Vor'cha-class Attack Cruisers have finally caught an unusual vessel for Baran, the:
The Zalkonian Vessel's uses:
Everybody Needs Somebody Sometimes: ...and sometimes that somebody is a backup ship. With the Borg affiliation, Ready Room Door, and other combat encouragements, ships are being destroyed now more than ever. Hence, backup ships are now a vital part of any deck--and a backup role is one the Zalkonian Vessel can play well. With high Range and Weapons, the Zalkonian Vessel can move about the spaceline well (making it useful in mission-completion decks) and can hit hard (offering the chance to take revenge against one's nemesis). High Range is especially useful in this role--it allows the Zalkonian Vessel to retrieve Escape Pods and Launch Portal-ed ships with alacrity.
Unfortunately, the Zalkonian Vessel's unusual staffing requirements make it suitable for use only in decks relying on a large number of Non-Aligned personnel. Merely including them, perhaps as backups or to pass specific dilemmas, is insufficient--they need to be in play to staff the ship, and in a tournament (or a fast-moving friendly game), one has little time to staff a backup ship. As a result, the Zalkonian Vessel should only be used in this way in a deck which includes many Non-Aligned personnel *who can be more useful than just as ship's crew* (Romulan space comes to mind). This way, the backup vessel can accomplish something (perhaps a mission attempt) once it is close enough to the "lifeboat" for that ship to go the final distance.
"You've Already Won Me Over...": Of course, why force the Zalkonian Vessel into a deck it really does not belong in if one can find a deck it *does? Mission-stealing decks have " Zalkonian Vessel" written all over them. Simply use Tallera and the Sisters Of Duras so that one can attempt any mission on the spaceline (except Espionage Mission, but that is a different matter). Then include a variety of Non-Aligned personnel to provide the needed skills. By using the Zalkonian Vessel, one has a fast ship that anyone, no matter their affiliation, can use, and there is no real threat of having too few Non-Aligned personnel to staff it.
"Captain, Do We Have Frills?" "Well, in a Sense...": The Zalkonian Vessel is a serious contender for the "strangest frill" award. The ability to kill John Doe is useful (as Doe can be a serious problem), but he is rarely used and so this line of text is largely usele...less-than-useful. Of course, if one gets the opportunity, there is no reason to pass it up--Transfiguration is even more rarely used than John Doe. The Captain's Log benefits are marvelous, since they make the Zalkonian Vessel into a 9-11-9 powerhouse. Unfortunately, the Zalkonian Vessel lacks the basic Tractor Beam which allows one to get rid of Radiactive Garbage Scows without having to lose points.
"Abandon Ship! Abandon Ship!": As ship-specific dilemmas become more popular (Theta-Radiation Poisoning comes to mind), being able to get off one's ship has become more important. The Zalkonian Vessel is a superb choice if one suspects (or knows about via a Scan) the presence of one of these dilemmas; the Zalkonian Vessel is fast enough to attempt, become affected, and then run back to the outpost to offload the crew. Since its lack of frills makes it relatively expendable, having to abandon the Zalkonian Vessel is no great loss. Alternatively, one could use its speed to get it to an afflicted ship in order to offload the crew. In fact, this combination of speed and expendability makes it the perfect choice for AMSQ decks hoping to avoid Tsiolkovksy Infections. Of course, two Non-Aligned personnel are still required...
But then, out of nowhere, comes the dark side of the Zalkonian Vessel...
"Raise the Shields!" (Laughter): Unfortunately for this otherwise remarkable ship, its protection is miserable. Shields of 6 are insufficient even to resist the assaults of Nebula-class vessel. In fact, *two Oberth-class ships* could damage the Zalkonian Vessel in an attack. This pathetic protection in what is otherwise a ship-of-the-line makes it difficult to justify making the Zalkonian Vessel one's primary ship, since it is so unable to protect itself.
Final Analysis: Like so many other ships, the Zalkonian Vessel has many good points--and one overriding weakness. Unfortunately, that weakness is so damaging that the Zalkonian Vessel ends up as little more than a second-line ship in most decks.
Next Week: The Spacedock "slingshots" around the sun in order to observe a little ship with a lot of history: the Phoenix (again at the request of Baran).
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to e-mail Phalanx
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