Or were those families quietly ditched after S1?
....huh?
You have watched TNG, right? We often see civilians and children in every season and up to Generations. It's possible to make an argument that the Ent E didn't have families on board (particularly because the writers of First Contact stated that in their mind there weren't any children on board during the events of the movie) but the Ent D had families and kids on board the entire time.
So I'm not sure how that question is even possible.
As to why they didn't do it;
1) They felt including a separation sequence each time they needed it was wasting time and potentially killing the mood.
2) They felt that the model of the ship didn't look good without the saucer.
Last edited: