The Enterprise-D's saucer section re-entering a planet's atmosphere in Star Trek: Generations

In the Star Trek fictional universe, saucer separation is used to describe the procedure whereby the saucer section of certain Starfleet starship types disengages from the stardrive section. This was first employed in the premiere episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Encounter at Farpoint, Part I", and was subsequently employed in later episodes (such as "The Arsenal of Freedom" and "The Best of Both Worlds") and the movie Star Trek: Generations. Image File history File links Saucer_section_crash. ... Image File history File links Saucer_section_crash. ... In the Star Trek fictional universe, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) is the Galaxy class starship that is the principal setting of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG). ... Star Trek: Generations (Paramount Pictures, 1994, see also 1994 in film) is the seventh feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... Star Trek collectively refers to a science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series, 726 episodes and ten motion pictures in addition to hundreds of novels, video games, fan stories and other works of fiction all set within the same fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry in the mid-1960s. ... A fictional universe is a cohesive imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. ... The primary and engineering hulls of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C). ... Starfleet Command In the Star Trek fictional universe, Starfleet is the defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration force of the United Federation of Planets (UFP), with hundreds of advanced starships of various class and size at its disposal. ... This article is about the vehicle for interstellar travel. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, many Starfleet ships are designed with two main sections: The primary hull, or the saucer section, provides crew quarters and living facilities, science and mission facilities, weapons arrays, impulse engines, and command facilities such as the main bridge. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... Encounter at Farpoint was the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The Arsenal of Freedom is a first season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, first broadcast April 11, 1988. ... The Best of Both Worlds is a significant and highly regarded two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation written by Michael Piller and directed by Cliff Bole. ... Star Trek: Generations (Paramount Pictures, 1994, see also 1994 in film) is the seventh feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ...

Numerous Starfleet ship classes, such as the Constitution class and Galaxy class, consist of two sections: the stardrive section, also known as the battle section, engineering section, engineering module, or secondary hull, where the warp engines are located; and the saucer section, also known as the primary hull or command module. Nearly every starship design that follows the saucer/secondary hull pattern has had some ability to separate into two autonomous sections during extreme emergencies: for example, an imminent warp core breach or the failure of antimatter ejection systems. However, even if the two sections could later be reconnected, it was only possible at drydock facilities. The idea of routinely separating and reconnecting the two starship sections was only a fairly recent innovation in starship design. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), a Constitution class starship in 2267 The Constitution class was a series of Starfleet vessel in the Star Trek fictional universe, first put into service in the mid-23rd century. ... The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), a Galaxy class starship. ... The Enterprise-D goes into warp. ... Antimatter or contra-terrene matter is matter that is composed of the antiparticles of those that constitute normal matter. ...

In times of battle, it was intended that the saucer section of a Galaxy class ship (which contained the bulk of the ship's crew and support systems) would separate from the ship's stardrive section (which possessed the bulk of the ship's armaments). Carrying all the non-essential personnel, the saucer section could depart the battle area; meanwhile, the stardrive section (controlled from the battle bridge, an auxiliary command centre in the stardrive section) could engage the enemy with a minimal complement. The Battle of Waterloo by William Sadler. ... The Battle Bridge is from the fictional Star Trek universe. ...

In extreme emergencies, protocols allow for the saucer to de-orbit and make a forced landing on a habitable planet; however, the craft is not designed for this maneuver, and is generally severely damaged and made a total loss upon completion. Until the crash of the Enterprise-D saucer in Star Trek: Generations, Starfleet engineers were uncertain that a Galaxy class saucer could survive a de-orbit burn and crash landing on the surface of a planet. Atmospheric entry is the transition from the vacuum of space to the atmosphere of any planet or other celestial body. ... A planet is generally considered to be a relatively large mass of accreted matter in orbit around a star that is not a star itself. ... In the Star Trek fictional universe, the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) is the Galaxy class starship that is the principal setting of the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG). ...

While the Galaxy class was built with saucer separation in mind, the saucer section only had impulse engines and no independent warp capability, making it vulnerable to enemy attack. About the only way to safely perform the separation was for the docked vessel to withdraw to a safe haven, and separate the saucer away from the battle; the stardrive section could then return to the battle. However, most situations developed so quickly that there was no time to separate at a safe distance, nor was there usually time during battle to withdraw to separate the saucer. In Star Trek, the impulse drive is the method of propulsion that starships and other spacecraft use when they are travelling below the speed of light. ...

Saucer separation generally takes place at impulse (sublight) speeds. While the crew of the Enterprise-D proved that separation at warp was possible, to do so is very dangerous and entails no margin for error. Such dangers included collision between the two sections and problems with warp field integrity/geometry. In situations where a saucer successfully detached at warp speeds, the saucer module would usually drop out of warp within two minutes. In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the warp drive is a form of faster-than-light (FTL) propulsion. ...

By 2371, the maneuver was quite rare, having only been observed four times during the lifetime of the Enterprise-D. The maneuver was also performed in the course of at least two non-canon novels: Foreign Foes and Rogue Saucer. It is believed that saucer separations would also occur during maintenance layovers at starbases. According to Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, one such instance was sometime after the first season of TNG, when a new battle bridge module was configured and installed atop the stardrive section of the Enterprise-D (on deck 8). The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and Star Trek: The Motion Picture and its sequels. ... A starbase is usually portrayed as a facility strategically positioned in space used to repair and re-supply starships. ...

Despite the procedure's rarity, Starfleet has not entirely abandoned the concept of separable starships. Around 2373, the Sovereign class was designed for saucer separation (like the Galaxy class); however, this ability has not yet been observed. At the same time, the USS Prometheus – an experimental warship design – featured "multivector attack mode," whereby the ship separated into three sections that could engage targets independently (Star Trek: Voyager: "Message in a Bottle"). Each section – designated Alpha (command module), Beta (dorsal engineering module), and Gamma (ventral engineering module) – also possessed independent warp capability. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-E), a Sovereign class starship In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Sovereign class of starships was the most advanced and powerful type of ship in Starfleet from the mid-2370s onward. ... USS Prometheus is the name of several starships in the fictional universe of Star Trek. ... The USS Prometheus, a Prometheus class starship, during saucer separation In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Prometheus class starship is an experimental make of attack vessel used by Starfleet. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... Message in a Bottle is an episode from the fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager. ... Alpha may refer to: Alpha (letter), a letter in the Greek alphabet. ... ... Gamma (upper case Γ, lower case γ) is the third letter of the Greek alphabet. ...

Trivia

• The original model of the Enterprise-D built for TNG could be separated (and was also unwieldy to film), yet a follow-on smaller, more detailed model built after the first season could not be separated. As a result the larger, original model was used to film various scenes during "The Best of Both Worlds" where the saucer and battle sections were separated while fighting the Borg.