The Choices We Make...

[Stephen of Borg 2]

Picture this, you have just been asked by Starfleet to join a new vessel that is about to leave spacedock and you have a choice to take your family because it will be at least five years before you return. But, this isn't going to be an easy mission. Your ship is ordered that it wil venture into some pretty dangerous parts of space where many ships have been destroyed and people have been killed.

 

 

Would you bring your pets or family with you on a starship if you knew it would be years before you would ever see them again? Even though there is always a risk of them dying and you surviving? Could you live with the thoughts of your family still being alive if you hadn't asked them to come aboard?

[Theunicornhunter 2]

If that was my only option I'd resign my commission.

 

However, if we were at war & my mission was part of helping keep my family safe - I'd leave them behind - but that doesn't sound like a 5 year mission.

 

I also wonder if Starfleet would offer to take "civilians" if it was a dangerous - such as wartime - mission.

[Guest Voyager]

I'd leave them behind, but I doubt they would be allowed to go with you anyway.

 

If however, my family were once in starfleet, are in starfleet or are training to be, then I might take them.

[Krissy Phaserman 0]

The longest deployments US Military personnel do unaccompanied is, I believe, a 2-year tour in Korea. But even then, you are allowed to take leave. Knowing that I'd have the opportunity to possibly take leave might make it easier. However, I wouldn't bring my family along. It's just too dangerous.

[MrPsychic 1]

I wouldn't bring family along. They may not like it, but it would be for their own good.

[Kor37 9]

I think anyone with a family needs to put his family first and get into another line of work. Family men shouldn't be taking a 5 year cruise.

[MrPsychic 1]

That could be why they never really showed anyone with family on board a ship, except the Crushers and Siskos. Then again, they were a single parent so that could be why they kept them.

[Takara_Soong 4]

That could be why they never really showed anyone with family on board a ship, except the Crushers and Siskos. Then again, they were a single parent so that could be why they kept them.

I disagree with MrPsychic about families appearing on TNG. There were a number of episodes that featured families - some single parents, other two parent families. Sometimes the families were part of the episode's primary storyline, sometimes part of the secondary storyline and sometimes just background (Wesley hanging out with friends type of thing). For example:

• season 1's When the Bough Breaks (Wesley and several children are kidnapped by the Aldeans)
  
• season 2's The Child (Troi's son is born, other children seen in the daycare/school area of the ship)
  
• season 3's The Bonding (Jeremy Aster's mother is killed on an away mission)
  
• season 4's Reunion (introduction of Alexander) and Brothers (the Potts brothers were on board the Enterprise while their parents were away on sabbatical)
  
• season 5's Disaster (Keiko O'Brien gave birth to Molly), New Ground (another Worf/Alexander episode), Hero Worship (Timothy is the sole survivor aboard the USS Vico), Power Play (Keiko and Molly held hostage), Ethics (another Worf/Alexander episode), Cost of Living (another Worf/Alexander episode) and Imaginary Friend (Clara Sutter and her Imaginary friend - in this episode Clara's father asks Geordi what it was like for him growing up on different starships, starbases, etc. because Geordi's parents were both in Starfleet)
  
• season 6's Rascals (I include this because of the number of scenes in the school room where young Picard, Ro, Keiko and Guinan were held with the children) and Fistful of Datas (another Worf/Alexander episode)
  
• season 7's First Born (yet another Worf/Alexander episode)
  

They never really explained why some ships allow families (the Enterprise-D) and others don't (Voyager). With DS9, I don't know how many families lived there other than the O'Briens and the Siskos or how many children of Starfleet personnel attended the school Keiko started.

 

I'm not sure what I would choose. The Enterprise-D went on some very dangerous missions with families aboard. If I were married, I'd talk it over with my spouse and, if they were old enough, my child(ren) and make a decision that way. As a single parent, I believe I would want my child(ren) with me but again if my child was old enough I would ask if they would want to stay with family/friends or stay with me. After all, there's no guarantee that your family would be safer left behind (example season 5's Silicon Avatar where Kila Marr left her son on Omicron Theta with friends - he died there)

Edited July 18, 2006 by Takara_Soong

[Krissy Phaserman 0]

The Enterprise D was on a 5-year mission, Takara, while Voyager, as I understand, was supposed to be on a 2-week run. Also, Voyager had just been commissioned as I understand it. There is also the distinctive size difference between the two ships. The Enterprise D is ~645 meters long and over 400 meters abeam, with more than 40 decks. The Intrepid Class (Of which Voyager belongs) is much smaller than a Galaxy class starship. In overall length, she's 300 meters or so shorter than a Galaxy class, and is 1/4 as wide, and has only 15 decks. the Galaxy class has an overall mass of nearly 5 Million metric tons, while the Intepid Class is only 700,000. That's probably why there are few families aboard. With a full crew compliment (Which I don't think Voyager had) an Intrepid Class might have a crew of 300.

[krysis 2]

I will leave my family behind. Either that or I'll apply to be in Starfleet Academy.

[mj 7]

I am not married nor do I have children. I have my mother with me now, but with three earthbound brothers, I would give my mom the option of coming with me, or staying with one of them.

 

I would go.

[Takara_Soong 4]

The Enterprise D was on a 5-year mission, Takara, while Voyager, as I understand, was supposed to be on a 2-week run.

They never say the Enterprise-D is on a 5 year mission. During the opening of TOS, Kirk's voiceover says they are on a five year mission but in TNG, Picard's voiceover says "its continuing mission".