Thoughts on Discovery Starfleet Uniforms (Trailer Edition)

I don't mind the pips idea, since it is part of Enterprise. But any insignia, no matter if it's pins, stripes or pips is meant to be readily and easily seen. Little tiny pip-like dimples on the small badge are dumb. Hopefully that wont survive beyond season 1.

 

I'll cross-post this here (from the Lorca thread).

Go to 0:04 on this clip from "The Cage":



The Starfleet guy watching Vena dance. I believe he is wearing a casual unzipped Discovery-era uniform (different color, but otherwise touche).

So, Prime timeline confirmed!

 

Good point. Forgot Ent used them too, setting an earlier precedent.

 

Not nearly close enough. Some shiny metallic with shoulderboards? Definitely not the same uniform. Not even a little.

 

There's no help for some of you. I suggest you close your eyes and use your imagination. It's the best way to connect the last 50 years.

 

I'm sorry, but these uniforms are an abomination.

At the very least, they should have updated the Cage-era uniform with the field jacket. This is just marketing.

The Discovery's Timeline is coincidental with the Talos IV Incident. That incident involved a Federation flag vessel, not a frigate like Discovery. Ships like Enterprise at least get front line uniforms and Equipment. The crew operating a ship like Discovery ( and Shenzhen, for that matter) should look somewhat similar for the time period, albeit updated for 21st Century Costuming standards.

Navies have standards.

 

Since when was the Enterprise a flagship in the 2250's? And when was Discover identified as a frigate?
What's a "front line uniform"? Doesn't everyone in the service get the same uniforms?

 

I'm just not into these uniforms. IF CBS and TPTB decided Discovery is Prime timeline, shouldn't the uniforms be a little more appropriate to the "10 years before Kirk and Spock, the Enterprise, etc"? It's obvious the ship design goes against what has been shown on screens and films, blueprints both 'official' and not so much since there was a second ship class in WoK, the Reliant/Miranda.

The uniforms scream late 1940s-50s era sci-fi. At least JJ's Trek had uniforms that had the 'spirit' of TOS, we could see they were close to Prime, with elements that were common to both universes. TPTB and the uniform designers couldn't have done a tunic, pants, boots with a department color down the side of the pants? A uniform like that seems more 2250s to me.

 

And Starleet adjusts its uniform styles every 5 years.

 

"The Cage" was made over fifty years ago.

The new show won't look like that. They want people to watch it.

 

The Enterprise wasn't called a Flagship until the TNG episode "The Icarus Factor" (the 1701-D in 2365) and the only TOS/Movie era mention that comes close is from the non-canonical comic from the McDonalds Happy Meal where the refit Enterprise is called the "command ship of the Federation"

Given the Enterprise was often in far corners of the galaxy it seems unlikely, especially during the Cage-era, that it would be a flagship, as it wouldn't be around to perform those duties.

We also don't have a clear idea what Discovery looks like let alone if it's considered a frigate.

And yes, while modern 21st century front line military often get the best equipment (in theory because my military friends can tell you some scary stories!) the Star Trek 'Cage era' takes place in post-scarcity economy at a time of relative peace thought the Federation. There is no logical reason for one ship to have 'better' uniforms than the other except for distance away from those uniforms (think Voyager in the Delta quadrant with old uniforms)

I am grateful every day that the internet didn't exist as we know it today when TNG came out because this exact same negativity about anything different still was expressed even then, even in the printed media that took weeks to gather and print people complained Picard was bald, the ship looked like a melted cordless phone, where is Spock and Kirk (couldn't we at least have Kirk's grandson and Spock's grand daughter?!) and the time period it's set in is ALL wrong!



Star Trek fans never know what they want. They THINK they do....but they don't. What do you want to be these two are now two huge TNG fans who are saying "Why can't Discovery be set AFTER Voyager?!"

 

"You can't be disappointed, we told you it would be like this!"

 

That's why it would just be easier to say it's a re-imagination/ 3rd timeline. Then they can do whatever they want it doesn't matter. You can still connect it to "10 years before Kirk" since the reboot can still have a Kirk on an Enterprise 10 years later. But I guess they can do whatever they want anyway no matter how it's described in interviews.

 

Yeah, there is a Captain Neutron and his Space Rangers aspect to some of the uniform elements. But if you ever read the logic of the uniform design for the Kelvin era 2230s uniforms, it had nothing to do with comparing ENTs 2150s and TOS 2260s and trying to place something inbetween or "the continuity". It was imagining how, if the show was in the 1960s, maybe some sci-fi uniforms of the 30s, 40s 50s would be a good inspiration for the period 30 years before TOS.

It's set 30 years before TOS, so lets look for uniform inspiration to sci fi 20/30 years before the 1960s tv show?

That's...interesting logic. Amazingly dumb actually. But Discovery is not the first time this sort of goofy reasoning has been used for the uniform design.

 

Just be glad the crew of the NX-01 wasn't dressed like this:

 

They tried that in Star Trek Generations. Mixed results.

 

"...Fuller mentioned that one of the cool things they get to do with the show is reimagine all of the alien species that the audience has seen before in Star Trek..."

Still waiting for the reimagined Vulcans then...

 

It's the lure of what might have been.