Three Faction Fleet: Updating Attack Wing Reviews

Deep in the depths of the internet you can still hear them... the lost expansion packs...the last ones roaming free in the wild...

Problem is that most of those aren't exactly super collectible and if you do want one of those rarer than rocking horse doo doo ones you'll be waiting for a delivery from Australia.

Anyway, I've caught three more to fill out the collection this month and all of them are fairly ancient in Attack Wing terms.

The classic Romulan Bird-of-Prey from Balance of Terror (plus the remastered The Enterprise Incident) is a real gem and one I’ve wanted for a while to be able to run TOS themed games with more than just Federation and Klingon ships.

The model itself retains the simple grey paint job of the Wah Chang design plus that stunning bird decal across the bottom. This might be basic, but it’s a nice model that works because there aren’t any complex details. 

So to the cards and the IRW Gal Gath'Thong sports two attack points, two for defence, three hull and two shield points placing as quite a fragile ship if you play it against any of the 24th Century armada. Equipped with Evade, Target Lock, Cloak and Sensor Echo Actions, the Bird of Prey can also add up to two Crew and two Weapon slots. On big benefit here is the ability to fire Plasma Torpedoes while cloaked without the need for a Target Lock. This saves an Action to use for something else (I'd suggest Evade!) while also packing a four dice attack which we will come to shortly.

Movement wise she's not too difficult to swing about with a full set of turns and banks at speed two and three plus a Come About (red) manoeuvre at speed three. Top speed maxes out at fur and you can also bank at speed one. Given the cloaking ability and the use of the torpedoes I think this is well balanced.

If you choose the generic version you'll lose the Unique Action as well as a Shield point and a Weapon slot for a cost of 16 points versus 18 for the named ship.

There's only one named Captain with this expansion in the form of Marc Lenard's Romulan Commander. Costing five points, he does offer up an unusual two Elite Action slots as part of his seven Skill. As an Action the Romulan Commander will allow you to attack first but with the charge of an Auxiliary Power Token. Very costly when it comes to moves since you'll have to perform something at speed one or a straight two to get that removed.

Plasma Torpedoes can be target locked to a target if you don't have the Unique Action of the Gal Gath'Thong and at ranges one and two this can hit an opponent with four attack dice. This costs three points as does Nuclear Warhead. 

The expectation would be for this to provide a kick-ass dice roll of five but instead it launches the Minefield token at the end of the Activation Phase and any ship that runs into it rolls three attack dice and receives Damage or Critical Damage as normal without defending. Brutal and also an ongoing effect, I would want to have both this and the Torpedoes aboard the Bird of Prey given their ferocity and ease of use.

As for Crew the Centurion is oddly cheaper (four points) than the Romulan Officer (five points). However his ability is only to be discarded if another Crew or the Captain were to be removed from play - effectively a sacrificial card if you have something better available not to lose!

The Romulan Officer is also a discard and adds two die to your attack if it is begun while cloaked. A great card to use in conjunction with the Gal Gath'Thong itself and the Torpedoes card however it removes any chance to defend so it might be a final, big offensive move if you do.

As there are two Elite Action slots with the Romulan Commander there are also two Elite Action cards in the pack. The five point Double Back (not a reference to ZZ Top's single) Allows players to perform a one or two reverse move after performing a Sensor Echo at the cost of discarding it. This is a neat chance to get out of trouble especially if you're planning on a big attack.

Decoy (four points) gets discarded along with ne Weapon or Tech upgrade to force an opponent to roll three less attack dice in the round but it has to be played before any rolls have been made. I expected the discard here to be a Crew card which would bring the Centurion into play so having a Tech option on there is odd since this pack doesn't have one. 

The Destroy the Outposts mission recreates the classic Balance of Terror story with the Romulans tasked with destroying two Federation Neutral Zone outposts while all the opposing player needs to do is destroy the Bird of Play. It's a solid one versus one scenario that will really test the pack and see if you can outwit a Starfleet ship.

Now to our second arrival and the Bajoran Interceptor Five. First seen in the capable hands of Kira Nerys in DS9's The Siege, the small fighter is a tiny but well painted up miniature with the panelling distinctly marked up. It's not super pretty however the result and the work on this one are decent enough given the size of the playing piece. In fact it's easily the best looking Bajoran item in the game but that's not saying a lot.

Rocking a less than boot shaking 16 point cost, the Interceptor boasts two Attack, three Defence, three Hull...and no Shields so don't expect to have this one around too long in a game. Operating with the Evade, Target Lock, Scan and Battle Station Actions, the ship also has slots for one Weapon, Crew and Tech upgrade. As for its Unique Action, it's one that will only come into play in very, very specific circumstances. The Interceptor takes no damage overlapping planets, obstacles or ship bases so a great ship to use in tight skirmishes and asteroid fields but not necessarily in lots of open space. Maybe with the Bajorans as a subset of the Federation now, this would be ideal to use as a minor support ship.

The generic version loses no Shields but doesn't have Scan or a Crew slot - however it still costs 16 points which makes using the generic version pretty pointless unless you're equipping a fleet of these things.

Nor is it the fastest craft you'll play but it makes up for that with stunning manoeuvrability at speeds one and two with no penalty for Come Abouts. At speed three it can only bank and move forwards so don't expect to get out of anything sticky too quickly.

Building on the close combat and obstacle-friendly nature of the Interceptor, Hazar would be your first Captain option (four points). Skilled to seven and with an Elite Action slot, he forces enemy ships to attack with one less die if your ship is within range one of a planet or an obstacle. This mirrors the Interceptor's better manoeuvrability in atmosphere where it can strike back harder with less consequences.   Option two for Captain is the two point Lenaris Holem. With a skill level of three, Lenaris allows you to re-roll a defence die if you have an Evade token in play. Brilliantly this again builds on the smaller, nippier nature of the Interceptor and makes this pack one that may well be very underrated and under estimated. 

Fitting into the tight second seat for the Bajoran ship can be either Neela (five points) or Anara (three points). Neela is the big attack card of the set. Targeting a ship at range one to three, three dice are rolled and if at least one Critical Damage comes up then the opposing craft receives that result. If the attack works the card is discarded but if not then it's only disabled allowing an odd second shot!

Anara does shore up the defences of this ship. Remember that it's got minimal hull to begin with and ZERO Shields so her ability to repair a Hull point is nigh-on essential to the longevity of the Interceptor. Given it's more about moves, there's only one Weapon upgrade with Phaser Strike which increases your firepower to 3 attack dice. 

It also acts as though your Captain is skilled to ten and works up to range three. Fortunately it's a card which is disabled after use and so can be reused repeatedly. It can only be attached to a ship with a Hull of three or less and costs four points to install. If it's not the Interceptor you fit it to, Phaser Strike costs an additional five points (that's a silly nine!!!)

Over with the Tech, Maneuverability is a hefty five points to purchase which is just to pay off the amount of text on the card. It also explains why there's an additional move template in the pack. If you reveal a one sharp left or right or a Come About, you can implement the new move but it is treated as a Red Maneuver although if it overlaps a planet there are no penalties and you GAIN a die in defence. As with Phaser Strike, the cost is an extra five points if you fit this to anything but an Interceptor. However , what a move to pull off and one that has no downside or need to be disabled or discarded!

Warp Drive Refit is, to be fair, almost as good and costs two points in comparison. If you reveal a three maneuver you can up it to a four. Unsurprisingly it can only be purchased for a ship that doesn't have a four as one of its speeds. 

Finally there's the Elite Action, Militia (three points). A discard, it allows you to place a Battle Station token into play even if the ship already has one in play at the start of Combat. If it's on a Bajoran ship then that craft gains an extra two attack dice on the first attack using this ability. 

The Interceptor pack abilities are surprisingly good and certainly make it useful in close combat and scenarios where obstacles and planets come into play as it will be unheeded by these items. 

As for the mission, Blockade recreates the Bajoran face off with the Romulans as featured in DS9's seventh season Shadows and Symbols. Each player has a maximum point spend of 100 while the Bajorans cannot field a ship with a Hull of greater than three. The Romulan player is tasked with placing three mission tokens (representing Launch Sequencers) onto the Bajoran moon. The Bajorans cannot attack until one of the mission tokens from the Romulans is placed on the moon. Nor can the Romulans attack until they are themselves attacked.

To win, the Bajorans must prevent three sequencers from being placed while the Romulans win by completing the task and then exiting the playing field via their starting spot. Sound easy? You've got eight rounds to do it in!

Third and last for this time is the D'Kyr Vulcan starship. After first acquiring the Ni'Var and then the Vulcan Faction Pack, I've developed quite a liking for this group. The D'Kyr itself is a decent kick-ass ship attacking with three dice, defending with one with five Hull points and four Shields for a cost of 26 points. Now in my opinion that's a decent base to start with only increased by the fact that if you attack from range three with this ship you can add an extra attack die. Why would you not want something that offers exceptional long range?

Coming stocked with the standard Evade, Battle Stations, Target Lock and Scan, the D'Kyr can also include two Tech slots plus a Weapon and a Crew upgrade. This is one decent pack just from the off!

The generic version loses a Shield, a Tech upgrade and the Unique Action for only a two point reduction at 24 points. Where she does fall a little is in the movement ability. Maxing out at speed four, the D'Kyr suffers from red hard left and rights at speeds two and three although it does offer full banking at these speeds plus a one reverse (although that's also red).

The shallow banking can be a challenge if you're looking to spin for a quick attack meaning your aft will be vulnerable as there is no rear firing arc. 

Soval is your top pick for Captain with a skill of seven and costing four points. He can also, as you might expect, field an Elite Action. Soval's ability lets him remove a Scan or Battle Station token from an enemy ship at range one although given the weapon abilities on the D'Kyr it might be wise to use him on another ship in your fleet - maybe a small support ship to cause havoc amongst the lines. This action will incur an Auxiliary Power Token when used however, potentially stilting your moves even more to regain the Action ability.

Tavek is a dull "Add a Crew upgrade" card but only costs two points with a skill of three so nothing much to see here. For your Crew, T'Pol will let you reroll up to two defence die if you have a Scan token in play that will certainly slow down any damage. and costs a mere three points. Muroc is little more expensive at four points and is discarded to activate. 

Targetting a ship at range one or two players roll two attack dice and for every Damage or Critical Damage result you can disable an active Shield and if it's a Cloaked ship then a Damage result flips its token. 

As for Weapons, the D'Kyr comes laden with Photonic Weapon for three points which increases the ship's attack to four at ranges two and three. Acting like a Photon Torpedo, it does require the spending of a Target Lock but can be fired forward or back and even provides a re-roll of one blank result. That's a lot more flexibility than Torpedoes ever provide and it can be reused. Aft Particle Beam is significantly cheaper at just one point and allows for a rear firing attack with three dice. It works at any range and doesn't require the use of a Target Lock which I think makes this a brilliant addition to any Vulcan craft capable of firing backwards.

On the Tech front, the five point Sensor Grid can be discarded to target a friendly ship within range three and both you and the target ship receive a Scan and an Auxiliary Power Token. But what's the point? Well, every cloaked ship within range one or two of your ship must then flip its cloak to the red side, effectively making them a much easier target. Another must have card but only if Cloak is a feature of your opponent!

Auxiliary Control Room costs three points and would work nicely with Sensor Grid seeing as it can be disabled to remove an Auxiliary Power Token at any time (those three key words).  Not much more to say on that as it's useful to keep you in the action and able to perform, well, Actions.

Finally the sole Elite Action is Vulcan High Command. Pumping an extra two Upgrade slots onto your ship (Crew or Tech; your call), it can only be equipped to a Vulcan Captain on a Vulcan ship. If the captain is lost then you have to discard any excess upgrades until it comes within the restrictions of the ship itself. Honest opinion on this; I wouldn't bother. Five points is a lot to add slots on when you're playing points capped games. If you were maxing out a ship then yes, but it's rare that situation would come around.

As a bonus, the D'Kyr comes with a single player scenario in which it must find out what happened to an Earth ship with a Vulcan crewmember and rescue it. On arrival the Vulcans discover that the Suliban are to blame and it's a race to save the Earth ship and get it back to safety with any evidence it might carry. For those of us with few opportunities to play, this is a great chance to be able to test out strategies and dust off a few ships. Well worth an investment!

The D'Kyr is a strong ship especially considering it's from the Enterprise era and outclasses both the Romulan and Bajoran ships here by some distance even before using the upgrades. However, there's something very tempting about pulling out the Gal Gath'Thong for  bit of classic Star Trek battle action. In fact it would go well against the Gorn, Tholians or even a D-7 or NCC-1701 - lots of options for an Original Series face off!

Next up we'll be retro-reviewing the Gor Portas, IRW Haakona and the IKS Somraw...

You can check out all our Attack Wing reviews over on the Gaming Section!

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wej Duj: Lower Decks S02 E09

After labelling last week's Lower Decks as a landmark I'll take a second breath in.

This one surpassed it.

The first episode ever to be titled in Klingon (even on screen), wej Duj marked another step outside of the bounds that confine regular series but can be easily accomplished through animation.

Instead of just isolating this week's story to a single spot, the Cerritos, Lower Decks has branched out to show us life on a Klingon vessel and a Vulcan science ship with spectacular results.

But wej Duj is much, much more clever than you initially give it credit because not only does it spike off into different tales but it also ties into established storylines from the series and make a heck of a lot of sense.

What this episode succeeds at doing is expanding the Lower Decks corner of the Star Trek universe. It feels as though the series has become more than just one ship. There's still that nudge and wink formula, the in jokes and action but this episode feels alive with growth and not an over reliance on the background easter eggs. I appreciated the story more, found that I connected with the characters and was more engrossed than before because the important points were kept to the front of the screen and I wasn't trying to focus massively on the backgrounds. This felt like a more rounded entry to the series and one where the main plot captured my attention from the start. Unusually I may have to go back and watch wej Duj a second time to pick up on all the hidden "nods" that I missed on first viewing.

The choice of characters aboard the Klingon and Vulcan ships help make this a top level episode. Aboard the Klingon Bird of Prey Che'Ta' we have aspiring captain Ma'ah who is given all the dog-awful (and I mean that sincerely) tasks on the ship; disposing of the old dead captain and walking the targ being just two. Over on the Vulcan Sh'Vaal, T'Lynn is stepping outside the bounds of logic and starting to do her own thing which is, frustratingly, illogical. 

The story on the Cerritos, focusing on Boimler attempting to find himself a senior officer best friend doesn't seem to be going anywhere however it's more important seeing how the other members of the lead Lower Decks quartet spend their time while waiting for the ship to reach its destination. Over the 12 hour trip T'Ana and Tendi go rock climbing, Rutherford joins Shaxs at a pottery class and Mariner puts in some mum time.  Note the chunk of references to Star Trek V in here - once again seems that McMahan and co really like to nod to that movie!

wej Duj works in not only broadening the vision of the series but also continuing the running Pakled story which seems to be an undercurrent of both seasons one and two. While not an overpowering element of the show it's interesting to see this pop up again and again.

What is also super successful is in the execution of the Vulcan and Klingon scenes. The animation and backgrounds aside, the practicalities aboard the two ships are just as you would hope and expect. Yes, there is a Lower Decks slant in terms of humour but the two craft run almost diametrically opposite to each other; order and chaos if you will; but with both somehow maintaining structure. 

Overall a good episode for the series with lots to get stuck into in terms of characters and stories. Both the lead Klingon (Ma'ah) and lead Vulcan (T'Lynn) thoroughly deserve to turn up again in future episodes and it might even be a suggestion to focus an episode on each of them and away from the Cerritos? 

Definitely a season highlight and one that didn't overindulge in fan service for the sake of it.  

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Live Long and Prosper: Attack Wing's Vulcan Faction Pack

Vulcans. You can’t trust ‘em. Apparently. One minute they’re a faction on their own and then they decide they want to act as a sub-faction… as I said, can’t trust ‘em.

With that little twist to their existence in Attack Wing now a few years old it was somewhat of a surprise to see that they would be receiving their own faction pack and, in all honesty, it’s fairly decent.

Not just relying on Vulcans from Enterprise or multiple Spocks, the Live Long and Prosper box takes its lead from the prequel series as well as TOS and DS9 with callouts to The Immunity Syndrome and Take Me Out to the Holosuite. 

Dropping in two D’Kyr Class ships from Enterprise, the pack is fleshed out with the Constitution Class USS Intrepid and the Nebula Class USS T’Kumbra. There’s also a bountiful supply of captains, upgrades and missions to fulfil your fleet needs so let’s engage!

All of the models have been released before but unbelievably this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of a D’Kyr Class starship - and two arrive at the same time. Coloured in the classic sandy Vulcan paint, the ships are among the best and most cleanly detailed in the Attack Wing collection. For once the hull lines are visible, there's distinct engine markings and - shocker - there's even multiple colour shades across the hull.  The D'Kyr is well suited to this scale so having two isn't a bad thing.

Now to the ship stats and it's a little surprising that the Nebula Class isn't the most powerful ship in the box. That falls to the 25 point V'Shar from the D'Kyr Class with 3 in attack, 1 defence, 5 Hull and 4 Shields. All the Vulcan craft operate with the standard Evade, Target Lock, Scan and Battle Stations Actions available. The V'Shar also provides the slots for 2 additional Tech, 1 Weapon and 1 Crew. As for a Unique Action, the starship can spend a Scan and on the next attack ignore its target's shields - big chance to hit some critical damage early on!

The 24 point Kir'Shara is the second of those D'Kyr Class ships in the box. Levelled out with the same attack, defence, hull and shield scores as the V'Shar it carries 2 Crew, 1 Weapon and a Tech upgrade option. Why there's a point difference (literally 1 point) is unclear. The Kir'Shara also uses Scan tokens but this time can convert up to 2 Battle Station results into Damage results if said token is in play.

Both the T'Kumbra and the Intrepid operate as dual faction ships, either Vulcan or Federation. The 22 point T'Kumbra is perhaps the best all-rounder with 4 Attack, 1 Defence, 4 Hull and 4 Shields along with a set best 5 upgrade slots comprising 2 Tech, 2 Crew and 1 Weapon. All Captain, Admiral and Crew upgrades from the Vulcan faction assigned to the T'Kumbra cost one less point and when it performs a Scan you can drop an extra Scan token into play. 

The 20 point Intrepid isn't quite as impressive but looks to hold its own with a 3 Attack, 1 Shield, 4 Hull and 3 Shields. You can enhance her with 2 Crew, 1 Weapon and a Tech upgrade plus her Unique Action is a freebie. By placing an Auxiliary Power Token beside the Intrepid you an then target a friendly ship up to range 2 and place a Scan and Evade token next to both craft.  That's a lot of scanning action overall between the four ships with each gaining significant benefits every time.

Stepping into play for your Captain options there's Sisko's Starfleet nemesis Solok with a skill of 7 and a cost of 4 points. All of the captains can field an Elite Action and s an additional perk, Solok is the only one operating dual faction Vulcan/Federation. He can perform his Action up to range 2 and, you guessed it, it's focused around Scan. When he does perform this move, Solok targets an opposing ship with a maneuvre dial that has yet to be flipped. Taking a look at that ship dial, Solok can then make his ship Sensor Echo at speed 1 even if not cloaked.  very tactical play if ever there was. 

Perhaps a little more well known is the 6-skilled T'Pol also priced at 4 points. The Enterprise first officer allows you to change any placed Scan tokens beside her command into either Evade or Battle Stations during combat. Note that there's no disable so this can be done every round and therefore allow you to second guess what's going on.

Muroc oddly costs less than TPol however rocks in with a 7 Captain Skill. Having a Scan available and in play with this captain allows players to convert 1 blank attack die result into a Damage result. Added bonus here too because if Muroc is facing an Independent captain he can convert that blank result into a Critical Damage.

Last there's pop sensation (sorry) T'Pau. Skilled at 5 and costing 4 points she allows a Scan token still in play to be replaced with an Evade and Battle Station which do not need to be removed during the End Phase. 

The Crew options come from TNG, DS9 and VGR - one from each show. T'Paal from Gambit has the Stone of Gol Tech upgrade hidden underneath at a 0 cost. She is discarded from your ship as is a Tech upgrade from a targeted ship within range 2. The Stone of Gol is flipped over and then equipped, ignoring any restrictions on the host vessel. For note, the Stone of Gol costs 3 points. Assassin Chu'Lak (2 points) can play as either Federation or Vulcan and operates as a Free Action to drop 3 Scan tokens next to his ship. Cleverly though you can then choose which Crew upgrade on his ship you discard as the cost for this - so choose wisely as you might be able to use this multiple times.

Voyager's Vorik is also dual faction Vulcan/Federation and costs 2 points. Placing 3 Time Tokens onto his card you can then remove a Target Lock or Battle Station from an attacking ship and place one of those Scan tokens next to his own.

Being Vulcans there are minimal Weapon choices with only Photonic Auto-Cannon and Aft Particle Beam contained in the pack. The former can be fired from both forward and rear-facing arcs at rages 2 or 3. Only able to be fitted to a Vulcan ship, it continues the Scan theme with that token (in play) being switched for 3 Time Tokens. The five dice attack on your opponent then converts all Battle Stations into Damage results.

The rear-only firing Aft Particle Beam (clue in the name), operates up to range 3 with a four dice attack. Costing 2 points, the weapon results in your ship receiving 2 Time Tokens. 

While the Vulcans might skimp on their Weapons, they make up for it with 6 Tech cards which I think is the most provided in any set to date. Most expensive is the 4 point Science Vessel Variant that can be equipped to both D'Kyr and Suurok Class ships, This option increases the defence and hull value of its assigned vessel by 1 point each. Likewise the cheaper 2 point Combat Vessel Variant raises just the Primary Weapon Value by1. Both of these cannot be placed on the same ship at the same time.

Three points will get you the Translinear Sensors. During an attack you can add 3 Time Tokens to this card if there's a Scan in play and the opposing ship can only roll a maximum of 2 dice in defence. The Stone of Gol costs 3 points - and 8 if you're wanting to place it on a non-Vulcan ship. It strikes out up to range 1 and targets an opponent Crew upgrade. The Stone allows you to roll the same number of attack dice as that Crew upgrade costs and if you roll a Critical Damage it's lost. If you don't, then the card receives a Time Token. The attacker ship (yours) also receives 3 Time Tokens onto the Sensors card. A win either way!

Graviton Telescope (2 points) offers the chance to discard it as long as there's a Scan in play on your ship to add a Damage result to your roll. Katric Ark stops a Crew upgrade being discarded as it's placed under this card when it would be lost. Reading into this one it's something you can keep in play until you need to use one of the "lost" Crew upgrades at which point any, other than the one you want to equip, are removed from play. I like this little 2 point safety net as it lessens opponents' effects and gives you a chance to deploy an upgrade as you might have planned.

Live Long and Prosper, the first of 2 Elite Actions, is a discard for 3 points. Available up to range 2, players can roll four defence dice during the Activation Phase and if there are at least 3 Evade results then the ship and a targetted ship cannot be attacked. Maybe a suggestion to fly your Vulcan fleet in close formation for the duration of the game?

The 2 point Logic is the Beginning of Wisdom is also played during the Activation Phase and works up to range 2. It targets a ship and can either put a Time Token, Continuous or Permanent Effect token by that craft - which means that neither of these Elite cards is effective on just enemy craft. 

Last up are the brand spanking new Ambassador cards. While Sarek has already been allocated to the Federation pack, we're handed V'Lar and Soval. Both cost a steady 3 points and have an Negotiation Accepted and Negotiation Denied action.

V'Lar, if accepted, allows opposing players to disable an upgrade on the other player's ship as long as it costs 3 points or less. If denied, she removes a Crew upgrade from the enemy vessel. With Soval, if two chosen opposing ships move into range 1 of each other they both receive an Auxiliary Power Token while denying relations will mean that the Vulcan ship launches a 3 dice attack on a specific ship which cannot be modified or re-rolled.

As with all the new Faction Packs there are also 2 new missions to try out. Assault on Andoria oddly requires a Suurok Class ship that's not in the set and requires the enemy player to use non-Vulcan ships in a straight pitched battle. This is set to a 10 round game with difficulty changed by increasing rounds or decreasing rounds. The "Andorian" player can win if they destroy the Vulcans or last to the end of the final (10th) round.

With Hold the Line, the use of the T'Kumbra and Solok indicates a more DS9 era scenario which is amplified thanks to the inclusion of the Dominion. This is one, potentially, you could spin as a 1 player game setting the Dominion ships in a straight flight from one side of the board to the other or use the evade move set from Alliance. 

As a set I'm surprised how much it relies on the Scan action however this does provide the Vulcans with a unique selling point. It's also an unexpectedly powerful and varied set with ships of 3 different eras and one of the broadest ranges of tactics I've experienced. There's also a lot of abilities which target Crew in here that balances nicely to the pack's decidedly low amount of Crew. The Vulcan leaning towards Tech is keeping very in character with the franchise and is carried off well in no small part to the amazing low cost of the upgrades included. As I went through the pack I think I was head-building a fleet from the off and had a real challenge deciding what I would have to ditch off for maximum effect. 

As one who has underestimated the abilities of the Vulcans, this pack was a real eye-opener and one that I would suggest any respecting Federation player gets hold of. It certainly polar opposes the Weapon heavy Klingons relying on more "intellectual" means than firing a torpedo to win the battle. This is probably a pack for a player who is looking to try more than standard attacks and a bit of pre-planning.

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Unification III: Discovery S03 E07

Using the tertiary moniker for an episode of Discovery is a ballsy move especially from a series that has divided fandom so strongly.

Unification is a classic piece of The Next Generation; the reappearance of Spock, the death of Sarek and the possibly coming together of the Vulcans and Romulans after centuries apart. To use Unification as the title means you have to do it right and respect the franchise’s past like no other moment, maybe even more than returning to Talos IV.

Well-known and highly regarded Trek novelist Kirsten Beyer is the one on writing duty for this one and I believe that is the wisest decision that may have been made in the three seasons Discovery has existed. Beyer has an immense knowledge and understanding of Star Trek which comes out in every second of this week’s instalment. 

Turns out that Burnham has been right after all, the Burn wasn’t an instantaneous event across the whole galaxy but something that had a distinct origin point as alluded to in Scavengers. She also happens to have found out that there was an experiment underway with numerous reference points across the galaxy called SB-19. At the moment Burnham can calculate to some degree the X and Y of the origin point but the enhanced data that would come from SB-19 would triangulate that down to a specific location. Thing is, Vance isn’t in a position to provide the data because SB-19 is locked down by the people who were conducting it.

The experiment was a way of finding a new way of traversing space due to the ever shrinking dilithium resource that was only confounded further by the Burn which the originators of SB-19 believe may have been caused by them. 

Who did establish SB-19? Well it came from the planet Ni’Var or as we all know it in the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Centuries...Vulcan. Like Earth it too has seceded from the Federation and there has been no contact for about 100 years. The other thing is that - and you might guess this from the title of the episode - Ni’Var is also home to the Romulans, the culmination of the process begun by Ambassador Spock 700 years in the past.

Yes, Discovery has absolutely blown the doors off on this one and a trip to Ni’Var is on the cards to bring Spock’s sister back home in the hope that she can convince the Vulcans and Romulans to part with their research data from SB-19. Of course they’re not super keen on passing it to the Federation and so Burnham invokes T’Kol Unket, by which she has to prove her case for the Burn not originating with the Vulcans and Romulans without question. No big ask then.

Powerhouse is a word that I don’t use lightly but jeez, this episode is unreal and there’s not a fist fight or phaser blast for the whole hour. If anything, this episode encapsulates Star Trek and specifically Discovery at its very best. Well written dialogue, solid performances and a believable story that has a big impact on the overall story of the year.

The return of the Romulans and Vulcans to Star Trek and the 32nd Century should not be underestimated and just seeing the two races on screen and working together is incredible to see. Ok, some of their views might differ but this is a natural progression of a story that has evolved since Balance of Terror in 1966. Its 54 years in the making and worth every second. Spock of course makes a return even if it is through a flashback to season two and also back to Unification thus linking the two series and two stories furthermore. It’s an emotional point to see Leonard Nimoy once again as Spock and because the excerpt from Admiral Jean-Luc Picard’s log defines the episode and the journey. Who knew that those few lines would come to fruition on screen 29 years later?

But that’s not all this episode owes to Picard or should I actually italicise that to Picard. Remember those warrior nuns from Absolute Candor? Well they’re back as well and it turns out that Burnham’s mum didn’t die but instead ended up far from home, taken in by the group and became one of their own. Now she is reunited with her daughter to act as her advocate during the T’Kol Uket. 

The reunion is as touching as you could hope for but as with all parental visits in Star Trek it’s less than perfect with Gabrielle Burnham now ardently practising the ways of the Qowat Milat right down to the letter in regards to Absolute Candor. 

The sequence of Burnham reviewing Spock’s legacy in relation to the Romulans is more than effective to prod at a few feels and make even the most Vulcan of fans try and wipe that speck of dust out of their eye and avoid a true Burnham Blub but the whole episode is an emotional ride because of the importance brought on this moment and this need to review the SB-19 data. It’s a very, very talky episode that you will need to pay attention and follow to understand the logic to the endgame but it does pay off.

As a character piece on Burnham it’s excellent and some of her best development for an age. Yes, there’s a few years but for the most part we get to know her a bit more deeply when it comes to the relationship she has with her mother and Book although strangely the two never meet and Michael never discusses either with the other. How odd.

The president of Ni’Var has some exceptional interactions with Saru particularly at the end when she reveals that she would like to develop the relationship further however she is also a huge fountain of in-universe information - the Romulans were the ones who didn’t want to leave the Federation rather than the  Vulcans as well as the choice to step away from established phrases and stuck-in -the-mud beliefs  since it seems that the Federation should have been focusing on the needs of the few rather than stretching itself ridiculously thin and attempting to work at the needs of the many. The Federation thought it could cope and it couldn’t which meant that the Burn was even more catastrophic.

Another thing with the three menbers of the quorum - we have three very different attitudes on show. A Romulan pro-Burnham, a Vulcan anti-Burnham and a second Romulan on the fence. The Vulcan(s) for one seem a lot more emotional than ever before although I suspect that might be the Romulans rubbing off on them and also freeing themselves from a binder full of catchy phrases for every occasion. The Romulans too now seem more thoughtful and, dare I say it, as calculating as ever so it looks like they've come off better from this new relationship however did we catch the note of the uprisings in the Romulo-Vulcan settlements? Seems like there's still some work to be done out in the regions...

As if the main story won’t kick you in the nuts enough, then Saru is in the process of choosing his new first officer and in the style of Pokemon, he drops it on Tilly that ‘I choose you!’ ... as a temporary stand in while he balances the books. Before you all fly off the handle and point out that Sylvia Tilly is still an ensign, yea that is addressed as is the fact that she’s not even passed her command training programme although I don’t know how she’ll be able to nip back and hand it in before the deadline passes.

Saru’s points for choosing her are fairly sound but there is a vast gap when it comes to experience that others on the bridge would be far better suited for. Tilly will remain an ensign but her position on the ship will be elevated. Discussing it with Stamets helps to iron out some of the kinks but in turn he has to include the bridge staff to reassure the ensign that accepting Captain Saru’s proposal is the right thing to do.

I’m not convinced that this is the right choice but I respect the show’s decision to give Tilly a shot and who knows, maybe this will be the further making of the character and provide Mary Wiseman with more to do than help everyone else out. This promotion is a big thing on the ship and running it along side such a huge Star Trek moment as the return of the Romulans and Vulcans is a risk but it hasn’t diluted the episode in fact it’s helped balance the hour and keep both lines on track.

But let’s. It lose sight of the bigger picture here. Burnham now has the data from the SB-19 experiment which indicates that, with a bit of technical fandangling we should have a firm answer as to where the origin of the Burn was and who is behind the state of the galaxy.

Unification III is a worthy sequel to The Next Generation’s 25th anniversary two-parter and while time wise it doesn’t directly follow, it does honour and continue the legacy from the story. For me this has been the high of the season so far. 

How did you rate Unification III?

Track back on our season three Discovery reviews HERE

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All images CBS All Access

Veritas: Lower Decks S01 E08

Second week in a row, this series has nailed it.

Given that last week was the best thing so far, Veritas once again raises the bar that bit further for the increasingly impressive Lower Decks.

Landing us right into the action, our four ensigns are under questioning from Imperium Magistrate Klaar of K'Tuevon Prime in regards to a series of incidents aboard the Cerritos while their senior officers are held in some form of suspension beam.

Revisiting the courtroom/flashback formula that was most prominent in Deep Space Nine's Rules of Engagement, Veritas unusually places all the main cast in one location and focuses all of its half hour run time to one single story and flip me does it pay off in every sense. By design the very feel of the room screams Klingon courtroom from the shrouded figure sitting in judgement to the circular dais on which the crew give their testimonies through the Horn of Candar. 

Veritas 100% plays on fans' knowledge of The Undiscovered Country and  Enterprise's Judgement before whisking that rug briskly away and you might only catch some of the clues on a rewatch just as I did making further notes for this piece..

Each ensign is called to relate their own evidence taking us back to recent events once more filled with a myriad of Star Trek easter eggs and Actual Funny Moments that make this easily the most watchable series to date. Favourite one here - Earth's just all about vineyards, wine and seafood restaurants and positively the most boring place in the Galaxy. 

The episode highlights how much or little the lower decks team get to know about what is going on. Mariner and Boimler blag being late to the bridge during a red alert situation, Tendi unwittingly ends up kicking ass as part of an undercover mission into Romulan space while Rutherford suffers memory blackouts placing him in increasingly more bizarre and dangerous situations.

The brilliance of Veritas is in absolutely maxing out on the strengths of the different characters and it feels like McMahon's team have finally clicked with what this series is and where the main cast are most successful. Dropping the cues in is working more seamlessly and who says that Roga Danar isn't more of a badass than Khan?

Tendi's naivety leads her from cleaning cat fur off the conference room chairs into battle with Romulans with her testimony cleverly tweaked to censor delicate information (but not that precisely) and sees her being extremely proficient in the field. Rutherford has his implants "borrowed" by Shax and Chief Engineer Billups leading him into Vulcan space, a starship museum (spot all the references in there!), aboard a stolen Romulan Warbird and the  ability to skip in and out of events here means we also get a Gorn wedding (including camcorder wielding guests. Added bonus with the immortal fan dance distraction distinctly poking fun at a certain sequence in The Final Frontier. This truly left me breathless and I know there are references in there I've not even touched on that will have your Trek mind spinning for ages and definitely demanding a second or even third play through.

OK....so the biggest and most hotly anticipated drop in has to be from John De Lancie's Q appearing a couple of times during the episode, demanding to continue the trial of humanity, playing games with the senior staff, placing them as human chess pieces.  It's not hugely important to the plot but it does mark the first true crossover appearance with the rest of the franchise, meaning this is the fourth series that Q has now stepped into - and even for the few moments he's there it makes an incredible impact on the show, elevating an already decent episode into the best of the year.

You can't help but love this one for the twists of the story plus the plethora of links to other Trek shows, even back to a certain salty looking woman from the Early Days and a rather identifiable shuttle craft. Veritas - and I use this word in its fullest context - LITERALLY has everything from a great, new story to recognising almost every corner of its past. If this is what we're going to be getting then lets hope Lower Decks is here for many years to come.

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THAT First Contact: The Official Starships Collection Special: T'Plana-Hath

Arriving (late) alongside the final regular issue seems to be a dose of luck.

The reason? Issue 180 was the Borg Cube that opened the movie while this starship's arrival on Earth closed out the final scene.

Looking back with the benefit of hindsight you can see how this ship influenced the later/earlier ships of the Enterprise series in its colour palette at least. But let's strip this back and focus on the model at hand.

The T'Plana-Hath comes in one of the largest boxes Eaglemoss have managed to print and there's good reason since this is a model which isn't just wide but also has considerable height.

Working from the floor upwards, Eaglemoss have chosen to - and rightly so - display this ship in the landed position. It kind of makes the stand obsolete since it can support its own weight on the three feet and also looks utterly ridiculous perched above the stand.

The feet are also the plainest section of the T’Plana-Hath, single toned on the upper side with the mottled effect strangely on the bottoms and then continuing up the legs to the main body. That significant hatch is totally absent from any of the three ground units, removing a key elemental piece of visual Star Trek history - there's not even a recognisable joint line. 

Also seems a bit odd to put the more impressive paint job on the BOTTOM of the feet which will never be seen but hey, if this is screen accurate who are we to argue with that choice?

The legs on the outside arc up and under the top shell with some basic panel detail. Flipped over though there is not just a decent two-shade paint job once more but also three blue energy stripes also showing slight wear and dirt. The central unit underneath, in reality, would turn 120 degrees to allow the feet to retract and dock around the three engine pods. This can still be seen in the way that the bottom of the hull is laid out but isn't a working feature here. 

The engine exhausts are very clean when you compare to the mottled hull and "worn" energy stripes but this might just be forgivable since they won't be heavily on show.

The distinct split between the "landing gear" hull section and the main body is well handled and you can imagine that rotational aspect more from what you don't see when the T'Plana-Hath is viewed from above.

The main hull has many large segmented panels marked out with many of the pieces raised higher than the base level. That mottled paint work is far more distinctive on the top, emphasised more with some segments being rendered in a darker shade than the majority of the hull. Visually it's a nice smooth shape right the way across, ending in the three sizeable engine units which are also segmented. The mottling adds to the age of the craft, indicating heavy use through the effective dirty wash that is most noticeable on the very top of the ship.

The simplistic form of the ship relates well to its Vulcan pilots and to future ships used in the short-lived prequel series. Eaglemoss have created a smooth and fairly fault free large-scale model here that is potentially one of the most impressive editions to behold. The stand, as discussed, does detract from the spectacle from this one so just stick it back in the box and display her grounded; it's a far better look. 

The T'Plana-Hath magazine revisits First Contact and that seminal scene which sees Zephram Cochrane greeting Earth's first extra-terrestrial visitor including numerous shots from the eighth Star Trek movie. It's standard reading by now but is then complimented with a substantial 11 pages focusing on the design and creation of the unusual Vulcan starship.


Combining words from John Eaves, the article includes photos and proposals for the ship which didn't make it to screen plus explanations of how some of the features - including those rotating feet came to be. The article covers how the ship was physically created (partially) for the movie as well as alterations that were made before it made it to the screen.

An overall resoundingly good package, the T-Plana-Hath sits in Star Trek lore as a piece of future history. The replica from Eaglemoss is honouring that in a big way however there are a couple of tweaks that could be made here or there - an additional bit of weathering or more focus on the detail around sections that fans saw closeup on screen in particular.

Saying that, this is a big model, sturdy and as always with the specials, well packaged. She suits display standless and will be one ship fans are sure to want to have in their collection immediately. A high standard creation for the most part, this one looks damn good out on display.

Read all our other reviews of The Official Starships Collection from issue ONE here.

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