I am proud to own this card, and have utilized it into one of my playing decks. There are many strengths to having a cards such as this. First off, it has a cloaking device. That in itself is an envy for a Federation ship and has many great uses. Second, its ratings are a match for nearly any other ship that had been brought out at its release. The best part, and most utilized, is its range; pile on all of your crew and in NO time they arrive safely to their destination. Even the Enterprise-E is no match!
Safety is a big plus. But if you get your Future Enterprise alone against a number of opponents, say a few D'deridex's or some Borg cubes, then you had better find that escape pod. This ship is not one to be arrogant with; if you enter battle its punch will be short and probably cost its life. Even with a Battle Bridge side deck, it would be best to play defensively and then warp away to an outpost's safety.
But not to worry. If the beast is destroyed, just put it back together with Res-Q or Palor Toff. And with Q's Tent, it's easy to have these at your fingertips.
The Alternate Universe expansion has many other great cards to offer as well. The best part is that many of them aren't even rare. Hunter Gangs is a great example. It is a common dilemma, but if either of your two selected away team members has odd cunning, they die! Incomming Message: Attack Authorization is another good card, if you can use it to your advantage. It forces a Federation ship to attack its opponent, which could lead to a nasty counter-attack. This interrupt is only uncommon! Klim Dokachin is a great event to hamper your oppenet with as well; it doesn't let him draw if he reported a unique personnel to duty that turn! Only vastly common decks, such as the Borg, won't be affected by this uncommon card, and you can protect it with Rishon Uxbridge. Oh, and I cannot forget the Targ--Klingon pets that eat Rogh Borg for breakfast!
_Okay, with the first expansion of an already exciting and great CCG, you are expecting some pretty cool cards. Does Alternate Universe deliver? You better believe it! This set has powerful ships, new themes, versatile doorways, awesome personnel, expensive missions, and fascinating artifacts.
_ships~Already explained was the Future Enterprise, but the Federation also has the Enterprise-C at its disposal in this set. Though this ship comes in play damaged--which is a high risk--it does so anywhere on the spaceline, which can more than make up for the damage. This can be used to rescue stranded personnel, add power to an assault that's far from your outpost, bring your people across obstacles (such at Q-Net), and let you surround your opponent.
_themes~Many themes have been introduced in this set. The capture element is just one, of which Interrogation adds value. Not only do you keep your opponent's personnel, but you get points off of them as well!
_Another theme enabled with this set is a military Federation, which is possible with Wartime Conditions. If a Federation ship is attacked, they can play this event (if an Alternate Universe Doorway is in play, remember) to be at war with that affiliation, lifting the Federation's attack restriction for that affiliation. (OFFICER or leadership is still required, however.) If your Federation deck is getting picked on, this surprise can turn the tables. Or, if you want to utilize the strengths of your cards, force your opponent to attack you--either with Incoming Message: Attack Authorization or a trick of some sort (make the USS Miranda or a shuttle open and vulnerable)--to bring your force upon them.
_doorways~Doorways were introduced in this set, and made a good show. Along with the Alternate Universe Door, which is essentially required for a player to play cards with the 
icon, this set has the Devidian Door. This doorway should be in every deck, as it allows you to report a personnel ANYWHERE for FREE. Are you short one diplomacy for that high-point mission and the Sheliak are knocking on your door? Say "Devidian Door" and bring down Sarek or Admiral Shanthi. And you don't even have to show the card until your next turn, so it is feasably possible to win the game using this card without even having it in your deck! (According to the rules, however, it is technically illegal to use that strategy and if challenged, would forfeit the game.)
_personnel~The personnel contributed in this set offer a wide range of interesting uses. Beverly Picard is an OFFICER as well as a super medical; Rachel Garret, Dathon, and Commander Tomalak are all great examples for the captains log (especially since all three personnel and all three ships are in this set); Worf is now a part of the Klingon affiliation, along with being a V.I.P. as well as having a SECURITY skill; Ian Andrew Toi, Jack Crusher, and Tasha Yar-Alternate offer prized skills, and they would be holographic if it weren't for the doorway; and of course we have the dual-affiliation cards, Major Rakal and Stefan DeSeve, which let the player change their affiliation during the game in order to please both sides. WOW!
_missions~The missions available in this set can be seen as expensive in various ways. First, they can require a lot to pass, such as Fissure Research or Risa Shore Leave. Fissure Research will probably be the concentration of a deck if it is inteded to be accomplished because it needs three personnel, along with Physics and Astrophysics. Brute Force is a tough mission as well, requiring the average strength of each away team member to be greater than 10! (Can you say blasters, blasters, and more blasters?) Other missions, like Quash Consipracy, Qualor II Rendezvous, and FCG-47 Research limit your actions. Quash Conspiracy doesn't let you beam from ship to ship, which hampers transportation, mission attemtps, and invading/assimilating ships. (The latter is from later expansions.) Finally, some missions in this set, such as Diplomatic Conference [60!] and Warped Space [45], are expensive as they offer high points, which is a bad thing only for your opponent--that is, if you can complete the missions!
_artifacts~And then we have the wonderful artifacts. Do you remember all of the awe-inspiring and almost-too-powerful artifacts in the original set? Well, Alternate Universe takes a different approach. Samuel Clemens' Pocketwatch, for example, seems to be a waste of a rare slot, but it can save you from those pesky Telepathic Alien Kidnappers or the like for one turn, which can be a big difference when you're talking about timing. Also take a look at Cryosatellite, which lets you seed an artifact (besides itself) in space--along with three personnel. These artifacts show a general theme of time, which is a part of the overall Alternate Universe concept. And then there is Ressikan Flute, which can give you points. Who thinks that music is nearly useless now? Finally, I can't talk about Alternate Universe artifacts without mentioning Data's Head, which is one of my favorites. Bring this complicated piece of machinery with your personnel to show off to your opponents! Or you could boost your ship stats and help overcome dilemmas or missions which require computer skill. Wouldn't it be perfect if Data's Head added Empathy x2 instead, so that you could move Gomtuu with only an artifact! =)
_equipment~Alternate Universe doesn't produce new phasors or tricorders, but does have a powerful Echo Papa 607 Killer Drone. Though this equipment can't be faced against personnel during an away team battle, its strength can make a big difference when both sides are added up--possibly making the losers of the firefight out to be the winners. {In my opinion, the card should face personnel, as this is how it worked in the episode it was seen in.} Any way, its true power is in its accumulating strength; for each battle it is in, it gains 10 strength. Soon you will be sure to win every encounter--or be the target of the wicked Disruptor Overload. 8-0
_Also, the I.P. Scanner is a great way to avoid being affected by those nasty Interphasic Plasma Creatures, as well as other dilemmas. It has other preventive uses from later set, is required for a mission, and can be selected by Disruptor Overload instead of other, more crucial, equipment.
Hopefully I have shown the great cards that this expansion has to offer to the Star Trek Customizable Card Game. E~mail any comments or questions to me at honestal23@yahoo.com with STCCG in the subject line.
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