II thru VII uniforms....what would you change?

[Saga]

The TMP-era unis look good in the tri-color scheme too

those are awesome too.

i know a lot of fans really hate TMP uniforms but i never really had a problem with them.

 

[Ian Keldon]

Then again, "Spock's Brain" established that standard Starfleet uniforms had built-in thermal controls that could be set to keep people warm even in Arctic conditions. So they really shouldn't have needed the parkas. True, that was a compensation for a lack of wardrobe budget, but it was a nicely futuristic idea and it's a shame it was forgotten. We're already on the verge of having intelligent clothing with special functions built into it, so 23rd- or 24th-century clothing should certainly be more than just inert cloth.

I don't recall anything that said that they could be "set" to do anything in particular, just that the fabric was designed to compensate for heat and cold to a degree.

I would think that true extremes (ice planets and desert planets) would require more specialized gear (parkas, "heat" suits, etc for ice planets and thermal reflective gear for deserts)

ETA: because I just can't resist "tinkering" sometimes:

 

[comsol]

Personally I'm not crazy about the idea of reverting the TMP uniforms to the "whole thing being department color" style, especially if you make the pants match the shirts. Robert Fletcher chose to change it to a system where the overall color was fairly standard (blue-gray for command officers, beige for junior officers, brown and white for enlisted, more or less) and the department color was signified on the insignia patch, epaulets, and the like. I think that's an approach that makes sense in principle; after all, one would expect uniforms to have a certain uniformity. And we've seen a similar approach in the ENT uniforms, and to an extent in the DS9 fatigues and TNG-movie uniforms (though the latter followed the precedent of the TWOK uniforms in having the whole undershirt be department color).

I also like the way Fletcher doubled the number of department colors, so you didn't have so many different departments lumped together under the same color. Although I would've kept sciences blue rather than switching it to orange.

Originally Sciences was to remain blue (there is a pre-production drawing of Spock in an earlier gray-and-white version of his TMP uniform with blue shoulder tabs floating around on the net). I read that they switched the color to orange so that it would stand out against the gray uniform better. Also - and I think that this was a more important reason - is that the blue color would have caused problems with bluescreen effects shots - especially since the spacesuits were given department colors. By the way, at this stage of the design process, the standard uniform design was to have a white center panel similar to the design of Kirk's admiral's uniform.

 

[The Castellan]

The gold, light cobalt blue, and red could be adjusted for style, weight, comfort, etc, but....the colors themselves are not very practical for away team missions.

I thought about that the first time I watched Journey's End. Picard, Worf, and Troi are standing stoically in front of the big, bad, dark, militaristic Cardassians, and I couldn't help but think that the standard Starfleet uniforms looked kind of silly in comparison, esp. with the political context and cultural subtext of the episode.

That's because black uniforms are associated with regressive, militaristic ways of thinking. Black uniformed folks are the ones I associated with the type who replies to questions, or any words, in the form of rifle butts.

 

[Data Holmes]

Where to start...

I would keep the TWOK monster maroon jackets and jumpers as the dress uniform, for officers & chiefs and enlisted respectively. Regular duty uniform would be the turtle neck and pants. Fatigue uniforms would be in similar styles to those seen in TMP but along TWOK tailoring.

I would change the colors. Divisional colors would be worn on the embroidered chest insignia on the duty and fatigue uniforms, and on the shoulder strap and sleeves (in between the spaces of the rank brade)/tabs of the dress uniform. They would be as follows:

White - admiralty, command
Gold - operations
Grey - tactical
Blue - sciences
Red - engineering
Light green - medical
Black - "marine"

The dress jacket and jumper would be loden green, the color of Kirks dress uniform in TMP. Duty and fatigue shirts would follow the TMP color scheme with brown for enlisted, tan for chiefs and junior officers, blue-grey for senior officers, white for medical.

I would also dump the metal rank insignia for officers, keeping with the sleeve stripes and embroidered tabs of TMP. Enlisted would keep the insignia from TWOK.

One thing I would do is keep the "branch" insignia from TOS, the star, circle and curved bolt, but instead of being branch indicators, they would be line and staff officer indicators.

Star - unrestricted line officer
Curved bolt - restricted line officer
Circle - staff officer.

These would be displayed in the classical spot in the embroidered chest insignia on the duty and fatigue uniforms, and on the shoulder strap of the officers dress jacket.

The dress jacket and jumper would have no chest insignia, but in it's place would be worn TOS style award ribbons.

the officers dress jacket would have rank on the sleeve, while the Chiefs version would retain the length of service band with rank insignia above arrangement.

I would keep the complex devision/department head system developed for the TWOK uniform system, just with the modified division color scheme mentioned above.

I would also keep the field uniform for TFF, but wouldn't have any divisional or rank coloration or distinction.

 

[Cyke101]

The gold, light cobalt blue, and red could be adjusted for style, weight, comfort, etc, but....the colors themselves are not very practical for away team missions.

I thought about that the first time I watched Journey's End. Picard, Worf, and Troi are standing stoically in front of the big, bad, dark, militaristic Cardassians, and I couldn't help but think that the standard Starfleet uniforms looked kind of silly in comparison, esp. with the political context and cultural subtext of the episode.

That's because black uniforms are associated with regressive, militaristic ways of thinking. Black uniformed folks are the ones I associated with the type who replies to questions, or any words, in the form of rifle butts.

The thing is, if you're going to negotiate a very precarious and delicate situation that could escalate very quickly with a group who "replies in the form of rifle butts," would you really want to send down a group -- especially the Captain and the Chief of Security -- in brightly colored pajamas? All the better to target in the midst of a firefight, really, with the red and the blue standing out in particular in the desert setting of the episode.

 

[Christopher]

I don't recall anything that said that they could be "set" to do anything in particular, just that the fabric was designed to compensate for heat and cold to a degree.

When the landing party beams down to Sigma Draconis VI, Kirk orders "Suit temperatures to 72" and everyone fiddles with their belts for a moment.

I would think that true extremes (ice planets and desert planets) would require more specialized gear (parkas, "heat" suits, etc for ice planets and thermal reflective gear for deserts)

Probably, but that's not my point. I'm not just talking about how to deal with cold weather. I'm talking about the fact that "Spock's Brain" happened to stumble upon a very good bit of futurism -- the idea that clothing in the future would be a high-tech, multifunction system rather than just inert cloth -- and it's a shame that decades of subsequent Trek productions have totally failed to build on that very progressive, albeit accidental, prediction. The closest things we've seen since are the medical-scanner belt buckles of the TMP uniforms and the implicit self-cleaning ability of the 24th-century uniforms. (That and the disappearing seams. In TNG: "Ensign Ro," Ro unfastens her uniform top down the front to give it to a shivering child, even though there's no seam in the front. For that matter, the TOS tunics had hidden zippers to suggest a high-tech seamless garment.)

 

[TrickyDickie]

I like the idea of high-tech, adaptable clothing in the future. Adjustable for fit, temperature, color, etc. Maybe even with a built-in camouflage feature like we have seen in the 'Predator' movies.

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

And thus the human race becomes walking televisions.

 

[Christopher]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

Near future? The first one came on the market nearly 5 years ago:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2007/04/animated_graphi/

 

[TrickyDickie]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

And thus the human race becomes walking televisions.

Whether it's printing on a regular tee shirt, a tattoo, or something on an lcd screen, it's just another form of expression.

 

[TrickyDickie]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

Near future? The first one came on the market nearly 5 years ago:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2007/04/animated_graphi/

Thanks for the link.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

And thus the human race becomes walking televisions.

Whether it's printing on a regular tee shirt, a tattoo, or something on an lcd screen, it's just another form of expression.

You mean tasteless expression. I believe a line is definitely crossed when you have to power up to do it and become a light source.

 

[Cyke101]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

And thus the human race becomes walking televisions.

Eh, we AS A SOCIETY are already walking billboards thanks to brand names. I'd be happy when, in the future, we AS A SOCIETY become less dependent on branding while still advancing fashion.

Edit: Good grief.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Here is a prediction: with LCD screens becoming thinner and more flexible, I feel that in the near future we will see tee shirts that may have a built-in lcd screen on front and back for personal display purposes, advertising, etc.

And thus the human race becomes walking televisions.

Eh, we're already walking billboards thanks to brand names.

Not me. I'm an exception to that.

 

[Cyke101]

And thus the human race becomes walking televisions.

Eh, we're already walking billboards thanks to brand names.

Not me. I'm an exception to that.

Even beyond the realm of clothes, like vehicles, music players, grocery/shopping bags, phones, and take-out? Those still have brands or logos on them, or even associated shapes like Apple products, and they're things people show on the street, intentionally or not.

 

[The Castellan]

I thought about that the first time I watched Journey's End. Picard, Worf, and Troi are standing stoically in front of the big, bad, dark, militaristic Cardassians, and I couldn't help but think that the standard Starfleet uniforms looked kind of silly in comparison, esp. with the political context and cultural subtext of the episode.

That's because black uniforms are associated with regressive, militaristic ways of thinking. Black uniformed folks are the ones I associated with the type who replies to questions, or any words, in the form of rifle butts.

The thing is, if you're going to negotiate a very precarious and delicate situation that could escalate very quickly with a group who "replies in the form of rifle butts," would you really want to send down a group -- especially the Captain and the Chief of Security -- in brightly colored pajamas? All the better to target in the midst of a firefight, really, with the red and the blue standing out in particular in the desert setting of the episode.

Worked before, so why not now. Plus the captain and chiefs of security also tended to think with their brains, rather than the black sited knuckle draggers who think with their guns. Stars Wars and other science fictions shows have more than their fair share of the latter, I wants to see more of the former.

 

[Cyke101]

That's because black uniforms are associated with regressive, militaristic ways of thinking. Black uniformed folks are the ones I associated with the type who replies to questions, or any words, in the form of rifle butts.

The thing is, if you're going to negotiate a very precarious and delicate situation that could escalate very quickly with a group who "replies in the form of rifle butts," would you really want to send down a group -- especially the Captain and the Chief of Security -- in brightly colored pajamas? All the better to target in the midst of a firefight, really, with the red and the blue standing out in particular in the desert setting of the episode.

Worked before, so why not now. Plus the captain and chiefs of security also tended to think with their brains, rather than the black sited knuckle draggers who think with their guns. Stars Wars and other science fictions shows have more than their fair share of the latter, I wants to see more of the former.

I'm not saying they should dress to provoke or intimidate, I'm saying they should dress so they don't become easy target practice. After all, a gunfight *did* break out in that episode, and it took some minor reality bending, and not their uniforms, to help stop it. When Picard and Evek later mourn their shared collective losses from the war, it was Picard and not his bright red tunic that helped make that connection.

By the by, in response to "Worked before, so why not now," I'd argue that it hasn't really worked before -- the crew seems to get into a lot of gunfights over the years, while still wearing the same colors! Never has their uniform actually prevented a gunfight, nor has the uniform ever been used to indicate or imply superior intellect.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Eh, we're already walking billboards thanks to brand names.

Not me. I'm an exception to that.

Even beyond the realm of clothes, like vehicles, music players, grocery/shopping bags, phones, and take-out?

We're only talking about clothes, so yes. I could see wearing something to support your favorite sports team or whatever, but I don't think I've worn anything sporting a huge brand logo since college.

 

[Cyke101]

Not me. I'm an exception to that.

Even beyond the realm of clothes, like vehicles, music players, grocery/shopping bags, phones, and take-out?

We're only talking about clothes, so yes. I could see wearing something to support your favorite sports team, but I don't think I've worn anything sporting a huge brand logo since college.

I'm increasingly becoming wary of life in the city where Starbucks cups, MP3 players and cell phones double as fashion accessories just as much as purses and messenger bags. iPads are quickly joining the fray. For some, showing off a Whole Foods/Trader Joe's shopping bag sends the message that one is health/socially conscious and better than other grocery stores, when in reality one just wants to buy food. (not to bash WF or Trader Joe's -- I shop there occasionally. But if your primary reason for shopping there is primarily because of trends and not because of food preference, then that could be a problem).