Even circumstantially, the Enterprise D is pretty lethal to have families on board.
I really appreciated the turbolift conversation between Troi and Picard in "The Bonding". It was a great in-character way to call out Roddenberry's weird idea about families being aboard Starfleet ships.
TROI: I sense the weight of this duty on you, Captain.
PICARD: I really wonder. Halt. I've always believed that carrying children on a starship is a very questionable policy. Serving on a starship means accepting certain risks, certain dangers. Did Jeremy Aster make that choice?
TROI: Death and loss are an integral part of life everywhere. Leaving him on Earth would not have protected him.
PICARD: No, but Earth isn't likely to be ordered to the Neutral Zone, or to repel a Romulan attack. It was my command which sent his mother to her death. She understood her mission and my duty. Will he?
I really appreciated the turbolift conversation between Troi and Picard in "The Bonding". It was a great in-character way to call out Roddenberry's weird idea about families being aboard Starfleet ships.
TROI: I sense the weight of this duty on you, Captain.
PICARD: I really wonder. Halt. I've always believed that carrying children on a starship is a very questionable policy. Serving on a starship means accepting certain risks, certain dangers. Did Jeremy Aster make that choice?
TROI: Death and loss are an integral part of life everywhere. Leaving him on Earth would not have protected him.
PICARD: No, but Earth isn't likely to be ordered to the Neutral Zone, or to repel a Romulan attack. It was my command which sent his mother to her death. She understood her mission and my duty. Will he?