Kes (Experienced Ocampa)

by James "RedDwarf" Hoskin, Staff Writer

30th April 2008

Short hair versus long hair. Two-cost versus four-cost. No staffing icon versus a staffing icon. Being discarded when you complete a planet mission versus not being discarded. No download versus a download when you complete a mission. Six skills versus six skills. Okay, so that last point may not technically be a difference, but you get the idea. Kes (Curious Ocampa) has grown up during the years she spent on Voyager and, having stopped cutting her hair, has evolved into Kes (Experienced Ocampa).

Curious Kes

Experienced Kes

Age brings experience, and experience usually raises the cost of things. While the new Kes may have a printed cost of four, you should never have to pay that much when playing her. By discarding an equipment or event card from hand, you can reduce her cost to two. I'm sure you're aware of a certain first officer who likes to destroy events in your core, so playing Kes for her reduced cost should never be an issue.

How many times have you played four personnel aboard the U.S.S. Voyager (Home Away From Home) and completed Caretaker's Array, only for you to be unable to move the ship because one of those four personnel did not have a staffing icon? This problem will now be less of an issue thanks to Kes (Experienced Ocampa), because she has a much-needed staffing icon. It also means she can now staff the Baxial (Salvage Ship) by herself, should you need to shuttle personnel around in a cheap ship.

Both versions of Kes share Medical, Science and Telepathy. While Curious Kes also has 2 Biology and Geology; Experienced Kes has Anthropology, Exobiology and Honor instead. Having six different skills makes her ability much more potent as well. When Kes uses a skill to complete a mission, each player may download a personnel with that skill. As of The Undiscovered Country, there are only three Federation Delta Quadrant missions which do not require at least one of her skills, so you will have lots of choices over which personnel to download. Either Anthropology or Honor will almost certainly be the skill you choose though, because both Chakotay (Bridge Between Two Crews) and Revised Chakotay (Imposturous First Officer) have these skills. You can never have too many copies of these personnel in hand!

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