[Coda] Skeleton Crew?

[Rayaru]

What's a good rule of thumb in determining how large a skeleton crew compliment would be for any given ship? (i.e. the minimum amount of hands needed to facilitate normal operations).

For example, the ship I have in mind has a normal compliment of 500 crewmen. What would be a good skeleton crew for it?

[Sea Tyger]

Roughly, I'd say somewhere between one-third and one-half the ship's regular crew.

Then again, Scotty got the Enterprise to run with a "trainee and two chimpanzees."

[Antonsb214]

Well, Scotty had it automated out the whazzoo (that's a technical term ), but I'd say the minimum needed would depend on the era. The Prometheus-class needed only about half a dozen. But a ship from the TOS would probably need 25% of its normal crew complement. By TNG I think it would be down to 10%.