Previously Unreleased: XL USS Stargazer

Gone and in an instant several long awaited models just didn’t arrive. 

It’s the oft repeated story of Eaglemoss and now, many months on we’re starting to see some of the ones that got away. 

Master Replicas secured a good chunk of the Eaglemoss back catalogue plus items that never made it to sale. The first of this bunch is the last XL model which was announced, the Constellation Class USS Stargazer NCC-2893.

Intended to be a Constitution Class a la the refit/1701-A USS Enterprise, the Stargazer morphed into a new class of ship for the TNG first season episode The Battle as well as a few other appearances later in the show under various different guises. She would also turn up at the Fleet Museum amongst other iconic vessels in Picard’s third season. 

The Stargazer was also one of the first 20 issues announced for the regular sized Starships Collection back in 2012 and certainly caused a few rumblings back then. Eaglemoss were notorious for producing screen accurate vessels which translated into ‘We Didn’t Check What We Made’ since errors fans couldn’t make out on screen were often copied straight to the ships. 

In many instances this was quite quirky as for example with the Stargazer the bottom registry was applied the wrong way round and was duplicated into its miniature version.

Not so it seems with the XLs. With the Equinox the grating spelling mistake (EQUINDX) was updated and in the quad-engined Stargazer we have the registry not updated but removed completely. 

In fact this ship, while actually pretty impressive, is something of a conundrum. Is it accurate because it certainly isn’t screen accurate so what is this final piece actually based on? Given it’s production history and lack of accompanying magazine you might have to wonder if it was actually completely finished before they boxed it up and shipped.

Yet Jean-Luc Picard’s first command and the first starship to complete the Picard Maneuver is a worthy purchase for any ship collector (if you can find one now).

From the top there have certainly been improvements to the finish. The RCS thrusters feature that little more detail (and relevant placing) with the grille work on the surface is far more prominent in a larger scale (and completely recoloured from the grey). The hull benefits from much stronger grid lines that aren't swallowed into the paintwork with the striping around the bridge also being a much crisper alignment and colour. Indeed, the whole bridge module itself has more finesse to its finish with the dome and levels much more recognisable. Even the striping is more in line with the classic movie style of grey edged in red rather than blotchy blue.

The issue for me comes in the alignment of the registry decals which tend to slip into the valleys of the surface and aren't that well aligned to the hull itself, following their own path rather than the curve of the saucer. Randomly this was something that the original version actually got right however the more screen accurate font and edging.

Moving towards the rear, the structure in front of the engine mount has received a total rehash with the recessed elements now raised above the hull and leading more naturally into the propulsion units. In fact this is where a lot of the visual upgrades really start to kick in. Detailing here makes it much clearer how these two strut leading to the engine platforms are reused necks from Constitution Class vessels due to their angles and also the inclusion of the photon torpedo launchers. Eaglemoss even managed to add more decal striping in here and window detail adding to the feel of scale.

While they have also updated the painting of the circular vents (four on this ship!!!), they're only in grey blocks rather than having a blue inset to really make it kick. But that's not to take away from the greater level of surface greebling and painting. Nor from the excellent paintwork on the two side located warp field generators where the lining is particularly ramrod straight.

Other XLs were known for just being upscaled versions of the originals with simply bigger parts using the same construction techniques. Noticeably on the engines of the Stargazer instead of having the cross-pylon as a piece and then the engines themselves being two halves with that all glued together, the model designers have simply adapted it into an "upper" and "lower" engine assembly. By virtue this adds a lot of strength and stability to the core of the model and reduces six parts for each engine pair down to just two.

Whether as a benefit from this or another detailing upgrade, the warp engines have much more small level touches with the tips split in grey and white rather than just a grey paint mess and again a smoother application of the Starfleet pennant along the exterior edge (in most cases!!!). To the rear the impulse engines are now painted in red rather than being just plain and simple base grey.

The forward shuttlebay door too is disappointing. There's no definition to its surface, only recessed and then painted grey, missing out on the horizontally ridged version that should be there and the same goes for the rest of the cargo doors around that saucer edge. Indeed the two which butt onto the warp field generators aren't even painted up.

Now here's a thing. I couldn't work out if this was an amalgamation of the original studio model and the one built for the Picard Archive in Remembrance for Picard itself. Looking at the shots of that ship there are certain similarities although it doesn't have some of the surface grille work present and has some very distinct painting differences. However, it actual in-line surface details do line up for the most part.

But then we flip her over and take a look at the work on the ventral side. Immediately that lack of registry (even the wrong way round) hits you straight in the face. As does the point that the forward two surface lump have been massively downsized and the greeble surface work in front of the pylon support is now gone. What DID confuse me and led to some heavy internet research is the placement of the sensor probe/aerial structure that sits next to that engine support. Again the platform that it its on has had some subtle revisions however the aerial itself (at least on mine) has switched sides. Now, on the Picard model and pretty much everything I could find it's on the starboard side if you're viewing from the front so why it's moved is absolutely inexplicable.

Stand fitting is pretty decent too with the clips sliding neatly around the rear of the primary hull and providing a decent mid-point balance that won't have it suffering from Warbird Syndrome.

There's something still brilliantly satisfying in just seeing this ship actually make it out of the warehouse and into the hands of collectors after such a long time. Bizarrely its arrival after the end of Picard seems equally fitting since that show included (at a distance) the Stargazer docked at the Fleet Museum. Indeed, this could be the last unreleased starship XL ever if not for a long time so definitely one to enjoy. But then, who knows? Maybe the licence will see a revival...one day.

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A New Start to Finish: Picard Season 3

Ten weeks have passed by and fans have experienced what may be the single greatest season of the Kurtzman era and potentially one of the most spectacular runs in Star Trek history.

We are (of course!!!) talking about the recently concluded Picard third season so be warned if you've not finished it yet, there are SPOILERS ahead.

Very evident even from episode one was the seismic shift. There seemed to be more direction, a better focus and a real understanding of the core characters which had evaded the show during its earlier seasons. That could might have something to do with this final year being a 10 part long TNG movie. Maybe.

With a severe cast cull that only retained Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd and Jeri Ryan, season three looked to be doing everything that its star and exec-producer had said would be avoided from day one. Uniforms, an Enterprise (or five) and the full TNG cast reunion which has made Picard essential viewing each and every week.

From scouring the socials it's clear that fans couldn't wait to see the next episode in what may be one of the most drastic about-turns in the fortunes of a Star Trek series since the Jem'Hadar rammed the USS Odyssey.

Season three seems to have become something of a revelation and, monumentally, one that has lived up to the hype and as such it's well worth just reflecting back on what has been and potentially what's to come.

Opening with the moniker "In the 25th Century", the feel of the season seemed to be coming straight out of The Wrath of Khan. Not just in the hinted revenge of the trailers but in the more military sense that the second through sixth movies insinuated.

With the wonders of hindsight, the trailers really didn't give much away and in some respects managed the perfect magic trick by showing us one thing and yet actually presenting us with something else by the end of Seventeen Seconds.

And my god doesn't having the episode titles back make a difference?

Terry Matalas promised that each character would have their time to shine and that's been proven every week. Rather than opening on Jean-Luc himself, The Next Generation led with Beverly on the Eleos and opened up the apparent mystery of the season before returning us to ore familiar surroundings at Chateau Picard.

Time-jumping from 2399 to 2405, the opening episode insisted to trust no-one with Jean-Luc and Riker getting themselves aboard the brand new USS Titan-A with the hopes of rescuing Dr Crusher.

But this season has been much more than just a rescue plot. The introduction of a memorable foe in Amanda Plummer's Vadic really upped the game and while she wasn't, ultimately, the super-evil behind the overall arc, her tussling with the Titan was exquisite and supremely memorable. Character has indeed reigned supreme with some of the best moments in the entire franchise history for many of the seasoned players. If you need any proof, flip to the last fifteen minutes of No Win Scenario and say they isn't some of this era's best written and impactful scenes. In fact, scrap that, just watch the whole season and then make that judgement.

Riker has been in his element with Frakes at the very pinnacle of his game. Commanding the Titan while tackling Vadic or trapped in the gravity well, he has never been in better form, even leading to dismissing Admiral Picard from the bridge. There seems to be a greater depth to William T Riker here. A man who is back out in the galaxy to avoid the struggles in his homelife but facing threats that are just as significant, the retired, pizza cooking captain of Nepenthe seems a million miles way.

Seven too has been provided with a meatier role as the Titan's less than conformist first  officer. Oppressed thanks to Captain Shaw's decision to use her human name of Annika Hansen, Seven seems to be fighting the system initially but becomes much more the team player as we have gone along. But let's deal with that in a second.

The Worf and Raffi pairing is something that no fan could have expected or realised that they were missing until it came to pass in Disengage. Dorn has grown that little older but Worf seems to be even more compelling and I'm actually preferring this version to some of his younger years on TNG and DS9. Their mission on M'Talas Prime allowed Raffi a world of room to stretch before teaming the pair up with the main cast and taking her off to Daystrom Station alongside Worf and Riker.

The Picard/Crusher element is something that has been long overlooked and perhaps intentionally ignored even though it's been brought up again and again and even prodded on several occasions within TNG. But, if it hadn't then we wouldn't have received some of the outstanding pieces of this season. For one Beverly's arrival on the bridge of the Titan and the following series of looks and reactions between her and Picard confirm everything the viewer needed to know without a single word being uttered. Magical is an understatement but this, coupled with any point McFadden and Stewart are on screen together is Star Trek gold. Finally after over 30 years there's some expansion of this relationship which feels natural. That said, the reveal that the couple had a son is maybe the season's hardest pill to swallow.

Ed Speleers Jack Crusher is a startlingly good addition and the relationship between him and his long-distant father has been interesting to watch. In the back of the mind though there is that niggle of him being shoved into the pages of canon without much care and a good deal of the season does rely on his very existence. Was it ultimately a surprise that he was linked in to the Borg? Probably not given that viewers were reminded numerous times about Locutus. The concept of the receiver/transmitter abilities was a cool inclusion harking back to earlier episodes of Picard and more significantly to the opening battle of Star Trek First Contact in 1996. While Jean-Luc can "hear" the Borg, Jack is able to project his thoughts and get others to do his bidding. This all seemed a bit weird and X-Men until it was explained just how this was possible.

But, it's Captain Liam Shaw (Todd Stashwick) that seems to be the revelation of the season. brutally honest with a disregard for seniority, Shaw's only priority is the safety of his whole crew and, as we discover, this all stems back to his time aboard the USS Constance and its part at Wolf 359. In comparison Sisko was positively diplomatic when it came to facing Locutus of Borg in Emissary but Shaw doesn't hold back. Shaw's increasing realisation that he needs to work as part of a team to save the Titan does come to illustrate the ability for him to change although much to his chagrin. For some reason through the season I've suspected that someone in the ensemble wouldn't make it to the closing credits of episode ten and, well, I was right. It's a fitting redemption and mirror to how Shaw himself survived Wolf 359 although it does appear fans would have wanted him to stick around for future outings.

What we did anticipate from the trailer was that Amanda Plummer's Vadic would be the main villain of the season, hell bent on some form of revenge against Picard however within a matter of episodes that assumption has been overturned with her objective more a disruption and distraction.

And why? Because Picard chose to bring back one of the franchise's most important opponents ever; Changelings.

Note they're not called Founders at any point since this bunch of shapeshifters are a breakaway faction following the Dominion's crushing defeat at the conclusion of DS9. Bringing chaos and disorder was their forte for many years of the space station series but at this stage in Picard we are none the wiser to their ultimate goal. However, just having them back in the series has changed perceptions and definitely reignited the interest of many a Niner. Combine them with the Borg threat and it's like Doctor Who slamming the Daleks and Cybermen together for Doomsday.

Admittedly the back end of the season is ridiculously heavy on the fan service and while we can look at it in an overview it's difficult not to discuss some key elements so beware that there are not just SPOILERS but SUPER SPOILERS after this point.

So let's first touch on some returning characters because that's where the nostalgia really kicks in this final handful of episodes. The out-of-nowhere return of Commander Ro Laren is nothing if not emotional and ties up the dangled threads of TNG's Pre-Emptive Strike while proving that Michelle Forbes was horribly underused for two seasons in the 90s. It's an appearance that gives everything and the scenes of her and Stewart are just golden. I mean how could you better the season after that... let me hold your blood wine.

Just in fan service we have Captain/Shapeshifter Tuvok for two episodes, Admiral Elizabeth Shelby (for about four minutes), the voice of Walter Koenig as Federation President Anton Chekov (with a speech similar to that of the UFP in The Voyage Home) and then there's the rest of the TNG cast. There's one more but we'll get to that...

Fans have to wait until deep into the season for the return of LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner and Marina Sirtis and each is well worth it. Geordi's position as head of the Fleet Museum allows for an overload of 90s Trek adoration with just Spacedock alone before getting into the array of exhibits on show. The refit Constitution Class makes its first live action appearance since The Undiscovered Country, Voyager, Defiant and the NX-01 refit tick a whole series of fan boxes as does the inclusion of one stolen Klingon Bird of Prey named HMS Bounty. 

It's easy to be swallowed up in these episodes by all the nods to the past of the franchise and forget that there's actually a plot somewhere buried in the background! Geordi has aged and matured as a character and a father here, becoming a whole lot more than he ever was in TNG. There's more depth and believability to the role and his stance on family is, while not fitting the desire of the crew, probably very on point.

What makes The Bounty an even greater hour of Star Trek is the choice to split the crew with half on the Titan while Riker, Worf and Raffi tackle Daystrom Station.

Thought that the Fleet Museum was packed with references then think again because this place is rammed. Filled to the bulkheads with items from multiple series, the station is a treasure trove that has delivered some downright gobsmacking secrets; Project Phoenix anyone? Spare Genesis Device? Attack Tribble? All in there plus a load more that the production team just chucked in for good measure and to see if fans were really paying attention.

Now, given that he was teased in the trailers, the appearance of Daniel Davis' Moriarty isn't quite what one might have expected but it's still a glorious sequence that leads into a bigger reveal that restores some balance to the Trek universe.

Actually, The Bounty settles a few points that have been left sort of unanswered; what happened to Lore? B-4? Picard's real body? All answered right in one episode and somehow it doesn't feel rushed. The overarching conspiracy still weaves through the episode although it feels a little distant when faced with so much fan service. The resolution of that internal Soong conflict is satisfying and true Star Trek. How could this be a full reunion without Spiner playing Data in some capacity? It also aligns with the development of the android in the novel series of the last decade in which Data has super evolved. Naturally it means that Spiner doesn't have the excuse of being too old to play his iconic character but all the traits are there plus a few new ones that make him much, much more human.

It's at this point that it starts to feel that both Raffi and Seven are sort of superfluous to requirements. Reassembling the TNG cast was always the big prize and while it takes another episode to truly get to that point you can see their roles a little downsized the more of the classic cast are on screen. Perhaps their last big hurrah of the season comes from Vadic's takeover of the USS Titan in her attempts to secure Jack Crusher. No, actually, tell a lie. It's not. Seven has an incredibly sweeping character arc in this season which is a far cry from stepping out of an alcove in Scorpion as a full Borg. Shaw really did think she was awesome as we see from his evaluation and the promotion to captain and subsequent command of a starship proves that there is justice in the universe.

Ok... it seems we can't dance around it anymore. Let's just finish this piece out with some simple admiration, written sobbing and general appreciation for the last two episodes of the season and of the show as a whole.

With Vadic vanquished following her takeover of the Titan, the crew finally make it to Earth to witness the celebrations of Frontier Day. Cue the arrival (finally) of the Enterprise-F with Shelby sitting in the captain's chair only for it all to go proper bad as the Borg's clever little plan swings into action and assimilates everyone under the age of 25. Thanks for the DNA Jean-Luc, you've wiped out Starfleet.

Fine, that's a harsh line but without it we wouldn't have a finale which is the most fan servicey hour of Star Trek that has ever been. Go on, I dare you to find another that punches this high and this hard. I'll be a little critical in that some of the elements do feel as though they were borrowed from Battlestar Galactica (interconnected ships) and Star Wars (the run through the Borg Cube) but I didn't care by this point because it was just so stupidly good.

Of course Geordi was hiding the D in Hanger 12, of course it had to be the way this crew would see out their final adventure together. Was it everything fans could have hoped for? YES and in spades. The bridge was lovingly recreated from scratch (with the dedication plaque that had been on the original set from seasons five to seven), the grotesque return of the Borg Queen was stunning and voiced by Alice Krige which spins not just First Contact but Voyager's Endgame into play. Jack all Borged up as Vox was a startling echo back to Stewart's Locutus of The Best of Both Worlds and I'm sure that on subsequent viewings there will be even more to uncover and fully digest.

The closing poker game was filmed for a full 45 minutes and unscripted, meaning everything you hear and see is just the cast having fun in a scene that nods directly to All Good Things... All the feels you might say and just soaking up everything that happens in this episode and potentially the whole ten episodes is going to take a while.

Is the renaming of the Titan to the Enterprise-G a surprise? Apparently not if you listen back to all the musical cues as far back as episode one which all carry traces of themes that suggest nothing less. The Constitution III Class makes perfect sense in a neck aching nod to just about everything classic Trek. Plus, how can you not say that those last five minutes are a stamped, signed, sealed and very public announcement that Terry Matalas (who wrote and directed the finale) is looking to take the Enterprise-G right out there for its own series.

I mean, as someone puts it right in the closing seconds... the trial has just begun.

Attack Wing: Secrets of the Tal’Shiar

To top the excellent Ships of the Line is going to be a hard act to follow but it looks like this new Romulan faction pack has just the cahoonas to do it.

Featuring four Romulan ships; a scout, a D’Deridex warbird, Valdore class warbird and the Scimitar, Secrets of the Tal’Shiar has gone exceptionally dark. Just out of the box, the biggest thing to notice is that the four models have all been "cloaked". Rather than polish them up with a new paint scheme such as Ships of the Line did in its nod to Online, these pieces have gone to the other extreme.

Translucent plastic, the ships retain their distinct features from previous expansions although this time their colouring is speckled with a "stars" effect to simulate the activation of their stealth technology. For the sake of repetition let's skip over analysis of the models as they are exactly the same as before. One further point - what the hell has happened to the quality of the stands and pegs? Ships are leaning all over the place and putting the clear poles together seems to have become a monstrous and rather frustrating task. The stand bases are fine but the pieces between the model and those elements can do one. They're equally as poor as the fittings from the Ships of the Line pack which saw the Sovereign Class nosediving.

As with the new expansions, the pack has taken account of the new points scoring for the fleet with a few points deducted from each vessel. For once the Scimitar is not too far out of reach to make a decent build but we'll come to that and some of its unique additions in a bit. 

Dropping a whopping four cost points, the Reman Warbird retains its six attack, two defence, seven hull and four shields but now utilises its unique feature to remain cloaked while attacking although it does acquire an Auxiliary Power Token,  The named version also slightly changes its upgrade bar to two Tech, two Crew and only a single Weapon upgrade where previously there were two Crew and one Weapon slot available.

With the Twilight's Wraith D'Deridex Warbird there is a two point adjustment down to a cost of 28 points and the IRW Belak by three to 27. One of the big wins in both this and the Ships of the Line pack is that there are more than one option for your included ships but here only in the case of the D'Deridex and Valdore Class Warbirds. In turn it allows players to tweak their formations out of the box for either a more offensive or defensive strategy. It can also provide balance to a fleet or adjust play so that captains can utilise more flexible tactics on the field.

In terms of the Captain options, Shinzon makes a welcome return with his ability rewritten and significantly shortened. Now a six point rather than an eight point cost, the Picard clone also wields space for two Elite Actions and the chance to use a free Action while cloaked which will counter the Auxiliary Power Token incurred if the Scimitar fires while cloaked. His flip side i also different should players opt to place him in the Admiral position as Shinzon can then remove Disable or Time Tokens as a Fleet Action. 

The additional four Captains (yes, another four!) of Donatra, Koval, Rekar and Lovok all tend to focus on more offensive abilities and I suppose this is in keeping with the more aggressive nature of the Tal'Shiar. One point here - shouldn't Lovok actually be dual faction Dominion?

The only reason I would question this is because amongst the Crew options B-4 is dual Romulan/Independent. Nicely plated with the Soong android as well since his ability also has the chance to directly affect an opponent ship if it's named Enterprise with an additional two Time Tokens on the Captain card as well as being able to alter the maneuver of the target ship.

As with the Captain choices, the Crew complement is packed out with Varak, the Reman Viceroy, Reman Helmsman, T'Rul and Nevala providing various additions to your ships of either two or three points. This might be the ability to equip a Cloaking Device, alter your own moves or increase Captain skill as well as providing some additional forms of defence considering how attacking a lot of this set is. Interestingly B-4 is a five point cost, marking him a significantly higher price tag than any of the other cards in the pack with the exception of Shinzon and a certain super weapon.

Over in the selection for Elite Actions there is that leaning towards more secretive aspects of the organisation with Covert Research working around the Scan feature and Outflank utilising the Cloak ability (two of this card are included which kind of emphasises its usefulness). I am impressed with the Fire Everything card here as provides a chance to turn an ineffective attack around.

Deep in the Weapons selection we have standard Aft Disruptor Emitters (x2) which hits ships out of your firing arc and Disruptor Pulse which allows players to hit multiple targets within the firing arc of your ship. Both are blindingly good upgrades which do make me wonder what players will do with a large chunk of their older cards thanks to these more useful cards and not just because of the cost reductions. Flanking Attack is most effective on the Valdore Class as it provides two additional attack dice. More so if you're firing at a ship not in your forward arc since it reduces the opponent's defence by two dice which is a big reduction.

Of course there's also the Thalaron Weapon which has been somewhat neutered since its original appearance. That cost a ridiculous and game breaking ten points with a ten dice attack. This version is half the cost for a six dice attack that forces the opponent to remove a command or Crew upgrade off the bat and by cancelling a further Critical Damage if successful it can take another of those upgrades away too. Wisely it's a one off discard but still worth a punt for your Reman Warbird if you want to deliver an early crippling blow.

As for Tech, Secrets of the Tal'Shiar offers two Romulan Cloaking Device upgrades which does benefit craft outside of this expansion as well as the chance to use tighter turns instead of the Sensor Echo shift. Advanced Cloaking means you don't decloak this round but incur an Auxiliary Power Token while Improved Cloaking is even more substantial although purely useable with the Reman Warbird. Instead of flipping all shields to deactivated, only one needs to be turned red adding an incredible level of defence to one of the game's deadliest ships.

Romulan Ale offers a get out of jail free option by taking Disable tokens from Captain and Crew to be replaced with Time Tokens as well as placing three onto the card itself plus reducing the effectiveness of attacks at and from the chosen ship. 

A cost of one point is more than reasonable here although it is a card that will reduce your battle readiness in some respects although it will counter by not needing an Action to re-enable some upgrades.

Keeping in line with other packs from the last 12 months, Secrets... includes two Ambassador cards in the form of "It's a Fake!!!" Vreenak and the ill-fated Kimara Creetak. The Ambassador upgrade is something I've still not really tackled in gameplay although the negotiations piece is a nice twist where either acceptance means a "levelling" of the playing field or an increase in hostilities. For these cards there's the chance to increase offensive capability or disable upgrades for one or provide repairs or deduction of Time Tokens on the other. Either way there seems to be a decent advantage - it just depends how you want to play it!

Fortunately with this box you don't need to go hunting under the insert tray to find the missions as they are back on the standard cards. Crossing the Rubicon faces Donatra against the Scimitar. In the second, The Human from Remus, Shinzon boards a D'Deridex Class Warbird, specifically the Twilight's Wrath to defend a planet against the Dominion. This one does require additional ships and cards from other packs to play out but I suspect that's a clever tool to get players to invest in the other recent faction packs!

The Romulans are one of my preferred factions if not playing as the Federation and in this set there are lots of quality options to really utilise them to the best of their subversive abilities. All of these later expansion packs have truly delivered another level to the game. Secrets of the Tal'Shiar might be a pack where you use the cards and ignore the models but it's certainly worth using.

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Attack Wing: Ships of the Line

New year and new start for the gaming line here on Some Kind of Star Trek.

Rather than the standard "this card does this..." etc etc that I've come to produce, it's time to stir it up a bit and look at the latest faction packs with a bit of a different perspective.

Yes, there's still photos of all the cards and ships but for 2023 I want to try and think about these releases more in line with what they bring to the game and their impact on play. Undoubtedly there will be an element referring to the stats and some abilities but hopefully this will be a bit more subjective on content.

SO...!

Long awaited in the UK, the Federation Ships of the Line faction pack might initially be seen as a follow up to the 2022 To Boldly Go set and comprises of three completely different ships.

That set offered up Galaxy, Defiant and Miranda Classes while Ships of the Line includes Sovereign, Saber and Prometheus while both packs share the Akira Class.

But what makes this pack worth the wait and also worth forking out £40 plus? Well for one, it'll certainly appeal to computer gamers with its firm links to Star Trek Online and even includes a code for players to pick up some extra ships and packs. All four of the ship models have been given an Online makeover with some of the best detailing and paintwork that Wizkids has produced since the inception of Attack Wing. Impulse engines are clear, the metallic coat allows for all the surface markings to stand out and it doesn't look like these were hurriedly painted for once. Even the stand tubes are in the right place and at the right angle so I've not ended up with a ship that looks like it's making a suicide dive.

But even this is just a fraction of the faction(!) because this is one of the most stuffed packs to date. One noticeable upgrade is the use of double-sided ship cards meaning that each named vessel has a reverse side that shows as its generic version. In this way, Ships of the Line offers up two named Sovereign, Saber and Prometheus class ships and one Akira Class to choose from. The significance here is that each of the classes is represented by the Class name ship and this becomes more important as you dig into the bones of the set.

Over the course of these faction packs Wizkids have made a series of alterations to their product. On the cards there are more specific directions given in a symbolic manner to represent how the cards can be used as well as a dramatic update to the way in which ships and upgrades are costed.

Back in The Day the USS Enterprise-E was priced up at 32 points but here the Sovereign and Mushashi are a more reasonable 29 points. Likewise the Saber, Prometheus and Akira have also been cut down to allow players a greater range of upgrades within the point boundaries played at events and suggested within the structure of the game.

Even if you just take the Sovereign, that's four points to use elsewhere with a ship that can still hit with a standard five attack dice.

Further into the pack there are a range of new Crew, Weapon and Tech upgrades to outfit your ship. For the Prometheus is a more reasonably priced Multi-Vector Assault mode that doesn't suck up all your points.

Captain options range in skill from seven for Sanders with Necheyev available as both Captain and Admiral alongside Strickler and Patterson.

As you dig into the pack, Strickler is the first card to really hint at the hidden potential here with his ability designed to work more effectively with the Federation Prototype feature. This is the big draw for the pack which includes four of that card. Able to be equipped only to a ship that has the same name as its class (USS Sovereign for Sovereign Class). That ship can then add an additional upgrade slot of its choice and can re-roll a blank or Battle Station result when defending. 

On top of that, the pack includes a series of upgrades that have one ability but then add an
additional feature should you have that Federation Prototype card in play. For instance both Harry Kim and Lasca allow your ship to repair a hull point as well as their base feature. Sisko removes Time or Disabled tokens but also adds a Battle Station token thanks to that Prototype feature. 

In the Weapons selection there’s a decent shuffle up too with Type 10 phasers now available but taking up two slots. It's a more realistic flavour since this powerful offensive weapon adds an attack die to your ship's firepower and allows two blank results to be rerolled. Dorsal Phasers also make a return providing a solid 360 degree firing arc that is also present with Dorsal Torpedo Pod although this can only be equipped on the Akira Class. 

A 3 cost for Quantum Torpedoes (but only if on certain classes) adds even more firepower to the party with reroll abilities included.  Wizkids also making a big change to the way in which the Prometheus Class activates Multi-Vector Assault Mode. Not only is the cost reduced to make it actually usable but it creates two further points from which to launch attacks wth four attack dice, simulating the splitting of the ship. 

In fact the Prometheus Class gets a damn good deal in this pack with both Ablative Hull Armour and Regenerative Shields only able to be used by them. 

Multi-Spectrum Shielding helps add some weight to your (surprise) Shields by a point and the EMH 1 will offer the chance to remove Time Tokens as an Action and return your ship to full active status in a blink.

The Federation Prototype card (of which there are four included) acts as a new Starship Construction feature. It makes utilising the class-named starship almost a no-brainer, adding either a Weapon, Tech or Crew slot to the vessel and allowing one blank or Battle Station result in defence to be rerolled every time. 

As said, this is a pack which really plays to the possibilities and options with the sense that you could build a fully operational fleet straight from this selection of cards alone and stand a decent chance of coming out on top.

But that's not all because also included with all the usual tokens (aside from even more shields thank goodness!!!!) is a mission booklet. Usually these are confined to a set of cards but with Ships of the Line, Wizkids have stepped up and created a mini-campaign. 

As a spot of genius at work, the campaign booklet even goes as far as to suggest Escort and Prototype combos of ships. The aim here is to develop the Prototype while you have another ship to protect it. Across the four missions laid out, players can upgrade their shiny new NX-registry starship as long as they can keep hold of it!

This is certainly a new spin for the game with a self-contained and exciting story to play through not too dissimilar to the way in which ships are developed in Alliance.

In conclusion, this is probably one of if not the best faction packs released for the game. Offering better costings, more varied upgrades and some stupidly powerful abilities, Ships of the Line really is playable from the box and lets players take command of a great ship and its more unique abilities without having to trade off too much in terms of defences or crew for example. I would definitely recommend this to Attack Wing players old or new and I can only hope that the Romulan pack is just as cracking when we open her up.

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Learning Curve

Prodigy back for season two, Strange New Worlds back in June and renewed and Lower Decks also back soon and renewed - what more could you ask for?

How about that Section 31 series?

Not a chance.

The news out of the Star Trek stable this week has all been positive in regards to existing series but coupled withe the unexpected announcement of a Starfleet Academy series to begin filming in 2024.

Academy? Hang on...

Yes, after decades of ifs, buts and maybes, the long fabled, never seen, often promised show is about to become a reality. Touted as far back as 1991, Starfleet Academy nearly became Star Trek VI before becoming a junior novel series as well as an Interplay PC game, graphic novel and finally, over 30 years later a TV show.

I was always under the firm impression that the next show would be Section 31 related but with Michelle Yeoh's stratospheric rise and recent Oscar win is it possible that she's priced herself out of Kurtzman's market for the foreseeable future? With her exit from Discovery now heading towards two years ago will anyone really be engaged enough to want to see the show?

With Discovery's confirmed closure with season five it does feel that the story is coming to an end as are all related avenues from the series that resurrected the franchise on TV. After all the Sonequa Martin-Green vehicle was supposed to run and run but has now been rather unceremoniously axed.

The series did feature, as part of its fourth season, a group of cadets under the tutelage of Sylvia Tilly so there is the hint that actually it could be a spin-off from Discovery and continue that 32nd Century adventure although whether fans would welcome another foray into that time period is questionable at best.

All that's known is from the announcement that we will get a new cast of characters and it is confirmed. This will mean that Star Trek's existence will be maintained with two live action and two animated series as long as they all remain popular for the next two years.

Am I interested in an Academy series? At this time I'm not sure because Prodigy seems to be filling that gap although it is aimed (honestly!) at a younger market with its cast of adolescent characters. Is the Academy series perhaps intended to fill a gap in the teen market where Prodigy leaves off and thus providing a series for every age? 

It is possible and would make sense to provide blanket generational coverage to bring fans through but then there is a part of me that hopes it would be more akin to Picard and Strange New Worlds in its style with a more adult tone and mission statement.

But it does surprise me that Section 31 (apparently still a possibility) has been sidestepped again. Already it's missed the boat thanks to the popularity of Pike, Spock and Number One in Discovery's second season and it feels like it might not even survive to be a filler show should any of the confirmed projects fall short.

Any new content and continuation of the franchise - this will be its fourth live action series in six years - has to be seen as a good thing and that Star Trek is very much alive and a success. Or is this a final roll of the dice? Has the franchise already run its course in this new age and fatigue/desperation is setting in? Have the powers that be realised that Section 31 has been bounced around so long it is indeed dead in the water with this as a rushed alternative to fill a once plugged scheduling gap?

That's a lot of variables to consider and we have a few months to go to really dig into them before we hear sign up for our first term at the Academy.

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The Rise and Fall of Disco?

Once touted by Alex Kurtzman (no less) as the series that would run and run and run, the news that Discovery's fifth season would be its last was almost certainly unexpected.

As the first of the new era of Star Trek series, Discovery paved the way for the return of the franchise after 12 years away from TV. Looking back, it took a long time getting to that point with frantic universe building and repeated delays holding it up for almost a year. Remember when Bryan Fuller was exec producer or it was touted as an anthology series...?

Certainly the reaction to its impending end have been mixed from elation down to true heartfelt disappointment but this could also be a telling sign of things to come.

The recent merger of Paramount with Showtime has cot a few dollars and the need for streaming services to start making money in these more challenging economical times has become evermore a priority.

While fans have been lapping up the first few episodes of Picard's turnaround third (and final) season, the news on what would be following it has been conspicuously absent. Fans had assumed that Discovery's fifth season would be coming almost immediately afterwards given that it's the only show to have received any form of trailer aside from Picard in the last few months.

That suggests that Burnham and co would have been coming next however their final mission is now pencilled in for 2024. When that show ends it means that (as of now) there will be two animated series and only one live action show in production unless Section 31 or the long gestating Academy show are picked up.  Point to note of course is that both the well-received Strange New Worlds and Section 31 are born straight from Discovery itself.

More than likely, in my mind, we'll be seeing Section 31 but I'm fine being proved wrong. Who knows, with the popularity of Picard's third season we could end up with a show on the Titan, Stargazer or - nothing.

But why Discovery and why so close to the end of Picard? Well, as we started by saying, reviews from the off have been mixed. Seasons one and two sought to carve a new corner in the well-trodden "prequel" era just before TOS before making the huge 1000 year jump forward at the beginning of season three. The change in era wasn't totally successful with some of the design work coming under fire (detached nacelles for one) proving divisive. Then there was Burnham's constant emotional turmoil, the story of the Burn that didn't really pan out into the big event fans expected or wanted and a fourth season that was hugely impacted by COVID. Even from the start the controversy of Burnham's adoptive parentage and the ship's spore drive sent fandom into spins that were only just avoided with the time jump.

Maybe it's naturally run out of steam but of all the shows in existence at the moment both animated and live action, Discovery often falls at the bottom of the popularity polls. In a sense the show was the pioneer for this new age and looking at what came after it, the spin off Strange New Worlds, later Picard and the two exemplary animated shows have surpassed it in terms of storytelling, visuals and without question characterisation.

For me Discovery feels like a bit of a dinosaur in comparison, I loved the first two seasons and like the warp engines, felt a bit detached and disappointed with three and four. The little heart that was there seemed to be there was washed away and the show became somewhat generic and tired. The Ten-C were an interesting concept as was their method of communication and for a brief spark this was the most Star Trek thing the series had done. 

But one thing that Discovery repeatedly infuriated fans over was its inability to explore its cast. Relying on season-long arcs, the show focused on a core batch of two or three characters with the secondary crew barely getting anything to say or do for weeks on end. Maybe they didn't need to and were always meant to be in that background position much as was intended with the TOS co-stars. Yet fans seem to have yearned for the character depth of DS9 or TNG but were sadly disappointed. Burnham, Saru, Georgiou, Stamets and Tilly were all well served during their time on board but the format just hasn't helped bring any depth to a multitude of interesting co-stars who deserved more than a fleeting moment of the limelight. Imagine what could have become of characters such as Detmer had Discovery taken a more episodic outlook.

What Discovery did manage was to tackle the issues  of today pretty head on and that again left the fan base mixed although I would say wholeheartedly it was the right thing to do. I believe the series will be remembered for its championing of LGBQT individuals, gender and the woke movements of the 2010/2020s in a very open manner.

 Now it has one last opportunity to go out in style and who knows if the next 12 months will see rewrites and reshoots to provide the show with a fitting finale.

After all, if it wasn't for Discovery and its initial success there would be no new Star Trek. Had it failed we would have had one maybe two seasons and that would have been it. But now there's talk of more shows, more movies and a life that the franchise hasn't experienced since the 1990s. Love it or hate it, Discovery did indeed make a difference.

Even if it characters don't sit quite as highly in my estimations as Picard, Sisko or the EMH, Discovery has done what it felt was right and made a case that Star Trek could live again and do something different. Whether that different was to everyone's tastes is a discussion that will outlive the show by many, many years.

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