean it generates no interest though. What it sacrifices in dramatic flair, it makes up in detail - the craft being fueled up to the left, actual people in the card, etc. There not being a very recognizeable building may make it more universal (seedable anywhere), but it's still a ground facility where the rules state it should be in space. A standard 3.

LORE: I was gonna say Outpost lores are all the same, but that's not quite true. This one here doesn't list a homeworld, it says that Earth is merely a member. Of course, we know the whole truth, don't we? The rest is the same boring ol' lore, though. A 1.5.

TREK SENSE: The errataed Outpost game text isn't really any better with Trek Sense than the old one was, i.e. the elements removed from the text make it clearer, but change little. Now, like all Outposts, the original suffers from a lot of problems. 1) Why can't they be built on a planet? There are a lot of starbases that have been shown to be on the ground. At least this outpost doesn't suffer from the fact that, as with other affiliations, we've never seen space facilities of that nature. We've seen many in fact. 2) Why can't you build one at home (i.e. on Earth)? Well, that's easier in a sense. It's what HQs are for. Except the pic shows us an Earth facility which isn't an HQ. 3) They can be built in clearly hostile territory. Mission attemptability shouldn't mean outposts can be built at a certain location. After all, how could the Feds actually build an outpost at Access Relay Station, a base in Dominion territory? And that's just one example. 4) How can a lone Engineer build an entire outpost alone? Some dilemma require as much as 6 times that number of Engineers just to fix one ship-board problem, but just one can build an entire facility? I don't think so. Non-problem areas are the outpost's basic game function of reporting personnel, equipment and ships, and its Shields which established 30 to be the "peaceful" affiliation shield power. Another 3 here, mostly thanks to the facility's basic nature.

SEEDABILITY: The Federation has plenty of other reporting options, so that it doesn't necessarily need the basic Outpost, but it's still an old standby. Foregoing it, you'll have to use your Earth-based Headquarters (which allows opposing personnel to report and exposes you to Homeworld Assimilation), the Klaestron Outpost (which has dangerously low SHIELDS) or Crew Reassignment and plenty of AU personnel (but will you draw the Enterprise-C soon enough in the game?). In other words, there are ways around it (I've only mentioned a couple), but usually, you'll seed or stock at least one copy. The Spacedoor only plays on an Outpost, not any other kind of facility, so that's somehting to keep in mind. Same goes for Assign Mission Specialists, Baryon Buildup and others. The SHIELDS aren't the best, but certainly aren't the worst. And the Feds have plenty of ENGINEERs around to build another if you lose the first one. A 4.5.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) Passing grade.

PICTURE: Though the shot makes the PADD look big, that hand (Picard's, incidentally) makes it pretty clear it's a very small one. There's some kind of strange trompe l'oeil going on there. Its being used is better than a simple prop shot, but I wish the writing on it could have been legible. Way too much fuzziness on the screen. A 3.1.

LORE: Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnn! I'm surprised I mustered up enough enthusiasm to put an exclamation at the end of that. As the very first PADD made (alphabetically anyway), it doesn't deserve to be called clichéed, but it does deserve to be called boring. A 2.

TREK SENSE: The same questions always pop up when it comes to PADDs. 1) Why couldn't another affiliation make us of it if they found one? Does no one really know how to read Federation standard? I'm thinking of the human Non-Aligneds in particular here. And how does having one Federation personnel present make everyone else fluent in Fed standard? Because the card affects everyone there, leading us to question... 2) Just how many PADDs are represented by the one equipment card? If it confers bonuses to everyone present, then there are multiple copies, right? Except when someone moves away from the group, they can't bring their PADD with them. 3) How does a PADD help boost Cunning? While I may be able to process numbers more rapidly with a calculator, or remember more details with a notepad, the cumulative nature of the PADD seems to me a real problem. I'm no "smarter" with two calculators than I am with one, for example. There's a lot of silliness surrounding the PADDS as they're one of the least-well designed equipment cards of the entire card set. I don't see why a single PADD couldn't have been made for all affiliations to use in the first place. A 1.9.

STOCKABILITY: Ugh. +2 CUNNING per personnel present. I can't say the Federation really needs the boost given their generally high CUNNINGs. I just don't think they'll have a lot of difficulty solving their missions that require the attribute. Even when you have enough personnel to make the boost considerable, you'll have enough personnel to not need it. Why not add another personnel (with full CUNNING and some skills) instead? "Crimson Forcefield"? The Feds have 4 or 5 OFFICERs with enough CUNNING to not be affected, not that the effect is THAT dangerous. Cargo runs? Not the most frequent Federation strategy, but why can't you use other, more useful, equipment cards? Wanna pass Executive Authorization? Use a PADD that confers skills, like the Engineering PADD or Medical PADD. Use Paul Porter's download? It says "any" PADD, so again, go for a better one. There's simply no real call for this thing at this time. It's getting better, but still only at 1.5.

TOTAL: 8.5 (42.5%) Not just reportedly bad.

PICTURE: Certainly unlike any other personnel card, this is one critter than could have benefitted from a CGI background. Imagine Fek'lhr at the actual Gates of Gre'thor! This background is a little too luminous to do him justice. That, with the far away shot that tones down his imposing stature, deserves a simple 3.

LORE: I'm not sure what else they could have put here. Seems sound enough, though "beast" may or may not be accurate. Another 3.

TREK SENSE: Hm. Number one, it's not terribly accurate to make this hologram Klingon-affiliated. The truth of it is, it was used by Ardra, and she was Non-Aligned. But let's say she stole the design from some strange Klingon program. It's possible. His status as a VIP doesn't go with the appelation "beast" (that would make him Animal), but it makes sense that a mythological figure would be VIP, as in, revered. Except this is a re-creation only. I'm not sure a hologram would benefit from the same respect. The odd combination of Honor and Treachery is also hard to grasp. If he keeps the dishonored from getting out of Gre'thor, then he's on the side of Honor. But as a creature of the underworld (and with that ugly puss of his), he should be Treacherous. Strange as it may sound, maybe he only deserves the Honor. This card begs for a special skill. The Integrity isn't very high (underworld again), but it's high enough to be called honorable. The Cunning is truly Animal level. At 1, I'm not even sure how he can be considered to have skills. That's brain dead, really, and probably not enough to guard the fabled gates. And the unequaled Strength (which must put some strain on the holodeck projectors) is really that of a monster! There's no proof of it, but it seems quite possible. A lot of problems, some explainable, others not. A 2.6.

STOCKABILITY: Hehehe, these guys ("s", as in, universal) are what Tommyguns were created for! 15 STRENGTH? That'll stun even the toughest Jem'Hadar! Even with a gun (but not a rifle). As a VIP, Fek'lhr can even beam over to an opposing ship and start the rampage. Of course, you'll need two very important events: Holo-Projectors and Disengage Safety Protocols. But with those in play, Fek'lhrs can become an integral part of Klingon personnel combat decks. There are hologram hosers, but this personnel type isn't used enough for them to be stocked often, especially since more than half of the affiliations don't have access to holos. Fek'lhr may yet be safe, just make sure you safeguard those events! As a mission solver, Fek'lrh certainly doesn't shine, but both his skills can be used on Klingon missions, especially the Honor. The STRENGTH is also excellent for that, and holograms targeted by dilemmas (as some target strong personnel) have a funny way of finding their way back to the ship. The Cunning may seem atrocious, but it's an easy add to a 4 to pass Chula: The Door (no doubt, the fact I recently reviewed the card made me think of this). Bonus: Fek'lhr on the IKC Fek'lhr is worth a Parallax Arguer or two - and that's my way of mentioning that without Holo-Projectors, the Klingons won't have an easy way to use holos, not enough Holodecks. Limited, but unique enough to stay interesting. A 3.8.

TOTAL: 12.4 (62%) Has some devilish uses.

PICTURE: Let's ask the girl players if this was the cutest possible character to put on this card. Seems to me he was a pretty boring love interest, all things considered. Taking it just as an image, the pink flowers in the background put you in the mind for romance, and the easy-going smile might be taken as charming. A 3.5 for the aesthetics, but not for the appropriateness.

LORE: Boo! Hiss! Not general enough, the term "genetically-engineered leader" goes on a personnel card more easily, and here, sounds like all male Love Interests represented by this dilemma are "mutants". His name would have been nice too. So much space left in the box, oh, the missed possibilities. A 2.2.

TREK SENSE: Well, Love Interests are some of the few dilemmas in the game that it makes sense to seed more than one copy of. Star Trek is full of 'em. I've rarely seen anyone take the female lead to a planet at the ends of the quadrant though. As in, never! Stopping them, yes. Threatening to have them resign (as per Anaphasic Organism), sure. But this ridiculous effect of instantly relocating her to another planet (and a far away one to boot), just doesn't work. The lore-like game text is cute, but this running away business is too extreme to believe. And why no Love Interests in space? We've seen 'em! A 2.3.

SEEDABILITY: One of the staples of many seed decks, this one's hot because it almost always works. If there's a female present, it automatically gets relocated to the end of the spaceline. The only way it could fail would be for there to be no other planets on the spaceline (are both players defying Balancing Act and The Big Picture?), or no females in the Away Team. To make sure, require them to have females by leading with Matriarchal Society. Although I much prefer to seed Matriarchal Society later so that the missing female makes it less possible for the Away Team to solve the mission. Teleporting a personnel to the farthest planet has its additional uses. For example, they make great targets for personnel battle and capturing, since they have no back-up. Placing Qualor II at the end of a spaceline may make the personnel there a little less than rescuable. Same for Thine Own Self since the personnel would now count as a one-person Away Team. Speaking of which, how about Risky Business as the next dilemma (you'll need Beware of Q to pull this off)? You'll be sure to get either a death or a point loss. Female's Love Interest is stronger than the Male's because there are fewer females, especially in some affiliations like the Ferengi and Dominion (where the females are typically more powerful anyway), making them more valuable. The Borg won't care, of course, but that doesn't cut down this dilemma. What does cut it down is being "replaced" by a better card, namely the Dilemma Combo card that includes it in Enhanced Premiere. That version of the dilemma includes a second dilemma and a space/planet icon. Its saving grace is that it will remain a common Premiere card whereas the Combo will be a more expensive card to buy, especially in multiple quantities. Worth 3.6.

TOTAL: 11.6 (58%) Not interested in most of the design.

PICTURE: Green and blurry, it probably looks a lot more real (with its hazy atmospherics) than most planets, but that doesn't make it attractive. This yellowish shade of green kind of clashes with the red of the icon. A 3 and no more.

LORE: Nothing much to say here, looks pretty good. Just plain at 3.

TREK SENSE: This mission was originally done by the Federation in the episode "Hollow Pursuits", but nowhere did the show mention that Nahmi IV was a Federation planet, or that other powers weren't supplying aid as well. So I don't mind the Klingon presence, though they certainly aren't the most medically-minded affiliation, but I do mind that no one else wants to help. As for the requirements, let's keep in mind that you're not "supplying" aid exactly, you're "coordinating" aid. That certainly explains the Officer/Biology, with Officer being the leadership/coordinating classification, and Biology being the medical counsel to that leader. 3 Medical can also solve the mission, lending their expertise to the medical staff onsite. No problems with the Span, and none with the adequately high (it's an Emergency!) points. Nothing too interesting here of course - a 3.3.

SEEDABILITY: Like I said, the Klingons aren't very medically-minded, so the points (35) are up to par with the difficulty. 3 MEDICAL? That's all they have as far as classifications, and only about double that in all (taking MEDICAL as a skill). If running a Klingon MEDICAL deck (which would also include Medical Relief for example), a Medical Kit would seem to be required. Plenty of OFFICERs in this affiliation. Unfortunately, none have Biology as a skill, so no solving with one personnel. That's not so bad, considering that Zetal can serve as the Biology mission specialist upping the points to 40 (for only two personnel). Looking at the mission from another angle, it's an insanely easy mission for the Feds to spy on. Federation MEDICAL decks (much more viable than the Klingon type) could easily make use of such an easy one-personnel (for them) mission. But the Klingons won't like it much. A 3.4.

TOTAL: 12.7 (63.5%) I turned all of mine into proxies for dream cards...

PICTURE: A very nice fx shot, with the impressive firestorms in the background, and the trenches with the thermal deflectors out front. I especially like that the pic is all in warm earth tones. If I had to find a problem with it, I'd say it's the foreground has maybe a little too much bric-a-brac, but that's it. A good 3.8.

LORE: While it does a very good job of explaining the Trek Sense behind the game text, it's phrased in such a way as to say the dilemma isn't about the Firestorms, it's about how people can work together LIKE they did that time one Bersallis, like the Firestorm is just incidental. That's a mistake in my book, and it'll cost the card. A 3.1 thanks to the great Trek Sense job.

TREK SENSE: The emphasis is definitely on working together, activity governed by Integrity. The dilemma tells us that personnel with Integrity of 4 or less, don't work together real well, and in this situation, that makes their reliance on themselves a liability. Preferring to go their own route, they are doomed. This works well enough, and what's more, really speaks to me as, in my real-life line of work (as opposed to these articles), the axiom is a proven one. Unfortunately, this would have worked better as a required Integrity total: the high Integrity Away Team members, for example, wouldn't let their less moral partners get themselves killed. Just think of Jem'Hadar and Founders, or the military discipline of most low-Integrity Romulans. Of course, technology can also be used to escape, most notably with Thermal Deflectors (pictured on the card) that keep the fire at bay. The other way is to use Transporter Armbands to beam out of there pronto. This could lead us into a discussion about why Armbands can't be used in a lot of dilemma situations (for example, it was only the Particle Field which prevented Picard from being beamed out of El-Adrel Creature), but this is not this card's problem. If anything, it fixes a Trek Sense problem inherent to other dilemmas. Since there's no way to destroy the Firestorms, it's fine that it not stay as a wall. You have to let it pass, then get discarded. Finally, like a few dilemmas, it's hard to believe such a phenomenon could occur anywhere. Bersallis sure, but we don't even have access to that mission. Still some relatively superlative work - a 4.1.

SEEDABILITY: There must be a reason why I always mention that low-INTEGRITY personnel are Firestorm-fodder, and that's because this card is imminently useable. For one thing, unless your opponent is using one of two seldom-seen cards OR playing Borg, he's probably gonna lose personnel, and will surely be stopped either way. Secondly, it attacks an attribute that is very difficult to bring up (CUNNING has PADDs, STRENGTH has hand weapons, but INTEGRITY has the unique Kukalaka, see?). So the less reputable affiliations stand a good chance of losing a medium-to-large number of personnel, and really, only the Feds will be "immune". Or will they? In the Pale Moonlight introduces the idea that low INTEGRITY personnel are a good thing. Perhaps using both that card and this one in the same combo? In any case, the Romulans, Ferengi and Cardassians stand to lose the most here, the Bajorans and Klingons are somewhat at risk depending on their choices and the Dominion puts at risk its Vorta and Founder infiltrators. It's a good dilemma to put before INTEGRITY-requiring dilemmas because it whittles down the INTEGRITY pool, and also takes care of personnel that may be required of Lineup or Skullduggery. On the off chance that a Vulcan is present, it could be cool to lead with Bendii Syndrome, thus making a lot more personnel eligible for termination (anyone with INTEGRITY<7 in fact). Still a staple: 4.2.

TOTAL: 15.2 (76%) Hot!

PICTURE: Not great. The dark shadows don't play well with the idea of a world on the edge of enlightenment like this one, and no, the thin sliver of light on top doesn't really count. Unimpressive at 2.4.

LORE: Just the facts m'am! Yep, there isn't very much here, but it's competent enough. The title describes both the mission and uses the title of the episode, and if that's a little confusing in light of the similarly-titled film and expansion, well, that's not really Decipher's fault. A 3.

TREK SENSE: While you can't really take issue with the Span, points and attemptability icon, the requirements are another matter. Diplomacy seems reasonable, but Empathy? I'm sure reading the minds (or emotions) of the populace has its uses, but how were first contact procedures done before Betazoids made their entry into the fold? I'd say an alternative requirement like Anthropology would be in order, at a minimum. Integrity might also have played a role, at least, so it seems from the episode. Where this card fails is in omission. A 2.8.

SEEDABILITY: A short Span to fly over, a single attemptability icon and decent points for only 2 skills... looks like a winner. Indeed, it's got a little more going for it. First, there's the fact that Diplomacy/Empathy is a common skill combo on, well, on Empathy personnel. Every version of the Deanna Troi persona can do it alone (the AU Commander Troi too), as can Maques, Devinoni Ral, and sometimes Ves Alkar. The Feds also have access to mission specialists for both skills to make the mission a cool 40 points. But wait, there's more. This is the mission where you can seed (must seed!) Mirasta Yale, and though she doesn't really help with mission requirements, an extra SCIENCE personnel midway through dilemmas (or just before them) can be useful. Plus, she's worth 5 points, effectively making the mission point yield somewhere between 35-45 points before any other cards are factored in. So whether you're going for speed or for points, the original First Contact is a nice choice, and not one likely to be easily stolen (Empathy ain't for everyone) despite its few requirements. Watch out for Empathy dilemmas though, they'll be attracted to this one like a magnet. 3.8.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) A mission with a little more depth than others in Premiere.

PICTURE: Ho-hum at best, Fleet Admiral Shanti's card is unimpressive, flat-colored and not quite as sharp as newer cards. A plain 2.9.

LORE: Her role is given in one straight sentence. I'm not sure if there was more to tell, but an effort might have been made as to her personality or something. Average 3.

TREK SENSE: Fleet Admirals are meant to command ships (multiple ships) so Officer, rather than VIP, is a sound choice. Leadership and a Command icon then follow. Diplomacy seems fair enough given her demeanor, even if the skill remains unproven. The card is so uninspired, we've got to go to attributes already (yeah, a "support personnel" in charge of a whole fleet). The Integrity has not been proven to be this high, nor disproven for that matter. It's possible, but it's been our experience that being an Admiral tends to erode that attribute (not necessarily because power corrupts, but because making the hard decisions means sometimes being on the wrong side of a moral argument). Cunning, on the other hand, is way too low. How would she ever accede to such a post without being any smarter? Finally, the Strength seems okay from what we've seen of her. A dull, and slightly off, 3.1.

STOCKABILITY: Well, as a support personnel, she's really no prize, since her two skills are very common in the Federation. Still, in a Diplomacy deck, it may be appropriate to have her report to you mission-solving location. She can also be reported via Ready Room Door thanks to her being the matching commander of the popular USS Thunderchild (some kind of last ditch effort to make her stockable). She can make that already powerful ship 12/10/11, or up to 12/10/15 against Borg, and that may be enough to include her. She can also report for free at the Office of the President if you get her earlier. Great INTEGRITY (certainly against Lineup), lamer CUNNING and STRENGTH. A personnel that's way too easy to report compared to how many reasons we can find to report her. A 2.9, and only this high because of her connection to the Thunderchild.

TOTAL: 11.9 (59.5%) It's sometimes a wonder we bought any Premiere at all ;-).

PICTURE: While the Enterprise crew has made a lot of planetary scans since the late 80s (OUR late 80s, their early 60s), we're seen relatively few graphics of those scans. I'm glad to say this one's very nice. They could have easily skipped over it given that it's from a minor episode ("The Bonding"), but that would have meant we would probably have gotten some terrain maps instead (or something). The big orange planet looks cool enough (though the patch of green equates it with a pumpkin colorwise), and the lines surrounding it have a subtelty to them. Compare to Scan, and you'll see it's a clear 3.6.

LORE: A little technical data, nothing very interesting. There WAS enough room for something interesting... just a 2.2.

TREK SENSE: You scan a mission and discover what's waiting for you. Simple, right? Well, not so fast. On the surface, it makes a lot of sense, but there are some seed cards that shouldn't be so easy to detect. Q-Flashes for example, would Q really tip his hand in a way you could scan? Agreed, most dilemmas (and even artifacts) are some kind of detectable phenomenon or physical feature, but a few aren't, like Arms Deal, Assassin's Blade, the Love Interests and Lineup. This is a small point however when compared to a much larger problem: you can play this interrupt on any planet even if you don't have a ship present. Now, that's long range stuff! Scanner Interference fixes this of course, but I'm not concerned with that card just yet. For now, I'm stuck with an interrupt with powers too wide for its own good. A 1.9.

STOCKABILITY: Well, Full Planet Scan, like its sister card, is very powerful, so much so Decipher's come out with cards after card that either doesn't work with scans (like Council of Warriors and the 62nd Rule), nullifies them (Amanda Rogers is joined by Scan Cycle Check), limits them (Scanner Interference and Chain Reaction Pulsar) or hoses them (Panel Overload kills personnel conducting scans). Youch! With some of those cards non-nullifiable Referee icon magic bullets, it's a wonder scans have remained viable in the game. Yet, they have! Who could resist finding out exactly what dilemmas are under which mission, thereby saving yourself from a lot of nasty combos? As dilemmas get tougher to pass, scans become more and more tempting. I'm not going to say the planet type is better than the space type, but there are more planet missions, some of them all-important homeworlds, that's where most artifacts can be seeded, and there are more factors usually affecting the mission attempt (when to redshirt, when not too, etc.). Perhaps the scans' stockability can be measured by its hosers' power? Well, its nullifiers can be countered/nullified too, not a big problem there. That you can't use 62nd Rule and Council with a scan is just common sense and would just have made those cards too powerful. Scanner Interference creates tougher scanning conditions, but not unreasonable ones. Instead of scanning from a sitting position before venturing out onto the spaceline, you'll actually have to send a ship to the planet. Computer Skill is a most common skill to have present; won't be a real problem even in multiple. Scanner Interference can be discarded to add an unseen dilemma to the mission, but that's against continued Scan protection. One dilemma probably won't make that much of a dent, and I doubt it's easy to add to a combo mid-game with what a player usually has to work with. Chain Reaction Pulsar just limits one ship's abilities and is repairable damage. That leaves the more dangerous Panel Overload, especially with Scanner Interference in play, an incident that kills your Computer Skill personnel present. With Interference, that means you DO have Computer Skill personnel present, and worse, you need them to survive. That's a tougher strategy, but with John Doe aboard (or something like that), it can be done. Full Planet Scan keeps a 4 rating.

TOTAL: 11.7 (58.5%) I think plain, simple Scan might do better in lore, but worse in picture.

PICTURE: While we've seen that rocky background many, many times before, it works with Galathon's Archaeology. It also does pretty well by the image's composition, especially the lighter area highlighting his head. The disruptor in his hand works with his Treachery and high Strength and makes him more menacing. Not bad for a picture with such a poor color palette. A 3.6 even.

LORE: The most interesting about this card's flavor text is probably his name, pure invention that doesn't sound like your usual Romulan monicker. It's not out in left field, of course, but it's still distinctive. His "representative" nature is mentioned so as to serve his universality. You can tell which episode he's from thanks to the economical text. But for all that, the lore's dull as 100-year old bat'leths. A straight 3.

TREK SENSE: Though fairly nondescript (he wasn't given a name), I'm not entirely convinced he makes a natural universal. "The Chase" just seems like too distinctive an episode/mission for that. Still, the Romulans really weren't given the lion's share of the action, so it works in that context. Besides, at least two of his skills are widespread in the Star Empire, so shouldn't seem out of place on a universal. Speaking of those, his pursuit of the DNA program warrants Archaeology (despite the medical connection, it was still an archaeological find). His then trying to grab the secret for the Empire would account both for his Greed and his Treachery (like Romulans really need an excuse). The Integrity matches the presence of those skills, the Cunning is the Romulans' usual high average, and while the Strength is high, it's not too high for a Romulan, especially one who's used to taking things by force. I won't really entertain the idea that he's so strong because he has a built-in personal disruptor (pictured), but it did run through my mind. Finally, the Officer/Command icon combo matches that of every other leader who went down to the planet (Picard, Nu'daq, Ocett). Simple, but doesn't make concessions, such as a lower Strength due to universality. A 4.

STOCKABILITY: This has always been one of my favorite universal personnel when playing Romulans. Three skills rather than the more common one or two (note that I was using him before mission specialists and support personnel were "rehabilitated"), and two of these among the most frequent on Romulan missions. The Rommies have been running competent Archaeology decks since Premiere, and Treachery, well, it's their most common - and important - skill. He's got everything you need to solve Plunder Site and Cargo Rendezvous but the attribute total, for example, and will lend plenty of help on a host of others. Let's not forget Archaeology's use with The Guardian of Forever! The universal green Greed will also prove useful now that Chula: The Game has arrived: the only other two Romulan Greeds are the harder to get Sisters of Duras and kinda lame Stefan DeSeve (neither of which is universal). Add to that the high STRENGTH which can be boosted by Lower Decks, and his attributes are only matched (well, surpassed) by one other universal Romulan, Jaron, who just can't match the skill list. In that department, he also beats out the other Command icon universals, so makes for a fine ship staffer. A cheap mission solver, personnel battler and D'deridex staffer which can be used in multiples, and though held back by his not being downloadable through AMS or ASP, you can still grab him with Scout Encounter. Outside of In the Pale Moonlight, his INTEGRITY is poor, but that's the only real disappointment here. An efficient 4.1.

TOTAL: 14.7 (73.5%) Underrated.

PICTURE: That is one creepy effect, and one of my favorites from TNG. It may seem relatively simple to merge one image with another, but this is better done. One of the arms actually rests on the floor. The picture features a crisis situation that is further unbalanced by the composition, slightly atilt and with an oppressive series of white lights. Only the color scheme is actually dull. A clear 3.9.

LORE: As far as I'm concerned, that sentence is incomplete. The phenomenon appears to be altogether more common than it was in the episode, and just saying "pockets of space phase out" is the culprit. Maybe just a "some" in front of the whole thing would have been enough. Reads wrong as it is. A poor 2.4.

TREK SENSE: Creating a region of space with such pockets between two missions isn't against the grain, but it does beg a number of questions. First, how do you explain the spaceline suddenly growing longer? You can't say it was like that all along, since your ship may pass by that region a number of times before it gets played. Second, if this phenomenon existed in the Mar Oscura, and that nebula is a mission location, then shouldn't you be able to play it directly on a mission? As such, the Span of 4 is only arbitrary. Seems like they went more by the card's title than anything else, creating a "gap" in the spaceline. The effect doesn't go far enough either: Yes, hitting a pocket of phased space can kill a crewmember as seen here, but the danger was more than that. If the warp core hit a pocket, the ship could have been destroyed. Indeed, any number of systems could have been damaged. In the show, they eventually went through the region with a shuttle "guide", but that isn't adressed here. As usual for Premiere, there wasn't always a lot of thought given to Trek Sense. A 1.7.

STOCKABILITY: You know what? This is one of my favorite pollution cards. Not only does it extend the spaceline, slowing down your opponent, but it also kills one personnel aboard every ship that stops here. In combination with other pollution, you can try to force someone's hand into stopping here. Tetryon Field can play here so that ships without Navigation (rare, I know) must stop on the Gap. Subspace Warp Rift played here will force a player to make a choice: damage my ship or lose a personnel? Lots of these on the spaceline will probably cause ships to stop and go all the time. Hail is another way to stop a ship, but you'd have to have your own ship present. But Hail says nothing about your ship having to be staffed! Personally? I'd sacrifice Balok to the Gap and leave the Fesarius there to Hail passing ships. It's unlikely your opponent could destroy the empty ship to make sure it doesn't Hail again. Even nullifying the event with your own Kevin or Mercy Kill can create problems for your opponent, since you decide where a ship will be relocated. Just make sure the adjacent mission is somewhere with its own difficulties. Just Paxan "Wormhole" can relocate the ship to yet another Gap for example. But with such a dangerous spaceline, what about your ships? Well, it's the perfect time to visit the other quadrants! Either that or use safer means of locomotion such as Wormholes and The Traveller, or else use John Doe to save the life of your targeted personnel. Definitely one of my favorite dirty tricks. I'm biased, but a 4.3 here.

TOTAL: 12.3 (61.5%) Saved from oblivion at the very end.

PICTURE: Well, I can always find fault with the color definition in Premiere, such as the "laser" looking way too pink here, and lots of dull purples in the background, which is really too bad given that Worf's replicated spine is really quite striking. That control panel has got to go though ;-). Almost nice, but the production values are terrible. A 2.6.

LORE: Whenever I see two-line lore, I have to wonder just how good it could have been with a third one. All the basics seem to be here, but it could have had a little bit about Worf (it IS his spine after all, no credit amounts to exploitation). At least it didn't mention how experimental the device was which would inevitably have hurt Trek Sense. A simple 3.

TREK SENSE: Premiere strikes again with another lore score (I can feel it). From the getgo, this card should have been a piece of Equipment, not an Event. But since there's nothing about it being one-of-a-kind or experimental in the lore, we have to assume it's the "finished product" (note however that it never made it to Bashir's infirmiry or anything, so it may still be in testing) and that the card represents such technology available to your personnel. Ok, but what's this stuff about it working only on planets? It seemed like a big piece of equipment to bring along on Away Teams (much less EVERY Away Team). In fact, it would work better in space (on ships) or if you were allowed to beam someone "directly to sickbay". That's not the case though. Consider also that while you can't use it on your ship, you apparently bring it aboard opposing ships and facilities when you're raiding them, and can even operate in the middle of a battle. It didn't directly save Worf's like on the show (in fact, it downright failed), but it seems like it could if someone were mortally wounded before giving up the ghost. Unfortunately, some deaths don't occur that way at all (don't leave a body), or aren't really caused by organ failure (generalized diseases and poisons, for example). It's a minor point in most cases. Lastly, what is required to bring someone back from the near-dead is 2 Medical. Probably why Toby Russell needed Bev's help. Bev, on the other hand, didn't know the technology, so she couldn't do it alone despite her double-Medical. A doctor and an assisting nurse, this works. But having them do it right there on the planet is ludicrous. A 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: Bad Trek Sense so good Stockability? That's often a pattern, and that's what happens here. Genetronic Replicator is literally a life-saver, and as such, will find its way into most decks that have a good number of MEDICAL available. On planet mission attempts, it'll work great as long as you keep 2 MEDICAL from being targeted for death. The best way is to have lots of MEDICAL handy (it's not like they're bad for passing dilemmas in the first place), so my advice would be to have Medical Equipment with you. That way, all your OFFICERs or whatever are MEDICAL too. Double-MEDICAL personnel like Crusher, McCoy and Bashir (actually triple) may seem great to operate the Replicator all by themselves, but relying on them alone is dangerous: they get targeted and you have no backup plan. A good way to make use of them though is in combination with Emergency Transporter Armbands. In battles, where you have to worry about stunned personnel also being unable to run the Replicator (and the MEDICALs aren't too good at fighting usually), beaming down the single doctor to the battle before a winner is determined to save an important life. A double-MEDICAL means you don't have to keep as many personnel aboard, but the Armbands doesn't really have a limit to the number of personnel it may mobilize. You do have to watch out for the dangerous Panel Overload which can nullify this card (in addition to Kevin - good card to put Rishon on), but there are no other real hosers. As for people biting it in space, you'll just have to use John Doe. A very strong 4.4.

TOTAL: 12.8 (64%) Stockability is the backbone of this card. (Okay, I deserve to be tarred and feathered for that one.)

PICTURE: On the one hand, very relevant, as it shows Geordi right there in front of his precious engines. On the other, not so much, since those engines are going crazy thanks to Nth Degree Barclay. So it's a Barclay episode, not a Geordi episode (compare to other TNGers like Riker, Picard or Data who do get a shot from one of "their" episodes). Still, not bad, and Geordi looks as confused as ever (maybe he's on a date?). A 3.5 here.

LORE: I think they could have done more, but some of what's there is pretty good. Too much time is wasted on rank and posting, and the sense of humor thing, probably relating to his getting/not getting Data's jokes, isn't as focused as some other lore jokes (ironic, isn't it?). But I do like the last phrase, which relates to his creation of a sentient hologram in the person of Dr. Moriarty just by giving a simple command. This was Trek silliness at its best, and I enjoy the dig at it. Ok, maybe it refers to Dr. Brahms, in which case, it's somewhat fun, but not as inspired. Strange thing is: it doesn't mention his blindness or his VISOR! That's just wrong. My score is 3.2 in this case.

TREK SENSE: A big chief engineer like him does deserve the double Engineer, and as a "chief", the Command icon too. Navigation comes from his being posted at the helm before becoming chief engineer. Physics is a natural Engineering skill, and one Geordi has exhibited often, usually in connection with dangerous materials from anti-matter to nitrium to whatever made the antigravs fail in "Hollow Pursuits". Computer Skill is also a natural for his line of work and certainly goes with the holodeck programming bit, but I kinda disagree anyway: I was always bugged by the fact Geordi kept arguing with the computer just because he gave it the wrong search parameters. Like it was ITS fault. I'll accept that's what keeps him from getting Computer Skill x2 though. No real problems in the skill list then, it's quite well-built, but I would have liked some kind of VISORish ability. Too bad Premiere hadn't figured those things out yet. I would also add Leadership. Attributes? Well, Integrity's a bit high for the guy who "used" Dr. Brahms for his own lustful ends ;-), but his loyalty to his friends befits the number 8. Cunning and Strength... no real beef there. Maybe a drop in Strength since he was never much of a fighter at all. A solid but underwhelming 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: Double ENGINEERs are a prize, but Geordi will have to do better than that because he's Federation, and the Feds have many double-ENGINEERS, whether we're talking about the mission specialist Brahms twins, or O'Briens and Scotties with special skills and downloads. Geordi's simply skill list isn't very exciting to anyone who has these more recent personnel. Navigation and Computer Skill are both very useful, but highly common. Physics is a little less so on both counts. It's a good list for ENGINEER decks, there's no denying it: he won't need much help on Repair Mission for example, and Explore Dyson Sphere is pratically built around him - oh, and there's Reported Activity and Test Propulsion Systems which he'll do alone. Geordi is also a possible requirement on Evaluate Terraforming (but not as efficient as using Beverly or other super-doctors) and on the dilemma Hidden Entrance (yeah, I see that one a lot). Let's not forget other versions of his persona either. The First Contact version is very close to this one, but you might switch them if you needed a Leader in a pinch, or a download of the Ocular Implants, but then, why not use FC Geordi instead? He does all the same tricks except for solving a few missions, and you can certainly get your Navigation elsewhere. I mean, if Leadership and the Implant are really an issue. Far better perhaps is Data and Geordi which once reported, can be split into two excellent multi-skilled personnel. They'll actually have even more skills if you downloaded Tricorder while the two were combined. So to recap: an excellent Federation mission solver, but perhaps overshadowed by more recent, "flashier" personnel. A good 4 in a tight deck.

TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) A score that could land him a date... nahhh.

PICTURE: One of the original shots of characters sitting at a console, the fact that this Cosby kid played a very minor role in an episode (ok, a two-part episode), so there weren't a lot of shots to go with. A good expression of TNG beige'n'gray style at 3.

LORE: Beige'n'gray in text form, if you ask me. Universality is acknowledged, but little else of interest is offered. The only thing about her single appearance is the date, which really does nothing to help. Underwhelming at 2.

TREK SENSE: Easily one of those forgettable extras manning Ops whenever Data couldn't be bothered to be at his station, she ranks easily as a universal Staff icon Officer. Youth also seems perfect for her. Unfortunately, I have a hard time with her having JUST that "skill". For one thing, would it be enough to get a bridge assignment? Since Youth isn't really a skill (let's call it a quality or characteristic) and neither is Officer exactly (let's call it a role or an ambition), she really contributes little to Ops. Computer Skill or really any kind of scientific skill would have been appropriate since the person at Ops does a lot of sensor scans. My second problem with Youth is that this makes her a mission specialist in that. I just don't think that's a legitimate mission specialty. Then how about those attributes, Sisk, are they okay? They seem to be. It's not like Youth takes a lot of Cunning to upkeep anyway. Sensible on the surface, but uninteresting and wrong-minded in the context of other mechanics. A 2.4.

STOCKABILITY: It's quite possible to create a Youth-oriented Federation deck that still respects Balancing Act's requirements (exactly 6 missions, 4 planet, 2 space), and since they have three separate Youth specialists in Giusti, Calloway and Simon Tarses, you can download each with AMS and each may score points at the same mission. Camping Trip, Investigate Legend, FGC-47 Research and Distress Mission all require 2 or 3 Youth for example. Your specialists will score you 10 to 15 extra points easily at those. Of course, you'll need other personnel to do the rest of the work - Youth isn't a very efficient dilemma-buster. That's about all that can be said for Giusti without going into an unnecessary analysis of her middle-of-the-road attributes. Thanks to AMS, a 3.

TOTAL: 10.4 (52%) What did you really expect?

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