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Uhura: Engineer, not linguist

That's one of those dumb things sci-fi shows do. If you do a show about marines you don't pick the uniforms which have the nicest color for Gomer and Carter, you just put them in standard uniforms and live with it.

They're TV shows. Why shouldn't they try to find flattering looks for the actors? Attractive people bring in higher ratings.
 
That's one of those dumb things sci-fi shows do. If you do a show about marines you don't pick the uniforms which have the nicest color for Gomer and Carter, you just put them in standard uniforms and live with it.
Or, they could have said that by TNG, humanity was "so enlightened" or whatever that they let each member of the crew express their appearance however they wished except for rank pips and a comm badge (and if they had used the "Future Imperfect" badge, they could have even combined the two). Then they could have let everyone wear whatever color made them look best.

But the idea of a crew completely filled with people dressed like Season 1 Troi and Wesley and Riker's off-duty clothes kinda makes me want to hurl. So, then again, NO. :lol:

Have you seen some of Thesis's early TNG uniform designs?

http://ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/William-Ware-Theiss-uniform-design1.png

http://ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/William-Ware-Theiss-uniform-design.png

http://ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/William-Ware-Theiss-uniform-design.png
 
I have always assumed that Uhura was a gifted Subspace Radio technical expert, from both the perspective of construction and repair and also that of using and finding correct channels, overcoming jamming, codes and cryptology etc etc.

To my mind, her not being a linguist takes nothing away from her talent, nor her position.

I can agree with that. I always looked at the position as similar to a sonar officer on a sub. There is a skill/talent required - linguistics (or poly lingual) a plus maybe, but not a requirement. As far as the uniform color.....well, there are only 3 to choose from. In my experience technicians get associated with engineering - though I am not sure RL experience applies. And BTW for other parts of the conversation - multilingual is not linguistics or required by linguistics. There are many linguists that speak only one language and many folks that speak many languages but are not linguists.
 

Prototypes were actually made of the first design.

X8BAzJGl.jpg
 
That's one of the reasons I dislike the very colorful uniforms. It kinda encourages casting mainly/only people who look good in red into engineering and people who look good in gold into command (I leave out sciences here, because nobody looks good in that ugly bright blue)

Spock and McCoy rocked their blue tunics.

The TOS uniforms rocked.

Well hard enough for Australian children's TV for sure...(purple is for the intelligence division)

hqdefault.jpg
 
Ludicrous. Why would anybody in the 24th century wear anything functional or comfortable?
 
That's one of those dumb things sci-fi shows do. If you do a show about marines you don't pick the uniforms which have the nicest color for Gomer and Carter, you just put them in standard uniforms and live with it.

They're TV shows. Why shouldn't they try to find flattering looks for the actors? Attractive people bring in higher ratings.

Then they should have designed a uniform that looks good on almost everyone without worrying what division they are in or just dumped the idea of division colors.
 

The fisrt one doesn't look that bad, though the random patches of colour on the legs are a bit...odd and the collar looks a bit disco.

Were there any prototypes of #2, the design with the huge slits on the sides of the torso (presumably to show of armpit hair)? I don't even quite understand how that one would have worked in reality...
 

The fisrt one doesn't look that bad, though the random patches of colour on the legs are a bit...odd and the collar looks a bit disco.

Were there any prototypes of #2, the design with the huge slits on the sides of the torso (presumably to show of armpit hair)? I don't even quite understand how that one would have worked in reality...

These are better:
bickley_uni.jpg
 
(Actually, the last one isn't bad. ;) )

I believe the last one is pretty much the dress uniform they actually used for the first few seasons.

I actually think it's the dress uniform they used for the whole of the series and very early DS9, if I'm not mistaken.
Even Troi got to wear it once in s6 when meeting alien dignitaries (usually they put her back into her civvies during scenes like that in s6/7)
 
I actually think it's the dress uniform they used for the whole of the series and very early DS9, if I'm not mistaken.
Even Troi got to wear it once in s6 when meeting alien dignitaries (usually they put her back into her civvies during scenes like that in s6/7)

I believe they changed from the tight leggings to regular pants, added rank insignia and ditched the vertical gold trim during the TNG run, but I couldn't give details on when.
 
Why would a linguist even be necessary when the computers contain universal translators? How many times have we heard Kirk or any other Enterprise captain order that a message be sent out in all languages?

Based on OP's post, it makes perfect sense that Uhura was intended to be more of a tech/engineer type person than a linguist. I think NuTrek changed that up to justify that "talented tongue" comment that NuKirk uses on NuHura.:lol:
 
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At least some of it has to be perspective. If he has freakishly long arms he also has a freakishly long torso, as his wrists line up with his crotch, just like they're supposed to. The black and white may be throwing off the color saturation, and with it how well his proportions are perceived.

Edited to add: I just noticed the models are both in stocking feet. The lack of shoes, with the pant legs coming down to the bottom of their feet, makes their legs look unusually short. That has to have something to do with it.
 
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