I've been rewatching TNG and the uniforms are driving me crazy. The first couple seasons are okay, but Frakes always looked like he was constantly sucking his gut in. The rest of the series uniforms are better with the collars but I hated the way they poofed out. DS9's and Voyager's uniforms are a little better but then the whole gray thing comes in. Is it me, or has Trek's uniforms always looked ... unrealistic? I know there fan-made creations out there. Just wondering if anyone have a favorite. Is there one design that looks more like a uniform and less like pajamas?
It's impossible to be realistic about the future. The future isn't real yet. I can't stand the early TNG uniforms, but the later TNG uniforms are pretty close to being my favorite. I'm the same way with the early DS9/VOY uniforms vs. the FC uniforms. I think the best concept uniform out there is this TWOK/FC mashup: http://sundancekat.deviantart.com/art/Starfleet-Class-A-Uniform-147834713
TWOK uniforms were probably the best but still a bit stuffy. It almost had a dress uniform feel to it. Found this one. Kinda like it. http://browse.deviantart.com/art/Star-Trek-Post-Film-RPG-Uniform-Concept-331554426
TWOK uniforms were the most realistic looking ones to me. They actually looked like uniforms as opposed to fancy coveralls. Not to mention the rank insignia were completely original. The standard could change in the future of course. I liked the First Contact/Late DS9 & the Early Ds9/VOY uniforms more simply because the multi colored element wasn't the dominant part of them like the TOS and TNG uniforms.
Part of that I think was just the way Frakes carried himself, very straight and tall with shoulders squared. But all those original TNG uniforms did have something of a girdle (or a front panel) built into the waist, IIRC. IMO, "unrealistic" depends on what viewpoint you're viewing them from. Someone from the 20th-Century might see Starfleet uniforms as unrealistic the more they deviate from 20th-Century uniforms and more realistic the more they resemble them (or more to one's particular tastes). This is my favorite fan-made TNG-era uniform. http://startrek-rpg.com/ccs_files/uniforms/u03_m_duty.png http://startrek-rpg.com/ccs_files/uniforms/u14_f_duty2.png (optional female variant)
They've always been referred to pejoratively as "pyjamas", which just makes me question what people actually wear in bed. I've certainly never had pyjamas that look like a Star Trek uniform!
My favourite piece of uniform in any Star Trek is this snazzy T Shirt worn by Kirk. Simple, elegant and it still looks fashionable today. But most importantly, it is a good fit for Shatner. In general, I think we are all accustomed to better fitting clothes nowadays, and so shows made in previous decades look a little outdated. Some styles worse than others, of course. Dare I say it, the outfits in the new movies have been great. I wouldn't change them at all. I like Starfleet having big bold and bright colours. Darker colours look more militaristic and less Star Treky. So I think I prefer the TNG uniforms to the later darker look. Though the darker uniforms fit the actors much better in my opinion.
Yeah, the TMP admirals' uniform is superb too, for similar reasons. Simple, elegant, clean lines. No surprise it was basically reused in the new films. The rest of the costumes in TMP are much maligned, the one-piece outfits especially, but I've always felt they were pretty coherent designs. I think if you made the pants black and used slightly less pastels, you'd have some very timeless costumes.
The one that got me was when TNG poked fun at that stigma themselves in "Time's Arrow", with Jack remarking that Data looked like he'd been tossed out by the Mrs. presumably because his uniform looks like sleepwear to him But seriously, Look at them. Apart from the flap & buttons, it's tailored almost exactly the same as Jack's bellhop uniform, sans epaulettes. So yeah, he doesn't know about zippers, but it still doesn't look like sleepwear
What I never understood is why the bridge officers wore the new uniforms, while the other crewmembers wore the "old style" TNG uniform from the earlier seasons.
Initially they were just officer uniforms. enlisted personell got them issued much later. And the TNG uniforms remained a work in progress for some time anyway. The S1/S2 uniforms were not completely phased out until the DS9/VOY uniforms were introduced almost. You can see them in the background long after the Enterprise bridge crew stated to wear them.
No, because every lowly crewman who had a spoken line wore the new uniforms, and a lieutenant in the background wore the old ones. There was one episode (Hollow Pursuits, IIRC) where all of Geordi's grunts had the new uniforms, but Crusher's nurses were still in the old uniforms. It really was a background vs. main character sort of thing - not really rank.