When the original USS Darwin ran out of inertia in 1995, a new set of stories stepped into the breach. From 1996-1998, we played in a new USS Darwin, set in the TNG era. Some of those characters came to New Lhasa.

Season One
Captain Esteban takes command of the new Darwin, but his actions as an undercover infiltrator of the sinister Alpha Federation alienate the crew. His Bajoran first officer, Mara Delenn, takes an instant dislike to the arrogant Cardassian dissident scientist Gloris Kartal. Science officer Kalret Gray is found to be a young changeling, and his loyalties to Starfleet are accepted. Captain Esteban is killed in a mission against the Alpha Federation, which is itself destroyed in battle at the end of the season.
Download the season one FAQL

Season Two
A Starfleet Trill moves from its previous host, Mara Delenn's father, to its next host, Gloris Kartal. The Dominion succeeded in destroying the Darwin by replacing the Captain and luring it into an ambush. We move on one letter in the alphabet. When two senior officers (Scarlett and Jennifer Gray) turned out to be operating for a secretive organisation outside her chain of command, Captain Delenn resigned and was replaced by Ilyia Knight. A covert investigation by Starfleet destroyed any remaining trust amongst the senior officers. Knight left, and was replaced by silcon-based Rakas Kallorian. In a mission to deal with the remaining Nexus, the Darwin is catapulted into the Beta quadrant and has to find its way home along a narrow ribbon between the borg and a race of cybernetic humans called the Aurelians. Kallorian was injured and half-Klingon McKinnon took command. He came into open conflict with more doveish senior officers over the openly interventionist face the Darwin presented to the Beta quadrant. In a confrontation with the Aurelians, the Darwin deploys a virus which is vastly more effective than intented, ostensibly wiping the species out. (Kartal refuses to help, even by preparing an antidote.) Kallorian recovers, only to die saving the ship as the Darwin escapes through Borg subspace conduits. It emerges in time to defeat a Borg attack on Vulcan contemperaneous with a similar attack on Earth.

Season Three
The Darwin is rebuilt, given a third warp nacelle, a docking crade, the USS Valiant as an escort ship, and a cloaking device. Its new mission, under Captain Anchorage, is to sow dissent in the Dominion. It is moderately successful, but is overtaken by events when the Cardassians join the Dominion. The Valiant is assigned to Alpha Squadron training at the academy. Counselor Stadi and Helmsman Merif join the Starfleet presence at New Lhasa.