Star Trek: Captain’s Chair Expansions & Compatibility

Compatibility at a glance

Original Captain’s Chair

The original standalone game contains Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Michael Burnham, Koloth, Sela and Thy’lek Shran. It includes the common market cards, locations, resources, automated command cards and rulebooks needed to play multiplayer or solo.

If those six captains are your priority, this is still a complete entry point. You do not need To Boldly Go for the original game to function.

To Boldly Go: a second standalone box

To Boldly Go is a complete game rather than a conventional expansion. WizKids explicitly says it contains all cards and components required to play on its own. The six captains are James T. Kirk, Khan Noonien Singh, Jonathan Archer, Philippa Georgiou, Soval and Rebner.

It uses the Captain’s Chair core framework and can be mixed with the original. This means a first-time buyer can choose To Boldly Go as their only box and still play 1–2 player games, including solo.

Can original captains fight To Boldly Go captains?

Yes. Cross-box captain matchups are an intended feature. You can take a captain from one standalone set and face a captain from the other.

The main decision is what to do with common cards. To Boldly Go includes instructions for combining material. Community discussion in 2026 also highlights the practical tradeoff: mixing a very large common pool increases variety but can dilute the frequency of traits a specific captain wants. Following the rulebook’s recommended combination method is safer than simply shuffling every common card together without limits.

Second Contact: requires a standalone box

Second Contact contains three additional captains: Carol Freeman, Christopher Pike and William Riker. It also adds Krulmuth-B as a starting location and includes new cards, ship tokens, automated command cards and Crew boards.

It does not contain a complete shared market and resource set. WizKids therefore requires either the original Captain’s Chair or To Boldly Go. Second Contact works with either standalone box; you are not locked to the original.

Which product should a new player buy?

If you own nothing, choose between the original box and To Boldly Go based primarily on captain interest. Both are complete systems. The original gives you Picard, Sisko, Burnham, Koloth, Sela and Shran; To Boldly Go gives you Kirk, Khan, Archer, Georgiou, Soval and Rebner.

Second Contact should be a later purchase because it cannot replace the common components of a standalone set.

Do you need both standalone boxes?

No. Owning both greatly increases matchup variety, but neither box is mechanically required by the other. A player who mainly wants Kirk or Khan can start with To Boldly Go; a player who mainly wants Picard or Sisko can start with the original.

The value of owning both comes from captain combinations and alternative common-card environments rather than unlocking basic play.

Does Second Contact work equally with either box?

Yes at the compatibility level. WizKids explicitly lists both original Captain’s Chair and To Boldly Go as valid required products. Its new captains can face captains from either standalone set.

The exact feel of a matchup still depends on which common-card pool you use, because captain missions and card synergies care about traits and market availability.

What changed in To Boldly Go?

The central structure remains Captain’s Chair: asymmetric captain decks, common-card recruitment, locations, specialties, missions and solo support. To Boldly Go adds a fresh six-captain roster, a new common-card environment and newer captain-specific mechanisms. It is better understood as a second core set than as “version 2” that makes the original obsolete.

Current and announced line

As of 6 October 2026, WizKids sells the original Captain’s Chair, To Boldly Go and Second Contact. The publisher has also listed two future products for an estimated Q3 2027 release:

• Resistance is Futile — currently described by WizKids as another fully standalone Captain’s Chair game.
• Duty and Honor — an expansion requiring Captain’s Chair, To Boldly Go or Resistance is Futile. WizKids currently names Worf and Gul Dukat among its four captains.

Those 2027 dates are preorder estimates and can change.

Solo compatibility

Both standalone boxes include solo rules and automated command cards. Second Contact includes automated command cards for its captains but relies on one of the standalone boxes for the shared system. This lets the new captains participate in the line’s bot-based solo mode rather than being multiplayer-only additions.

Buying FAQ

Can I buy To Boldly Go without Captain’s Chair?

Yes. It is fully standalone.

Can I buy Second Contact without either core box?

No. It requires original Captain’s Chair or To Boldly Go.

Can Kirk play against Picard?

Yes. Captains from the two standalone boxes are designed to be compatible.

Can Second Contact captains play against To Boldly Go captains?

Yes. WizKids explicitly supports Second Contact with either standalone set.

Is To Boldly Go replacing the original?

No. It is a second compatible standalone box with a different roster and common-card set.

Sources and scope

Checked 6 October 2026 against WizKids’ Captain’s Chair collection, the official To Boldly Go page, the official Second Contact page, and WizKids’ current preorder pages for Resistance is Futile and Duty and Honor. Product requirements and contents come from the publisher; comments about market-pool dilution are practical editorial guidance informed by the published combination rules and current player discussion. Editorial policy and corrections.