What a Card: Clark Terrell

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. New scene! After losing a first bout with the Reliant, there's a scene where Kirk is looking for the staff of Regula 1. And here we find the screenshot of the Reliant's OTHER captain...

EXPANSION: The Motion Pictures

PICTURE: This is a great shot of Terrell after he's found by Kirk and explains that Khan had him under control. You think the danger's passed, but there's a CAUTION sign next to him.Yes, he's still under Khan's influence. A great bit. Good overall background, crisp foreground... it's a winner at 4.1.

LORE: We get matching commander status for the Reliant, which is good in and of itself (though why not "Captain"?), but it's the rest that holds out attention most. Next is his sense of duty, which will be demonstrated in his game text. And finally, we have a last sentence that may or may not be true, but is plucked from Khan's own lips. I love it even if it was supposed to be in the negative ("You mean he never told you...?"). It's also interesting that Paul Winfield here gets a little something about story-telling, as he also played Dathon of "Darmok" fame, a character who only communicated through references to ancient tales. A superlative effort at 4.2.

TREK SENSE: He's got all of the Captainly trappings, like Officer, Leadership and a Command icon. I didn't think he got to exercise his Leadership much in the film, but if he got respect from Chekov, I'm sure he was a fine leader. His mission was to inspect possible Genesis experiment sites for living organisms, so Biology fits. The Honor x2 represents how he managed to fight a Ceti Eel's control and commit suicide rather than allow himself to kill Admiral Kirk. Yes indeed. That incident also accounts for his special skill, a sort of Security Sacrifice that makes him give up his life for that of a VIP (which are all Very Important Persons, after all). Integrity fits this high Honor character though not going so high that he could resist the Ceti Eel from the beginning. The low Cunning, I think, is borne out in his dumbfounded reaction to meeting Khan. He was out of ideas pretty quick, it seemed. Strength's fine for a CF-era captain. Can't argue with much of it, so a 4.5.

STOCKABILITY: He's got good skills, with the always useful Biology making sure he's not just another DipHoLe. The Honor x2 in particular could be of use in combination with his ability to die in someone else's stead. Here's how: Let him die in place of a VIP in personnel battle while No Way Out is in play. He'll be worth 8 bonus points. Ok, yeah, that's not much of a trick. That special skill can be used in many other situations though. Note that unlike Security Sacrifice, it doesn't just cover random selections. Any kind of selection will do. As long as it's a VIP getting killed, of course. In that way, he can protect a number of Admirals and such, but his skill's usefulness really depends on the usefulness of Federation VIPs. You might, in fact, be relying on some special skill held by a VIP, like Hayes' ship attribute bonuses, Hanson's ship reporting, Leyton's Dominion attack ability, or Admiral Kirk's card cycling. Many others aren't really worth saving. Terrell is also the matching commander of the USS Reliant. He may report aboard using Ready Room Door or Crew Reassignment, and may Plaque/Log it to a more competitive 8-9-9. It's better in the hands of Khan's minions (which makes him a Ceti Eelable backup MC for Khan decks, although with some work), but it's an ok CF ship for a thematic Federation deck. Let's call it a 3.4.

TOTAL: 16.2 (81%) Wow, too bad he has to die.

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