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star trek - Could the original or other Enterprises' saucers separate?


The Enterprise-D was capable of saucer separation.


Was this true of any other Enterprises, e.g. the original?



Answer




Memory Alpha indicates that saucer separation was a capability of Constitution-class starships, but only as "a last-resort option".


There are two TOS episodes I know of where jettisoning the nacelles is mentioned: "The Apple" (cited in a comment from OghmaOsiris) and "The Savage Curtain".


From "The Apple" (script):



KIRK: Then use your imagination. Tie every ounce of power the ship has into the impulse engines. Discard the warp drive nacelles if you have to, and crack out of there with the main section, but get that ship out of there!



From "The Savage Curtain" (script):



KIRK: Scotty, inform Starfleet Command. Disengage nacelles, Jettison if possible. Mr. Spock, assist them. Advise and analyze.




Also, I don't know if it is considered canon, but the first volume of Star Trek: The Manga has the ship separate into two sections. However, they can't rejoin on their own:



"Captain's log, stardate 3378.7. Science Officer Spock reporting: The Enterprise is making its way to a rendezvous with technicians from Starbase 13, where the two sections of the ship will be rejoined."



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Finally, I've heard that this capability has also be mentioned in works like The Making of Star Trek, the Star Fleet Technical Manual, and Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise. However, I'm unable to confirm this with specific quotes, references, or technical schematics.


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