Star Trek: The Next Generation's iconic starship, the USS Enterprise NCC 1701-D, could split into two parts, with the saucer section detaching from the secondary hull and warp nacelles. It rarely did so, however, with only three such maneuvers during all of TNG's 176-episode run and a fourth and final time in Star Trek Generations. The Enterprise-D's bridge officers raised saucer separation as an option in several more episodes, but the tactic only played out onscreen those four times. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) typically dismissed the idea quickly and stressed that it would only be used as a last resort.
Picard's version of the Enterprise was the only hero ship to separate its saucer onscreen, although Star Trek technical manuals indicated Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) Constitution Class Enterprise had saucer separation capabilities. During separation, civilians could flee to safety in Enterprise's saucer while the ship’s Starfleet crew stayed behind in the stardrive section and battled their attackers. It was also for evacuating civilians and crew in the event of a warp core breach. As a practical matter, the costs of 1980s visual effects and the second bridge set kept TNG from breaking the ship in two more often. Here's a rundown of each time the Galaxy Class Enterprise-D separated its saucer section.
4 "Encounter At Farpoint" (TNG Season 1, Episodes 1-2)
The saucer separation move in Star Trek: The Next Generation's premiere, "Encounter At Farpoint," was one of the first things viewers ever saw the USS Enterprise-D do. From his experience with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry knew the importance of packing plenty of action into pilot episodes. TNG's two-part premiere wasted no time grabbing the audience’s attention. The separation commenced at the 16:00 mark, by which time the episode had already introduced the new ship, the new captain, several new crew , and Q (John de Lancie) to boot, all at a breathtaking pace.
"Encounter At Farpoint" has drawn its share of criticism, and it's not without its flaws, but it was eye-popping enough to get a series order and to get wary Trekkers to tune in for more. TOS's remarkable success in syndication, and the TOS cast's Star Trek movies, had steadily grown the fanbase, but the pilot needed to win them over if they were to embrace the new cast and setting. Its lively opening half-hour, through the end of Q's courtroom scene, was a sizable part of what worked. Showing off the snazzy new Enterprise-D in the first act with the saucer separation greatly helped to sell the show.
3 "The Arsenal Of Freedom" (TNG Season 1, Episode 21)
The next Enterprise saucer separation came later in the first season in TNG season 1, episode 21, "The Arsenal Of Freedom." Though it was among the better installments of the show's uneven first season, with some engaging character moments, it was simply a regular weekly episode rather than a cliffhanger or other major event. At the time, it seemed like the Enterprise-D might uncouple the saucer and stardrive more frequently. The separation and re-docking sequences in "The Arsenal Of Freedom" are notable in hindsight because of how rare saucer separations became in later seasons.
The story in "The Arsenal Of Freedom" helped to build the Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) character early on in TNG by following him through the challenges of one of his first command assignments. However, the real-world explanation for the saucer separation maneuver likely involves the production budget. Many of the exterior space sequences consisted of recycled footage from the pilot episodes, and the producers could have filmed the battle bridge scenes on the pilot's set.
2 "The Best of Both Worlds Part II" (TNG Season 4, Episode 1)
TNG finally found its footing in season 3, with episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise," episode 16, "The Offspring," and episode 17, "Sins Of The Father," standing out among many solid outings. But the show outdid itself with "The Best Of Both Worlds," a two-parter spanning season 3, episode 26, and season 4, episode 1. The story is considered among the most sublime chapters of the Star Trek franchise and is easily TNG’s best Borg episode. Picard's capture and subjugation into Locutus by the Borg, inspired by contract renewal negotiations with Patrick Stewart, profoundly moved many viewers, as did the stunning season-ending cliffhanger.
The Enterprise-D's final saucer separation of its television run came in "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part II," the TNG season 4 opener, as the centerpiece of Commander Will Riker's (Jonathan Frakes) mission to recover Picard from the Borg. Once the Borg collective had assimilated Picard, they became privy to everything Picard knew. Riker improvised his rescue op precisely because Picard wouldn't have thought to use the saucer offensively. Starfleet and the showrunners held nothing back from the Battle of Wolf 359 and the war with the Borg. Omitting saucer separation likely would have seemed like a plot hole.
1 Star Trek Generations
Separating the saucer was not only among the first things audiences saw the Enterprise-D do but also the last thing it did successfully. The beloved Enterprise-D was destroyed in Star Trek Generations following a sneak attack by the Duras sisters Lursa and B'Etor. The attack, which was without honor, caused a warp core breach onboard the Enterprise. Though almost everyone on board made it to the saucer, which separated successfully, the stardrive exploded immediately afterward. The shock wave sent the saucer careening into the planet Veridian III below.
The remaining three films starring the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast featured the new Sovereign Class USS Enterprise-E, which never did an on-screen saucer separation. Meanwhile, the Enterprise-D's saucer separation legacy may have inspired Star Trek Beyond executed its own saucer separation just before the starship was destroyed similar to Star Trek Generations.