Hey board game fans! Gale Force Nine has just released the latest expansions for their Star Trek: Away Missions miniatures game, and they feature Those Old Scientists! The two latest expansions include landing parties led by Captain Kirk and Scotty, and both include a new “Beam Away” mechanic.
 
If you missed our previous review of the base game and initial expansions, here’s a brief refresher: the game involves two players who will direct their landing parties “to complete missions, conduct espionage, fight in glorious battle, or assimilate distinctiveness.” Support cards will lend a helping hand, while Mission cards will allow you to score crucial points to win the game. And of course, each landing party is represented with some really fun miniatures!
 

As for these latest expansions: somehow, Captain Kirk arrives in the aftermath of the Battle of Wolf 359 (temporal anomalies are wacky like that). The Original Series of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy — plus Chekov — arrive on the scene ready to get the job done. Kirk’s ability to add an extra die on tests and then discard any result is potent, making him a strong contender no matter the task. He can put that advantage to good use with a judo melee attack boosted by several Support cards enhancing those signature moves.

Kirk’s fisticuffs can deal some real damage to enemy characters, which Federation phasers being set on stun often inhibit. Parking him in the center chair on the bridge (where he naturally belongs) can deny others easy access to the terminals surrounding him, just daring anyone to step into his reach. Even in the midst of a chop to the neck, enemies might be hit with a “Kirk’s Seduction” card and left Stunned. As our contact at Gale Force Nine wisely observed, “Seduction is just one of those things Kirk can do while doing other things.”

Spock’s Vulcan Neck Pinch attack also offers a strong way to disable foes with a little cowboy diplomacy, featuring better odds on its unopposed roll than many other attack options. If the shoe is on the other foot and your away team has taken damage, McCoy’s triple Medical specialization can be put to good use healing teammates. Chekov’s ability lets you add an extra die by discarding (in addition to the usual re-rolling option); it can feel a little expensive at times, but it’s in the Russian’s nature to be more reckless than cautious.

The other new away team beaming down is led by Scotty. The Enterprise’s chief engineer can generate bonus actions when you successfully put his triple Engineering specialization to good use. Uhura has a handy ability to reroll tests at Operations terminals, where many Communications tests happen. Sulu has the strongest stat points on the team, in addition to four specializations — but his unique ability being tied to Attack rolls, with a further bonus when using the one Rapier equipment card available in the expansion, is an odd choice pigeonholing an otherwise versatile officer as a combat character.

Mr. Leslie is slightly deeper cut from the crew roster, but a nice surprise to round out the second away team. Most recognizable as an iconic redshirt, Leslie served in almost every department on the Enterprise, even sitting in the Captain’s chair at times while the senior staff was away. While his presence is appreciated, Leslie’s mechanics are disappointing. He is strictly inferior in every way to the Klingon bodyguard in the Duras expansion, who has stronger weapons (both melee and ranged ones that can inflict damage, not just Stun), useful specializations where Leslie has none, and is part of a five-person away team.

Scotty’s four-man squad could have used some extra potency from another junior crew member like Nurse Chapel, Yeoman Rand, or Chief Kyle (especially with the new Beam Away mechanic) to add useful abilities to the mix. Leaving a slot available on Scotty’s squad for a fifth crew member would have been another worthwhile option. Not giving Leslie a memorable way to contribute to the team with stronger stats, specializations, or a Jack-of-all-trades ability was a missed opportunity.

At first glance, Scotty’s away team seems less impressive than Kirk’s based just on the characters, but there’s an adorable, fuzzy reason you may want to look closer. Scotty’s expansion offers one mission (and unfortunately, only one) that can introduce tribbles to the game. Tribbles cause chaos wherever they are present, letting you reroll dice for your opponent (and vice versa!).

Klingons, naturally, take even greater penalties when vexed by these wretched pests. More tribbles spread across the board with every character activation, so in short order they’ll be inescapable if you don’t spend actions to eradicate them. Several mission cards have great payoffs for letting the population grow though, so you’ll want to build your decks with options for searching out specific mission cards in order to start the tribble trouble early on in the game.

Another new mechanic present for both squads is the ability to Beam Away as part of missions. The character attempting to score points — and sometimes another character too, depending on the card — is removed from the game board until your next turn. If they complete the mission, which is typically quite challenging, you score some sweet points and can return to either your previous position or the transporter room. If you fail, however, you are Neutralized. Being able to pull a key character away from enemy attacks while completing a mission and possibly relocating them across the board grants a new twist on mobility and evasion that only Sela’s expansion leaned into previously.

Not all of the Beam Away missions are necessarily worth enough points to be worth a chance at losing a character, but as James T. Kirk would say, “Risk is our business!”

The mechanics in these expansions beautifully marry to the flavor over and over again, which we always expect from Gale Force Nine’s offerings. There are more “I’m a doctor, not a…” references than you can shake a lirpa at. You can designate an enemy character as Khan, giving them greater Attack and Defense but a hefty payoff if you can take down this self-inflicted nemesis.

Curiously, Sulu has double Security but no Science as the head of astrosciences (while Chekov, the future security chief, only has a single Security specialization). It’s a small detail that feels off from Star Trek lore for these two in an otherwise strong homage to this beloved franchise. The Support and Mission decks also feature a number of reprinted utility cards from the Riker and Picard Federation teams with updated — or I suppose you could say retro — artwork to match the era. Some of the new cards have conditions so narrow that it’s nigh impossible to make full use of them (scoring maximum points or utilizing their maximum benefit), but it’s interesting to see the designers exploring new corners of the game format.

You can pick up the base Star Trek: Away Missions game at your local game store now, as well expansions that include landing parties led by Gowron, Sela, Picard, and the Duras sisters. The Kirk and Scotty expansions will be available for purchase in March 2024.

Have you had a chance to play the game? Share your experiences in the comments below!