Uniform colours- is there a system?

[T'Girl]

CoveTom wrote:

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For example, when Data was moved to first officer under Captain Jellico in "Chain of Command," he switched to the red/maroon uniform. But when he was placed in command of the Excalibur in "Redemption," he stays in gold.

Data assuming commnd of the Excaliber was a temporary assignment, on the other hand we didn't know if Jellico was ever going to leave.

Snaploud wrote:

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It was a huge WTF moment when Deanna Troi was promoted above Data in Thine Own Self.

As just a counselor, Deanna may have reached a rank 'glass ceiling', only by training as a bridge officer could she be promoted at all. We saw in Tapestry that a officer (Picard) can spend their entire career not being promoted. Also we don't know how long Deanna was a Lt. Commander.

Mr. Laser Beam wrote:

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Naw, that'd be too much like the gold color. Black would really stand out and look cool.

Marines should be khaki brown, like the current marines class B's, also have red piping (blood stripe) running down the outside of both uniform legs. Now that would be cool.

[Snaploud]

According to Datalore, Data was promoted to lieutenant commander in 2060 (after 12 years as a lieutenant), so, by Thine Own Self (2070), Data had been a lieutenant commander for 10 years. It's unclear exactly when Troi was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

[Red Ranger]

Snaploud wrote:

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I think Data should have transitioned to red sometime during the show (part of his progression to take over the first officer position--which really should have happened by the series end). It was a huge WTF moment when Deanna Troi was promoted above Data in Thine Own Self.

I agree. He did wear red when Jellico temporarily appointed him first officer after relieving Riker in Chain of Command, Pt. II. I wish Picard had done the same in Redemption, Pt. II, when Data was given command of the Sutherland. The only other time we saw Data in red was in Future Imperfect. I think your idea is a good one, Snaploud. Would've definitelly made sense to have Data shift to command as preparation for assuming more responsibility. -- RR

[Timo]

It's unclear exactly when Troi was promoted to Lieutenant Commander.

Riker remembered her as a "Lieutenant" in "Encounter at Farpoint" - that is, he initially called her that, despite her new rank pins. This would suggest she had held Lieutenant rank when the two last met - meaning 2361 or later if "Second Chances" is to be believed. So we could argue her rank of Lieutenant Commander was basically brand new in 2363 when "Encounter at Farpoint" happened.

As for the departmental color charts of ST:TMP and ST2 through 6, artist intent is one thing; onscreen reality is another. The TMP chart may hold for the most part, because it was just one movie, but Fletcher's colors for the next five movies plus the odd TNG or VOY flashback were mangled by so many costuming department decisions and mishaps that they probably aren't to be trusted as such.

Timo Saloniemi

[iguana_tonante]

T'Girl wrote:

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Marines should be khaki brown, like the current marines class B's, also have red piping (blood stripe) running down the outside of both uniform legs. Now that would be cool.

This is my kind of Marine.

(caption reads: Silvia Russo, First woman Marine in the "San Marco" Regiment of the Italian Military Navy).