All Uniforms All the Time

[Timo]

But one of the funniest costume gaffs I've ever seen (please tell me it was a mistake!) was in a first-season TNG episode. There's a male crewman appearing in a corridor, wearing a Starfleet-issue miniskirt style of uniform...

No mistake; it was part of the original wardrobe, and actually persisted for quite a bit longer than the TNG female miniskirts (in addition to Deanna Troi, Tasha Yar wears one in the pilot, very briefly, in the final bridge scenes, but that's pretty much it...).

The difference was that males didn't wear stockings or pantyhose with the skirt, and didn't have high heels on their shoes. Which was all the better, as the actors with the skirts generally had gamely gams.

Related challenge: name the times James T. Kirk wore a skirt on screen.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Nerys Myk]

Other than this?

I figure "Plato's Stepchildren" was one. "Turnabout Intruder"???? It was Kirk but not Kirk's body.

 

[Timo]

I think I'd also count the sportswear from "Charlie X"...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Timewalker]

The difference was that males didn't wear stockings or pantyhose with the skirt, and didn't have high heels on their shoes.

Of course not; that would just have been silly...

 

[Nerys Myk]

I think I'd also count the sportswear from "Charlie X"...

Timo Saloniemi

Looked more like a futuristic Gi to me. Though Kirk only wears the "pants", so he looks more like a wrestler than a martial artist. Speaking of pants The woman Charlie ages is wearing pants rather than the miniskirt.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

Since in TOS most "civilian" clothes were ugly jumpsuits and black turtlenecks maybe it was for the best.

Agreed. Plus look at the logistics of civilian attire added to the TOS budget?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

But one of the funniest costume gaffs I've ever seen (please tell me it was a mistake!) was in a first-season TNG episode. There's a male crewman appearing in a corridor, wearing a Starfleet-issue miniskirt style of uniform...

No, it was intentional. It was Roddenberry's way of making up for accusations that the mini-skirts of the original series were sexist.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

But one of the funniest costume gaffs I've ever seen (please tell me it was a mistake!) was in a first-season TNG episode. There's a male crewman appearing in a corridor, wearing a Starfleet-issue miniskirt style of uniform...

It's not a mistake. The Starfleet Skant was designed by Theiss as a unisex skirt/kilt in order to further push the 20th century notions of gender-specific wear.

 

[Timewalker]

It was scanty, all right -- much too short to be considered a kilt. And no leg coverings of any kind? Eeewwww.

 

[Sector 7]

I have to admit, it DID make me a little uncomfortable. I may be gay but a fashionista I am NOT, I guess.
I understand the point GR made with the male skirts. He was saying "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" as my grandma would say. In the 80's it was a statement of the future being different than today's norms.

 

[CoveTom]

Favorite Bumperstickers:
"The Bible was written by the same people who said the world was flat."
"If at first you don't succeed, you must be installing windows."
"Friends don't let Friends vote Republican."
"Christianity: Intolerance since 32AD."

What, may I ask, does this have to do with anything being discussed?

 

[Timewalker]

I noticed a bumpersticker thread elsewhere in the forum. It would appear the poster simply posted in the wrong thread and a moderator should be alerted to move it to the proper place.

 

[Gotham Central]

But one of the funniest costume gaffs I've ever seen (please tell me it was a mistake!) was in a first-season TNG episode. There's a male crewman appearing in a corridor, wearing a Starfleet-issue miniskirt style of uniform...

It's not a mistake. The Starfleet Skant was designed by Theiss as a unisex skirt/kilt in order to further push the 20th century notions of gender-specific wear.

FYI, The Skort/Skant were not skirts or kilts....they were one piece regulation shorts that included a flap in the front and back. The Flaps gave the appearance of being a skirt but they actually had legs.

The real problem with the uniform was less that it was unisex, and more than they looked terribly out of date. They made the wearers look like cheer leaders. No one looked particularly good in them. They disappeared pretty quickly. The only time we really ever saw them after the pilot was when they showed stock footage of crew rushing in the corridors.

 

[arch101]

One of the reasons I always liked TMP's costumes the best, was because there were so many variants. This not only was more realistic (in regards to the real-life military), but costume changes help set the drama for particular scenes. Having EVERYONE in the exact same costume all the time is a bit limiting dramatically. I also liked that, after the adoption of the grey/black uniform on DS9, the producers weren't shy about showing the actors in the vest variant, or without the jacket at all. It was also noticeable that, while females only had a one piece version of this uniform, that men had one or two piece variants. BTW, anyone notice how much these uniform shirts resembled TOS uniforms? See "Rocks and Shoals" for several scenes of Starfleet people without their jackets, wearing their combadges on their shirts. Unintentional TOS hommage?

 

[PhoenixIreland]

Civilian clothes in Star Trek are ugly. Starfleet uniforms are the only decent clothes around.

That was my reasoning. Apparently, all designers were offed sometime prior to the 22nd century. By the time the 24th century rolled around, fashion just didn't matter: Unless you were fond of butt-ugly vests, there just wasn't a lot out there.

Remember how stupid people looked in the 1970s? fashon can change in less than a decade so imagine in 400 years! Men with skirts doens't seem so absurd when you zoom out and look at what people were wearing a few hundred years PAST....

http://inacentaur.com/hamletblog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/elizabethan-clothing-4.jpg

Compare that to theese....

http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Image:Libby&Harry.jpg


and the ST off duty stuff looks downright good.
Also consider some of the stuff people on our own planet outside the western world are wearing today

 

[JiNX-01]

I'm just curious, since every Starfleet and other Star Trek Officer seems to spend nearly all of their time in uniform even when they're off duty. I've had work uniforms before and once the day was over I could hardly wait to change. Sure every once and awhile I'd stay in it for awhile but not nearly as much as they do on the Enterprise, Voyager or DS9. Would any of you just stay in the uniform all the time?

Now obviously this was for simplicity's sake and probably budget reasons too, but how unrealistic do you find it?

I agree, that we should have seen more civilian clothing on the show. The oddest instance of wearing a uniform off-duty is at the opening of "Precious" Cargo. Archer comms harmonica-playing Trip and says something about it being his day off... and yet he's in uniform.

I do recall quite a few scenes on ENT where they weren't in uniform:
Broken Bow: Our first sight of Hoshi she is in casual dress. Archer is also in civilian clothes.
Unexpected: Pregnant Trip goes to dinner; has traded in his snug uniform for a blousy shirt to hide his "delicate condition."
Breaking the Ice: T'Pol is wearing a Vulcan robe when Trip comes to see her. (numerous scenes throughout the show).
Vox Sola: Trip and Archer watch waterpolo.
2 Days and 2 Nights: Trip, Reed, Archer, Hoshi and Travis are not in uniform. ANIS: T'Pol on the treadmill is not in uniform.
Vanishing Point: Trip and Hoshi are in workout clothes in the rec room.
Canamar: For some reason, Trip and Archer are not in uniform (on the prison transport) after their visit to the Enolian homeworld. Maybe it wasn't an official visit.
Horizon: Mayweather is in casual dress while visiting family.
The Xindi: Trip is in T-shirt and sweat pants when he goes to Phlox for his sedative and of course when he stops by T'Pol's quarters. God knows she was out of uniform!
Exile: Hoshi wears dresses.
Twilight: Having quit the SF, T'Pol and Archer are in civilian clothes.
Harbinger: VNP sessions with Trip and Cole/T'Pol and Cole; Trip and T'Pol. Malcolm and Hayes in Fight Club.
Home: Obviously, lots of civilian outfits here.

 

[Chaos Descending]

Favorite Bumperstickers:
"The Bible was written by the same people who said the world was flat."
"If at first you don't succeed, you must be installing windows."
"Friends don't let Friends vote Republican."
"Christianity: Intolerance since 32AD."

Mr Leadhead; Amen brother. On all counts.

Is this necessary?

 

[Timewalker]

But one of the funniest costume gaffs I've ever seen (please tell me it was a mistake!) was in a first-season TNG episode. There's a male crewman appearing in a corridor, wearing a Starfleet-issue miniskirt style of uniform...

It's not a mistake. The Starfleet Skant was designed by Theiss as a unisex skirt/kilt in order to further push the 20th century notions of gender-specific wear.

FYI, The Skort/Skant were not skirts or kilts....they were one piece regulation shorts that included a flap in the front and back. The Flaps gave the appearance of being a skirt but they actually had legs.

The real problem with the uniform was less that it was unisex, and more than they looked terribly out of date. They made the wearers look like cheer leaders. No one looked particularly good in them. They disappeared pretty quickly. The only time we really ever saw them after the pilot was when they showed stock footage of crew rushing in the corridors.

For me the real problem with the uniform is that it just looked stupid -- especially on men.

Remember how stupid people looked in the 1970s? fashon can change in less than a decade so imagine in 400 years! Men with skirts doens't seem so absurd when you zoom out and look at what people were wearing a few hundred years PAST....

http://inacentaur.com/hamletblog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/elizabethan-clothing-4.jpg

Compare that to theese....

http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Image:Libby&Harry.jpg


and the ST off duty stuff looks downright good.
Also consider some of the stuff people on our own planet outside the western world are wearing today

Okay... the '70s weren't THAT bad. I was around then, and I remember '70s clothing as being quite comfortable, thankyouverymuch. Granted, the colors and patterns were pretty loud at times (I prefer muted, earth tones, myself) -- but the general way they fit and felt were much better than what passes for modern "fashion."

As for the Elizabethan getup... yeah, that was pretty bizarre. But I spent 12 years in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and am just as comfortable wearing and/or seeing other people wear clothing from any era, as long as it covers the essentials.

 

[DanCPA]

The fact that the characters wore their uniforms all the time was indeed absurd.

Is it? Worf said that starfleet uniforms are designed to be comfortable in almost any weather situation... They are military people aboard a military base in one way or another...

 

[Nerys Myk]

The fact that the characters wore their uniforms all the time was indeed absurd.

Is it? Worf said that starfleet uniforms are designed to be comfortable in almost any weather situation... They are military people aboard a military base in one way or another...

Having grown up on a military base, I can assure you that my dad and his friends changed into civilian clothes when they got off "work".