Sunday 29 May 2016

Missing Persons: Timelines Updated


Try as I might I can't pull myself away from playing the addictive Star Trek Timelines

My Trekkie friends play it, we follow the vids, discuss useful characters, pointless traits and just who did you get when the portal threw up the choice of Old Bashir, Seven of Nine or Captain Scott?

Yes, it's become an obsession within an obsession as  I've collected characters completed missions and acquired starships since the initial launch in January. Y'know what, it's even managed to get me to part with a little bit of cash each month to get some daily dilithium (really makes a difference!).

But Timelines has never sat on its laurels with multiple changes to the starship combat levels, updated screen layouts  for traits and skills plus new additions such as the Dabo Wheel and most recently the new Shuttle Boosts. Impressively there are now missions which cater for your one and two star characters that you might have binned off as useless to use their spots for three, four and five star crew.

The biggest addition has been the events with three so far taking us into the monochrome world of Captain Proton, the 30th anniversary episode Trials and Tribbleations homage mashed up with Klingons and most recently the Mirror Universe offering Kirk and Uhura prizes. Utilising the shuttle missions players have had the chance to win limited time characters and get them maxed up in a few days which certainly helps on some of the harder difficulties and later episodes.

One of the biggest draws for me has been the characters and there are new ones very regularly. Even just this week Disruptor Beam have added ten new crew options including Captain Kurn, Fencing Barclay, Chief Engineer Geordi (it's taken this long for this option?) and Carol Marcus but chatting to Ian Kimmins from the Irish USS Cuchulain group the two of us came to realise that there were still some big players missing from the game.

Ian and I have been chatting about Timelines for a while now, comparing crews and helping each other out with questions and trying to work out if using that Dabo Wheel is actually worth the risk; but we thought it would be cool to pull together a list of ten characters we think should be added to the Timelines Hall of Fame in the near future. So here's Ian and my choices in no particular order...

Gorn Captain ***

Skills: 31 Command, 41 Security
Traits: Gorn, Resourceful, Duelist, Veteran
A truly classic character that needs to be in the game - and I mean the original version not the CGI one from In a Mirror Darkly. One of my favourite aliens ever and thoroughly deserving of a place in the game.


Admiral Kirk ****

Skills: 72 Command, 39 Diplomacy, 68 Security
Traits: Human, Federation, Starfleet, Resourceful, Tactician
Either with antique glasses nose-perched or that blood stain across the open uniform flap for the image. We do have a "movie" Kirk already in his Nexus version but there's no Admiral option to date. This could make an awesome The Wrath of Khan event if he was introduced then as one of two possible prizes. This Kirk's skills would sit somewhere between the two versions from the five year mission (Captain Kirk and Command Wrap Kirk) and that Generations Nexus one.


Dathon ***

Skills: 70 Diplomacy, 60 Command, 
Traits: Child of Tamar, Inspiring, Diplomat
Jalad, Tanagra; we all know the stories but once again it's a classic guest character who's been overlooked for some perhaps lesser main character versions and less memorable guest stars. Also this then begs the question will we get a Captain Terrell since both are played by the late Paul Winfield.


Icheb **

Skills: 24 Engineering, 34 Science
Traits: Innovative, Civilian, Brunali, Astrophysicist
If we've been granted the future version of Naomi Wildman surely Icheb - and we mean the Manu Intiraymi version - isn't far away. If memory serves this is the only other major guest crew character from Voyager that hasn't made his way into the game as yet. I'm almost certain you'd get Manu to record some new lines too!!! 


Guinan *****

Skills: 100 Diplomacy
Traits: El-Aurian, Diplomacy, History, Bartender
No-brainer. I could suggest a couple of versions but I'd plump for the one from Night Terrors carrying her big gun from Magus III. I'm very surprised that we've not had the Enterprise's bartender yet. Could this be due to image rights? Honestly I don't know but she's got to be an essential addition. I think having Guinan as a super rare character would also make this a highly sought crew addition.


Generations Sailor Worf ***


Skills: Klingon, Federation, Starfleet, Duelist, Costumed 
Traits: 43 Command, 50 Security 
We rarely get to see the The Next Generation crew out of uniform so this is a unique version of Worf from his time on the show. After all we've had Tommy Gun Dixon so other variants must be coming! The current Worf characters in game follow a fairly similar path, having a costumed version will add an extra trait to his character here and an extra dimension to the Timelines universe.




Gary Seven ****


Skills: Human, Crafty, Resourceful, Civilian
Traits: 21 Command, 42 Diplomacy, 50 Engineering
Gary Seven is a slightly enigmatic character from The Original Series. Even though he appeared only in one episode he left a major mark. To add a character of this quality to the game will only enhance the playability and with his unique skills and traits he would be a must have! Cat Essential.


Zhian'tara Odo (Facets) *****


Skills: Diplomat, Changling, Bajoran Constable, Cultural Figure
Traits: 67 Diplomacy, 51 Security, 52 Command
Odo and Jadzia Dax are both great Deep Space Nine characters. This particular combination version of them makes them one of a kind. Fusing a two star Jadzia and a three star Odo would be the logical way to the five star experience and offers a new Easter Egg just as we had with the recent Tuvix combo.



Vic Fontaine *****

Skills: 31 Medicine, 73 Diplomat, 57 Command
Traits: Hologram, Federation, Inspiring, Gambler, Counsellor
Vic is a great character in Deep Space Nine. He keeps the whole crew entertained and even manages to counsel Nog in his spare time! Vic was a significant additional character in the final season of the show and certainly added a new dynamic that we weren't expecting. He's a great character to add another unique dimension to the Timelines universe!




Erika Hernandez ***


Skills: Human, Starfleet, Pilot, Explorer
Traits: 43 Command, 26 Diplomacy, 16 Security
As captain of the NX-02 Erika Hernandez was one of the first female captains in space and an important character in Enterprise. Hernandez will add an exciting alternative to the existing Enterprise characters and also to the overall game.


Honourable Mentions


Honestly we could have gone on for a much longer list but confined ourselves to a core ten we would love to see. Other considerations that came in were Leeta, Vedek Bareil and the baseball versions of the crew from Take Me Out to the Holosuite from Deep Space Nine plus Voyager's resident killer-come-saviour Lon Suder and thanks to Ian for those additional "bubbling under" suggestions. However, I then realised there's a massive gap in the game once I'd considered a Tholian, Tolian Soran and Ru'afo - where are all the variants from The Motion Picture?

Not only am I thinking of the crew options, Kolinar Spock, Drafted McCoy but also V'Ger Ilia for instance? It just seems there's a very obvious hole that's not yet been plugged unless Disruptor Beam have something up their sleeve! Seems very strange we've not had any from the initial movie but then it might be an adversity to grey one-piece uniforms...What's the score on that Mr Gallup?!

Overall though we can't fault Timelines because it is constantly changing, the team give us constant updates in-game and via their brilliant YouTube channels and their game tutorials have come in handy to get new starters thoroughly immersed in the multi-verse. Keep it up team, we're loving what you're doing!

Who do you think HAS to be included in Star Trek Timelines? What essential characters are still missing from this ever-expanding mobile game? Let us know below!

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