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Every Starfleet Uniform From 'Star Trek,' Ranked

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When a Starfleet officer is preparing to "boldly go where no one has gone before," they need every bit of confidence they can muster. Not knowing what awaits them on undiscovered worlds, the clothing they wear is vital. A Star Trek officer's uniform serves a very important role. It not only protects its wearer from alien climates and environmental elements, but it instantly impresses an idea of status.

Star Trek officers are ambassadors, representing Starfleet to galaxies far beyond the stars. Besides the differences used to signify varying roles, the overall unity in design sends a visual message to other cultures that they are all part of the same organization, and work together as a team. Over the decades, Star Trek uniforms have undergone several redesigns. But which one stands out as the best? Here is every Star Trek uniform, ranked.

13 'Star Trek: Prodigy'

Tv series (2021).

A visually stunning animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy follows the exploits of a group of young misfits who happen upon an abandoned Starfleet ship. As they discover their strengths, both individually and collectively, they get to have some pretty entertaining adventures. Luckily for the young would-be cadets, a hologram of Captain Kathryn Janeway ( Kate Mulgrew ) is programmed into the vessel and provides them with some much-needed guidance.

Since the young confiscators are not official Starfleet ensigns , it is understandable that they don't start the series in uniform. However, the choice not to have them wear uniforms makes the show feel a bit more like a saga befitting Guardians of the Galaxy rather than Star Trek . When the ensemble finally does don fatigues, they are all the same, with no distinctions or special notice given.

Star Trek: Prodigy

A group of young aliens escape captivity by commandeering a derelict Starfleet ship, the U.S.S. Protostar. As they navigate the galaxy, they must learn to work together and uncover the ship's secrets. The show blends adventure and discovery, appealing to both new viewers and longtime Star Trek fans.

12 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds'

Tv series (2022).

Captain Christopher Pike ( Anson Mount ) is famously Captain James T. Kirk's ( William Shatner ) predecessor and mentor. The series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finally gives his character a chance to have a storyline in his own right and get the spotlight he deserves.

Despite the exciting concept, the uniforms used in the series are lackluster. They are fashioned similarly to the 2009 movie with an aesthetic that resembles sports clothing rather than military dress. They use colors from the classic series, black top borders from Star Trek: The Next Generation , and don't give the audience anything new to emulate.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds follows Captain Christopher Pike (played by Anson Mount) and the crew of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) in the 23rd century as they explore new worlds throughout the galaxy in the decade before Star Trek: The Original Series.

11 'Star Trek: Nemesis'

Movie (2002).

Finding a way to differentiate the uniforms used in the television series and those used in the films is tricky. In the movie Star Trek: Nemesis some fantastic performances are given by the actors, including a younger Tom Hardy as the principal villain, Praetor Shinzon. But not much can be said about the costumes.

In a nod to other Star Trek television shows taking place around the same time, the uniforms feature predominantly black bodies with colored top portions and shoulders. However, in Star Trek: Nemesis , instead of using the bright colors on top of the uniforms, they chose to use gray on every uniform and the undershirts being the predominant form of color designation. This decision leads to a washout of originality and an underwhelming visual picture.

Star Trek: Nemesis

Not available

10 'Star Trek: Picard'

Tv series (2020).

A flash-forward saga, Star Trek: Picar d follows Captain Jean Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) several years after his first missions aboard the Enterprise. He faces new foes with the help of some familiar faces. Fans of the character's debut series, Star Trek: The Next Generation will enjoy multiple cameos from fellow costars.

Comfortable and casual seem to be the motif for the clothing in this iteration of the Star Trek universe. If human history serves as any indicator, this is indeed where fashion is headed. Out are the tight corsets and laced bodices of the Victorian era, and in are the stretchy yoga pants of the 21st century. It is no wonder that the fabricators for Star Trek: Picard took their cues from realistic trends to envision a future where uniforms are understated and informal. Albeit sleek and stylish, the ensembles used in Star Trek: Picard lack the pizzazz that is synonymous with other uniforms in the genre .

Star Trek: Picard

Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, long retired from Starfleet, is thrust back into the heart of galactic intrigue when a desperate young woman seeks his aid. Determined to uncover a vast conspiracy and protect her, Picard recruits a diverse team of allies. As they navigate a galaxy fraught with new dangers and old enemies, Picard faces personal demons and ethical dilemmas, all while trying to uphold the ideals he has always stood for.

9 'Star Trek: Voyager'

Tv series (1995).

Star Trek continued to be a show that promoted gender ideals that were not yet the norm in everyday life, including women as high-ranking officers. One of the highest and most prestigious ranks within the Federation was that of a starship captain, and the series Star Trek: Voyager gave audiences the confident and tenacious Captain Kathryn Janeway ( Kate Mulgrew ).

While imagination and innovation inspired the character choices and writing for the series, the costume department didn't reinvent the wheel. Borrowing identically from the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine lookbook, the uniforms that the crew members onboard the Voyager wore were nothing special.

Star Trek: Voyager

8 'star trek', movie (2009).

Going for a sinuous appeal, the wardrobe designers for the 2009 film Star Trek must have taken inspiration from athletic wear companies. While the sleek and figure-hugging fabric used in the cinema reboot is contemporary, it leaves something to be desired when it comes to being scientific or military garb.

With the t-shirt style cuts and microfiber cloth, the actors in the film look like they are about to embark on a cross-fit workout session, rather than a historic and significant quest across the galaxy . In terms of modernization and trying to reach a younger audience, the clothing choices may have worked, but for the overall tone of the characters, they fall short.

Star Trek (2009)

J.J. Abrams' 2009 movie Star Trek rebooted the iconic sci-fi franchise in a totally new timeline. When a Romulan ship travels back in time and alters the past, the lives of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto), and the future crew of the USS Enterprise are drastically changed. In this new timeline, the Romulan Nero (Eric Bana) sets out for revenge on Spock, setting off a chain of events that reshape the entire universe.

7 'Star Trek: Enterprise'

Tv series (2001).

Even though Star Trek: Enterprise was filmed more recently, it is a prequel, set nearly a century before the original series with Captain Kirk (William Shatner). Due to the antiquated setting of the series, the crew's solid-colored jumpsuits are a visual nod to NASA and early space exploration. The uniforms are also emblazoned with an insignia on the arm, similar to NASA astronauts wearing mission patches.

Even though the classifications have some differentiation by using colored stripes around the shoulders, they are still largely monochromatic and not the most visually appealing . The large, bulky zippers add to the nuance of the timeline, but do little to earn fashion points.

Star Trek: Enterprise

A century before Captain Kirk's five-year mission, Jonathan Archer captains the United Earth ship Enterprise during the early years of Starfleet, leading up to the Earth-Romulan War and the formation of the Federation.

6 'Star Trek'

Tv series (1966).

The uniform that started it all. The original series boldly went where no show had gone before in many of its themes, plot lines, and on-screen firsts. The show also used color very vividly to distinguish between different duties within Starfleet command. Most military fatigues use small details to denote status, like pins, embellishments, or insignia. But Star Trek was unique in that it so clearly denoted the different roles onboard the ship. This could be a necessary way to communicate quickly to other cultures of alien species which officer(s) they need to interact with.

All marks given for originality, the 1966 uniforms are not the most elegant or stylish of the show. The Starfleet crest is present on the uniforms, but it is only embroidery . The uniforms were also heavily gendered, with women's dresses being very short. The female officers looked like they were dressed for a party at a disco, rather than a diplomatic voyage to new worlds.

Star Trek: The Original Series

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

5 'Star Trek: Lower Decks'

Part Star Trek , part Rick and Morty , Star Trek: Lower Decks ' creator Mike McMahan brings satire and absurd adult humor to the galaxy. Fans of the live-action shows will get a kick out of the many inside jokes and meta references that only a true Trekkie/Trekker will appreciate. The animated series follows the daily routines of lower-ranking crew members onboard a starship, instead of largely focusing on officers of command rank, like most of the other series.

The uniforms in Star Trek: Lower Decks have the distinctive colors, small collar pins, and black pants that make a Star Trek uniform great. They also feature the recognizable top black border that is reminiscent of Star Trek: The Next Generation with a new, sleek off-center cut that makes them stylish and futuristic looking.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Behind every great captain, is a crew keeping the ship from falling to pieces. These are the hilarious stories of the U.S.S. Cerritos.

4 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'

Movie (1982).

The most imperialistic looking uniforms the good crew aboard the Enterprise ever wore were the red uniforms in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . The uniformity and regal quality of the costumes evoke feelings of militia. Perhaps this feeling was too much felt by audiences, and that's why the wardrobes were short-lived. Future designers chose to go back to more sci-fi stylized designs.

With the crisp lines and contrasting thick black belts, the regimentals worn in the movie look more like those worn by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police than those in other Star Treks . Even if the costuming was a little off the mark, the movie itself is considered to be one of the best in the canon .

Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan

With the assistance of the Enterprise crew, Admiral Kirk must stop an old nemesis, Khan Noonien Singh, from using the life-generating Genesis Device as the ultimate weapon.

3 'Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'

Tv series (1993).

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine not only flipped the script by focusing on the activities taking place on a starport rather than a starship, but it also flipped the colors of the traditional uniforms. Instead of having the top portion be black and the body of the uniform be colored, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine used a black body as the base for the outfits, with only the top portion of the shoulders being colored .

Another stylistic decision was to use v-necks instead of the standard crew necks. Gray undershirts were worn beneath the uniform as well, giving the audience more of a visual separation between the character and the role they performed. They weren't merely a uniform with a person in it, but rather a person wearing a uniform .

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

In the vicinity of the liberated planet of Bajor, the Federation space station Deep Space Nine guards the opening of a stable wormhole to the far side of the galaxy.

2 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'

Tv series (1987).

Adapting a classic TV show for a current audience is no small task. From the writing to the costumes, everything has to be refreshed to give the drama an appeal to modern viewers. The wardrobe designers for Star Trek: The Next Generation did a fantastic job of taking inspiration from the old while envisioning the new. The first revamp of the original series, this adaptation has remained a favorite for many years.

The standard colors of yellow (gold), blue, and red were given a reprieve, but the designations changed. Red now represented command, gold for operations, and blue for science. The show started with crew members in one-piece jumpsuits, but later changed to two pieces with black trousers and high-collared shirts. The designers of the show also upgraded the Federation's crest. Now it was not merely an embroidery on the uniform, but a shiny, metallic, and functioning communicator that was worn like a pin on the left side lapel. Another important upgrade was that these uniforms were not gender-isolating. The female and male officers wore the same uniform.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Set almost 100 years after Captain Kirk's 5-year mission, a new generation of Starfleet officers sets off in the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on its own mission to go where no one has gone before.

1 'Star Trek: Discovery'

Tv series (2017).

If Star Trek is about exploring all worlds, can the costume department give the best of both worlds when it comes to the crew's uniforms? The designers for Star Trek: Discovery have done exactly that. The series is a prequel to the original TV show, but falls in the timeline after Star Trek: Enterprise . It is uniquely positioned to have a visual bridge between the old and new uniforms, and it accomplishes this with great style.

In the first few seasons, the uniforms are solid blue with large, obnoxious zippers running up the front, (a nod to Star Trek: Enterprise ) with gold, silver, and bronze stripes and panels down the shoulders and sides to denote rank. But, as the story goes forward , the uniforms begin to change color, more closely resembling those worn by the cast in the 1966 series. By season four, the prominent colors of yellow, red, and blue are used to denote command, operations, and science, respectively. Even though the earlier uniforms are less immediately identifiable as Star Trek uniforms, they are still stylish and a favorite for audiences to cosplay. This series not only manages to give fans something new to enjoy, but something old to reminisce about as well. And simply using color to evoke the ethos of the beloved show, serves as a testament to the series' iconic wardrobe legacy.

Star Trek: Discovery

Taking place almost a decade before Captain Kirk's Enterprise, the USS Discovery charts a course to uncover new worlds and life forms.

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Star Trek Uniforms Fully Explained

Since its premiere more than 50 years ago, Star Trek has been at the center of a growing web of culture, television, film, and fandom. With nine television series and 13 films, with undoubtedly more to come, there is a wealth of material to analyze and enjoy. Today, an enthusiastic fan can take just a single aspect of the Star Trek universe and dive into it for weeks.

Take uniforms. A seemingly simple concept, right? Star Trek generally focuses on the experiences of people serving in Starfleet, essentially a futuristic version of the Navy in space. So, Starfleet uniforms should be fairly consistent, even boring. Everyone's supposed to look like a cohesive group, so there should be little variation.

However, the uniforms of Star Trek are so varied and connected to the intricate fictional world of the franchise that it's pretty fascinating. Someone appearing on Star Trek: The Next Generation and then showing up again in a film like Star Trek: First Contact will probably have to fit themselves into two very distinct outfits. With more than five decades of stuff to go through, says CNET , there's a dizzying variety of looks for what's supposed to be a pretty staid quasi-military organization.

Practically everything about the history of Star Trek uniforms is linked to behind-the-scenes stories, real-world creativity, in-universe drama, and even a touch of fashion history here and there. From color, to cut, to material, there's a lot to learn.

Color is key to Star Trek uniforms

In Star Trek: The Original Series , which ran from 1966 to 1969, you can't miss the brightly hued uniform shirts sported by the crew of the starship Enterprise . Captain James T. Kirk and other members of the command staff sport golden yellow tops, says Mental Floss . Blue is reserved for the science department and medical personnel, so you'll see it on Mr. Spock, the second-in-command, and the ship's physician, Doctor McCoy.

And what of the folk in red uniforms? According to Star Trek lore, these poor "redshirts" are little more than cannon fodder, though, officially, red is for communications, admin, and security. If you're watching an episode where a random, red-clad crewmember is asked to beam down to the planet with the main cast, don't get too attached. They're probably going to get zapped, eaten, or otherwise annihilated to further the episode's plot.

Of course, there are some exceptions. Statistically speaking, says Nerdist , redshirts are not that bad off. Consider also that red shirts adorn major characters like Scotty, the ship's chief engineer, who made it through the entire series.

Now that you've got that settled, remember that it's only good for one series. In later Star Trek shows, red and gold switched places. Captains like The Next Generation 's Jean-Luc Picard wore a dark red, while his security chief, Worf, wore gold.

Starfleet rank is shown by pips and stripes

Like so many real-world military organizations, Starfleet hinges on rank. Crewmembers are expected to follow orders, but on starships that can carry thousands of people, who are they supposed to take seriously? That's where the rickrack comes in.

In Star Trek: The Original Series , rank was denoted by stripes of gold ribbon on someone's sleeves. The more stripes, the higher the rank. Generally speaking, says Atlas Obscura , two or three stripes means a captain. Commissioned officers are a safe bet for one stripe. Non-commissioned people get either a bit of braid or nothing at all. The stripes were brought back for the reboot films beginning in 2009.

The follow up series, Star Trek: The Next Generation   went for something different during its 1987 – 1994 run. The colors became a more muted, and the old rank stripes, which, frankly, looked like something you might have picked up from your local craft store, were retired. In their place, officers wore "pips," subtle little pins, on their collars. The higher someone's rank, the more pips they sported.

Other films played around a bit with the rank symbols, like the different colors and badges shown in 1982's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan . Still, they weren't too off the original mark. Generally speaking, the more junk on someone's uniform, the more likely it is that you'll have to follow their orders.

The original series went for velour

Futurama 's Zapp Brannigan character, a send-up of Captain Kirk, is all about his velour uniform. The first Star Trek series really was into luxurious velour, too, but the fabric proved challenging to maintain. It's not as if the 1960s were known for comfortable natural materials, after all.

According to Esquire , the fabric initially used in Star Trek: The Original Series was a little flashy. Costume designers used a stretch cotton velour for the tops, with a black synthetic Dacron infused with sparkles for the pants. Both materials were meant to subtly glitter under studio lights, lending the uniforms a shimmery, 23rd-century, spacefaring feel. 

Unfortunately, the velour was a flop. Many called it "that rotten velour," noting that the fabric tended to shrink in the wash and could tear easily. In the third and final season, designers substituted it for a double-knit nylon, says CNET , which proved to be a much hardier fabric, especially when it got thrown into the washing machine.

Captain Kirk's special green shirt was a little embarrassing

Originally, reports Atlas Obscura , the command staff of Star Trek: The Original Series was supposed to be sporting a muted green. Under the studio lights, though, the cameras read the green velour as a golden yellow. The production team simply went with it for the rest of the series.

Careful observers of the 1960s run will note that Captain Kirk is sometimes seen in a very green tunic-style shirt. According to an interview with series costume designer Bill Theiss , that's because it was made out of a different material. That particular shirt looked genuinely green. This is also why some of the colors in the original series seem to change, said Theiss. Even the miniature of the Enterprise could appear ever so slightly green under the right conditions.

William Shatner, the Canadian actor who played Kirk, wasn't necessarily fond of the tightly wrapped look, says Cinemablend . "It was a little embarrassing after lunch to have that tight green thing on you," he said.

Star Trek's women went from pants to miniskirts

The first pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series , " The Cage " is an odd duck. Though it was shot in 1964, it didn't make it to screens in its complete form until a Betamax release in 1989. Bits of the story were included in the season one two-parter "The Menagerie," but it contained only the briefest glimpses of what might have been.

These included things like a smiling Spock, different uniforms, and a woman in command wearing pants . Star Trek: The Original Series is notorious for its gendered uniforms. The men wore pants and long-sleeved shirts. Female crewmembers were confined to miniskirts so short that Lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer, always seemed on the verge of an embarrassing situation when she sat down.

That's partially why Number One, the second-in-command in "The Cage," stands out: She's wearing pants. Number One, played by Majel Barrett, is also a daring commander. But she wasn't considered right for the character. When Star Trek got its second pilot, none of the women were in command, and certainly none of them wore pants. Barrett returned, albeit as the emotional, mini-skirted Nurse Chapel.

Nichelle Nichols, who played Uhura, offers up a counterpoint. "I was wearing [miniskirts] on the street," she told the BBC . "What's wrong with wearing them on the air? [...] It was the era of the miniskirt. Everybody wore miniskirts."

The first Star Trek movie shook took uniforms in a weird direction

Star Trek: The Motion Picture looked like it was going to be a big deal. The 1979 film was the first time that fans would get to see their beloved crew on the big screen. Anticipation was high. Then, the movie debuted.

It landed with a dull thud. While die-hard fans still got enjoyment out of Star Trek 's film debut, most viewers couldn't get past the plodding story and dialogue-heavy scenes. It made just enough profit to justify a sequel, to be sure. SyFy contends that The Motion Picture did originate some interesting new trends for the franchise, like wearable communicators and redesigned Klingons . Still, few would point to this entry as their favorite Star Trek movie.

Some of the blame surely lies with the redesigned uniforms. Where The Original Series had colorful, if somewhat cartoonish togs for the crew, The Motion Picture made it look like everyone was going to the weirdest slumber party ever. According to Memory Alpha , the crew was now outfitted in two-piece tunics and one-piece jumpsuits in mind-numbing shades like pale blue and beige. At least the women on the crew were dressed in the same jumpsuits worn by the men. They might have looked oddly dull for space adventurers, but crewmembers like Lt. Uhura didn't look like they needed to worry about errant breezes. And, if nothing else, the space pajamas look pretty comfortable.

The Wrath of Khan redeemed Star Trek uniforms while cutting costs

Though Star Trek: The Motion Picture began the series tradition of changing Starfleet uniforms at every opportunity, rebooted uniforms didn't get very eye-catching until the second film. In Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, both the plotting and the uniforms got a much-needed upgrade.

To be fair, the striking red jackets of The Wrath of Khan wouldn't have existed as we know them if it weren't for the beige jumpsuits of The Motion Picture . As revealed by Empire , costume designer Robert Fletcher, burned somewhat by his experiences on the first film, decided to stay on in an attempt to redeem his craft. Fletcher still had to work within budget, says Forgotten Trek . Indeed, the budget was smaller, since the studio had been spooked somewhat by the lackluster performance of the first motion picture. As a result, Fletcher rather cleverly utilized the old movie uniforms. His team dyed the tunics red because that was the shade that took best to the fabric. 

Meanwhile, Fletcher added a few more militaristic details to the revamped uniforms, like boxy shoulders, stripes, and shiny rank insignia. Fletch referred to it as "Hornblower in outer space," referring to the popular Horatio Hornblower series, set in the era of the Napoleonic Wars. The maroon color proved so successful that it persisted far beyond the film and back onto television with the follow-up series, Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's uniform was all about spandex

While the uniforms debuted in Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan were structured, boxy outfits inspired by military getups, the theme wasn't going to last, for William Ware Theiss, who designed the costumes for Star Trek: The Original Series , was ready to completely revamp even his own designs. Theiss was called upon to design the costumes for the first year of Star Trek: The Next Generation , the follow-up series that premiered in 1987. According to Forgotten Trek , Theiss wanted to pull back from the structured look of Wrath of Khan and return to a softer appearance.

That meant spandex. Specifically, Theiss employed a heavyweight material, of the type often used for swimsuits. He also changed the color scheme, making red the color for command staff, while gold was switched to engineering and security. Blue remained the key shade for medical and science personnel.

While designers might have liked the spandex, it got poor reviews from the actors. The form-fitting material was unforgiving of a heavy lunch or brief dalliance with a slice of cake. Robert Blackman, who replaced Theiss in later seasons, came to the rescue with a different cut and wool fabric. Unfortunately, only the male actors got the best changes, like two-piece uniforms. Female actors like Marina Sirtis, who played Counselor Troi, were stuck in uncomfortable one-piece jumpsuits for a while longer.

Deanna Troi's exception confused Trek fans

In Star Trek: The Next Generation , ship's counselor Deanna Troi was actually a Starfleet officer, but you wouldn't know it from her clothes. While everyone else on staff was wearing the regulation Starfleet uniform, Troi was often stuck in revealing onesies that recalled the first film's unfortunate jumpsuits. 

It may have something to do with Troi's gender. As quoted at Forgotten Trek , Marina Sirtis, who played Troi, took a dim view of how the show treated female characters. "The women on this show are very non-threatening," she said. "You don't see women in power positions." Troi was meant to be a soft, caring therapist. Perhaps her clothing was meant to reflect that gentleness, but with an admittedly sexist twist that lowered her necklines and kept Sirtis trapped in revealing spandex for much longer than her coworkers. Too often, her clothes reflected stories where Troi was made to be helpless or even outright dull for the sake of the plot.

Counselor Troi finally got to wear the real uniform in "Chain of Command, Part 1," a season six two-parter. In it, Captain Jellico, an uptight fill-in for Captain Picard, curtly tells Troi to just wear the uniform already. While the impetus for the wardrobe change might have been embarrassing for her character, Sirtis was delighted. As she told the BBC , "I was thrilled when I got my regulation Starfleet uniform [...] I got all my brains back."

The "skant" tried to reach gender equality but fell flat

We should give Gene Roddenberry some credit. While he was often of his time for things like scantily clad secondary characters on Star Trek: The Original Series , he genuinely tried to push back against cultural assumptions. Sometimes, it worked and became practically legendary, as when he helped to create a diverse bridge crew on the first television series. Other times, he pushed for costume parity that simply didn't land.

Roddenberry was involved with the production of Star Trek: The Next Generation from its 1987 premiere until shortly before his death in 1991. He was part of almost everything in the series, including the costume design. As reported by Star Trek.com , Roddenberry directed designer William Ware Theiss to design what became known as the "skant."

This take on the minidress was made out of the same spandex as the other uniforms. It was also meant to be unisex. Crewmembers of any gender would be able to wear the thigh-baring skant. Yet, it was a hard sell. The skant was ever-so-briefly seen on a male crewmember here and there in the first season, says SyFy, but never after that. Female crew like Counselor Troi wore it a bit longer, but actors and viewers alike thought it just made her look like a space cheerleader. Though you can understand what Roddenberry and company were going for, the skant just couldn't stay. It faded into fan lore and obscurity soon after the first season.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine made the uniforms fit for actual work

Star Trek didn't stop with Star Trek: The Next Generation . The sequel series was followed up by a progression of films and further television series. These included Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , which premiered in 1993 and briefly ran concurrently with The Next Generation . Though both series are supposed to take place at roughly the same time, the uniforms seen on Deep Space Nine were a serious departure.

Costume designer Robert Blackman returned to the jumpsuit design but mercifully stayed clear of figure-hugging, back-breaking spandex, says Forgotten Trek . Instead, the looser jumpsuits were made out of wool. Blackman had, like earlier designers, discovered that wool took dye better than other fabrics and held up to repeated washings. 

The softer uniforms looked like they could exist in a real, workaday reality. Characters like Chief O'Brien can be seen in the bowels of Deep Space Nine, a scrappy space station inherited from its previous Cardassian occupants. His jumpsuit, based in part on a mechanic's outfit and NASA workaday gear, looks right at place in the more gritty, realistic world of Deep Space Nine .

Star Trek: Lower Decks brings back color and might explain a big mystery

Star Trek: Lower Decks is an animated comedy series, the first ever to take a look at the ridiculous side of Star Trek . While it's very definitely a silly take on the franchise, the Lower Decks series actually holds a clue to the ever-changing and seemingly inconsistent uniforms across the series.

In part, the uniforms of Lower Decks are an homage to a never-used 1994 redesign. According to Trek Movie , creator Mike McMahan realized the discarded uniform design for the Star Trek: Generations movie was just right for his series. It calls back to The Next Generation just enough to make connections but remains distinct and colorful in its new two-dimensional context.

This latest series might also help explain the constantly shifting Starfleet uniforms. Careful viewers may have already noticed that different ship and station crews sport wildly different looks, even when they're supposed to be taking place at the same time. 

Inverse points out the apparent fact that Starfleet uniforms seem to correspond to very specific ships and jobs. Someone sent to a space station like Deep Space Nine would wear one uniform, while another crewmember on Picard's Enterprise would sport something noticeably different. An outside viewer could still see they were Starfleet personnel but might correctly guess they were stationed in different places. The looks on Lower Decks , which are their own unique creations, add more evidence to support this theory.

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From TOS to Star Trek Beyond: The Evolution of Uniforms

From its humble – and somewhat precarious – beginnings in 1966, Star Trek’s place in science fiction has grown to epic proportions, unmatched by others in its genre (which, of course, is a bone of contention).

Arguments aside, there’s one constant element in Star Trek that we cannot do without: their wonderfully designed uniforms. I have to admit – there’s not much sexier than a person in uniform. Especially if they’re in Star Trek.

I’m not saying outlandish alien features and costumes don’t add to a story’s appeal, but Star Trek’s crew members – from TOS to Star Trek Beyond – hit the spot with their simple but “look at me” vibe.

So, how well do you know your Star Trek uniforms?

If your memory is a little hazy, let’s help you with that. Here is a Star Trek uniform guide which showcases the threads from The Original Series, The Motion Picture, The Next Generation, Generations, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and the most recent movies.

Perfect timing for Star Trek Beyond, don’t you think?

Which uniforms do you like best?

Related: Which Star Trek Villain Are You?

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Published Jul 1, 2010

Star Trek Uniforms

Star Trek fans the world over have crafted their own uniforms. Some serious fans have even purchased genuine costumes from the various Star Trek television series and features when they’ve become available at auction. But now, thanks to ANOVOS Productions, any Star Trek enthusiast determined to dress the part fashionably – with uniforms as close to the real thing as possible -- can do so with far less hassle or expense.

ANOVOS, this spring, introduced a line of meticulously researched and constructed Star Trek uniform replicas – from both the original series and the 2009 feature film. The original-show products include uniforms worn by Kirk, Spock, McCoy and Uhura, using patterns created by the legendary designer William Ware Theiss. Products inspired by the recent blockbuster movie include the blue, yellow and red uniforms worn by male and female characters. They are constructed from heavyweight material and feature color matching and dyeing/printing from original manufacturers.

“No one bats an eye when a basketball fan wears a Lakers jersey that says ‘Bryant,’ or thinks someone who wears an NFL jersey really believes he’s on a professional team – it’s just a way to be a true fan,” explains Joe Salcedo, co-founder of AVONOS with Dan Gasser. “Science-fiction fans enjoy the same excitement and sense of community, and we think they should their passion with the world.”

The Star Trek uniforms from ANOVOS are available exclusively online. Visit www.ANOVOS.com for more information.

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Zip me up, Scotty: 50 years of Star Trek uniforms

The colorful uniforms worn by the crew of the Starship Enterprise count as some of the most iconic looks ever. Here's how they've evolved over the past 50 years.

Star Trek uniforms

Ask any cosplayer : One of the most enduring aspects of Star Trek is the famous Starfleet uniform.

The instantly recognizables colors and iconic pointy badge have been adapted for new TV series', movies and games from The Original Series up to the latest Trek adventures Discovery , Picard ,  Lower Decks  and Strange New Worlds . Check out the many outfits worn by the crew of the Enterprise on their continuing mission to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and boldly look cooler than anyone before.

Star Trek: The Original Series

Originally conceived by costume designer William Ware Theiss, the colorful pop art outfit debuted in 1966 in The Original Series.

Star Trek: The Animated Series

The multicolored uniforms looked great in the luminous cartoon world of The Animated Series.

Star Trek movies

In a series of Star Trek movies, the crew of the Enterprise adopted maroon tunics for the big screen.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

The crew of The Next Generation  saw a new take on the multicolored Starfleet uniform.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Aboard Deep Space Nine , a darker version of the uniforms reflected the darker stories told in this series.

Star Trek: Voyager

Crew members on Star Trek: Voyager  also wore the darker uniform.

Star Trek: Enterprise

Prequel series Enterprise showed us an early Starfleet uniform.

Star Trek rebooted

Stepping outside of the established TV timeline, a new series of movies sleekly updated the iconic uniforms for a new generation of fans.

Star Trek: Discovery

Sonequa Martin-Green (centre) and Michelle Yeoh (right) lead the cast of Star Trek: Discovery on CBS All Access and Netflix. (Disclosure: CBS is CNET's parent company.) 

Star Trek: Picard

Patrick Stewart returns for Star Trek: Picard on CBS All Access and Amazon Prime Video.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

Animated comedy Star Trek: Lower Decks will introduce to a side of Starfleet we don't normally see, with a new twist on the uniform.

Let's look at the development of Starfleet's uniform in chronological order. The earliest version appears in prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise, featuring Captain Archer and his crew in flight suits with colored accents presaging The Original Series and shoulder panels like The Next Generation.

Prequel series Discovery is set shortly before The Original Series, and gives the zip-up jumpsuits of Enterprise a more sci-fi twist with metallic side panels and shoulders.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

By season two of Discovery, we see a nifty combination of various eras of the uniform, which will continue as we return to the starship Enterprise in new series Strange New Worlds.

In 1965, the first pilot episode for The Original Series starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike, wearing a prototype version of the uniform we know and love.

The pilot episode, The Cage, features colored tunics with ribbed collars.

The womens' tunics boast a stylish pointed collar, and were much less revealing than what would come later.

On away missions, the crew donned special jackets.

Spock and Captain Pike in their blue-grey planet-exploring garb.

For the second pilot the uniform went through some changes. In the episode entitled  Where No Man Has Gone Before , William Shatner and Sally Kellerman wear uniforms in the familiar colors but with a different collar.

Although it's tough to see in the series itself, in the pilot you can see the famous "gold" uniforms were actually lime green. They only appeared gold under studio lighting.

When the series proper began in 1966, the familiar black neckline appeared.

The different colors represent the job each crew member does: Blue is worn by science and medical officers, gold by command officers, and red by security and engineering officers.

The colored shirts are paired with black boots and naval-influenced trousers.

Lieutenant Uhura and Nurse Chapel model the rather more daring version of the uniform worn by women crewmembers.

Other lower-ranked crew members wore color-coded jumpsuits.

Yeoman Janice Rand shows off a Starfleet regulation hairdo.

The Enterprise's lethally high turnover of red-garbed security officers gave rise to the expression "red shirt," meaning a minor character who's pretty much doomed.

Series creator Gene Roddenberry believed clothes would have no visible fastening in the future, so the zips are concealed in the shoulder. Initially, the uniforms were made of velour. 

For the third series, the costumes were made of nylon fabric similar to baseball uniforms -- because the previous velour versions shrank.

The Animated Series made the gold color official.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The 1979 film  Star Trek: The Motion Picture  did away with the bold colors of the series, adopting new tunics in shades of grey, beige and white.

The new uniforms didn't prove as popular as the iconic shirts from the series, lasting just one film.

The new uniforms were rather snug.

From 1982's Star Trek: Wrath of Khan onward, designer Robert Fletcher put the original crew in tunics that evoked Starfleet's naval tradition, including bell-bottom trousers. 

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

The differing colors for different departments returned on the wrist and shoulder straps, and an undershirt.

The film also saw some warm jackets for away missions.

In 1987 The Next Generation began with the crew in form-fitting spandex jumpsuits. The colors return, but this time it's command wearing red, engineering and security in mustard, and science and medicine once again in blue. 

Unfortunately the futuristic-looking outfits gave some cast members backache, so the spandex only lasted two seasons.

For the third series, Mister Worf and his crew mates donned more relaxed wool gabardine tunics, designed by Robert Blackman.

After the switch to the new uniforms in The Next Generation, lesser crewmembers were sometimes glimpsed in the older outfits. Their poor backs.

In 1993 Captain Sisko and the crew of Deep Space Nine adopted a black uniform with colored shoulders, previously seen in The Next Generation as the uniform of Starfleet Academy.

From 1995, Captain Janeway and the crew of Voyager wore the black uniforms.

Lost in the Delta Quadrant, the Voyager crew didn't keep up with the latest fashion and so didn't make the switch to the grey-shouldered uniform.

When The Next Generation  crew made the leap to the big screen, they donned a new uniform with grey shoulders. The department colors are seen on the undershirt and the rank stripes on the wrist.

Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the escapades of junior officers Starfleet officers aboard the USS Cerritos, wearing a new take on the Next Generation uniform.

Lower Decks is set in 2380, a year after the Next Generation crew's final mission, Star Trek: Nemesis. It seems Starfleet has ditched the black and grey for a return to bright colors, perfect for the palette of a cartoon.

The Lower Decks uniform includes a simplified badge, a line of silver piping and a point at the bottom. The folding front harks back to the movie tunic. 

In Deep Space Nine's fifth season, the DS9 crew switched to the uniform worn by the Enterprise crew in the movies.

Star Trek: Picard sees a return for the beloved Next Generation captain. He's long left Starfleet behind so he isn't wearing a uniform, although those shoulders look pretty familiar. Picard streams on CBS All Access in the US and Amazon Prime Video elsewhere. 

The show features flashbacks to Picard's final days in Starfleet, when TNG-style coloured shoulders were given a striking striped flourish.

In Picard's present day, the more streamlined shoulders have returned, but with a new collar.

This is the admiral's version of the 32nd century uniform.

As Discovery continued, the ship jumps forward to the future where Starfleet's uniforms are grey with subtle colored accents and an oval badge. 

In season 4 of Discovery, the 32nd century uniforms invert their colors for a black stripe on familiar blue, gold and red tunics.

Sometimes our heroes are seen in alternative uniforms.

Captain Kirk occasionally wears a green tunic.

Captain Picard got his own version of the Captain's uniform with this blue tunic and red jacket.

Throughout the movies, the captains wear different variations on the captain's vest.

Doctor McCoy gets in on the action with his medical smock.

Captain Kirk gives a martial arts lesson, complete with Starfleet-issue uniform.

Mister Spock models a spacesuit.

The Discovery crew in a modern take on the spacesuit.

For special occasions, the crew don Starfleet dress uniforms.

A fancy Captain Kirk meets the villainous Khan while wearing his dress uniform.

The dress uniform appeared in different forms throughout The Next Generation. Here's the version worn by the crew for a wedding in the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis .

Counsellor Troi got to wear her own clothes throughout The Next Generation. Troi eventually started wearing the official uniform in later seasons, but she wasn't the only character to appear in their own gear.

Child prodigy Wesley Crusher wasn't officially a Starfleet officer, so he wore an outfit that hinted at the uniform style.

Another youngster in the series, Deep Space Nine's Jake Sisko, got to show off much jazzier duds.

When Voyager rescued Seven of Nine from the Borg collective, she expressed her new freedom with some very tight outfits.

Vulcan officer T'Pol also got to wear her own (very tight) outfits. Most illogical.

The crew of the Enterprise have encountered many other uniforms during their voyages, like these Klingon outfits in The Original Series.

Star Trek the movies

The Klingons underwent a serious makeover for the movies and The Next Generation.

Klingons get a modern makeover in Star Trek: Discovery, influenced by their brief appearance in Star Trek Into Darkness.

The Romulans appeared in uniform in The Original Series.

By the time The Next Generation aired, they too had a striking new look.

Eagle-eyed fans will notice that the uniforms aren't always spot-on, like when Uhura was seen in a command uniform in the episode The Corbomite Maneuver.

Occasionally, the crew have to slip out of uniform, like when a time-travelling Kirk and co had to blend in with 1930s America in The City on the Edge of Forever .

Yes, well, anything to blend in, right?

Some of the best alternative uniforms are seen in a parallel universe in the episode Mirror, Mirror.

The mirror universe is home to a fascist version of Starfleet, complete with evil versions of our heroes -- and their uniforms.

Discovery updated the Terran Empire's uniforms in the mirror universe with striking armor.

In 2009, big screen  Star Trek  reboot reinvented the look of the classic series.

In the films Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness , gold is once again the color of command, with metallic insignia on the chest and sleeves. The V-neck shirts are worn over black undershirts.

The film's prologue showed us this glimpse of an earlier uniform, styled somewhere between the blue-ish flightsuit of Enterprise and the colored shirts of The Original Series.

The new films also feature planetside uniforms that nod to the lines and colors of 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

In the 2016 film Star Trek Beyond , the uniforms are subtly altered, with more built-up shoulders and slightly darker panels down the sides.

The neckline nods to the rounded collar of later Next Generation uniforms.

The new films continue the tradition of skin-tight outfits with this diving uniform worn by Lieutenant Uhura.

Star Trek Beyond also sees the crew don blue and yellow jackets when escaping the ship.

The new films recognise that the original Starfleet uniform is one of the most iconic movie or TV costumes ever.

With more Trek on the way, here's to another 50 years of cool uniforms!

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Ranking Every STAR TREK Uniform, From The Original Series to STRANGE NEW WORLDS

Starfleet has had several uniform designs in over 55 years of Star Trek . And we mean several . It’s wild how often Starfleet changes tailors. But while some uniforms have been fashion-forward, others… not so much. Here, we rank all the main Starfleet uniforms seen in the franchise thus far. We are skipping Alt-timeline uniforms , except for the J.J. Abrams Kelvin universe, since it made prominent appearances. And we skipped ones with very brief screen time, such as the U.S.S. Kelvin crew uniforms. So, let’s set phasers to stunning, and talk about some future fashion, ranking from best to worst.

1. Wrath of Khan through Generations (1982-1994)

Costume designer Robert Fletcher designed some of the worst Starfleet uniforms ever for 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Luckily, he got a “do-over” for The Wrath of Khan in 1982, and the subsequent five films . These uniforms are the crème de la crème of Trek wear. Yes, unlike most Starfleet uniforms on this list, they are only one color, maroon. But their design recalls 19th-century nautical uniforms, and so they just look so very regal. Officers must have loved these, because as TNG flashbacks showed us, they stayed in circulation for over fifty years.

2. The Next Generation , Seasons 3-7 (1989-1994)

These are the uniforms most think of when they think of TNG. After seasons one and two costumes were retired (we’ll get into why later), designer Robert Blackman came up with new yet similar uniforms for TNG year three . These had the same color designs as the earlier seasons, but were two-piece jackets and pants combos, and now with a more dignified collar instead of a V-neck. There is something about these that are just simple and classy, and there’s a reason they have remained iconic. Maybe it’s also because we always loved when Jean-Luc pulled down on his shirt in a huff.

3. Picard, Seasons 2-3 (2022-2023)

These first appeared in season two of Picard , and feature prominently in season three . Why do we love these so much? They take the color combo and general aesthetic of the Deep Space Nine/Voyager uniforms, but add the details and front “open flap” of the ‘80s movie uniforms. And it just all works. We kind of wish the black was on the shoulders instead, but hey, it’s ok. These new uniforms rock. Let’s keep them around.

4. First Contact, Insurrection, Nemesis, Deep Space Nine Season 5-7 (1996-2002 )

Usually, we hate gray tones in Starfleet uniforms. But the uniforms introduced in the 1996 film First Contact really are very smooth. And the pop of color in the undershirts/collars keeps them from looking bland and lifeless. Much like the original maroon movie uniforms, these look the most “military” of all the Starfleet uniforms. This fits, as they introduced them in a war with the Borg , and later used them on DS9 when the Federation was at war with the Dominion.

5. Strange New Worlds (2022)

A very recent addition to the canon, the retro-modern uniforms introduced in Strange New Worlds totally evoke the Pop Art colors of the original series. Only with much better fabrics that show much more in terms of details. The little Starfleet Deltas on the shoulders and sleeves? We love that touch. These uniforms prove that the basic concept of the classic ‘60s series still works today if you do them right. Kudos to SNW costume designer Bernadette Croft for bringing that classic style to the modern day.

6. Star Trek (2009) , Into Darkness, Beyond (2009-2016)

Similar to Strange New Worlds , the “retro chic” uniforms of the Kelvin timeline movies were meant to evoke the bright, primary colors of The Original Series . And they really did just that, just as SNW’s uniforms currently do. The only reason that SNW ranks a wee bit higher is that we’re not super crazy about the “shirt over another shirt” thing the Abrams films had going on. Luckily, that was modified for Star Trek Beyond . But other than that detail, we love these.

7. The Original Series, The Animated Series (1966-1969, 1973-1975)

Yes, to modern eyes, these old-school uniforms look kinda cheap. The shirts scream “your Mom’s favorite fabric store,” and instead of a metal badge, it looks like someone slapped a Starfleet Delta sticker on the shirt. But, these bright primary colors instantly grab your eye, and make you think of a fun rainbow-hued future you actually want to live in. So hats off to TOS designer William Ware Theiss, who made these velour uniforms pop on all those tube television sets back in the day. They will live long and prosper.

8. Deep Space Nine Season 1-5, Generations, Voyager (1993-2001)

These uniforms first appeared on Deep Space Nine in 1993, then in the film Generations in 1994 , and finally in Voyager from 1995-2001. Since they were lost in space, Janeway’s crew was stuck with one uniform design for seven years. They are very classic Trek, and are pretty much the TNG era uniforms, only with color on the shoulders and black in the torso. We dig them, and they’d rank higher, except for one thing. The cut and fit of these really make them look like cozy space pajamas. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

9. Discovery Season 4 (2021-2022)

We were not big fans of the original early 23rd-century designs, seen on Starfleet officers on Discovery. Star Trek only really got away with “one color” uniform standard one time (see entry #1). But when Discovery jumped to the 32nd century , the crew got some snazzy new uniforms to go with their new home in the far future. These costumes evoke the best of TOS, TNG , with a touch of the classic nautical tradition seen in the original movie uniforms, right on the shoulder. We hope these stick around in season five and beyond.

10. Lower Decks (2020-Present animated, 2023 live-action)

Yes, this is an animated show. But it’s canon, so we are counting them. We are not sure why the U.S.S. Cerritos has different uniforms than the rest of Starfleet, but we must admit, these are kind of cool. Much like the current Picard season three uniforms, they combine classic ‘90s Starfleet aesthetic with a little bit of the classic film uniforms, with the open flap on the shirt. The real reason we know these are good is that on the Strange New Worlds episode “Those Old Scientists,” both Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) wore the animated uniforms in live-action, and they were quite fetching.

11. The Next Generation Season 1-2 (1987-1989)

During the first two seasons of TNG , creator Gene Roddenberry decided that in the future, no one would want to see wrinkles. Look, he had a lot of wacky ideas. So he had his original series costume designer William Ware Theiss design jumpsuits that looked like spandex. To avoid wrinkles, they came with a foot strap to go over the shoe so that they could pull it taut. This was pure hell on the backs of the cast. Later, they demanded they be changed for season three into two-piece costumes. The basic design is still iconic, but they just look uncomfortable, making these awkward designs rank this low.

12. Discovery Seasons 1-3 (2017-2020)

Discovery’s first two seasons were set ten years prior to TOS, but the leap from these uniforms to what we saw later is head-scratching. While we like the blue hue, the silver piping on them and the accompanying shoes really just make these uniforms look like space tracksuits. It’s as if Starfleet decided to hire Adidas to design for them. When the crew of the Enterprise showed up in season two in classic colors, it just made us dislike these uniforms even more. Luckily, the Discovery crew eventually ditched them for snazzier threads when they landed 900 years in the future in season 3.

13. Prodigy (2021-2022)

Technically, the uniforms used by the kids on the Protostar in the animated series Prodigy are not quite official Starfleet. But these unique uniforms have a cool design overall. We dig the asymmetry in the torso. But we would love them way more if they ditched the grey and gave us some classic gold, red, and blue. Maybe we’ll get there someday. This series is just in its infancy.

14. Picard Season 1 (2020)

We didn’t see that many Starfleet uniforms in the first two seasons of Picard . But the ones we did see didn’t hit the mark. The basic design recalls the old DS9/Voyager uniforms, but there are just too many extra details on the shoulders. They are just a bit too busy. At least for the higher-ranking officers. The lower-ranking officers were ok, the collars are just awkward. Set phasers to “meh.”

15. The Original Series , Pilot Episodes (1965)

Think of these as prototypes. This sweater/pant set was seen first on Captain Christopher Pike in the first TOS pilot “The Cage.” Then again on Kirk in “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” the second pilot. The design is actually kind of snazzy, in a mid-‘60s Mad Men- era way. But the color palette? Just way too muted. They’re just gray/blue and a boring pale yellow. Kind of yawn-worthy. Not awful, but they didn’t last long enough to make an impression. Luckily, when Star Trek went to series, they got much more fun in terms of color choices.

16. Enterprise (2001-2005)

We understand that Enterprise , set only 150 years in the future , was supposed to look more like our own modern era. But man, these Starfleet uniforms really just look like Captain Archer and crew were working as mechanics in a space garage. They are just a tad too real-world looking, and lack any sci-fi fun and fantasy. They’re still better than the Enterprise theme song though. And luckily for them, they are not the lowest ranked on this list.

17. The Motion Picture (1979)

Talk about coming full circle. Robert Fletcher, the same designer who made these lowest-ranked costumes for The Motion Picture , later designed the best uniforms in Star Trek in our estimation, from films II – VI . Much like the DS9/Voyager uniforms, these straight-up look like pajamas. But unlike the ones worn by Sisko and Janeway, these come in boring tones of beige, gray, and white. I’m sorry, Earth tones are Star Wars . We come to Star Trek to taste the rainbow. And Kirk’s regular duty uniform looks like he’s an interplanetary dentist. These made only one appearance, and there’s a reason why. Blow them out the airlock.

Originally published March 1, 2023.

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The Evolution Of The Star Trek Uniform

Fashion aboard the uss enterprise.

Even leaving aside all the spin-off series and Next Generation films, the Starfleet uniform of the original Enterprise crew has changed considerably over the years. From the brightly coloured and iconic looks of the '60s through the neutral monstrosities of The Motion Picture and back again, this uniform is more than just something for Captain Kirk to shred so he can better show his manly chest. We called our fashion expert, Hello Tailor 's Gavia Baker-Whitelaw, to talk us through the history of the Enterprise style...

Even Star Trek’s most devoted fans wouldn’t dare claim that the original series was a high-budget operation. In among the cardboard sets, guest stars had to wear a selection of costumes that ran the gamut from the baffling (an evil baby in a silver lamé toga; girls in hot-pink fur bikinis) to the plain ugly. In one early episode, an entire alien species is kitted out in a vaguely familiar fabric that one later realises is also used for all the bedspreads on-board the Enterprise.

But in the original series Starfleet uniform, Star Trek struck costuming gold.

The red shirt / blue shirt / gold shirt uniforms are an undeniable classic: simple enough to look good on a small budget, and lacking in the kind of retro-futuristic details that might feel dated forty years on – not to mention that the colour coding can be very useful. The bright colours meant you could pick out characters on the small screen (very small in those days), and it’s easy to figure out that each shirt represents a different department: blue for sciences, gold for command, and red for security and engineering. The concept of the doomed “redshirt” security guy has stretched so far beyond a geeky in-joke that it’s even inspired a popular sci-fi novel - Redshirts by John Scalzi - and a fragrance (“Because tomorrow may never come.”)

The only downside of 1960s (or rather 2260s) Starfleet fashion was the dress uniform: shiny, ill-fitting, and involving more gold braid than anyone but Liberace would feel comfortable wearing. Captain Kirk’s was particularly embarrassing, featuring a lime green jacket and a scattering of futuristic “medals” that made it look like a child had crazy-glued cake decorations to Shatner’s chest. That caveat aside, the Original Series made Starfleet look cool.

Sadly, the old uniforms didn’t make it into the movies. When Star Trek: The Motion Picture went into production in the late ‘70s, the brightly coloured shirts were rejected as too garish, and the miniskirts worn by Uhura and most female crewmembers seemed like a dated relic of the sexist ‘60s. Instead Gene Roddenberry, together with acclaimed costume designer Robert Fletcher, created a Starfleet uniform that is now remembered as the nadir of Star Trek movie costuming mistakes.

Intended to avoid comparisons with military uniforms, the new costumes used “natural” fabrics that went through some sort of Uncanny Valley of costume design, ultimately succeeding in looking as unnatural as humanly possible. In a colour scheme ranging from pale blue to unsettlingly flesh-toned beige and brown, everyone on the Enterprise was shoehorned into an unflattering selection of jumpsuits and surgical scrubs. In one scene, Kirk wore a white tunic that serves the dual purpose of showing off William Shatner’s middle-aged arm hair, and making him look like he’d been moonlighting as an attendant at a health spa.

The end result is distractingly ugly (background extras occasionally looked naked, thanks to their skin-coloured bodysuits), and weirdly impractical. The original colour-coded uniforms were inspired by those worn on the flight deck of aircraft carriers, where extreme noise levels meant personnel had to be able to recognise one other’s function at a glance. Not only was it impossible to tell people’s rank and department using the new Starfleet uniforms, but the supposedly futuristic bodysuits had matching shoes attached to the trousers, meaning that actors had to get an assistant to help them when they went to the bathroom. Happily for all of us, the cast rebelled, and refused to wear the nightmarish fleshbag suits for another movie.

Determined to make a change, Robert Fletcher stayed on as costume designer for the next three movies. The uniforms went back to a more military style for The Wrath Of Khan, with the main cast wearing burgundy jackets with overlapping lapels that they could dramatically rip open if their character was called upon to look tired or stressed out. The change in colour scheme, by the way, was not so much for design reasons as because the new uniforms were actually the old uniforms from The Motion Picture, dyed to a dark red (picked because it was the best dye that actually stuck to the Motion Picture costume fabrics).

Budgetary serendipity struck again, and the burgundy colour, combined with a variety of Naval-inspired turtlenecks, stuck around until the Star Trek movie torch was passed on to Captain Picard and the Next Generation crew. With the exception of the casual-looking suede bomber jackets worn when characters beamed down to an alien planet, the 1980s uniforms didn’t date too badly -- mostly because they largely adhere to what we think of as a traditional military dress uniform. The boxy tailoring is more formal than anything seen earlier in the series, and details like vertical stripes down the side of the trousers are a direct reference to real-world military traditions.

The sets for the 1960s Starship Enterprise are so blocky and low budget that there was no quibble when J.J. Abrams upgraded them for those gleaming, iPod-like interiors. But while many aspects of the old Star Trek universe were abandoned, the red shirts and Spock’s familiar blue uniform were a reassuring nod to long-time fans. And because that uniform is so simple and iconic, very few changes were even necessary. Costume designer Michael Kaplan (who’d also worked on Blade Runner and Fight Club) added charcoal grey undershirts and did away with the cropped trousers and booties of the ‘60s, but aside from that the basic elements remained the same.

The biggest point of contention was the Starfleet minidress. In the ‘60s they were eye candy and in the ‘70s they were dated and sexist, but in the 21st century they’re a fan favourite among cosplayers and convention-goers. The 2009 movie brought them back as an optional uniform, with Uhura wearing a minidress while many other female crewmembers chose trousers instead.

One popular fan theory suggests that *all *the uniforms are unisex. This handily excuses the perceived sexism of the “female” uniform, and is backed up by scenes in The Next Generation where male extras were seen wearing what are clearly Starfleet mini-dresses (not, it has to be said, very often and never, it has to be said, in the case of leading manly men like Riker). Uhura’s personal preference for this style is well-documented, since in Star Trek VI a 60-year-old Nichelle Nichols is seen wearing a customised miniskirt uniform while the younger crewmembers are all dressed in trouser suits.

Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine might have abs of granite, but even they couldn’t carry off the overly bedazzled Original Series dress uniforms. There, the reboot sensibly went for a more sedate charcoal grey number, with Admiral Pike wearing a paler version reminiscent of The Motion Picture (but not, thankfully, *too *reminiscent). Overall, the new uniforms were the most coherent of the series. Black undershirts for everyone, with cadets wearing a maroon version of the officers’ dress uniform, and ribbed turtleneck sweaters inspired by the 1980s-era films. The coolest detail is that the everyday shirts have the Starfleet insignia embossed into every inch of the fabric on a miniscule scale.

Star Trek Into Darkness brings three additions to Starfleet’s rebooted uniform: wetsuits, jumpsuits with windows at the shoulders to reveal the shirt colour underneath, and pale grey dress uniforms that bear an unfortunate resemblance to those worn by officers aboard the Death Star. The wetsuits are intriguing, signalling that either we get to see an underwater action sequence in the new movie (a lot of the posters do show characters looking pretty wet and also pretty, wet), or some other activity that requires everyone to dress like a cross between a Tron character and Captain America. Either way, they fit in well with the movie’s slick aesthetic, and even include a nod to the regular uniforms in the form of colour-coded detailing. Wherever they’re boldly going, at least they’re going in style.

Head to Empire's 10 Essential Star Trek Articles

“The Lost Era” Uniform Timeline

• January 5, 2022
• General Star Trek costumes , TNG , TWOK

As a preface to my updated TNG costuming resources and my upcoming TWOK-era uniform projects, I thought it would be neat to examine what we know of the “The Lost Era” uniform timeline, from the TOS-era movies to TNG.

I’ll be discussing the evolution of the TWOK-era uniforms in my upcoming TWOK-era costume analyses , so for now I’ll only be mentioning uniform changes that I believe pertain to “The Lost Era” and TNG-era uniforms.

Also, for this discussion I’ll be confining my observations to (what I believe were) intentional creative decisions, NOT errors, omissions, or “goofs.”

QUESTIONS ...

In canon – that is, only taking into consideration what was actually seen on-screen during the film/TV franchise – it’s not clear when exactly William Ware Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms became the standard uniforms for Starfleet.

All we really know for sure is that it seems to have been during “The Lost Era” between the launch of the Enterprise B (as seen in Generations ) and “Encounter at Farpoint” (as seen in The Next Generation ).

How and when the transition between the TWOK-era uniforms and the TNG-era uniforms took place is a vague issue that’s prompted considerable speculation over the years.

Was there another uniform style at some point in the meantime?

Were the TNG-era uniforms phased in slowly, or were they implemented all at once?

After the heavily-structured, naval, even militaristic TWOK-era uniforms, at what point did skin-tight spandex jumpsuits and unisex mini-dresses become the new standard for Starfleet?

The unenviable task of dealing with these questions in a way that would make sense – both chronologically (in-universe), and to the audience (visually) – first fell to William Ware Theiss, as The Next Generation ’s initial costume designer.

WILLIAM WARE THEISS' APPROACH

Prior to the launch of Star Trek: The Next Generation , William Ware Theiss had also been the costume designer for Star Trek: The Original Series and the aborted Star Trek: Phase II .

Between Phase II ’s abandonment and The Next Generation ’s launch, however, there had been four feature films with the original cast, for which Robert Fletcher was costume designer and Gene Roddenberry had had limited involvement.

These films featured different Starfleet uniforms and numerous classes/variations, many of which are loved by fans (particularly the “Monster Maroons”), but none of which bore much resemblance to any of Theiss’ costume designs for The Original Series .

After the success of these films, the spinoff TV series was green-lit with Gene Roddenberry “restored to power” as a showrunner, who recruited Theiss to be the costume designer for TNG.

Roddenberry is said to have been unhappy with certain aspects of the films, including what he saw as the militarization of Starfleet, which was also reflected in the movie-era uniforms.

I suspect that one reason the TNG-era uniforms were so drastically different from their TWOK-era predecessors was an attempt by Roddenberry to visually distance – or even disassociate – The Next Generation from the TOS-era movies as far as possible.

Furthermore, Theiss’ approach to designing the costumes for the new series seems to have simply been to “pick up where he left off,” perhaps acknowledging superficial aspects of Robert Fletcher’s movie-era uniforms but mostly just ignoring them.

Theiss favored knit fabrics and unstructured uniforms toward the end of TOS, Fletcher favored heavily-structured wool uniforms for ST2 through ST4, and then Theiss designed unstructured spandex uniforms for TNG.

Theiss established three division colors in TOS, Fletcher introduced more and changed their associations, and Theiss returned to the three division colors for TNG.

… etc., etc.

It is my personal belief that Theiss may have felt slighted by Fletcher’s radically-different uniform designs and, after Phase II never made it off the ground, the success of the movies was salt in his wound …

In Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier , Theiss is quoted saying, “Bob Fletcher is a very fine designer, and I mean that sincerely – but we don’t design the same way, and there’s no reason we should. Apples and oranges. My personal feeling is, if you go to a structured, woven fabric, and use the kind of tailoring and structuring he’s done, it puts those costumes back, historically, five hundred years, with shoulder seams and shoulder pads of that type.”

But regardless of the personal feelings of anyone involved or the creative direction from The Powers That Be, Theiss’ approach to “The Lost Era” uniform transition appears to have basically been, “Ignore the TOS movie uniforms and pretend they never happened!”

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that, right from the beginning of The Next Generation ‘s pilot, everyone was already wearing Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms.

The characters on Farpoint Station waiting for the Enterprise to arrive were already in uniform, as well.

(It wasn’t like the Deep Space Nine pilot in that regard, when the show’s cast members were first introduced wearing the existing TNG-style uniforms and gradually switched over to the new VOY-style uniforms over the course of the episode.)

The only (other) instance in which Theiss had to address the uniform transition was about a third of the way through The Next Generation ‘s first season, in the episode “The Battle.”

During the episode, Captain Picard mentally relived the events from 2355, which was approximately eight years prior to the episode.

By now, it shouldn’t be surprising that for these flashback events, Theiss dressed the former Stargazer crew in his TNG-era uniforms. 

Considering Theiss’ apparent attitude AND the fact that this was ultimately just a mental hallucination inflicted by an illegal telepathic device (with malicious intent), I believe it worthy of mention here … but ONLY as a possible example of the Starfleet uniform timeline, not necessarily a factual one. 

That said, in The Next Generation ’s pilot, Theiss DID dress Admiral McCoy in trousers reminiscent of those from the TWOK-era …

I believe this to have been intended to represent the character as a sort of relic and/or “living legend” from generations prior.

Curiously, for the original wardrobe/make-up tests (as seen on The Next Generation season 1 Blu-Ray set ), McCoy was dressed in a variation of his TWOK-era “monster maroon” uniform.

Note the TNG-era communicator, and the lack of the right shoulder strap.

This may have been done purely for convenience, since Deforest Kelley would’ve probably had several uniforms readily-available from the first four TOS movies, or perhaps Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms weren’t quite ready yet.

It could have simply been an experiment, an abandoned creative direction, or any number of other possibilities.

In any event, it never made it on-screen (in-universe), so it technically “doesn’t count.”

I mention it here because it may have been a source of creative inspiration for Robert Blackman, costume designer on The Next Generation from the third season forward.

ROBERT BLACKMAN'S APPROACH

Whereas William Ware Theiss had created this issue and then more or less ignored it (Gene Roddenberry’s potential directions notwithstanding), Robert Blackman inherited it by default when he came on board the show in season three … and he had to contend with it several times over the remainder of the franchise. 

(Durinda Rice Wood was costume designer for TNG’s second season, although the issue of the uniform transition never arose that production year.)

Blackman’s strategy for addressing the uniform transition – aside from actually acknowledging it, of course! – appears to have been to “bridge the gap” between the two uniform styles by gradually transforming the TWOK-era uniforms into the TNG-era ones to the best of his ability.

He had numerous opportunities to present various stages of the transition, as he seemingly envisioned it.

Robert Fletcher’s TWOK-era uniforms and William Ware Theiss’ TNG-style uniforms were so radically different, transforming the former into the latter was certainly no easy task – probably not even practical to even attempt, but Blackman certainly did the best he could, considering the situation he inherited!

Some fans have criticized various errors and faux-pas with the TWOK-era uniforms seen during Blackman’s tenure, but personally I’m inclined to overlook most of them considering the incredible difficulty of his position.

Blackman inherited a wardrobe full of notoriously uncomfortable uniforms which needed to be redesigned and upgraded, in a way that stayed true to the essence of their original design while still being new, different, and more comfortable for the cast.

In addition to the monumental task of upgrading an entire production’s worth of uniforms AND introducing a whole line of new ones, he also had to continually crank out costumes for the guest stars and “aliens of the week.”

Whenever a flashback/time-travel/etc. scenario showed up in the script, Blackman would probably have had a week or less to make it all happen, with all the other stuff going on as well!

Fletcher’s TWOK-era uniforms were probably the most intricately-detailed costumes in the franchise, particularly regarding all the various accessories, trinkets, accents, detailing, positioning of the various components

Dedicated fans study for weeks, months, or even years trying to wrap their brains around Fletcher’s uniforms, often with the intention of getting their own, personal costume “just right.”

But Blackman would have a fraction of that time AND would nearly always have to address the issue of the uniform transition, each time never knowing if or when the writers would revisit “The Lost Era,” or during what specific window any future visit(s) would be set.

In short, Blackman had to incorporate the work of five (!) other costume designers into the show, carrying their legacies forward while cleaning up other peoples’ messes AND making his own creative contributions, under weekly deadlines.

With that in mind, I’ll outline what we do know about the Starfleet uniform timeline here, in approximate chronological “stardate order” – that is, the order that events took place in-universe, although the actual episodes/movies referenced were in a different production order.

Unsurprisingly, the TWOK-era uniforms were in full-swing in 2278, approximately 85 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint,” as evidenced by the crew of the Bozeman .

Interestingly, that actually predates the events depicted in The Wrath of Khan by several years, making this the earliest example of the TWOK-era uniforms seen in-universe!

As mentioned previously, the TWOK-era uniforms were still in style at the time of the Enterprise B’s launch in 2293, approximately 71 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint.”

The following year, 2294, Scotty was aboard the Jenolen when it crashed onto the Dyson Sphere.

He and one other person survived the crash, and he rigged the transporter to preserve them indefinitely until they were rescued.

When the TNG crew discovered the crashed ship and completed the transporter cycle, we saw that Scotty was still wearing the more casual class (or variant) of his movie-era uniform, like he’d worn for most of the final three original movies.

Since he wound up being the sole survivor of the crash, we don’t know what the other Starfleet passengers or crew was wearing, but I think it’s safe to assume they were still wearing the movie-era uniforms at that point.

And I find it interesting that after his wounds were treated and he’d cleaned up, he continued to wear this uniform style for the rest of the episode.

He didn’t seem to feel the need to switch to the present-day Starfleet uniform, nor did any of the Enterprise crew seem at all inclined to make an issue of it.

It made sense for the characters, but I also think it was a great creative choice for two reasons:

First, our most recent (and perhaps strongest) visual association with Scotty by this point was like this ; sticking him in the TNG-era uniform would’ve seemed disrespectful somehow.

And second, it was a great visual representation of Scotty’s situation and what his character was dealing with in this episode; he was a man out of time, a relic of the past who wanted so badly to be useful in a world of new engineering and technology that was beyond him.

Aaaand that’s where things start to get a little hazy …

In 2327, approximately 36 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint” and shortly after Jean-Luc Picard graduated from Starfleet Academy, the TWOK-era uniforms were still in use.

However, the quilted turtleneck-style division shirts had been replaced with what appeared to be a plain, T-shirt style division shirt underneath. 

In 2343, approximately 20 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint,” the TWOK-era uniforms were still worn in this manner, as evidenced by the memory of Ian Troi that Deanna experienced inside of Lwaxana’s mind during their telepathic connection.

It IS worth noting that this telepathic projection may not have been Ian Troi as he appeared at the time of his death in 2343, but possibly Deanna’s memory of him sometime prior to that year.

Around that time, major changes seem to have been made to the TWOK-era Starfleet uniforms.

By 2344, approximately 19 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint,” the TWOK-era uniforms were still worn by Starfleet crew, but the undershirts had been eliminated entirely, as had the belts.

Curiously, though, the uniforms worn by the enlisted crew members were still worn with belts …

A few years later, around 2348 (approximately 15 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint”), the TWOK-era Starfleet insignia pin worn on the left chest had been replaced with the TNG-era communicator, as evidenced by the hologram Jack Crusher made for Wesley shortly after his birth.

It also looks like the division stripes running down the trousers’ pant legs may have been removed, but it’s difficult to tell for sure …

Chronologically and in-universe, that was the last time that any variation of the TWOK-era uniforms were ever seen on-screen.

As a side note, a minor modification Blackman made to nearly all of the aforementioned “Lost Era” TWOK uniforms was to replace the gold trim on the left sleeve band with red.

In-universe, this trend may have begun as early as 2293 (albeit intermittently), considering these Demora Sulu and actor Tim Russ’ costumes from Generations :

However, at that point it definitely wasn’t a universal change.

If one wanted to, I suppose one could make a case that, in-universe, the “red trim” thing only kicked in with younger and/or junior officers at that point … but I really just think it was one of the (many) confusing ways that Generations fumbled.

On the other hand, Generations did give Blackman the opportunity to further nudge the TWOK-era uniforms toward their TNG-era successors with Captain Kirk’s vest.

The black panels on the sides were not only slimming (definitely more flattering on Shatner at that point), but they were subtly evocative of the black panels on the sides of the TNG jumpsuits and TNG skants .

This was a great way to suggest the beginnings of a uniform transition, and as a crossover/“passing-the-torch” movie the context was perfect!

Considering the beginning and ending, that’s about as fluid a uniform transformation as could be reasonably expected, short of whipping up some transitional skin-tight, spandex, jumpsuit-style “monster maroon” uniforms …

… or some short-sleeved, skirt-length “monster maroons” worn without pants …

Good call, Mr. Blackman!

Opinions vary regarding the aesthetic appeal of Blackman’s transitional “Lost Era” uniforms and quite a few logistical errors were made over the years, but I think he made a great creative decision to approach the issue the way he did, and I don’t think anyone could’ve done a better job reconciling two radically different uniform styles.

By the time of Jack Crusher’s death in 2353 (approximately 10 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint”), it appears that Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms had become the standard, as evidenced by Beverly Crusher’s flashback of herself and Captain Picard going to view Jack Crusher’s body at what appeared to be a morgue.

As mentioned previously, as of 2355 (approximately 8 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint”), Starfleet crew seem to have donned Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms, as evidenced by Captain Picard’s hallucinatory recollection.

I find this is somewhat curious, though, since the Stargazer appeared to be a TOS movie-era ship …

In fact, the bridge of the Stargazer looked eerily familiar …

On the other hand, consistency in Starfleet ship design makes sense, and they often built these ships to last!

We know of numerous starships that were in service for decades, perhaps most famously the Excelsior -class.

And in the episode “Relics,” Geordi even told Scotty that the Jenolen – a ship over eighty years old – might’ve still been in service if it weren’t so banged up.

(And I’m sure that the existence of the TOS movie-era sets at the time of The Next Generation had absolutely nothing to do with any of this …) 

A few years later, in 2358 (approximately 5 years prior to “Encounter at Farpoint”), Blackman wedged in this curious variation of a Starfleet admiral uniform …

It appeared to be a stylistic hybrid of both the TWOK-era and TNG-era uniforms, albeit with the Voyager -era communicator – whoops!

Again though, all three of the previous examples I mentioned were telepathically-induced recollections/hallucinations/impersonations, forcibly imposed by malicious aliens, so their reliability as evidence is questionable for our purposes.

However, they do seem to lend a certain amount of credence to each other.

Even if we disregard all three of the previous examples, though, Theiss’ TNG-era Starfleet uniforms had still at least appeared by 2353, as evidenced by the photo of Jeremiah Rossa’s parents.

This seems to validate the Starfleet uniform timeline, as seen in the aforementioned visions/hallucinations/recollections/etc.

There were three additional examples prior to “Encounter at Farpoint” during which we saw Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms being worn by Starfleet crew.

The first was in the Victory ‘s away team sensor logs, about a year before “Encounter at Farpoint,” during which Geordi La Forge was still a junior officer on an away mission with several other crew members, all of whom donned Theiss’ TNG-era uniforms.

The second was Lieutenant “Thomas” Riker, the transporter clone of “William” Riker from perhaps a year or so prior to “Encounter at Farpoint.”

Curiously though, while his uniform was obviously the Theiss-style, it was an unusual variant in two ways:

First, it was a jacket, rather than a jumpsuit.

And second, it appears to have been made from wool gabardine, as Blackman’s TNG-era uniform jackets were, rather than the appropriate jumbo spandex. It was also lined.

And lastly, in The Next Generation ‘s final episode, we saw that at the time of the Enterprise D’s launch, all the crew members were already in Theiss’ TNG-era Starfleet uniforms (again, unlike the Deep Space Nine pilot, in which the cast was introduced in one uniform style then changing to the new one). 

IN CONCLUSION

I have the greatest respect for Robert Fletcher, William Ware Theiss, and Robert Blackman as costume designers … even if their artistic visions for future Starfleet uniforms were radically different. 🙂

I think they all three did fantastic work on the franchise, and assuming my outsider’s perspective is reasonably accurate, I understand why they each made the decisions they did while making their respective contributions.

Personally, I think Robert Blackman chose the best approach to address “The Lost Era” uniform transition, and I believe he did as good a job as could possibly have been done – particularly under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.

If you enjoyed this blog post, please support my costume research on Ko-Fi .

Every bar of gold-pressed latinum goes toward producing more sewing/costuming resources like this, for everyone interested in Star Trek costumes. 🙂

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Awesome article and video! Although there may have been another in-between uniform, as seen in Jean-Luc's crate in his Stargazer cabin in "The Battle". Something I noticed a few years ago.

https://twitter.com/gaghyogi49/status/1284601458265137152?s=20

That was actually Larry Marvick's costume from the TOS episode, "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"

In-universe, I can only assume that it might be in Picard's possession because of his interest in history ... but it might've been Theiss just slipping it into the episodes for reasons of his own.

It's neat to consider it as an in-between uniform concept, but I don't really see any canonical evidence for it.

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What Do The Star Trek Uniform Colors Mean & Why Are They So Important?

"Star Trek" is definitely a technicolor wonderland of a show. That sense of eye-catching brilliance trickles down from the background scenery to the props used by each cast member, all the way to the uniforms the show's central crew wears as a part of their duties. 

It's easy to notice that the crew of the Starship Enterprise wear tunics in varying shades. Those colors are quite important — they denote which job class each crew member belongs to. Those classes were devised by series creator Gene Roddenberry and costume designer William Ware Theiss, and are intended to resemble the classifications used by the United States Military on noise-heavy aircraft carriers. 

Sometimes there are differences allowed for dress uniforms; the command staff, for instance, will wear green uniforms during formal occasions. And these rules aren't hard and fast ones; across the whole universe of "Star Trek" series, films, and other ephemera, the colors various officers wear on the show and the meanings behind them change depending on when the scene takes place in the show's general timeline. But these are the color codes that most often denote each character's job on the ship, and the ones used during the original "Star Trek" series to explain who is who and what they do.

The term 'red shirt' gained a negative connotation

Even if you're not a "Star Trek" fan, you've probably heard jokes about how often red-shirted officers are introduced to the show, only for them to quickly die during away missions. For a period of time, the term "red shirt" became a dirty word in the "Star Trek" world; it's gone on to take on a larger cultural significance, indicating that a person is a disposable background element easy to get rid of. And yet many of the show's red-toting characters are the franchise's longest-lasting individuals. The class encompasses the engineering, security, and communication staff positions on the Enterprise. Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) and Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (James Doohan) are among the most prominent crew members who wear scarlet hues. To wear red on the bridge is definitely a high honor.

Are 'red shirts' more doomed than their counterparts? Mathematician James Grime weighed in on the subject during a talk at New York's Museum of Mathematics in 2017. A simple statistical calculation revealed that 10% of the show's red-shirted denizens die during the original show's run — compared to 18 percent of golden-shirted characters. "There is some truth in the old 'Star Trek' myth if you look at security officers ... 20 percent of security officers died. So I think the moral of the story is, if you're on the starship Enterprise and you want to survive, be a scientist," he said.

Ironically, crimson red was eventually used to denote a position of authority on the ship; the uniforms that debuted in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" place the crew in scarlet togs, with no color divisions to mark them.

Blue denotes a scientific mind

If you're feeling blue during your time on the Enterprise, then you're probably logically-minded. Throughout much of the original "Star Trek" series, blue uniforms were given to the show's science and medical officers. That's why Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett), and Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) can be seen sporting blue tunics throughout the series' run. The designation of blue uniforms hasn't changed much during the course of various "Star Trek" series; blue and purple shades are used to indicate ship medics in such continuations of the universe as "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Blue was also the chosen shade for the crew uniforms in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," with splashes of brown, oatmeal and white. This change didn't go over well with the cast. Their rebellion against the baggy uniforms went beyond their alleged unsightliness; costume designer Robert Fletcher sewed shoes into the bottom of each uniform, forcing the actors to ask their assistants for help in completing simple tasks such as going to the bathroom. A change was promptly made for the next film, and the red Navy-style uniforms stuck with the whole movie franchise until "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was launched.

Golden shirts denote power

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), meanwhile, sports a gold-colored shirt. These are the outfits worn by those in command: largely, captains and other figures of authority. In other iterations of the show, gold tunics are worn by members of the ship's security staff. In any event, it's a uniform that denotes power.

But those shirts weren't actually intended to be golden at all; in reality, they were pale green tunics that were filmed as golden or orange-looking thanks to the sort of film the show used. According to an interview conducted with Bill Thiess in 1988 for Star Trek Prop Authority , it wasn't the show's intent to present Kirk and other captains as wearing gold at all. "It was one of those film stock things; it photographed one way – burnt orange or a gold. But in reality was another; the command shirts were definitely green." Unfortunately, thanks to that mistake the look has stuck, and Kirk's uniform is more often remembered as golden instead of green.

Whether they're sporting green or dodging danger in red, there's one thing officers on the Enterprise definitely know how to do – look stylish in a timelessly classical way.

Redesigning Starfleet’s Uniforms for Star Trek II

Few of the people involved in the production of the second Star Trek motion picture were happy with the uniforms Robert Fletcher had designed for the first.

“I don’t blame them,” Fletcher told Star Trek: The Magazine years later. “I didn’t like them much myself!”

The costumes seemed to sum up everything that was disappointing about the film: they lacked color and drama. They were bland.

Fletcher, who had been brought in on The Motion Picture to redesign the uniforms William Ware Theiss had designed for the original television series, was asked to redesign them again. Except this time, there would be less budget.

Fletcher and Producer Robert Sallin decided to salvage what they could from the costumes that had been created for The Motion Picture by changing the tailoring and colors. A series of dye tests revealed that the old uniforms could take three colors well: a blue grey, a gold and a dark red. The plan was to use these modified uniforms for the non-commissioned crew and cadets while enough money was found to design an altogether new wardrobe for the main characters.

Hornblower in space

When Nicholas Meyer joined the production as director, he had specific ideas about what he wanted to see in the new costumes.

I decided that this was going to be Hornblower in outer space, so I said, “OK, if this is going to be the navy, let’s hem them look like the navy; they shouldn’t be walking around in pyjamas,” which seemed to me to be what the uniforms in the first movie and the TV show looked like.

Meyer gave Fletcher one more instruction: he wanted the new uniforms to pay homage to the costumes worn in The Prisoner of Zenda (1937).

Fletcher began his work by producing a series of quick sketches. “I’ve always been used to an almost automatic drawing method,” he explained.

I scribble a lot and out of the scribbles comes the idea. Then I link that visual I’ve found for myself with other things intellectually and produce a scheme.

Fletcher was careful not to reproduce existing naval uniforms and used the dark red color that had been discovered during the dye tests. Meyer liked this approach, since it made the costumes dramatic and created a strong contrast with the background.

The first version of the uniform had a stiff black collar like the costumes in Prisoner of Zenda . Bob Sallin suggested changing this to a turtleneck. When he made the alternations, Fletcher decided to use trapunto, which is a form of vertical quilting.

Military uniforms

The new uniforms looked far more like military outfits than the ones from the first movie, which Fletcher conceded in an interview with Cinefantastique defied the Star Trek tradition.

“[Gene] Roddenberry always contended that the Federation is not a military organization. Yet they always behaved as if it were,” he argued. “They have ranks, they have military courtesy and Kirk is definitely in command on his ship.”

Meyer preferred the military look and asked Fletcher to design rank insignia to make the uniforms look even more like uniforms.

There was kind of a complicated arrangement of divisions and ranks expressed by the braid on the sleeves. I made that up. I organized it and produced a little instruction booklet about it for the wardrobe department and anyone else who was interested.

Initially, the insignia were worn on a band around the upper arm. This was moved to the cuff.

The last major change was to redesign the flap of the double-breasted jacket so it could actually open. This was something Meyer requested. He felt the lighter color on the inside of the flap would frame the actors’ faces better.

However, the flaps presented Robert Fletcher with a problem. When it was open, one could clearly see the snaps that held it in place — and these looked distinctly unfuturistic.

In order to make it look less like plain old snaps, I found this sterling silver chain that looked strange. I ordered a reel of it and sewed it in with the snaps to give it a feeling that it was perhaps a magnetic closing.

Fletcher then designed several variations of the uniform, most of which were worn by Kirk and not by the other characters.

It’s normal in any kind of military organization that you don’t have just one uniform; you have uniforms for specific tasks and specific times of day — formal, informal, combat, and so on. Kirk is the lead, so he goes through the most variations. When it seemed appropriate, he had a change.

Robert Fletcher’s new Starfleet uniform remained in use until the original cast retired, becoming as much a part of the Star Trek universe as William Ware Theiss’ originals.

30 comments

Gawd, I HATED the Star Trek II uniforms. So bulky and uncomfortable-looking. And I can only imagine how ridiculously hot they must have been under the stage lights — like wearing a fur-lined parka.

I liked them. They provided a real world feel to the whole picture. I think they looked somewhat comfortable, granted it must’ve been hot under those studio lights. They look no more bulky than a suit jacket. My only quibble is that they should’ve kept the division colors from The Original Series to provide a greater sense of continuity.

I agree with Jaren, completely.

I don’t agree with the different colors for the organization. Starfleet is supposed to be inclusive and not a segregate organization. Offering different colors for bands or depts is fine, but The Wrath of Khan uniforms were the first time an organization had a uniform. A set attire that included everyone in one cause. The military has that uniformity and so NASA, a civilian organization the organization Starfleet is suppose to be mimicking. To have lavish colors and different varieties was a product of the 60s, nothing more.

Erm… Chris… those were *all* uniforms. If you look at military forces, they all have different uniforms within themselves, with different ones for different purposes. The whole “ermagerd, colors aren’t uniform!” argument is nonsensical. You need only look at the flight decks of aircraft carriers to see the various colored shirts and uniforms in use there, with each denoting a different function. These illustrate and explain the different colors and functions: link 1 , link 2 .

I think they sort of kept the division colors, on the shoulder strap and the arm band. I think they were a vast improvement over The Motion Picture .

Could not disagree more. Terrible design. The only thing I didn’t enjoy in that film at all.

You must be a product of the peace and love era… the Star Trek II uniforms were most likely hot as hell, but the didn’t look like actors wearing PJ’s on screen. Those uniforms were the best of all TV and movies put together…

Another distinguishing feature seems to be the sweaters under the uniform jackets. For example, command officers wear white sweaters and medical personnel wear green. And so on.

These uniforms were absolutely brilliant and evokes a sense of nautical regality missing in TOS and TMP. Fabulous Star Trek design sense with a nod to ‘cavalry bib’ tunics, bloused ‘paratrooper’ trousers and British full dress colorations combine to make the most powerful, memorable and distinct Star Trek uniform of all iterations; class, swagger, and dash. The perfect uniform for the command crew of the Enterprise and Starfleet!

I hated the redesigned uniforms for Star Trek II and beyond. In the 1968 book The Making of Star Trek , Gene Roddenberry is quoted as saying that clothes (uniforms) in the future would not have zippers, buttons, clips, belts and many of what was ultimately in the design of the “red” uniforms. I wasn’t troubled by the uniforms in The Motion Picture except that they lacked color. In fact, I prefer the original uniform design by William Theiss of the first two seasons of TNG over the Robert Blackman redesigned uniforms for TNG’s remaining seasons. IMHO, William Theiss was a far superior costume designer than Robert Blackman. The actors never liked them, because of their one-piece design, but they were tight-fitting to the actors’ body, and were not as “baggy” as the Blackman TNG redesign. Just look at what jumpsuit the Space Shuttle astronauts wore from the fifth shuttle flight to the flight of Challenger ’s destruction. Blue coveralls (seemed like one piece) uniforms with just a open helmet with an emergency air pack. After the Challenger accident NASA went back to using ungainly pressurized space suits, but in the end those wouldn’t have saved the astronauts in the event of another Challenger -type disaster, nor the demise of shuttle Columbia .

There’s a reason why the actors of TNG preferred the later uniforms, and that was because to create the effect of no wrinkles, the actors would wear costumes that were too small for them, and so the new uniforms were designed, otherwise they’d lose Patrick Stewart because he was having back problems. Same reason why TOS actors preferred the TWOK uniforms over TMP. Gene Roddenberry was trying to create a futuristic look, but the problem with his vision of clothing was that he had no idea that functional clothing evolved based on comfort.

I have always hated the ST:WOK uniforms. For all of reasons stated above. The closest thing they’ve come to a merging of the styles was DS9’s uniforms. Which worked for practicality. You’re not gonna sit for eight hours in a ST:WOK uniform without skin chaffing and massively sweating. Not to mention how stiff they’d be in trying to reach across consoles. They were horrible.

I actually liked the design of the TMP uniforms. They were practical and in reality, one can imagine they would have been quick to don and doff. Essential for a duty uniform. Fletcher muted the colors as it was felt the bright colors from the series would have looked comical on the big screen. The idea of the utility jacket with large pockets for away missions made sense, as did Scotty’s onesie with the large thigh pockets for engineering. When you look at the TMP design as a progression of the TOS uniforms it seems logical (pun intentional). The Star Trek II designs are a complete departure to the design aesthetic. They did a lot of weird retrofitting in Star Trek II ; notably the communicators and phasers. In TMP, the communicator was compact and wrist-worn, and the phaser was very streamlined. The communicator that Kirk uses in the Genesis Cave scene looks like the clunky version from “The Menagerie/Cage”.

You are right on the communicator, but I would say in some ways it looked even clunkier than “The Cage” one (but at least it wasn’t transparent!) The phasers from TWOK were actually the same as TMP though, you can briefly see security with them on the bridge during the V’Ger attack and there are behind-the-scenes photo with either Nimoy or Shatner holding one while wearing a space suit.

What was wrong with the original idea? Lime Green (Command and Operations) Blue (Science and Medical) Red Engineering and Security) made Star Trek unique! This is Trek ’s TRADEMARK! It’s DIFFERENT! From Battlestar Galactica and any other sci-fi series. The other sci-fi shows generally use a ‘military’ style idea, which Gene Roddenberry was insisting that the Federation is not a military organisation. So, what was/is wrong with the original three colors? Simple, and practical, non-belligerent and iconic for Star Trek . If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. For me, it was such a relief when the three colors were brought back for the film reboots, it proves that it works for the big screen as well as the small. I hope that the original creation will prevail!

As a chef, I loved the new uniforms with the flap that could be undone for more casual times. The decision was far better than TMP.

Has always been one of my favorite uniforms. As to the comfort, they seem no more or less comfortable than a chef’s coat, and they work in hot, greasy, humid, kitchens for 10 hours. I doubt the 100 percent climate- and humidity-controlled environment of a starship would be an issue, and future fabrics would behave differently. (“It is very *cold* in space!”) I think in reality even the senior officers would more frequently wear what the extras wore, the jackets tend to lend an air of dress uniform to it that seems unnecessary for routine operations or training operations. Real world budget restraints aside, there should be a casual variant much like Kirk’s green wraparound tunic he wore in TOS.

I love the Wrath of Khan unis! Kirk looked like a freakin’ doctor in that white monstrosity from TMP!

Unless I am mistaken, the jackets were for officer uniforms only. I saw it as a means of identification among the crew, same as the rank insignia. Higher ranking officers usually have more “ornate” uniforms, do they not?

Check out the extra standing behind Ms Nichols in the candid photo. He is like “Guy” from Galaxy Quest … look its crewman #6. I would have done the same thing. I personally loved these uniforms. I bought the pattern back in the late 80s and had a friend who is a seamstress make it for me.

The best Trek uniforms of all time. I loved how they gave them a shout out in some TNG episodes (minus the turtleneck shirt.)

The Wrath of Khan uniforms lasted for the longest time, the 2280s until after Picard graduated from Starfleet Academy, the crew of Enterprise -C wore them minus the turtleneck as well. They blew the TMP uniforms out of the water, ever see one at a con? NO ONE likes the TMP uniforms. Kirk’s bomber jacket, the Regula I field jacket, I still want both AND a The Wrath of Khan uniform, but then I want a TOS dress tunic/pants and an Enterprise uniform too. We can dream right?

Those are exactly the uniforms I want myself.

Jumpsuit onesies actually cut right into the privates. That’s the reason the actors complained and they were forced to change them to pants and a shirt on both the movies and TNG. The original Stormtroopers’ armors were hard plastic and had the same issue, their newer suits are soft rubbery stuff.

Best Star Trek uniforms to date!

I LOVE the TWOK (and beyond) uniforms. I understand and even agree that they seem like a step backward with regard to ease of wearing, taking them off and putting them on, etc. But WOW, do they ever look SHARP! I love the separate colors on the undershirt, sleeve band and shoulder strap denoting division, as well as the cool insigna designating rank. And the red “mountie” jacket with the flap is beautiful. Further, the field jacket, Scotty’s engineering vest, and officer’s bomber’s jacket expanded the fleshed out the look very nicely. Do they look futuristic and efficient? No. But do they look gorgeous on screen? Oh, hell yeah! I understand others’ objections to them, and to be fair those are quite valid reasons. But all art is subjective, and me, personally, I just adore the aesthetic of these uniforms most out of all iterations of Star Trek . It’s funny: I don’t recall where I read or heard this, but George Takei once said that, during the filming of one of the movies, he found it uncomfortably hot to wear the uniform under the lights needed for shooting. But since Sulu spends most of his time on the bridge, in shots only featuring him at the helm console (in other words from the waist up), he shucked his uniform pants and shot a number of scenes wearing the red uniform jacket on top but only a pair of shorts on the bottom!

These are my favorite uniforms. I have an inexpensive fan-made replica that I bought on eBay many years ago. I only wore it once to a Halloween party.

Not a big fan of either uniform, to be honest. The first uniform looked like New Age cult apparel, and the second looks like what Santa’s elves would wear to a formal event at the North Pole.

Sorry guys, the uniforms were spot on. Clearly nobody above has served on any of the services.

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Saturday 30 June 2018

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Star trek original movies’ red naval uniforms explained.

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Star Trek Should Never Explain This 1 Unanswered Mystery From The Original Series

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The iconic red uniforms from the Star Trek: The Original Series movies were a more militaristic upgrade on the costumes from Star Trek: The Motion Picture . First appearing in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , the red naval Starfleet uniforms continued to reappear in episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager . The original Motion Picture uniforms and the TOS uniforms themselves were deemed by Wrath of Khan director Nicholas Meyer to look like " pajamas " and weren't in keeping with the Horatio Hornblower -style story he wanted to tell in The Wrath of Khan .

The uniforms introduced in Wrath of Khan by Meyer and costume designer Robert Fletcher became synonymous with Star Trek 's feature films . It's a look that is still replicated by fans cosplaying at conventions. The TOS movie uniforms even got a modern twist in the season 1 finale when one was worn by the alternate future Admiral Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' season 1 finale. Here's how Star Trek 's iconic red naval uniforms first came to be.

RELATED: Kirk’s Weird Green Uniform Finally Explained By Strange New Worlds

Star Trek II’s Change To Red Naval Starfleet Uniforms Explained

Wrath of Khan is essentially a movie about a conflict between two naval vessels, in space. Meyer was keen that Roddenberry's futuristic society be recognizable to a modern audience, and so he eschewed the more casual, looser uniforms of Star Trek: The Motion Picture . Not wanting to waste the uniforms he had designed, costume designer Robert Fletcher dyed them with a burgundy color. The recolored Motion Picture costumes were worn by the Starfleet Academy cadets and background officers aboard the Enterprise. This enabled Fletcher the budget to properly design new costumes for the senior officers.

Originally, the design had a stiffer collar, but after producer Robert Sallin suggested a turtleneck, Fletcher made the decision to make the turtleneck-style collars out of trapunto. This material was extremely rare, and Fletcher was only able to secure one trapunto sewing needle for the whole wardrobe department. Meyer also decided that each uniform should have some form of military insignia on the shoulder strap to further emphasize the Starfleet structures. Fletcher designed various insignia and produced an instruction guide for his wardrobe department The hard work and scarcity of trapunto needles clearly paid off as Star Trek copied Wrath of Khan 's uniforms for many more movies and TV episodes.

Why The Red Star Trek Uniforms Lasted For The Rest Of TOS’ Movies

Given the difficulty Fletcher had in securing trapunto needles for Wrath of Khan , it's not surprising that the blood-red costumes continued to appear in subsequent Star Trek movies. Fletcher was costume designer on both Star Trek III: The Search for Spock and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and so kept the look of the Starfleet uniforms consistent. Given that those two movies take place in the aftermath of Wrath of Khan , it also makes perfect sense narratively as well as from a budgetary perspective.

By the time of Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, the red uniforms had become synonymous with the Star Trek movies. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home was influential to the look of the following Star Trek movies due to its huge success at the box office upon release. To change the costumes again would have broken that sense of continuity as the movies wrapped up the stories of the Star Trek: The Original Series crew. It could also have denied viewers of more outings for this iconic look in future Star Trek movies and episodes, which continues to honor Robert Fletcher to this day.

NEXT: Picard Season 3's Music Will Honor The TOS And TNG Movies

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Why Frank Langella Didn't Want To Be Credited For His Star Trek Role

There have been some pretty incredible guest stars in the "Star Trek" franchise over the years, but one particularly famous "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" guest star didn't want to be credited for his role in three episodes of the show's second season. It might seem strange to not want a credit for being part of the "Star Trek" universe, but it turns out that he had some pretty wholesome reasons for boarding the space station Deep Space Nine.

Frank Langella, the actor of stage and screen best known for playing Dracula in the 1977 Broadway production and 1979 film version of "Dracula" and as Skeletor in "Masters of the Universe," also appeared in the season 2 episodes "The Homecoming," "The Circle," and "The Siege," portraying villainous Bajoran politician Jaro Essa. He's a real danger to all of Bajor, with a scheme to take over the planet in a coup, and Langella is pitch perfect as the character. He didn't receive a credit for the role, but that was by choice.

Langella ran into some problems later in his career when he was fired from "Fall of the House of Usher" due to misconduct allegations. However, when he guest starred on "Deep Space Nine" back in 1993, he was at the peak of his fame.

Langella eschewed a credit for his kids

In the "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion" by Paula M Block and Terry J. Erdmann, director Winrich Kolbe, who collaborated with Langella on the episodes "The Homecoming" and "The Siege," explained that Langella wanted to be a part of the series for family reasons:

"He wanted to do the show. He did it for his children, because they loved the show. It was not done for money or exposure."

"Star Trek" has been a huge part of the pop culture conversation for decades, so even a tiny cameo role would have generated buzz, let alone a fairly major recurring role over three episodes. If he didn't really want the attention and was solely interested in impressing his kids, it makes sense that he would've avoided calling attention to or highlighting his appearance.

Langella was far from the only person to get a cameo or role on "Star Trek" purely because of their love (or their children's love) of the franchise, of course. Actor Christian Slater famously got a small role in "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country" and stole his uniform, for starters. Meanwhile, Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello made  two different cameos just because he was such a big fan!

But who was Langella's character?

Langella was perfectly sinister as Jaro Essa, a Bajoran politician who wanted to buy enough weapons to arm Bajor and kick out the Federation, installing himself as the leader of the whole planet. He works with the power-hungry Bajoran religious figure Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher), who later becomes Kai, a religious leader of the Bajoran people, and together they attempt to undo all of the good done by the Federation and the Bajoran provisional government. They even kidnap Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor), the first officer on Deep Space Nine, when she gets too close to their plot. Thankfully, Kira and Lieutenant Dax (Terry Farrell) manage to save the day and stop the coup, but not without some serious effort.

Major Kira is one of the most complex and fascinating characters on not only "Deep Space Nine," but all of "Star Trek," and these episodes serve to develop her character and the complex Bajoran world even more. While many Trekkies have looked down on the series for not "boldly going" much of anywhere and dealing heavily in Bajoran politics, I would argue that's part of what makes "Deep Space Nine" the best "Star Trek" of them all .

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 Welcome to the ultimate collection of Star Trek pins! Whether you’re a lifelong fan or new to the universe, our meticulously crafted pins are perfect for showcasing your dedication to Starfleet and the exploration of the final frontier. Each pin embodies the spirit and legacy of Star Trek , capturing iconic symbols, characters, and moments from the beloved franchise. Explore our collection and find the perfect addition to your Starfleet uniform, bag, or jacket.

Star Trek: Picard Magnetic Delta Badge

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This magnetic pin comes to you directly from the   Star Trek: Picard . It is a full-size delta. While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail this pin is not meant to be an exact prop replica. With a bright silver delta over a matte finish black nickel it measures 2 ¾" tall. Revised for screen accuracy this new version of the Picard Delta features a groove in the silver overlay. This magnet lets everyone know how much you enjoy Star Trek: Picard.

Product Details:

• Official Size and Scale!
• Double Clutch Magnetic Back
• Measures 2 ¾” tall

Ordering Information

• Return Policy: We will gladly accept returns for any reason within 30 days of receipt of delivery.
• Shipping: Ship times are estimates of time in transit after your product leaves the fulfillment center. Some items in your order may ship separately to arrive faster.
• Availability: Ships internationally to most countries around the world.
• Shipping Policy: For more information, see our Shipping Policy here .

STPIC-R7000287-1-ST-P-D

Star Trek: The Next Generation Badge

Star Trek: The Next Generation Delta This delta comes to you directly from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  It is a full-size delta that features a matte brushed metal finish.  The magnetic version has two horizontal magnets or clutches to hold it securely in place. While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail, this delta is not manufactured as a prop replica.

STTNG-R7007210-1-TNG-BDG

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Command Delta Badge

This magnetic delta comes to you directly from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . It is full-size and true to the show's scale in size and finish. The delta features a brushed metal finish. The delta has two vertical magnetic clutches and a back plate to hold it securely in place. While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail, this delta is not manufactured as a prop replica.

• True to the show's scale in size and finish
• Ships on May 15, 2024

ST-SNW-R7007211-1-SNW-BDG

Star Trek: Lower Decks Badge

Forged from resilient materials, the Star Trek: Lower Decks Badge proudly showcases the iconic Delta Shield insignia, adorned with the unique colors and design motifs of the U.S.S. Cerritos crew. Whether you stand among the esteemed senior officers or serve as a humble ensign, this badge serves as a beacon of your dedication to Starfleet and the Lower Decks team.

• This magnetic delta comes to you directly from Star Trek: Lower Decks .
• Measures at 2.25" tall
• The delta features a brushed metal finish.
• The magnet has two vertical magnetic clutches to hold it securely in place.
• While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail, this delta is not manufactured as a prop replica.

STLD-R7007212-1-LD-BDG

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