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. One last Ferengi from that original batch...
PICTURE: If the Ferengi make-up ever lent itself to fierceness, it's on Taar. If his cohorts didn't really make for great villains, Taar at least had the potential (I especially liked the intimidating viewscreen image on white background). Here we get that fierce look, as well as a more tribal costume, from the sheepskin shoulder pad to the beads at the back of his head. A strong 3.8.
LORE: Universality is taken care of first, and then we find out he was the first Ferengi to lay eyes on humans. That now should say "officially" because Enterprise also featured Ferengi, but can't fault the card here. And then there's a partial quote, which has a certain Ferengi flavor, but also buys into his Diplomacy. A good enough 3.4.
TREK SENSE: Taar is the first Ferengi DaiMon we ever saw, but he didn't really set the standard. I mean, Diplomacy and Astrophysics are fine skills for a typical starship captain to have, but how many DaiMons were actually diplomatic? Taar, for his part, did negotiate with Picard, and I suppose business negotiations can be included in Diplomacy. Astrophysics isn't as obvious, though it may have something to do with the way the Plasma Energy Burst works (stars are made of plasma, so...). If that's the case, typical DaiMons may well have the skill, even if we never saw the weapon again. The special skill: Ferengi Attack is a dilemma from the same episode, but is there a link stronger than a mere thematic one? After all, the Ferengi attackers in the show weren't really all that effective. Ok, but let's look at it from the perspective of first contact. The Ferengi in "The Last Outpost" had never dealt with humans, so they were at a distinct disadvantage. Taar's the guy who's letting everyone know of his experience, thereby making Ferengi attack teams more prepared. That's why he only need be in the quadrant (though I ask you, what's with all the Ferengi Attacks in the Delta Quadrant?). The problem, of course, is that Taar's special skill would extend to non-Federation victims. For the "typical" DaiMon, I suppose the skill is meant to represent better coordination of forces, boosting their effectiveness. In such a case, not being present makes less sense. I also don't think your typical DaiMon has so much Integrity, though I don't begrudge Taar's specifically. Cunning and Strength also match up to events. Would have done better as a unique personnel, I think, but can't get over 3.5 as a universal. Still good, as we'll consider him the "good" type, and Prak the more common "bad" type.
STOCKABILITY: Taar's a pretty good universal Ferengi, with some very useful skills and relatively high attributes (let's hit the Slots!). Astrophysics is especially rare in the Ferengi Alliance, and yet it's required of Purchase Moon. He can't use Rules too much, but he won't be hosed by anything targeting Greed or Treachery either. Now, does he rehabilitate Ferengi Attack? That dilemma has a nice payoff (2 kills), but is way too easy to get by. Oh, the attribute requirement has some bite, but a single Greed? Way too easy to come up with. Taar makes the attribute requirement extremely difficult (CUNNING+STRENGTH>136, that's like, 9 or more personnel), and boosts the Greed to 2. 2 Greed is a little harder, with few affiliations having more than a handful of Greedy personnel. The Feds and Romulans might be the hardest pressed to come up with it. Of course, Non-Aligned support can provide lots, so be wary. Having multiples of him out doesn't affect the special skill, though you could always have a back-up in case he's killed, or even keep him around in multiple quadrants (especially if using the 75th Rule to travel). Gets 3.7.
TOTAL: 14.4 (72%) One of the few early TNG Ferengi I like.
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