The 1000

[Timo]

...if somebody wanted to do their homework, I'm sure they'd find that there were significantly more than 150 faces seen on that ship over the course of the series.

Well, the good old Voyager Roll Call page determined that all 150 people were accounted for by the seventh season, that is, 150 different names were used in the show, give or take a couple.

The much fuller, 200+ list at Memory Alpha takes into account "gag" names from Okudagrams that were not seen clearly, in addition to names from clearly seen graphics. Make of that what you will.

As for the number of faces seen, I have hard time believing they really went through a hundred extras in the seven years, in addition to speaking crew roles. But I guess it's possible.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[MikeS]

They did seem to have some idea like this in early TNG, as they shot multiple "stock shots" of large numbers of crew members stopping in corridors to listen to the Captain's message over the intercom that got used in a few episodes in the first season, but like many things it quickly got abandoned.

You sure that was TNG? They certainly did it for TOS (which helped to sell the "full crew" visuals early on, even if it faded out over time) but I've been rewatching TNG-1 recently and I don't remember anything similar, except in EAF maybe

From memory, the same scenes are reused in Where No One Has Gone Before. I seem to remember them being used again.

 

[Memory Alpha]

A large potion of that 1,000 (which I never really liked anyway) did consist of families, children, etc., and you do glimpse that on occasion, especially in evac situations. There are a couple of school scenes throughout the series (Alexander episodes, I think, mainly). The thing is, the Enterprise is so often in dangerous situations that it's not reasonable to have that many families on there. I think the main thing behind the inflated 1,000 number was to demonstrate that the ship is basically a small flying city.

And yeah, you'd have scholars and specialists that things by definition would fall on in addition to the bridge crew (I always felt that Crusher seems vastly understaffed), but it's a reality thing: Narrative focus is on the bridge crew. You have a 45-minute show and you need enough material on a weekly basis to spread around between everybody. I think it's a big reason why LaForge ended up in engineering, Worf the security chief, and Tasha extraneous. You have to have material for everybody. There are, though, people like Barclay who I thought should have shown up a bit more now and again, even if just a quick scene.

 

[The Old Mixer]

As for the number of faces seen, I have hard time believing they really went through a hundred extras in the seven years, in addition to speaking crew roles. But I guess it's possible.

There were over 150 episodes. Taking into account regulars and named/speaking guest stars (I wonder how many total that alone comes to?), that would require somewhat less than one unique face per episode.

I'm sure there were many recurring extras, but I doubt they held on to them all for the entire seven-year run of the series.

 

[Mojochi]

(I always felt that Crusher seems vastly understaffed

One of the most glaringly negligent examples, to the point that we stopped even having a sense that she was the Chief medical officer, instead of the only one. A chief has other doctors under them

 

[Richard Baker]

(I always felt that Crusher seems vastly understaffed

One of the most glaringly negligent examples, to the point that we stopped even having a sense that she was the Chief medical officer, instead of the only one. A chief has other doctors under them

Sickbay also looked way too small for even a crew of 1000- unless they had much larger facilities elsewhere even 12 casualties would swamp them.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

(I always felt that Crusher seems vastly understaffed

One of the most glaringly negligent examples, to the point that we stopped even having a sense that she was the Chief medical officer, instead of the only one. A chief has other doctors under them

Sickbay also looked way too small for even a crew of 1000- unless they had much larger facilities elsewhere even 12 casualties would swamp them.

Sure, the odd failed mission would be a challenge. But for the majority of the time, would they really need that large of a facility? The "common cold" is no more, the air ventilation is better than we can dream, it takes 20 seconds to heal a broken bone. How many problems can only 1000 people in the future find in a day that would require filling up that space?

 

[Mojochi]

They still get sent off on crisis duty a great deal, with planetary plagues & evacs. They should have a hospital sized sick bay on that thing. Triage. O.R. etc... Looked like any more than a dozen would be up the creek

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

They still get sent off on crisis duty a great deal, with planetary plagues & evacs. They should have a hospital sized sick bay on that thing. Triage. O.R. etc... Looked like any more than a dozen would be up the creek

That's what they had the cargo bays for. For something that might be used once every few years because of some crazy unforseen circumstance, a hospital sized sick bay is a waste of space. Especially when intended use of the ship was to send it deep into space, years away from the Federation. A planetary evac wouldn't even be on their list of things to worry about if they were alone like that. Saving colonists and bringing them back to a starbase was never meant to occur for the Enterprise.

I also think some people are putting too much emphasis on present day practices for what is supposed to be set in the future.

 

[T'Girl]

They should have a hospital sized sick bay on that thing.

Holodeck, shuttle bays, cargo holds. The "standing" sick bay we often see is likely the urgent care facility, and during the average day aboard ship is the only facility needed.

The thing is, the Enterprise is so often in dangerous situations that it's not reasonable to have that many families on there.

I've never agreed with this line of thought, even if the Enterprise was insidde the Federation most of the time, this would still involve a parent being separated from their children's upbringing for years, maybe with the rare short visit. It makes perfect sense for parents to want their children to be with them as a family unit.

 

[BillJ]

That's what they had the cargo bays for. For something that might be used once every few years because of some crazy unforseen circumstance, a hospital sized sick bay is a waste of space. Especially when intended use of the ship was to send it deep into space, years away from the Federation. A planetary evac wouldn't even be on their list of things to worry about if they were alone like that. Saving colonists and bringing them back to a starbase was never meant to occur for the Enterprise.

I also think some people are putting too much emphasis on present day practices for what is supposed to be set in the future.

Problem being, you had this massive starship, and according to the TNG Tech Manual, a massive amount of space that wasn't even being used. It would seem prudent to give over more space for medical purposes.

Heck, the Abramsverse Enterprise sickbay dwarfs the Enterprise-D sickbay.

 

[Mytran]

Sickbay also looked way too small for even a crew of 1000- unless they had much larger facilities elsewhere even 12 casualties would swamp them.

The Sternbach E-D plans have their problems, but they did at least take a more sensible approach to Sickbay, by using the standing set as a mere ante-room to the main hospital area:

This article is also interesting.

 

[The Old Mixer]

A modern aircraft carrier can have a crew complement of about 6000 and gets by with relatively cramped medical facilities.

 

[BillJ]

A modern aircraft carrier can have a crew complement of about 6000 and gets by with relatively cramped medical facilities.

But a modern aircraft carrier isn't going to be months to years away from port at any given time like the Enterprise was suppose to be.

 

[Timewalker]

(I always felt that Crusher seems vastly understaffed

One of the most glaringly negligent examples, to the point that we stopped even having a sense that she was the Chief medical officer, instead of the only one. A chief has other doctors under them

She did. Even in episodes where we didn't see her, we sometimes heard a voice on the intercom paging Dr. Selar.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

But a modern aircraft carrier isn't going to be months to years away from port at any given time like the Enterprise was suppose to be.

Modern aircraft carriers also don't have biofilters in their transporters, dermal regenerators, and osteogenic stimulators to make things even easier...

 

[Lance]

They should have a hospital sized sick bay on that thing.

Holodeck, shuttle bays, cargo holds. The "standing" sick bay we often see is likely the urgent care facility, and during the average day aboard ship is the only facility needed.

To be honest, I have always assumed that the 'sickbay' area we usually see was merely one part of a much larger unseen facility. Same deal in TOS and VOY. There are doors that lead off certainly from the TNG and VOY sickbays that could be to an adjacent treatment facility. Or, as others have pointed out, every time we see major injuries being treated (with the exception of Worf's little 'workplace injury' ) it's done usually with a little laser scalpel or hypo-spray that fixes everything up in no time, so in reality there probably isn't a need for a larger facility except in the case of a mass emergency...

 

[Mojochi]

(I always felt that Crusher seems vastly understaffed

One of the most glaringly negligent examples, to the point that we stopped even having a sense that she was the Chief medical officer, instead of the only one. A chief has other doctors under them

She did. Even in episodes where we didn't see her, we sometimes heard a voice on the intercom paging Dr. Selar.

...1

 

[Makarov]

It would have been cool to see Picard talk to a crew that large or have large areas but how practical is it. Maybe they could have just done a matte painting area of bigger section of the ship like Picard's vineyard in Family. In reality to me I wouldn't be able to tell a difference in crew number between TNG and VOY if there wasn't any dialogue mentioning it.

 

[HIjol]

Good thread, OP!

I think JirinPanthosais correct about the writers inheriting the challenge of the numbers! and also the Good Doctor Severin is correct with budget and special effects and cost.

Could it also be a "claustrophobic" thing? I can remember through the episodes and series, when the corridors or stations or areas were more populated, it made the overall space seem too crowded somehow. Less people make the "space" seem more dramatic and grand. Maybe too much of this, but a conscious effort, with less people, to make the ship seem larger and the potential gathering spaces seem more voluminous? I know I would have expected 10 Forward to look more like any number of Old West movie Saloons, especially after some serious Borg or Romulan or Dysonian shit went down. Cattle and all!