Away Team Guidelines & Protocols
Created by Commodore Wilkan Targaryen on Sat Aug 29th, 2026 @ 3:05pm
Starfleet Operational Manual: Away Team Guidelines & Protocols
Overview
An Away Team is a specialized detachment of starbase or starship personnel temporarily deployed to execute field operations away from the primary vessel or facility. These missions, designated as Away Missions, include planetary exploration, first contact, diplomatic negotiation, scientific survey, tactical defense, and emergency rescue.
Section 1: Away Team Protocols
Communications Protocols
During an away mission, the deployed team must maintain frequent comm-link contact with the host vessel or starbase of origin. At a minimum, teams are required to report their status to the Commanding Officer or designated Watch Commander once every twenty-four hours.
In situations where an away mission poses high operational or biological risks to personnel, such as medical emergencies or tactical incursions, an uninterrupted open communications channel and bio-telemetry feed must be maintained at all times.
Team Composition & Leadership
Under Starfleet Code Section 12, Paragraph 4, an away team is required to consist of a minimum of two personnel, though a standard complement of four to six officers is strongly recommended for standard field operations.
The Commanding Officer of a starship or starbase is advised against joining away missions due to their primary obligation to overall command. In the exceptional event that the Captain must accompany an away team, the Captain and First Officer may never be assigned to the same mission simultaneously, and the Captain must be accompanied by an armed member of the security detachment at all times.
The designated away team leader retains total operational authority for the duration of the deployment, including sole discretion over personnel allocation and tactical decisions in the field.
Transport, Extraction & Bio-Quarantine Protocols
Transporter insertion remains the primary method of deployment, with shuttlecraft serving as secondary transport when atmospheric interference or energy shields render transporter operation unsafe. If any away mission becomes untenable or poses extreme danger, the team leader is authorized to order an immediate extraction to preserve crew safety.
Whenever an away team encounters an unidentified biological agent or contagion, strict isolation protocols activate automatically. The team must execute full field containment, and if containment cannot be verified, the team is strictly prohibited from beaming back or docking until the threat is neutralized or cleared by the Chief Medical Officer.
Secondary relief teams may only be inserted into an active quarantine zone if the Duty Officer deems the task vital to ship safety and reasonably protected against exposure.
Section 2: Uniform & Equipment Standards
Duty Attire & Environmental Suit (EVA) Protocols
Away team personnel wear standard Class-A duty uniforms with visible departmental color coding for low-risk Class-M planetary deployments, while all-weather field jackets are mandatory for extreme thermal or weather environments. Tactical vestments and armor rigging are required for security deployments or hostile boarding operations.
When deploying into vacuum, Class-Y ("Demon") worlds, or toxic atmospheric environments, officers must utilize Class-I light rebreathers or Class-III reinforced hard EVA suits. All EVA suits require a mandatory three-point pressurization and life-support check conducted by the Transporter Chief or Chief Engineer prior to beam-out.
If a suit breach occurs in the field, internal emergency force fields seal the puncture automatically while surrounding team members prepare the compromised officer for immediate emergency transport.
Directed Energy Weaponry & Field Sensors
Standard issue sidearms consist of Type-I concealed phasers for diplomatic duty, Type-II handheld phasers for general away teams, and Type-III phaser rifles for security detachments. Phasers are to remain holstered and locked on Setting 2 (Medium Stun) unless the team leader explicitly authorizes a setting escalation based on immediate physical threat or target resistance profiles.
Settings 1 through 3 govern the stun continuum, Settings 4 through 7 induce thermal disruption up to lethal molecular vaporization (requiring explicit command authorization), and Settings 8 and above are reserved for heavy structural demolition.
Standard sensor and field gear includes tricorders for general scientific analysis, medical tricorders and hyposprays for field triage, specialized engineering kits for system overrides, and communicator badges for translation, tracking, and subspace contact.
Section 3: Emergency Field Procedures
Prime Directive Compliance & Cultural Non-Interference
General Order 1 applies unconditionally to all away team operations on worlds that have not achieved warp capability or formal interstellar contact. Personnel are strictly prohibited from introducing advanced technology, scientific concepts, historical context, or cultural artifacts to pre-warp populations, even in situations involving natural planetary disasters.
Teams operating on pre-warp worlds must utilize holographic duckblinds, concealed equipment, or temporary medical dermal alterations to avoid detection. If Starfleet technology or deceased personnel are left in an uncontacted environment, the away team must execute immediate recovery or complete thermal eradication of all non-native materiel.
In the event a pre-warp native witnesses Starfleet technology or personnel, the team leader may authorize neural-suppression protocols or medical memory-retardant therapy under Chief Medical Officer direction to prevent cultural contamination.
Unexpected First Contact Protocols
Should an away team encounter an uncataloged sentient species or a civilization making unpredicted first contact, personnel must immediately hold position, refrain from drawing weapons or making sudden movements, and set combadges to passive translation monitoring.
The team leader must evaluate whether the encountered species possesses warp capability. If the civilization is pre-warp, the team must break contact and execute a covert evacuation immediately.
If the species is spacefaring or post-warp, the team leader may initiate standard Federation greetings while simultaneously notifying the starship bridge via encrypted subspace transmission, transferring diplomatic authority to the Commanding Officer upon their arrival.
Section 4: Master Away Team Classification & Composition
| Mission Type | Mission Description | Primary Team Leader & Deputy | Team Composition | Standard Field Equipment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Control Team | Technical repairs, structural stabilization, and system overhauls on stations, ships, or planetary facilities. | Leader: Executive Officer or Chief Engineer Deputy: Chief Engineer or Operations Officer |
Engineering/Ops Technicians (2), Medical or Science Officer, Security Guard | Combadges, PADDs, Engineering Kits, Tricorders, Type-II Phasers, Medical Kit |
| Diplomatic Team | Establishing formal relations, negotiating treaties, and representing the United Federation of Planets. | Leader: Commanding Officer or Executive Officer Deputy: Chief Counselor or Senior Diplomatic Officer |
Diplomatic Specialist, Medical or Science Officer, Security Detail (2) | Combadges, PADDs, Tricorders, Type-I or Type-II Phasers, Medical Kit |
| Medical Team | Biological research, field triage, pandemic containment, and emergency treatment of personnel or civilians. | Leader: Executive Officer or Chief Medical Officer Deputy: Chief Counselor or Assistant Medical Officer |
Field Medics / Specialists (2), Science Specialist / Xenobiologist, Security Guard | Combadges, PADDs, Medical Kits, Tricorders, Type-II Phasers |
| Rescue Team | Tracking distress beacons, recovering lost personnel, or extracting survivors from hostile environments. | Leader: Executive Officer or Chief Security Officer Deputy: Chief Medical Officer or Chief Security Officer |
Trauma Counselor, Field Medic, Security Guards / Tactical Officers (2) | Combadges, PADDs, Medical Kits, Tricorders, Type-II Phasers, Type-III Phaser Rifles |
| Security Team | Countering tactical threats, securing hostile zones, protecting assets, or neutralizing armed incursions. | Leader: Executive Officer or Chief Security Officer Deputy: Chief Operations Officer or Assistant Security Chief |
Engineering Specialist, Field Medic, Security Guards / Tactical Officers (2) | Combadges, PADDs, Engineering Kit, Medical Kit, Tricorders, Type-II Phasers, Type-III Phaser Rifles |
| Survey Team | Planetary exploration, geological sampling, biological cataloging, and environmental research. | Leader: Executive Officer or Chief Science Officer Deputy: Chief Medical Officer or Senior Science Officer |
Field Biologist, Geologist/Astrophysicist, Xenobiologist, Security Guard | Combadges, PADDs, Tricorders, Type-II Phasers, Medical Kit |
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