A Quick Question About T'Pol's Outfit.

[Albertese]

Okay, so, sorry guys. The thread starts out pretty tough, but I'm going somewhere with it. I realize that in the Enterprise forum, I'll probably be surrounded by those who really enjoy the show. I watched as much of it as I could on TV when it was on, and, really, I thought it was almost unwatchable. The Temporal Cold War was patently absurd and all the stuff about the Xindi struck me as contrived. But I've heard enough interesting things about season four that I broke down and bought the DVDs.

I'm not watching the episodes in order, so I might have missed something. T'Pol joined Starfleet, right? So why doesn't she wear a Starfleet uniform? It made sense when she was a VSA loaner, but what's the deal with her as the official XO not wearing the real uniform?

I don't get it.

However, I am enjoying S4 more than I thought I might.

--Alex

 

[JiNX-01]

Enterprise's uniforms weren't skin-tight. (Tho' she did wear the uniform in two episodes: Twilight and Hatchery).

 

[jolene_b_fan]

boy i should know this, but I don't think she joined Starfleet, did the academy, all that. I think she was given a field rank and title by Archer. That is why not. Someone correct me if I'm wrong. Shoot, I should know the ep too.
In the Mirror ep, she was in starfleet uniform (correct color, patches on shoulder etc) as the rest of the crew. Although her's was missing most of the midriff part.

 

[star]

I'm with JiNX... it was for hotness factor on the part of the showrunners than anything that would make logical sense.

And she did wear the uniform in "In a Mirror, Darkly" as well. But I suppose that doesn't really count.

 

[JiNX-01]

I'm with JiNX... it was for hotness factor on the part of the showrunners than anything that would make logical sense.

And she did wear the uniform in "In a Mirror, Darkly" as well. But I suppose that doesn't really count.

Of course the MU uniform counts. I was comparing the catsuit vs. loose-fitting uniform everyone else in the crew was wearing.

 

[star]

The good news in the Mirror Universe, all the ladies are wearing that... particular uniform.

 

[zar]

If she didn't get the rank of commander through normal channels, I think there is some logic in her not wearing a Starfleet uniform. What doesn't make sense is that her outfit is a uniform at all as opposed to civilian clothes (meaning she wouldn't be wearing the exact same thing every episode)... especially in the time during which she was completely a civilian (neither a Vulcan subcommander or Starfleet commander).

 

[I am Surak]

Some things get ruined when too much thought is put into them.

 

[F. King Daniel]

I loved how, in "Twilight", T'Pol didn't have an undershirt.
Vulcan's a desert planet, they're meant to find Earth temperatures uncomfortable (check out Spock's extra undershirt in TMP), yet T'Pol's more interested in showing cleavage than keeping warm.

It is, however, one continuity error I can very much live with

 

[Admiral Shran]

boy i should know this, but I don't think she joined Starfleet, did the academy, all that. I think she was given a field rank and title by Archer. That is why not. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

She did join Starfleet. She flat out says at the end of Season Three that she's going to formalize her relationship with Starfleet. Then her mother gave her grief about joining instead of remaining with the Vulcan High Command.

It was just for the "hotness" factor that she didn't wear a standard uniform. Personally, I think she looked just fine in one.

Then again, it's not like this was without precedent. After all, why did Troi spend so much time out of uniform? Why did Seven of Nine only wear one in two episodes?

 

[jolene_b_fan]

AH you're right, thanks for the clarification.

 

[SFRabid]

For the same reason that they decided to have Trip running around in underblues and/or no shirt instead of Phlox.

 

[Gaith]

+1 for she and 7 looked better IN the uniforms.

I'm sure that most Trek fans prefer their babes in uniforms, as - let's be honest - it helps sell the fantasy aspect, which many of us very much appreciate.

However, I once watched a Voyager ep with a rather immature male teen who'd never seen the show before, and he couldn't stop babbling about how amazing 7's figure was for some time afterwards, so it seems as though the mercenary grab for the unwashed masses' eyeballs and dollars mandated these darn (non Starfleet regulation!) catsuits, and did so successfully. Alas.

 

[gblews]

boy i should know this, but I don't think she joined Starfleet, did the academy, all that. I think she was given a field rank and title by Archer. That is why not. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

She did join Starfleet. She flat out says at the end of Season Three that she's going to formalize her relationship with Starfleet. Then her mother gave her grief about joining instead of remaining with the Vulcan High Command.

Then again, it's not like this was without precedent. After all, why did Troi spend so much time out of uniform? Why did Seven of Nine only wear one in two episodes?

To be precise, in that episode she doesn't say that she is going to join Starfleet, she states only that she is considering it. Obviously though, she decides at some point to go forward with "formalizing" her service as she does, as you write above, join Starfleet.

It is never stated on screen how she entered Starfleet, though it's obvious she got some special treatment because she didn't go through the Academy.

As for the uniform, I had no problem with the catsuit. Tight form fitting outfits for the ladies has always been a Star Trek staple. And I do agree with what you say about Troi. In fact, perhaps T'Pol set the precedent for bridge officers wearing non-standard uniforms while on duty. Sounds like maybe an idea (well a small idea, anyway) for some talented fan writer to take up.

A good compromise however, considering the constant teeth gnashing that goes on among the fans on the subject, would have been a catsuit designed and colored to look like one of the standard jumpsuits. But from what I've read, costumes were a very expensive item in the budget. Perhaps that was why most of the costume variations we saw consisted of really inexpensive needle and thread changes like what we saw in IaMD and TaTV. It appears Jolene would have required a brand new jumpsuit, because of the ones we saw her in, none of them seemed to fit.