Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown

Despite its long presence in the cultural zeitgeist, Star Trek has a checkered history in the video game world. A few standouts over the years have managed to capture the magic, but it’s far from a sure bet. By focusing on a specific established corner of the fiction and building gameplay that capitalizes on that specific story, developer Gamexcite is trying hard to hit the mark. Based on early conversations with the team, and my own time playing an early build, there’s ample reason to be hopeful.

Across the Unknown reimagines the specific character moments, story conflicts, and epic galactic journey of the U.S.S. Voyager, told originally across seven seasons of television that aired from 1995 to 2001. But unlike a linear retelling, this video game incarnation lets you shape how the story unfolds.

“Voyager is heading towards Earth, and along that path there are several pre-determined events rooted in Star Trek Lore, such as Seska’s Betrayal or entering Borg Space or encountering the Hirogen,” says game director Daniel Bernard. “The key beats from the show are the same, but within them we explore what Captain Janeway actually could have done differently, such as making an Alliance with the Trabe and thus gaining a strong ally, offering Seska redemption to gain a new hero, or whether to split Tuvix. Often these choices are based on the ship build or the heroes the player has. There are plenty of opportunities to change the events based on the player’s decisions.” While Star Trek fans likely recognize many of those alien names and species, the nature of the storytelling and Voyager’s story being set in a distant corner of the fictional universe means everything should be accessible, whether you come in knowing the story or not.