Generations Uniforms - in universe

[Tomalak]

It's weird but I kinda like it. It's the only place in that era where it really happens in an inconsistent way.
I like thinking about whether if they had used the Generations uniforms, would they have then been passed onto Voyager? Would they be used in First Contact? Can you imagine them on the Enterprise-E bridge?

Yeah, they would have been used for Voyager. Such a lucky escape!

The reason I don’t mind the mix in GEN is that it harkens back to the different uniforms in TMP. Even early TNG had a pretty wide variety, with the skant version, and the utility overall look that had disappeared by the middle of the series.

There’s also the transition between the S1/2 costumes and the high collar two-piece versions in S3. They are used alongside each other for that whole season, so there’s obvious precedent for uniforms to be used alongside each other for long periods.

There’s even that guy wearing an old style TNG uniform in the background as late as DS9 S6’s Tears of the Prophets!

 

[Verteron]

Here's my head-canon!

In Star Trek, on 24th century starships, they don't wash clothes! Or at least, their uniforms. They're designed to be disposable.

My theory is that sonic technology (similar to the showers) breaks up biological dirt and keeps them fresh for a few weeks, but then they simply recycle the old uniform using the replicator, and make a new one.

So, when Starfleet switched the ship uniform, they simply loaded the new 'standard uniform' pattern into the ship's database, but since different crew were at different points in their fortnightly uniform cycle, it would take a couple weeks for the full turnover to happen, with everyone switching the next time they replicate a new uniform.

Perhaps more stringent Captains would make everyone switch on the same day, but Picard doesn't care so much about that, so just let it happen gradually.

 

[Dukhat]

He only had the one new uniform and it got banged up fighting Soran, and with the replicators offline for obvious crash-landed reasons, he swapped back to his old one.

It didn't look that bad.

https://movies.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/movie-07/screencaps/generations-2023/chapter-15/st-gen-remaster-bluray-2309.jpg

 

[Tosk]

Here's my head-canon!

In Star Trek, on 24th century starships, they don't wash clothes! Or at least, their uniforms. They're designed to be disposable.

My theory is that sonic technology (similar to the showers) breaks up biological dirt and keeps them fresh for a few weeks, but then they simply recycle the old uniform using the replicator, and make a new one.

So, when Starfleet switched the ship uniform, they simply loaded the new 'standard uniform' pattern into the ship's database, but since different crew were at different points in their fortnightly uniform cycle, it would take a couple weeks for the full turnover to happen, with everyone switching the next time they replicate a new uniform.

Perhaps more stringent Captains would make everyone switch on the same day, but Picard doesn't care so much about that, so just let it happen gradually.

Except as mentioned before Picard wears a TNG uniform, then switches to a DS9 one, then switches back to TNG again.

 

[Cicero]

I'm a little surprised that this reads as weird.

When I was (briefly) on the CV-65 Enterprise in 2001, the crew wore a mix of one-piece coveralls (in navy blue) and two-piece utilities (light blue Oxford shirts and midnight blue slacks for enlisted, khakis for chiefs and officers).

Other commands often wore only a single working uniform style. (SSNs had been wearing coveralls since at least the 80s, while most surface and shore commands wore utilities. The DDG crew across the pier was in coveralls.)

 

[Verteron]

Except as mentioned before Picard wears a TNG uniform, then switches to a DS9 one, then switches back to TNG again.

Perhaps he had two on the go.

 

[Hawku]

Each uniform is decompiled at the end of the day and re-replicated at the start of the next. In the late 24th century, Starfleet downloaded an official file copy of the Ferengi Rules of Aquisition causing a fleetwide glitch in the uniform replication app that resulted in occasional replication regression.

 

[Airmandan]

Thats the one thing that struck me as normal. When we switched our Air Force BDU's for the ABU's you had people wearing different uniforms together and often switching from day to day. Plus our gear was still BDU so you'd be mix and matching all at the same time.

 

[CoveTom]

Also, keep in mind that Picard is the only anomaly in terms of switching back and forth between uniforms. We have seen numerous times that captains have more flexibility in terms of uniform. Kirk had the wraparound tunic in TOS and the bomber jacket in TFF. Picard had the suede jacket variant. So it's not unprecedented for the captain to be doing something different from everyone else.

 

[Tosk]

And yet, people are still wearing the TNG style a year after Generations...

 

[Allyn Gibson]

Here's my thought on Picard switching back to his standard uniform at the end.

He's leaving his command for the last time, and he wanted to be more formal in doing so. It's a wonder he didn't break out the dress uniform for the occasion.

 

[Tomalak]

I think it's probably a simple answer. Picard's a formal guy, and after the end of the mission he doubtless wanted to clean himself up.

Naturally he would want to look his best in front of his peers, such as the captain or the Farragut, so he donned the Class A uniform.

 

[CoveTom]

And yet, people are still wearing the TNG style a year after Generations...

View attachment 51778View attachment 51780

Sisko looks so much better in the TNG style uniform. Heck, *everyone* looks better in the TNG style uniform compared to the DS9 one, IMHO.

 

[NCC-73515]

Maybe some switched to the station uniform because Amargosa was a station

 

[Sketcher]

Outside of explaining the cancelled versions, I'm kind of surprised the question for the mix n match uniforms has never been brought up at a convention or some kind of q/a at some point in the past thirty years.

 

[Tosk]

Outside of explaining the cancelled versions, I'm kind of surprised the question for the mix n match uniforms has never been brought up at a convention or some kind of q/a at some point in the past thirty years.

Why do you assume it hasn't?

 

[NCC-73515]

I've only heard that someone asked Burton about it and he didn't even remember wearing one before they dropped them

 

[Sketcher]

Why do you assume it hasn't?

I suppose because we're here speculating why the DS9 uniforms were rolled out here and there, or why Picard swapped back to his TNG one at the end of the film. We know the reasons for the cancelled uniforms, but not the in-universe logic they applied for who gets the DS9 uniform and when in the film.

 

[CoveTom]

Let's be honest here. None of the actors are even going to remember the costuming situation from a movie they did in 1994.

 

[UssGlenn]

And yet, people are still wearing the TNG style a year after Generations...

View attachment 51778View attachment 51780

the last appearance is actually 2374, in the last episode of DS9 season 6.

Tears of the Prophets

I think they stayed around as the Class A uniforms until the Lower Decks Style replaced them. The First Contact Class B being a more popular option during that whole time.