There are various Premium Products. They are listed here in order of appearance. Each is linked to its appropriate card list (the 2 promotional "non-cards" are included, pic and all):

#12-1962 Roger Maris Baseball Card, Artifact, Fajo Collection
"One-of-a-kind trading card. Collectible icon of an ancient professional sport once played on Earth. Owned by Kivas Fajo. Still retains its original bubble gum aroma."
-Immediately play on table. During your turn, you may trade this artifact for any opponent's artifact in play. Players must immediately play traded cards as their own. (Not duplicatable.)

PICTURE: I know Decipher went through a lot of trouble to get the rights to this image, but what really bothers me is the lack of the regular "tv screen" format. That rectangle in a dark green field is the ugliest Fajo card, bar none. I think it would have worked much better if, Doorway-like, the card would have been printed full-size with the graphics, lore and game-text printed over it. Ah well... a measly 1.

LORE: Nice flavor (if no actual odor) text. I don't think it would have worked without the mention of the bubble gum smell. A cool 4.

TREK SENSE: Except for the concept of FORCEABLE trades, it's used a lot like it should. There's no better way to do so either. A 4.8.

SEEDABILITY: Hinges too much on your opponent playing with (and acquiring!) nice Artifacts. It's better if they're non-Interrupt too since you don't want him or her to benefit in any way, right? And then, your opponent can use the Roger Maris against you! Nope, no more than a 2.

TOTAL: 11.8 (59%) Ugly graphics and rarely played, could this be the least valuable Fajo card?

PICTURE: Here, the graphics are everything. A black hole looks like exactly nothing. The hole pulls in the entire card's graphics. It's too cool. Congratulations to Wesley Crusher who originated the idea (see the Dream Card section of Decipher's site if you don't believe me)! Unfortunately, the actual image is that of a s ship's eye view of jumping to warp. Beacuse of the little cheating on the designers' parts, a 4.5.

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

TREK SENSE: Why between 2 Space missions? Because black holes in proximity to planets (or other stellar phenomena) would eventually destroy these planets. Fine. when the card starts pulling in the others though... are we to believe that systems light years away are being destroyed that fast? (Many in the course of a game.) That would mean these planets would be traveling at warp speed towards the hole! Plus, black holes don't alternate like this and ARE duplicatable. The card just doesn't stand up to astronomical scrutiny. In reality, the hole could destroy what was at its location, not much more. A 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: If you're using Black Hole, then you're entire strategy probably revolves around it. You're either planning to cripple your opponent's slow deck or destroy his Gamma quadrant, or get some points in the discard pile for Gift of the Tormentor. In any case, it's hard to use because of the timing. Every four turns is a long time and difficult to time. And you don't want your own missions to get eaten up... a 2.9.

TOTAL: 12.3 (61.5%) An adjusted passing grade for a fun, if strategy-specific card.

PICTURE: No matter what Decipher says about having to enhance the image with the prop because the frame pull wasn't very clear, I have a hard time believing it. I recently saw the episode ("The Big Goodbye") this was taken from, and you can actually read what's on the business card on the screen. And my tv ain't big either. In any case, it's a prop shot. Clear and well produced, but a bit of a yawner otherwise. Anybody ever visit the adress on there? A 2.9

LORE: No lore, but a lot of flavor, so I WILL give a score here. I have to say this business of writing the game text in gangster-speak is hilarious and on-target! Love it and can't wait to see other Dixon Hill-related cards written in the same fashion. The accent is fun and "hologrammatical"? Priceless. Players are reffered to as "bosses" and Borg as "Swedish" (a joke from First Contact). Androids would be from "South America", I believe. More, Decipher, more! No lore, and it still gets a 5 in the category. Go figure.

TREK SENSE: None. The business card's effects are all conceptual, as nothing about a piece of cardboard can really have an effect. Oh, there's talk of holograms and of capturing personnel after somebody gets iced, but that all goes to theme and not to Trek Sense. Still, for those few elements, a 0.3.

STOCKABILITY: Two card types I'm gonna look at separately. As Interrupt: A capture mechanism that works not only against 2-man redshirting teams, but against filtered Away teams as well (since we can pretty much cause an opponent to redshirt now). This won't happen a lot though, but that's why you can use the Event function. If this were Interrupt only, I would probably never bring it along and give it a 2.4. As Event: While the Borg will pretty much be immune (to the Interrupt function as well), other affiliations will have more trouble. The gut instinct is to include unique personnel in your deck since they are the ones with the better and more abundant skills. Some decks make use of uniques only. So this card can be a real pain to those players. You might as well just be watching a game of solitaire if you can't get your personnel out on the table. This function is not as strong as it once was though. Borg and Mission Specialist decks will be free from it. And the newer affiliations make use of more universals than the Feds (for example) since they have fewer personnel to choose from. Taking all this into account, the score-keeper's finger falls on... a 3.6.

TOTAL: 11.8 (59%) It's sad when the Fajo cards don't go all the way to the top, eh?

PICTURE: I'm sorry to say this, but it just doesn't work. If you're trying to look at the card in broad daylight (where most games take place), the deposit of fluorescent ink gets in the way. It's not exactly over the "ultraviolet" lines of the original tv image, much thicker and slightly off (though that might depend on your copy, I don't know). The fluorescent ink really hurts the image which has a poor background to begin with. Under cover of darkness, Geordi's kind of spiffy, but it's all very gimmicky in the end and deserves no more than a 1.6.

LORE: While the second sentence is fine, the first is really, really lame. Sentence structure is right out of an elementary school primer. A 1.3.

TREK SENSE: One personnel gets infected (or more probably, is revealed as having been infected at some point in the past) and, after a time (just like in the show) goes into stasis (not like in the show). Stasis here is defined as the state a personnel is in when not only can it not cooperate with its crew/away team, but can't even be transported. This is the case here, with Geordi invisible to transporter sensors and completely out of his mind. A good doctor and an I.P. Scanner (that sees in the ultraviolet) are necessary to save the personnel before it's too late and it "goes wild". One logic problem to a seemingly flawless review: if the personnel turns alien aboard a ship, then it is in stasis there. Does that sound right? In fact, the dilemma should probably only work over Tarchennen, but that would be pushing it. Aside from a couple of misgivings, this deserves a good 4.4.

SEEDABILITY: Powerful, but not that powerful. For one thing, there's no coming back from stasis. The personnel's not in the discard pile, and there are no easy ways to come out of it (if you're Borg and Cyber drone is present, but that's pretty much it). I wouldn't even waste a Dead in Bed on an affected personnel as that gives your opponent a chance to Res-Q it. No, leave it be. The requirements are near impossible to have too. I.P. Scanner? Who carries that? There was a rush to do so after the Fajo Collection came out, but that's all meta-gaming now. The dilemma is as good keeping a useless piece of cardboard like the Scanner in decks as it is putting Scannerless personnel out of commission. So your opponent stocked one. You think he stocked two, or three? It's one thing preparing for DNA Metamorphosis. It's another to actually have the Equipment card at the right place, at the right time. Now on to the not so great stuff: it hits just one personnel, and it's a random selection. Well, no one complains that Armus does pretty much the same. A 4.4 too.

TOTAL: 11.7 (58.5%) After its very poor showing in the first two categories, I didn't think it would make it this far.

Bet you never thought I'd be doing THIS. It's the coupon found in the 1st Anthology, made to look like an actual card. And yes, that means I'll be doing Zibalian Bargain and the Borg overlays eventually. Call me quirky, so long as you call me. Happy Easter!

PICTURE: Poor at best. For one, it's only printed in two colors: black and violet. It shows a collection of knickknacks on pedestals with one painting with a cloth over it bearing a question mark. If there were a "door to the fajo collection", it would have been the entry way to that room Fajo held Data in. In fact, if they could have made it recognizable, that wouldn't have been too bad in two-tone. As it is, it's neither a doorway, or much of Kivas Fajo's collection of rare objects. There's not one recognizable object in this museum of mediocrity. A big fat 0.1 (for being clever enough to make the coupon into a card).

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

TREK SENSE: None. Dollars ($) just don't exist in the Star Trek universe. If the card were AU, I don't say, but it isn't. A 0.

USABILITY: Obviously, I haven't sent mine in. Well, it says the offer's good 'til when the Fajo Collection is sold out! Unfortunately, the actual proof-of-purchase only states 31/03/98 as the cut-off date. Sure, Decipher has extended the period, but with the 1st Anthology quite probably sold out by now, I don't expect them to honor the coupon forever. [In fact, it is no longer valid.]  Also, while a 30$ rebate on the Fajo Collection is quite good, you'd have had to buy 3 Anthologies to get that much! Sure, it's like buying booster packs in bulk, but some of us have complete or near-complete collections that don't require a new load of duplicate rares, much less commons. And most of the preview cards are unique personnel that can't really be used in multiples. I guess I was too lazy to make the effort of sending the paperwork just to get a 10$ rebate. Still, I expect most people did get their refunds. A 2.5 (for when it was valid).

TOTAL: 3.47 (17.35%) There's no way a non-card is going to do better than a real one. I promise you that. :-)

PICTURE: I really like it. Where too many characters in brown are pictured against a brown background, Dr. Soong avoids it with a wonderfully eclectic picture. The map of the android body to the left and those great and complex equations on the green "blackboard". Really surrounds him with the trappings of his life. A 4.3.

LORE: When a "Family" card comes out, it appears androids and their creators will be "related". Aside from that little tidbit, the lore's pretty plain. Why "Dr. Soong" though? Personnel are usually called by their names, and by titles only when they are a version of the root personnel (AU, let's say). In fact, his entire name isn't mentioned on the card. A middle-of-the-road 2.9.

TREK SENSE: Imaginative design really uses Trek Sense to good effect. Dr. Soong is non-aligned because he never worked with the Federation (or any other power). He's a recluse! To make androids, he has to have working knowledge of both SCIENCE and ENGINEERing skills. I'm slightly surprised that he isn't an ENGINEER first, but his positronic brain theory certainly lets him into the SCIENCE club, no problem. Computer Skill takes care of the programming, and Cybernetics is the android-building skill. Let's look at that for an instant: While Cybernetics could just represent the ability to understand and repair androids, it's actually more. It allows personnel to "build" (report for free, at a legal facility) androids. As Cybernetics makes more and more appearances on card requirements, I expect this special ability to be rescinded just like Transporter Skill's was. But for now, Dr. Soong can build 2 androids instead of one. Indeed, he's the foremost authority on the subject, has been known to build androids very quickly (Juliana Tainer, for one) and is responsible for most androids in the game. Would Boheeka really be able to build Lore? No. But Soong can do it all within the confines of Trek Sense. There's more. Soong can reprogram programmable androids as well. This is a nifty ability that makes sense, but I'm left wondering why, aside from playability and balance, he can't reprogram any android. Isn't adding an emotion chip to Data "programming"? Although, you could say, if he could reprogram the better androids, he would have fixed Lore long ago. He is also a nemesis of Lore. Either Lore kills his dear old dad for abandoning him, or Soong deactivates Lore using his superior Cybernetics ability. Integrity is high (an essentially ethical person) but one you can't trust too much (faked his own death, put people in danger). The Cunning is as high as Data's who he's programmed, but I wonder how he could create a Lore with 13 Cunning. Maybe the same way Geordi created Moriarty. The Strength is as low as it can go because he's an old man, a very old man. All in all, a masterpiece of Trek sense, with few, if any, flaws. A 4.9. Well, that was certainly long-winded.

STOCKABILITY: He's definitely for android decks, fitting in with any affiliation. His double dose of Cybernetics makes reporting fast at the start, while his reprogramming skill gives you some flexibility. In your universal Soong-type Away Team, the Doc can arrange it so all the needed classifications are present. Their skills are pretty paltry though - they will mostly take care of dilemmas. Lal is the other reprogrammable android, but make sure the skills you want to give her are present as she can only be programmed with those. I won't sneer at the rest of the card, as two classifications is great and Computer Skill always useful, but using Soong without a cadre of androids isn't warranted. His mission-solving skills are common and/or minimal. High CUNNING though. The Nemesis icon is a little bonus in case your opponent is using Lore. Fly over there and re-divide the Crytalline Entity and RBMs (Lore's true danger). Watch out: it's also a liability if Lore decides to pay a preemptive visit. Another liability is the low STRENGTH. Our boy Soong couldn't win a fight with a phaser in each hand. Strategy-specific, so 3.5.

TOTAL: 15.6 (78%) A very cool card, though it probably doesn't see a lot of play.

PICTURE: Obviously, the picture is going to get extra points from having a fifth printed color and for bleeding out of its frame. Certainly makes for a striking image. But is it well chosen? By all accounts, I'd have to say yes. Guinan is at her beloved bar, obviously listening. We're probably more used to seeing her in purples and blues, with a wider hat, but that wouldn't have worked as well with the printing process. She seems to glow, not only because of the special ink, but because she is illuminated from below by the bar itself. On the downside, her clothing look much blurrier than her face, which is crisper and clearer than many cards. A good 4.2.

LORE: Cut short because of the extra game text, there's not much here. Just the facts, but I think they blew it as far as her special relationship with Picard goes. It's "beyond friendship, beyond family", and that would have been more evocative. Am I the only one who thinks her own introduction (to Ensign Ro) would have been very appropriate? She's Guinan, she tends bar, and she listens. A less than average 2.8.

TREK SENSE: I'm a bit suprised at the Staff icon, but I imagine that in her long life, she has served on enough starships to warrant it. Her high Integrity (10!) is likewise suspect, but works. Somebody with a 10 has to be quite selfless. She does show that quality by listening, by going to troubled souls (Ro, the whole tennis elbow thing with Crusher, etc.), by resetting the universe right in "Yesterday's Enterprise", even though that would mean losing the life she's led in that alternate universe. But is she that perfect? She hates Q and the Borg. She did forgive Hugh though. Q, not so much. Cunning should be way up there just because of her life experience. Strength, methinks, is a bit high for a bartender. I don't think planting a fork in Mortal Q's hand (Strength 2) really counts as battle savvy. Now for the skills. Of course, she's a Civilian. No problem there. Why no other regular skills though? What happened to the Anthropology she displayed in the 19th century (as per Madam Guinan)? The special skills she gets are a little too broad for Trek Sense too. As an adviser, I'm ready to believe she can nullify the cards she can by explaining the situation to her captain. She's often been the only person aware of AU junk (the changed timeline in "Yesterday's Enterprise", the Nexus), but should she be able to nullify everything of that nature? Quantum Singularity Lifeforms? Royale Casino side games? Drought Trees? Q cards make even less sense, as I don't think Q is really afraid of her (in immortal form, that is). Maybe he is, but judging by the loops he's thown the Enterprise, she's not much of a deterrent. Her second ability works if we think of Picard's Captain's Log, although how Guinan's presence actually makes a ship +6+6 is beyond me. Great advice I suppose. But can she counsel Admiral Riker, Rachel Garett and eventually Captain Kirk in the same fashion? Like I said, her powers are too broad. I'm afraid she only gets a 1.9 here.

STOCKABILITY: Guinan is one of those personnel that, without regular skills, is still a good dilemma solver, if specialized. She can pass her Away Team or crew through any AU dilemma and shut down one Q card per Flash. Now that Q dilemmas can be seeded separately, she can nullify those too (and the DS9 ones are generally dangerous). The only hitch is that once you've nullifed a card, you can't nullify another this turn, so choose well my friends. Some cards are more annoying than debilitating, so you might let one pass in case the next one is of the second variety. She can also nullify a small amount of Events and Interrupts, AU ones that play at her location. Save yourself from Brain Drains and Dead in Bed, for example. As a mission solver, she isn't much. She'll work with Risa Shore Leave and can solve Investigate Time Continuum all by herself. Her stats are all high, so she'll help with any requirements of that nature. As for doubling Captain's Log, note that she can take a Future Enterprise to 16/15 without breaking a sweat. And now that there are 4 Enterprises to choose from, all with matching commanders, she could be in high demand. Bars opening up on each one, and offers landing on her desk. All in all, a walking event/interrupt with attributes, and a good (reusable) one at that. A 4.5.

TOTAL: 13.4 (67%) Lame lore and flawed Trek sense wound this otherwise beautiful card.

PICTURE: Kind of a disappointment. The Voodieh class ships are nice models, but showing one on a horizontal plane doesn't do it justice. It's sheer size is lost and so are any interesting details. The picture will get points for sharing its disruptor fire with the USS Pasteur. But though it's a nice idea, it looks better on the Pasteur's side. Here, the disruptor effect seems much too superimposed on the image. 2.8.

LORE: Shortened lore usually heralds a low lore score. The name of the ship is an interesting one as it pays homage to a great Klingon from ST VI: The Undiscovered Country. While Decipher can't use that material, I like how they slip in references like this from time to time. I'm a bit surprised that the Klingons are naming ships after traitors, but history may not remember him that way. (But in an alternate Future where the Klingons are fighting the Federation again, Chang would probably be seen as a hero.) The only other thing of interest here is that it gives Governor Worf matching commander status. Points there, and it brings this one to a more than average 3.5.

TREK SENSE: It's a ship from the Q-created future and thus bears the AU icon. The matching commander is a bit of a coincidence, since Gov. Worf is the only Klingon from that era we know. They're kind of pushing it on that one. It of course has a Cloaking Device and Tractor Beam. The Holodeck is unsupported, but likely given the size of the ship, and that Klingons have probably mastered that technology by this time. The staffing is exorbitant, but like I said, it's a big ship. Lowering its staffing requirements when the Fek'lhr is around (and vice-versa), is slightly acceptable. AU staffing has always been somewhat of a mystery to me. How can Mickey D really help staff a ship, for example? My thoughts on the matter are that the AU personnel is required to justify the AU ship's existence in our time/universe. So two ships from the same exact future can be justified with the same exact number of AUs as one (that is, 2 AU icons). The Nemesis icon against the Pasteur is another point of contention. It means that when the two ships meet, one of them is destroyed. Okay, the Chang blows up the Pasteur. But in the reverse situation, how does the little medical ship destroy the big bad Klingon cruiser? In the show, the Future Enterprise did this, but if it's not in play in your particular game? Sharing the Nemesis icon is fine by me as all those ships can destroy the others (except the Pasteur, again). And so we come to the attributes. Obviously, we don't know much about these future vessels, but they should be more advanced than the current Vor'Chas. 10/9/9 is better overall. Comparing it with the Fek'lhr, I see that the Chang has one point less of RANGE (why not) and one more of SHIELDS (it was the Fek'lhr we saw being spectacularly destroyed). So, altogether, I'd have to give a mitigated review at 3.6.

STOCKABILITY: The problem with AU ships, especially where the non-Feds are concerned, is their staffing. Not only does the Chang require 4 personnel, 2 of them have to be AU. The Klingons have some fine AUs (Mogh and Governor Worf, even K'chiQ), but there aren't that many. Thankfully, if you use both future Voodieh ships, you can reduce that staffing substancially. If you get them both out, and even there, their firepower won't match an armada's. The Range is great though, especially compared to regular Klingon ships. Add Governor Worf (which I'm sure you're using anyway), and you can Log and Plaque your Chang to 12/12/12. Not bad. It also features one of the few Holodecks available to the Empire (though they don't have a lot of nice holograms). The Nemesis icon is as much a liability as it is an advantage, but it'll only come into play if your opponent has an AU Fed deck going (not that unlikely for Kurlan strategies). Knocking out that big Future Enterprise (if the Feds are also using the Pasteur) would be cool, but letting that Pasteur get the better of you would not. These are dangerous Nemesis icons, because you wouldn't just lose a ship, but its crew as well. Note that the Cloaking Device could be nefariously used to position your ship where you want it to do the most damage (with Engage Cloak of course). In the last year, a number of things have come out to try to boost this ship's value. Crew Reassignment and Space-Time Portal now makes it easier to staff and report. Blaze of Glory has a card to give you card advantage for playing with Fajo cards, as well as a Tactic card that boosts "future ships" like this one. If you want to use the Chang, you may have to build your deck around it. Not for every deck, but not a bad ship to include in the right one either. A 3.9.

TOTAL: 13.8 (59%) Ah well... did my best to give it a chance.

PICTURE: A perfectly fine piece, with Kivas sitting in the couch which serves as the Fajo Collection expansion icon. His remorseless expression speaks volumes about his personality and the colors are quite rich. I'm not sure about the value of the Collection's special color touchplates, as the couch is more red than the usual red I guess, but not by much. Finally, the beige background weakens the picture somewhat. A 3.4.

LORE: Shortened lore is rarely very interesting. The sentence structure is choppy, we get a reference to Kivas Fajo-Collector, and there's a lot of mean adjectives on there to justify his lack of integrity. An average 3.

TREK SENSE: A non-aligned mercenary type who commands a Zibalian transport (what, no matching command?), but, as a merchant, he remains a Civilian. Greed is the only thing that drives him (thus the x2), and his Acquisition skills must be on par with a Ferengi to get his hands on some of the things he has. Treachery is a given, and might even have been doubled. The special abilities are interesting. Bonus points for "owning" artifacts is a great feature. Since points should always be linked to the realization of some goal, Fajo gets them for acquiring artifacts. On the show he had the Mona Lisa, Persistence of Memory, the 1967 Roger Maris Baseball Card and two Varon-T Disruptors. Two? Then what's this "unduplicated" business? I suppose his ultimate goal is to own unique items only, and he only gets points for those. Yeah, ok. Works when you think there can't be an other like it IN PLAY. Then, he wouldn't have the only one. Making parallel use of Palor Toff is a fun idea given that Palor is his associate. And after all, if Palor is trading with your opponent, he must be getting something in return for whatever card he rescued from the discard pile (that's what a trade is). It seems like our good mister Toff then trades whatever he got out of the deal to Kivas. No room for it, but Fajo's collecting ability (as represented by the Kivas Fajo event) should have been included (as a special download perhaps). Now for the really fun part: the attributes! (How often will I get a chance to say that?) First off, he's enough of a weakling for him to have 4 Strength (a weakling, but a ruthless one), and his Cunning, while a bit high at 10, is totally used to think up his schemes. He did confound the Enterprise totally, and even controlled Data to a large extent. It's the NO INTEGRITY that is really original here, and while it might be true, why is he the only one to have this? How about Lore? (Well, up to a point, he cares about his brother.) Or Ves Alkar? (Still a diplomat.) Or Dukat? (Loyal to Cardassia.) I guess Kivas really doesn't have any redeeming moral qualities. Inventive. A lot of things at work here, but overall, a 4.2.

STOCKABILITY: Not all that useful at solving missions (except for his Treachery and CUNNING), he'll pass some dilemmas (including Primitive Culture), and will probably become more useful when we get a Ferengi expansion. He will make a nice addition to an Archeology deck though (especially Romulan), by making sure you get points for all the artifacts you aim to collect. (Note that by Archeology deck, I don't just mean decks that emphasize Archeology as a skill, but also thematically include a number of Artifacts to be acquired.) Make sure you use Artifacts used as Equipment and you could be drawing an extra 5-20 points in addition to the Artifact's own abilities. The Palor Toff use requires your opponent to use the card, but it's a common enough card, seeing less use now that Regenerate, Process Ore and other deck management methods are here, but still in vogue. That's a bonus really. If you're using Countermanda for support, you can even make sure only you get a benefit from your opponent's Alien Trader. The complete lack of INTEGRITY is a disadvantage though. It certainly won't get you through Q, and it can't be modified by any means. So you can't make him any more ethical. While there's a lot of fun associated with this card, it won't matter to a lot of strategies, so I'm only giving it a 3.3.

TOTAL: 13.9 (69.5%) The Fajo Collection rules supplement says that Kivas himself thinks this card is the most valuable on in the set, but he's obviously lying.

PICTURE: As cool a picture as any for the greatest counterpart of all time. The laser eye that bleeds right out of the frame is one of the most effective effects in Fajo, so no complaints there either. I really like the lighting in this card - the tubes have a nice glow to them - but the background is a little dead, and I'm afraid those are the colors that were used on all the counterparts (their major weakness, visually). How about a 4.1?

LORE: This was the first time the counterpart formula was used, but not the last. It became tiresome after a while, but here was very fresh, and used the Borg's own lines to make a point. It's actually very good. The original thus scores a 4.

TREK SENSE: Okay, like all counterparts, whether pre-fabricated or assimilated, he's got the skills of his previous self. Those will be discussed fully under Picard himself. The one extra skill is the Weapons/Shields boost against the Federation, which goes right along with the episode's events. Locutus uses all of Picard's knowledge to fight his former friends. The attributes are the same as Picard's too, with a +3 to Strength, no doubt due to his cybernetic implants. I am surprised at how the counterparts get to keep their Integrity intact though. I mean, a 9?!? For a Borg who sold out his former side, thought nothing of assimilating or killing friends and family alike? Borg or not, you'd have thought someone with 9 Integrity, Honor and a double dose of Diplomacy would have done things differently. And if you think the Integrity is shown off by his betraying the Borg at the end ("Sleep..."), well, what kind of Borg is THAT, who can't stay loyal to his own collective mind? No way out of this paper bag. A 3.1.

STOCKABILITY: Despite Gowron's and Tomalak's powerful special abilities, Locutus remains the best counterpart in the game. For one thing, he's not AU and can report more naturally. For another, he has many skills not available to the Collective's drones: OFFICER, Diplomacy (pass those Q-Nets without downloading an AU Door), Leadership, Honor and Music. Even more, I find that Earth is the most important homeworld in the game, making it an ideal target for assimilation. With Earth you see, you don't just have an Assimilate Homeworld option, you also have the challenging Stop First Contact objective. Timeline disruption is a game-breaker against the Feds, and with Population 9 Billion, you can take advantage of an extra outpost and huge points boosts even if the Feds aren't involved. Locutus is your man if you want to do this as quickly as possible. He's also a matching commander for your fastest Cube, and on his ship, at Wolf 359 (great place to Salvage Starship, so often included), your WEAPONS and SHIELDS will go up to 32 with Captain's Log alone. Lets not forget the usual three subcommand icons that afford greater flexibility in staffing and an immediate pass of dilemmas like Lack of Preparation. A clearcut winner at 4.5.

TOTAL: 15.7 (78.5%) Remember how cool it was when Decipher showed us the Locutus card before First Contact came out?

PICTURE: Disapointing, to tell you the truth. Though the Borg drones in the background go with Lore's special ability, the face might as well be Data's. Brent Spiner just isn't Lore without an evil sneer, smug grin or creepy tic. We're left with something a little - no, a lot - out of place. A 2.5.

LORE: The Fajo Collection rule sheet makes a joke that they almost didn't give Lore any lore, because of all the game text. Maybe they shouldn't have. I think that would have been a hoot, and I'd even have given it a 5 in this category simply for the irony. As it is, the ultra-short lore simply states his "species" and a family relationship. Not much there. So here's the irony: Lore's lore score is 1 and no more.

TREK SENSE: Obviously a Non-Aligned individual, Lore's inability to work with the Feds is more a question of play-balance than actual inability. Sure, he's too evil for any blue card to work with him, but what about Kivas Fajo? No integrity and he still can work with the Federation (of course, he did in the show, but so did Lore, sorta, in his first episode... but Bok - INT 2 - didn't). The game isn't very constant on this issue. The skills are pretty okay. He's a non-commissioned Civilian. As an android, he gets the usual Computer Skill and Engineer, if only for self-maintenance. His evil has warranted a Treachery x2. Security is a skill given to a number of combat happy personnel, even if they were essentially civilians (like Zon). Lore is violent and knows his strategy, I suppose. Transporter Skill was something he showed off a little in his first episode, "Datalore". His Leadership relates to his leading the Rogue Borg. It all holds up. How about the special skill? Doubling anything in play, especially where you are not present, is always an iffy proposition. Doubling the Crystalline Entity especially, makes little sense. In the episode, he lured the Entity to his location, and maybe made a ship drop its Shields so it could attack. So Lore's presence does make the Entity tougher, but he has to be at the location. Would have worked better is you could have played the Entity Clamarain-like at his location, with the provision that he always survived the attack. Doubling Rogue Borg, however, works. We assume they have met Lore prior to their coming aboard a ship, and are already being controlled by him. Fanaticism = doubling well enough. The Command icon is a little odd, since he only led Rogue Borg, and they aren't personnel actually able to staff ships. I'm not sure he could command a Klingon cruiser. The Nemesis icon is great. He either kills Data or Dr. Soong or they, a bit more benignly, deactivate him. This nemesis relationship is probably the most Trek Sensical in the game. Finally, we have to look at the attributes. The evil Integrity of 1 fits this bad apple, who, aside from his "fraternal love" of Data, is quite psychotic. The Strength is android-level, same as Data's. The Cunning is even higher than Data's though, and the highest in the game! I'm a little skeptical  on that one. Sure, he's able to outsmart the naive Data, but is that really the same? I can accept him as the evil genius he is, but I'm putting my reservations on record. The more you put on a card, the more likely it is to lose points, but this one gets a 3.9 which isn't bad.

STOCKABILITY: The Feds have plenty of androids already, so not being able to use Lore won't be too much of a point-dropper in the Rolodex. The other affiliations are going to have a lot of fun with this one though. His three classifications make him an ideal Kurlan Naiskos staffer, and the less-useful CIVILIAN is easily offset by the very useful ENGINEER and the pretty useful SECURITY. The Computer Skill/Treachery combo along with the highest CUNNING in the game makes him the best, bar none, the best personnel for throwing people out an Airlock. And he won't die if he meets an opponent PADDed higher (yeah, right), because androids can survive the vacuum of space. You can even report him aboard any Nor through Promenade Shops, where he can throw people out AND try for a commandeer. His large selection of skills is semi-useful at mission solving, but his being an andoid gets you through plenty of dilemmas, so it all evens out. Transporter Skill is going to get more and more useful and is fairly rare, Leadership allows him to initiate battle, Treachery works great with the Romulans, and the list goes on. High STRENGTH and CUNNING can't be bad for business either. The special skill works with other cards in making your opponent's life a living hell. A doubled Crystalline Entity suddenly packs a lot of punch: SHIELDS>12? 2 Music? 2 SCIENCE and 2 MEDICAL? That's a little harder to come by. And for self-seeders with a couple of musicians, get yourself an easy 10 points off the dilemma. He also creates a permanent Crosis effect on Rogue Borg, doubling and, if the real Crosis is used, even quadrupling a batch of Rogue Borg. The only way to go if you want to steal a ship with Lore Returns. Of course, Rogue Borg used to be more useful as single interrupt crew stoppers, but with more and more counters out there, people will either stop using them altogether, or start building armies that can actually decimate a crew. Lore will help you do that, and even the Federation can join in. Lore just has to be in play. Report him somehow (to a Nor, Ferengi Trading Outpost, whatever) and leave him there to either Airlock people out and/or double your other cards. To balance him out, he has two major weaknesses. One is his extremely low INTEGRITY which will cause him trouble with Firestorms at the very least. The second is the Nemesis icon. With two nemeses (that he can kill himself with the icon, don't misunderstand), he runs more of a chance of getting discarded himself. But Dr. Soong isn't used that much (and is a costly Fajo card), and FC Data has already been proven to be a lesser card than the nemesis-less Premiere Data. I wouldn't worry too much. A great support personnel at 4.8.

TOTAL: 12.2 (61%) The lore did him in...

PICTURE: Yes, it was a clever idea to show Miles as he was often seen by his transportees on TNG, but it makes the pic a little lame visually. Still, gotta give it points for standing out. A 3.9.

LORE: Short, but gives all his posts during TNG's run, including his stint at the conn in "Encounter at Farpoint", and his being Tactical officer under Captain Maxwell. His hatred of the Cardassians is well noted. His music is explained too. His family relationships are mentioned, but I gotta take exception to the verb "begetting" here. What is this, the Bible? I know there was little room because of the restriction box, but "Molly's dad" would have fitted just as well. A 3.2.

TREK SENSE: He's an Engineer for sure, and since he's mostly been manning the transporter, Transporter Skill x2 is a must. The Security stems from his tour of duty in the Cardassian war, and role as Maxwell's tactical officer (as well as a brief stint as a security guy in "Lonely Among Us"). Music - he plays the cello. And Navigation - he piloted the Enterprise-D's stardrive section on her first mission. As a non-com (or at most, on TNG, a lieutenant) he derserves only the Staff icon. The special download is of a difficult transporter move. He managed to do it on the show, so it's quite acceptable here. The restriction, while untrue today (DS9 era), was quite true back then. Though I wonder if Picard had ordered O'Brien to help the Cardies, he would have. Maybe a future card that allows Command level OFFICERs to suspend restrictions such as these? Nothing to say about the attributes... they look okay. An even 4, since there are no mistakes, but no real bells or whistles.

STOCKABILITY: As a stand-alone personnel, Miles is okay without being great. The best thing about him is the ENGINEER/SECURITY combo which isn't very common in the Federation and is not only good for Kurlan Naiskos, but for going through dilemmas as well. Music and Navigation are okay, but common. Transporter Skill isn't common at all though (only 2 Feds have it, plus Montgommery Scott), but there's no current use for a double dose. Of course, you'll want either a Miles or Robin Lefler is you want to go through that Orion Bomb and other transporter-related dangers. It's become a useful skill. The download isn't too great, as almost no one uses Near-Warp Transport. The restriction doesn't really hurt O'Brien unless you're playing with a Treaty, not that common a strategy. And the NA Cardies aren't very relevant to a Federation deck. Where he comes into his own is in combination with the DS9 persona of Miles. Switchable O'Briens are more useful than any one of them. First, they have completely different skill lists, so simply use the one whose skills are needed at the moment. Super-ENGINEER or ENG/SEC combo? Navigation or Computer Skill? It also gives you two special downloads. Expend one, then switch to the other. DS9 Miles is a bit better across the board, but you might still want to sometimes use the older one (like to play Slot Machines... eventually, those 7-7-7 stats are going to count for something!). Some cards work with either Miles (like Tactical Console), and the character is a kind of miracle worker when it comes to passing certain dilemmas. He kills "Pup" and lessens Misguided Activist. He also nullifies Install Autonomic Systems Parasite, boosts a couple of personnel, and exposes O'Brien Founder. A good 4.1 here.

TOTAL: 15.2 (76%) Does pretty well for the "cheaper" of the two O'Briens.

PICTURE: Well, how can I critique one of the great art masters of the 20th century? Persistence of Memory is a great work, well known, and well reproduced here. It's even closer to the actual size of the work (about 16 cm on its long side) than most book reproductions. I don't particularly think the picture frame replacing the usual Star Trek screen works any better than the usual graphics. It's a little silly and even jarring to tell you the truth. Makes it a 3.3.

LORE: Incredibly short lore. A 2.1.

TREK SENSE: Well... none! Not literally anyway. It's all conceptual. Since Dali was a surrealist, the surreal thing to do would be to reverse a bunch of cards. Shaky, I know. The cards chosen to be reversed usually have some thematic relationship to the painting. The Horga'hn and Traveller give double turns or card draws so are interested in time, as are Anti-Time Anomaly and Devidian Door, so there's the melting clocks connection there. The Thought Maker: Dali was interested in dreams and dreamscapes, thus the human mind. Mona Lisa: another piece of artwork. The Static Warp Bubble was a pretty surreal environment I guess. Kivas Fajo: stole the painting. Supernova and Black Hole both destroy mission locations, but their connection with the artifact is more tenuous. And finally, the artifact is, of course, not duplicatable. So, a totally conceptual card that still garners a 2.8.

SEEDABILITY: You can really only use one so it's up to you which effect you want to use it for. Some are useful, others near useless, and some are just plain kooky and fun. Let's look at each one separately. Horga'hn: There are currently more powerful counters against the dreaded Horga'hn, and using Persistence as a counter is really missing the point, I think. One possible way of using it is to acquire Horga'hn for yourself, then allowing your opponent to take double turns. If you get a young or naive player, you might be able to win the game simply by playing Writ when he overdoes it. That would be WRONG, people. Still, I have to mention it. Thought Maker: Rearranging your draw deck to your specifications can be very useful, but you'd pretty much have to give up on downloading to keep it that way. And so the Borg, who would have the most to gain from rigging probes, being the biggest downloaders, don't see that much use for this function. Mona Lisa: Not a bad way to earn 25 points! Destroying your own painting is all it takes. Watch out for bonus point hosers though. Static Warp Bubble: Purely defensive, it relies on your opponent using that card. It's an annoying one though, and worthy of turnabout. Kivas Fajo-Collector: Another one that relies on your opponent's stocking tastes. At least, Kivas is a popular staple card, but still, a redirect of that event is a very lame use for an artifact. The Traveller-Transcendence: Another turnabout effect, so you again have to ask yourself if your opponent will be using that card. "Devidian Door": One of those fun ones, a reversed Devidian Door will make a card return to the future (your hand). You could use it as a small Space-Time Portal or Flight of the Intruder to get a personnel out of danger or make it re-reportable to your facility. Or you could make your opponent waste HIS door and have him return a personnel to hand. Both functions are defensive in nature, and sorta lame. Black Hole: Great fun, this one. The Black Hole starts spewing universal Space cards from both sides when reversed. Might throw a monkey wrench in your opponent's plans when her outpost gets separated from all her missions by tons of ever accumulating Space. Slow ships are going to take the brunt of the assault, but the Black Hole's kinda slow (every four turns, bleh) to be a major threat. Supernova: "Cures" a destroyed mission location. A defensive card that protects against a seldom seen Tox Uthat/Supernova combo. With Bashir Founder in the game, Supernova will doubtless see more action, but though you can bring back the mission, you won't bring back the lost armada, so again, limited. Anti-Time Anomaly: The funnest of them all allows you to bring personnel back from the dead the old-fashioned way - as zombies! It's a mega-Res-Q, or a kind of Moebius Tubes (for Cosmic Encounter fans) that releases everyone (although that includes your opponent's cards) from the dank pit of death. The coolest thing to do here, is to fix it so your big personnel die early, maybe by killing them yourself using a Dal'Rok at your outpost location or something. Then, after you've acquired the artifact (of course), slap down that Anomaly, etc., and bring back your dead ANYWHERE IN PLAY, like a monster Iconian Gateway. Get this, if Data died, and you brought in another copy later, and then used the reversed anomaly to spew out your discarded personnel. That second Data CAN co-exist with his second self. Could be a way to get powerful unique individuals to work in multiples without using any kind of Clone Machine-type card (not included). Could seem to be a lot of trouble for acquiring an artifact, but stunt decks will like it, and a couple of functions (Mona Lisa, Thought Maker) can be used in a controlled fashion in many strategies. This bizarre artifact gets a 3.7 from me.

TOTAL: 11.9 (59.5%) Fajo cards don't do too well usually. I guess they're primarily novelty items.

PICTURE: The special ink (I should say inks, because there's both a metallic blue and a gold) here works better than on other similar Fajo cards, maybe because it's more metallic, maybe because it adds to the surreal nature of the card. The metal heart certainly pops out of the white background, and I'd certainly place this one a cut above Res-Q. A good 4.

LORE: Sounds like Q is directly talking to the target of the card, which is interesting, even though the quote itself is just average. I don't dislike it, but the title is a little Picard-centric, isn't it? A 3.1.

TREK SENSE: A Q-ARTIFACT? Weird. And unfortunately, the heart isn't born of the Q-Continuum, but of the real world. And if you take the opinion that Q is the one that made the heart fail just to play god with Jean-Luc, then it still makes the card a Q-Event or Interrupt or Dilemma. Unless you're pushing for the concept that Q was the one who made the heart faulty when it was first installed? Riiiiight. I only buck because as an artifact, it must be "acquired", though it goes to your (the Q-Continuum's) hand to be played like an Interrupt. Very convoluted, and though it works in the game, there's no way to make sense out of it here. Acquiring it aside, the faulty heart acts up on a target personnel and bam, that personnel is killed if it uses it Strength (takes part in anything physically strenuous). Though it seems a little harsh that your Klingon should die from opening a Malfunction Door, or you might wonder if your androids are that fragile (of COURSE they have artificial hearts), it's still a good overall way to simulate it. Katherine Pulaski, who was called to help on Picard's last heart surgery, is an expert that can save a patient with a failing heart from death. Sure. Innovative yes, but has plenty of holes. Keeps at 3.3.

STOCKABILITY: As part of a Q-Continuum side-deck, it doesn't cost a card slot, and is a nasty dilemma/interrupt you can get into your hand. It doesn't work when encountered though, it is merely seeded at the mission (even if space), so your opponent could very well abandon the mission attempt at the earliest opportunity (maybe there isn't one, but I bet you put a wall at the end of every dilemma combo) and leave you without the Heart. I recommend playing your Q-Flashes under easy to steal missions, so that YOU can go and acquire it yourself (it remains seeded, after all) and solve a mission with few or no dilemmas. Once you have acquired it, you get to choose (at interrupt speed) who gets to die the next time they use their STRENGTH. Once that's done, all you have to do is attack that personnel's Away Team or crew (even with a lone Rogue Borg) and bang, that's it. A lot of STRENGTH dilemmas will also do the trick. As for the target, maybe someone who has high STRENGTH and that you'd like to keep from battling you or passing those aforementioned dilemmas? The Borg Queen? Someone important to your opponent's strategy like that? Yes, it kills the personnel, but it'll also keep it from becoming too useful as it hides from you until you do so. Oh, and Kathrine Pulaski's ability to nullify it? Ooooh, I'm shaking. She's really not used much. A little deadlier than your usual Q-card, but sometimes hard to get at. Giving it a 3.8.

TOTAL: 14.2 (71%) At least the enhanced Fajo graphics didn't lower the score this time!

Translation: Success!, Interrupt, Fajo Collection
"When threatened, fight. When in doubt, surprise them. Brute strength is not the most important asset in a fight. Real power is in the heart. A Klingon does not run away from his battles."
-If an opponent attacks you, during that battle your Klingons with Honor add INTEGRITY to STRENGTH. (Not cumulative.)

PICTURE: The strangest-looking card in the game, Qapla'! is quite an achievement, and one of the best things, visually, about the Fajo Collection. All other cards follow the Federation aesthetic, with smooth metallic surfaces, and the picture in a viewscreen. Qapla'! give us a taste of what we could have gotten if each affiliation's cards followed that affiliation's aesthetic. And while I prefer the Federation format for clarity and simplicity of design, the Klingon version is quite cool. Rusted metal, Dark reds and grays, and a vertical layout all spell Klingon. The picture of a banner looks good, but would have been less interesting in the normal layout. It just doesn't seem very representative of the card's subject. Even the flavor text in the Fajo rulebook doesn't explain its relevance that well. But while it might have been enough to simply respect a different design ethos, Decipher went all out and translated all the text (including the copyright notice - glee!) into Klingon. It uses an Earth alphabet (to make it readable, so it's not a major point), but it's Klingon all right. So now we know Interrupt is qaghwl' in Klingon. Cool, huh? My only complaint is that the Fajo Collection icon is in a smooth Federation frame (I won't complain about the card back, of course) and the shadowing meant to make the card look three-dimensional doesn't quite work. Too heavy. I must say, for the idea alone, this one goes up to 4.9.

LORE: Excellent. Instead of definitions and explanations, we get something akin to the Rules of Acquisition, but rather Rules of Honor. Gives real Klingon flavor this way, since they're not concerned with defining the universe (as the Federation is), but with taming it. Plus, it goes well with the game text. An easy 4.8.

TREK SENSE: Well, screaming Qapla'! seems to be enough to put the effects of this card into play. Perhaps conceptually, but Trek Sense isn't satisfied so easily. Still, it does put into play the Klingon ethic from the lore quite well. You play it when attacked ("When threatened, fight.") at Interrupt speed ("When in doubt, surprise them.") and it adds your honorable Klingons' Integrity to their Strength ("Brute strength is not the most important asset in a fight. Real power is in the heart."). Only Klingons with Honor may use it because they understand the Klingon ethic better than others (it's what the Honor skill represents). And since this card pretty much garantees a victory in that personnel battle, it should indeed be called Qapla'! (Sucess!). A great distillation of the lore into the game text at 4.4.

STOCKABILITY: A powerful interrupt, but nonetheless an interrupt, and a difficult to get one too. If you're planning on using a number of these, you would have to do massive trading, massive buying or massive recycling/rescuing of cards from your discard pile. The other disadvantage is that your personnel need to be attacked, and would just anyone attack a party of Klingons when their specialty is battle? The Jem'Hadar might. Not a whole lot of others, not without a lot of weapons or tricks up their sleeve. You can force the issue with Saltah'na Clock or by taunting your opponent by parking yourself inside his ship with Open Diplomatic Negotiations. In any case, if you're using plenty of Honor personnel (the Klingons have plenty, and it's useful for completing their missions and using other cards), you're pretty much garanteed a win. Mortally wounding is an easy task when your STRENGTH is in the 12-18 range (21 with a Fek'lhr with Safety Protocols disabled). The card is even more user-friendly when you consider Worf Son of Mogh can download it to make himself STRENGTH 18, and his friends close to as high. Note that these STRENGTH totals are BEFORE any hand weapon adjustments! Even the Federation player can make use of this for its three Klingons with Worf and family (maybe your opponent might attack a Federation party more easily). Though it would be better in multiples, using one then Palor Toffing it quick will deter most personnel attacks on your personnel. Slightly too defensive for my Klingon tastes, but powerful (so I guess it's balanced) at 3.4.

TOTAL: 17.5 (87.5%) Great design garanteed this one would get a relatively high score.

PICTURE: The first dual-personnel card, with its doubled classfication boxes, etc. was quite cool, though busy. The pic itself isn't bad. The sisters are both in view and in a more dramatic pose than 10 and 01, for example. I do find it odd that the sisters Duras are standing in the Great Hall when they're actually Romulan here. Colorwise, the card is gaudy, with pinks, blues and greens fighting for retina space. Turns out to be an eyesore at 2.8.

LORE: I like the formula used here though there isn't much meat on those bones. I think the buck stops at 3, like competent mission lore.

TREK SENSE: The idea of a teamed-up persona of the two sisters is an ingenious one, though they aren't much different from their solo personalities. As far as dual-personnel go, these two make a perfect pair, since we never see one without the other. I think they WOULD pair up against a same opponent, help each other out with the same dilemmas, etc. Acting as Romulan collaborators earns them that affiliation, but they don't lose Klingon either. After all, they still worked within Klingon politics. That's why I wouldn't necessarily see an infiltrator icon here (though that wouldn't be bad). The Sisters get all the same skills, except B'Etor's Leadership, which is redundant anyway. And you'll note that she always bows to Lursa's decisions when they are together. They also convert their Command icons to Staff. Why? I'm not sure I see it. When together, they share the tasks associated with flying their ship? Maybe, but they can still command it, no? Plus, they can be together (as separate cards) and still be Command. Or does it have to do with only being able to staff (not command) Romulan ships? Well, what about when they switch affiliations! One good point: in the episode, they bow down to the Romulan Empire and from then on are pretty subordinate to others (having lost their political power). The restriction box makes sense, especially in this, the turncoat version. It's not so much that they won't work with honorable Klingons, it's that those Klingons won't work with them! A good restriction which could have been included on the solo versions, though I suspect those of being pre-civil war, before people knew they were traitors. Maybe that explains why they're not invited to the High Council anymore. For the skills proper, see reviews of both Premiere Sisters. A semi-inspired 4.

STOCKABILITY: Finally, the Romulans have some Klingons! I Am Not a Merry Man, here I come. I'm joking, but there isn't that much special you can do without Honor on that Klingon. You can still get D'k Tahgs for your Romulans though, since they lack any fast-report hand weapons of their own. Otherwise, whether you're using the Sisters as Romulans or as Klingons, they make for great personnel battlers. I've often used them and their personal STRENGTH of 15, which goes up to 19 with just one Disruptor present. Their reporting as one card counters the absence of any free play from The High Council. They're also a double-matching commander for the equally dual-aligned Cha'Joh, making it an 11-11-11 ship when Plaqued and Logged, and that's a cloakable, carryable (not by all ships, but still), landable ship. You might need extra cards to enable some of these abilities, but it could be worth it. Being VIPs, the Sisters make for a great option when solving Diplomatic Conference, and they can always use some Non-Aligned help when stealing a Klingon opponent's points for your Romulans. When it comes to mission solving, their skills were always more in line with the Rommies than the Klingons anyway, with Treachery at a premium (2 of them on one card) and the fact that there are 8 skills to the one card isn't bad either. Not to mention the high attributes, even if the INTEGRITY is still low enough to get them burned by a Firestorm. The restriction shouldn't be a hurdle for the Romulans, though effective Klingon decks will probably be high on Honor. The Klingons could always turn the one card into two, but the Rommies don't have access to that (not without a Treaty anyway). And the headaches associated with the dual-personnel rulings, are they worth it? ;-) Maybe. They're powerful in battle mostly, but could turn out to be some help in mission solving too. A 4.2.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) Some interesting stuff here, but the pic left a little to be desired.

PICTURE: Awww, such a cutey-pie! I'm really glad they used a pic of the best of the four actors/actresses to play Data's feline companion. In all seriousness, the idea of making Spot bleed out of the frame (feet first no less) is a great one: she's quite a handful, huh? Never staying where you want her to. The only negative thing I would have to mention is that the cranberry background is a little bland given the Neutral black frame around it. Otherwise, a clean 4.5.

LORE: A riot! Rightly makes Spot a female, but still mentions how she's been called a "he" in most episodes. Nothing about Data, but I like the Fajo rules supplement's assertion that, in her own mind, she's nobody's pet. Instead, the whole feline supplement debacle is highlighted. Just plain funny, though I can't think of anything that wouldn't have been funny here given Spot's role on the show (allergic to Klingons, subject of an ode, etc.). An excellent 4.6.

TREK SENSE: She had to be an Animal of course, and since I don't really think Animals have the smarts for learning standard skills (which would mean they could help solve missions), special skills it is. These are mostly jokes, but they ARE funny, so it forgives a lot. All cats have 9 lives, as per the adage. For Spot, this means she can escape death 8 times during the game (as she did in Generations). Cats are slippery animals, so I'll go for that. Of course, it means Jem'Hadar actually take the time to pair up with her in personnel battle (maybe they don't know she's just a pet?), and though they can't kill her the first 8 times, they're still wasting time on it. Same for dilemmas with any kind of "intelligence". And speaking of battle, the pouncing concept is very funny, but appropriate (since her Strength WOULD be negligeable due to her size). We've seen that Geordi has been "stopped" by her. But opposing, unfriendly personnel? This is pure fluff, even if we accept that Klingons are dreadfully allergic to cats ;-). Cute, but fluff. Spot's affiliation of "Neutral" makes sense when you figure her own mindset. Cats are very independent by reputation. But I dare say no animals actually understand the concept of affiliations, yet the Targ is Klingon! So either all Animals should be Neutral, or Spot should be Federation. After all, she's an Earth creature, brought into play by a Federation personnel... and who could really see her running around a Cardassian ship? As for the attributes, well, it's difficult to compare an animal to a sentient being, and I'm not sure they should have tried. How, for example, did they ever calculate her Integrity? Her independent nature makes her selfish (low Integrity), but she's not evil. I guess 4 is a competent estimation. And Cunning 2? That's the second lowest we've seen (the Klingon guardian of the underworld is actually dumber than a house cat, and so is a Targ which is less disturbing), and makes me wonder what the threshold is between sentience and animal intelligence. Data's Body also has a 2 and is just an inanimate object. I guess the limit must be 3-sentient, 2-not, since there are a couple of brainless personnel out there like Homn and Batrell. Too silly to be perfect, there are nevertheless a lot of innovative ideas here. A 3.9.

STOCKABILITY: If you know what you're doing, Spot can be a lot of help. At mission solving, you may think she's the pits except to pass the odd Vole Infestation or Chula: The Drink, but she can be an instrumental part of a two-man redshirting Away Team (remember: she can't attempt a mission alone on account of being just an animal). If she's targeted for death, she's just stopped, reducing the effectiveness of a number of dilemmas. Of course, this is risky because she can still be captured, relocated, etc., or hosed for redshirting. It's actually in combination with her pouncing skill that her 9 lives really shine. You see, in personnel battle, she always disables (stops) one opposing personnel. Even if others are present to kill her on the end of battle selection, she just bounces back next turn. That means you can really slow down small Away Teams by pouncing on them. Borg scouts? Human ENGINEERs at Visit Cochrane Memorial? You name it. Captain Kirk and Jodmos have already taught us how useful it may be to stop a personnel from doing anything, but Spot goes beyond this in DISABLING the personnel. That means they can't even use their species! Pouncing on a Vorta will make the Ketracel-White go down for example. For up to 9 turns if Jem'Hadar start shooting, more if they don't. But the Ketracel won't last that long ;-). On a Nor, Spot can disable any would-be commandeer expert. She can be dropped into many situations, creating havok, and you don't even have to worry about her welfare (unless she gets thrown into space). And she can be used by any non-Borg affiliation (she can't even be assimilated). Who'd have thought? A 4.1.

TOTAL: 17.1 (85.5%) I always was a cat person.

PICTURE: Placing her in the shadows was a good move seeing as she's as duplicitous as they come, and in that cave from the end of the episode is even better - it takes her closer to her goal. It's not even one of those boring "Planet Hell" cave backgrounds. There's something much more archaeological about it. A good 3.7.

LORE: Even the card is duplicitous. First, they use the usual phrase to indicate gender and species, then they turn that over and make her a Vulcan. That's all they really have time to do before the restriction box kicks in, but it's done just like in the show. Excellent for such short lore at 3.9.

TREK SENSE: Being an isolationist makes her Non-Aligned, of course. Isolationists don't take part in any Federations. But being a Vulcan, she can pass herself off as a Federation personnel. And made-up like she is, she can also pass for a Romulan. My only complaint about the triple-affiliation is that her true affiliation (NA) wasn't the principal one. Of course, à la Major Rakal, I suppose the look is what goes first since we judge books by their covers. The restriction box makes it clear that though she can pass for a Federation citizen, she isn't one and won't work with such. While I can believe she wouldn't work FOR the Federation, she did work with Riker without being disabled. These restrictions are often a bit too harsh. As for the skills, the list is pretty extensive. Criminals, mercenaries and terrorists often get Security as a classification, so it makes sense here too. Computer Skill is a pretty standard skill, and a good one for Security. I believe it. Science is a common Vulcan skill, and was certainly part of the package required to hunt for the Stone of Gol. Those disappointed with her not having Archaeology should take note that she didn't really show any expertise in that (it's why they needed Galen), to the point of getting killed by the Stone because she didn't understand the glyphs on it. She showed at least enough Leadership on that ship to warrant her getting a Command icon, that's for sure. Treachery is a given and so is Mindmeld for her species. The low Integrity goes hand in hand with the Treachery. Cunning is low for a Vulcan, but then, her logic wasn't too solid. And the Strength, while high for a human, fits the Vulcan profile, though a Security personnel should probably have gotten a bit higher. All things considered: a 3.8.

STOCKABILITY: Romulan mission thieves will enjoy her company, seeing as she can help steal Federation missions, but not in the company of the other Rom/Feds unfortunately. See, as soon as they become Fed, Tallera goes offline. Not good. Well then, how about using her in a Non-Aligned deck? Ah, much better on mission theft, since all other personnel can be Non-Aligned and she still works and allows for attempting Federation AND Romulan missions. It doesn't have to be theft either. You could give your NAs more mission options by using her. Add Aluura for Ferengi missions, Garak for Cardassian, Kasidy Yates for Bajoran, etc. Don't lose these key personnel however. Perhaps, the less risky strategy is to simply use her a simple Romulan or NA (for the other affiliations except the Feds) personnel. She has two good classifications, both showing up more and more on dilemmas, plus the useful Computer Skill (for commandeering) and Leadership (for initiating battles). Treachery will fit in very well in your Romulan mission solving, and in combo with SECURITY allows for Holding Cell downloads. Mindmeld is one of those less intersting skills, though you could, if you wanted to, add to her skills using the Vulcan Mindmeld interrupt. That brings me to my next point: she's a Vulcan, and the only Romulan Vulcan at that. What can you do with that? Well, remember when I told you to make sure you didn't lose Tallera in the discussion above? Live Long and Prosper can save her from fatal random selection. She can also use Vulcan Nerve Pinch, pass Arms Deal (a relatively tough dilemma for the Romulans), and fly a Vulcan Lander under the Romulan flag (she can report directly aboard too), a ship that can easily land to protect your Neutral Zone. Attribute-wise, she'll make mince-meat out of In the Pale Moonlight (even if her Integrity is boosted by Kukalaka), but otherwise, they're just average. A cool personnel if you know how to use her, and a 3.7.

TOTAL: 15.1 (75.5%) I wonder which picture of Saavik they'll use?

PICTURE: While I didn't really think the Chang's special disruptor effect was all that hot, it looks much better on the Pasteur (even with the fire passing under the frame, but that adds to the 3Dness of it). The shield shimmering effect is subtle enough not to obscure the ship which also helps. My only real beef is that the ship has some kind of odd painted look and lies in too much shadow. Still, it looks better than a lot of ships. A 3.8.

LORE: There's not much here, since the lore was hacked in favor of more game text, and it's really only the basics. There's the registry number (standard, but yawn) and a matching commander. That, of course, affords some points, since it makes the ship more useful. That, and the mention of the word "future", which makes it elligible for Maximum Firepower. A 3.5.

TREK SENSE: The Pasteur is of course AU - it comes from Q's alternate future (that's a AU as you can get!). It has the usual Federation Holodeck and Tractor Beam combination, installed on all recent ships with the appropriate size. Add to that enough medical facilities and personnel (we're talking "Nurse Bob" of course), and the ship deserves Medical too. I have no problem with that at all, it's even something I'd like to see on other ships. Then, there's the staffing. Oh the ship's own staffing seems pretty appropriate, but it also helps staff the Future Enterprise. How is that possible? Well, my theory on AU staffing is in part based on the reason AUs can staff ships. After all, how can Samuel Clemens help staff a starship? My thinking is that perhaps the AU icon helps justify the ship's existence in our time/universe. So since the two ships (FE and Pasteur) both come from the same universe, the presence of one helps justify the other. Of course, this isn't a widespread effect (for example, the Fek'lhr doesn't help staff the Pasteur, nor does the FE return the favor), but it works better than the idea that some personnel would staff the ship from afar. The nemesis icon makes only partial sense. Since it represents a "kill or be killed" mentality, we should expect the Pasteur to be able to destroy the Chang (the other card with the blue nemesis icon), but it can't really - it needed the Future Enterprise to do that. Sure, the Chang can destroy the Pasteur, but I'm not even sure the medical ship would WANT TO. There's not even motive here, so the icon only works one way. Sharing it with the FE helps, since it DID destroy the Klingons, but giving it, not sharing it, would have been a better solution. And the stats? The "warp 13" Range matches that of the Future Enterprise without the need for an absurd third nacelle, but it's a newer sleeker ship, no problems here. The weak Weapons and Shields are those of a medical ship all right, but it seemed like the Shields might have been taking a bigger beating that that (I guess Captain's Log was in play). All in all, I suppose it's worth a 3.7.

STOCKABILITY: Stockability isn't such an issue with the Pasteur since the Feds have plenty of AU personnel to go around, including this ship's matching commander. 3 staffing icons isn't so steep for a ship with both Holodeck, Tractor Beam, an extra classification AND this kind of RANGE. The MEDICAL in particular is a fun feature since it's an important classification that can't be targeted for death or filter. There are fewer MEDICAL requirements on space dilemmas and missions, but there's still Aphasia Device, Menthar Booby Trap, Rascals, Tsiolkovsky Infection, Barclay's, Borg Servo, DNA Metamorphosis, Empathic Echo, REM Fatigue, Scientific Method and (mission-wise) Protect Shipment and Runabout Search (not much there). Not bad. You can also use Extraordinary Measures and Senior Staff Meeting in combination with it. The staffing relief for the Future Enterprise is welcome to those who like to strut their shiny ultra-rare out for a stroll. It's an impressive Federation ship, and requiring one less staffing personnel is great for Federation combat decks in particular. The Pasteur's RANGE is just as good as the FE's, in every way excellent. The other attributes need help though, so you might want to include the matching commander. Beverly Picard is inferior to the real Beverly Crusher, but she'll boost this puppy (Plaqued and Logged) to 15-9-10. Do you even need the Plaque? As a "future" ship, it can use Maximum Firepower for that whopping 6 ATTACK, but the -3 DEFENSE could be dangerous for its small SHIELDS. The nemesis icon is both an advantage AND a disadvantage. The advantage is that, if the Chang shows up, you can use that fast RANGE to reach it and eliminate a ship it couldn't have hurt normally. That, and the Klingons don't use their AU ships that much on account of staffing. The FE can do the same, and if the Fek'lhr's involved, they can destroy each other too. The Federation ships keep their speed advantage throughout. The disadvantage is that the Chang can do the same to the Pasteur without so much as firing its guns. IF the Klingons even use it. There are limits to its usefulness, but as a fast mission solver, it's a primo choice. A 4.1.

TOTAL: 15.1 (75.5%) You know, its Klingon equivalent didn't even get a passing grade. Go Feds!

If I did Door to the Fajo Collection, I had to do its companion "non-card", so...

PICTURE: Did we really have to rehash the ugly graphics from Door to the Fajo Collection? It's your basic paste-up of coupons, Fajo himself and someone's hand, and it LOOKS like a paste-up. The background is about as interesting as a Counterpart's, and you really wonder who's hand that is. Not Fajo's certainly. The idea of making the whole coupon thing in card form was great, but the execution was pretty poor throughout. And since when do Proof-of-Purchase cards have the same icon as events? That's a tad confusing isn't it? ;-) Looks a little better than its partner in crime, so a 0.5.

LORE: At least this one has lore, as well as a fairly good title (now, no real card can use it, aww). And that lore's actually quite competent, telling us Fajo's a thief in the same breath as his status as a collector and trader. Those last two words can also be applied to us CCG players, as could the last couple sentences, while the "one of a kind" comment plays on the Fajo Collection cards being unique each in their own way. The only real minus is that it reads like personnel lore, but isn't on a personnel card. A good 3.8 here. Nice job by the marketing people.

TREK SENSE: Well, none. Zip. Zero. Nada. Dollars aren't used in the future, the STCCG doesn't exist, and the cross-indexed card (Door) also has 0 Trek Sense. You heard me: 0!

USABILITY: Obviously, this piece of paper (ain't even cardboard) has no Seedability or Stockability - it's oversized and has a form instead of a normal card back. Usability as a coupon redemption method, that's another matter. I'll refer you here to the Usability comments on Door to the Fajo Collection by mentioning once again that the offer is invalid today, but to be fair, we'll look at it from the standpoint of when it was. At that time, while 30$ (American) was a good discount for the Fajo Collection, you still had to buy three First Anthologies. Booster packs in bulk aren't bad (though many of us have all the Premiere, AU and QC we'll ever need), but even the preview cards (which have almost all come out in expansions by now) are mostly unique personnel you can't really use in multiples. I didn't redeem anything (kept the coupon and proof-of-purchase), but I'm sure others were more eager to actually get 10-30$ off that particular costly purchase. A 2.2 - less than Door because you can't use it in multiples.

TOTAL: 6.6 (33%) And the Fajo Collection reviews end with a whimper ;-).

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