When Admiral Tuvok was satisfied with Voyager's performance with the upgrades, the class entered full production. Most of the advanced technology used in the subclass were first tested on the USS Voyager, which itself was completely updated before it departed for the Delta Quadrant as part of Operation Delta Rising. This led to the creation of the Pathfinder-class, named after the mission that helped bring the USS Voyager home.

When planning first began for Operation Delta Rising, the Starfleet Corps of Engineers quickly realized that another update of the Intrepid-class was in order.