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. And then, we watch the movie all the way to the end so we can get THIS card (new review)...
PICTURE: It's gorgeous, right? The A's introduction at the end of The Voyage Home of course necessitated a beauty shot, and the fact that we're inside the Spacedock gives it a look wholly different from other Enterprises (and most ships, for that matter). A happy 4.5.
LORE: ONE YEAR?! Is that really how long the crew sat on their backsides either on Vulcan before facing trial, or after that trial? It all seemed like less than that, didn't it? Granted, the movies might indicated 2285 or 2286, but "the previous year" would be different from "one year earlier". Otherwise fine, and whatever decimal points it loses on that last nitpick, it regains by naming a matching commander. Holding steady at 3.
TREK SENSE: Ships are largely a matter of comparisons, especially when we're talking about ships of the line. With the A, the closest ship is the movie-era Starship Enterprise. Though the bridge kept changing over the course of the final movies, it seemed pretty interchangeable with the previous model's refit. It's got 1 point more in Shields, which is almost jokey, a correction to the problems that plagued the Enterprise in the two previous films (got hit hard by Reliant and then Kruge). All the other changes have to do with staffing. Its matching commander is the older James T. Kirk (as opposed to Starship's Captain Spock), and he can staff it despite not having the [Movie] icon. Wait, he doesn't?! Yeah, he's the Kirk from Generations, so technically in the "present". That's a bit wonky, of course, since the Kirk of IV-VI is not really Nexus Kirk, not yet. Like Starship Constitution, it can download any [Fed][Movie] personnel, but not just universals (it's a named ship), which also extends to James T., as per previous discussion. These are the people who are expected to be aboard. I might complain about the A flying right next to the original Starship, but if you're using Movie personnel, the game already considers that you're using Alternate Universe-type mechanics (i.e. parallel worlds and time travel). The Kirk thing bugs me, but 3.3.
STOCKABILITY: Same comparison, really, but with the understanding that one can use both simultaneously. Stock several copies of Wall of Ships to get a few of them into play, and also boost those low attributes. Get the personnel you need to drive it immediately with the download, and if you're smart, that'll be James T. Kirk who acts as matching commander, and get those attributes ever higher (Plaque/Log and if you play your cards right, Guinan). In fact, because James T. Kirk is a present-day personnel, the Enterprise-A becomes viable in a non-Movie deck with a simple Alternate Universe Door. Have Admiral Riker download it, then it download James T., who then downloads whatever Captain's Order you want (could be Log, could be Crew Reassignment if you want the Starship's ability, lots of other possibilities). Guinan can enter play normally for that extra boost. In a Movie deck, lots of characters boost ship attributes and James T. can fake being from the era, no problem. And since he adds 5 points to all your mission points, his crew will appreciate his presence. A 3.8 here.
TOTAL: 14.6 (73%) Still comparing to Starship Enterprise? Came in 3.5% under.
Comments
The new ones are way easier to build and way more accurate. The movie one comes with decals for the refit and A, and the TOS one comes with parts and decals to make it the Cafe, WNMHGB or series versions. It's good and bad for a completist.
(Plus nowadays you have a whole internet full of people telling you how to do this stuff. It's much easier.)