Skeleton crew

From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.

A skeleton crew features a minimal number of crewmen required for starship or space station operations, sometimes fewer. They are often formed during emergencies.

In 2368, Commander Data suggested a skeleton crew from the USS Enterprise-D could take the Kallisko to a starbase. (TNG: "Silicon Avatar")

In 2370, the Enterprise-D was left with only a skeleton crew under the command of Beverly Crusher while the rest of the crew were on the surface of a planet, searching for Data. (TNG: "Descent", "Descent, Part II")

A few weeks later, a skeleton crew was left to run Deep Space 9 during a plasma disruption that forced the evacuation of the station. (DS9: "Invasive Procedures")

After the Reckoning began on Deep Space 9 in late 2374, a skeleton crew remained aboard once the majority of the station's population had left. (DS9: "The Reckoning")

[edit] Background

Several scripts described small numbers of crew seen working as "skeleton crews". These episodes include "Babel", "In the Hands of the Prophets", "The Collaborator", "The Visitor" and "The Assignment".