Weird TOS covors

[Greg Cox]

The movie IS bland looking and is in definite need of some color.

Yeah, I think TMP fell into the old scifi cliche of making the future look sterile and lifeless. It's STAR TREK by way of THX-1138 . . . or maybe the first season of SPACE 1999.

The WOK uniforms have a more vibrant, swashbuckling feel to them, more in keeping with the bright primary colors of the original series.

 

[Christopher]

Part of the problem with the TMP uniforms is that the video transfer technology of the day washed out the colors, so that the version of TMP that most people grew up watching on TV and home video was a lot duller-looking than the actual original film. The Director's Edition restores the colors to how they originally looked, and though they're still muted, they're more vivid than people tend to assume. For instance, the "gray" uniforms were actually light blue.

And as for the "sterile" look, I think a better referent is The Andromeda Strain. Robert Wise seemed to like that approach in his SF films.

 

[Greg Cox]

And as for the "sterile" look, I think a better referent is The Andromeda Strain. Robert Wise seemed to like that approach in his SF films.

Hmm. Good call. Alas, what worked for The Andromeda Strain didn't really apply to Star Trek, which is a very different kind of science fiction adventure.

(I actually met Wise at a VikingCon years ago, and got him to sign a copy of Starlog for me. I remember him explaining about the time pressures he was under filming TMP--and that a good portion of his budget had been spent before he even signed onto the film!)

 

[Scott Pearson]

(I actually met Wise at a VikingCon years ago, and got him to sign a copy of Starlog for me. I remember him explaining about the time pressures he was under filming TMP--and that a good portion of his budget had been spent before he even signed onto the film!)

IIRC, all the production costs of the scuttled Phase II TV series were rolled into TMP. The movie really did start out in the hole.

 

[AJBryant]

(No science fiction hero should ever wear beige or gray.)

Tell that to Commander John J. Adams!!

 

[captcalhoun]

or the US Space Navy in Space: Above and Beyond...

 

[Therin of Andor]

IIRC, all the production costs of the scuttled Phase II TV series were rolled into TMP. The movie really did start out in the hole.

The part that amazed me: for the brief moments that Epsilon Nine appeared on film, there were hundreds of Epsilon Nine space station uniforms, both casual and more formal, plus sickbay outfits, made - all with the Epsilon Nine insignia (in the six division colours).

Roddenberry had made sure that, when/if approval came through for ST:TMP to again spin-off as a series for TV (or a series of telemovies), that they'd never want for a wardrobe budget. They could have set a whole series on a 23rd century space station and never have to have make a single new uniform. Every week, during the two or more years of the "It's a Wrap!" auctions, there were beautiful, unused Epsilon Nine outfits being sold off. The shirt I bought turned out to be made of raw silk!

 

[OverlordSpock]

I loved the uniforms in TWOK. There was something just more decidedly...military...about them, which, being a military brat, appeals to me.

But, probably the most realistic of the uniforms were those seen in Enterprise.

 

[Christopher]

But, probably the most realistic of the uniforms were those seen in Enterprise.

Yeah, I loved how functional and practical those were.

 

[OverlordSpock]

But, probably the most realistic of the uniforms were those seen in Enterprise.

Yeah, I loved how functional and practical those were.

Yup. T'Pol's uniform was VERY...functional and...er...um...practical...

 

[Christopher]

We were referring to the Starfleet uniforms.

 

[OverlordSpock]

Right. Starfleet. Of course.

And yes...the Starfleet uniforms there were very practical. That's why I said I thought they were the most realistic. Sorry, but the uniforms in TOS were almost laughable in their practicality (but very typical of the era in which the show was made). TNG's uniforms were cool looking (once they got away from the skin-tight look of the first two seasons), but again, as a practical uniform, left something to be desired. The uniforms on the Kelvin in ST '09 were...odd. They looked a little bit like the uniforms in ENT, but without any of the practicality.

So, yes, of all the uniforms we've seen, the ones in ENT seemed to be the ones that tried to stay as true to what might actually exist in the future than the ones that existed purely for looks and show in the other iterations.

 

[Thestral]

I also preferred the WOK-TUC uniforms to the MP ones. The bolder colors, the more uniform look, and they just looked more practical. The ENT ones took a bit to get used to, but they were definitely very practical-looking.

 

[BillJ]

Sorry, but the uniforms in TOS were almost laughable in their practicality (but very typical of the era in which the show was made).

The uniforms from The Cage are just as practical when you take into account the landing party jackets.

 

[TheAlmanac]

Really, though, I think most people buying books are looking at the faces, not the uniforms. Whether the details on the cover match the story is a secondary consideration. The goal is to create an image that's appealing to the eye and makes the observer curious enough to pick up the book and read the blurb or page through it.

I went through a period of trying to search out TrekLit set in the TMP-TWOK period, and the uniforms were what caught my eye--before I discovered that most of them were unrelated to the actual time period in the book, which was very frustrating.

or the US Space Navy in Space: Above and Beyond...

Don't let Dayton Ward hear you claim that the characters on S:AAB were in the Navy, since they were all members of the United States Marine Corps.

 

[captcalhoun]

tell that to the crew of the Saratoga and Commodore Van Ross.

 

[RandyS]

Re: Weird TOS covers

Gotta go with the WOK uniforms. The TMP uniforms were dull and generic-looking. The WOK costumes had much richer colors and looked far more striking on screen.

(No science fiction hero should ever wear beige or gray.)

Agreed.

 

[Mysterion]

Re: Weird TOS covers

(No science fiction hero should ever wear beige or gray.)

Except these guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DbAs203r3Y&feature=related

 

[F. King Daniel]

Re: Weird TOS covers

(No science fiction hero should ever wear beige or gray.)

Somewhere in San Francisco bay, in a cloaked city, the Stargate Atlantis team are frowning at you, Greg.

 

[Greg Cox]

Re: Weird TOS covers

(No science fiction hero should ever wear beige or gray.)

Somewhere in San Francisco bay, in a cloaked city, the Stargate Atlantis team are frowning at you, Greg.

You know, I sometimes wonder if the reason I never got into Stargate was because the uniforms were so dull . . . .

The folks on Farscape were a much more colorful bunch!