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. If Scotty wasn't exactly the real deal, Chekov definitely is!
PICTURE: I'm still unimpressed with the way the mirror shirt medals have turned out on the pics, but this pic of a slim-shouldered Chekov was aptly taken from his assassination attempt. He looks quite nasty, and moreover, has a pose (and haircut) similar to that of the Alpha Quadrant version. A pretty good 3.5.
LORE: Everything important is there and well told. The title's a little clumsy though, but not terrible. It's just that I might not have made him "Chief" because of his youth. Details. A competent 3.3 here.
TREK SENSE: The first three skills are proven, from the obvious Youth to the assassin's Treachery and navigator's, uhm, Navigation. The rest isn't, but can be inferred. First there's the ion storm which had to be compensated for somehow. Judging from Astrophysics' place on the Emergency Conversion card, I'd say ion storms are covered by the skill. As navigator, it would probably be Chekov's job to plot an orbit that kept the ship out of harm's way. Good thinking there. The special skill is meant to mirror the one on the "real" Chekov. Where "our" Chekov can boost his ship's Range, this guy divides the bonus between Range and, in a mirror universe slant, Weapons. I'm not sure how much of his console is devoted to Weapons (seems to be Sulu's prerogative), but it's possible the ship has so many, multiple personnel could be targeting and firing simultaneously. I feel this is a bit of a cop-out since the character didn't have much to do on the bridge at all. Something about the agony booth or assassination attempt might have been more appropriate. As for the attributes, Cunning and Strength remain the same, which is fine by me, and Integrity takes the usual mirror universe drop. Why does he get a 4 where Sulu gets a 3 though? Their crimes seemed pretty much the same to me. Perhaps the agony booth has restored a point of it, which could be funny. Well done, all in all, for a 4.1.
STOCKABILITY: The mirror Chekov adds yet another support card to make your ISS Enterprise a real marauder. Not only can he report aboard (special download or Crew Reassignment) or for free at Halkan Council, but he adds both to its RANGE and to its WEAPONS. Along with Chief Engineer Scott (+2 across the board) and James Tiberius Kirk/Log/Plaque, that puts the ship's attributes at 11-12-11 before any other enhancements (like Wall of Ships). Pretty hot for one staffing icon and a possible STP drop. Skillwise, CN Chekov offers lackluster Youth, rare (now semi-rare) Federation Treachery, always-useful Navigation and the excellent dilemma-solver Astrophysics, a fair trade from the original Chekov's SCIENCE. Attributes are nothing great, but that skill list will find some use, especially in Terran decks which are low on Astrophysics and even Youth. One mission-solving bonus: he counts as "any Chekov" for purposes of Agricultural Assessment. Unfortunately, he's a little weak in personnel battle. How about a 3.7 here?
TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) It's time to pull some Cold War tricks with a Chekov.
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