I had some good times with a science officer on the fed side. I never ended up with a build that would interest a PvP or dedicated STF player but I had some fun and came up with something flexible if not amazing. The bottom line was a fun play with a great deal of flexibility and some entertaining combos that never amounted to killing machine but contributed fairly when I migrated into some cooperative play.

I wondered how things would go if I came back to the kdf side of the house and experimented with a science officer in addition to the tactical officer I already have (my foray into engineering wasn't as entertaining as science so I still haven't had the urge to go back and try again.).

As a commander I couldn't justify picking up the gorn science vessel. The amount of play time I've experienced with low tier ships is so short I don't feel the purchase is justified. So I tried flying the norgh BOP. It's not amazing as showchase science platform but it has been a valuable learning experience. I'm not a good BOP pilot in spite of how much I like the aesthetic and how it seems right to fly it as a klingon but I think I've become a lttle better at it.

The hard realization I came to is that my "alpha strike" sucks gagh. What I have been reduced to is learning to pick targets more carefully and get a feel for when it is better to run. I think my moderate science light show give me slightly more survivability in a longer engagement but the improvements aren't actually in the ships capabilities. I learned something new and in defence of many of the ships I've flown the crummiest piece of equipment onboard is often the pilot.

Slithering around Kerrat has never been more fun. Hunting feds is 50/50 submarine warfare and savannah stalking. There is the silent running cloaking part but the joy of culling that wounded wildebeest when his three friends are close enough to watch me light him up but powerless to stop me from slipping back beneath the waves can't be understated.

I'd like to revisit my tac officer and Brel with what I've taken from the experience although I'm really looking forward to the draguas on promotion to captain

Dunno, I love my Science captain in a Hegh'ta. Yeah, you won't alpha as hard as a Tac, but you can dish out plenty of hurt regardless, and totally ruin someone's day with a well placed subnuke.

with a B'rel or Hegh'ta, you have the speed and maneuverability to use your sci skills to full advantage. what's not to like?

I use the torpedo boat layout, though I'm not great or anything, having just gotten my 2x mk X khg gear for the bonus. again, speed and maneuverability help make torpedoes work, so the B'rel makes for its own kind of ideal, even including an ill advised reckless point blank photonic shock wave or two.

max speed, plus rcs console, plus as much sci as I can pack, along with torpedoes and mines for science... that is plain fun, I think.

The only thing a BoP can't do is be a tank, and we have the Negh'Var for that.

Take a look at Cygone's Intrepid build in the Fed Shipyards, now imagine doing that from cloak with a B'Rel.

Strong Bad: Homestar, say something smart.
Homestar: Science!

Sold on the Brel when the time comes. I just have claw up through the ranks. My fed sci captain flies an Intrepid. I think it's great because it's quite nimble. But a Brel is quicksilver and the cloak would make for some high theatre.

I think a BoP can tank most NPCs except elites. I also think that tanking a player is relatively hard to do. In mine I am able to tank the tactical sure in ISN. But I sacrifice a lot. In my build I play a science toon with no tactical BOFFs. The build is all science bases except the Lt Commander position is an engineer.

Lt: TSS1
HE2
Lt: TSS1
ST2
Lt Com: EPtS 1
EPtS 2
Aux to SIF
Com: PH1
TB2
TBR2
GW3

All tetryon cannons, no torps. Speced heavily into the skill that allow power transfer rate faster. ( name eludes me at the moment)

It might not be. The best build for everyone but I am havering fun with it.

The B'rel is like a fancy imported sports car made out of tissue paper & cling wrap... but the Cloak is as much for defense as it is for having innate bonuses for firing out of cloak.

Sure, high speed is more defense, but if nobody sees me, then they don't shoot at me either.

Torpedo/Sci B'rel is just pure cloak, unless you get tractored. Super fast, capable of doing solid damage (I run Commander Sci, Lt Commander Tac with my B'rel), and able to call down Sci abilities. It's ridiculous fun, except when I screw up.

The margin for error is a bit lower with the B'rel, but my Vo'quv is way too safe sometimes.

Anyway, practice with the other BoPs are you go up. I did Torpedo-style BoPs at times, mainly to see if I could. It worked fine for me. Of course, the BoP is so flexible, you can run it a bunch of different ways.