Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown has received what may be its biggest update yet in Update 1.7, and the headline feature is the one Voyager fans have been waiting for since the game launched: the Delta Flyer. The iconic shuttle — closely associated with Tom Paris and a pivotal part of Voyager’s later Delta Quadrant adventures — is now in the game, bringing a dedicated questline, new combat mechanics, and expanded mission options across several existing quests. Update 1.7 is a significant milestone for the game, and this guide covers everything that has changed.
What Is the Delta Flyer?
For anyone not steeped in Voyager lore, the Delta Flyer is one of the most beloved shuttle designs in Star Trek history. Introduced in Season 5 of Star Trek: Voyager, the Delta Flyer was a purpose-built advanced shuttle designed and constructed by the Voyager crew — primarily Tom Paris — as a more capable and durable alternative to standard Federation shuttlecrafts. It combined Starfleet technology with elements of Borg and other Delta Quadrant technology, giving it exceptional speed, shielding, and weapons capability for a vessel of its class.
The Delta Flyer became a key asset for Voyager during its later seasons, used on high-risk missions, combat scenarios, and diplomatic situations where sending the full Voyager would be inappropriate or impractical. Its association with Tom Paris — who poured his passion for classic Earth vehicles and spacecraft design into the project — made it one of the most character-driven pieces of technology in the show. In the game, its arrival therefore carries genuine narrative and emotional weight for fans of the series.
The Tom Paris Delta Flyer Questline — Sector 7
The centrepiece of Update 1.7 is a brand-new Delta Flyer questline involving Tom Paris, set in Sector 7. This quest takes players through the process of constructing the Delta Flyer in the Shuttlebay and deploying it as a new gameplay asset. The questline is not simply a tutorial for the new mechanic — it is a narrative experience that ties the arrival of the Delta Flyer to the story of the crew and to Paris specifically, in a way that should resonate with fans of the character and the show.
The Sector 7 setting for the questline adds a new area to engage with, and the focus on Paris gives the update a character-driven quality that elevates it beyond a simple content addition. Across the Unknown has consistently tried to ground its mechanics in the relationships and personalities of the Voyager crew, and the Delta Flyer questline continues that approach.
Constructing the Delta Flyer in the Shuttlebay
One of the most satisfying aspects of Update 1.7 is that the Delta Flyer is not simply handed to the player — it must be constructed in the Shuttlebay. This is entirely in keeping with the lore of the show, where the crew built the Delta Flyer themselves from available materials and expertise rather than receiving it as standard-issue equipment. Constructing it in-game means players go through a process of gathering or managing the necessary resources and components before the shuttle is available for deployment.
The Shuttlebay construction system adds a layer of investment to the Delta Flyer’s arrival. By the time the shuttle is ready to deploy, players have earned it through active engagement rather than simply unlocking it through a menu. This is a good design decision — it makes the Delta Flyer feel like a genuine achievement rather than just new content dropped into an inventory.
The Delta Flyer as a Combat Ally
Once constructed, the Delta Flyer functions as a combat ally — a powerful secondary asset that can be deployed in engagements without splitting the rewards players earn from completing those missions. This is an important design point: the Delta Flyer helps you in combat, but it does not take a share of the mission rewards. This prevents a situation where having the Delta Flyer available makes players feel like they are giving up a portion of their normal earnings in exchange for assistance, which would undermine the incentive to use it.
As a combat ally, the Delta Flyer introduces strategic depth to encounters. Its capability relative to standard shuttles means it can be deployed in situations where the tactical value of having a second vessel in the fight outweighs the resource cost of using it. Understanding when and where to commit the Delta Flyer — and when to hold it in reserve — becomes part of the tactical decision-making that defines the game’s combat.
New Delta Flyer Mission Options in Existing Quests
Beyond the dedicated questline and combat role, Update 1.7 integrates the Delta Flyer into several existing missions across the game. Quests including Old Friends, New Enemies, The Drone, and Uprising now feature Delta Flyer-specific options — new paths through those missions that become available once the Delta Flyer has been constructed and is available to deploy.
This retroactive integration is one of the most impressive aspects of Update 1.7. Rather than leaving the Delta Flyer as a purely new-content feature that does not interact with previously completed or available missions, the development team has gone back through existing quests and added new decision points that account for it. This approach respects players who have already progressed through those quests and gives returning players a reason to re-engage with content they may have already seen — exploring how the Delta Flyer changes the available choices and outcomes.
The addition of new encounter options to quests like The Drone — which likely involves Borg-related content — and Uprising is particularly interesting, as these missions involve scenarios where a faster, more heavily armed shuttle than a standard craft would have genuine tactical utility. The Delta Flyer was used against Borg threats in the show, and having it affect how players approach those in-game encounters is a narratively satisfying touch.
Quality-of-Life Improvements and Bug Fixes in Update 1.7
Beyond the headline Delta Flyer content, Update 1.7 includes a substantial quality-of-life pass across multiple areas of the game. The bridge UI has been improved — the main strategic interface players interact with constantly during the game has received changes that should make it more readable and more intuitive. Bridge UI improvements in a game where you spend significant time managing crew and resources have an outsized impact on the overall play experience.
PlayStation gamepad support has been added in Update 1.7. This is significant for players who prefer to play on a controller rather than keyboard and mouse, and for anyone who plays on a PlayStation or on PC with a DualSense or DualShock controller. Adding proper gamepad support at this stage of the game’s lifecycle is a welcome accessibility improvement that opens the game up to a wider range of play styles.
The update also includes quest fixes, stability improvements, crash fixes, and save-game improvements. In a narrative strategy game where save game integrity is critical — losing progress due to a corrupted or broken save is one of the most demoralising things that can happen to a player mid-campaign — save-game improvements are among the most important bug fixes the team can make. Crash fixes similarly improve the overall reliability of the experience.
Is the Delta Flyer Worth Building?
The practical question for players currently in the game is whether the Delta Flyer is worth the investment of constructing it through the Shuttlebay process. Based on what Update 1.7 delivers, the answer is yes — for multiple reasons.
As a combat ally that does not split mission rewards, the Delta Flyer is mechanically strong without carrying a gameplay cost that would make players reluctant to use it. Its integration into existing quests via new mission options means it affects how you play content you may have previously considered complete, adding genuine replay value. The questline itself provides narrative engagement with Tom Paris and the crew that will appeal strongly to Voyager fans. And the construction process through the Shuttlebay makes earning the Delta Flyer feel meaningful rather than arbitrary.
The broader picture Update 1.7 paints is of a development team actively improving Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown with content that matters to the audience. The Delta Flyer is one of the most fan-requested additions the game could have received. The fact that it arrives with a full questline, combat integration, retroactive mission options, and a slate of quality-of-life improvements signals that the team understands both the game’s mechanics and the emotional connection players have with the source material.
What This Update Means for the Game’s Future
Update 1.7 is an encouraging sign for the long-term prospects of Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown. A game tied to a beloved IP needs to consistently demonstrate that it understands and respects that IP while also building genuinely good gameplay on top of it. The Delta Flyer update does both. It draws on the history of Voyager in a specific and fan-satisfying way, and it implements the new content with mechanics that make it a genuine addition to the game’s strategic options rather than a decorative Easter egg.
For Star Trek fans who have not yet tried Across the Unknown, Update 1.7 is a strong argument for giving the game a look. For existing players who have been waiting for this specific update, it delivers on the promise. Engage.
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