Star Trek Strange New Worlds Security Chief La'an Character Trailer (Teaser Clip Promo Sneak Peek)

[Styleset]

In The Cage, all officers wore a single stripe. In WNMHGB, Kirk wore two stripes while the other major characters all wore one; a subtle update from the original pilot that helped to identify the captain.

By the time of TOS proper, the uniform tops had been updated to brighter colors with black collars that we are all familiar with and they had also changed to the much more detailed scheme of wavy stripe +/- broken stripe sleeve braids that separately identified all ranks up to captain, beginning with plain sleeve for ensign. The full pattern existed, whether it was applied accurately is another matter -- but that has been a consistent feature in every era of Trek!

JJ-Trek adapted the classic TOS pattern of solid wavy stripes +/- broken stripes and simplified it to thick +/- thin stripes. The JJ pattern was subsequently re-used for the Enterprise uniforms in DSC S2 (when they finally remembered to include them) and we saw separate insignia for each of captain, commander, lieutenant commander and lieutenant.

SNW Pike is still wearing the specific captain insignia of the thick-thin-thick pattern that he wore in DSC. Alongside this, we have now seen several characters wearing two thick stripes and several wearing one thick + one thin -- so whatever they are doing, it's not a return to the insignia from The Cage or WNMHGB. I actually wonder if someone has mixed up the JJ/DSC pattern of thick/thin stripes with the similar (but different) pattern of contemporary naval stripes.

But I agree, time will tell.

Yes, I agree with your assesment and have notice this as well. Like, M'Benga has two larger stripes, but they are pretty far apart. And then so does Nurse Chapel. Exactly the same. This doesn't make sense if you want to be consistent with canon. Chapel had no stripes during the three years of TOS, making her an Ensign or an non-commissioned officer. Memory Alpha notes, however, that she was raised to the rank of Lieutenant by The Animated Series (TAS).

I should also note, that even though hypotheticaly a Lieutenant, Junior Grade, should be either a dotted line or a one distinctly thinner line, I don't think we have ever actually seen one on screen.

I wonder if the special (and Discovery added) white medical uniform will always have a different two widely larger bars regardless of rank. And when/if those personnel change into science/medical blue, will they have the standard rank insgnia.

At any rate it is inconsistent. I would prefer they simply go with the TOS system, with the upgraded solid bands and not squiggly ones. I have also always wanted Star Trek to consistently have and use a set of enlisted officer rank insgignia for crewman, chiefs, etc.

 

[fireproof78]

We can't call it inconsistent if we don't know the system yet.

 

[Blue Squadron]

The unfortunate Joe Tormolen from The Naked Time wears the single broken stripe of Lieutenant JG. He is the only speaking character to do so. If I recall correctly, there may be occasional background extras who also were this insignia but I would have to go hunting through TOS to find them. Nevertheless, it definitely existed in TOS.

I'm not sure what the intentions are with cuff insignia for SNW. What we have seen so far appears to have inconsistencies relative to what we may reasonably assume but this may all become clearer once the show is released.

I'm not sure why some forum members appear happy to discuss other aspects of the show but seem determined to shut down any discussion on this particular topic.

 

[Styleset]

We can't call it inconsistent if we don't know the system yet.

Actaully, we can wonder since La'an seemingly introduced herself to Captain Pike as Lieutenant and not Lieutenant Commander. As others have said, it's inconsistent with what we know thus far about past uses of rank bars in "The Cage" pilot, "WNMHGB", TOS in general, the Kelvin Timeline, and the Enterprise crew in Discovery. Or course, they could have some elaborate explanation, but it's reasonable to wonder.

"I am Vulcan, Sir. we embrace technicality."
~Commander Spock (Star Trek Into Darkness)

 

[Styleset]

The unfortunate Joe Tormolen from The Naked Time wears the single broken stripe of Lieutenant JG. He is the only speaking character to do so. If I recall correctly, there may be occasional background extras who also were this insignia but I would have to go hunting through TOS to find them. Nevertheless, it definitely existed in TOS.

I'm not sure what the intentions are with cuff insignia for SNW. What we have seen so far appears to have inconsistencies but this may all become clearer once the show is released.


As for Christine Chapel, we only ever saw her wearing the "nurse" uniform in TOS, which was made of the more "shiny" fabric, like the short-sleeve medical smock, and had a matching blue collar rather than the black collar of the "regular" female uniforms. It also had a unique arrowhead insignia with a red cross at the center but no sleeve rank insignia. It's possible that, like the smock, the nursing clinical uniform was not intended to have rank insignia. Similarly, M'Benga only ever appeared wearing the medical smock -- so no rank was ever established for either of those characters in TOS.

By the time of TMP, Chapel had re-qualified as a physician, perhaps relatively recently as she was clearly wearing the rank of Lieutenant:

Wow, deep dive. Impressed. Thanks for showing us/me Lieutenant JG Joe Tormolen. I think what I said about Chapel is consistent with your words: Maybe she was a Lieutenant in TOS but that is not established until TAS. And she is eventually a full Commander, before the end of the movies. But in SNW promo material she is wearing white with two wide bars. Depending on the system that cold make her a full commander in the past. That seems super odd and is likely a mistake. But we will have to wait and see.

 

[Blue Squadron]

Wow, deep dive. Impressed. Thanks for showing us/me Lieutenant JG Joe Tormolen. I think what I said about Chapel is consistent with your words: Maybe she was a Lieutenant in TOS but that is not established until TAS. And she is eventually a full Commander, before the end of the movies. But in SNW promo material she is wearing white with two wide bars. Depending on the system that cold make her a full commander in the past. That seems super odd and is likely a mistake. But we will have to wait and see.

You're welcome -- uniform trivia is something I do...

This is mainly for the Chapel thread, rather than here in the Noonien-Singh thread, but by the time of TMP Chapel had re-qualified as a physician and was wearing Lieutenant insignia. By her appearance in the later movies she had been promoted to Commander.

 

[fireproof78]

I'm not sure why some forum members appear happy to discuss other aspects of the show but seem determined to shut down any discussion on this particular topic.

We don't have all the facts. Give me the facts and I'll discuss it. Otherwise, it feels like looking for ammo to take down a show not yet published. Which, we fans are very good at I will agree.

 

[Styleset]

You're welcome -- uniform trivia is something I do...

This is mainly for the Chapel thread, rather than here in the Noonien-Singh thread, but by the time of TMP Chapel had re-qualified as a physician and was wearing Lieutenant insignia. By her appearance in the later movies she had been promoted to Commander.

Yes, I was agreeing with you about Chapel. Something is off about the ranks in the promos.

 

[Amasov]

From my guess roughly 10 seconds, though the only appearance is a circle shoulder patch that is unclear.

I'm pretty sure I'm wrong. We see Number One wearing a similar jacket in her own trailer. I think the shoulder patch just threw me and my imagination ran rampant. I'm a little stunned at how far I took that theory.

 

[Donald G]

Yes, I was agreeing with you about Chapel. Something is off about the ranks in the promos.

According to Sackett and Roddenberry's The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (page 126):

Rank designation became a point of confusion because of a decision made years before on television series uniforms. It was felt that the traditional four gold stripes of ship captain's rank was too blatantly "militaristic"-looking for a 23rd century paramilitary starship. Accordingly, the captain was held to a couple of stripes and lower ranks to even less. It was decided to continue this way for the movie. But many of the new Star Trek staff (and even Bob Fletcher himself) [bolding mine] kept getting the 20th and 23rd centuries confused. ​

I suspect that something similar has happened here. Two wide loops around the wrist sleeve is the rank insignia for lieutenants in 20th and 21st century navies where in 23rd century Starfleet, it denotes a commander. It's probably a costuming and wardrobe error that went uncaught until now.

 

[Bornin1980something]

1. Cute girl like Alara.

2. Red shirt like Alara.

3. Presumably enhanced physical abilities like Alara’s enhanced physical abilities due to gravity issues rather than genetic ones.

Not exactly a girl. Christina Chong is 38, much older than Alara or Tasha Yar (but close to Talla Kayali). Her 'survivor' background is much more like Yar.

As for the elevated strength, I don't think any of the augments seen so far have close to Xelayan strength (Kirk once beat Khan with Kirk-Fu!). Besides, aren't there legal issues with augments serving in Starfleet?

 

[FederationHistorian]

Not exactly a girl. Christina Chong is 38, much older than Alara or Tasha Yar (but close to Talla Kayali). Her 'survivor' background is much more like Yar.

As for the elevated strength, I don't think any of the augments seen so far have close to Xelayan strength (Kirk once beat Khan with Kirk-Fu!). Besides, aren't there legal issues with augments serving in Starfleet?

Its problematic in the 24th century to be genetically enhanced, which is why Bashir kept his enhancements secret for years.

I don’t think the rules are as defined in the 23rd, especially when Khan is still seen in a positive light by members of Starfleet.

 

[UssGlenn]

Two wide loops around the wrist sleeve is the rank insignia for lieutenants in 20th and 21st century navies where in 23rd century Starfleet, it denotes a commander. It's probably a costuming and wardrobe error that went uncaught until now.

That makes a lot of sense, but you'd think the same person would be in charge of that for everyone, Una and Pike are correct. But then, they are the only ones with already existing uniforms with stripes to reference. Wait, Spock does too, and he's got Lt Commander stripes in one picture, but that would be LT Jg in the navy so maybe he's under the 20th century system too. They removed the stripes for the Q&A Ensign Spock short Trek, so nothing to reference for Spock either?

 

[dupersuper]

Just remember: if the pips are wrong, the character was probably just eating corn.

 

[Bornin1980something]

On second thoughts, I think they are trying three things with this character:
• Khan, for casual fans, ultra-nostalgists, and, most importantly, the marketing team!
• Tasha Yar, for real nostalgists!
And:
• Alara Kitan, for fans who 'defected' to The Orville!

 

[Noname Given]

On second thoughts, I think they are trying three things with this character:
• Khan, for casual fans, ultra-nostalgists, and, most importantly, the marketing team!
• Tasha Yar, for real nostalgists!
And:
• Alara Kitan, for fans who 'defected' to The Orville!

She can't have any relation to Natasha Yar, and I say that because in all the promos featuring her she already comes across as more competent then Natasha Yar ever was; and I doubt she'd ignore the warnings of, and be so cavalier to the point that she's killed by a black pile of Metamucil.

 

[Tom]

hmm.. somebody is 'basing' her off of Lexxa Singh from Star Trek: Renegades, both are brunets and have there first name start with L. Imitation is a form of flattery, Thank You

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I was just looking at Christina Chong's other credits. I didn't realize she was in Chemical Wedding (2008)(aka: Crowley in the US). I have to go back and try to find her.

She was also in the Doctor Who episode A Good Man Goes To War as "Lorna Bucket".

 

[Mudd]

hmm.. somebody is 'basing' her off of Lexxa Singh from Star Trek: Renegades, both are brunets and have there first name start with L. Imitation is a form of flattery, Thank You

Nope.

 

[Nerys Myk]

hmm.. somebody is 'basing' her off of Lexxa Singh from Star Trek: Renegades, both are brunets and have there first name start with L. Imitation is a form of flattery, Thank You

Who in what?