Welcome to the Spacedock!

Starfleet was kind enough to loan the Spacedock an aging, but nevertheless useful, vessel; the:

The U.S.S. Sutherland's uses:

Notable By Its Absence: Galaxies are hard to miss. Sovereigns cannot be ignored. Hermann Oberth made some startling discoveries. Miranda was a good character. Nebulas, however, can be hard to spot.

The simple problem with the average Nebula-class vessel is that it is not especially interesting. Mediocre, but uninspired, attributes. Cookie-cutter frills. Even the picture is rather boring.

And yet, against this backdrop of stupefying averageness, the U.S.S. Sutherland stands out and demands attention...

You Wanna Piece O' Me? : First and foremost, the U.S.S. Sutherland is far better in combat than one might expect. Under the command of Data (mind you, either Data is acceptable), the U.S.S. Sutherland becomes an effective military vessel. With Weapons enhanced to a hull-crushing 10 and Shields that can deflect almost any blow, the U.S.S. Sutherland swiftly goes from "target" to "turtleshell."

"Hello." : Data himself is the second element of U.S.S. Sutherland's usefulness. Premiere Data had five skills (all useful) and excellent attributes. First Contact Data is also a heavy-hitter, with four skills, a special download, still-marvelous attributes, and an icon suitable for Enterprise-E staffing. Since both Datas count as matching commanders for the U.S.S. Sutherland, either could be retrieved via the endlessly handy Ready Room Door--and since Data himself is so widely useful, this ability is difficult to undervalue.

I Will Brook No More Complaints On This Issue! : The issue of Enterprise-E icons, that is. The U.S.S. Enterprise-E is undeniably powerful, but the special icons required to crew it have reduced it and its special crew to binder-fodder in the eyes of many players. "What if you don't draw the EE-crew personnel? What if you get stuck without an Enterprise-E? You'll be dead in the water!"

The U.S.S. Sutherland is the answer to all of this. Suppose you have decided to use the FC Data, Beverly Crusher, and Deanna Troi to crew the Enterprise-E. However, you want to make sure that, if two of them are stuck at the bottom of the deck, you will still be able to accomplish something. This is where the U.S.S. Sutherland comes to the rescue. Simply use a Q's Tent to retrieve the U.S.S. Sutherland, and then use an RRD to retrieve Data (FC)--admit it, you're probably using RRDs anyway (and you should be if you are not). Now you have one of your FC personnel and the ship he commands. Simply use two other personnel to run the ship--say, Benjamin Maxwell (premiere) and Calloway (both downloaded with Assign Mission Specialists at the start of the game) to operate the U.S.S. Sutherland until the Enterprise-E and one of your other EE crewmembers come up. Rather than relying on three lucky draws, you now require only two--odds that get still better if you use Wall Of Ships, multiples of the EE-personnel, etc.

What, Me Worry--About Staffing? : Speaking of staffing, the U.S.S. Sutherland helps out decks that rely on big ships other than the Enterprise-E, as well. It is not necessary to be concerned about staffing on ships-of-the-line when you have a smaller backup ready to go if some of the prospective crew dies completing the outpost mission.

Nebulas Just Aren't So Bright: Although it has one of the nicest option packages available in ships in its price range, the U.S.S. Sutherland is still, at heart, your father's starship. Its attributes before modification are not even as good as those of the generic U.S.S. Nebula, and a Holodeck and Tractor Beam are useful, but not exceptional. In the end, the U.S.S. Sutherland is simply less powerful than many other ships--and the card play that brings out Horatio Hornblower's pride and joy could just as easily bring out one of those other ships.

Final Analysis: Although it may not be able to stand up to a Borg Cube, the U.S.S. Sutherland is still extremely useful in a secondary role. Unequalled as a support vessel for the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, the U.S.S. Sutherland distinguishes itself through other cards--Data, Ready Room Door, and Captain's Log.

Next Week's Spacedock, being Darmok.

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