We all know they did that, so they can be the only ones allowed to sell accurate uniforms.
I've seen this everywhere and it's utter hogwash. Aside from the fact that absolutely no costume designer is going in thinking "Right, let's mess with cosplayers and make a company I'm not involved with loadsa cash!", it's not THAT hard! The metallic piping - easy. I do something similar regularly.
^ Image is behind a spoiler code so as not to take up half a screen; but the piping can be done the same way I made those cuffs (those ones are rough, first attempt last year but it's the first pic I had to hand
). It's tricky. Not impossible.
The delta fabric? Knock up a template, find a print shop. Getting embossed prints might be trickier, but even then - achievable. And everything else is basic sewing. Not that difficult and I'm absolutely stunned that people can go out and make fully functional Hulkbuster costumes that are eleventy feet tall, yet a bit of a print job has ruined costuming at a con :/
Everyone keeps saying this, but where is the evidence? I've never seen any poll or example from modern television that proves this is true. It just seems to be people's assumptions.
It's a safe assumption. Design has advanced in costumes just as much as anything else. People are being more adventurous now, and then we have video game influences as game designers don't have to worry about limits or costume budget as their assets are digital.
That said, I'd actually complain that modern sci fi is too boring. How many sci fi productions have we seen over the past decade or so where the most adventurous thing is just another alternate of real-world BDU's? A lot of sci fi has been very grounded and filled with the sense of "make it look more real!"
Balls to that - make sci fi look like sci fi. One of the reasons this new uniform has really grown on me is that it's utterly shameless in being a retro-ish sci fi uniform.
