Upgrade R&D Department to Level 19 is a station mission in Star Trek Fleet Command with a single objective: raise the R&D Department to level 19. It runs at warp 1 from start to finish, since nothing happens away from your station, and the game lists a recommended level of 1. The reward is 7,000 Tritanium and 2 5 Minute Repair Speed Ups, and finishing it unlocks the next mission in the chain. It completes alongside an upgrade you were likely making anyway.
Upgrade R&D Department to Level 19 objectives
There is one objective and no choice split:
- Upgrade R&D Department to Level 19. Location: your station.
The mission’s story line explains the building rather than a plot: the R&D Department unlocks additional upgrades for the Shipyard and Ships. There is no travel, no fight and no donation. The cost of the mission is whatever the level 19 R&D upgrade costs, and the mission completes with it.
Where and what warp
Warp is 1 to start and 1 to complete, so your ships can stay docked. The listed recommended level is 1. What actually matters is being able to start the R&D Department level 19 upgrade, which depends on your station rather than any ship.
Upgrade R&D Department to Level 19 rewards
| Reward | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tritanium | 7,000 |
| 5 Minute Repair Speed Up | 2 |
Completing it also unlocks the next R&D mission in the chain.
How the R&D missions scale
The R&D Department has its own line of upgrade missions, and the rewards grow sharply at higher levels. Here is level 19 next to later R&D missions from the current game data.
| Mission | Objective | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade R&D Department to Level 19 | R&D to 19 | 7,000 Tritanium, 2 5 Minute Repair Speed Up |
| Upgrade R&D Department to Level 30 | R&D to 30 | 700,000 Tritanium, 1 1 Hour Repair Speed Up |
| R&D Department Level 45 | R&D to 45 | 70 100K Dilithium Token, 60 8 Hour Speed Up |
| Into the Void | R&D to 46 | 11 4★ Rare Refined Gas, 39 4★ Uncommon Refined Gas, 6,500,000 Dilithium |
| R&D Department Level 50 | R&D to 50 | 230 100K Dilithium Token, 60 8 Hour Speed Up |
The level 19 reward is a hundredth of the Tritanium paid at level 30, and the later missions move to Dilithium tokens and long speed ups. Level 19 is a small step on a line that pays far more further up.
Tips
Use the two repair speed ups on a quick repair. Two 5 minute speed ups add up to ten minutes, which is best spent finishing off a short repair rather than saved for a big one.
Keep the R&D line moving. This mission unlocks the next one, and the story line for this one ties the building to Shipyard and ship upgrades, so progress here feeds your fleet as well as the mission chain.
The neighbouring missions are Upgrade R&D Department to Level 18 and Upgrade R&D Department to Level 20. Every other mission by level is on the mission guide.
