Saucer separation Saucer separation , or starship separation , was an emergency maneuver performed by some Federation starship s involving the complete disconnection of the primary hull and the secondary hull . History . During the 23rd century , hull segment separations were dangerous , last - resort maneuvers , used in the event of a catastrophic emergency . ( ) By the 24th century , separations were designed to be more routine , with some classes being designed with reconnection abilities . Both components contained essential systems , allowing each to be independently operable for extended periods . ( ) The and starships were designed to routinely separate into two or more components . ( ; ) Separation sequence . Preparation . On the " Galaxy " - class , saucer separation was primarily designed as a way for the civilian and nonessential crew complement to escape in the saucer section , while the senior staff and essential personnel engaged a threat or entered a potentially dangerous situation in the stardrive section . When a starship was required to separate , due to these circumstances , the separation command was issued by the commanding officer from the main bridge . The commanding officer , along with most of the senior staff , then transferred to the battle bridge on the stardrive section via a dedicated emergency turbolift , while a junior officer was typically left in command of the saucer module . The saucer was almost always given the directive to seek safety by retreating to a starbase or other allied territory . ( ) The docking clamps connecting the ship were prepared for release , power was re - routed to primary hull sources . ( ) Evacuation of nonessential personnel from the stardrive section was conducted by security staff . ( ) Audio warnings were given to the crew to alert them of the pending event and how much time was remaining to vehicle separation . ( ) Separation event . During the actual separation event , the docking latch es , on the stardrive side of the ship , collapsed and retracted into the hull of the stardrive section . An auto - separation was generally used to separate the two components of the ship , although a manual option was also available . ( ) The separation was monitored from the main bridge and battle bridge by the conn officer and operations officer . ( ) Staff in engineering could also provide support during a separation . ( ) The drive section , which contained the ship ' s warp drive and the majority of weapons systems , was then free to confront danger without endangering the lives of nonessential crew . Following the crisis , the two sections could rendezvous and rejoin . Connection was generally the reverse process of separation , again with automated and manual options . " In the alternate reality , separation aboard Constitution - class starships could be executed manually , via activation of a three - pronged control system . Once the release system was extracted from its wall panel , each lever was folded outward and rotated clockwise to an open position , after which final confirmation was required via associated control panel . " " Once confirmed , an airlock door automatically closed at the ship ' s separation point , and the saucer would automatically separate from the secondary hull . ( ) " High - warp situations . Though highly inadvisable , it was possible to separate the saucer from the stardrive section at high - warp velocities . Used by Jean - Luc Picard during the first encounter with Q , the saucer was separated at a warp speed of 9 . 5 . According to Data , it was highly impractical but possible , with no margin for error . The slightest mishap would have made this attempt deadly . It was also required to clear the saucer section from the stardrive section to ensure safety , because as soon as separation was over , the saucer section would start to lose speed , posing a danger to the stardrive section . However , Picard was able to successfully separate the saucer in order to protect the families of the " Enterprise " from the immense power of Q . ( ) Emergency landing of saucer section . The saucer sections of many starship classes were designed to make planetfall on a suitable planetary surface , preferably class M . The saucer was required to make a level approach , heading towards the ground at a shallow angle . The area chosen for landing had to be smooth and relatively free of obstruction . However , unless there were landing struts or similar equipment available , the vessel would generally be disabled beyond repair . ( ) Examples of separation . Tactical uses . The used saucer separation as a way to confront the Q entity on its first mission in 2364 . Captain Picard left Lieutenant Worf in charge of the saucer section . The separation was the first to be conducted at high warp . During the reconnection of the ship , Picard ordered new first officer William Riker to conduct the docking manually . The members of the bridge crew were somewhat apprehensive about the plan , but Riker performed well . He safely rejoined the two sections without any automated assistance , proving his command ability to Picard . ( ) Commander Riker suggested a saucer separation shortly before the " Enterprise " was sent to investigate a possible Romulan attack on the freighter " Batris " later that year , although Picard felt it was too premature to justify such an action . The Klingon criminals Korris and Konmel , inadvertently rescued from the " Batris " by the " Enterprise " , were fascinated by the stardrive section of the " Enterprise " and were excited at the prospect of hijacking it for their own use in battle . They attempted to get Worf to assist them in accessing the battle bridge and separating the ship , but fortunately , Worf was loyal to the " Enterprise " crew . ( ) Also that year , Acting Captain Geordi La Forge separated the ship to return and fight the automated weapons drone s on planet Minos . Chief Engineer was ordered to take command of the saucer section and take it to Starbase 103 . ( ) Also that year , the USS " Enterprise " was sent to investigate the destruction of a number of colonies and bases along the border with the Romulan Neutral Zone . Before entering the area , Commander Riker suggested a saucer separation although Picard felt it was too early to justify such an action . ( ) In 2366 , Commander Shelby suggested separating the ship and using the saucer to create a distraction for the Borg . Commander Riker rejected the idea , feeling the extra power from the saucer ' s impulse engines would be of use in the battle . Shelby briefed Picard on her plan despite Riker ' s objections . ( ) Later , Riker used Picard ' s knowledge of the plan to his advantage during a rescue attempt to retrieve Picard , assimilated as Locutus . Following the devastating Battle of Wolf 359 , the " Enterprise " caught up to the Borg cube , then engaged the vessel and separated . As expected , the Borg focused their attack on the stardrive section , ignoring the saucer module . This allowed the saucer to launch a shuttlecraft , masked in an antimatter spread , towards the cube . Lieutenant Commander Data and Lieutenant Worf successfully transported from the shuttlecraft to the cube and abducted Locutus , which was a crucial event leading to the defeat of the Borg in orbit of Earth . ( ) Tactical uses of saucer separation such as these were perhaps inspiration for the multi - vector assault mode of the , launched in 2374 . ( ) Emergency uses . The was capable of a similar emergency maneuver when trapped in orbit . By discarding the nacelle s , the ship was better able to rocket back into space under impulse power . " In 2263 of the alternate reality , the USS " Enterprise " suffered major damage in the Battle of Altamid , including the loss of her warp nacelles and most of her secondary hull . Due to earlier jury - rigging , the impulse engine s were still attempting to draw power from the warp core so a saucer separation had to be performed if the ship was to draw power from auxiliary generators . Captain chose to perform the separation himself , but was intercepted by Krall before he could finish . Having realized Kirk was in trouble , Lieutenant finished the separation herself . " " Following the successful saucer separation it was determined that while they had impulse engines again , the saucer had been caught in the gravitational pull of Altamid and could not pull out . The remaining crew members abandoned ship and the saucer crashed on Altamid , damaged beyond repair . " ( ) In 2267 , Captain James T . Kirk considered a plan wherein chief engineer Montgomery Scott would discard the warp drive nacelles and escape with the main section when the original was threatened by Vaal at Gamma Trianguli VI . Ultimately , the separation was never ordered . ( ) Kirk attempted to order Scott to disengage nacelles , and jettison if possible , in 2269 , while the ship was in orbit of Excalbia , but the transmission was cut - off before the order was received . ( ) The use of a saucer separation for a " Galaxy " - class starship was a way to ensure crew safety . In 2365 , saucer separation was considered in order to quarantine the cargo bay of the " Enterprise " - D when it was feared that a plasma plague strain had escaped a containment facility . ( ) When Ansata terrorists planted an implosion device on the warp core of the " Enterprise " - D during an attack in 2366 , Captain Picard ordered a saucer separation . Fortunately , Commander La Forge was able to remove the device and beam it into space before it detonated . ( ) Also that year , the " Enterprise " s warp propulsion system became contaminated with invidium , causing a physical jam of the matter / antimatter injector s . The ship began to lose structural integrity as it rapidly accelerated out of control , and a saucer separation was considered by the bridge officers in order to save the crew . However , uneven warp plasma flow to the nacelles would have caused the warp field to rupture upon separation , destroying the saucer section and rendering the maneuver useless . ( ) Saucer separation could be used as a means to prevent individuals from seizing control of a ship . Such a case occurred in 2367 when Dr . Noonian Soong used a signal to temporarily cause Data to use any means necessary in order to return to Soong ' s home planet . He caused an environmental system failure on the bridge , then locked himself on the bridge and severed all command functions . Data then plotted a course to Soong ' s planet at high warp . Picard and the senior staff , in main engineering , attempted to separate the saucer in order to restore computer control to the stardrive section . The plan was to then incapacitate the saucer with a tractor beam once the separation was complete . However , Data was able to discover the separation command and cancel it before it could be carried out . ( ) The " Enterprise " struck a quantum filament in 2368 , disabling most of the ship ' s systems and causing a gradual failure in antimatter containment . Ensign Ro Laren pushed for a saucer separation to protect survivors in the saucer section , but doing so would condemn those in the stardrive section to certain death when the core breached . Deanna Troi , the senior officer on the bridge at the time , decided to delay separation and use power from the bridge to activate crucial displays in engineering . Commanders Riker and Data saw the displays right before the ship was to separate , averting the containment breach . ( ) Unfortunately , the " Enterprise " - D was required to separate for the same reason three years later , in 2371 . Serious damage was inflicted to the ship as a result of an ambush by the Duras sisters , and the warp containment system was critically damaged . The entire ship ' s complement was evacuated to the saucer and it reached safety just as the drive section exploded . The shock wave from the blast knocked the saucer section out of orbit and into the atmosphere of the planet Veridian III , where the ship was forced to make a crash landing . There were only light casualties , however , the " Enterprise " - D saucer was damaged beyond repair . ( ) Appendices . Background information . While on - screen only a nacelle separation was mentioned in " The Apple " and " The Savage Curtain " , a saucer separation was also described as a possibility in the writer ' s guide for , " The Star Trek Guide " ( third revision , page 15 of the supplement ) . In the guide , the saucer - like section is described to be " " in fact a completely self - sustaining unit which can detach itself from the galaxy drive units and operate on atomic impulse power for short range solar system exploration . " " The first visualization of a saucer separation was conceptualized by Ralph McQuarrie , as he worked on the pre - production of the abandoned 1976 - 1977 " " project . He stated , " " I had devised a concept for the end of the film . . . Some alien form has designed a way to use the power of a black hole ' s gravity to form a spherical shroud around the black hole . If you have a dense enough material , gravity cannot penetrate it . There are two openings in the shroud that they would use to pull ships in . The saucer of the " Enterprise " ( which was detachable ) ends up in the shroud . They meet the aliens and had a dramatic finale . These two images are of the " Enterprise " saucer in the shroud [ . . . ] The disc of the " Enterprise " would separate from the rest of the ship to land on the surface of planets . " " The sketches McQuarrie referred to , of the independently operating saucer section , were published in " The Art of Ralph McQuarrie " ( pp . 124 - 129 ) . A year later , a saucer separation involving the refit " Constitution " - class " Enterprise " ( NCC - 1701 ) was storyboarded by Andrew Probert for a possible scene at the end of . Features such as a separation line were intentionally designed into the filming model by Probert , and were good indications that the ship can separate just like its earlier form . ( " " ) Gene Roddenberry would have preferred if , in , the " Enterprise " s saucer section had been blown up , rather than ( as happens in the film ) the entire ship . " " If the saucer had been blown up , at the end of the picture , " " speculated Roddenberry , " " we [ could have ] had a new saucer come down and reunite the two . Symbolic of the end of the story . They preferred to do it the other way . " " ( " The Making of the Trek Films " , 3rd ed . , p . 47 ) For the refit " Enterprise " , Andrew Probert purposefully designed landing gear into the saucer , hidden behind the four square panels located on the saucer ' s concave underside . The panels were also carried over to many TMP - era designs , including the and . Probert had intended to place landing gear on the " Enterprise " - D saucer as well , but became distracted by other elements and never returned to the landing gear concept . As he recalled several years later , the ship eventually paid the price for that oversight . ( " " ; ) The " Enterprise " - D was not originally intended to separate into two distinct components ; the " battle section " was originally conceived as a small " D " shaped vessel which detached from the upper part of the saucer section . Probert did not learn that the producers wanted the entire saucer to separate until late in the design stage of the " Enterprise " - D , and had to work out how the ship would separate while keeping the already - approved overall shape of the ship . ( ) Saucer separation was planned as a regular feature during the early days of " Star Trek : The Next Generation " . Several story lines , including a B - plot for , were to use saucer separation . ( " " ) However , budget limitations at the time did not allow for extensive footage of the separated components to be shot , and it was also felt that separation slowed the progress of the story . ( ) Unfortunately , this meant that the " Enterprise " was sent into a number of dangerous situations with saucer separation never being mentioned as an option . The " Enterprise " - D saucer landing sequence was conceived in 1991 for the " " . Writers Ronald D . Moore , Brannon Braga , and Jeri Taylor were inspired by that information and wanted to use a crash as a cliffhanger for the sixth season of TNG , but producer Michael Piller did not like the idea . Furthermore , it would have been too costly to film on a television budget with the VFX technology available at the time . Moore and Braga later wrote the scene into " Generations " . ( " " , " The Art of Star Trek " ) Various storyboards for the saucer separation in that film were illustrated by Bill George , who drew the sequence with pencil during planning discussion with John Knoll , and by Ronald B . Moore . ( " The Art of Star Trek " , p . 284 ; " " , p . 18 ) As depicted on - screen , the sequence involved the creation of particles similar to those seen in NASA film of actual separation stagings . ( " Cinefex " , No . 61 , p . 74 ) It ' s noteworthy that none of the other " Galaxy " - class starships seen in action against the Dominion or the Borg employed saucer separation . ( , , ) The may be capable of separation ; docking latch es and a battle bridge were seen on the master systems display , and the yoke of the ship has several potential separation lines . ( , ) Similarly , the miniature of the shows striping between its saucer and engineering hull similar to that of the refit " Constitution " - class . Design sketches John Eaves produced for seem to imply that the has routine saucer separation capabilities . ( ) In addition , separation lines plus a battle bridge were evident on the master systems display on the bridge . ( ) However , the separation abilities have not been mentioned in dialogue ; in fact , the ship was referred to as being incapable of saucer separation in the first draft script of . Furthermore , no impulse engines are identifiable on the MSD or production blueprints . According to " Mr . Scott ' s Guide to the Enterprise " , the original " Enterprise " had landing gear stored underneath the two triangle - shaped hatches on the ventral side of the saucer . A third leg popped out from the cavity where the secondary hull connected to the saucer . ( ) Similar shapes were placed on the saucer of the " Enterprise " - E as an homage to the original ship , although designer John Eaves did not realize the fandom history behind those objects . ( " " )