Away Team (Boarding Party) — Not an Object

A tightly formed group of Starfleet officers assembled to undertake a high‑risk boarding and retrieval mission to Iconia. The team coalesces around Captain Jean‑Luc Picard, who volunteers to lead; members are not physically described here but are understood as mission specialists carrying standard Starfleet gear. The 'away team' functions as a coordinated operational body rather than a single tangible artifact.

2 appearances

Significance

Serves as the story’s catalytic unit: Picard’s volunteering transfers operational authority, crystallizes stakes, and commits key characters to a dangerous retrieval that propels the plot. The away team embodies duty, sacrifice, and the personal burden of command, framing the emotional cost of the mission.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

2 moments

S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Choosing the Sacrifice — Picard Claims the Away Mission

The away team is proposed as the operational means to retrieve records from Iconia. Riker offers to form the team; Picard seizes the role of its leader. The 'away team' shifts from plan to committed mission element as command and leadership are decided.

Before: Unformed, hypothetical — suggested by Riker as the necessary tactical response.

After: Committed concept with Picard as leader and Riker assuming ship command; prepared to be assembled and deployed.

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S2E11 · Contagion (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Picard Volunteers for the Away Mission; Riker Assumes Command

The away team is verbally constituted in this exchange: Riker offers to form it and Picard immediately volunteers to lead. The 'away team' functions here as the operational instrument by which the probe's launch site will be investigated and possibly neutralized.

Before: Unformed conceptually, an available operational option pending leader assignment and staffing.

After: Functionally assigned leadership — Picard will lead — and thus committed as the ship's chosen means to retrieve records at Iconia.

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