The purpose of the original DS9 uniforms
- Thread starter tim0122
- Start date
If they're anything like the real-life US Navy, the uniform changes may have more to do with the egos of an admiral at headquarters than with what the crew of any ship or station find useful ot necessary.
It's been fifteen years and I'm still bitter about having to pay out of pocket for four sets of those new-at-the-time blue digital cammo uniforms, even though I only needed one.
It's been fifteen years and I'm still bitter about having to pay out of pocket for four sets of those new-at-the-time blue digital cammo uniforms, even though I only needed one.
In its defense, "Generations" was to have a completely new uniform design to blast off the movie series with. But for reasons unknown to everyone except for a few YouTube channel overviews** and a handful of dustbunnies, the new costume idea fell through, so they scrambled to get everyone changing into the main cast DS9 outfits* and form-fitting they were not... the movie having everyone doing it at different scenes was otherwise interesting, apart from obvious questions of "we're in the middle of a situation, why am I changing clothes into this saggy non-fitting mess right now?! Oh well."
* Merely implied by the outcome, we sadly don't see the actual scenes of them changing clothes. But no worries, the remaining movies will feature new original standard and bland outfits that look like rejected SUV chair upholstery and make me miss the earthtone-laced hippie doobie-doobie-do outfits. Then come the haute waiter ones in "Insurrection" that would have also worked if the TNG crew met Captain Stebing. 
** Such as the following and, yup, I'd reversed the footnotes' ordering because consistency is Pavlov's bread and peanut butter and jellyfish sandwich:
(yeah, they're both not quite as stellar as hoped... still better than having the actors wear those sleeping bags during the filming, though it also has to be said that Data's lapels make the 70s shirt lapels scream out in lapel envy by comparison...)
They looked like shit, so they dropped them at the last minute.
Pics, please?
This is my thought too. IRL uniform design switchovers usually are gradual, with a new type being introduced and often both being in use at the same time, with different postings having different regulations about which to use. Some have to use the new one, some allow personal choice until a certain time has passed, etc.
The DS9 style was probably meant to be the next style, with the TNG style hanging on at major facilities and bases, and the more prestigious ships that could swing exceptions.
Then with the dominion war they had to retire that for a new style that was more durable and better suited to wartime conditions. One that stuck around for a long while even after the switch to the style seen in lower decks (which in turn got replaced with the Picard style)
The gray shoulder FC uniform was issued several months before the Dominion War began or before the Dominion even had a presence in the Alpha Quadrant. Indeed, the first episode on DS9 to use those uniforms is the one wear Sisko has a vision of the future of "locusts which appear to be headed to Bajor but head to Cardassia instead" which we now know is in reference to the Dominion fleet that arrived through the wormhole to help Gul Dukat take over Cardassia. In that episode, Sisko also has a more direct future vision of "the coming war with the Dominion."
DS9 "Rapture" I believe.
Which aired not too long after First Contact was released.
The reason for changing the uniform for FC was that they thought the grey jumpsuit looked cooler on the big screen. I wouldn't have minded a slightly enhanced version of the DS9 at the time outfits.
I guess manufacturing new costumes that were already designed for a movie is cheaper than designing from scratch.
Although I think the DS9 version were made a little cheaper than the film version.
There was also the fact that sharing the same uniform design between DS9 and Voyager was proving extremely difficult as often they learned there just weren't enough uniforms to go around, a factor in why so many Starfleet guest stars on DS9 continued to wear the TNG uniforms. Bringing the FC uniforms onto DS9 was seen as a means of making sure both shows could have enough uniforms to get by. Indeed, you'll note with the odd exceptions of Message in a Bottle, Hope and Fear and Timeless, we didn't start seeing prominent uses of the FC uniforms on Voyager until after DS9 ended.
Its funny, I was browsing BadWolfCostumes and they have an entire section on the differences between the VOY, DS9 and Nem uniforms, like minute tailoring differences that would be virtually invisible on screen, especially SD TV.
(although its a blog about creating patterns for DIY costume so it makes sense lol)
(although its a blog about creating patterns for DIY costume so it makes sense lol)
