Season 3 uniforms

[RapidNadion]

I was actually just thinking the other day about how the new Season 3 uniforms did take a little bit of "settling in" before we got to the final version of the collared two-piece (for the men). Thanks to everyone for filling in the gaps -- the twin parallel seams in the early tunics are one of those tiny details, like the subtly shifting shape of the combadge over the years, that few fans notice.

 

[AdmiralGarak]

There are parallel seams running up the front that weren't there later. (I'm not sure if they have a technical term or not!)

I personally prefer the seams, I think they make the jacket look much smarter.

Okay. I had noticed those. It just hadn't sunk in that they weren't there in later episodes. Thanks!

(I hadn't noticed what middyseafort mentioned, though. I'll have to keep an eye out next time I watch early season 3 episodes.)

 

[WillsBabe]

The uniforms in the reality of the seires fastened with a futuristic seamless fastener in the front and Ro beautifuly demonstates this for us in her introductory episode. Further, it would then seem that the female uniform variant somehow seamlessly blends in with the under-jumper as it always seems like the ladies' uniforms are a one-piece to the men's two-piece uniform.

I now leave you with the image of Picard, Riker, Geordi and all of the male Starfleet officers wearing a gray one-piece jumper under their uniform tunics. Enjoy.

Good analysis of the uniforms there, Trekker. How they work in the real world and how they work in Trek reality always interests me because there are often shots of the men in particular with their jackets riding up or something that make them very puzzling. There's a shot of Riker pinning Roga Danar to the floor where his jacket has ridden up and you can see a black undershirt or something that seems to be an extension of the tousers. Ditto for Picard in The High Ground, I believe, fighting an invader on the bridge.

The elastic waistband is the fugliest thing I've ever seen, especially how it shines in bright light.

Yes, I can't argue with that!

Here are a couple of shots of Data that illustrate the seams/darts much better:

 

[RapidNadion]

^The riding-up tunic problem is perhaps most evident in "Second Chances," during the scene where Thomas Riker almost falls to his death under the station. The black undergarments do a lot to mask the tunic's wandering ways, but this was some extreme action.

EDIT: BTW, great example shots of Data's seam/no-seam look. I remember several Pocket Books novels whose cover art faithfully reproduced said seams at the time in question, as well.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I thought I liked them but rewatching the episode, they are really starting to annoy me, they always bunch up and the actors always have to pull them down.

Thank you, my sentiments exactly.

 

[Kirk1980]

Yeah, I definitely remembered the seams... I always drew them in when I'd draw the Next Gen crew.

I never noticed that they went away COMPLETELY but damn, I guess they did! I liked the seams, kinda reminded me of the seams on the Kirk-era uniforms in their uniqueness.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I thought I liked them but rewatching the episode, they are really starting to annoy me, they always bunch up and the actors always have to pull them down.

Thank you, my sentiments exactly.

I ditto those sentiments. At the time, they were my favorite uniforms but in hindsight I realized just how uncomfortable they are to wear for any length of time. Appropriately tailored, they wind up being extremely tight around the shoulders and if you raise your arms, the tunic raises up with you...

 

[dervish]

Cost. The new uniforms cost about three-grand a piece, iirc, .

three grand what?

 

[Too Much Fun]

You people with your wacky acronyms. We seem to have a lot of people (including me) getting confused by them lately. "I.I.R.C"= if I recall correctly.

 

[JoeD80]

Cost. The new uniforms cost about three-grand a piece, iirc, .

three grand what?

Dollars. $3000 per uniform.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Yeah, I definitely remembered the seams... I always drew them in when I'd draw the Next Gen crew.

EDIT: BTW, great example shots of Data's seam/no-seam look. I remember several Pocket Books novels whose cover art faithfully reproduced said seams at the time in question, as well.

So did J.K. Moore when he did his marvelous covers for the TNG comic series. See: http://jerome-k-moore.deviantart.com/art/PICARD-AND-Q-43028085 and http://jerome-k-moore.deviantart.com/art/ALASKAN-RIKER-42039128

Personally, I liked the seams and dart uniforms without the waistband.

Cost. The new uniforms cost about three-grand a piece, iirc, .

three grand what?

Dollars. $3000 per uniform.

Yep, what JoeD wrote.

 

[Jaespol]

Cost. The new uniforms cost about three-grand a piece, iirc, .

three grand what?

lol?

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

I may sound like a a raving lunatic around these parts for saying it, but I hear this assertion over and over again and I'm going to defend those uniforms every time I do! I may be the only one here (or anywhere in the world) who believes this, but I SO think the season 1 and 2 uniforms are better! I love that stripe at the top, I think they look more futuristic...

I entirely agree.

The Blackman two-piece uniforms were a bad adaptation of a uniform designed with raglan sleeves for knit fabric into a set-in sleeve garment constructed of wool gabardine. With a Peter Pan collar tacked on, yet. Ick.

Blackman never designed a decent uniform for Trek other than the Star Trek Enterprise jumpsuits.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

It's not just the material. I'm sure the dollar value factors in the labor cost of crafting each one to the actor's measurements, and possibly in designing them too.

I mean, it's not like Doctor Who, where we expect the people in the year 200,100 or 5,000,000,023 to wear the same T-shirts and jeans we wear today. That would be just silly.

Mark

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I may sound like a a raving lunatic around these parts for saying it, but I hear this assertion over and over again and I'm going to defend those uniforms every time I do! I may be the only one here (or anywhere in the world) who believes this, but I SO think the season 1 and 2 uniforms are better! I love that stripe at the top, I think they look more futuristic...

I entirely agree.

The Blackman two-piece uniforms were a bad adaptation of a uniform designed with raglan sleeves for knit fabric into a set-in sleeve garment constructed of wool gabardine. With a Peter Pan collar tacked on, yet. Ick.

Blackman never designed a decent uniform for Trek other than the Star Trek Enterprise jumpsuits.

I agree as well.

While I prefer Blackman's early effort, since it comes closer to the lines intended by Thesis, I never found any of his costume designs to be interesting or titillating, especially his civilian wear.

Thesis' original design had a nice simplicity in them, and perhaps with a change of material could've been made more comfortable. Blackman's two-piece, the one used throughout the series with the waistband, made the male actors look bloated.

They should've just overhauled them from the ground up. New design all around, as Durandia Rice, second season costumer, wanted to do in hindsight. Of course, she said her design probably would've been closer to Wesley's Acting Ensign uniform than to Thesis' design.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Durinda Rice Wood's costuming work on the second year of TNG is really excellent in most respects. Among other things, of course, she defined Guinan's look - and just compare the outfits she designed for Goldberg with Blackman's variations.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Thanks to the new rare pics at trekcore, here's a pic that showcases the first variation of the season 3 uniforms:

http://www.trekcore.com/specials/albums/rare/article21/picard_s3hq.jpg

You can see the parallel seams, the darts, and the lack of a spandex waistband, which creates the illusion that the uniform is still a one-piece.

 

[Similitude]

I hate the SSN 1-2 Uniforms, I thought the later seasons were a much bigger imporvement. However I also think the FC Uni's are the best.

 

[WillsBabe]

You can see the parallel seams, the darts, and the lack of a spandex waistband, which creates the illusion that the uniform is still a one-piece.

I much prefer that than what it morphed into. I think that waistband is really unslightly!

 

[ManaByte]

A better question would be about the Generations uniforms. In some scenes they're in the new DS9/VOY style uniforms and in others they're back in the originals. Did they each only have one new uniform to use?