The Next Generation introduced a major starship trope that Star Trek has only used three times since

Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced a new starship feature that the franchise has only used three times since its launch. Set about 100 years later Star Trek: The Original Series, TNG used the state-of-the-art USS Enterprise-D to show how Starfleet technology has improved since the 23rd century. From more efficient communicators and transporters to improved medical treatments, the United Federation of Planets has made many technological advances between Terms of Service and TNG. Not only was the Enterprise-D much larger than Captain James T. Kirk’s (William Shatner) Enterprise, but it also boasted several features that Kirk’s ship never used.

One of the coolest new features of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) Enterprise-D was the ship’s ability to separate into two operational halves. If the Enterprise were to become involved in a dangerous battle, the ship could separate its saucer and propulsion sections. Senior officers could then take control of the propulsion section to ward off the threat, while the civilians and families were transported to safety in the saucer section. The Enterprise-D’s separation capability was fully displayed in TNG’s debut, “Encounter at Farpoint”, but the ship only used the maneuver a few times after the incident.

Star Trek has only used disc separation three times since the TNG era

The ships separated in Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek Beyond and Star Trek: Discovery

Although the Enterprise-D and many subsequent ships were built with separation capability, the saucer separation maneuver was reserved for emergencies. Star Trek only used the change on three separate occasions since the last time the Enterprise-D employed the change in Star Trek Generations: once every Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek Beyondand Star Trek: Discovery. In Traveler Season 4, Episode 14, “Message in a Bottle”, the USS Voyager’s holographic doctor (Robert Picardo) visits the USS Prometheus in the Alpha Quadrant. A new experimental warship, the Prometheus can separate into three warp-capable vessels to attack enemy ships.

Captain James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) is forced to initiate a disk separation of his Enterprise when Krall (Idris Elba) attacks the ship in Star Trek Beyond. Krall temporarily interrupts the separation sequence, before Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldaña) can complete it. The maneuver comes too late, however, and the Enterprise’s saucer section crashes. on the neighboring planet Altamid. More recently, the USS Discovery demonstrated its ability to separate in Star Trek: Discovery series finale, “Life, Itself”. In a battle with the Breen, Discovery uses a separation maneuver to bounce the Breen dreadnought to a distant location using the spore.

Star Trek is right to reserve disk separation for special situations

Separating the saucer is a bold measure used as a last resort

Although separation capability was built into the Enterprise-D from the beginning, the saucer separation sequence proved expensive to film and producers felt it slowed down the story too much. Because of this, the ship rarely employed the maneuver, even at times when it would have been useful. Still, considering how complex and dangerous change can be, it makes sense that Starfleet ships would only employ disk separation in particularly unique situations. The sequence also looks great on screen and would lose some of its appeal if Starfleet ships were breaking up all the time.

Starfleet ships are obviously built to function best as a singular unit, so it doesn’t make sense to separate them unless absolutely necessary. It would not be wise to put the lives of the bridge crew in unnecessary danger in the propulsion section unless it was the only way to save everyone else on the ship. Even in Star Trek: Discovery, Starfleet ships are not often seen separating, despite the more advanced technology of the 32nd century. Star Trek: The Next Generation showed Star Trek the first on-screen saucer separation, laying the groundwork for future starships to make use of the maneuver.