Docking latch

A docking latch was a structural device found on starships. The latches served to create the bond between the saucer module and the stardrive section and kept the two separable components joined during standard flight. There were eighteen such latches, all located on the dorsal head of the stardrive section. Their matching ports were found in the docking cavity on the saucer module.

During a saucer separation, the latches retracted from their apertures and became nearly flush with the stardrive section's head, severing the link between the two components of the ship. During a reconnection, the latches worked in reverse. 

The docking latches were sometimes less specifically referred to as docking clamps.