Favorite Starfleet Uniform Design

^ You think the TWOK uniforms were cool, look at this. Check under "Monster Blacks".

 

Mid TNG and the Voyager uni's, they're what I grew up with as Trek uniforms

 

Well, that's true, I do like the nautical/navy inspired look of The Wrath of Khan uniforms. But wait, didn't the Star Trek cast have trouble with putting on The Motion Picture uniforms? I remember reading that it took quite a lot of time to have them put on for the filming. If that is how they're actually constructed, I don't find them practical at all, and they certainly weren't very elegant, in my opinion.

 

IIRC, director Nicholas Meyer had a lot of say-so in the costume design and overall art direction for TWOK -- he wanted everything to have a traditional nautical flavor. The “monster maroons” looked fine as dress or parade uniforms, but they didn't seem terribly practical or comfortable for everday duty aboard a starship. And they gave me the feeling that the cast was about to break into a chorus of “76 Trombones” at any moment.

The body-hugging uniforms that started with TNG are no problem, because in the 24th century, EVERYBODY has a great physique. Even middle-aged bald captains.

 

I voted for Enterprise uniform as it was the most practical, but I do also like the FC/DS9 uniforms, The uniforms shown on starship Relativity and the black uniforms shown on The Siege of AR-558.

 

I voted ST09 love how they used the delta symbols as a pattern.

My 2nd favourite has to be the TMP yes they look bland and yes they look like pyjamas but TMP was a big film at that time and i don,t think the TOS uniforms would have looked right on the big screen and with all the different changes to set design they would have looked out of place. However they should have incorporated the gold,blue and red departments into the pyjama look it worked for TNG.

 

Despite the 24th Century rank pips, the ENT uniforms always struck me as the most practical. I also have a fondness of the late 23rd Century uniforms and the post-First Contact style as well.

Special mention to the grey jacket Picard sometimes wore from Season 5 onwards.

 

I agree that as far as Dress Uniforms (IIRC usually designated Class A is military terms) that the 'monster maroons' were my favorites.

Partly because I think they could easily be the 'Class A' variant of the Cage/WNMHGB pilot uniforms - which I think are the best for everyday (Class B) wear - except for the wider palette of divisional colors which IMO is worth consider tho I think some of the colors were used for the wrong things).

The ENT uniforms I think are the best for 'down-and-dirty' work, tho the FC unis would be good as well if some pockets were added.

 

I always felt they would have looked great, and been more positively received if they just used a black trouser with the shirts from TMP. That would have eliminated any "pyjama" look, IMHO.

 

Each uniform has its place. Here are my opinions:

Mid-Late "The Original Series"
- obviously the one that started it all, while not practical, I am fond of it

Star Trek: The Motion Picture
- a terrible idea, they look too antiseptic and impractical

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan "Monster Maroons"
- these look much more like a formal dress uniform, only to be worn at State dinners, etc.

Later Maroon Uniform (Earlier flashbacks in TNG)
- same as above except someone forgot to put the collar/undershirt on

Mid-Late "The Next Generation" - similar to modern Class A uniforms (A Few Good Men courtroom scene for civilians)

Early "Deep Space Nine" & "Voyager"
- similar to BDU (Battle Dress Uniforms such as worn in Iraq/Afghanistan today)
- these have much needed, practical POCKETS!!

Mid-Late "Deep Space Nine" and "First Contact"
- these are my favorite uniform as they look more like a real military uniform with the black/grey scheme instead of bright color
- similar to most Class A Navy uniforms

"Enterprise"
- a good bridge between current NASA shuttle uniforms and USS Kelvin era uniforms
- pockets make them practical

Star Trek (2009)
- I am please that they honored TOS by only slightly altering the uniforms from the original idea with modern updates

 

First Contact-Late DS9 Uniform is by far the best, IMHO.

 

I liked the red uniforms with the fancy rank pins and little clips.... but for me it's go to be the Dominion War uniforms.... the were imo of similar quality and style as the old red uniforms of the TOS movies, but had a bit more of a badass look to them.

Besides, during the whole TNG/DS9/Voyager era, all the bad guys and allies had cool looking uniforms/outfits (Borg/Romulans/Klingons/Cardassians) that made them all look a bit intimidating..... finally they brought in the Dominion War Uniforms and presto.... Starfleet looks like it got a pair and ain't gonna take no guff from nobody :P

 

No offense taken of course. But that kind of statement seems to come up a lot in these discussions, and I don't get it. It seems to imply either that we know what future uniforms would look like (as opposed to future pajamas), or that depictions of future uniforms should look like uniforms of today. But think of it this way: Would a US Navy sailor of the War of 1812, or even the Civil War, recognize the wash khakis and dungarees of World War II as naval uniforms? I don't think so.

If the criticism of the TMP uniforms is simply that they're ugly, I can understand that. I'm not crazy about their looks, especially the untucked shirt-tail look at the bottom of the blouses. But that's in the eye of the beholder. I like them the best because they are strong conceptually. There are different variants, some more formal, some for working. There are different protective and "occupational" additions. And surely short sleeves would be welcome sometimes. There are also some ties to TOS uniforms so the TMP outfits could reasonably be their descendants.

I like the TWOK uniforms the least. As I've said before, they are such a complete break with what was established before that it makes one think some kind of revolution must have taken place.

--Justin

 

^...or perhaps it is because to most people looking at those TMP uniforms THEY LOOK LIKE PAJAMAS. Perhaps it has more to do with that than ignorance about what future space uniforms will look like. They may as creative as you say and still LOOK LIKE PAJAMAS to most moviegoers.

 

Sure. But to say they look like pajamas rather than uniforms is to make some kind of assumption about what uniforms would look like some 300 years in the future. And like I said, I don't follow that line of thinking. But YMMV.

--Justin

 

Mid-late TNG

 

I have wondered if a TV series set in the movie era might have on-duty officers simply wear the colored tunic without the red jacket. It would look very similar to the original series uniforms.

 

I see that the polls are leaning towards the heavier WOK and DS9 uniforms, and in part I would agree, but in the end I had to go with the classic TOS. Helen Noel just wouldn't have looked as good in anything else.

Ok, she'd probably look good in a drop cloth, but you get the idea.

 

I like the Star trek "Enterprise" uniform. It is very cool and stylish.

 

The First Contact/DS9 uniforms are my personal favorite, although the only ones I don't like are the TMP jumpsuits.