DECIPHER.com > Star Trek > Expansions > Reflections 2.0

Not Another Kira!!!

by Justin Beal

Just zip it! I don't want to hear it! If I hear just one more person complain about how many versions of Kira we have in this game, I am going to bust a move! (And believe me; dancing, not something you want to see.) Since there are so many different versions of Kira Nerys in this game, what makes this one any different from the others? Well, it is definitely not her skills, with Leadership, Officer, and Security. And it is not her icons (Command and reporting to DS9 – both standard). Her attributes and cost can vary slightly depending on which version you look at, but at 6-6-6 and two respectively, there is no noticeable difference here either. So to make her stand out, it must be her game text, right?

Right. The first line should run you over like a Garbage Scow at Warp 1. She can report to four different headquarters missions, more than any other aligned personnel in the game to date. Like Yelsar before her, she can even report to your opponents' missions (in this case Cardassia Prime, and Bajor). So now that we have identified her as a personnel that has the ability to be in a good many decks, what else does she have to offer? What makes her better than just a normal non-aligned personnel?

Unlike any non-aligned personnel, Kira can make your non-Bajorans stronger, smarter and more thoughtful than normal. The first Kira Nerys that we ever saw (Colonel Kira) had a global impact on all Bajorans at her location if she had a [Fed] person present with her. This Kira can improve the attributes of a single personnel for the duration of a dilemma by discarding an event from hand. So you might be asking, is that any good? Let me give you an example:

Your Cardassians just encountered Gomtuu Shockwave. Now Garak reaches into his bag of tricks and pulls out two Diplomacy, but you are two Integrity short of 33 after playing your Comfort Women (note that this Kira is a valid target for that card, appropriate given the card image). Since you have Kira along, you can discard an event from hand to boost all of Garak's attributes by two, and the shockwave goes harmlessly past your location.

So, if you are going to take full advantage of Kira, you'll want to know how to keep events in your hand. Well, the Federation generally has higher Integrity personnel that you can use with Ressikan Flute to keep putting events back into your hand. Cardassians have multiple methods for drawing cards, and that should allow you to draw enough events for you to use effectively.

So, basically, yes, it is another Kira, but it is not just another Kira; she may be the most versatile and flexible one for any situation. With her solid attributes and new-found ability, I think this Kira will be around to stay.

Game On!
Justin Beal

December 8, 2004