Why dose Starfleet medical and science share a common uniform configuration?

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

He was called the science officer in WNMHGB. The original idea was that a ship's science officer was second in command.

He might have spent more time in the labs and in his capacity as science officer than commanding people initially - perhaps he went back to blue because A) he'd worn it before and B) he felt it would facilitate relations between himself and his fellow scientists, however illogical and human such a move would seem to be.

 

[Qonundrum]

Yes, but it's a division that involves the running of the ship - maintaining/repairing crew members' health. Imagine if engineering, also a science, also wore blue regularly. Studying plants or quasars is something a crew member can do on a day-to-day/assignment-to-assignment basis, but it's the same as the everyday tasks that keep the ship and its crew well-maintained.

(Did Charlene Masters wear a blue uniform so she wouldn't be confused with Uhura? Supposedly, she was originally a "chemoscientists" in the "The Alternative Factor" ' s original script, so science dept - maybe they didn't change the costume assignment. Or, more likely, recrystallizing dilithium is a more chemistry (perhaps geology) related task than repairing the warp core itself)

In early TOS, there were some engineering and related maintenance staff wearing blue - generally in the background, and certainly not in every story. Eventually they'd all don red, along with the security division since red is a color that doesn't make it easier for a person to engage in target practice against and all-- oh, wait, red is the worst color to use unless you know for a fact that every species in the universe is colorblind and won't notice a bright bold red target... ugh... gotta love the 1960s for coming up with that association in the first place*. But communications and engineering have more in common than security vs either of those... why not give them orange or purple?

* well, on the other hand, red is bold and can be an arresting hue. The goal isn't camouflage** but to announce presence and commanding traits.

** apart from the bulk of the TOS episode where, whoops, they're all trying to hide behind things to not be noticed while being shot at...

 

[C.E. Evans]

I'm now beginning to wonder if in the first two pilots for TOS if blue was actually the support division, which included sciences, medical, security, communications, and maybe even clerical.

 

[Timofnine]

I just assumed that blue meant the life sciences in general… chemical, medical/biological and physics based. Engineering department got red because they are mechanics who use the science practically rather than actually being scientists who research and discover the tech which they use, red also makes them easy targets hence why ‘red shirts’ are usually the first to die in a Star Trek episode.

Science can be separated in to Chemistry, Biology and Physics (blue), but engineering is not science in the same way. Engineering uses science as a tool in a mechanical and practical way, so this department should be a different colour (red). Security are also uniformed in red, but they also use science as a tool (phasers and weapons) so can have the same colour? Command can be mustard yellow because it’s a kind of neutral colour which means that they have to manage the red and blue shirts?

Can mix this up a bit if y’all want to go TNG.

 

[Uhura's Song]

Discovery changed it where medical wears the traditional white that's been associated with medicine. And that holds in the 32nd century too.

Interesting enough, the practice of doctors and nurses wearing white uniforms has largely been phased out (except for the white coats of doctors), since it was found hours upon hours of having bright white clothing in medical settings with white walls and bright lights caused eye strain. Also, the appearance of blood against white clothing caused more tension with patients.

Beverly had a white coat on over the blue uni a lot, IIRC.

 

[fireproof78]

Beverly had a white coat on over the blue uni a lot, IIRC.

It was blue.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

@Timofnine So practical, theoretical, and managerial?