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. Would you believe there's still MORE cards coming out of Hide and Q?
PICTURE: Yuck! A better pic would have had more than one "Thing", maybe even firing those muskets, but as is... one of the worst pics in the game. I mean, the background is cheap and plain, the contrast is set too high, the make-up effects seem to be pulled from the original series (who, at least, had an excuse), and it isn't even all that clear either. The absurdity of the image doesn't even bring a smile. No more than a 0.9.
LORE: The facts are aptly presented, with a good explanation of what we're seeing here. The mention of Worf's baptism of the creatures is a cute addition, though if I'd been Captain Picard, I probably wouldn't have liked my officers being so undescriptive. A competent 3.2.
TREK SENSE: My first problem with this dilemma is that it isn't a Q-dilemma. Why not? It could have worked (perhaps by adding a line like "if this is a planet mission" or something). What happens is, when the Q-Continuum is closed, Q can still summon up these critters. Does that sound right? Or do these creatures exist in the wild? Dressed like this? It still may be affected by Q2, but nevertheless... The effects themselves are puzzling as well, if not entirely inexplicable. That Q's monsters kill a personnel makes sense (though Wesley didn't stay down for good). That the dilemma is re-seeded also works on a conceptual level because the "Things" made multiple incursions, attacking the Away Team more than once. Of course, on different planets, this is less sensical. As for requiring Strength BETWEEN 23 and 54, that's what's really puzzling. More than 22 Strength is what is needed to win a fight against the QVATs (oooh, nice acronym), but more than 55 Strength makes you lose! Q's rules? Well, that excuse could be used to explain away any inconsistency. Yeah, Q did it. I have serious reservations all around, so only 1.7.
SEEDABILITY: Works against redshirts as well as against mega-Away Teams (and to get that giant STRENGTH total, the Jem'Hadar don't even have to be so numerous), QVAT can get you a random kill in those cases. The proliferation of hand weapons actually makes busting the 54 STRENGTH limit more likely than not having the required 23. Seeding at a mission that requires very high STRENGTH, or after a similar wall (like Founder Secret) can insure a hit. If it DOES hit, the dilemma gets re-seeded, so you can try to have it hit again and again. Only since your opponent sees where you're putting it, they'll know to send a middling amount of STRENGTH, and the dilemma will be at the front of any combo, so you can't lead the way with an appropriate one. Depending on how close the total comes to 23, your STRENGTH dilemma that follows could hit, but anywhere close to 55 and they'll probably pass it. Against the Borg, it's slightly more useful. It kills a lone scout (even a pack of 3 to 4 drones) and can be reseeded at a planet you feel they might want to assimilate. Unfortunate that it can only be seeded at an unsolved mission, because you certainly don't want the Borg swooping in on your dilemma-free solved planet. I don't expect Q2 to actually show up to nullify this marginally dangerous dilemma, but be aware that it can. I give this one a 3.
TOTAL: 8.8 (44%) Ugly creatures = ugly card = ugly score.
Comments
Typical Q hypocrisy, really.