Uniforms? What the heck?

[Flyboy]

So ok... I'm quite aware that the Trek uniforms vary from series to series.

If we start with Enterprise, you have flightsuit style uniforms. Makes sense. They then become some odd kinda long sleeved t-shirt in TOS.

In TNG they become the recognisable style that is still with us, with only a slight alteration in the location of colours for DS9 and Voyager.

However... the movies confuse the heck out of me. Set between TOS and TNG, the first movie shows everyone walking round in some kind of all white gear... and the second has everyone decked out in what looks like Number One Ceremonial Uniform. The same goes for St3, ST4, ST5 and ST 6.

What's with this?

[gopher65]

The uniforms actually change quite a bit for DS9 and the later TNG movies. Those are my favourite of the bunch.

As for the white uniforms, I have no idea. I guess they thought they would look cool. In ST 2-6 the uniforms didn't look all that practical, but then, they never did. Picard's skirt that he wore did look kinda comfie though.

[./freelancer]

This is something that bugged me about DS9. If I recall correctly, they wore the "usual" uniforms until one episode when they suddenly started wearing all gray. What's up with that?

[Flyboy]

If I recall correctly, the grey jackets are similar to RAF GPJs in the sense that they are worn over the coloured uniform.

[Ice Wolf]

This is something that bugged me about DS9. If I recall correctly, they wore the "usual" uniforms until one episode when they suddenly started wearing all gray. What's up with that?

Usual Uniforms switched to movie uniforms as the series was still taking place when First Contact came out. In Generations you sure the Enterprise crew in transition to the DS9/VOY.

[Tain]

I always figured the "in universe" explanation is that the current starfleet uniform is the personal choice of whoever happens to be in charge of starfleet. When he or she is replaced, the next person gets to pick the uniform they want to be standard for the duration of their tenure.

[TheGreatLordGeorge]

Uniforms change.

[Jumper_One]

Uniforms change.

such wisdom

[P-90_177]

So ok... I'm quite aware that the Trek uniforms vary from series to series.

If we start with Enterprise, you have flightsuit style uniforms. Makes sense. They then become some odd kinda long sleeved t-shirt in TOS.

In TNG they become the recognisable style that is still with us, with only a slight alteration in the location of colours for DS9 and Voyager.

However... the movies confuse the heck out of me. Set between TOS and TNG, the first movie shows everyone walking round in some kind of all white gear... and the second has everyone decked out in what looks like Number One Ceremonial Uniform. The same goes for St3, ST4, ST5 and ST 6.

What's with this?

well the whitish ones in the motion picture were basically to make it seem like there was a more modern feel while keeping a recognisable starfleet look. The ones for 2-6 I'm not sure about but i'd assume they took their inspiration from old style navy uniflorms. Like around the 19th century. Personally I think they look the coolest, closely followed by the DS9 black+grey ones.

[Xicer]

Yeah I think the white ones from TMP were just supposed to go with the feel of the "refit" Enterprise. But yeah, over time they changed quite a bit. ENT had the flight-suit kind of uniforms, then TOS had the solid colored shirts. TMP had those "modern" white shirts and then movies 2-6 had the red uniforms, which are my personal favorite of all the Trek uniforms. Then we had TNG come along with completely different uniforms and then starting in DS9 and eventually going into Generations and Voyager we basically had an inverted version of the TNG uniforms. And Finally starting in season 5 of DS9 and going into the last three movies we got the gray uniforms.

[SP90]

I like the grey ones from the last 3 TNG movies the best. The dress uniforms for that period were awesome as well, kinda echos the dress whites from present day navies. The ones from TOS movies 2-6 are my 2nd choice. Wish they stuck with the red/yellow/blue undershirts in those as well.

[Mike272]

movies 2-6 had the red uniforms, which are my personal favorite of all the Trek uniforms.

Agreed!

They were awesome!

[SierraGolf-OneNiner]

My all time favorite Starfleet uniforms are the black and grey ones.

Imo Starfleet had always too much color in their uniforms. I myself would find it hard to take a naval organisation serious with big red, yellow or blue uniforms.

The DS9/VOY ones redeemed Starfleet a bit but the current black+grey uniforms finally represent Starfleet in a more "no nonsense" kind of way which adds to realism.