Are you familiar with the work of TOS and TNG costumer William Ware Theiss?
Sorry because I was posting in a hurry.
Yes TOS and season 1 of TNG showcased guest stars (typically aliens) in revealing clothing.
I forgot the qualifier. Everything I am talking about in that post is about the crew of the ship. But while alien races who shown to be clothed in far more revealing outfits that isn't how the crew was presented, certainly the times they weren't it wasn't typically their choice.
Now for example Tasha outfit when she seduces Data is one of the more revealing pieces of clothing that the crew choose to put on (say versus Riker's outfit he wore in Angel one to fit into the society). Or how the costume Apollo put Caroline in versus her own clothes in Who Mourns for Adonais. Or how the Mirror Universe uniform for Uhura was showed more skin their the normal universe did.
Now it's true that ENT doesn't have aliens in those types of clothing. But ENT does showcase its crew revealing more skin. And what is shown is more then then what was shown even for the revealing outfits of TOS and 1st season TNG.
From Archer naked in the shower. Has Trek ever showed a shower this visually revealing before? It shows more then the sonic shower did or examples of Nellie or Troi and Riker bathing. Thats an example of showing skin that I loved. Its legitimate. And they didn't use camera angles to hide, instead using water to hide aspects so you see a flesh blur.
You have Trip and T'Pol getting intimate, and it shows more skin then previous Trek has ever showed for character initiating a sexual relation. Don't have any issue with this.
You have Trip running around the ship for 1/3 of an episode in his underwear. Do we see that in any previous version of Trek? Nope sorry we don't. We have scenes with tanks, Scenes with men who are not wearing tops, but underware? Nope. And they treated it just like the situation he was supposed to be in, And it was filmed like how it would be filmed if he was fully clothed.
Then the parts I didn't like, but still also prove my point. We have the first Decon chamber scene with the rubbing gel over each others body and the close up lingering shots to highlight that.....Uggghhh but it is different and more sexually charged than what Trek had previously done. Now the 2nd Decon scene later in that season with Malcolm, Hoshi, and T'Pol still putting gel on each other, but not shot in any way to be intimate. That scene didn't bother me. That scene for me worked. The other was shot in a way completely different than how Trek shot scenes.
The scene were Hoshi loses her top and is topless while going through the ducks of the Enterprise and is seen by Malcom in that state. Ugghhhh. Has that approach ever been done in Trek before....the answer is no. The closest I can remember is the Ferengi beaming away the Troi's clothing. But that was something done against their will, nor do we see them exposed to the crew.
How about Crew Topless? How many of the cast of Enterprise are shown in topless state. Archer, Trip, T'Pol, Reed, and Mayweather. The bulk of the cast. Can you say the same of any other Trek.
And of course, most of Trek has sexualized women vastly more than they do men. And while this is also true of ENT thanks to T'Pol's outfit. Their appearances outside of their uniform is probably the most balanced Trek has ever been, up to that point.
Again just pointing out how ENT did portray the characters on the Enterprise different then how they crews are presented in TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY and ENT.
