Do people realize there were three uniform colors in the pilots

[Basil]

I actually prefer the "tan" over the more garrish red from the series. I also like the command uniforms, though I wish the color were a bit more olive. Too bad the uniforms jackets in both versions -- landing party and "slavegirl" sequence-- from The Cage didn't make it to the final TV series.

These uniforms pop up from time to time on extras after the pilot, along with the silver "cadet" uniform. Charlie X wears what appears to be a suade captain's wraparound without the braid, and Merrick sports a Cage-ish tunic beneath his Roman-esque "vest" in "Bread and Circuses," though it also has a stripe on the collar.

 

[Red Ranger]

The great thing about the red shirts is that you know who will die before the first commercial break.

Like a big ole bullseye! I always thought Spock, as first officer, should've worn the command color rather than the sciences color in the series. Of course, from TWOK on, he did. -- RR

 

[J.T.B.]

I am another who didn't know there were three colors till relatively late in the game, but clearly there are. I knew there were different shades, but I thought it was due to materials that photographed slightly differently, just as Kirk's regular shirt, wraparound and dress jacket all look different. Old prints, low-rez TV's and a slight color-blindness all conspired against me!

As for the uniforms/insignia in WNMHGB, it seems to be pretty much a mish-mash. Here is a summary of some of what we know, if someone can make a coherent system out of it, they're doing a lot better than I am!

--Justin

 

[Captain Robert April]

Kirk and Spock weren't the only ones to wear avocado green with the "command" patch. Some unnamed lower-level crewmember (with no braid) who was helping Lee Kelso on Delta Vega also wore avocado with a command patch:

Now suppose you didn't have one of them fancy RCA color tv's...

Let's compare with this bit from "The Man Trap", with all three colors on display...

And without the color...

Hmm....upon further review, not a lot of difference at all.

Maybe this was a not-so-subtle way to make people buy more color televisions...

 

[Kagan]

CRA, this is the way Star Trek looked to me until I went off to college. My dad refused to buy a color TV until 1985. For nostalgia from time to time, I kill the color on my TV while I watch my DVDs.

 

[FatherRob]

CRA, this is the way Star Trek looked to me until I went off to college. My dad refused to buy a color TV until 1985. For nostalgia from time to time, I kill the color on my TV while I watch my DVDs.

You know, seeing this picture actually shows me a reason (not in-universe, mind you) about why the insignia patch had departmental variations. I never really considered this, as I never watched Trek in B/W. I was actually going to follow up by asking if the WNMHGB color choice (salmon, in specific) was made as a concession to B/W.

Rob+

 

[FatherRob]

Based on the stripes from WNMHGB, I use a very different rank system when i think about Trek...

Kirk: Commander
Mitchell: Subcommander (Lt. Cmdr)
Spock, Scott, Sulu, Piper, Dehner, Alden, Kelso: Lieutenant (department chiefs)

No Stripe = specialist (enlisted)

Just my POV.

Rob+

 

[Captain Robert April]

I think it's even simpler than that.

Two stripes = really important character
One stripe = fairly important character, or an extra who got lucky in wardrobe
No stripe = Ignore this character, he'll be lucky to survive the episode

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Two stripes = really important character
One stripe = fairly important character, or an extra who got lucky in wardrobe
No stripe = Ignore this character, he'll be lucky to survive the episode

By His stripes = we are healed

 

[TigerOfDarkness]

Kelso: "Wait a minute! If you're the captain, then who's that guy?"

Unnamed character wearing first pilot shirt: "He's my stunt double"

 

[cooleddie74]

There were three in the two TOS pilots: blue, command mustard-yellow and a sand colored one as well.

 

[Timo]

Kirk: Commander
Mitchell: Subcommander (Lt. Cmdr)
Spock, Scott, Sulu, Piper, Dehner, Alden, Kelso: Lieutenant (department chiefs)

No Stripe = specialist (enlisted)

Or alternatively Mitchell: Lieutenant (and possibly department head for Helm or Navigation). In which case the "Where No Man" scheme simply dovetails to the general TOS scheme.

We only hear Mitchell referred to as Lieutenant Commander in Kirk's final log entry. Quite possibly Kirk gave his friend a posthumous promotion... The text in the medical records cards should probably be disregarded as it also tries to claim that Mitchell was 23 years old! Or then we could say that Mitchell had been "frocked", much like Spock later on, and given a de facto promotion that had not yet come through in sleeve braid and paycheck and would not until the next starbase visit. Or then LtCmdr Mitchell simply was his usual laid-back and sloppy self and either wore the wrong braid by accident or then refused to give up his old lucky sweater.

I prefer the pilot colors to the series ones in most respects, and Spock looks great in gold (green). What I don't like quite as much is the small chest insignia. To look sufficiently military, these things need a certain minimum amount of functionally useless shiny stuff, and the smaller insignia ain't it. (OTOH, the smaller design doesn't get as annoyingly wrinkled as the series versions.)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[J.T.B.]

Or alternatively Mitchell: Lieutenant (and possibly department head for Helm or Navigation). In which case the "Where No Man" scheme simply dovetails to the general TOS scheme.

We only hear Mitchell referred to as Lieutenant Commander in Kirk's final log entry. Quite possibly Kirk gave his friend a posthumous promotion... The text in the medical records cards should probably be disregarded as it also tries to claim that Mitchell was 23 years old!

But that ignores Dr. Dehner, who calls Mitchell "commander" the first time she sees him. Her line implies she has already heard of (or been warned about) Mitchell, which information apparently included his rank. She obviously didn't get "commander" from the rank stripe, because we know it also indicates lieutenant (Kelso). IMO the evidence is overwhelming for Mitchell being a LCdr, and thus the insignia system being different from the regular series run.

--Justin

 

[Steven Of Nine]

Kelso: This? It's going up yer ass, son.

 

[cooleddie74]

KELSO:"Try not to get the captain mad today, Mike.

He just got word he's going bald."

 

[cooleddie74]

My late mom never got to see TOS in color that often during its original run. In fact, as an adolescent she sometimes snuck over to a neighbor's house that had a color TV and peeked in the window to see bits of TREK and THE MONKEES in color.