What a Card: Comm Officer Uhura

Being a look back at cards from the Star Trek CCG, and what I thought of them back when they were fresh and new... in EPISODE order. Not communications "chief"?

EXPANSION: Mirror, Mirror

PICTURE: Definitely Uhura at her best, not shirking from difficult situations as she does in many episodes, but smart, sexy and deadly (more like she becomes in some of the movies). Of course, I say Uhura, because it's not really the mirror Uhura pictured here (the actual one got very little screen time). That hurts the pic a little, but overall, it's an enjoyable image, relatively sharp (pun not intended) and an appropriate reddish color palette. A quite good 4.2.

LORE: The title is kind of awkward, but "Communications Officer Uhura" just doesn't fit on a card. As for the lore, though it starts off pretty standardly, it gets good fast, right down to how she handles Sulu's advances... as seen in the pic. Good, if not excellent. A 3.5.

TREK SENSE: Like her regular universe counterpart, this Uhura has Youth, Computer Skill and Engineer. The first I was always a little surprised to see in the first place, but it makes sense within the framework of the game, in which twentysomethings are regularly given Youth. But at Lieutenant level, she's no Chekov. The Computer Skill is the proxy skill for something that might have been called "Communications", no problem there. And we've seen OUR Uhura work underneath consoles, so she does have Engineer (and there's the shirt color). The rest of the card is different. Navigation and Music are gone, the first of which was used seldom enough to not be part of the mirror Uhura's history, and the second not ruthless enough a skill for that universe. Instead we get two skills which are at odds in my opinion. How? Well, Treachery is clearly a mirror skill which proves that, despite the picture's (and even lore's) origin, we're indeed dealing with the mirror version. Anthropology, on the other hand, is not really on hand in the episode unless it represents the "real" Uhura's ability to mix with the alternate culture of the MU. That said, it may be that this universe's Uhura has an African art collection like her counterpart, but we never see it. Integrity has dropped a couple points, but is relatively high. That's fine, since they sort of describe her as a victim of sorts, wary of the truly evil Sulu. Cunning is the same in both versions, sure, and Strength is a little higher in the universe where only the strong survive. And I haven't forgotten the special download of a Dagger which, by its presence in the pic (and on her person), makes perfect sense. Though it vacillates in the same areas the real Uhura might, it's good card at 4.

STOCKABILITY: Terran decks are quite viable, and that's mostly thanks to 6+-skill OS personnel like Uhura here, who even supplement their skills with equipment downloads. CO Uhura has a dual-classification, OFFICER/ENGINEER, both good skills allowing her to initiate battle (Emblem makes Terrans battlers) and solve all those ENGINEER-based missions. Computer Skill is always a good skill to have on hand, as is the rarer Anthropology. And Treachery, once the Federation's Achilles heel, is not a problem with her or her crew. Only Youth is less useful, but there are ways to take advantage of the skill if you really want to. As an OS personnel, she can add to her skills with equipment: Classic Phaser gives her SECURITY, and Classic Communicator has a more pliable bonus. Her download of Mirror Dagger is not as good as some of the other Mirror downloads, because the weapon can be reported to just-initiated battles already, but with the CO, you need not wait for it to come to your hand. 6 skills, and she can easily be reported aboard you evil Constitution-class ships, or even the modern-day rebel ships like the Defiant. I'd say this calls for a 4.1.

TOTAL:
15.8 (79%) She can point that dagger at me any time (well, at my opponent).

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