Saucer Separation Is An Awesome Star Trek Move – Why TNG Rarely Did It

In the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the USS Enterprise-D separates into two pieces: the saucer section and the smaller stardrive section. Despite how impressive and useful this feature would seem to be, the Enterprise rarely made use of it. The feature-length pilot episode of TNG, “Encounter at Farpoint,” introduced viewers to the new Enterprise-D and its recently assigned Captain, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). The omnipotent being known as Q (John de Lancie) also made his first appearance in the episode, where he put Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise on trial for the crimes of humanity.