Siskoid's Rolodex...................The Borg (4)



< Previous 20......................................................................................................................Next 20 >

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

#1687-Jetarn, Personnel, Hirogen, universal, Delta quadrant, TB
"Hunter ordered by Karr to assist in triage on Voyager crew members wounded on the holodeck. Like Jorik, performed cursorily at best."
-SECURITY, MEDICAL, Computer Skill; Staff icon
-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 8

PICTURE: Hirogen noses look more than a little silly sometimes, as in the case of Jetarn. He's ok though, in sickbay and everything, but the color palette isn't very good. A 2.9

LORE: Universality isn't acknowledged, but the lore isn't bad at all. His story is well told, the last sentence being particularly fun. Oh, and mentioning Karr has its uses. A fine 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Jetarn is a pretty typical Hirogen support personnel, so I have no trouble taking him as a universal. He guarded sickbay, and had to act as some kind of nurse, and that's at the root of his Security/Medical combo. Computer Skill is perhaps meant to keep a check on the holographic Doctor, but even if it isn't, it's a fairly typical Security skill. His subservient position makes him a Staff personnel. Thrown in with the villains, his Integrity's on the low side. Pretty bad at that nursing thing, his Cunning's low too. And well, a hunter needs his Strength. A good job even if there are no real surprises at 3.8.

STOCKABILITY: The Hirogen have a rather small personnel pool, so universal, easy to report, support personnel are well suited to helping the affiliation get back in the game after losing important skills to dilemmas (you're not actually losing personnel battles, are you?). And with 2 useful classifications, how could Jetarn be bad? The Hirogen have very few MEDICALs, in fact, one of the most important classifications in the game. Get those universals in there! Computer Skill is more common, but that's just as true of missions, dilemmas and verb cards. While Assign Support Personnel will get him aboard your ship, Hirogen Hunt will allow him to report for free if Karr is already in play, speeding things up a little (of course, you can always download him by discarding ASP instead). No real relationship to Hirogen-specific missions, but he's good against dilemmas. That all sends him to 3.6.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Most Hirogen can find room in your deck.

#1698-Jorik, Personnel, Hirogen, Delta quadrant, TB
"Medic who built neural interfaces to subdue the Voyager crew. Patched them up after hunters stabbed, shot, beat, phasered, and bat'lethed them in Karr's holoscenarios."
-MEDICAL, Exobiology, Biology, Computer Skill x2, Treachery; Command icon
-INTEGRITY: 3, CUNNING: 8, STRENGTH: 8

PICTURE: Overlit, it's still good on two counts. 1) he's shot from above to give him height, and 2) he IS in sickbay. Unfortunately, the lame background, "arrow-through-the-head" effect of the ceiling lights, and the very plain expression don't help the card. A 2.

LORE: Some excellent stuff, starting with a clear explanation of his role and how that relates to his skills, and followed by a delicious list of fates awaiting the Voyager crew. The list even includes some Star Trek neologisms like the verbs "phasering" (I don't know, did this one make it into the most recent and controversial Klingon/Jedi Webster's Dictionary?) and "bat'lething". Very fun, and it also mentions an Alpha! A strong 4.7.

TREK SENSE: Jorik is one of the main guys in the Hirogen pack from "The Killing Game", a Medic(al) who was in charge of sickbay in the episodes (so Command fits). Patching up various aliens would require Exobiology, though he also has an understanding of Hirogen Biology. The neural interfaces are pretty complex, turning flesh and blood personnel more or less into computer-controlled holonovel characters (well, not controlled exactly, but they are made to believe in the artificial reality). Computer Skill really needed to be doubled in this case (so good job). And he's one of the villains all right, thinking nothing of using his medical skills simply to send personnel back to the slaughter, taking away their identities, etc. Treachery and low Integrity anyone? To pull all of this off, high Cunning is also called for, though he was a little limited in his thinking, so I agree with the 8. And Strength is high as per his species, though not that high because of his post. I'd say everything checks out great. A 4.2 (no more because he's still just a collection of standard skills).

STOCKABILITY: Karr is an excellent Alpha-Hirogen (with Anthropology, no less), and if you have him in play, anyone who names him is elligible for free reporting thanks to Hirogen Hunt. Jorik is part of that group, and he's one of the very few MEDICAL personnel the Hirogen have. All his other skills occur on at least 3 other flesh and blood Hirogen, but MEDICAL is only on 2 others, so is at a premium. All his skills can be found on dilemmas (some of them quite often), and Exobiology in particular is featured on one of the affiliation's only 3 missions, Hunt Alien. And what about that Computer Skill x2? With Quark's Isolinear Rods, he can be downloaded to hand (to play for free later?) real early in the game (at any time, really). He also overcomes Ferengi Ingenuity, as well as many Computer Skill dilemmas, including Alice singlehandedly. Computer Skill with Treachery means he can use Airlock, and both his STRENGTH and CUNNING are in good shape to throw people out once you've boarded their ship. A versatile 4.3.

TOTAL: 15.2 (76%) Karr's best guy.

#1709-Kamok, Personnel, Klingon, universal, Delta quadrant, TB
"Typical crewman of IKC Voq'leng. Has low regard for Kohlar. Eagerly aided T'Greth's bid to seize a new ship after the captain foolishly destroyed their battle cruiser."
-SECURITY, Computer Skill; Staff icon
-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: There's some incongruity in the fact this Klingon warrior is holding a Starfleet phaser, but at least it's an action shot. Kind of blah nonetheless with a distracting extra head of hair in the background. A 3 maybe.

LORE: Universality is set up fine, and then we get the events of "Prophecy" through his eyes, which is a great way to go about it. Lots of descriptives and qualified relationships. A good 3.5.

TREK SENSE: A typical crewmember of a Klingon cruiser might very well be Security since Klingon ships are mostly staffed by soldiers. That's fine with me. Computer Skill is a fine mission specialty, somewhat related to Security with the use of security systems, and always difficult to dispute on personnel from our future (after all, most of us have some version of the skill today). The low Integrity makes him ready to mutiny, and he need not have Treachery in addition to it. After all, T'Greth doesn't have Treachery. No, these guys were against Kohlar because they genuinely thought what he was doing was wrong-headed. Kamok just doesn't have the foresight Kohlar has, as evidenced by low Cunning. Strength is a bit low for a Klingon Security personnel though. Reaches 3.7.

STOCKABILITY: This is an important mission specialist. Computer Skill is one of the most common skills in the game, and that's as true of missions as it is of everything else. And there are a LOT of Computer Skill missions in the Delta Quadrant! Assign Mission Specialists can also start Kamok out in the Alpha Quadrant if you'd rather use those missions. There are very few DQ Klingons, so they're all important to that kind of deck. B'Elanna Daughter of Miral is the only other source of Klingon Computer Skill there (a great source, but still not enough), and he's their universal SECURITY to boot. It's obvious you're gonna be bringing in other personnel, whether Non-Aligned, natives using their "emblem" card and/or support personnel and missions specialists, but "pure" sources are the easiest to report (Home Away From Home can be downloaded by the Voq'leng), and Staff icon personnel even more so. More than a DQ tool, Kamok gets a 3.6.

TOTAL: 13.8 (69%) Upper middle.

#1720-Karon, Personnel, Hirogen, Delta quadrant, TB
"Diligent Alpha-Hirogen. Commanded a Hunting Vessel that stalked a member of Species 8472. Has an unrivaled understanding of the behavior of prey."
-OFFICER, Leadership, Treachery, Anthropology x2, Navigation, Exobiology; SD Hirogen Disruptor Rifle; Command icon
-INTEGRITY: 4, CUNNING: 9, STRENGTH: 9

PICTURE: While they may have some of the coolest uniforms/armors going, the Hirogen have terrible make-up. It just struck me that the texture of their skin is that of peanut shells, and Karon's head here is rather shapeless. Too bad. He's made taller through the low angle, and Sickbay's ceiling has some nice shapes going, but its lights just smother the character. Still a recognizeable 3.3.

LORE: Well identified and even given a nice adjective. He's named as an Alpha, and made a matching commander of the universal Hunting Vessel, all good traits. And the last sentence comments on his skills. Quite good, and a 3.6.

TREK SENSE: Alpha's are obviously Officers with Leadership and a Command icon. That's par for the course, as indeed is the matching commander status on the Hunting Vessel. Navigation is a fair companion, and especially useful in tracking prey through space. His "unrivaled" understanding of prey is shown off as an impressive Anthropology x2, plus Exobiology. The Hunting Rifle was first seen in his episode, I believe, so it makes a natural special download. Treachery bothers me though. Maybe I didn't empathize with the 8472 creature enough, but if Hirogen's hunting ways are Treacherous behavior, then his entire species should get the skill. Yes, the creature was wounded, but a wounded 8472 is still dangerous. And if Karon went against Voyager's attempt to lend it humanitarian aid, that's just his nature. I guess his various cunning ploys kept him trained in deception, I just don't find the skill to be that indicated. Not that I would begrudge him his low Integrity - it's not extremely low or anything - as he was basically a killer. To outfight and outsmart a member of Species 8472, you need a lot of Cunning and Strength, and at least, Karon has that. So my only objection is to the Treachery, and it's not a big objection. He'll get a 4.

STOCKABILITY: Alpha-Hirogen are highly prized, as are matching commander, as are Anthropology Hirogen, so you know Karon's headed for a high score. He's a great help to all three Hirogen missions, basically having every strandard skill required of Hunt Alien (not surprising since that was his one episode), two out of three on Corner Enemy Ship, and is a needed Alpha for Secure Station (as well as for Hunting Group, a more generic objective Hirogen can plop down on other missions). Hirogen Hunt allows him to report for free, and in his case, would allow all Vuronds to later report for free. As an Alpha, he can use Relics of the Chase to "upload" an escorted captive to the bonus points area. And with Anthropology, he can add your chosen prey's skills. Like other Alphas, he's got high CUNNING and STRENGTH, but they get a whole lot higher when he downloads that Hirogen Disruptor Rifle. 11 CUNNING and 13 STRENGTH with that gun in his hand, as well as boosting all his little friends too. He's one of 3 personnel to command a Hunting Vessel, which is fine since the ship is not only universal, but gains WEAPONS based on how many Hunting Vessels are together at one location. Spacedoor will get you the ship early, and from there you can Ready Room Door Karon (or any of the others) directly to it if you like. Plaqued and Logged, it achieves 9-X+3 (at least 10)-12 attributes. Oh, and was I forgetting the skill list? All good stuff, with Treachery being the lesser of the list. He'll breeze through many dilemmas, including None Shall Pass, Aggressive Behavior, etc. This Tony Todd character gets a high 4.6.

TOTAL: 15.5 (77.5%) But not the best Alpha overall.

#1732-Karr, Personnel, Hirogen, Delta quadrant, TB
"Alpha-Hirogen who captured Voyager in 2374. Used its holodecks to study his prey's history. Hoped for lessons to save his own culture from stagnation and extinction."
-OFFICER, Leadership x2, Diplomacy, Honor, Law, Computer Skill, Anthropology, Astrophysics; Command icon
-INTEGRITY: 7, CUNNING: 8, STRENGTH: 9

PICTURE: Great low angle, great shadows, great fish-eye effect. The background right behind Karr's head is a bit messy, but overall, I think the image manages to show off both his dangerous and noble sides. A 3.5.

LORE: His status as an Alpha is, of course, useful in the game, but dates are always a bit dull. Thankfully, the rest holds his story and motivations, and though the syntax isn't always spot-on, it does a good job of defining his role. A 3.3.

TREK SENSE: Alphas are the Hirogen leaders, so Officer, Command icon and Leadership are musts (as is high Strength). Leadership even goes to x2 here, because his men (and there were many) were willing to do things that were anathema to them. Fake hunts? Karr definitely was a visionary (high Cunning), and he managed to sell his idea well enough. And he's doing all this to save his race from extinction, so Honor and good Integrity make sense. When things took a turn for the worse, he was also able to work with Voyager's crew against Turanj, showing some skill in Diplomacy as well as bringing Honor back to the table. Working with holodeck programs requires Computer Skill. In the Nazi-occupied France program, he WAS the Law, and in the real world, I guess he knew how to exploit loopholes in Hirogen culture to fit his ideas. Astrophysics comes from the fact that he ambushed Voyager (off-screen) in or from a nubula. A big skill list and it all makes sense. Too bad it's not more daring though. Hits 4.3.

STOCKABILITY: 7 skills, all-high attributes, and an Alpha to boot. I smell a high score. As far as Alphas go, he may not be the matching commander of a vessel, but he's hands down the Alpha that gets the most mentions in Hirogen lores. In other words, he allows for the most Hirogen to report for free when Hirogen Hunt is in play: Takirac (universal), Jorik, Davar (universal), Jetarn and Turanj. And he reports for free just for being an Alpha. He's got Anthropology to add to his already formidable skill list with Rituals of the Hunt, and plenty of rarities besides. He's one of only 3 Hirogen Diplomats, one of only 3 Astrophysicists, and the only Lawyer. Yet those skills are important ones when it comes to dilemmas. The rest are more common, but no less useful, especially the doubled Leadership (against Tense Negotiations, for example, or Primitive Humanoids). He can help out at all three Hirogen-specific missions as well as Hunting Group, plus he's got all those Alpha tricks when it comes to collecting trophies. A very strong 4.6.

TOTAL: 15.7 (78.5%) Second only to Decaren for now.

#1744-Kazon Fighter, Ship, Kazon, universal, Delta quadrant, TB
"Small fighter based on same design as the larger Raider. Karden commanded one when battling to earn his name."
-Fighter/Shuttlecraft[] May report for free aboard your Kazon Raider if no ships aboard; SD Blue Alert; Has no transporters
-RANGE: 7, WEAPONS: 5, SHIELDS: 5

PICTURE: Though the details are sharp on the ship and the moving stars give it a dynamic sense of motion, I remain unimpressed. I think the ship profile is so counter-intuitive that it might as well be a space station, y'know? At least, from this vantage point. The technical elements do lead it to a 3.

LORE: Two quick lines, but they're fine. There's an aknowledgement of the fact the Fighter was the same ship as the Raider, but at a different scale. And then a matching commander is given, a good one too, and with a little more story context than is usually afforded such mentions. A fine 3.4.

TREK SENSE: I like the idea that the Kazon have their shuttles do double duty as Fighters, and the dual-class is perfect here. As with other Kazon ships, it has no transporters, though perhaps the small compact nature of the craft would have excluded them anyway. It IS a small ship, so it can not only fit in a Kazon Raider, but report there for free too. Each Raider must have a minimum of one Fighter inside, which is represented by the clause "if no ships aboard" here. Basically keeps one ready for launch at all times (the Raider allows for launching). On a related note, there's a special download of Blue Alert, which makes sure the Fighter(s) can land, which was part of their capabilities. That card title is unwholesomely Federation-flavored, but what're you gonna do? No problem with the matching commander listed. Karden certainly trained hard enough to warrant his knowing such a small craft inside and out. Attributes are higher than the Kazon Shuttle, but is meant to be longer lasting than the boarding pod. The self-sufficient nature of Kazon society may warrant the high Range on a support craft, but it does seem a tad high. The "battle stats" are fine for this class of ship. Manages to hit the right notes, sometimes indirectly through other cards. A 4.

STOCKABILITY: A free ship to report aboard your Kazon Raider as long as there's no other shuttlecraft in the hold. Reporting and launching each turn you have one in hand will work, of course, and the Fighters have enough RANGE to generally follow the Kazon armada. Speaking of armadas, you can deploy quite the armada on your turn using a Kazon Warship, which may carry Raiders, which in turn may carry Fighters and Shuttles. But it's not like the Warship has that much RANGE to add (it's in fact one less than the Raider's). Anyway, one Fighter's RANGE can be Plaqued to 9 if Karden is aboard, and he'll also make it a better fighter with Captain's Log, with WEAPONS and SHIELDS at 8. He's an excellent personnel to have around in any case. Using the Fighter also allows you to download Blue Alert, which all your ships without staffing icons can then use to land and take-off (at a cost of 2 RANGE). Seeing as the Fighter's SHIELDS are on the low side, it may be a good way to protect it from attack and/or rettaliation. It's also required if you downloaded it via Hidden Fighter and want to leave the planet. AND with then Kazon having no transporters, it's a strong alternative to the Transporter Control Module, all too vulnerable to Disruptor Overload and Common Thief. Enterprise-style, your Kazon jump on a Fighter, go down to the planet and attempt the mission. As combat support, it's good, but armada-hosers tend to keep this in check. A free ship to which you can Ready Room Door Karden and download Blue Alert is definitely worth something though: 3.6.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) A good first ship for the Kazon (first reviewed, though the last published).

#1756-Kes, Personnel, Non-Aligned, Delta quadrant, TB
"In 2376, a vengeful Kes returned to Voyager, an outcast with powers far beyond any other Ocampa. Angry with Janeway, who encouraged her to unlock these abilities."
-CIVILIAN, Empathy x2, Physics, Navigation, Treachery, MEDICAL; May not be stunned; Staff icon
-INTEGRITY: 3, CUNNING: 9, STRENGTH: 4

PICTURE: "Geezer" Kes has had better days, but the pic succeeds by virtue of its background. The color palette is as cold as her heart here, and the throbbing power off the warp core relates to the one inside her. A thoughtful 3.6.

LORE: I kind of wish the word "fury" had been used here, but I'm thinking it'll show up on any 2E version of this Kes (it was the title of the episode). That aside, the lore reads ok, with plenty of context for what she's become. A 3.

TREK SENSE: This Kes has turned her back on the Federation and is squarely Non-Aligned. The first skill we come across is Empathy x2, i.e. full telepathy, but it's not something she actually exhibited in "Fury". In fact, there's no real reason to think that this particular power was greater now than it had been in the past. Speaking of powers, the let-down here is that her great powers are barely addressed. That she could take a phaser stun without keeling over is represented as her special skill, sure. But what about rupturing bulkheads telekinetically in her wake? Taking on her younger counterpart's form? Time traveling using the warp core's power (that, at least, would seem to require her Physics). No Ocampa-related card does this kind of thing, so we're automatically left with an incomplete character. That said, back to the skills: Navigation and the Staff icon helped her pilot the shuttle she came in on. Treachery and low Integrity were motivated by revenge, and in turn motivated her betrayal of Voyager to the Vidiians. Here, the secure communication to the deformed race might have required Computer Skill, no? And Medical is a leftover from her Voyager training. Cunning's gone up since last we saw her, which is part and parcel of her expanding mental powers (and required to figure out her time travel tricks). Strength's remained the same however. Well, physically, I agree, but her telekinesis could have been factored in here very simply. What other personnel can cause hull breaches without the benefit of weapons? A case of biting off way more than what could be chewed, this Kes only gets a 2.5. What's there is good, but woefully incomplete.

STOCKABILITY: An eclectic and useful skill list and some very high CUNNING, that's what this Kes has to offer. Empathy is rare in the Delta Quadrant, and as a (Non-Aligned) double dose here, it's great against all manner of dilemma. Physics and Navigation will find their footing mostly at space missions, with Physics appearing often in the DQ. Treachery will help her work with the nastier affiliations, or provide a complement to nicer ones. And MEDICAL? That's always good to have. The Hirogen only have 3 of their own! The special skill is only good if you arm Kes a little, because with a STRENGTH of 4, it means she can be mortally wounded by a personnel with STRENGTH 9. The DQ has many of those, and the number rises very quickly when hand weapons are involved. Even in cases where she isn't stunned, her measly STRENGTH of 4 won't help your STRENGTH total very much. At least it has some chance of protecting her from personnel battle. She's an Ocampa, so she can report to Liberation for free, and can make use of The Gift. The Voyager version of her persona has a choice of 2 downloads, which, once used up, might free you up to switch to the Geezer version, trading a MEDICAL profile for a more varied pool of skills. Having 2 Keses in your deck might also be helpful for when The Gift discards one. A good mission solver if nothing else, with Heal Life-Form the most compatible of the DQ lot. A 3.7.

TOTAL: 12.8 (64%) Much less than her younger self (who got 73.5%).

#1768-Kohlar, Personnel, Klingon, Delta quadrant, TB
"Captain of IKC Voq'leng. Seized a chance to end his crew's long journey of hardship and isolation, casting the unborn child of B'Elanna Torres as the Kuvah'Magh."
-OFFICER, Diplomacy, Honor, Anthropology, Leadership, Stellar Cartography; SD Auto-Destruct Sequence; Command icon
-INTEGRITY: 8, CUNNING: 8, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: Though a little crowded and with annoying shadows in his face, there's a lot to like about Kohlar's pic. First, it's an action shot and shows him as a matching commander. The details of the Klingon bridge are cool, from various Klingon silouettes to that interesting design on the ceiling as well as atmospheric light showers. Reaches 3.4.

LORE: From the standard matching commander note, we head into his role in "Prophecy". It's very well told, with an appropriately epic feel, and nice non-commitment about Miral's true nature. A strong and useful 3.6.

TREK SENSE: Kohlar's Officer, Command icon and Leadership aren't in question, nor is his matching commander status on the Voq'leng, a ship that was his home since birth. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who had more experience with their ship. His negotiations with Janeway certainly merit Diplomacy, and knowing all about the scriptures warrants Anthropology. Honor and high Integrity were on display in the way he treated the Feds and in his wish to finally give his warriors a place to live, even if he had to lie to them (or did he?). Stellar Cartography would have been used to look for the Kuvah'Magh through the Delta Quadrant. He blew up his ship, so Auto-Destruct Sequence makes sense as a special download for him. He's both smart and strong, though perhaps not the toughest Klingon warrior - his attributes model this well. Well done, well done, though no real surprises. A high 4.5.

STOCKABILITY: The Klingons can be made into a fairly good DQ affiliation with enough Support Personnel and/or NAs, and the Voq'leng is of course the key to doing this. With its Home Away From Home download, it enables your DQ Klingons to report aboard, sometimes for free. Kohlar can't report for free because of his Command icon, but he could still be downloaded to the ship with Ready Room Door. The Voq'leng is a pretty weak ship alone, but Plaque, Log and Kohlar boost it to a more respectable 8-8-9, 9-9-10 with Movak aboard as well. The Cloaking Device, rare in the DQ, will help protect it from marauders too. None of his skills are useless and all his attributes are high. In particular, he's got all three skills required of Establish Settlement, where you can discard DQ Klingons to score more than 30 points. The mission can ultimately be worth as much as 55 points with the proper discards. You won't feel so bad about discarding them. He can also trigger Ancestral Vision. The one black mark on Kohlar is his less than stellar special download. Destroying your ship isn't exactly how you want to game to turn out, is it? Well, in the DQ, you're the prey of Boarding Parties, organ harvesting, assimilation and Hirogen hunters, so if they board your ship, you could beam out somewhere and blow the whole thing to kingdom come. Yeah, that's not bad I suppose. Don't expect the explosion to damage an opposing ship here though, since few DQ ships have less than 8 SHIELDS. Kohlar's a very good personnel in any case, but you gotta think DQ Klingons are viable first (perhaps as Kazon or Vidiian allies). A 4.

TOTAL: 15.5 (77.5%) I wasn't expecting a top 5 perfomance!

#1780-Konuric, Personnel, Hirogen, universal, Delta quadrant, TB
"Representative of headstrong hunters. Once punished by Netek with months of remedial training. Never believed holograms to be worthy prey."
-OFFICER, ENGINEER, Geology; Staff icon
-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 6, STRENGTH: 9

PICTURE: One of those outdoor hunters, Konuric suffers from some blur, but the setting and composition are pretty good. It was helped by removing the Doctor from the left of the frame. Enough here for a 3.3.

LORE: Mostly invention, but fun invention. His motivations can certainly be ascribed to a number of "headstrong hunters", so it all makes sense. And I love that bit about remedial training. Good for a laugh, but also believable. A 3.8.

TREK SENSE: There's a certain follow-through on the lore with Konuric's low Integrity and Cunning, both reasons to punish him with remedial training. He doesn't see the big picture and is pretty rash besides. His rashness lends him Strength, but little else. As for the skills, I just don't know. Hunters are the Officers of the Hirogen, sure enough. And Engineer and Geology are related skills. But there's nothing in the lore or episode that makes these believable. Good attributes aren't enough for more than 2.5 in this case.

STOCKABILITY: A universal Hirogen support personnel with 2 classifications, one of them the ultra-useful ENGINEER. STRENGTH fits in well with the affiliation, though the other two attributes are rather lame. The mention of Netek in his lore means he can report for free through Hirogen Hunt if that personnel is in play. Now, though all skills are at a premium in an affiliation as small as the Hirogen's, it so happens Konuric's two are rather rare unless you plan on using the holograms. There's another universal ENGINEER (the better Ranjen), but no other universal Geology. Doesn't quite shine, but the Hirogen could pretty much use everyone. A 3.1.

TOTAL: 12.7 (63.5%) It's back to the remedial class.

#1793-Lagren, Personnel, Kazon, Delta quadrant, TB
"Kazon-Ogla who maintains the settlement on the Ocampa planet. Has searched unsuccessfully for a way to penetrate the Caretaker's subterranean shield."
-ENGINEER, Physics, Geology, Exobiology; Staff icon
-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 6

PICTURE: Doesn't look to bad from a couple feet away, but major blur when you get any closer. It's too bad too, because the lighting and palette are very unusual for an STCCG card. Pink and gray go well together. The staff he's holding gives him a cool tribal pose too. A 3 despite the technical difficulties.

LORE: They took a shot of an extra on the Ocampa planet, gave him a name and sensible backstory, and voila. And it IS all sensible. A good 3.3.

TREK SENSE: Lagren is an Engineer, and aside from his maintenance duties, he's interested in getting through the Caretaker's shield and into the Ocampa underground habitat. He's tried Physics to counter the shield itself. He's tried Geology to burrow around the shield. But to no avail. The Exobiology might be an interest in the Ocampa themselves, but it's harder to gauge. Not impossible though, since we know the Kazon captured Kes (and possibly others before her), and could surmise that they thought the Ocampa were perhaps biologically immune to the shield. Lagren might have looked at all avenues. His Integrity keeps him in with the bad guys, but betrays a sense of responsability to his settlement. Cunning fits his skill pool, while not letting him succeed at his objective. And Strength is a bit low for a Kazon, but he was definitely on the technical side of things, rather than the fighting. I might still have nudged it up, especially since he's shown with a weapon here. Staff icon is definately fine. Overall, an excellent effort with few missteps. A 3.7.

STOCKABILITY: ENGINEER isn't just one of the best classifications in the game, it's also one of the prime mission requirements in the Delta Quadrant (especially with Physics). And yet, the Kazon don't have very many of them. Lagren came out in The Borg expansion to add to their ranks. He's got three useful scientific skills on top of that, one of which, Exobiology, is unusual on an ENGINEER and less likely to be filtered out with the MEDICALs. Aside from the more common Geology, none of these skills occur more than 4 times in the affiliation, so he definitely filled a gap when he came out. Unimpressive, but fair attributes complete the picture. Helping with a large number of DQ missions, I'd say Lagren is a good deal at 3.5.

TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) About average, like many Kazon.

#1806-Lansor, Personnel, Non-Aligned, Delta quadrant, TB
"Humanoid mathematician once assimilated as the Borg, Two of Nine. Still linked with Marika and P'Chan."
-SCIENCE; When reported, may download Marika and P'Chan (if not in play); Physics, SECURITY; Def icon; Discard at end of turn if Marika and P'Chan not in play
-INTEGRITY: 4, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 8

PICTURE: Appropriately bitter and ragged, Lansor's pic is nevertheless pretty average. The background is somewhat dynamic, but the color palette is pretty plain. Good expression though. A 3.3.

LORE: Aside from his former employment, we get nothing too interesting here. And the reduced length certainly doesn't help. A 2.5.

TREK SENSE: Lansor is a humanoid of unknown species, probably from the Delta Quadrant, and now a former Defense drone. All the skills he has here, he had as Two of Nine, and Security, at least, seems to be something that has stayed with him from his assimilated days. Science and Physics, those can be attributed to his training as a mathematician, possibly boosted by assimilation. With some implants remaining, he keeps the Defense subcommand icon. His attributes aren't those of a drone though. More than a little desperate, his Integrity has dropped to allow him to do most anything to get away from his mini-collective. Cunning is appropriate for a scientist, and Strength, for a former Defense drone who still has some Borg tricks up his sleeve. The biggest story-telling point though is the mini-collective he has with P'Chan and Marika. Basically, if he's present, the other two should be present too (thus the download), because they can't survive without one another. However, shouldn't they die if they are separated by enough space? On the show, they died once separated for good. "In play" doesn't mean together. That last point drops the score to a still good 4.

STOCKABILITY: Lansor, Marika and P'Chan are an inseparable trio. If you use one, you must use all three, though not necessarily together. And that's their Achilles' heel. After all, you only have to kill one for them all to die at the end of the turn, wherever they are. Since they are unique Delta Quadrant personnel, you could Scission them and keep a back-up at all times, but it's up to you to decide if their 3 or 4 skills each are worth it. Add to that the fact that reporting one reports them all, or that Lansor has 2 excellent classifications, or that as former Borg, they can help with a number of non-Borg strategies and alternate dilemma requirements (though are vulnerable to Reassimilate Lost Drone). Lansor in particular can be downloaded via Defend Homeworld, instigating the download of the others (which gives you a lot of early classifications). Shape-Shift Inhibitor can put a damper on things with its automatic downloading costs, but even so. A good personnel with some risk attached, I see him as a 3.1.

TOTAL: 12.9 (64.5%) Will be interesting to match him against his cohorts.

#1818-Liberty, Ship, Non-Aligned, TB
"Maquis ship commanded by Captain Chakotay in 2371. 30-year-old vessel - with a 39-year-old engine that has been rebuilt and modified many times over."
-Antares Class[Maquis] Your [Maquis] personnel may report aboard; May be your seed at Caretaker's Array; Maquis icon
-RANGE: 8, WEAPONS: 6, SHIELDS: 6

PICTURE: The Liberty gets a little lost in the blur of movement, but you do get a sense of a ship on the run. Red and blue highlights are a little hokey though. The technical imperfections hold this one back at 2.6.

LORE: Well, first of all, "Liberty" is not the name of Chakotay's ship. It's the Valjean, as onscreen evidence has demonstrated. I also don't think that's an Antares-class ship. The Antares ships don't have any kind of wings on them, looking more like Bajoran Freighters, if you care to check. Aside from those mistakes, the lore gives us a matching commander, and a specs history. It's not bad, and shows how the Maquis have to make do with older ships and improvise with even older components. Gonna go with a potable 2.9 for the score.

TREK SENSE: The Maquis in 1E are considered Non-Aligned, having turned their backs on the Federation, and their ships are too. The Maquis icon required for staffing makes sure you put at least one of the right personnel aboard, and it's totally realistic that even Maquis without the standard staffing icons could act as crew on Maquis ships. Everyone has to get a little training in everything when any day could be your last. Maquis can report directly aboard, being Ensign Bobs until they need to step out from the shadow. The "Liberty" is big enough for this, since after all, it was later able to contribute a sizeable portion of Voyager's crew. That it may seed at Caretaker's Array makes sense - it was brought there - but is an odd choice nonetheless. They've decided to let its real stomping grounds be the Alpha Quadrant, where in the past, we've had personnel like Stadi and Dr. Fitzgerald, that have died upon entering the DQ but have been given DQ icons anyway. The Liberty does it better, I think. And the attributes? Well, that refurbished engine must be pretty great, because 8 is high for a small ship. It COULD outrun Evek's Galor, but still, that was in the Badlands. No offense to B'Elanna, but a little hard to swallow here. Weapons and Shields are more believable. A strong showing overall, and a 4.

STOCKABILITY: Whether you want to use the Maquis in the Alpha or Delta Quadrants, the Liberty's a good ship to go with. It's already got excellent RANGE, but that only goes higher thanks to Defiant Dedication Plaque and Captain Chakotay. Throw in Captain's Log, and the Liberty is a viable 10-9-9 ship. The NA B'Elanna further boosts the attributes to 12-11-11! Maquis personnel report directly aboard, supplying the required staffing very easily, and further voiding the necessity of Crew Reassignment, or even Home Away From Home. So whether your Maquis are DQ or not, they can report to the Delta Quadrant. Similarly, those DQ Maquis can report to the Liberty in the Alpha Quadrant, adding a whole lot to your Maquis personnel base either way. Now if only they had more to do in 1E... Still a very good 3.8.

TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) We'll have to wait a long time for the Valjean review, so enjoy this one in the meantime.

#1830-Mabus, Personnel, Non-Aligned, Delta quadrant, TB
"Trabe governor. Constantly plotting vengeance on the Kazon sects that killed his parents, continuing a cycle of hatred and persecution between their peoples."
VIP; Treachery x2, Diplomacy, SECURITY; Once per game, may kill one Maje present; Command icon
-INTEGRITY: 3, CUNNING: 8, STRENGTH: 7

PICTURE: A clear pic of the Trabe leader, but with a limited color palette. The details are good, such as the texture of his jacket, and all the darkness without speaks to the darkness within. So it's a positive, if a bit ordinary, 3.4.

LORE: His story is well told, with just the right touch of Star Trek preachiness ;-). Earns a 3.4 here too.

TREK SENSE: As a governor, Mabus is a VIP, and since his people have been displaced and are currently living on ships, the Command staffing icon is also well suited to him (Leadership might also have been nice). He IS Treacherous, but x2? Yes, he fooled Janeway into helping him (using Diplomacy, natch), and yes he was willing to kill all the Kazon majes, but wasn't he justified? I don't mean to condone multiple murders, but Treachery x2 should be reserved for people almost totally devoid of conscience, like Lore, not someone fighting a kind of war, and essentially doing right by his own people. His last standard skill is Security, exactly what he is interested in for his fellow Trabe. All debatable, of course, but I just think Treachery x2 is a little harsh. Even the Integrity could be a point higher. His special skill allows him to kill one Maje per game, which is a small number when you think of his actual ambitions, yet he couldn't pull off much more in "Alliances", mostly due to Voyager's interference. How he kills the Kazon is immaterial -  this guy'll find a way. His dastardly plans deserve the high Cunning, but I'm a bit suprised at the Strength. A bit high for an elder statesman, though I suppose the harsh life he leads keeps him in shape. The only thing I find really wrong is that he has no restriction box preventing him from mixing with the Kazon. How about 3.3?

STOCKABILITY: VIP isn't too great, but his skills make up for it, useful in a number of occasions. The second classification of SECURITY is particularly good, and one shouldn't dismiss the Treachery x2, which allows Mabus to use Protection Racket, protects him from Sabotaged Negotiations, passes Inside Collaborators, downloads a weapon with The Art of Diplomacy, and kills yet another personnel with I Do Not Take Orders From You! (he's got the CUNNING for it). Mabus' actual assassin special skill is minor, becasue it depends on your opponent playing with the Kazon, not the most popular of affiliations. If it happens though, killing a Maje is definitely an interesting prospect, since they are the most important personnel in the affiliation. Just don't count on that. And he's a rare Non-Aligned governor for passing Executive Authorization easily. But for that skill pool basically, I'll have to say 3.4.

TOTAL: 13.5 (67.5%) No doubt better in the Voyager-only environment.

#1842-Maintenance Overhaul, Mission, planet, Any Away Team may attempt mission, Delta Quadrant, TB
Uninhabited planet: Set down on this world to perform complete repairs and upgrades on ship systems.
-Landed ship + ENGINEER + Computer Skill
-Span: 2; 30 points; When you solve, you may download Divert Power.

PICTURE: The planet looks as good as any, managing to come off as a big, gray garage. A pleasant enough 3.4.

LORE: Again, a competent effort, well written though missions rarely exceed basic competence. And incredible that "Uninhabited planet" wasn't taken by some universal mission yet. A 3.1.

TREK SENSE: On what is essentially a "universal"-type world, but I agree that it should be a unique MISSION, since you wouldn't do these complete Overhauls very often. What is a little questionable, however, is that this is a mission for everyone. Seems to me that Delta Quadrant natives have facilities where they would usually conduct their repairs. DQ Feds, Klingons and other lost souls have none, so they WOULD have to set down on a planet and do this. That's why it's not an Alpha Quadrant mission - too many friendly outposts. But the DQ is a large place, and in the game, the Vidiians may be just as lost as the Feds when they are away from their space (as per the surrounding missions). The Kazon live on their ships and might be doing this kind of thing too. Same for the wide-ranging Hirogen. So I think we can make sense of this in the wilderness that is the Delta Quadrant. Span's a bit iffy though. Why so short? We're meant to be too far from port, aren't we? Could also just mean that in an emergency, you head for the closest planet you can find. Once again, the card manages to beat my initial take on it. No real opinion on points, since 30 is pretty standard. Requirements are simple enough, necessitating that you first land a ship, and then apply basic Engineering and Computer skills to its various systems. Some scaling would be nice, seeing as a large starship should require more skill than a shuttle. And the special game text? Does Maintenance equate to Diverting Power? Well, either of its effects have the same requirements as the mission, so there's a link there, but only the second can really be called an upgrade to the ship. A bit muddy then, but the rest of the card sails by, though not without being questioned. Fixes on 3.4.

SEEDABILITY: 30 points and an Objective download? Not bad for some pretty easy requirements. ENGINEER and Computer Skill are as common as they come, and often on the same personnel. Better yet, there are plenty of DQ missions that also require them, so Maintenance Overhaul readily fits into such decks. And since you have the ENGINEER and Computer Skill anyway, you'll be happy to note that Divert Power requires exactly those skills, whether you want to boost or just manipulate your ships' stats (it works on all your ships if they have the proper skills for its manipulation function). This is an objective that cannot be seeded, so ready access to it through mission solving isn't a bad way to go. You do have to get a landed ship on there, but in the Voyager environment/Delta Quadrant, you have a few ways to do this, including landable Kazon ships and Blue Alert. This mission could be as easy as using Hidden Fighter where you already have an ENGINEER. Bam, instant third requirement. Short Span... anyone can use it... still protectable by Fair Play... I see a 3.7 here.

TOTAL: 13.6 (68%) You can't ask much more of a mission than to fit into a workable deck.

#1854-Marika, Personnel, Non-Aligned/Federation, Delta quadrant, TB
"Bajoran assimilated as a Borg while on USS Excalibur. Became Three of Nine. She escaped the Borg in 2375."
-ENGINEER; When reported, may download Lansor and P'Chan (if not in play); Astrophysics, Stellar Cartography; Staff  icon, Nav icon; Discard at end of turn if Lansor and P'Chan not in play
-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 5

PICTURE: Putting her in engineering is useful, and I like how her hair is done up so as to hide rather ghastly implant scars. A dingy gray color palette is followed to good effect, though it looks better with the Federation template than the NA one (if a bit more overwhelming). Scores 3.4.

LORE: The cut in length doesn't help Marika any, and her persona needs to be mentioned as well ("needs" is a relative term where the Borg are concerned though). Other than that, we get her ship of origin, and a dull date of deassimilation. A frankly boring 2.2.

TREK SENSE: Trained as a Starfleet (Fed) officer, Marika is a woman of three worlds, as she's really Non-Aligned in the Delta Quadrant, and a former Borg drone. She was an Engineer aboard the Excelsior (Staff level), and her skills are somewhat related, though perhaps a little more relevant to her Borg existence as a Navigation drone. Perhaps they're carried over from that time. In any case, both skills work well with her remaining Borg subcommand icon, the legacy of her assimilation. Another legacy is her attributes, which are exactly those of a Nav drone. Hey, maybe she just had the same stats all along, with desperate if not evil Integrity, scientifically minded Cunning, and well-trained but not battle-expert Strength. The special skill and restriction box are what tells the story of Seven's three former cohorts. Since they form a small collective, they are always together (ergo the download), and if they ever aren't, they die. Unfortunately, the game allows them to be much farther apart than in the so-called real world. Like Lansor, this is still a good 4.

STOCKABILITY: While also a Fed for purposes of reporting to matching ships, etc., she's also Non-Aligned for use by everyone. And she has to be if she's to play with P'Chan and Lansor! Her relationship with them is an interesting one because on the one hand, reporting one downloads you the other two (and so a whole slew of excellent skills and classifications), but on the other, losing one means the rest will also die. End Transmission could keep them alive a little longer, but the risk remains. DQSS provides better back-ups however. Aside from her excellent skills (mostly useful on space missions, and definitely in demand in the Delta Quadrant), she's got a Navigation subcommand icon. It's really not as useful as, say, the Defense icon. It would be useful for Divert Power if she didn't already have ENGINEER. Other than that... Better than the icon is the fact she's a Borg personnel. It means she can redshirt I Tried to Warn You, is immune to a number of dilemmas and other cards (like Blood Oath and Protection Racket), survives being thrown out an Airlock, can't be Impersonated, and lots more. Good ways of reporting her and her partners include Home Away From Home (she fits in fine on the USS Equinox) and through Defend Homeworld/Lansor. Risky, but the former Borg trio can be pretty useful. Too bad about the lameduck icon. A 3 then.

TOTAL: 12.6 (63%) 0.3 under Lansor. P'Chan still to come.

#1866-Maturation Chamber, Equipment, Borg use only, TB
"Functions: Prepare neonatal drones for integration into the collective. Protect and accelerate development. Restructure synaptic pathways; facilitate formation of thoracic nodes."
-Once each turn, you may download to Chamber one [univ] drone in place of one card draw OR report to Chamber one [univ] drone (for free).

PICTURE: The Borg baby is a rather well done effect, with an interesting look at miniature implants. The apple green on Voyager-based Borg cards is often overwhelming, but here is leavened by the burgundy on half the (nicely dynamic) porthole. A very nice and unusual 3.8.

LORE: Follows the Borg format of listing the equipment's "Function", it's a little heavy on technobabble, but that's how the Borg are styled. I don't think it goes too far in any case. A thematically sound 3.3.

TREK SENSE: This is the kind of Equipment I don't normally think fits as an Equipment card, because it's not easily carriable. In this case, we don't know that for sure as the Chamber need be not much bigger than the baby, and the Borg could hide them on a planet for later emergence, etc. Not seen, but possible given the Collective's past tactics. The Chamber works a lot like the Jem'Hadar Birthing Chamber, another device that "produces" quickly-bred personnel. To make a drone each turn without actually emptying the Chamber though, is quite a feat. From onscreen evidence, it still takes years to make a child mature to the proper age (see Seven's origin). There's also the matter of only universal drones being accessible. That's fine in the sense that it avoids personnel we know to have been assimilated as adults, but looking at the cards, most unique drones DID spend some time in a Maturation Chamber! Seven, the kids... even Hugh/3 of 5 seemed to be unable to dredge up pre-assimilation memories. The download option represents the idea that the Borg can "program" drones with the right set of skills required at a particular time, though it takes energy to do so (sacrificing a card draw). The report for free option is for churning out drones without a specific agenda. Some major problems keep this one at 2.2.

STOCKABILITY: The Borg have heavy staffing needs for their Cubes, and the personnel generally have few skills, even if they can be interlinked. So reporting drones quickly and easily has always been a consideration. It's why we have Awaken, We Are the Borg and Activate Subcommands, for example. Though some of those cards get you more than one drone at a time, they have a one-shot effect. They are still recommended, as they make great probe results in addition to their fine effect. The Maturation Chamber, however, has staying power. Every turn at its location (which can be a facility, ship or even a planet), you can either report a free universal drone from hand or download a specific universal drone. The latter option does cost you a card draw, but many drones have abilities they may use in place of a card draw, so drawing mechanisms should be part of your arsenal (We Are the Borg, Borg Kiss, etc.). The Chamber can be downloaded early by a Procurement Drone or Third and Fourth, so that's no trouble. In effect, it gives you 2 card plays per turn, so long as one of them is a drone. You could even build up drones on a planet, creating a hive that scouts as soon as it's ready. Not required, but certainly useful to add to your ranks. A 4.

TOTAL: 13.3 (66.5%) Next to, but above the Jem'Hadar model.

#1878-Meditation, Event, TB
"'A-koo-chee-moya to my father Kolopak if you can hear me among these unnamed stars, I ask you to continue to watch over me as you've always done... A-koo-chee-moya.'"
-Plays on table. At any time, you may discard one card from hand. For rest of that turn, each time you draw a card, you may do so from the bottom of your draw deck.

PICTURE: My beef with this pic is that it's too cluttered to be about something as zen as Meditation. Patchy colors in shadowy darkness, and Chakotay, his hands clasped less in prayer than in throwing dice. I think I'll go with 1.7.

LORE: A quote straight from Chakotay's mantra, with a poetic flourish here and there. Nothing to do with the game text, of course, but it's not a bad capsule from the show. A 3.

TREK SENSE: Entirely conceptual, as it has nothing to do with the personnel inhabiting the game world. No personnel is made to meditate, and nothing truly happens that could actually be related to the act of Meditation. Conceptually, you spend a resource (the time it takes to stop and Meditate) to draw from your inner reserves. You dig down deep into your mind/soul/deck instead of what's at the surface. Conceptually then, it's kind of cute, but it doesn't really translate, does it? For that sound concept, a 1.8.

STOCKABILITY: You have a few cards that send cards to the bottom of your draw deck. If you want to get them back, Meditation is a good way to do so. Remodulation does a little of that, but Meditation stays on the table, and you only need to discard a card to unlock it for a turn. The bottom of the draw deck could be used to store cards you need in a pinch with Masaka Transformations, for example, or Mercy Kill/Zalkonian Storage Capsule or even Scorched Hand, but with any download would shake things up and render that strategy useless. Better, perhaps, rescuing cards in the discard pile through Process Ore or Bajoran Shrine (eventually getting back the necessary discard). As long as you have a Nor, Meditation could get back a card lost because of Guest Quarters. Same could be done with a Ferengi lost to the 6th Rule, or to your own spent Bynars Data Transfer. Aside from all that, I think the Borg could stand to gain from Meditating a little. Indeed, they can protect their good probes by only drawing from underneath the draw deck. So especially good when you're rigging yer probes. Overall, a flexible resource management card, though not overly powerful, and with a balancing cost. How about 3.4?

TOTAL: 9.9 (49.5%) Try to focus!

#1890-Mezoti, Personnel, Non-Aligned/Federation, Delta quadrant, TB
"Norcadian girl being raised on Voyager. Of the four Borg children rescued from a damaged cube, was quickest in reclaiming her individuality. Likes sculpting and bugs."
-CIVILIAN, Youth, Computer Skill, Biology; Once each turn, may "unstop" your Borg present; Def icon
-INTEGRITY: 6, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 4

PICTURE: A former Borg riding a bike around a cargo bay is quite a lot of fun, and Mezoti seems very sweet here. The background is also solid, since you'll find blue and gold stripes on the barrels, meshing well with either the Fed or NA template. It's rare that a card will make you say "aww, that's nice", but here's one. A 3.6.

LORE: Excellent details on the young girl, including her two species, how she coped with de-assimilation, and her new interests. That last phrase invariably makes me think of the public announcement ad with the kids answering the question "What's your thing?" One of them does answer: "Bugs." Don't know if that runs where you live, but it cracks me up every time. 3.6 again.

TREK SENSE: There's no escaping that she's a Civilian Youth, of course, and her interest in bugs seems to have translated as Biology. Well, she did have that skill as a Borg, so maybe it's the implanted/shared knowledge of Biology that later translated as an interest in insects. We find other Borg enhancement, for example, in her facility with Computers (helps when you have a computer in your brain), and rather high Cunning for a child. Moreover, you've got the Defense subcommand icon, representing her package of leftover implants, and certainly explaining why she has such high Strength for a little girl. To finish up on attributes, the Integrity has a dab of childish selfishness and Borg coldness thrown into the sweetness and willingness to please. The unstopping ability is a nice one, in that it relates to her quick reclamation of individuality. On the show, it gave Seven hope and the other Borg kids an example to follow. In other words, it inspired these former Borg to greater heights ("unstopped" them). Works for me. Oh, and I don't mind the dual-affiliation here: She's basically Non-Aligned because of her species and when you consider that she might have been rescued by someone other than the Feds, but she did become part of Voyager's community and was (briefly) raised with Federation values. An excellent 4.5.

STOCKABILITY: If you plan on using a lot of former Borg, Mezoti's an excellent one to add to the mix. Her unstopping ability will work on all your Borg present, including herself, basically doubling the turns of such luminaries as Seven of Nine, One and Icheb, not to mention the three former "of Nines", Riley Frazier's cooperative and the Wysanti twins (and any Brainwashed Borg, of course). These are all highly skilled personnel (One thanks to his sharing ability) that can comprise the core of a mission solving deck for any affiliation, since they are all NAs. And with Mezoti, being stopped by a dilemma doesn't mean the end of the attempt. She also brings skills to the table, of course, with Computer Skill and Biology both useful in multiples, balancing out their commonality. Youth isn't as important, but it is rare in the Delta Quadrant, especially for non-Feds. In addition, she has one of the better subcommand icons for non-affiliated Borg. With it, she can boost your ship's attributes by Diverting Power, protect personnel from Denevan Neural Parasites and Invasive Procedures, and helps with Crisis and Kazon Bomb. That's in addition to all the tricks former Borg can pull off, often piggy-backing off real Borg effects, usually protection against a number of cards that say "non-Borg" or "except Borg". That little girl does well for herself, garnering a high 4.1.

TOTAL: 15.8 (79%) All together now... "children are our future..."

#1902-Morak, Personnel, Klingon, Delta quadrant, TB
"Tactical officer of IKC Voq'leng. Devout believer in the prophecies of the Sacred Scrolls. Banded with T'Greth in an attempt to commandeer USS Voyager."
-SCIENCE, Transporter Skill, Astrophysics, Physics; If on IKC Voq'leng, it is attributes all +1; Staff icon
-INTEGRITY: 5, CUNNING: 7, STRENGTH: 6

PICTURE: The intense Morak is dramatically lit, and though his collar button has the usual Klingon insignia, it kinda looks like a triangle here... a Delta? Otherwise unremarkable, the pic does get 3.3.

LORE: Aside from his post and his part in the story, we get a little more about his belief system. A likeable 3.2.

TREK SENSE: Hmm... Shouldn't a tactical officer be Security? Though there's nothing technically wrong with him then having Astrophysics and Physics, they do look like fruit from a poisonous tree, i.e. Science-related skills (not that these couldn't be used tactically mind you). Transporter Skill can help with boarding a ship (and commandeering it, though this was not the tactic used here), and makes sense. The boost to the Voq'leng makes sense in that it wasn't just his ship, but his home for his entire life. Using tactics, a ship's Weapons and Shields can certainly be boosted. Range, not so much, but Astrophysics can possibly help with that attribute. The middling Integrity can be attributed to his great faith and loyalty, but at the same time being ready to take over a friendly ship. His skills are well served by his Cunning. Strength's on the low side, so I wonder if he was more affected than most by the disease plaguing the crew. A really strange decision about the classification makes this a hard one to gauge. Only a 2.

STOCKABILITY: For a Klingon DQ deck using the Voq'leng and Home Away From Home, there aren't that many unique personnel to crew your ship with. No doubt, all of them would be used. Morak is more than a necessary evil though, since he boosts the low attributes of that vessel. It's not so timid a ship when you throw in Morak, and Kohlar with Plaque'n'Log, and you've got a  much more reasonable 9-9-10 (7-6-7 with just Morak). And my problem with the skills under Trek Sense is a boon here. It would seem they tried to give you enough skills in the few DQ Klingons to be able to play them as a kind of micro-affiliation. There aren't a lot of ANY one skill, and Morak has some useful ones. Physics can be found on many DQ missions, for example, and both Astrophysics and Transporter Skill get some dilemma action. Attributes read like a universal's though. The useful boost to the Voq'leng's stats is enough to include him, the skills give you a little extra. A 3.5.

TOTAL: 12 (60%) Just passed the crew evaluation.

#1914-Multivector Assault Mode, Interrupt, TB
"New technology designed for the USS Prometheus, allowing it to split into three separate ships during a battle. Programmed with hundreds of computer-controlled attack patterns."
-Plays at start of battle (once per battle) involving your USS Prometheus OR at least three of your ships. One of those ships is WEAPONS and SHIELDS +5 until end of battle.

PICTURE: A bit too dark and too busy, but then, that's a lot of information to cram into the small picture space. Two pieces of the Prometheus are firing at a Nebula-class ship, while the other piece is blocking that ship's escape. Too bad it doesn't quite work. A 2.5.

LORE: It's all ok, and reasonably free of technobabble. There's even a hint of how ships other than the Prometheus could use the card, but I'm getting ahead of myself. A 3 here.

TREK SENSE: You attack in packs, you're gonna have a strategic advantage. This is what this card is meant to simulate. If you've got at least three ships in battle, you can apply one of these tactics (not to be confused with Tactics), which may or may not be computer-assisted, to boost one ship's Weapons and Shields. Only one ship? Yes, since the others have to guide the enemy ship astray, feint and push, run interference, etc. The Prometheus, of course, can split into three and do this by itself. Great stuff, though the exact bonus (+5) is pulled from a hat. It looks like too much and isn't really helped by having more than 3 ships... I'm still giving the card a 4.4.

STOCKABILITY: +5 to WEAPONS *and* SHIELDS? Who wouldn't want that? Of course, unless you use the Prometheus (more on that below), you need at least three ships. The card will thus be more effective with small armadas, basically adding the equivalent of a small support craft to the fight, and protecting your weakest ship with the SHIELDS boost (you can give the +5s to your shuttle if you want). It can give extra bite to a squadron of Hidden Fighter-types, or your Kazon Warship can just unload its carried ships are add to the already immense firepower that micro-fleet represents. But it's with the Prometheus that the card does the most damage. See, the Prometheus is already a 10-9-9 ship. In the hands of the Romulans, you can put Rekar aboard to get a Logged 10-12-12. Furthermore, the ship can download Multivector Assault Mode when in battle to jack those stats up to 10-17-17. This isn't a special download, one-shot wonder. It's useable whenever the ship is in battle. That's major. The Federation would have to circumvent battle restrictions to really make the most of it, but the card can be used defensively too, such as when an opponent initiates the battle. Not that likely when the Prometheus has that ability written right on the card, and even less so when a ship is part of an aramada. As an aid to Romulan attack decks, it's very good, though in cases where you can't download it, maybe more permanent enhancements should be called for. A 4.1.

TOTAL: 14 (70%) Don't get MAD now ;-).

< Previous 20......................................................................................................................Next 20 >

Contact me if you wanna talk about any of these :-)


Star Trek TM Paramount Pictures; Star Trek: Customizable Card Game TM Decipher Inc.