USS Athena First Look: How To Start the Venari Ral Loop

The USS Athena has arrived in Star Trek Fleet Command, and in this Teaching Trek first-look guide, UltimatDJz and Jules Vern break down exactly how to start using it. We cover where to find the new Venari Ral hostiles, how the Pledges of the Venari refinery loop works, what early crews make sense for the Athena, which bundles and rewards you may want to delay claiming, and why Athena progression matters for Duo Waves, science credits, research, officers, and the Independent Archive. Whether you are building the Athena on day one or earning it free-to-play over time, this guide is designed to help you understand the early loop, avoid common mistakes, and make smarter choices with your first pulls and upgrades. Topics include: USS Athena first build Venari Ral hostile loop Pledges of the Venari Science Credits Athena parts Athena refit Duo Wave research Academy Refinery changes Officer shard bundle improvements Independent Archive schematics Like, subscribe, and share this one with your alliance mates so they do not fly the shiny new ship straight into the wrong space goblin blender. Timestamps 00:00 - Intro & Athena Overview 00:53 - Building the USS Athena 01:46 - Where the Athena Loop Begins 02:01 - Finding Venari Raal Hostiles 03:12 - Warp Range & Early Research Notes 03:26 - Athena Abilities and Crew Strategy 04:18 - Strange New Worlds Crew Options 05:13 - Athena Tier Rewards Warning 06:30 - Finding the Loot Goblin Hostiles 07:32 - Best Starting Hostile Levels 08:39 - Pledges of the Venari Refinery Costs 09:41 - Science Credit Rewards by Ops Level 10:34 - First Grind Results and Double Pulls 11:24 - Athena Parts and Early Spending Choices 12:20 - Athena Refit Explained 13:12 - Key Athena Research for Duo Waves 14:01 - Remote Campus Upgrade Boost 14:22 - New Material Pull Options 15:20 - Academy Officer Bundle Changes 16:05 - Guaranteed Officer Shard Rewards 16:55 - Independent Archive Schematics 17:39 - Final Thoughts and Outro Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @ultimatdjzplayz   Visit our website for links to all things related to Talking Trek! https://www.talkingtrekstfc.com Join Our Discord:   / discord