Does the way a character is styled affect your opinion of them?

[TribbleFeeder]

I was thinking about this while watching DS9 “Crossover” today, when I realized that part of why Kira always bugged me is because of her very early 90s “costume”. Given, her actual character isn’t my favorite, but the shoulder pads didn’t help.

For instance, I always liked Sisko’s character better when he had a beard. It made him look more authoritative to me. Another example is how Janeway’s hairstyle in some Voyager seasons made her character appear softer than when she had the “bun of steel”

Personally, I think costume and stylization can have a big effect on the way we feel about the characters. Thoughts?

 

[Lord Garth]

When Odo's costume gets a neck, it looks more professional. I'm glad they added it.

Kira's hair paired with her new costume in S7 was too weird. They should've stuck with the S4-S6 costume. A Colonel should have less frills and more decoration, not the other way around.

 

[1001001]

Troi looked much better in her standard uniform. All those ridiculous outfits they had her in before made her seem like a foreign advisor, not a Starfleet Officer.

 

[Night Shade]

Wesley Crusher got a lot more attractive when he got an official officer's uniform. Before that, it looked like he was walking around in his pajamas.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

Never could take Seven or T'Pol seriously in those awful catsuits, we get it they have large mammary glands, now put them in some sensible clothing!

Troi grew when she was put in standard uniform.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

I always liked Sisko’s character better when he had a beard. It made him look more authoritative to me.

If I may, would bearded, bald Sisko have made sense as a wrecked widower and single father in Emissary?

 

[Lord Garth]

If I may, would bearded, bald Sisko have made sense as a wrecked widower and single father in Emissary?

I'd think a depressed Sisko would let himself go. A full head of hair and a full beard. When Jennifer was around and Jake was a younger kid, he probably wanted the "family friendly", clean-cut hair and shaved-face look. Nowadays, no one would care about bald-and-goateed, but back in 1993, the image would've been a little different. It was a more "edgy" look.

 

[marlboro]

I think the clothing and hair styles are very important. "Clothes make the man" as they say. The first example of a character being undermined by his wardrobe that pops to mind is Roga Danar in TNG's The Hunted. He's a badass killing machine, but he's dressed in footy pajamas.

The costuming and wigs for the female cast members on most of the later Trek shows were often sub par, imo.

 

[TribbleFeeder]

I agree with a lot of you about the catsuits and Troi’s weird outfits. They just made the women wearing them hard to take seriously sometimes, especially because they never explained why they wore different uniforms. Other than Wesley all the male characters wore the same thing, we didn’t see nearly as much variety as we saw in the women.

Another one I thought of was Kirk’s avacado shirt. So silly. There was no need for that deep of a V. Ever.

 

[tafkats]

Troi's most out-there outfits also coincided with the period when she was being written really badly.

 

[Tenacity]

Troi grew when she was put in standard uniform.

I'd go in the other direction. When Troi dressed is the dress with the flowing skirt, and even in the "bunny suit" she gave the appearance of having nonconformity and a degree of independence.

After Jellico told her to change (and she did) I feel the character lost a bit of her individuality. She was no longer different and unique, she was just another Starfleet officer.

Troi became less.

 

[Kilana2]

Personally, I think costume and stylization can have a big effect on the way we feel about the characters. Thoughts?

I'm not fond of T'Pol. Her styling didn't help that. I hate her tummy shirt pajama. So costumes have an effect on me.

 

[TribbleFeeder]

I'm not fond of T'Pol. Her styling didn't help that. I hate her tummy shirt pajama. So costumes have an effect on me.

I hate those PJs too! I wish they didn’t try so hard to make her overly sexual. Jolene is so incredibly pretty, I don’t know why they felt they had to go overboard with her outfits. If anything it took away from her character.

Did anyone ever notice that Worf’s skin color looks lighter in some episodes than others? I’m gonna guess it was due to makeup. It looked more nature in DS9 than it ever did in TNG.

 

[Kilana2]

I hate those PJs too! I wish they didn’t try so hard to make her overly sexual. Jolene is so incredibly pretty, I don’t know why they felt they had to go overboard with her outfits. If anything it took away from her character.

I've read Enterprise short stories featuring T'Pol. An elderly T'Pol. And I liked the story. I guess it was because it was a giftet writer and I wasn't distracted by bad clothing.....

 

[USS Triumphant]

I hate those PJs too! I wish they didn’t try so hard to make her overly sexual. Jolene is so incredibly pretty

It wasn't even that they tried to make her sexual, so much as that they were freaking *terrible* at it - she'd have been MUCH sexier in a regular (well tailored and fitted) uniform and her MU hair.

 

[Kilana2]

Troi looked much better in her standard uniform. All those ridiculous outfits they had her in before made her seem like a foreign advisor, not a Starfleet Officer.

At least as a bridge officer. Troi's costumes look nice, but they are better suited for a job as Counselor during private counseling sessions. The uniform is better suited for bridge duty.

 

[Jayson1]

I didn't mind Troi's outfit so much because of the job she had. In fact I would have liked to seen more diversity in starfleet clothing. Give the engineers some sort working overalls or something to show their job. Doctors get lab coats which I did like that Dr Crusher had one of those. Security wear body armour of some sort or always carry phasers while on duty.

Jason

 

[Bad Thoughts]

This is sort of a zero-sum game. The standard Starfleet uniforms had ways of enhancing assets and hiding flaws, so I don't think it's worthwhile to label the uniform look to be more appropriate so someone in a professional environment. I would rather that the characters were shown to express a variety of moods and dimensions of their personalities by having more diverse wardrobes.

 

[Kilana2]

This is sort of a zero-sum game. The standard Starfleet uniforms had ways of enhancing assets and hiding flaws, so I don't think it's worthwhile to label the uniform look to be more appropriate so someone in a professional environment. I would rather that the characters were shown to express a variety of moods and dimensions of their personalities by having more diverse wardrobes.

Especially Riker. And I don't mean moments when he went to the Holodeck. I'd like to have seen more of his off-duty wardrobes. On the other hand: I can't imagine someone like Jellico in something other than his uniform. It is almost like Worf being on Risa with Jazia, Leeta and Quark. He never changed. He didn't have a bathing suit.....
I found it odd that Troi told Tasha 'this is nothing for you' in the Naked Now. Period. Instead of telling Tasha what would be better suited for her. Alas, this wasn't an episode for proper clothing styles because almost everyone was influenced

 

[STEPhon IT]

I was thinking about this while watching DS9 “Crossover” today, when I realized that part of why Kira always bugged me is because of her very early 90s “costume”. Given, her actual character isn’t my favorite, but the shoulder pads didn’t help.

For instance, I always liked Sisko’s character better when he had a beard. It made him look more authoritative to me. Another example is how Janeway’s hairstyle in some Voyager seasons made her character appear softer than when she had the “bun of steel”

Personally, I think costume and stylization can have a big effect on the way we feel about the characters. Thoughts?

Absolutely, I thought Sisko presented a character of strength and separated himself from Picard when he had hair and his mannerisms was unique. Too bad he went steps back shaving his head bald, I'm glad Janeway didn't follow suit with a "Illia" hair do. I wouldn't have mind either Seven's and T'Pol's catsuit if everyone else was wearing a similar variation of the outfit; I mean - - this was supposed to be Star Trek - sexy and adventurous but the TNG after its 2nd season went waaaaaaaaaaaaaay down that conservative rabbit hole nodding more to Nick Meyer's clunky, impractical, costuming. DS9 in it's 1st 3 seasons was a step forward in using TOS jumpsuit design to present comfort and embracing the form of a nice physique (Sorry Colm Meaney).

Quark's character and outfits perfectly represented his character; I loves being somebody and has pride in being an entrepreneur.

I never thought Picard's variant costume worked as much as Kirk's outfit did; he was very comfortable being a military master wearing several sorts of green to represent the command avocado green duty uniform. Bill Theiss was a genius, it's too bad NTSC had ruined the true color of such a brilliant design and color which some will always be lost that the color was gold, but it didn't look gold in the 60's, it looked more mustard than the retroactive brainwashing DS9 did to neo-fans.