Star Trek: Mission New York Event Set for Sept. 2-4

Save the date: September 2-4, 2016. That’s when fans from around the world will gather in New York City, birthplace of the first-ever Star Trek convention, for Star Trek: Mission New York. The three-day 50th anniversary event, presented by CBS Consumer Products and ReedPop, will feature a galaxy of activities for Trek aficionados to enjoy, including interactive exhibits, celebrity guests, panels, screenings, exclusive merchandise and more.

“Star Trek fans set the gold standard of what these type of experiential events are all about, truly establishing this industry that we’ve been so proud to be a part of,” said Lance Fensterman, Global Senior Vice President of ReedPOP. “Star Trek: Mission New York will be a completely unique fan event unlike anything seen before, giving them the chance to go beyond panels and autograph signings, and immerse themselves in the Star Trek universe.”

Additional information about Star Trek: Mission New York – including ticket sales, hotel information and exhibitors – will be revealed in the coming weeks. Keep an eye on StarTrek.com for ongoing coverage, and also be sure to visit www.StarTrekMissions.com and the Star Trek: Mission New York social media pages (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram).

Mezco's second Star Trek action figure is Sulu

 Mezco's second Star Trek action figure is Sulu

Mezco have announced their second Star Trek action figure in their One:12 range, and in a refreshing bucking of expectations it is not Kirk! Expected in June or July, Mr Sulu will be joining the previously announced Spock figure in this series.

Like Spock, this highly detailed figure will come with an insignia display base, and feature no less than twenty-eight points of articulation. He will have a fabric uniform, and a good selection of props, including a sword! He will also have a load of different hands ready to strike various poses, and two heads to give different expressions. Continue below for a close look at all those details:

In other Star Trek action figure news, at the other end of the fabric clothed scale, Diamond Select Toys are currently reissuing and expanding their retro cloth range. The most recently announced characters to return are Uhura and Mugato, who should also be arriving this summer.

More From The Trek Collective:

The Trek Collective

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Star Trek ReAction figures

Another Star Trek Beyond set visit, and an interesting Sulu ...

ENGAGEYA

The positronic brain

The positronic brain is an extremely sophisticated computation device capable of artificial sentience, created by Dr. Noonien Soong. This device consists of an artificial neural network, designed to imitate the humanoid brain. The construction of a positronic brain is extremely complex, and Dr. Soong is the only scientist to have done so successfully – on at least seven occasions: three unspecified prototypes, B-4, Lore, Data and Juliana Soong (although the latter three were the only truly stable units).
In early 2366, Data allowed nanites to enter his neural network in order to communicate verbally with the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. (TNG: "Evolution")
Later that year, Soong's creation, Data, attempted to emulate his father's work, and created the android Lal. However, Lal's positronic net suffered a cascade failure, and ceased functioning. (TNG: "The Offspring")
On Omicron Theta, Dr. Soong experimented with scanning the synaptic patterns of the colonists' temporal lobes and programmed them into Data's neural nets. (TNG: "Silicon Avatar")
In early 2368, Data's positronic links were severed, cutting off his brain from the rest of his body. (TNG: "The Game")
A plasma shock was enough to overload Data's neural net. (TNG: "Power Play")

Medical Uses

Dr. Julian Bashir implanted Bareil Antos with a positronic matrix to keep him alive after part of his brain stopped functioning. Bareil awoke but said that the sensations he was experiencing did not seem real and seemed like a distant memory. Later, when other parts of Bareil's brain stopped functioning, Bashir chose to let Bareil die rather than replace the rest of his brain with positronic implants. (DS9: "Life Support")
"It is not mentioned whether or not this technology is the same technology used in Data's brain.

Mirror Universe

During the USS Rosenante mission Into the Darkness, Go I it was discovered that Ensign Robert Smith of that universe had several cybernetic components installed in his body. These included a positronic net, cybernetic arms and legs as well as a high capacity data dump storage device installed in his chest. As a result of this work, performed by the Mirror Universe version of Doctor Soong, Smith was able to directly interface with the computers of the ISS Rosenante. The installation of the technology that was installed in Smith was performed as a result of a raid on the [Bynars|Bynar]] Homeworld of Bynaus. the raid was undertaken by the Cybernetic Division of the Imperial Daystrom Institute and the attack was conducted by the institute's tactical division using the ISS Soong as a base of operations for the assault. Later the Bynars would be subjegated and would join the IUP.

Star Trek: Crea tu propio phaser con el nuevo vídeo de AWE me

La oportunidad de hacerte con el Phaser, una de las armas más emblemáticas del universo Star Trek, llega con este tutorial de AWE me.

Atentos, trekkies, porque esta puede ser una noticia de lo más atractiva para los arduos coleccionistas y los cosplayers.
Si te encantaba el arma Phaser (acrónimo de Phased Energy Rectification, rectificación de energía de fase), el arma que lleva la Flota Estelar a lo largo de las temporadas clásicas de la serie e incluso en las películas, estás en tu día de suerte porque el equipo de AWE me ha sacado un tutorial de cómo crear el arma con poco material y mucha paciencia.
Además, comentarte por si te lo perdirste que ya está disponible el tráiler de Star Trek: Más Allá, la nueva película del universo. Sin embargo, si prefieres más el poder hacerte con más armas o herramientas, debes saber que Google ha creado un comunicador inspirado en el modelo que se ve por Star Trek.
 

Lo de que estudio Psicología es una tapadera para ocultar mi obsesión por los zombies. Sobreviví al desastre de Raccoon City con la ayuda de Gryphus y ahora me dedico a tomar el té con los sincorazones y King Frost. Recuerda: El Psy Congroo.

Mothering Instinct: New Voyages' The Holiest Thing

After an extensive delay it seemed that New Voyages' latest offering slipped on line with almost no fanfare whatsoever.

Which is an utter disservice because The Holiest Thing is a cracking hour of original Star Trek material; in fact one of the best they've produced. Be warned if you've not watched it yet, there will be SPOILERS as we examine their ninth installment. 

With a slight revamp of the ship, we find the USS Enterprise attending Lappa III and a terraforming project led by Doctor Carol Marcus (Jacy King). An apparently freak accident vapourises the Federation ground base and leaves a large crater prompting Kirk to launch a full scale investigation.

The episode, written by Rick Chambers, is the origin story of the Kirk/Marcus relationship that formed a central part of The Wrath of Khan and will no doubt be totally overlooked for the upcoming Beyond.  It also marks the first time Brian Gross took on the role of Kirk even though we've already seen him in Mind Sifter which was released last year. That episode was a lot darker than the material Gross is presented with in The Holiest Thing and acts as a great comparison to show the range he is able to carry in the lead role. I actually preferred Brian here in a story that felt much more personal which I suspect was helped due to the fact that this is a script which focuses on a select number of the crew.

It's been a long time coming for The Holiest Thing. Originally set to be uploaded for Valentine's Day 2014 - as promo'ed at the end of Kitumba - but the choice was made to hold the release, rework it, give it an even better polish and present it to the world in a format that the production team were happy with. I can't fault the decision because it's a great episode for the most part led by a top script and some of - if not the best - lead acting in an episode of New Voyages.

As I've noted, Brian Gross is exceptional as Kirk and suits the more intimate one-on-one material and certainly exploring the captain's softer side is something that he's nailed. Perhaps the bigger surprise - and a pleasant one - is Jacy King as Carol Marcus. Whether delivering technobabble or expressing her emotions to Kirk as their relationship develops, King is totally believable and may well be the real star here. I found her performance one of the best in New Voyages and certainly their strongest guest star to date.

Also returning are Brandon Stacey as Mr Spock and John Kelley as Doctor McCoy. Both are firm stalwarts of the New Voyages episodes providing their usual, excellent portrayals of the iconic characters. Oddly though, Stacey does seem to be opening up Spock's emotional side with a hint of his human half ebbing through in more than one scene. Both Spock and McCoy play critical roles here. The science officer leads the investigation into the events that have transpired on the planet surface with Doctor Marcus and stands to the "business" aspect of Kirk. On the other side we have the Chief Medical Officer who acts to calm the captain's emotions as he falls for Carol. Kelley always seems to revel in the role and his interactions with Kirk are particularly good to watch and balance against some of the conflict/uneasiness you can sense the captain has with Spock in this story. I kind of think the Vulcan is finding his bromance threatened with that discomfort more than evident.

The choice to place Scotty, Sulu and Uhura (no Chekov this time) very much in the background does mean that their actors don't get a huge shot at the limelight here but it means the pacing is kept particularly tight and there's no baggage here. Everything just damn well works and it's a great episode from beginning to end. Chambers also drops in some key points that homage the second Star Trek feature film - terraforming, life from lifelessness, protomatter and more. The nice thing is that they actually work within the script and don't feel like the writer is just hammering them in for the sake of making fans go into continuity overload.

Graphically it's once again superb. The updated nacelles and forward torpedo tubes start to make the transition from TV to movie starship. For some this might seem a bit weird but I'd recommend watching the vignette Going Boldly which shows the upgrades taking place.  Sadly there's no CG Lieutenant Arex this time but we can hope for the future! The Ferengi ship too is very faithful to their species and the confrontation between the two vessels is stunning with the Enterprise emerging from the darkness to discover the hidden opponent. The environment of Lappa III is well realised in both the opening segment and in the away mission undertaken by Spock and Marcus. Nod for the homage to the forcefield spacesuits of The Animated Series too! 
However...


This is all well and good for the first 43 minutes but then things take a bit of a turn. For the first section of the episode we've been wondering what has been the cause of the explosion - an accident or outside intervention? When it's revealed that there's an alien ship hiding out we have some idea that there's more to this than we initially thought but the problem I have is who these aliens are revealed to be - the Ferengi.

While their motivations are feasible and trade with the outpost (unbeknownst to Doctor Marcus) to provide them with the ability to make protomatter makes total sense, I don't see why it had to be the Ferengi. It could have been a new race, even Romulans for instance but the appearance of the galaxy's most profit-hungry merchants doesn't seem to fit. The performance of guest star Clayton Sayre as the Ferengi Commander is spot on but they aren't a race I would associate at all with The Original Series.

The other challenge this episode has is the pacing of the last ten minutes. Chambers has done a magnificent job to this point but then we seem to have a lot that he wants to cover in a very short period of time; the reason for Carol requesting that Kirk leaves her alone and "stays away" and that she's pregnant. Hang on a minute - haven't these two only been together for a matter of days?! That's good going if ever...

I appreciate that the Kirk/Marcus origins story is something never covered onscreen but to ram such big plot points into a tight epilogue does make it feel very rushed. I actually believe they could have left off both these points and kept this story as an initial meeting and the start of a relationship. Certainly the concluding revelation does line up with the concept of Marcus as the "mother" of new worlds (if only she knew...) but this could have been explored in a follow up or even just a little vignette/afterwards.

One final point has to be to recognise Carl Sheldon who appears as the older Scotty in the prologue and epilogue of The Holiest Thing. Very similar to the wraparound of Captain Sulu in World Enough and Time it shifts the series firmly to the modern day and recognising the later spinoffs while adding a new twist to the classic series. It's also one piece of the episode that was shot long after the original material was filmed thanks to Kickstarter funds raised by fans.

New Voyages has played a blinder here. A truly great character episode that has evaded the screen for too long. Gross has certainly affirmed his abilities in the role of Kirk and I simply can't wait to see what the next story, Torment of Destiny, has to offer. This is set as a sequel to the classic For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky guest starring Battlestar Galactica's Richard Hatch. Plus it seems we may eventually get to see the lost Origins story written and directed by David Gerrold. Hopefully more on that one soon.

Nimoy COPD Film Now Fundraising

NimoyMovieFundraising011816

Leonard Nimoy‘s daughter Julie and son-in-law David Knight are now raising funds to produce COPD: Highly Illogical – A Special Tribute to Leonard Nimoy.
The film,” said Nimoy, “is a new documentary film that provides an intimate look at my father’s life, legacy, and his final years confronting a terrible lung disease: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Known for his iconic role as Mr. Spock in the original Star Trek series, his famous message, ‘live long and prosper,’ embodied both the character and the man.”
Two-thirds of the necessary funds have already been raised, but additional support is needed to finish the film. The money will be used to “produce and create spectacular computer generated graphic images; obtain licensing rights to use the name and likeness of Mr. Spock, and other Star Trek-related photos, images and video; complete post-production (editing, narration, sound mixing, music, and the works); and share Leonard’s story with the world by advertising, marketing, and distributing this film.
As is usual with fundraising campaigns, various perks are offered for donations from $5.00 up through $10,000. The perks include merchandise, and at the higher levels, dinner with Julie and David, set visit and an associate producer credit.
For more information on the campaign and to donate, head to the link located here. The campaign, which seeks to raise $150,000, and will run through mid-February.
Meanwhile, enjoy the below videos provided by the Nimoys which feature Leonard answering Trek-related questions about acting, favorite film, and those Vulcan eyebrows.

“COPD Highly Illogical” Raw Footage: Two Questions for Leonard Nimoy from chris spiro on Vimeo.

“COPD Highly Illogical” Raw Footage: Leonard Nimoy talks Vulcan eyebrows from chris spiro on Vimeo.

50th Anniversary STAR TREK Film Collections Coming February 9 With New Packaging… But Not Much Else

Ever since the first Blu-ray releases of the Original Series and Next Generation movies in 2009, fans have been clamoring for new editions of the tired, overly-processed film masters, which leave the cast looking like wax figures, colors out of balance, and popular features like deleted scenes and other content missing in action.

Yikes. 

Well, it doesn't look like our wishes have been answered quite yet, as Paramount has quietly scheduled two new Star Trek film collection releases for February 9, clad in new 50th Anniversary packaging -- but with no word of any kind of new content, new presentation, or new anything, really.

Click for larger views of the new cover art.

In fact, these two releases seem to actually contain less content than the earlier releases (or the 2013 Stardate Collection), as the two bonus discs from those sets -- containing The Captain's Summit and the Star Trek: Evolutions content -- don't appear to be included this time around.
For fans who don't yet have the Trek films at home, this may be a decent purchase; while the picture quality leaves something to be desired, there is still plenty of great content, lots of commentary from cast and crew, and plenty of interview features carried over from the earlier DVD releases.
For the rest of us, however, it's a disappointing reminder that the Paramount's focus on STAR TREK BEYOND has left the original run of Trek films has been out in the cold. Here's hoping this won't be the last release of these films on home media.

FIRST LOOK: Hidden Universe: Star Trek: A Travel Guide to Vulcan

Dayton Ward is boldly going in a new direction. Ward, the author behind many, many Star Trek novels -- including Elusive Salvation, Armageddon's Arrow, Point of Divergence, Peaceable Kingdoms, That Which Survives, Summon the Thunder, From History's Shadow, Turn the Page and the recent All That's Left -- will return this summer with Hidden Universe: Star Trek: A Travel Guide to Vulcan. It's an interactive guidebook that explores everything Spock's home planet has to offer.

Here's the synopsis, straight from the publisher, Insight Editions:

Plan your next trip to the planet Vulcan with Hidden Universe: Star Trek: A Travel Guide to Vulcan! Find restaurants that serve the best fried sandworms and Vulcan port. Take a trip to the Fire Plains or experience spring break at the Voroth Sea. Learn all about the native Vulcan people and their unusual customs. Discover how to correctly perform the traditional Vulcan salutation (you really don’t want to get this wrong). Learn key Vulcan phrases such as Nam-tor puyan-tvi-shal wilat: “Where is your restroom?” Find out what to do if you suddenly find yourself host to a katra—a Vulcan’s living spirit—at an inconvenient moment. All this and more can be found within the pages of this essential travel guide to one of the most popular—and logical—destinations in the known universe.

Hidden Universe: Star Trek: A Travel Guide to Vulcan draws on 50 years of Star Trek TV shows, films, and novels to present a comprehensive guide to Spock’s iconic home world. Modeled after real-world travel guides, the book will explore every significant region on Vulcan with fascinating historical, geographical, and cultural insights that bring the planet to life like never before. Also featuring a dynamic mixture of classic Star Trek imagery and original illustrations created exclusively for the book, Hidden Universe: Star Trek: A Travel Guide to Vulcan is the perfect way to celebrate 50 years of Star Trek and will thrill pop culture fans and hardcore Star Trek fans alike.

Due out on July 19, Hidden Universe: Star Trek: A Travel Guide to Vulcan will be released as a paperback that measures 6 x 9 inches and run 160 pages. It will cost $19.99. Go to www.amazon.com to preorder it. 

We’re proud to announce Star Trek Online will be celebrating our 6th anniversary

We’re proud to announce Star Trek Online will be celebrating our 6th anniversary with a brand new Anniversary Event! We plan on partying in style and have tons of exciting new content in store for you.
Beginning January 28th through February 24th of 2016, Captains will be able to enjoy our new Featured Episode, “Time and Tide”. Travel to the 28th century to witness the signing of the Temporal Accords and discover the presence of a dangerous new enemy! Team up with Captain Ben Walker of the U.S.S. Pastak to face the challenge from the new frontier – time itself! Check back tomorrow to learn more about the new Featured Episode!

Captains will also see the return of a fan-favorite! We’re bringing back the Omega Particle minigame where Q tasks you with stabilizing Omega Particles across the galaxy. For more information on the Omega Particle event, check out our blog detailing it here.
With the Anniversary Event, you’ll be able to enjoy brand new rewards! Captains will earn tons of awesome items such as upgrade kits, episode rewards, and even an all-new Tier 6 Krenim Science Vessel! Take command of Krenim technology and harness time-itself with our Anniversary Ship. Stay tuned as we release more blogs showing off the Krenim ship!
Looking to celebrate the Anniversary Event early? So are we! From January 26th to February 1st we’re hosting new giveaways each day! Be sure to check back here to find out the latest free unlocks.
We have more blogs coming your way highlighting all the Anniversary content coming to a galaxy near you. 2016 is looking like another amazing year and we can’t wait to kick off the party alongside you!

Best Of Both Worlds Could Have Been Longer

Memos between Ron Moore and Michael Piller reveal that The Next Generation‘s The Best of Both Worlds could have been longer than two episodes.
Originally, the story arc might have run to three or four episodes.
“I believe that we should stretch out this dramatic line as long as possible,” said Moore in the memo. “I am firmly in favor of a Part Three and Four to the story. I think that the Borg invasion of Earth (and by extension the Federation) will give us an opportunity to do stories that will stretch our characters and inject new life into the series overall.”
Riker would have been the beneficiary of a longer story. “an extended stay in the Captain’s chair…would help to define his character,” said Moore.
The story would have evolved “into a deadly chess game between the master and the student. Piker versus Riker.”
Both memos can be seen at Mission Log Podcast.

Source: The Trek Collective

Impossible Threat? Borg Tactical Cubes in Attack Wing

 Impossible Threat? Borg Tactical Cubes in Attack Wing

What’s worse than a Borg Sphere? A Borg Tactical cube! The armoured nightmare, making its only appearance in Unimatrix Zero, has actually received two versions for Attack Wing as Dan and Clive explain...

The first version, Tactical Cube 138, was released last year into retail and, while we only ever saw one cube on screen, Wizkids have released a second, Tactical Cube 001. This edition however was given to overall winners of their Resistance is Futile OP event. So let's take that retail version first. 

What is immediately apparent before you even open the packet is the size of the cube itself. Significantly larger than the standard ships but still a fair margin off the oversize cube, the Tactical Cube is a formidable and intimidating presence in Attack Wing and that's before you take a look at its features. The plastic base is also larger than normal to accommodate that armoured shell and increased size.

Weighing in with six attack and zero defence you might think that WizKids have made the Borg noticably arrogant (and overpowered) in their gaming form but with nine hull points and eight shield points to beat it certainly balances the fact that they can't stop an attack on basic ability alone. It weighs in at a colossal 46 points (more than every other ship bar the two oversize craft) so playing a 50 points-per-ship game doesn't give you a lot of room to move here so it's likely to be played in a one vs two (or more) scenario to even the odds.

As with all Borg ships the cube offers Target Lock, Scan and the vital Regeneration plus the unique feature that the Borg Ablative Armor upgrade in the pack costs three less points to equip. Along with that Borg upgrade you can add on three weapon, one tech and another Borg card to your ship. For smooth moves you have everything forward and at 90 degrees between speeds one and four plus reverse up to speed three which is certain to play a part given very few other ships can manage such feats. The higher end forward and back speeds do lumber you with an auxiliary power token but given your fire-power and upgrades there's not a lot you're going to worry about here.

If you're looking for a detailed model then I would push you more towards the recent Eaglemoss cube. Although a bit smaller it's a better replica with much finer attention to detail on the surface and, I suspect, a closer tie to the screen appearance. Leading your charge there are a couple of choices. At the head of that queue is the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson version).

What you need to appreciate with the Borg as we look at the captains is the use of Drones. Each Borg captain is assigned a certain number of Drone tokens at the start of the game and these can be spent during the game. It might be a free action or the level to which an upgrade can be effective but we'll come to each as we meet it on each ship. What spending a token means is that your Captain Skill decreases every time one is used.

So to the Queen because she allows you to spend one of those tokens to perform a free action. Also if the ship on which she is assigned gets destroyed then you can switch the Queen over to another Borg vessel in your fleet replete with her full compliment of eight Drone tokens. Starting with eight tokens the Queen costs a high six points but does have that amazing flexibility plus an Elite Action slot.

Your other option is to take on the Tactical Drone at a cost of four points and a starting skill of six. With this captain you can spend three of those tokens to maintain your target lock after it's been spent. Not sure how big an advantage this is compared to some of the other Borg command options and I'd rather spend another two points for the Queen.

The solo Elite Action is Assimilated Access Codes which comes at a cost of five squadron points and a discard. Up to three Drone Tokens can be used here to disable an equal number of enemy shields or you can flip a cloak token. Handy little upgrade but a hefty cost for one use when it would be cool to have it for a couple of goes at least. Definitely one for use against Romulans or Klingons I would hazard.

You kind of get the feeling this pack was designed with one thing in mind and that's more obvious as you only get one crew card, Four of Twelve, who, once more, is a discard for a more appetising two point cost. You'll need to spend one of those scarce Drone Tokens too if you want to remove an Evade, Scan, Battle Stations or, more enticingly, a Target Lock token from beside your intended victim. Considering the lack of defence on the cube this would be one to keep in the back pocket when things start to look a bit grim since it might mean the difference between escape or defeat especially if you can remove offending target locks.

Also solus to the pack is Self Destruct Sequence as your only Tech upgrade. Cancelling the chance to move or act it comes into play at the end of the Activation Phase once everyone has moved. You then roll the number of dice equivalent to your hull value (a staggering NINE in this case) which then damages every ship within range three. Nor can the enemy defend against this unless it has a Scan token assigned. Undeniably a huge endgame suicide move I guess this is a big decision especially if you're firing all nine results at each ship individually. Thing is the card doesn't specify if you need to split the result or not. I'd say not but heck it's not one many will walk away from.

The larger number of upgrades with the ship come in the Borg and Weapon upgrades (surprise, surprise) and if you're looking for inexpensive and reusable the best start is Borg Alcove. An Action card it allows you to add a Drone Token back to your captain but no more than the original starting number. No catch either and no discard or disable so you can effectively use this every single round and it only costs four points. Just have to wonder if you'll have enough slots/upgrades to utilise this properly. Secondly there's Borg Ablative Hull Armour. Additional defence plating is a bit of a recurring theme in Attack Wing with Voyager, Defiant and Prometheus being three ships I can immediately think of that carry the card or its near-as-dammit equivalent. Converting critical damage hits into normal damage will keep your cube going a bit longer without too many technical hitches and increases your shielding/hull by a further four points. Worth it for a ten point super-cost? Probably since your came might keep running a bit longer BUT you are taking a huge point hit for the feature.

The killer Borg Tractor Beam we first saw in Q Who makes a slicing appearance here and costs a large seven points but you don't need to disable or discard this either after just one round. Effective at the rather close-for-comfort range one there's no condition to its activation. If you want it, stick the included tokens next to your Borg ship and the target vessel. 

Notably it works against cloaked ships and disables two the craft's shields. Nor can shields be raised or a cloak initiated while the beam is active. But what else does it do? It restricts the enemy movement to just speed two and allows you to implement the stupid-weapon-of-total-destruction, the Cutting Beam. Now talking of huge costs with the Ablative Hull Armour, this takes eight points BUT you'll have to have the seven point Tractor Beam as well. This makes the ability to use this ten dice attack at 15 points all-in. Luckily it's "only" a disable and not a discard or there would have been blood and is an unusual two-card combo which relies on a high price. However, it's going to be ridiculously effective even if you are going to need to be at touching distance to use it.

Rounding out your Tactical Cube are two cards each with a six point cost and part of your Weapons choices. Borg Missile drops a four dice attack within range two but before you wonder why you would drop two dice from a primary attack for this, hear me out because this one is probably worth a shot. For each normal or critical damage result you get to slap an Auxiliary Power Token and obliterate an active shield plus there's no defence roll so you're almost guaranteed to do some damage. It's a fine example of how over-powered the Borg are in Attack Wing and certainly something to make them feared. I'd hate to run into a cube armed with this and that Cutting Beam - but considering the massive costs that's not very likely. 

Final Assault does equal your primary weapon roll with six dice and insists (yes, really) that you split the result between two or three different ships. Big revolutionary move allowing a double/triple attack on one shot. Worse is that if you play this on the Tactical Cube you get to use nine - I said NINE - dice to throw around. Blub. You're dead.

Closing the expansion is the Deliver the Nano Virus scenario which takes its lead from  Unimatrix Zero. While I don't enjoy that two-parter that much the mission is great to play as your Federation player hops on and off the cube to thwart the Collective. Having a two-on-one scenario is a must or the Federation player would be screwed in about four goes. Luckily having backup means there's a fair chance for success especially if you choose to play by the amended Borg rules which I did to see how they would work. For note I stuck the Thunderchild and the Defiant against it and won. Just.

So, Dan...what's the deal with this prize cube?

The second cube, the prize expansion, has a lot of cards that are themed around First Contact. Firstly in command is the Borg Queen, based on Alice Krige’s portrayal of the role. Like most of the Borg captains, she comes with a set number of drone tokens, the starting number (in this case nine) represents their Captain Skill.

You spend a drone in order to do the actions on the relevant card, thus reducing your Captain’s initiative. For example, this Queen card allows you to spend six tokens in order to disable two upgrades on an enemy ship. A nice ability, however, it’s fairly situational. You have to be in range one, and it maybe that the target ship doesn't have any upgrades to disable. Also, by spending those drone tokens, it does reduce the Queen to a skill level three, meaning that unless you have an upgrade that allows you to increase drone tokens, she will be a level three for the rest of the game.

Another upgrade is a Borg version of Data, representing our favourite android during the 0.68 seconds when he was tempted by the Queen. In this pack, he allows you to spend a token in order to disable a nearby captain and take a free scan action. A nice upgrade, and one that works very well with the Queen who has nine tokens to spend. The elite talent (command interface) lets you discard it to re-roll a single dice.

I don’t like this one as five points seems like a steep price for re-rolling a single dice once per game, especially when Interplexing Beacon lets you do much the same thing, but at range 3 for 3 less points and 1 to 2 tokens for 1 to 2 dice respectively. Finally, rounding out the pack is the Borg Maturation Chamber. This Borg upgrade allows you to regenerate all of your drone tokens. At six points, it is a bit expensive, but its nice if you need to get your Captain’s drone levels back up. Lastly, versions of the Borg Tractor Beam, Borg Cutting Beam and Borg Missile are included here. 

The ship itself allows you to discard your Borg upgrades to cancel opponents hits or critical hits. A nice ability for a last ditch situation, but if I were playing Borg in a situation like this, I would try to get away from my opponent and use the regenerate ability before returning to the fray. 

The ship physically differs from the retail cube in that it is made of translucent green plastic. It’s difficult to convey in photographs, but it looks different enough from the previous version. Online videos have shown many hobbyists breaking their Borg ships open and installing green lights in order to give their ships a green glow. While I would never dream of attempting this myself, this cube is probably more conducive towards that end. 

How does this ship play? Well, her high points cost puts her in the same bracket as Deep Space Nine, meaning that you get to put up to eight points of upgrades on there (if you're playing 50 points per ship), hence my unhappiness with the high cost of the various upgrades on here. 

The ship is further hampered in tournament play by changes to the overall rules that affect the Borg. Firstly, ships with a base 360 degree firing arc can now only fire at a maximum range of two. Secondly, the Borg movement mechanic has been changed so that instead of spinning and then moving, ships move then spin, meaning that a Borg Cube will usually only go backwards or forwards. 

Having run this ship in tournament play, I can confidently say that she is still a formidable beast. With 8 shields and hull she can take a pounding, and with six attack dice she can give them out too. However, with no evade, she won’t last forever...

There we have it - the two available Tactical Cubes. Horribly over-powered and under-defended but hey, at least it gives the other players a bit of a chance to win.

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