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. Haven also gave us a mission and it isn't Arranged Marriage...
PICTURE: Mentioned but not seen, the image is an invention. It's not like we've never seen brown planets before, but at least this one looks diseased, which is in keeping with the mission's theme. Still, not too attractive. A plain, if appropriate, 3.1.
LORE: "Plague Planet" doesn't sound like a mission title, but it certainly has imagery and alliteration! "Famous deadly plague" isn't very good however. "Infamous", maybe? Stone cold 3.
TREK SENSE: This mission is partially invention, and I'm not sure it knows where it's going. On the one hand, the lore and requirements make this an investigation. On the other, the special game text seems to cure it. The first possibility is the better one since the Tarellian plague was something apparently incurable. MEDICAL/Biology is there to protect the Away Team from contamination and study the virus. Archaeology is required to study the remains of the Tarellian civilization. An odd combination, but possible. Your game text automatically nullifies Plague Ships, which either means your research has led you to a cure, or perhaps (and I'm stretching it here), to a cultural understanding that allows you to pass the dilemma diplomatically. If your opponent solves it, they get a different result. Everyone still has to send a doctor over to the Plague Ship, but no longer get the bonus points. Here, the reasoning is that you've solved the problem once, and shouldn't get more points for solving it again (even if the cure was found by someone else). Of course, encountering multiple Plague Ships in the same game doesn't produce that result. And why the different outcomes? Both are out of place on an investigation. The affiliations and points are not, but would be if this were a cure mission (therefore worth more). Works thematically, but can't pass the test. A 2.4.
SEEDABILITY: Koroth and Richard Galen come close to solving it alone (and can, with the right equipment to make them MEDICAL), but let's face it - Archaeology isn't really a Med skill. In any case, not too hard for any of the listed affiliations and will fit in well in Federation or Klingon MEDICAL decks and Romulan Archaeology decks. The points can even be brought to 40 with the right mission specialists. As for the special game text, it's a double-edged sword. Tarellian Plague Ship is a very nasty dilemma when encountered, as it makes you lose a MEDICAL at best, and an entire crew at worst. If your opponent's fond of that particular dilemma (as I am), you can avoid it entirely by solving this mission early. Of course, if it gets stolen from under your nose (and it would be relatively easy to do so, barring Fair Play), the 5 points you would have gotten from those Plague Ships as compensation for losing that MEDICAL are null and void. Since Tarellian Plague Ship isn't really number one on the list of self-seeds (because you'd still lose the doc), your opponent probably wouldn't balk at attempting this one hoping 1) to prevent you from invalidating their Plague Ships and 2) to keep those bonus points out of your hands if you do pass the dilemma. A good special text if you're worried about the usual combos, but I'd put my Outpost here, Assign Mission Specialists for Archaeology and a MEDICAL with only Biology, AND seed Fair Play, then attempt this mission first. But you'd have to be really scared of the Plague! 3.4.
TOTAL: 11.9 (59.5%) At least it's more original than your usual Premiere Set mission.
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