yeast starter or not?

[homebrewdad]

Wow, you guys have been teaching me a lot about pitching yeast. I don't think this has been covered, so:

In theory, if I didn't have time for a starter, could I just pitch more vials/packets of yeast to the batch of wort? I know this isn't economical, but would it be better than NOT doing a starter? I plan to make starters for all my future batches, but I was just wondering "what if?" Also, can you add too much yeast?

From what I understand, the starter increases the amount of healthy yeasties, ensures they are strong, and thus makes them each have to work less hard, which basically makes a better beer. Am I getting all this? Is a poorly done starter (OG or volume too low) still better than no starter?

Thanks for entertaining my newb questions.

-Josh

Yep, you can pitch more vials/smack packs to make up the difference. Starters are the way to go if at all possible, though.