The USS Discovery's saucer separation in Star Trek: Discovery's series finale made Captain Michael Burnham's (Sonequa Martin-Green) starship even cooler. I was an early adopter of Star Trek: Discovery, and one reason why is that I was dazzled by the show's production values, especially the stunning USS Discovery itself. Star Trek: Discovery's eponymous Crossfield Class starship is a sleek and roomy science vessel that also housed the show's greatest (and most controversial) innovation: the displacement-activated spore hub drive.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 was a sequel to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "The Chase." Discovery followed up on TNG's reveal that a race dubbed the Progenitors seeded the galaxy with humanoid life. Captain Burnham and the USS Discovery's interstellar hunt for the clues to the Progenitors' treasure took Michael into an interdimensional space where the ancient technology was hidden. Meanwhile, the USS Discovery led by Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) was outmatched by a Breen dreadnought, with even more Breen on the way. But Discovery beat the Breen by taking a page from Star Trek: The Next Generation's playbook.
USS Discovery’s Saucer Separation Made Captain Burnham’s Ship Even Cooler
One last TNG tribute by Discovery season 5
I loved that the USS Discovery did a saucer separation in Star Trek: Discovery season 5's finale. It was a perfect respectful, final ode to Star Trek: The Next Generation, which introduced the USS Enterprise-D's ability to split its saucer and stardrive sections. Even better, Disco's saucer separation was the key to overcoming the might of the Breen. With the Breen dreadnought caught between Discovery's saucer and stardrive sections, Commander Rayner ordering a spore drive jump instantly sent the Breen to the Galactic Barrier. It was as if Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: The Next Generation teamed up, and I adore that symbolism.
The USS Discovery's saucer separation was a fantastic surprise because it was never previously established that Discovery could be split in two. Even better was that Discovery's saucer separation was used tactically to achieve victory. On Star Trek: The Next Generation, the USS Enterprise-D's saucer separation was usually a defensive or emergency measure to safeguard the population in the saucer section. But Discovery used saucer separation for offense. It's the coolest saucer separation in Star Trek, and only the USS Discovery could have done it.
Why Didn't USS Discovery Do A Saucer Separation Before?
There was no need to separate Discovery's saucer
It's possible the USS Discovery wasn't originally designed to separate its saucer from its stardrive section. Although the USS Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series was purportedly able to execute a saucer separation, it never happened due to budget issues, the limited special effects of the 1960s, and lack of story purpose. If Captain James T. Kirk's (William Shatner) Enterprise could have separated its saucer, maybe the USS Discovery could have too. But it wasn't necessary in Star Trek: Discovery's first two seasons for Disco to separate its saucer.
Star Trek Beyond saw the USS Enterprise execute an emergency saucer separation in the alternate Kelvin timeline.
It's hard to see how a saucer separation would have benefited the USS Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery season 1's Klingon War or the multi-ship battle against Control that ended Star Trek: Discovery season 2. It's also possible that saucer separation is a new feature that came with the USS Discovery's refit with 32nd-century programmable matter technology in Star Trek: Discovery season 3. Between saucer separation and its spore drive, there isn't another ship in Star Trek that boasts the level of cool factor as Captain Michael Burnham's USS Discovery.
