Starfleet Uniforms TNG Era

I have read elsewhere that after the uniform switch to the black with blue-grey shoulders uniform around the time of First Contact, that the uniforms worn during the TNG series could still be seen worn by extras in the background during DS9. It has been suggested on another forum that the TNG series uniforms remained the actual formal starfleet uniform, right up through the end of DS9, and that the uniforms that were seen in Generations and Voyager, were a new form of "working uniform" that starfleet adopted, similar to the U.S. Navy's "Working Blues" uniform. After Voyager was lost, starfleet again changed this new working uniform to the black and blue-grey version that was seen in First Contact and beyond, and that Duty Personnel could choose which version of the starfleet uniform they wore, depending on their preference, or Commanding Officers orders. Does this sound plausible?

 

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As seen in ST: Generations, both uniforms could be used. Though DS9 pretty much used the color shoulder jumpsuit style, same as VOY. Whenever the TNG style of uniform was used, it usually indicated a visit from someone off station, or they were new to the station - Sisko, Jadzia, Bashir, Worf & Miles all reported for duty in the TNG style uniform.

But, aside from VOY, once the gray shoulder uniforms were introduced, that was pretty much the uniform seen, with the exception of DS9 'Rapture'.

 

Sisko wore the TNG Uniform when he went to Earth in "Homefront".

 

There is an episode of DS9 in the late 6th season when the Romulans come into the war where a Starfleet officer is seen standing in the back of the wardroom on DS9 in a TNG uniform.

Edit - It's the last episode of Season 6, "Tears of the Prophets" and there are two officers in TNG uniforms (red). One behind the Federation/Klingon side of the table, one behind the Romulan side of the Table.

TrekCore has an image: http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=158&pos=86

Rob+

 

Well, in a replicated clothing universe the following may not matter, but here's how it played out when I wore green for Uncle Sam:

I joined the military just after the army had begun issuing Battle Dress Uniforms (BDUs) to basic trainees. Field jackets in the Eastern European Woodlands camo pattern had not been produced yet, so along with the camo uniforms came an olive green field jacket.

Along with the new camoflaged uniforms coming online, the troops already stationed and outfitted had the existing OG-106 fatigues, Field Jackets, etc. Since mass replacement of ALL uniforms at once, the Army comes up with "wear out" dates for a particular type of uniform when a change like this happens.

Because of the way this worked, as a Guardsman of the 80's I was able to wear 'nam era OG-106 jungle fatigues during summer drills and annual training. Loved those slanted pockets, hated the horizontal name tape!

Now back to the replicated uniform universe!

I suppose it would be less energy intensive to transport contaminants off a uniform than to replicate an entire new one. Starfleet might institute wear out dates for existing uniforms, and allow them to stay in service as long as they are servicible before that date.

I know the real answer is "that's what wardrobe gave 'em", but perhaps the way previous fleets and forces have handled uniform changes may provide an explanation in the Trek universe as well.

AG

 

IIRC, there's at least one, maybe two, extra(s) in TNG command red in the background of the signing of the peace treaty in WYLB.

 

And even though its an alternate future timeline, Commander Nog still wears the TNG-era uniform as late as 2389 (DS9 ending in 2375)

http://ds9.trekcore.com/gallery/displayimage.php?album=107&pos=261

 

I just reviewed the Screen Caps over at TrekCore, and there are none. I think you may be confusing it with the two in the briefing room in Tears of the Prophets (see my earlier post).

Rob+

 

Weird, I misremembered that too. I didn't see any on trekcore either. I must have been thinking of 'Tears of the Prophets' too.

I have often wondered if there was a revers of the gray-shoulders uniform, like the TNG uniform was a reverse of the color-shoulders DS9/VGR uniform. I doubt it, but it would be interesting to see at least.

 

The entire suit was grey and black, not just the shoulders/top. The opposite would be Black shoulders and grey pants.

 

That would look sort of like the DS9 cadet uniforms...

 

And, of course, in the interactive move (or game) Borg, the Righteous crew is wearing the DS9 season one through five uniform back before the battle at Wolf 359.

It's entirely possible that a mix of uniforms was used over a period of 14 years.

 

I in my perverted little world like to think that there have always been two parallel uniform types, Class A and Class B, and that it was merely a coincidence that we never saw the Class B that went with the early TNG style. Or rather, the E-D was such a high-profile ship back then that nobody aboard was allowed to wear anything but Class A in public.

The late TNG Class A was then in concurrent use with the DS9/VOY Class B for a long time. And probably the ST:FC style is the Class B of the latest era, and we haven't seen a sufficiently formal occasion for the wearing of Class A of that era (or, we have seen formal occasions, but ones so formal that a Dress variant, the white tuxedo, has been in use).

Timo Saloniemi

 

Regarding the Cadets uniform, before the new FC ones came in Cadets were seen in all red shouldered jumpsuits regardless of the department they were majoring in but then in late 2374/75 we see that the new jumpsuits introduced new types of uniform with department colours on the shoulders for Cadets. Was this always the case or was it something new at this time and why do you supppose it was done?

 

Hmm. We only ever see something like seven-eight people wearing the original cadet uniform in TNG "First Duty" (the four main cadet characters and a tiny handful of extras in the outdoors filler shots). There is no particular reason not to think they were all simply majoring in a "redshirt subject", really... Just because Sito Jaxa later wears yellow is no proof, because Riker and Worf ended up wearing yellow early in their careers as well, despite being on the "red path".

When we revisit the Academy at a slightly later (fictional) timeframe in VOY "In the Flesh", we only ever see three actual cadets (the redhead that uses Chakotay's camera, and the two in the scene where Chakotay is captured), so again them all being red doesn't mean much.

Timo Saloniemi

 

Indeed.

 

I remember in Charlie X, the two guys who beamed over from the Antares, were still wearing the Cage and WNMHGB uniforms.

Speaking of Class A and B unis, I wasn't in the military, but in Scouts we had a Class A and B. The A was the complete version with the button up shirt with all of your council patches, troop number, your office, and rank pins and badges on it with the pants or shorts. If shorts you had to have the socks. And the B was the pants or shorts with either a troop or some scouting related shirt or polo.

 

Yup. And some of Kirk's own crew in the early episodes wore those uniforms as well. Apparently, such a "transition period" was perfectly all right back then, and remains so in the TNG era.

Timo Saloniemi