As you all know, the initial idea was that the Enterprise crew would have to bring their families with them as they were engaged in a very long mission "where no one has gone before".
In reality this concept has been used very little or not at all (I think not even 2-3 episodes on this?). I actually think there could have been some interesting stories. People who aren't professional explorers thrown into the midst of Borg, Romulians, spatial anomalies and who knows how much else. Children forced to share the same risks as adults, without being able to fully understand what is happening. For example, it would have been interesting to have a story about, I don't know, a husband of a crew member torn between love and an objective fear of what could have happened to him.
So the question is this: do you think there should have been more stories about Enterprise civilians, or were they right to gloss over the subject to avoid, well, unpleasant questions? I only remember one time Picard wondered if he should bring children with him and Troy brushed his doubts away with a couple of lines.
In reality this concept has been used very little or not at all (I think not even 2-3 episodes on this?). I actually think there could have been some interesting stories. People who aren't professional explorers thrown into the midst of Borg, Romulians, spatial anomalies and who knows how much else. Children forced to share the same risks as adults, without being able to fully understand what is happening. For example, it would have been interesting to have a story about, I don't know, a husband of a crew member torn between love and an objective fear of what could have happened to him.
So the question is this: do you think there should have been more stories about Enterprise civilians, or were they right to gloss over the subject to avoid, well, unpleasant questions? I only remember one time Picard wondered if he should bring children with him and Troy brushed his doubts away with a couple of lines.