#552378
What cards do you wish were still strong enough to compete with all the fancy toys available now? It could be an old ship you played all the time, a personnel who just doesn't have a characteristic that lets them play for free anywhere, or even a dilemma combo that just doesn't cut it.
I think something to keep in mind is that with a game that's 20+ years old, there are going to be like 1000's of cards that just don't see play. That is the case with games like Magic, too. Out of a set of 100 cards, only 8 ever really see alot of play in competitive decks. I honestly think that Trek has done a better job with this than other games. It might be because the nature of the game needing a fairly diverse set of personnel combined with uniqueness. etc.
To me, (sans dilemma) the game has changed significantly in the sense that there is a great incentive to play all within an "era" or "show" group. So, maybe the bigger question is how you make each era equally viable. (It kinda feels that way now with the exception of some that are getting some attention in the upcoming sets. i.e. Movie Era). But, if I think about the cards group within a era or show group, I think most of those cards are playable. Some just honestly lose out to deck space, but won't lose you the game if you don't play them. For example, I may not play a Sulu in a TOS deck, but that doesn't mean it isn't playable.
As far as dilemma goes, that's just about the power curve. This is where STCCG resembles Magic to me the most in the sense that there really are a small set of dilemma that most people are playing because it just becomes the most efficient way to dilemma an opponent. Like, I can guarantee when I play someone, I'm going to hit (in no particular order or combo):
Neural Parasites
Rules of Obedience
Misinterpreted History
Dead End
Friendly Fire
Disgraceful Assault
And, from a personal standpoint, there are a bunch of dilemma that just aren't powerful enough to play. If all a dilemma is going to do is stop a random or two for a single turn, then I'm not going to bother with it.