Mot's Useless Card Review #26: Thomas Paris

And it's not that he's really useless - not The Mask of Korgano useless... he's just not as neat as Garak, so the reasoning goes. Garak is an AU CIVILIAN/SECURITY. Thomas Paris is an AU CIVILIAN/SECURITY. No one is debating the usefulness of this combination. Both cards help out your Colony or Kurlan Naiskos decks while at the same time helping with dilemmas. Both are Non-Aligned SECURITY personnel - much needed, since many regard Ajur and Boratus to be... well, that's another subject entirely. Both Paris and Garak are Non-Aligned. At least, we're playing Garak as Non-Aligned for now - his dual classification promises to be very nice later on. And this boon is what nudges Garak into the spotlight.

But what does Thomas Paris have that Garak doesn't? Well, there's Navigation x2 for starters. That's 5 free points for any Null Space dilemmas you may feel like seeding under your own missions. At the same time, Null Space is a dilemma that will damage just as many ships as not, so it's hardly a wasted card. Of course, Navigation x2 is also a long way toward meeting the requirements of Secret Salvage. (True, Thomas Paris doesn't have Computer Skill like his identical twin Nick Locarno does - but then Nick needs an affiliated personnel to join him anyway before scoring those points.) Also, the more Navigation the merrier when you try to fly by the FGC-47 Nebula.

Then there's Thomas Paris's own special brand of duplicity. He starts the game with Treachery, but you can convert that to Honor. That's really quite nice, no matter what affiliation you're playing. Treachery and Navigation are the two more obscure skills in the Pegasus Search requirements. All you need is a Diplomatic Leader (take your pick, there are several) and a little INTEGRITY. Then, after completing that 50 point mission, he can have a change of heart if it better suits your deck. Overall, the Klingons and Federation will get more mileage out of Honor (although the Klingons could certainly use Paris' help at Khitomer Research). Or if paired up with one more Honor, that's 35 points for the 2-Player Game's Reported Activity. The Romulans might leave Thomas Paris as he is, or use his Honor to help with some Espionage against the other affiliations.

Of course, I saved the best for last. Thomas Paris does, of course, have one other skill. Some have called it special. Some have called it "useless." Transporter Skill. What is Transporter Skill good for? Well, no missions. (Not yet anyway.) It does help you get around some obstacles to beaming. Unfortunately, not many people play with such cards. (Why they don't is yet another subject for another time....) But there is at least one good use for Transporter Skill...