Captain Picards Jacket...

I have a question about the Jacket that Picard started wearing in Season 4 or 5. Basically whats the in-universe reason, and whats the real world reason?
I seem to remember hearing that Patrick Stewart HATED the original tunic and complained that it was too small and too tight. This lead to Patrick always pulling down the tunic when he stood up.
Am I right or was there something else?

 

I don't know about in-universe, but most modern military branches have alternate uniforms of one kind or another.

That is, outside of summer/winter or regular/dress.

 

I don't know the in-universe explanation.
But it seems odd.

I can understand the captain having a different uniform,
like Kirk's wraparounds from TOS.
But a jacket, in a controlled artificial environment? Indoors? People don't usually wear jackets indoors.
Would it be uncomfortably warm?
Or no worse that wearing a three-piece suit inside?

 

Hey, whatever the in-universe or real life reason for the jacket, one thing is certain: it sure looked smashing on our beloved captain!

That's good enough for me.

 

The only time I thought it served any practical purpose was when he got beamed down to the planet in "Damok". It seemed to be useful there when the weather started getting cold, but Picard didn't know he was actually going to get beamed down, so he couldn't have planned to wear that just in case. I agree with others, though...it looked very cool and comfortable on Picard (way better than the regular season 3-7 uniforms, which I hated), so that's reason enough for its existence.

 

It looked good setting Picard apart as the Captain. The pips on the collar were not enough to show he has in command.

 

Obviously, that's why he also got the best chair on the bridge, the cool office, and everyone on the ship did (almost) everything he told 'em to, and said, "Yes, sir" as they did it (almost) every time.

 

I thought it looked......odd, to be honest.

 

^ Yeah, a suede jacket was so much more 80's than 90's

 

Aside from it being a nod towards Kirk's wraparound green tunic, I considered Picard's new threads as being a captain's casual uniform 'cos rank has its perks. It's possible, though, that the jacket was optional and it could be worn just with the gray tunic...

 

I liked the jacket concept. The idea of a captain indulging a little in the privilege of rank seems fine by me.

It's not even that eccentric really. If you want eccentric, General Sir Thomas Picton used to regularly wear a top hat into battle, with his regular uniform. At Waterloo, he didn't even wear uniform (it got delayed in transit). Mind you, he got shot through the topper there and killed. So maybe wearing a top hat isn't such a good idea. But a suede jacket? Sure.

 

I like the jacket too. When the captain is wearing the same unform, except for four pips, off the bridge or observation lounge Picard, Janeway and Kirk look like the rest of the crew on an away team. Maybe as you note Starfleet's policy is to make the captain look like the rest of the away team, so he or she will not be the first one shot at.

 

It seems that the jacket is standard Starfleet maternity wear, soooo...

But seriously, out-of-universe it was to show that Picard's the boss, and in-universe, I have no idea.

 

Same here!

Incidentally, Darmok was the ep that his jacket and black-and-gray tunic made its first appearance. Wonder if Jonathan Frakes would've gotten the same uniform if they killed off Picard and Riker became captain as they had once planned at the end of The Best of Both Worlds?

 

So no one else has heard the story that Patrick Stewart got the jacket cause he hated the tunic?

 

Some of the admirals and higher ranked Starfleet officials in the show seem to have more jacket-like uniforms too. Riker's former commander from The Pegasus, for example, and just about every female admiral Picard speaks to on a screen over the course of the show. I think the people running the show liked the idea of a jacket as a status symbol in Starfleet.

 

Picards jacket actually changed in-between darmok and unification. In darmok it had leather shoulders and then it changed to a different fabric. Apart from that I liked it I think the DS9 crew should of had them instead of the duty uniforms that they were given. Also TNG always had changes in each season like phasers rikers beard worf,s hair etc .

 

The out of universe reason was Patrick Stuart's idea to make Captain Picard stand out more from the rest of the crew. Though I reckon it was jealousy.. "Riker gets a beard, I want a funky jacket dammit!!"

In universe? "Why the hell not", he's the captain! On HIS ship he can wear whatever he wants.

 

The jacket was a little silly. It was worn open all the time (could it even close?) and it didn't have a collar, which is odd if it was supposed to be for keeping warm. It would make more sense if it had been worn outdoors, but it was worn on the bridge and in the ready room, which made Picard look like an old man who was cold all the time. And the later padded shoulder pieces looked like cheap upholstery.

Kirk's wraparound was silly, too. The only reason for it was to differentiate the two Kirks in "The Enemy Within." If other people had worn them, fine, but a "captains only" article of uniform seems hard to rationalize.

Of course in those days uniforms regulations were still a fairly new concept and vague enough to allow pretty broad interpretation.

Eccentricities of dress will always be around. I knew of an A-6 squadron skipper in the navy who wore brown Justin roper cowboy boots with his khakis at sea. Not regulation, but subtle and not a big enough deal that his bosses ever made anything of it. Many navy officers over the years got away with a white hanky in the breast pocket. A lot of US officers in WW2 wore tanker or flight jackets that were not really meant for them. But really noticeable eccentricities are usually found at the higher ranks, in a "Don't you know who I am?! No one tells me what to wear!" sort of way. Patton, MacArthur and Montgomery come immediately to mind from WW2. Picard's personality has never struck me as the type that would take advantage of a privileged position to set himself apart, but maybe not.

--Justin

 

I agree......and I would love to be able to get one of those jackets for myself. Do you know, if they are available on Amazon or ebay.??