Star Trek minidresses

[Yorkshire Niner]

Well, I've searched high and low for an insight into this hilarious facet of TNG's first season but have drawn a blank... so it's time to ask the experts!

(That means you guys)

WHY ARE THERE MEN WALKING AROUND IN DRESSES ON THE ENTERPRISE D?! WHY DID RODDENBERRY THINK THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA??

Me and my wife have been rewatching TNG's first season on DVD recently and each episode has become a game of 'transvestite watch'!

Anybody got any ideas about this?

 

[Mutai Sho-Rin]

Search for the word, "Skant".

 

[Christopher]

I'll never understand why people think it's somehow strange that people 360 years in the future would have a different fashion sense from our own. Look at what people were wearing four centuries ago -- was it anything like what seems fashionable or sensible to us? For that matter, present-day American or Western fashions aren't universally accepted even today. Men in other cultures wear kilts, sarongs, dhotis, all sorts of things other than pants (which were invented specifically for horse-riding cultures originally). Come on, even the most culturally illiterate American has heard of kilts at least.

The skants were an attempt at a unisex look. My guess is, Roddenberry still wanted to have women showing off their legs, but didn't want to seem sexist about it, so he made it a fashion common to both sexes -- making the very reasonable assumption that people in the future would not share our fashion sense.

By the way, a "skant" is a combined skirt-pants outfit. I'd assume that the TNG skants were much like the mini-culottes (not miniskirts as widely assumed) worn by female crew in TOS -- essentially very short shorts with flaps added to create a skirtlike look.

 

[Gertch]

I for one am glad the skank only had a limited exposure. It just looked silly and should have been below the knee.

 

[Evil Twin]

^ I was waiting for that avatar to rear its ugly head when I saw this thread.

 

[InklingStar]

I'm listening to Irish dance music whilst reading this thread, and what do you know, it works!

 

[Yorkshire Niner]

I can appreciate the logic and the historical context behind the idea... but the reality is that it's a 1980s TV show and having big guys walking around in a mini and tarty boots looks absolutely ludicrous.

Thank god Starfleet officers weren't wearing them during the Dominion War! Can you imagine going hand-to-hand with a Jem'Hadar - in a dress?!!

 

[Ro_Laren]

Hahaha... that avatar is hilarious!

 

[Christopher]

Well, people 100 years from now -- probably 20 years from now -- will no doubt believe that what we wear today looks absolutely ridiculous. Try not to be so scornful of the unfamiliar. That's hardly the Star Trek spirit.

 

[Opus]

What if I said we had a president who dressed up in a wig and silk stockings?

... and his name was George Washington.

Makes the idea of fashion 400 years in the future up for grabs.

 

[SonicRanger]

Christopher said:
Well, people 100 years from now -- probably 20 years from now -- will no doubt believe that what we wear today looks absolutely ridiculous. Try not to be so scornful of the unfamiliar. That's hardly the Star Trek spirit.

Hear, hear! :thumbsup: Would you tell a Roman gladiator he was wearing a dress?

 

[Who_Trek]

I'd wear a skant! And look darn good in it too!

 

[jbake]

Skants are cool, and I hope skantlike outfits return to fashion for men in cultures, where it is no longer the normal. Trousers are very constraining

 

[mythme]

Then wear a kilt and pretend your Scottish.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Christopher said:
Well, people 100 years from now -- probably 20 years from now -- will no doubt believe that what we wear today looks absolutely ridiculous.

Or they will be dressing like us, the 00's fashions making a comeback! Everything old is new again.

 

[wamdue]

jbake said:
Skants are cool, and I hope skantlike outfits return to fashion for men in cultures, where it is no longer the normal. Trousers are very constraining

im not sure how I would feel about that.

and I would probaly be to fat to wear one & make it look good.

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

OK, I may be close-minded BUT..I somehow can't see Worf with his sash wearing a skant while talking to Gowron asking for his family honor to be returned.

 

[Mallory]

Gee thanks Gertch. Like I needed to see that again.

The skant was taking future fashion just a little bit too far for the audience at the time and I was glad to see it disappear.

 

[UnknownSample]

I'm very glad to hear people here actually saying that we can't expect people centuries from now to think as we do on anything, clothes, whatever.... making MY argument that centuries ago, look how different everything was.

On other boards, I'm the lone voice saying this. I point out the insanity of a guy wearing a contemporary suit in B Galactica (when they have almost no connection to Earth, culturally), and of, say, the Dr Who story "The Long Game", set in the year 200,000 AD... where the villain wears a regular suit (except it's blue), and the street clothes could be from today. Think of 200,000 years AGO. Did we even have a culture yet?

I'm reacted to on those boards with utter confusion or ridicule. One guy said, "What do you expect them to wear, spandex?" These shows are just "TV" to them, just entertainment. Projecting realistically into the future is an idea that means nothing whatsoever to them. It's really frightening.

I like the attempt made with the skants.... though I hate the actual look of it. But why should I expect to like everything in the 24th century?

 

[Kirby]

Reagardless of what fashion will be like in the next 300 years, the skant is stupid for men. That thing is so short, you'd be hanging brain all the time. Can you imagine sitting at the helm and turning aound to address Picard and getting a full on view of his junk?