Uniforms

[ElimGarak.93-99]

Favorite uniforms:
23th century: TOS & The wrath of Khan.
24th century: First Contact & since DS9 S5 episode 'The Rapture'

 

[dub]

^ great taste! Same here.

 

[Lance]

^ Nah, the "First Contact Grays" are too dreary and lacking in visual impact. Couple them with the darker lighting in the movies, and IMO the actors don't 'pop' out of the screen at all. They're all too muted, even more so than the TMP uniforms. So yeah, the FC unis are not one of my favorites. Sometimes, less most definitely is not more.

 

[scotpens]

I'm guessing those who prefer TMP uniforms came of age in the 70s? Bones's broad collars and hairy chest are pretty groovy - all he needs is a gold medallion.

Disco Doc?

 

[Avro Arrow]

I'm guessing those who prefer TMP uniforms came of age in the 70s? Bones's broad collars and hairy chest are pretty groovy - all he needs is a gold medallion.

What'd'ya mean "all he needs"? He *had* the gold medallion!

 

[Nerys Myk]

^Beat me to it.

 

[dswynne1]

This would be how I'd prefer the TMP uniforms to look. It doesn't take away from the design but it keeps the TOS color scheme, but with desaturation to keep with the toned down colors. And of course blackening the pants and collar to keep some TOS uniform elements.

I would add a white variant for those in the medical field.

 

[Smellmet]

Agree with that. It's a shame TMP abandoned the traditional Star Trek coloured uniforms, I see it as an integral if not hugely important aspect of the franchise and would have added some much needed colour to that film, though I can see why they did what they did, they were trying to go for a futuristic look. I've never been a massive fan of the TWOK onwards uniforms either, too military looking for me, and did actors who put weight on no favours.

My personal favorites are JJ Trek, TNG S3 onwards, and the TNG movie uniforms.

 

[C.E. Evans]

Eh, I was glad that TMP ditched the TOS color scheme. The TMP uniforms in that scheme don't look that great. Better to simply have an all-new or updated TOS uniform (like Star Trek XI did) if going that route, IMO.

 

[cardinal biggles]

To me, the TOS uniforms scream '60s, and the TMP uniforms scream '70s. The TWOK uniforms don't feel dated because they're already displaced in time — inspired by the 1937 film The Prisoner of Zenda, which itself takes place sometime in the late 1800s.

 

[Mytran]

TMP's colour scheme was more then halfway towards the more muted ones seen in The Cage and WNMHGB so there was already the strong TOS connection. It just needed a more obvious set of departmental divisions.

And non-footsie pyjama bottoms, obviously.

 

[drt]

This would be how I'd prefer the TMP uniforms to look. It doesn't take away from the design but it keeps the TOS color scheme, but with desaturation to keep with the toned down colors. And of course blackening the pants and collar to keep some TOS uniform elements.

I was reading the old novel "The Wounded Sky" on the plane recently, it was one of a couple of 80s novels that used to bug me by simultaneously describing the refit Enterprise, but have the crew wearing what read like the old TV uniforms. But for my recent re-read I mentally substituted the above and OCD averted.

 

[CaptainMurdock]

I was reading the old novel "The Wounded Sky" on the plane recently, it was one of a couple of 80s novels that used to bug me by simultaneously describing the refit Enterprise, but have the crew wearing what read like the old TV uniforms. But for my recent re-read I mentally substituted the above and OCD averted.

Glad to be of help. Now if only someone could digitally edit the TMP uniforms in the film to match with that color scheme my OCD will be Averted.

 

[2takesfrakes]

The TMP uniforms are my personal favourite. They seemed the most appropriate to what people living on a spaceship might have. They could be mixed and matched and I really liked the sewn-on insignia patch and wrist communicators, alot. The uniforms in TWoK were very neat and crisp looking, but by TUC, they were using another costume designer and the uniforms didn't look as good to me, at all. The turtlenecks looked oversized and ill-fitting and the age of the main cast probably contributed to the overall effect. But in STAR TREK II, they were very sharp looking. I prefer the TNG Seasons 1 & 2 uniforms to any after in TNG, DS9 or VOY - but there was too much black and the angled design of the coloured portions never seemed truly appropriate to me. And really hated the DS9 turtleneck, with a passion! I liked the NASA jumpsuit look of ENT uniforms, but they weren't anything special.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I prefer the TNG Seasons 1 & 2 uniforms to any after in TNG, DS9 or VOY - but there was too much black and the angled design of the coloured portions never seemed truly appropriate to me.

It was supposed to be invocative of the Starfleet "arrowhead" with the top point flipped over on the back.

 

[OpenMaw]

I liked the NASA jumpsuit look of ENT uniforms, but they weren't anything special.

I just wish they weren't a tint of purple.

 

[allstar77]

I have a love/hate relationship with TMP uniforms. There's a logical flow to them, but the still look too sterile and pajama-like. I didn't like TWOK or FC uniforms for lack of color. NuTrek is colorful, but still seems a little too leisurely.

I like the TNG uniforms but wish season 3 had left the colored hem to the pants leg.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I liked the NASA jumpsuit look of ENT uniforms, but they weren't anything special.

I just wish they weren't a tint of purple.

Towards the end of the series they had become more blue (at least for the series regulars).

 

[2takesfrakes]

I prefer the TNG Seasons 1 & 2 uniforms to any after in TNG, DS9 or VOY - but there was too much black and the angled design of the coloured portions never seemed truly appropriate to me.

It was supposed to be invocative of the Starfleet "arrowhead" with the top point flipped over on the back.

I wasn't aware of that. Even being told, it still doesn't leap easily to the eye. Something like that would work much better as a logo for certain other items than a uniform design, in my opinion. But at least it's not arbitrary, which is good to know. Whilst on the subject of TNG uniforms, the movie Dress Whites I could've done without. I do not have a background in Fashion Design, actually, but I know what I think looks cool and they never did to me. They needed to be crisp, instead they reminded me more of a chef's outfit, or something like that. Robert Blackman doesn't hold a candle to Robert Fletcher's previous work.

 

[drt]

I have a love/hate relationship with TMP uniforms. There's a logical flow to them, but the still look too sterile and pajama-like. I didn't like TWOK or FC uniforms for lack of color. NuTrek is colorful, but still seems a little too leisurely.

I like the TNG uniforms but wish season 3 had left the colored hem to the pants leg.

The idea of the nuTrek shipboard uniforms seems to be a slightly more casual "working" uniform similar to the DS9/VOY jumpsuits, and I think we're supposed to imagine that they're some kind of future space fabric as rugged as today's ACU/BDUs of which they're the equivalent.

I think if they had just lost the "built in shoe" aspect of the TMP uniforms, the actors wouldn't have hated them and they'd look less like footsie pjs. It's interesting to note that the TNG pants have almost the exact same hemline, but with a separate shoe. I'm now also wondering what ST2 uniforms would have looked like if Meyer hadn't wanted Hornblower in space? Would a different production have just cleaned up the TMP look?