Star Trek: Exploring The Enterprise D’s Civilian Problem
Star Trek is a franchise filled to the point of overflowing with futuristic technology (some of which is on the brink of being achieved today), a range of complex socio-political cultures, and a massive cohort of alien races spanning the galaxy. Some of the most pivotal and arguably most important aspects of any Star Trek series, is not the characters, it’s not whatever mystery is facing the crew, but the vessel itself.
Over the years there have been various different iterations of the iconic USS Enterprise, from The Original Series all the way to Enterprise. However, one of the most divisive was the Enterprise from the much -oved The Next Generation TV show, under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Though beloved, the ship had one major complication — the vast amounts of civilians on board.
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While this may not seem like an issue to begin with, it’s actually part of a much larger complication when one considers what this ship was actually intended for. The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) was a galaxy class ship, and despite being the panicle of Federation technological advancement, the Enterprise D was used primarily as an intergalactic cruise ship. This is perhaps downplaying its purpose somewhat, but as it was built in a time of relative peace. The long war with the Klingon Empire had ended. The Vulcans' long-lost cousins the Romulans were not particularly friendly per se, but they kept to themselves. The Cardassians were being kept at arm's length by the crafty politicians of the Federation. Things were good for the alpha quadrant, so the need for large scale military ships was much lower. Instead, a focus on exploration and discovery took center stage.
It was apt, then,
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