Förklaringar i universum
Den TNG Technical Manual (betraktad som en kanonkälla för information om trekuniverset) erbjuder flera orsaker till att separationer var sällsynta:
Sekvensen är avsedd att användas endast i "nödsituationer"
The USS Enterprise consists of two spacecraft systems integrated to form a single functional vessel. Under specific emergency conditions, the two vehicle elements may perform a separation maneuver and continue independent operation. The two elements, the Saucer Module and the Battle Section, are normally joined together by a series of structural docking latches, numerous umbilicals, and turbolift pass-throughs.
Separationer skadar faktiskt skeppet
The latching system has been designed to accept a failure rate of 1.5 latch pairs per ten separations; in the event a single pair fails to seat properly within its passive aperture, the structural loads can be shared adequately among the other latches.
...
Should any key umbilicals or turbo paths show a failure condition at the vehicle interface, the computer will close off the affected elements at the best possible points upstream of the failure. Hardware and software failures will then be dealt with later, once the emergency situation is resolved. Crews on both sides of the vehicle interface monitor the progress of the separation sequence, and are then on standby awaiting reconnection duties.
Vi ser också en del resonemang inom själva showen:
Att skilja fartyget faktiskt skadar fartygets förmåga att manövrera i nära strid.
SHELBY: There's one other recommendation I'd like to make, Commander. Separate the saucer section... assign a skeleton crew to create a diversion...
RIKER: (shakes his head) We may need power from the saucer impulse engines... - TNG: Best of Both Worlds, Pt I
Separering representerar en potentiell "mission-ending" -risk
Till sist ser vi på TNG: Encounter at Farpoint , Pt Jag svårigheten att återanpassar skeppet manuellt. Det är uppenbart att ett datorfel vid en kritisk tid (och låt oss möta det, det händer varje annat avsnitt) kan skada båda halvorna av fartyget, omedelbart sluta sitt uppdrag och resultera i en pinsamt resa till närmaste Stardock så att reparationsbesättning kan skratta åt dig fixa skeppet
Förklaringar från universum
Det fanns flera utomordentliga skäl, som i stor utsträckning hänförde sig till den relativa utgiften av filmningssekvenser, brist på modeller och den extra berättelsestid som behövdes för att se själva sekvensen och det extra skript som krävs för att förklara reglerna för hur separation sker :
De hade bara en (föråldrad) modell som faktiskt kunde separera, allvarligt begränsar sin förmåga att skjuta
Though less favored by Rob Legato and Dan Curry and largely unused since the appearance of its four-foot cousin in season three, the original six-foot Enterprise model had to be hauled out of storage for the ship-separation sequence in the Borg battle, since it was the only version built in two sections. The various battle effects and Borg visuals are motion-picture quality, but again TNG struck out with the Emmys for special effects. Part 2 was nominated, but it won no awards in that category. The episode did snag Emmys for sound editing and for sound mixing, as well as a nomination for art direction. - TNG Companion
Det saktade ner diagrammet
Tydligen var det ett antal försök av författare att lägga till en skeppseparationssekvens som alla sköt ner av producenterna.
This was an opportunity to utilize those often ignored shipboard families that Shearer initially pitched to Fontana, and it was this story that helped win her a spot on the writing staff. A subplot [in TNG: When the Bough Breaks] involving ship separation and the saucer being held hostage was phased out to focus on the main story. TNG Companion
Ironiskt nog var denna tendens för separationssekvensen att äta upp tid faktiskt användbar i pilotepisoden när den utvidgades till funktionslängd
According to Justman, both the ship separation sequence and a touching scene in which an aged Admiral McCoy meets Data were a help in filling out what Fontana had intended to be a ninety-minute script. TNG Companion
På grund av den aktuella tiden och kostnaden
Speciellt var Battle Bridge set ganska dyr att bygga och studion föredrog att inte skapa uppsättningar när de kunde undvika det.
During the first few episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, saucer separation was intended to be a standard maneuver in combat situations, but was rarely done because of the costs for visual effects and for rebuilding the Battle Bridge; also, it was felt that it slowed down story-telling too much. - TNG Encyclopedia