OK, let me put it this way:
I ran Orca's query with autotrace on
I ran dbms_stats.gather_table_stats on the fixed tables
I ran Orca's query with autotrace on
The plan was radically different, even including cost values which were not there before. I must admit I was surprised that the analyze worked.

I must also admit that you annoy me, Pando. I read this forum on a regular basis and think it is very good, but see your name on many threads and find a substantial number of your replies patronising, glib and unhelpful.