Different Coloured Uniforms

[The Wormhole]

didn't at some point they use turquoise for science and blue strictly for medical in TNG?

I've never seen any difference in the colours or understood why Sciences and Medical would need to be identified by separate colours. The likes of Security and Engineering/Operations however, since they are very different disciplines, would make more sense for a little colour differentiation. To me anyway.

Security and engineering do receive similar training. After all, that is the only way it could have been possible for Jellico to reassign half the engineering staff to security as soon as he took over the Enterprise.

 

[Richard Baker]

I thought the 'soccer ball' security armor they introduces in TMP was a good idea- it gives that division a unique power projection (like a black/White Police Car) and protects at the same time.

 

[Nerys Myk]

didn't at some point they use turquoise for science and blue strictly for medical in TNG?

I've never seen any difference in the colours or understood why Sciences and Medical would need to be identified by separate colours. The likes of Security and Engineering/Operations however, since they are very different disciplines, would make more sense for a little colour differentiation. To me anyway.

Security and engineering do receive similar training. After all, that is the only way it could have been possible for Jellico to reassign half the engineering staff to security as soon as he took over the Enterprise.

If security includes weapons, then there might be some cross training with engineering.

Though Jellico's reassignment might just mean, "Here's a phaser. You're security now"

 

[The Wormhole]

I've never seen any difference in the colours or understood why Sciences and Medical would need to be identified by separate colours. The likes of Security and Engineering/Operations however, since they are very different disciplines, would make more sense for a little colour differentiation. To me anyway.

Security and engineering do receive similar training. After all, that is the only way it could have been possible for Jellico to reassign half the engineering staff to security as soon as he took over the Enterprise.

If security includes weapons, then there might be some cross training with engineering.

Though Jellico's reassignment might just mean, "Here's a phaser. You're security now"

Still, the fact he apparently did it with the engineers and not anyone else on board kind of suggests similar training between security and engineering.

 

[mos6507]

didn't at some point they use turquoise for science and blue strictly for medical in TNG?

It's confusing. Visually it seemed like the uniforms for TNG science/medical shifted around between a pure blue and more of a turqoise. Part of that might have been the influence of the lighting (similar to the gold/green issue on TOS). But by the time you get to First Contact, the red is definitively burgundy and the blue is turqoise.

 

[Green Shirt]

the influence of the lighting (similar to the gold/green issue on TOS).

Lighting is the key. The green/gold issue continues through TNG, all the way up to the J.J. movies.

 

[wulfio]

I've never seen any difference in the colours or understood why Sciences and Medical would need to be identified by separate colours.

When you're wounded, you want a medic, not an astronomer.

lol

 

[F. King Daniel]

And because Brent Spiner looked terrible in blue, the incredibly vague post of "operations officer" was created as an excuse to get their science-officer-in-all-but-name in a yellow uniform.

Most of the job assignments in TNG were originally "incredibly vague."

The decisions about job assignments, etc were made well before final costuming was settled on. That Data was not the ship's science officer was also established internally early on.

You say the assignments were vague, but did they ever at least plan to give him duties different to Spock or was always just "we won't CALL him 'science officer'"?

 

[AirCommodore]

And because Brent Spiner looked terrible in blue, the incredibly vague post of "operations officer" was created as an excuse to get their science-officer-in-all-but-name in a yellow uniform.

Most of the job assignments in TNG were originally "incredibly vague."

The decisions about job assignments, etc were made well before final costuming was settled on. That Data was not the ship's science officer was also established internally early on.

You say the assignments were vague, but did they ever at least plan to give him duties different to Spock or was always just "we won't CALL him 'science officer'"?

Well I think he was supposed to be over Operations. On Navy ships this is an important department and handles some of the duties that Spock seemed involved with. You never get the sense that Data has a Department that he is over, with lots of officers and enlisted under his command. But he would if he was actually the head of the Operations Department.

FAS dot ORG has lots of great pages that break down and explain in detail what exactly each ships Department or Division is responsible for.

Here is there page on Operations Departments:

http://fas.org/irp/doddir/navy/rfs/part05.htm


One of differences, is that the Enterprise, unlike warships, has a Science Department. That is probably more similar to a Survey Department on research vessels. They are in charge of scientific data collection and management, maintenance of scientific equipment, sensors, etc.

 

[Sparkle Fabulosa]

ENT and TOS era
Gold: Command
Blue: Science and Medical
Red: Operations and Security

ENT

TOS

JJ TOS

Next Gen Era
Red: Command
Blue: Medical and Science
Gold: Operations and Security

TNG

DS9/VOY

TNG films/DS9

Those GIFs are hilarious! With everyone slightly turning their heads. LOL!

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

didn't at some point they use turquoise for science and blue strictly for medical in TNG?

It's confusing. Visually it seemed like the uniforms for TNG science/medical shifted around between a pure blue and more of a turqoise. Part of that might have been the influence of the lighting (similar to the gold/green issue on TOS). But by the time you get to First Contact, the red is definitively burgundy and the blue is turqoise.

In TNG, Bill Thesis used the darker values of the original colors when he did the first season uniforms. I read, and can't remember from where so don't take this as absolute fact, but Robert Blackman kept tweaking the blue color, making it more teal over time, because it conflicted with the blue screen.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Those GIFs are hilarious! With everyone slightly turning their heads. LOL!

It makes me think of a typewriter carriage return.