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Q: If I use a Keeper power or Free Action to take someone else’s Keeper, does that Keeper go in front of me, or into my hand?

A: Unless it is specified that an appropriated card goes into your hand, you should assume it goes in front of you, just as you should assume the only valid targets of theft are cards in play unless otherwise stated. In general, a card will maintain its in- or out-of-play status even if it changes ownership: if it starts in play in front of someone else, it it stays in play in front of you. Exceptions (like Zap a Card, or Use What You Take) state the origin and destination of the card.

Thus all stealing of Keepers, whether via an Action (like Steal a Keeper) or Free Action Rule (like Plunder), or Keeper Power (like Captain Kirk) involves taking a Keeper from in front of someone else and putting it in front of you.

Q: Can Captains of different Trek series steal each other’s Crew Members, or only crew from their own ships?

A: Any Captain can steal any Keeper with the Starfleet Officer/Crew Member icon, unless that Crew Member is already with their appropriately matched Captain. All Captains are commanding officers, so even though they are from different eras, if somehow they’re on the same mission (yeah, yeah, it’s time travel, or something), then any of them can order any crew member to join them – unless they’re trying to pull a Crew Member away from their “home Captain.”

And, of course, Captains cannot steal each other.

Regarding Worf’s situation: we see him in two different time periods in his life, and each version will stick with their current Captain. For those who are not familiar enough with the costumes from the two different series to tell them apart from their picture, they can also be distinguished by the title font, which will match between Keepers from the same deck. Also, Worf from TNG is a Lieutenant, while Worf from DS9 is a Commander.

The only Crew Member matching Captain Archer (in the Archer Expansion) is Dr. Phlox (in the Porthos Expansion), but he can still command others who are not already with the Captain they report to.

Q: The Captain has a choice of four Keepers he can steal, but one is the Expendable Crewman, does he have a choice, or must he take the red shirt?

To elaborate: The Captain can steal “Doctor, Engineer, Scientist, or Expendable Crewman.” The Expendable Crewman’s card states that any time a player takes away one of your Keepers, “they MUST take this one instead.” So, does the Captain have a choice or MUST the Captain take the Expendable Crewman first?

A: Well, The Captain can steal any of those cards, but they might not all be owned by the same player. You are only forced to take the Expendable Crewman if the person you are stealing from has that card.

So if Player A has the Captain,
and Player B has the Doctor,
and Player C has the Engineer and the Expendable Crewman

…then player A can take the Doctor from player B, but they cannot take the Engineer from C – they must take the Expendable Crewman instead.

Of course, if Player A takes the Expendable Crewman on their first try, then on their NEXT turn, they can take the Engineer if they want (assuming they still have The Captain).

Note that in Star Trek Fluxx, Ensign Smith functions as the Expendable Crewman, while in TNG Fluxx, Tasha Yar has that special ability.

Q: If you play a Keeper/Item that lets you take another Keeper/Item, can you immediately use that power to take the target card?

For example, in Star Fluxx, can you get the Captain and immediately use him to take the Scientist. Can you then immediately use the Scientist’s special power to steal, say, the Energy Crystals?

In Firefly Fluxx, can you use Zoe to take Wash, then Wash to steal Serenity, then Serenity to get Stolen Goods?

In the Back to the Future Card Game, can you play the Dust Jacket, and immediately use it to steal the Almanac?

A: Yes, you can chain Keeper/Item stealing-powers like this. It is a thing that can happen. While some feel this is overpowered, we don’t feel that it breaks the game, though. Not all of the cards are always out at the same time, and, of course, sometimes you might get screwed over mid-chain by the Surprise It’s A Trap (in Star Fluxx), or You Can’t Take This Guy From Me (in Firefly Fluxx). In the Back to the Future Card Game, of course, there’s only one Item that lets you steal another in this way.