Shoud Starfleet return to the Delta Quadrant?

[Lt. Staplic]

but it could give them the extra generation they might need before they wind up with sever genetic defects.

[Sionnach Glic]

Aye, ideally you'd want a few thousand at least.

[Tyyr]

but it could give them the extra generation they might need before they wind up with sever genetic defects.

No it won't. Each parents genes are still spread just as far. Additionally you still don't have a large enough gene pool. 1,000 people is not a viable breeding population for humans. I don't care how you try and breed them, you're still rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

[Aaron]

*snip*

Escorts could be anything you choose, I deliberately left it vague. It's also why I included a tender.

[SomosFuga]

On a side note, on a generational ship like above, how would the rank structure work out since this would be at least a 140 year trip. The original command crew would be dead by then and their replacements like very young ensigns or cadets would be also dead. So it would be up to the familes to produce offspring and then train them for the mission.

Send an "only vulcans" ship or fleet, they have a quite longer life span and they don't have issues about mating somebody they are not inlove with or something like that, plus they wont miss whatever they left behind, no homesick, etc.

[SomosFuga]

If they are absolutely adamant about sending a manned mission, then they should really send a small fleet. One that Includes the GCS, a tender, a colony ship (setup for some nice recreation and for the extended families) and a couple escorts. None of this "lone wolf" crap.

Plus an Intrepid (faster than most ships) for scouting and other "away" missions, or even better a Prometheus (as fast as the Intrepid but way more powerful and with that multi-vector thing). Maybe a cargo ship for extra suplies and a hospital ship if the fleet is large enough for worthwhile.
Also a Sovereing as flagship. I would also bring some small ships like Danubes, Insurrection's type scouts, Delta Flyers type or similar. An Akira for extra fire power and as carrier for fighters, shuttles and small ships mentioned.

Of course every ship must be updated with state of the art tech (in every way) as much as possible including regenerative shields, multi adaptive shields, quantum torps, EMH, ECH, holoemitters on every deck, etc.