star trek next gen uniform colors

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.

Den of Geek

Why Star Trek Uniform Colors Changed From the Original Series to Next Generation

The uniforms on Star Trek have changed over time, but for reasons that make a lot more sense behind the scenes than on the Enterprise bridge.

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Even if you don’t know an El-Aurian from an Illyrian, even if you can’t tell the original Enterprise from the Enterprise-D, you’re probably familiar with one of the fundamental rules of Star Trek : redshirts always die.

Unlike many of the popular misconceptions about the series (Kirk doesn’t actually chase women, for example), the redshirt stereotype does have grounding in the show. Over the course of three seasons in The Original Series , 26 characters wearing red tunics died, as opposed to 15 wearing gold and blue combined. But that trend stopped with the Star Trek movies, and continued to fall away with The Next Generation and the spinoffs that followed.

Why, you ask? Because the costume colors signify a crewman’s role on their particular ship, and the color scheme changed between TOS and TNG .

Although some Trekkies hate to admit it, Star Trek didn’t really have much in the way of canon in its first few episodes. Leaving aside the infamous grinning Spock in the original pilot, it took several episodes to decide on the name of Starfleet or the Prime Directive. The same was true of the uniforms, as demonstrated by the luscious green shirt that Kirk sometimes sported.

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By the end of the series, however, the three main colors solidified into the following divisions: those in command wore gold, people such as Kirk and Sulu. Science officers and doctors, namely Spock and Bones, dressed in blue, while everyone else had red shirts. And by everyone else, that includes engineers like Scotty and security personnel, which is why they tended to get killed.

But as is so often the case with all things Trek , the uniforms weren’t entirely what creator Gene Roddenberry had in mind. Most notably, the gold uniforms were actually intended to be green, but read on camera as the color that we know today. During production of the never-released follow-up show, Star Trek: Phase II , Roddenberry wanted continuity between TOS and the new series, not only in terms of the cast, which mixed Kirk and Sulu with newcomers, but also production. In particular, Roddenberry brought back his original series costume designer William Ware Theiss.

However, when production shifted and Phase II became Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Theiss was replaced by Robert Fletcher, who designed costumes for the movie crew through Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home . Fletcher maintained some of Roddenberry’s vision for TMP , which tried to match ’70s aesthetics by giving the crew pastel pajamas. But when Nicholas Meyer took over for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Fletcher designed military-inspired uniforms to match the director’s naval warfare vision.

Although most Trekkies prefer the Meyer movies, Roddenberry hated the militarization of Starfleet and, equally important, resented the way his franchise was taken from him. So when Roddenberry regained some power for The Next Generation , he sought to right the ship, so to speak, by making Starfleet explorers again. And with it, he brought back Theiss.

For the most part, Theiss succeeded where Roddenberry and Fletcher failed in TMP . The TNG uniforms feel like ’80s versions of the ’60s original, especially after they were revised in season 3. However, with the emphasis on division colors came a confusing switch. Once again, science officers and doctors wore blue, but command now wore red while operations wore gold. Also, there’s the skant, but only Lower Decks talks about that now.

So why did the colors change? Once again, the answer is simple and almost mundane. Patrick Stewart apparently didn’t look commanding enough in yellow, while Brent Spiner , in his pale Data makeup, didn’t look good in red.

Roddenberry and the producers may have also been amenable to these changes because of the public’s changing perception of the aesthetic of Star Trek at the time. It was the massive success of Star Trek IV that gave Roddenberry the green light for TNG , and in that movie the crew wore the same civilian clothes that they sported in The Search for Spock , but during the first three Trek movies, Kirk wore red (as did Spock and the rest of the crew, because everyone wore red in Meyers’ more militarized uniforms).

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So in the eyes of casual fans, the Captain wore red. And even Trekkies had seen enough of Kirk in red that the idea didn’t seem outlandish.

The Trek uniforms have been altered many times since. TNG and Deep Space Nine later limited colors to the shoulders, a look continued in Voyager . The TNG movies then introduced darker uniforms in Star Trek: First Contact , with division colors on the underliner, a look adopted by later seasons of Deep Space Nine .

These stories adhere to the division colors from TNG , but whenever the franchise goes back to pre- TNG era — including the J.J. Abrams reboot movies or Strange New Worlds — the TOS colors come back into play. Even the prequel series Enterprise , in which the crew of the NX-01 wears blue jumpsuits with TOS division colors on the piping. And then there’s Discovery , which began with blue uniforms and a different division color scheme, but that show started out as its own thing, anyway.

Rest assured, writers both official and on the internet have offered in-Universe explanations for the evolution of the costumes. But the best explanation is that Star Trek , as an ongoing story over six decades old, had evolved and mutated over the years, sometimes in ways that don’t make sense. And as long as some unnamed operations ensign gets killed now and again, that’s just fine.

Joe George | @jageorgeii

Joe George’s writing has appeared at Slate, Polygon, Tor.com, and elsewhere!

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Published Aug 24, 2019

Star Trek 101: 'TNG''s Primary Colors

'Star Trek 101''s quick facts are perfect for new fans and old alike.

StarTrek.com

Star Trek 101 serves two functions: succinctly introduce Star Trek newcomers to the basic foundations and elements of the franchise and refresh the memories of longtime Trek fans. We're pulling our entries from the book Star Trek 101: A Practical Guide to Who, What, Where, And Why , written by Terry J. Erdmann & Paula M. Block and published in 2008 by Pocket Books. An invaluable resource, it encompasses Star Trek: The Original Series , Star Trek: The Animated Series , Star Trek: The Next Generation , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise , as well as the first 10 Trek feature films.

Today, we share Star Trek 101 's file on Star Trek: The Next Generation 's Primary Colors :

Remember when wearing a gold shirt meant you were the guy giving the orders, and wearing a red shirt meant you were going to die a horrible death on the planet's surface? That was then, this is now: red signifies the command track and gold means support services (engineering and security). Blue still means the wearer is in the sciences.

The color distinctions are less pronounced than they were in Star Trek: The Original Series . Command red is a muted burgundy, gold is a mustard tone, blue is actually teal. The uniforms are primarily black, the contrasting color changes were instigated by the guys who previously wore red shirts.

Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann are coauthors of numerous books about the entertainment industry, including Star Trek 101; Star Trek Costumes: Fifty Years of Fashion from the Final Frontier; Star Trek: The Original Series 365; and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion . They currently are writing the latest in their series of Ferengi novellas, which (so far) includes Lust’s Latinum Lost (and Found) ; and Rules of Accusation . Their most recent non- Star Trek book is Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History .

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• Star Trek 101

Star Trek Uniform Color Meanings

What is the meaning of the uniform colors in Star Trek? This post will cover the original crew, the next generation (TNG), and beyond, including deep space 9 (DS9), and Voyager.

Generally, the different uniform colors helped to differentiate between the different duty positions, levels of authority, and generally the command structure of the federation, and the crew on the starships.

In the Star Trek universe, the colors of the uniforms worn by crew members hold specific meanings. Let’s break it down:

Original Series

Red Uniforms: These are typically worn by crew members in engineering, security, and communications roles. Notably, Lt. Nyota Uhura and Montgomery (Scotty) Scott wore red uniforms. Wearing red on the bridge is considered a high honor. However, there’s a running joke about crew members in red shirts often meeting unfortunate fates during away missions. So, if you’re on the Starship Enterprise and want to survive, don’t wear red!

Blue Uniforms: These represent medical and science divisions. They’ve remained consistent across various “Star Trek” series. Blue and purple shades indicate ship medics and scientific personnel.

Gold Uniforms: Worn by command officers, gold symbolizes the importance of strategic decisions. Command staff, including Captain Kirk, would wear these iconic golden shirts.

TNG, DS9 & Voyager

In Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), and beyond, not only did the uniforms modernize, the color meanings changed. Let’s delve into the significance of each uniform color:

Red Uniforms: These are worn by command staff. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his senior officers sport these crimson hues. Red signifies leadership, decision-making, and strategic roles. If you’re in red, you’re at the helm of the starship, making critical choices for the crew and the mission.

Blue Uniforms: Medical staff wear blue. Dr. Beverly Crusher and other medical officers would have a blue uniform.

Gold Uniforms: Operations and security staff wear gold. Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge, Lt. Worf, Lt. Tasha Yar, and Chief O’Brien fall into this group. Gold symbolizes efficiency, engineering, and tactical prowess. These officers keep the ship running smoothly, maintain systems, and ensure security.

In summary, the colors of Starfleet uniforms reflect the crew members’ roles and responsibilities as they explore the final frontier!

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A guide to the different uniform colors the characters wear in ‘star trek’, i don't think i want a red shirt..

Star Trek: The Original Series premiered in 1966. And in the year 2022, the franchise doesn’t seem to be slowing down soon. Currently, there are several ongoing television series with a new film and series recently announced.

I was a toddler when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out in 1987, making Picard’s Enterprise crew one of my earliest memories. I still love the series (as I sip out of my Chateau Picard wine tumbler). But the meaning of their uniform shirts eluded me for the longest time. Honestly, I thought you just picked your favorite color outfit when you joined a crew. After the “redshirt” trope (where a redshirt team member was more likely to die on a Star Trek away mission) became known, I thought there might be more to it. Apparently, there is a whole color-coded system in place. And the meaning of the colors changed slightly through the various shows.

The Original Series

For the original Star Trek series and the Enterprise prequel that came later, the uniform color breakdowns are:

Red – Engineering, Security, and Communications

Blue – Science and Medical Staff

Gold – Command Staff

Green – Command Staff Formal

The original series is where the redshirt trope comes from. It always seemed like if a random character in a red shirt went on an away mission, then they were not making it back to the ship. The largest group of people wore red uniform shirts, which would make it more likely that a person who died or got injured would have a red shirt on.

The Next Generation

When The Next Generation arrived, the series changed several things from the original, including the uniform colors:

Red – Command Staff

Gold – Operations and Security Staff

TNG , more so than the original series, set the template for most future shows. Even though the uniform styles changed, the color classifications stayed the same in Deep Space Nine , Voyager , Discovery , Picard , and the animated show Below Decks .

However, every season contained at least one character who wore their own take on the uniform that did not line up with the standard Starfleet look. Examples being: Deanna Troi from TNG (to relate to her patients better), Odo and Kira Nerys from Deep Space Nine (because of their connection to the Bajoran military), and Seven of Nine in Voyager (because of her cyborg physiology).

Now that we are clear on which uniform color means what, which color would you pick?

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Star Trek: 10 Secrets Of The Next Generation Uniforms

Everything you need to know about Star Trek: The Next Generation's Starfleet issue duds.

Arguably as recognizable as The Original Series' color-coded "pajamas" are in pop culture today, Star Trek: The Next Generation's Starfleet uniforms are a distinct part of Star Trek's unique vision of the future.

Originally designed by William Ware Theiss (and notoriously modified by Robert Blackman), Star Trek: The Next Generation's uniforms are deceptively simple creations. Dubbed "spacesuits" by the cast of TNG, these uniforms are more than just lycra spandex and/or wool gabardine television costumes.

TNG's Starfleet uniforms evolved over the course of its seven season run, been the subject of their own real world controversies and production problems, and inspired future generations of costuming – appearing as recently as Star Trek: Picard's first season and Star Trek: Discovery's third season.

Like Star Trek's many famous starships, its props, its sets, its aliens, its fictional history, Star Trek: The Next Generation's uniforms have their own lore and their own secrets.

From the inspirations of Wesley Crusher's acting ensign uniform (which never fully zipped up in the back for some reason) to the iconic and progressive skant to Starfleet-issue jockstraps, we've unfolded ten secrets of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Starfleet uniforms that you need to know (before you get suited up for your next convention appearance).

10. Starfleet Stank

Star Trek: The Next Generation's first take on the 24th century's Starfleet uniforms were formfitting and sleek, with bold color blocking reminiscent of The Original Series' iconic look. However, in order to conform to designer William Ware Theiss' strict "no wrinkles" rule, these costumes were held taught with stirrups that looped under the actors' boots and pulled down on their backs.

The discomfort associated with these early costumes is much storied in the legacy of Star Trek: The Next Generation and fodder for numerous tales told by the actors at Star Trek conventions. Jonathan Frakes even claimed to have "ripped more than one of them off in frustration." In at least one telling of the horrors of those uniforms, Patrick Stewart stated that the uniforms caused so much back pain that his chiropractor suggested he sue the producers.

Less talked about, however, is the smell.

TNG's OG uniforms were constructed out of lycra spandex, a material not know for its breathability. According to Theiss' successor, Robert Blackman:

There was no give in the shoulder and there was this constant pressure on the actors who were wearing the costumes for twelve to fifteen hours a day. They were very, very much disliked by the actors – uncomfortable to wear, hot, and they retained body odor.

So along with cat poop in corridors , the uniforms also apparently smelled. The set of USS Enterprise-D must've been Hollywood magic.

I played Shipyard Bar Patron (Uncredited) in Star Trek (2009).

What Star Trek Uniform Colors Mean Throughout the Franchise's Eras

Star Trek's uniforms have undergone a staggering variety of changes over the years. The famous tricolor coding, however, has remained intact. Mostly.

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The original series' uniforms helped star trek 'pop', the movies made radical changes to the star trek uniforms, the next generation brought back the tricolors with a twist, deep space nine and voyager gave the design a 'fatigues' look, star trek: enterprise altered the look yet again, discovery bridged the gap between enterprise and tos, picard continued the tricolor tradition, star trek: prodigy delivered new cadets uniforms, lower decks gives the tri-colors a humorous twist, strange new worlds perfectly balances old and new.

• Star Trek's uniforms have evolved throughout the decades over the course of the franchise.
• The meanings behind the colors have shifted throughout the Star Trek eras, but most series generally stick to the tri-color format.
• Each new Star Trek series has brought its own unique take on the main crew's uniforms while still providing visual connections between the eras.

From its earliest incarnation, Star Trek has used its distinctive uniforms to help stand apart from other science fiction epics. Over time, they became as important to the franchise as the phasers and transporters: particularly the unique "tricolor" patterns of red, blue and yellow. Every series has its own version, and the specific designs vary as a way of making each series distinctive.

The colors themselves have very specific meanings, though that has shifted from show to show and from design to design. Most of the time, it sticks to the basic parameters set by The Original Series , with the colors designating different departments comprising Starfleet. But a few big changes have come and gone as the franchise has evolved over the years.

Updated on March 22, 2024 by Robert Vaux: New Star Trek series have been released since the article's first publication. It has been updated with several new entries accordingly, and the formatting has been adjusted to meet CBR's current guidelines.

'The Phone Didn't Ring': Walter Koenig Reflects on Career Struggles After Star Trek

The two Star Trek pilots -- "The Cage" and "Where No Man Has Gone Before" -- established the basics of Star Trek 's uniform colors. But the tones were muted and understated, and the rapid expansion of color TV in the 1960s demanded something that popped. The Original Series brightened the colors while formally distinguishing what each one meant: red for security and engineering departments, yellow for command and flight control, and blue for science and medical. The Kelvinverse reboot movies starring Chris Pine use the same color coding for their redesigned variants of the classic uniforms.

William Shatner also wore a wraparound green tunic on occasion, as well as a formal uniform composed of green fabric. (The color disparity resulted from lighting and film stock at the time, which made the green fabric look yellow.) Other departments wore color-coded formal uniforms of the same cut. In addition, enlisted crewmen wore coveralls loosely coded to the department where they worked, and variations such as red workout uniforms would crop up as well. No special significance was attributed to their colors.

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.

The first Star Trek movie opened over a decade after The Original Series ended, and changing times meant a change in the look. The tricolors went out the window starting with Star Trek: The Motion Picture in favor of muted, neutral tones such as brown, beige, and sky blue. No particular significance was connected to specific colors. Instead, the Star Trek symbol on the uniform's left breast contained a color circle behind the delta, coded to match the wearer's department.

Those uniforms proved too wishy-washy and prompted another redesign. The "monster maroons" made their debut in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , patterned after classic naval uniforms of the 19th century. Every officer's outer tunic was the same deep red, with the color of the shirt below indicating department and duty. White was for command, light green for medical, gold for engineering, dark green for security, dark blue for operations, gray for science, communications, and navigation, and red for NCOs and cadets. Though radically different, the uniforms made for a winning look and remained with the original crew throughout their movie adventures.

Star Trek The Next Generation: When Does TNG Get Good?

Star Trek: The Next Generation took the opportunity to return to the tricolors of The Original Series , though the cut and pattern underwent a big change. That cemented the red, blue, and yellow as a definitive part of Star Trek: so much so that the franchise's introduction now features the tricolors streaming behind the starships onscreen.

As with The Original Series , the colors each denoted different departments on a starship, with one key change: red now indicated command and helm, with yellow for security and engineering. (Science and medical stayed blue.) That came partially as an attempt to reverse the infamous "red shirt" stigma, but it also had a very practical purpose: stars Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes looked much sharper in red than yellow.

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.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine arrived toward the end of The Next Generation 's run and brought a variation to the now-established uniforms. The tricolors moved to the top of the outfit, leaving everything black below the shoulders and a standard gray shirt underneath. That helped the show distinguish itself visually from its predecessor. The new uniforms were intended to serve as Starfleet's "fatigues," workaday outfits for the more rough-and-tumble world of Deep Space Nine . Star Trek: Voyager used the same design throughout its run, and it also appeared in Star Trek: Generations .

Star Trek: First Contact delivered yet another change, with the gray moving to the outer garment and the undershirt now colored to denote department. Deep Space Nine adopted this design during its later seasons, though Voyager -- trapped in the Delta Quadrant -- pointedly did not. In every case, the colors never changed their meaning, denoting the same departments that they did in The Next Generation.

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.

Star Trek Voyager

Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.

Star Trek Theory: Picard Retconned the Divisive Enterprise Series Finale

The renaissance that started with The Next Generation concluded with Star Trek: Enterprise : a prequel covering the early days of humanity's interstellar exploration and the founding of the Federation. The officers donned uniform blue coveralls reminiscent of submarine crews. Colored piping indicated the crew member's department: matching the The Original Series' coding for red, blue and yellow.

In addition to distinguishing Enterprise 's crew from that of other shows, the redesign was intended to connect the "classic" Star Trek uniforms to the fashions and patterns of the modern world. It also made a soft nod to the monster maroons of the Star Trek movies. More importantly, it indicated the political differences between the human fleet and future allies like the Vulcans who had not yet joined Starfleet. The ship's two alien members -- T'Pol and Dr. Phlox -- are markedly not in uniform.

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.

When Star Trek: Discovery re-launched the franchise in 2017, it faced a conundrum for its uniforms. The show was set between the "blue coveralls" era of Star Trek: Enterprise and the classic look of The Original Series (and eventually Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ). The first two seasons found Starfleet still wearing blue, though they resembled more formal military uniforms than the coveralls of Enterprise . Metallic piping on the sides denoted department: gold for command and helm, silver for sciences and medical, and copper for engineering and security.

In Season 3, the crew of the Discovery shot forward to the 32nd century, where they assisted in rebuilding a shattered Federation. That resulted in another series of redesigns, incorporating new variations of the tricolor patterns. Red indicated command, gold was for operations (including helm), blue for sciences, and white for medical.

Star Trek: Discovery

'keep being noisy': picard star provides star trek: legacy update.

The remaining shows in the latter-day Star Trek renaissance -- Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Prodigy -- have adopted the same design philosophy as The Next Generation era. Each series features unique uniform designs patterned around the tricolor formula to denote department. Every series' look is unique, but the specific use of color coding remains true to the era in the timeline: matching the specific departments as used in The Next Generation .

Picard includes a number of key characters who weren't in Starfleet -- at least when the series began -- and as such, it de-emphasizes the tri-color look as much as possible. It helps protagonists in uniform still visibly match their colleagues. It also lets Picard show a side of the Star Trek universe outside of Starfleet, something that helps distinguish it from other series in the franchise.

Star Trek: Picard

Star Trek: Prodigy similarly takes place outside the bounds of the Federation, at least in the early episodes. Its protagonists are a band of young runaways, who escape a planetary labor camp by stealing a wayward Starfleet vessel. In the course of their adventures, they learn Starfleet's mission and commit to upholding it, despite no training and no official rank.

It also introduced cadet uniforms for its young crew. They were black and gray, without any specific color coding. It helped distinguish the crew from Admiral Janeway's, who spent most of the first season in pursuit of them and who wore variations of The Next Generation- era uniforms.

Star Trek: Prodigy

A group of enslaved teenagers steal a derelict Starfleet vessel to escape and explore the galaxy.

How Similar Is Star Trek: Lower Decks To Rick and Morty?

Star Trek: Lower Decks is intended as a parody, but it's also canonical, which means it treats its characters and their mission just seriously enough to convincingly put them alongside their live-action counterparts in other series. Final proof arrived in Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7, "Those Old Scientists," in which Lower Decks actors Tawny Newsome and Jack Quaid played their characters in live-action form alongside Christopher Pike and his crew.

Their uniforms adhere to the standard Starfleet color scheme from The Next Generation era. ( Lower Decks takes place a few years after the final Next Generation theatrical film.) The cut features a narrow black top and the wearer's department color across the chest and torso, along with black trousers. Canonically, the uniforms are for crew members working on California- class ships, which are largely relegated to second-tier missions and maintenance duties.

Star Trek: Lower Decks

The support crew serving on one of Starfleet's least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos, have to keep up with their duties, often while the ship is being rocked by a multitude of sci-fi anomalies.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds faces continuity challenges the likes of which no other Star Trek series has encountered. Set after the first two seasons of Discovery and a few years before the events of The Original Series , it needs to keep in step with continuity while still forging a distinctive identity for itself.

That extends to the uniforms, which match the same color patterns as The Original Series. Captain Pike is seen in the same yellow as WIlliam Shatner's Captain Kirk -- sometimes in the green wraparound -- with the rest of his crew wearing the same colors as those who will eventually replace them aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. It has also made the notable move of eliminating the infamous "miniskirts" that female crew members wore on The Original Series. Though Nichelle Nichols made the look iconic, it has subsequently been criticized for its objectifying qualities. Strange New Worlds loses the skirts -- the series' women wear trousers just like the rest of the crew -- while still subtly evoking the style in the new cut.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

The Star Trek franchise is currently streaming on Paramount+.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

Screen Rant

Star trek: why tng's uniforms were redesigned for season 3.

Star Trek: The Next Generation changed the design of its Starfleet uniforms in season 3 since the old ones were causing the actors severe discomfort.

Star Trek: The Next Generation made several design changes to its version of the Starfleet uniform after the 2nd season, mainly because the original uniforms were causing significant problems for the actors. Star Trek: The Next Generation was the second series in the Star Trek franchise. It ran from 1987 to 1994 and focused on Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. While initially not as popular as Star Trek: The Original Series , The Next Generation steadily gained favor with fans over the course of its 7 seasons and today is arguably the most popular Star Trek series of all time.

Although TNG was conceived and produced by TOS creator Gene Roddenberry, it was an entirely new take on the Star Trek universe, with a new ship, crew, and time period to explore. In keeping with this, the Original Series  uniform was also redesigned for TNG; c ostume designer William Ware Theiss created a jumpsuit instead of TOS's shirt and pants combination. The jumpsuit was form-fitting, and the shoulders and pants were black while the chest and stomach were the color of the officer's division of service. There was corresponding piping of the same color on the shoulders, and the jumpsuit was equipped with a foot strap to go over the wearer's shoe so that it could be pulled taut when worn. This was to eliminate wrinkles, something Roddenberry and the creative team felt would not be an issue in the 24th century.

Related: Star Trek: Every Starfleet Uniform & History Explained

However, by the end of the 2nd season of TNG , this uniform began to be phased out, replaced with a similar but subtly different design. While the look and placement of the colors were similar, this new Star Trek uniform got rid of the piping on the shoulders, added a collar around the neck, and most importantly, changed the one-piece jumpsuit to a two-piece jacket and pants combination. Although the jumpsuit style continued to be worn by background actors and some of the women in the main cast, it was mostly phased out going into the 3rd season, and the new design became the standard uniform worn by the cast for the remainder of the show.

The changes to the uniform design occurred because of some important behind-the-scenes reasons having to do with the comfort of the actors. While the idea of a uniform that did not wrinkle was an interesting one, the foot strap on the original uniforms pulled the jumpsuit so tight that it caused several actors, including Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, and Patrick Stewart , significant back problems. The issues were so bad that Stewart's chiropractor reportedly told him he should sue the production for the damage done to his back. The original uniform was also made of a material that was reportedly not very breathable, causing actors to overheat under the studio lights and some not insignificant issues with body odor. When the uniforms were redesigned by new costume designer Robert Blackman, the material was changed to eliminate the odor issues and the switch to a two-piece suit put much less strain on the actors' backs.

Over the years, the redesigned uniform has become one of the most recognizable Starfleet uniform styles in the Star Trek franchise , perhaps only second to the uniforms worn on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . While the jumpsuit looked great on paper and has several design elements that were carried over, the issues with it were too numerous to warrant anything other than a redesign. Ultimately, Star Trek: The Next Generation made the right decision in phasing out its original uniform.

More: Star Trek Generations: Why Only Some Uniforms Changed To DS9's

Redesigning Starfleet’s Uniforms for The Next Generation

William Ware Theiss is best remembered as the designer of every costume worn in the 79 episodes of The Original Series . From Captain Kirk’s tunic to Edith Keeler’s dowdy dress to the now-infamous daring attire of almost all other female guest stars, Bill dressed them all.

As his colleague of four years, two on Star Trek , Andrea Weaver later said,

Bill Theiss was a creative designer. His designs for Star Trek were original rather than distilled from other sources or redefinitions of previous works. This is what I appreciated about Bill Theiss. I thought that he was a truly unique and rare costume creator.

Theiss returned to Star Trek to design just about every costume worn during the first year of The Next Generation , including the Starfleet uniforms of the twenty-fourth century.

Theiss’ starting point was The Original Series , not the uniforms from the movies, because he felt clothing was, even then, moving toward a less structured look.

“They’re made of jumbo-weight spandex; the material swimwear is made from,” he explained. “But I use the inside of the fabric, the dull side, as the garment’s top.”

They’re a simple, uncomplicated design. I try not to make my designs too complex, visually. Simpler is more effective.

With Gene Roddenberry’s approval, Theiss changed the traditional color scheme: red became the color for command and gold the color for engineering and security. Theiss relegated the colors to a distinctive block on the chest and the sleeves and used black for the shoulders. This set off the actors’ faces better. Black on the hips and legs also helped smooth out their figures.

The actors needed all the help they could get in that regard. Although they were all trim and fit, the spandex uniforms were tight, stretchy and unforgiving of the slightest deviation from physical perfection.

A little more comfort

Theiss left the show after Season 1 and was replaced by Durinda Rice Wood. She created the first of Whoopi Goldberg’s many Guinan outfits and helped develop the look of the Borg.

Wood also left after one season and she was replaced by Robert Blackman. No one knew it at the time, but Star Trek ’s design legacy was about to welcome one of its most influential contributors.

Blackman’s first task was making the uniforms Theiss had designed more wearable without changing their look.

I was brought in early that season to redesign new uniforms and it was really hard to do. They wanted things that didn’t stretch, didn’t hurt their shoulders and breathed, but still looked like spandex. So we kept trying to make these sleek, wool outfits.

Blackman’s first attempts weren’t very successful:

If you watch the first six or seven episodes, you’ll see the actors look like they’re in spandex outfits, but they’re made of wool and the actors can’t move, they can’t raise their arms, they can’t do anything.

Eventually, Blackman refined the cut so there was an acceptable compromise between maintaining the form-fitting look of the original costumes and ease of movement for the actors.

Different standards

For the men, comfort was easier to come by, because their costumes were changed from jumpsuits to two-piece outfits.

An offshoot of this successful redesign was the so-called “Picard Maneuver,” a tongue-in-cheek phrase used to describe the distinctive downward tug Patrick Stewart gave to his tunic after changing position.

But Gates McFadden and Marina Sirtis remained in tight jumpsuits and faced ongoing pressure to maintain their ideal weights without variation as a result.

For guest actresses, like Elizabeth Dennehy (Shelby) and Michelle Forbes (Ensign Ro), the discomfort was a shock.

“They have stirrups on the feet and big shoulder pads, so it’s like you’re being compressed and pulled together by a rubber band,” Dennehy told Cinefantastique in 1992.

Forbes remembered she thought the costume would improve her posture, but -- “About four hours later, I wanted to rip it off my body.”

The twenty-fourth century may have been one of equality between the sexes; on the television stage of the twentieth century, women were still held to a different standard than men.

What Do the Different Uniform Colors Mean on ‘Star Trek’?

By jason serafino | mar 30, 2023, 3:23 pm edt.

Gene Roddenberry may have dreamed of a perfect future when he created Star Trek , but parts of his vision were firmly rooted in the real world, specifically in the physical makeup of the crew of the Enterprise itself.

Roddenberry, along with the show’s producers, decided to take numerous cues from the United States Navy when creating the official ranks on the show, including a captain overseeing a crew made up of a commander, a handful of lieutenant commanders, lieutenants, and several subordinate roles. But it’s the different colors of the Starfleet uniforms that really tell the story of how the Enterprise operates.

Fans know the basics: an array of blue, red, and gold shirts line the bridge of the ship every episode. Those colors weren’t just randomly picked for the sake of diversity, though. They actually correspond to the ship’s various service roles . The gold shirts are worn by the command division, which includes Captain Kirk, Lieutenant Sulu, and Pavel Chekov. Red uniforms belong to the engineering/communications division, including chief engineer Scotty and communications officer Uhura. The blue shirts are worn by the science/medical staff, including McCoy and Spock .

As with everything in Star Trek , though, it’s a lot more complicated than all of that. In addition to the red shirts belonging to engineers and communications personnel, they are also assigned to the security division. What’s the purpose of the security division on the Enterprise ? Well, they’re usually the supporting characters who are immediately killed whenever the crew is confronted by a new enemy. This is something of a running gag for fans of the franchise, as whenever one of the “Red Shirts” is seen on screen, you know they’re not long for this world .

Also, those gold shirts worn by Kirk and crew might not have been so gold after all. According to an interview with Star Trek ’s costume designer, William Theiss, the idea was for the show’s uniforms to be red, blue, and green. In fact, on the set, Kirk’s outfit certainly looked to be an avocado (or lime) green, but the end result was a little different when the studio lights finally hit the uniform.

“It was one of those film stock things,” Theiss said, “it photographed one way—burnt orange or a gold. But in reality was another; the command shirts were definitely green.”

This might come as a surprise to Trek fans until you remember that Kirk actually did wear green on a few occasions, including the times he was in formal dress and his seldom-seen alternate green get-up, seen in the clip below.

These alternate uniforms were all the exact shade of green Theiss describes, but they were made from a different material than the standard Enterprise shirts and apparently had no issue retaining their natural color scheme when lit on set. The gold shade may have been a production mishap, but the color has since entered the Trek canon as the official hue of Kirk and his command staff. So, in the Star Trek universe, Kirk wears gold; in the real world, though, the bridge of the Enterprise was designed with a completely different color palette in mind.

It gets more confusing when you look at the later Trek series, like The Next Generation , which had the command staff in red and operations in yellow—basically the reverse of the original series. Then, of course, the movies switched costumes and colors with nearly every entry, including the powder blue monstrosities worn in Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

Roddenberry’s eye for detail was unique for sci-fi TV at the time, and everything on the Enterprise had a specific purpose. Despite some production fumbles, ill-fated redesigns, and inconsistencies later on, the colors that make up Starfleet’s uniforms tell a story that many viewers probably never even noticed.

A version of this story originally ran in 2016; it has been updated for 2023.

The TNG-era Uniform Paradigm

• January 15, 2022
• General Star Trek costumes , TNG , TWOK

As an additional preface to my updated TNG costuming resources, I thought it would be interesting to discuss the broader paradigm of the TNG-era uniforms, as conceived and established by William Ware Theiss.

With today’s relatively wide cultural awareness of TNG – decades after its original televised run and numerous spinoffs later – I think there’s much we might now take for granted about these uniforms (and their successors) that at the time, required very calculated and intentional decisions.

This isn’t an examination of any one specific uniform, but more about why things were they way they were, conceptually – the ideology behind the TNG-era uniforms.

And from my outsider’s perspective, what I believe may have been going on in the minds of Gene Roddenberry and William Ware Theiss at the time.

THE ORIGINAL SERIES PARADIGM

“In the beginning, there was William Ware Theiss …”

– Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann

Star Trek Costumes: Five Decades of Fashion from the Final Frontier

Twenty-odd years before The Next Generation , William Ware Theiss was the costume designer on The Original Series and the aborted Phase II .

From the precious little we’ve seen of Phase II , it seems clear that moving forward, Theiss had intended to closely adhere to the original uniforms and wardrobe paradigm he’d previously established.

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

The conception and rocky initial production of TNG has been well-documented, which you can learn about via the TNG Blu-Ray special features and William Shatner’s Chaos on the Bridge , among other sources.

The gist of it is that Gene Roddenberry is said to have been unhappy with certain aspects of the TOS movies (and his lack of creative involvement with them) and had become notoriously protective of his franchise vision of the future.

Being back at the helm for the spinoff series – obsessed with what he believed Star Trek was and wasn’t, and with more creative control – it’s hardly surprising that he’d want to “round up” as much of the original team as possible, including William Ware Theiss.

For this new series, there would again be new Starfleet uniforms, and Theiss’ overall approach seems to have basically been to “pick up where he left off” with The Original Series and Phase II , almost entirely disregarding Robert Fletcher’s work on the movies.

(We’ll look at some of Fletcher’s costumes shortly, as well as some movie-era design elements Theiss decided to discard or incorporate into his TNG-era uniforms. I’ll also discuss why I believe Theiss chose the approach he did.)

The Starfleet uniform paradigm, as established by Theiss in The Original Series , included three division colors.

For the movies, Robert Fletcher had considerably widened the palette of division colors and changed their associations.

For The Next Generation , Theiss disregarded Fletcher’s division colors and instead returned to his original three colors (albeit with the red and gold associations swapped).

The TOS uniforms underwent considerable evolution over the show, but in all their incarnations Theiss had established the crew wearing a Starfleet emblem on their left chest.

Robert Fletcher had adapted and modified this design element for the movie-era uniforms, and Theiss incorporated this idea into his TNG-era uniforms as well.

In The Original Series , Theiss had also established several Starfleet uniform variants for specific crew members and occasions.

For example, the captain would have the option of wearing a more relaxed, semi-casual uniform that was distinctive from everyone else’s standard duty uniform.

Although Theiss himself never explored this possibility with his initial TNG-era uniforms, costume designer Robert Blackman would later follow up on Theiss’ concept.

Theiss also established that the ship’s doctor(s) would have an optional uniform variant.

In The Next Generation , Theiss gave Dr. Crusher an optional lab coat to complement her standard duty uniform, and his immediate successor Durinda Rice Wood dressed Dr. Pulaski in her own series of medical smock variants.

The Original Series also had the crew wearing formal uniforms for special occasions, and Theiss incorporated this concept into his TNG-era paradigm as well.

Another of Theiss’ wardrobe choices was to often have background extras and “worker bees” dressed in coveralls, rather than standard duty uniforms.

He integrated this idea into his TNG-era wardrobe too.

THE MOVIE-ERA PARADIGM ... DISCARDED

Although Robert Fletcher created outstanding uniforms for the movies – several of which would go on to become fan-favorites, like the “monster maroons” – in doing so, he had largely disregarded William Ware Theiss’ work on The Original Series .

Color palette notwithstanding, one of the major ways Fletcher diverged from Theiss’ TOS paradigm was by significantly expanding the Starfleet uniform family to include more classes and variants.

This wider variety of uniform styles added more depth to the Star Trek universe, as well as more visual interest – something arguably needed after the bland and muted uniform colors from The Motion Picture .

One major uniform distinction Fletcher made was between commissioned officers and enlisted crew.

This was something we hadn’t seen in The Original Series .

Indeed, the very existence of enlisted crew members was a departure from the show.

Until I’d taken a closer look at TOS-era uniforms, my personal interpretation was that officers wore the standard duty uniforms and enlisted crew wore the aforementioned coveralls, but “Captain John Chase” of Starfleet.ca addressed the issue in this excellent blog post:

https://starfleet.ca/library/uniforms/enlisted_men/

Coveralls notwithstanding, in Theiss’ paradigm, you were either in Starfleet and wore the standard uniform, or you weren’t – very simple.

Despite the existence of enlisted Starfleet personnel having been firmly established and enlisted crew having visually distinctive uniforms in the movies, Theiss returned to his original “uniform or nothing” paradigm for The Next Generation .

Fletcher also dressed engineering crew members in heavy protective suits – visually implying how powerful and hazardous Starfleet engines could be, how committed Starfleet was to the safety of its crew, and perhaps how intense it could be to work next to a matter/anti-matter reactor that powered a starship.

Theiss disregarded the protective engineering suits for TNG as well; engineers simply wore the standard duty uniforms.

Hell, crew members regularly wore the “skants” within a stone’s throw of the warp core, so perhaps we can surmise that Starfleet had made great strides forward with the safety of its engineering sections over “The Lost Era.”

Nor would Theiss ever dress a TNG-era Starfleet engineer in a vest akin to the one Fletcher designed for Scotty.

For the movie-era uniforms, Fletcher also gave medical personnel a specific uniform style that bore little resemblance to the standard duty uniforms, and which seemed to be less of a “variant” and more of a “class.”

(Although Theiss had established possible medical variants for medical personnel in The Original Series , his medical uniform variants were stylistically much closer to the standard duty uniforms.)

Again though, Theiss returned to his tighter uniform paradigm for TNG; other than Dr. Crusher’s distinctive lab coat, medical personnel just wore standard Starfleet uniforms.

Fletcher gave the movie-era Starfleet security helmets and armor …

… which again, Theiss discarded.

Starfleet security officers marched right into God-knows-what with naught but a phaser and the spandex jumpsuits on their backs.

In the movies, we also saw the crew members don various styles of “field uniforms,” including both jackets and vests.

Even though Theiss himself had designed “landing party jackets” in the original TOS pilot, “The Cage,” he didn’t pursue the concept for TNG.

Characters would just go on away missions in the standard uniform; the most they’d ever bother to do would be to grab a tricorder and/or phaser, just like in TOS …

… including some situations in which it would’ve been really handy to have some field supplies like food, water, first aid, basic tools, and other emergency supplies.

And finally, Fletcher had introduced another semi-casual uniform option, in the form of a 23 rd -century “bomber jacket.”

Obviously Theiss chose to discard that idea as well.

I mean, I don’t really see this guy wearing a “bomber jacket” over his skant, do you?

Why did Theiss so thoroughly discard Fletcher’s work for The Next Generation ?

Well, we can only speculate.

Personally, I believe there may have been several major factors.

First may be the purely practical issues of television vs. movie budget, and television vs. movie needs.

Movies have larger budgets, which allow for more elaborate costumes, and more of them. There are more extras, all of whom need to be costumed.

With more characters over a longer span of time on a giant theater screen, more visual interest is arguably needed … yet the costumes still have to bear scrutiny since they’ll be seen on such a huge screen.

On the other hand, one could argue that – at least in an era long before DVD, Blu-Ray, and streaming – TV costumes should be fairly homogenous and instantly-recognizable so the viewer and/or channel surfer immediately know what show is on.

And at the time TNG launched, the costumes only needed to withstand the scrutiny of real-time VHS quality on an 80s-era TV.

Not that Theiss or his successors ever “phoned it in” – it’s actually amazing just how well the TNG-era costumes hold up in remastered HD!

(From what little we saw in What We Left Behind , DS9’s costumes looked phenomenal in remastered HD!)

But today’s 4k binge-watching is an entirely different production and viewing experience, and the TNG uniforms didn’t need to be as ornate and intricately detailed as Fletcher’s movie-era uniforms.

Even if Roddenberry and/or Theiss wanted to (which I doubt), having an entire TV series’ worth of Fletcher’s uniforms may have been utterly impractical for budgetary reasons.

Second, Gene Roddenberry is said to have been displeased with the apparent militarization of Starfleet in the movies, which was reflected in the movie-era uniforms.

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

And third, 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 …

After all, how would you feel if:

• You were the original costume designer
• Your show was cancelled, but then became enormously popular afterward and your uniform designs became iconic …
• You were to be the costume designer on the new show, which was abandoned
• The cast went on to do four movies without you, but with another costume designer who had largely disregarded your now-iconic work, and those movies were well-received and successful
• The original producer (for whom the movies were also a sore spot) invited you back to design costumes on the new spinoff series

I know how I’d feel!

Artistic and budgetary differences aside, I believe these circumstances may have been a driving force in the mind of William Ware Theiss when conceptualizing his TNG-era uniforms.

In a nutshell, I believe Roddenberry’s apparent obsession with “recapturing” the essence of Star Trek , Theiss’ own design style being so different from Fletcher’s and his subsequent (possibly bitter) experience about the movies, and the simple budgetary limitations all shaped the decision-making process for TNG’s costume design.

MOVIE-ERA ELEMENTS INCORPORATED

Although William Ware Theiss almost entirely disregarded Robert Fletcher’s movie-era costume paradigm and designs, there were a few elements of Fletcher’s work that he kept and incorporated into TNG.

One tenant of the underlying philosophy for the TNG-era uniforms seems to be a better representation of gender equality than had been presented in The Original Series .

While perhaps progressive for its time, TOS showed us that women didn’t wear pants, told us women weren’t allowed to be starship captains, and generally had (what today might be regarded as) sexist overtones.

Despite being a flawed product of its time, I think most fans would probably agree that, at its best, Star Trek has always presented (or at least attempted to present) an optimistic future for humanity: free of racism, sexism, and bigotry of any kind, populated by people who respect each other, work for the common good of everyone, and accomplish great things together.

At its heart, Star Trek tried to show us a future in which all humans can simply “get along” without our current and historical preconceptions and biases against each other inhibiting us from reaching our full potential.

The issue of gender equality manifested in Roddenberry’s conceptions of The Next Generation .

Rather than populating the show with shallow women obsessed over physical beauty and mindlessly swooning over men – and dismissing ideas such as women not being allowed to be Starfleet captains – he created three female lead characters, all of whom were senior officers and two of them department chiefs.

Theiss may have already been moving in that direction with the aborted Star Trek: Phase II ; it seems that by that time, female crew were finally permitted to wear pants with their Starfleet uniforms, as evidenced by the uniform trousers below (presumably for wear by Janice Rand):

I believe this was perhaps the first notable shift in the psychology of Theiss’ Starfleet uniform design.

(Women wearing pants to work may be a laughable given today, but at the time, this could be considered a significant step – however small – toward gender equality.)

Despite the Phase II uniforms having never made it on-screen and Theiss’ lack of involvement with the movies, Robert Fletcher’s uniform designs were generally unisex.

Furthermore, this psychology may have influenced Roddenberry and/or Theiss to create the now-infamous unisex “TNG skant” uniforms – but more on those shortly.

Unfortunately, the Starfleet insignia situation as seen in The Original Series had been something of a mess.

One could easily be forgiven for assuming that the triangular “arrowhead” emblem we now associate with Starfleet was unique to the Enterprise crew, and the wide variety of assignment patches seemed to indicate unique insignia for each ship, base, institute, etc.

There appears to have even been confusion among the production team as to the original intent, as evidenced by this memo from producer Robert Justman to William Ware Theiss:

https://www.startrek.com/article/starfleet-insignia-explained

In The Motion Picture , a circle was added behind the previous Enterprise emblem, and the patch color indicated the wearer’s division.

The Motion Picture also introduced the notion of the Starfleet emblem being a separate metal (or metal-looking) pin attached to the garment.

Although the design of the emblem was modified again, it was standardized for all Starfleet uniforms in The Wrath of Khan , and the notion of the badge being a separate metal pin (as opposed to a sew-on patch) was fully realized across the cast.

After Fletcher’s standardization of the chest badge and with a second chance at independently establishing consistency, it should be no surprise that Theiss incorporated a standardized metal Starfleet insignia onto his TNG-era uniforms.

For the TWOK-era uniforms, Fletcher placed the wearer’s rank on the upper right shoulder strap.

Although for The Original Series uniforms Theiss had previously established the wearer’s rank with braid on the sleeves, for The Next Generation he adopted metal rank insignia and affixed it to the upper right area of the uniform.

In The Motion Picture , Fletcher introduced a Starfleet uniform that was a skin-tight, jumbo spandex jumpsuit.

Gene Roddenberry is said to have both favored the “sprayed on clothing” aesthetic and abhorred wrinkly costumes, and Theiss favored unstructured garments made with synthetic knit fabrics, so either one or both of them seem to have really latched onto this uniform concept.

The standard TNG-era uniforms were also skin-tight jumpsuits made of heavy jumbo spandex, although thankfully with the more modest areas blacked out.

Theiss’ original Klingon costumes had usually included a baldric, which he gave to Worf for The Next Generation .

(Some believe it may have even been the same one.)

However, the Klingons had been given significant makeup and costume redesigns in the movies.

It was decided to maintain their movie-era “look” – including Fletcher’s Klingon costumes.

I think this was a great call; reverting back to the TOS-era Klingon costumes and make-up would’ve been jarring and off-putting after what we’d seen in three of the four movies at that point.

(And in fact, Fletcher’s Klingon costumes would continue to be used throughout The Next Generation , Deep Space Nine , and Voyager , amassing far more screen time over their numerous television appearances than the movies for which he originally designed them.)

THEISS' AESTHETIC and DESIGN MOTIFS

Now that we’ve discussed the overall paradigm and possible psychological factors behind Theiss’ TNG-era costume designs, in this final section we’ll take a look at some specific ideas and influences that may have played a part in the conception of the show’s wardrobe.

For the third season of The Original Series , Theiss changed the standard uniforms to a double-knit fabric.

The previous (woven) uniforms had proven problematic due to “shrinkage” over time and some members of the cast struggled with their weight, causing additional fitting issues.

This may have intensified Theiss’ aversion to structured uniforms and woven fabrics, and switching to the double-knit seems to have solved – or at least reduced – these issues.

I mention it as possible evidence that Theiss was already moving in the direction of knit fabrics for his Starfleet uniforms … hence all of his TNG-era uniforms being made with nylon jumbo spandex.

Theiss had a singular style, and he seems to have revisited several of his design motifs from The Original Series .

He definitely seems to have enjoyed experimenting with asymmetry, which strongly manifested in his TNG-era uniforms.

Here are a couple examples from TOS, alongside his TNG-era admiral uniform:

Speaking of his admiral uniform designs, in The Original Series he’d consistently established that flag officers wore a distinctive metal accent on their uniforms.

Likewise, his TNG-era admiral uniform would include a unique metal “brooch.”

The TOS-era tunic necklines varied considerably, but by season three, Theiss definitely seems to have favored the V-shaped neckline.

His TNG-era uniforms would have similarly wide, V-shaped necklines (albeit without the collar).

A subtle design motif that Theiss favored right from the beginning with “The Cage” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was small openings (which I call “slits”) at the ends of garment limbs.

He used this motif on other costumes as well, including these two asymmetrically-paneled jumpsuits.

Theiss incorporated a (pleated) variation of these “slits” on the bottom of his Phase II uniform trousers.

He would return to this idea for his TNG-era uniforms as well.

Again on the topic of gender equality, in The Original Series the standard uniform for female crew members had been the “skant” mini-dress, most notably worn by Lieutenant Uhura.

I already mentioned how Fletcher’s movie-uniforms were essentially unisex, and how Theiss may have already been moving in that direction with his Phase II costume designs.

The Next Generation took things a step further by demonstrating that in the future, not only was it acceptable for women to wear the same uniforms the men wore, but that men could wear the same ones women wore!

(While perhaps a brave attempt to portray true gender equality in the future, ultimately whether or not it was successful is a matter of personal opinion.)  

Some may attribute the overall concept of Theiss’ TNG-era formal uniforms as a subtle nod to Fletcher’s TWOK-era uniforms, for obvious reasons.

However, I find it far more likely that Theiss was revisiting his costume design for Ambassador Robert Fox.

In The Original Series , Theiss established the “look” of the Romulan uniforms: grayish textured fabrics with dark belts and contrasting sashes over the right shoulder.  

And in his final episode as costume designer, he followed up on his original design when introducing the TNG-era Romulans.

IN CONCLUSION

William Ware Theiss so thoroughly established a paradigm and aesthetic with his TNG-era uniforms that not only would his costume designs set the precedent for the following spinoffs, but decades later his TNG-era uniforms are still instantly recognizable to almost anyone with even a modicum of nerdom and/or pop-culture awareness.

His TNG-era uniform designs were a direct evolution of those he’d designed for The Original Series , and (as we saw with the trousers) the aborted Phase II .

They were perhaps a culmination of design elements he’d introduced and experimented with on the original show, then revisited when conceptualizing what the Star Trek universe might look like a hundred years or so after his 23 nd -century uniforms.

Theiss had already begun favoring knit fabrics for Starfleet uniforms in The Original Series , and may have been moving toward more unisex uniforms for Phase II .

It takes no great eye to see that William Ware Theiss and Robert Fletcher, while both gifted costume designers who made great contributions to Star Trek , had radically different – practically incompatible – artistic visions for the future.

For any combination of the reasons I mentioned earlier, or for other reasons entirely, Theiss established a uniform paradigm for The Next Generation that, while unique (and even striking), was an obvious follow-up to his work on The Original Series .

While some of his more niche ideas (like men wearing “skants” and his season 1 admiral uniform) would be short-lived, other facets of his paradigm (such as the three division colors and rank placement) would continue to be adhered to through the end of Enterprise .

Although Theiss himself was only directly involved with the costumes for a single season and the design of the uniforms would evolve after his departure, the paradigm and “look” of TNG would become – in my opinion – every bit as iconic as his uniforms for The Original Series .

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TNG Jumpsuit Analysis, Part 1

• June 29, 2023

The switched division colors between TOS and TNG may have been a deliberate change, but to a certain degree, it was a change Fletcher made when engineering changed to gold and command to white in TWOK. A white undershirt doesn't really look like a division color, especially given the ubiquity of white undershirts worn as a base layer and white collared shirts worn under suit jackets, so the red jacket was somewhat of a de facto command division color. So, with red as the de facto command division color and gold (or yellow sweat stain as it looked on VHS) for division, Theiss's division colors are more of a continuation of what Fletcher did.

Also, no mention of the side cutouts Theiss considered? ( https://forgottentrek.com/redesigning-starfleets-uniforms/ )

I can perhaps see a loose connection between Theiss' and Fletcher's division colors, but I really think it was both of them just operating independently of the other.

And yes, Theiss' concept drawings for TNG are wild! Probably the only thing stranger than what we wound up with were the earlier concept illustrations. Truly bizarre stuff. 🙂

Have you ever gotten the chance to inspect any of the trousers that were paired with things like the 1st season dress uniform or admiral jacket? It's clear the cuffs were treated the same as the jumpsuit cuffs, but what about the rest? Were they just the bottom half of a duty uniform, finished with a waistband or were they constructed differently?

There were multiple styles of trousers over TNG, paired with different uniform jackets (etc.).

I'll be posting more about them in my upcoming TNG trousers analysis. 🙂

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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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Star Trek’s Next Movie Can Answer A TNG Starfleet Uniform Mystery

• Star Trek: Section 31 may answer the mystery of disappearing turtlenecks in Starfleet uniforms.
• The evolution of Starfleet uniforms in the "lost era" suggests a gradual change in styles.
• The longevity of the "monster maroon" uniforms in Star Trek is unusual compared to other eras.

When Star Trek: Section 31 streams on Paramount+, the next Star Trek movie can finally answer a mystery about Starfleet uniforms first raised in Star Trek: The Next Generation . In TNG season 3, episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise", a temporal rift introduced the 2340s USS Enterprise-C, commanded by Captain Rachel Garrett (Tricia O'Neil), to the 2360s crew of the USS Enterprise-D. Kacey Rohl will play a younger Rachel Garrett in Section 31 alongside Michelle Yeoh's Emperor Philippa Georgiou, implying Section 31 may take place in Star Trek 's "lost era", set between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 2293, and the start of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 2364.

The Starfleet uniforms of the lost era were the longest-lasting of any style seen throughout the Star Trek franchise. Affectionately dubbed the "monster maroon" due to the distinctive red woolen jacket, the Starfleet uniform first seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 2285 lasted up until the beginning of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 2360s. In this era, rank insignia was worn on the sleeves, much like in Star Trek: The Original Series , and the department was denoted by a colored strap on the shoulder and matching turtleneck. The turtleneck wasn't part of the Enterprise-C uniforms of the 2240s, though, so when did they disappear?

Star Trek: Every Starfleet Uniform & History Explained

Section 31 movie can answer a star trek uniform mystery, where did the turtlenecks go, and when did they stop being used.

Depending on when Star Trek: Section 31 actually takes place, Section 31 may be able to answer the question of the mysteriously vanishing Starfleet turtleneck. A more militaristic Starfleet might be inclined to use the more efficient version of the "monster maroon" uniform , like the alternate reality of "Yesterday's Enterprise", but that doesn't take into account flashbacks in the Prime Timeline of Star Trek lacking the turtleneck, like Captain Jean-Luc Picard's (Patrick Stewart) in TNG season 6, episode 15, "Tapestry", or the presence of it in the war-torn alternate future of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1, episode 10, "A Quality of Mercy".

Is there an in-universe reason for TNG's "monster maroon" uniform change?

TNG flashbacks show two Monster Maroon variations designed by Star Trek: The Next Generation costume designer Robert Blackman. Ensign Picard's uniform in 2327 lacks the turtleneck, but has a collarless undershirt, making it a "middle maroon", so to speak. By 2344, the Enterprise-C crew's "mini maroon" lacks both the undershirt and the "monster maroon's" black belt. Put in chronological order, Blackman's Starfleet uniform variations from TNG flashbacks suggest Starfleet uniforms evolved throughout the lost era , from Star Trek movie costume designer Robert Fletcher's Monster Maroon into the slimmer silhouette of Starfleet uniforms in TNG season 1, designed by William Ware Theiss. But is there an in-universe reason for TNG 's "monster maroon" uniform change?

Why Star Trek: TOS Movies’ Maroon Uniforms Were Worn By Starfleet For Decades

80 years of the "monster maroon" is unusual, compared to rapidly changing starfleet uniforms in other eras..

Star Trek 's maroon Starfleet uniforms were in use for 50 years before any variants were introduced, and even then, the undershirt variant lasted 16 years, and the collarless version was used for 11 years. With over 80 years of use, that's different from other eras of Star Trek , where Starfleet uniforms change rapidly, and sometimes even use more than one uniform at once, like the utilitarian colored-shoulder uniforms in early seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the white-striped variant for support crews in Star Trek: Lower Decks, or the myriad uniform styles seen in both the 22nd and 32nd centuries on Star Trek: Discovery .

Using the maroon TOS movie costumes for flashbacks provides a clear visual signal that the story is set much earlier.

Without a Star Trek series set in the lost era, it's cost-effective to reference the TOS movie uniforms when representing the lost era on-screen . Because the maroon uniforms are strikingly different from TNG uniforms , using the maroon TOS movie costumes for flashbacks provides a clear visual signal that the story is set much earlier, while also saving the time and cost it would take for designer Robert Blackman to come up with brand-new uniforms just for that era. If Section 31 takes place in the lost era, we may finally see an explanation for why Starfleet's maroon uniforms lasted right up to Star Trek: The Next Generation without changing much.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is streaming on Paramount+. Star Trek: Section 31 will stream on Paramount+.

Cast Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Wil Wheaton, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, Marina Sirtis, Gates McFadden

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Franchise(s)

Writers Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Rick Berman

Where To Watch Paramount+

Studio(s) CBS

Distributor(s)

Cast Humberly Gonzlez, Joe Pingue, Sam Richardson, Omari Hardwick, Robert Kazinsky, Michelle Yeoh, Kacey Rohl

Guide: Uniform colors/Canon uniforms

• VisualEditor
• View history

These are the uniforms that have appeared in the Star Trek series and films.

• 1.1 Early TOS - "The Cage" Uniforms
• 1.2 Early TOS - "The Cage" Technician Coveralls
• 1.3 TOS Uniforms
• 1.4 TOS Technician Coveralls
• 1.5 TMP (The Motion Picture) Uniforms
• 1.6 TOS films or TWoK (The Wrath of Khan) Uniforms - ST Films II-VII
• 2.1 TNG Uniforms - Season 1+2
• 2.2 TNG Uniforms - Seasons 3-7 / ST Film VII
• 2.3 TNG Technician Coveralls
• 3.1 TNG Films - ST Films VIII-X / DS9 later seasons Uniforms - Seasons 6+7
• 3.2 TNG Films / DS9 later seasons Dress Uniforms
• 3.3 TNG Films / DS9 later seasons Cadet Uniforms
• 3.4 DS9 early seasons Uniforms - Seasons 1+2
• 3.5 DS9 early seasons Cadet Uniforms
• 3.6 Bajoran Militia Uniforms
• 4.1 VOY / DS9 mid seasons Uniforms - Seasons 3-5 / ST Film VII
• 4.2 VOY Special Uniforms
• 4.3 Voyager Endgame/DS9 The Visitor/TNG All Good Things Uniforms
• 4.4 Voyager Endgame Cadet Uniforms
• 5.1 ENT Uniforms
• 5.2 M.A.C.O. Outfit (22nd Century)
• 6.1 DSC 2258 Uniforms (Season 1-3)
• 6.2 DSC 3189 Uniforms (Season 3)
• 6.3 DSC 3190 Uniforms (Season 4-5)
• 7.1 Starfleet 2399 Duty Uniforms
• 8 Star Trek: Lower Decks (LDS)
• 9.1 29th Century (Wells)
• 9.2 Destiny Uniforms
• 9.3 Vulcan Uniform Mock-ups

The Original Series (TOS) [ | ]

Early tos - "the cage" uniforms [ | ].

The Cage Command Uniform

The Cage Sciences Uniform

The Cage Operations Uniform

Early TOS - "The Cage" Technician Coveralls [ | ]

TOS Uniforms [ | ]

Command Uniform

Command Skirt

Captain's Variant Uniform

Captain's Tunic

Captain's Tunic Skirt

Sciences Uniform

Medical Variant Uniform

Sciences Skirt

Nurse's Variant Skirt

Operations and Security Uniform

Operations Skirt

Cadet Uniform 1

Cadet Uniform 2

Cadet Uniform 3

TOS Technician Coveralls [ | ]

Command Variant 1

Command Variant 2

Engineering and Maintenance

TMP (The Motion Picture) Uniforms [ | ]

Admiral Uniform

Command Variant

Operations Officers Uniform

Operations Officers Skirt

Helm/Tactical Officers Uniform

Helm/Tactical Officers Skirt

Engineering Officers Uniform

Engineering Officers Skirt

Engineering Enlisted and Junior Officers Uniform

Engineering Enlisted and Junior Officers Skirt

Sciences/Medical Officers Uniform

Sciences/Medical Officers Skirt

Sciences Enlisted and Junior Officers Uniform

Sciences Enlisted and Junior Officers Skirt

Security Uniform

TOS films or TWoK (The Wrath of Khan) Uniforms - ST Films II-VII [ | ]

Engineering

The Next Generation (TNG) [ | ]

Tng uniforms - season 1+2 [ | ].

Operations Uniform

Klingon Variant Uniform

TNG Uniforms - Seasons 3-7 / ST Film VII [ | ]

Captain's Variant Jacket

Acting Ensign

The Yesterday's Enterprise uniforms are not available in exact, but the TNG series uniforms are closest and provide good replication. To replicate the YE uniforms, use these as a base, and add the YE belt, chest for enlisted. The belt cannot be colored, so set the color to H11 with another belt first. For the chest gear, set the color to P12 before selecting the YE chest gear.

TNG Technician Coveralls [ | ]

Deep Space Nine (DS9) [ | ]

Tng films - st films viii-x / ds9 later seasons uniforms - seasons 6+7 [ | ].

Command Open Jacket

Sciences Uniform Standard

TNG Films / DS9 later seasons Dress Uniforms [ | ]

Captain's Dress Uniform

Command Dress Uniform

Sciences Dress Uniform

Operations Dress Uniform

TNG Films / DS9 later seasons Cadet Uniforms [ | ]

Command Cadet

Science Cadet

Operations Cadet

Note: All three of these uniforms can be equipped with the Odyssey Excursion Hip attachments for extra authenticity. The colour for these is H9.

DS9 early seasons Uniforms - Seasons 1+2 [ | ]

Medical Uniform

DS9 early seasons Cadet Uniforms [ | ]

Cadet Uniform

Command Declared Cadet Uniform

Engineering/Security Declared Cadet Uniform

Sciences Declared Cadet Uniform

Medical Declared Cadet Uniform

Bajoran Militia Uniforms [ | ]

Soldier Uniform

Technician Uniform

Dress Uniform

Stealth Uniform

Voyager (VOY) [ | ]

Voy / ds9 mid seasons uniforms - seasons 3-5 / st film vii [ | ].

Sciences Uniform Variant

Seven of Nine 1

Seven of Nine 2

Seven of Nine 3

Seven of Nine 4

Seven of Nine 5

Seven of Nine 6

Seven of Nine 7

VOY Special Uniforms [ | ]

Command Training Uniform

Operations Training Uniform

Sciences Training Uniform

Drive Flight Suit

Voyager Endgame/DS9 The Visitor/TNG All Good Things Uniforms [ | ]

Voyager Endgame Cadet Uniforms [ | ]

Operations Declared Cadet Uniform

Enterprise (ENT) [ | ]

Ent uniforms [ | ].

Admiral's Uniform

Command Excursion Uniform

Sciences Excursion Uniform

Operations Excursion Uniform

M.A.C.O. Outfit (22nd Century) [ | ]

Discovery (DSC) [ | ]

Dsc 2258 uniforms (season 1-3) [ | ].

Duty Uniforms

Flag Uniforms

Medical Uniforms

DSC 3189 Uniforms (Season 3) [ | ]

DSC 3190 Uniforms (Season 4-5) [ | ]

Star Trek: Picard (PCD) [ | ]

Starfleet 2399 duty uniforms [ | ].

Star Trek: Lower Decks (LDS) [ | ]

Special/Other [ | ]

29th century (wells) [ | ].

Note: The badge and rank colors in these images are out of date due to a palette expansion. Equivalent coloring (as of the time of this edit, 10/08/2016) has been experimentally determined to be in the A10 and A13 slots, as opposed to the previous A2 and A5 slots.

Destiny Uniforms [ | ]

Vulcan Uniform Mock-ups [ | ]

• 1 List of canon starships
• 3 Playable starship

Decoding the Star Trek: TNG Uniform Colors

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Since its debut in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) has captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide. The futuristic setting, complex characters, and compelling storylines have made the show a cult classic. One intriguing aspect of the show is the uniform colors worn by the members of the starship Enterprise crew. In this blog post, we will delve into the meaning behind the TNG uniform colors and explore their significance within the Star Trek universe.

The Color Hierarchy

The TNG series introduced a new set of uniform colors that differed from the original Star Trek series. These colors served to distinguish the various divisions within Starfleet, each with its own specific roles and responsibilities. Let’s take a closer look at each color and its corresponding meaning:

1. Red: Command

The red uniform is primarily worn by members of the command division, including the captain, first officer, and helm officers. These individuals are responsible for leading and managing the starship, making critical decisions, and overseeing missions. The red color symbolizes leadership, authority, and the ability to take charge in high-pressure situations.

2. Gold: Operations

The gold uniform is worn by members of the operations division, such as engineers, security officers, and tactical officers. These crew members handle the technical aspects of the starship, including maintenance, repairs, and security. The gold color represents practicality, resourcefulness, and the necessary skills to keep the starship running smoothly.

3. Blue: Sciences and Medical

The blue uniform is worn by members of the sciences and medical divisions. This includes positions such as science officers, medical personnel, and counselors. These individuals explore new frontiers, conduct research, analyze data, and provide medical aid to the crew. The blue color signifies intellect, curiosity, and a dedication to understanding the unknown.

Symbolic Significance

While the colors themselves represent different divisions and roles, they also carry symbolic significance within the Star Trek universe. The color scheme embodies Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a harmonious future where diversity is celebrated and each individual contributes their unique skills and perspectives.

In the Star Trek universe, the tri-color system used in the TNG uniforms signifies the integration of command, operations, and scientific endeavors. It emphasizes the need for collaboration and unity among the crew members for the successful operation of the starship and the exploration of space.

Additionally, the vibrant colors of the uniforms serve to visually distinguish the different roles and divisions, aiding both the crew and viewers in identifying key characters and understanding their responsibilities.

Changing the Course of Fashion

Star Trek has had a significant impact on popular culture, and the TNG uniforms were no exception. In addition to their symbolic meaning within the show, the uniforms also influenced real-world fashion trends.

The sleek and futuristic design of the TNG uniforms, created by costume designer Robert Blackman, helped redefine the perception of sci-fi costumes. They were sleek, form-fitting, and represented a departure from the often flamboyant attire of previous science fiction shows. The uniforms were designed to be practical and allowed the actors to move freely.

Furthermore, the TNG uniforms introduced the concept of pips—small rank insignia worn on the collars of officers—which became iconic symbols within the Star Trek community. The number of pips indicated the officer’s rank, with the captain donning four pips as the highest-ranking authority on the starship.

The colorful uniforms of Star Trek: The Next Generation not only added visual flair to the show but also carried deep meaning within the Star Trek universe. The tri-color system represented the integration of command, operations, and sciences, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and diversity. Moreover, the uniforms influenced fashion trends and introduced iconic symbols such as pips. As we continue to explore Star Trek’s vast universe, let us fondly remember the significance of these vibrant uniform colors and the characters who embodied them.

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Starfleet uniform (2350s-2370s)

• View history

Starfleet uniforms (2364)

Starfleet uniforms (2369), with optional tricorder and phaser holsters , and armbands

In the early 2350s , the Starfleet uniform was completely redesigned. Closer in appearance to those in service during the late 2260s , the new Starfleet uniform spawned several variants, most notably in 2366 , and inspired versions yet to come.

The next major redesign came in the late 2360s , and was used in conjunction with this design for a few years before both styles were completely phased out.

• 1.1.1 Skant
• 1.2 Transitional versions
• 1.3.1 Captain's variant
• 1.3.2 Maternity uniform
• 1.3.3 Uniform undershirt
• 4.1 Lab coat
• 4.2 Medical skant
• 5 Utility uniform
• 6 Covert ops attire
• 7 Cadet uniform
• 8 Provisional uniform
• 9 Other uniform features
• 10 Rank insignia
• 11.1 Background information
• 11.2 Appearances
• 11.3 External links

Standard duty uniform [ ]

Command red

Operations gold; note that male and female styles are identical

Sciences blue, open

Introduced as early as 2353 , the standard Starfleet duty uniform in use aboard Starfleet starships , at starbases , and at Starfleet Headquarters on Earth , consisted of form-fitting jumpsuits, primarily black but prominently displaying the wearers' division of service. ( TNG : " Suddenly Human ", " Encounter at Farpoint ")

As with earlier Starfleet uniforms, the divisions were distinguished by color, with red for command , gold for operations , and blue for sciences , but switching the command and operations division colors from the earlier uniform designs , while the science division color stayed the same, with the colors shown on the chest, back and sleeves, as well as in piping along the shoulders, collar, and pant cuffs.

Worn with a Starfleet insignia combadge on the left breast, this uniform also displayed rank insignia – in the form of round pips – below the collar on the right side.

Closing at the front, the Starfleet uniform was adaptable for away team missions, including areas to attach phasers , tricorders or other equipment. While most officers wore the single-piece duty uniform, variants were available, such as the "skant" and medical skant versions.

While an updated version of this uniform was introduced in 2366, the 2350s variation remained in service, usually for lower-ranking personnel. This 2350s uniform disappeared from common use between 2367 and 2370. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Child ", " Shades of Gray ", " Suddenly Human ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ", " Violations ", " All Good Things... "; ENT : " These Are the Voyages... ")

A similar uniform design was in use by the Starfleet of the alternate reality by 2379 . ( DIS : " Terra Firma, Part 1 ")

Introduced alongside the standard duty uniform jumpsuit, a skirt or " skant "-style uniform was also available to Starfleet officers as early as 2364 . Similar to its jumpsuit counterpart, the skant uniform was a short-sleeved dress that could be worn with or without trousers, and included knee high, or shorter, black boots.

It was worn by all genders – though men tended to wear the shorter boots – until it was phased out of service in early 2365 . ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " The Child ", " All Good Things... ") In 2381, Ensign Mariner asserted that "nobody wears those anymore," in response to Ensign Boimler 's suggestion that they wear skants to the Command Conference held at Starbase 25 . ( LD : " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ")

Transitional versions [ ]

A transitional version, between the Type A and Type B, of the uniform, introduced in early 2366, was designed with two vertical seams down the front of the jacket and dart seams in the underarm areas to create a more tailored look. The male design lacked the waistband found in the final Type B jacket revision. ( TNG : " The Survivors ") The uniforms were gradually phased out over a few months. ( TNG : " The Price ")

In 2366, one junior officer wore an unusual hybrid of the two primary uniform designs: a Type A one-piece uniform with division-colored shoulder and ankle piping, but featuring the Type B collar with neckline piping. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Beginning in 2366, a new uniform variation was introduced to officers serving in Starfleet.

Retaining the same, distinct two-tone style as before, the newer version featured a higher, more formal collar. Division color piping was relocated from the yoke to the top of the collar, leaving a flat black look. The combadge remained on the left breast. Division colors were retained, with wine-red for command/helm, mustard-yellow for operations/security, and teal-blue for science/medical. Uniforms also came with a division color undershirt beneath the uniform jacket that was tucked into the pants just below the breast. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

This alteration to the standard duty uniform was introduced to senior officers only at first, but was ultimately trickled down to lower-ranking crewmembers by 2368 . Still, while all officers aboard starships wore the same basic uniform, senior officers and department heads generally wore the belted version while other crew members wore the tighter, non-belted versions.

Officers continued to wear this style uniform, even after the introduction of the next uniform redesign , which at first was used only aboard starbases. Still, while the two uniforms were worn in service together (giving officers aboard ship a greater choice of wardrobe), the more formal duty uniform fell out of use aboard starships by 2371 . It continued to see use by officers serving at Starfleet Command on Earth or in other diplomatic service as late as 2374 . ( TNG : " Evolution "; DS9 : " Tears of the Prophets "; VOY : " Caretaker ")

Captain's variant [ ]

The captain's variant

In 2368, Starfleet had a uniform variant jacket made available to commanding officers in service aboard starships. ( TNG : " Darmok ", " Unification I ", " Cause And Effect ", " A Fistful of Datas ")

Maternity uniform [ ]

A maternity uniform in 2370

This appears to be a looser-fitting uniform designed to better accommodate the growth of a crew member while pregnant. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Uniform undershirt [ ]

Ro Laren wearing the Type B undershirt

The Type B uniform had a sleeveless undershirt in the wearer's division color, worn beneath the uniform jacket and tucked into the uniform pants just below the breast. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Flag officer uniform [ ]

Flag officer uniform, pre-2358

Sometime before 2358 , this uniform was available to Starfleet flag officers .

This uniform consisted of a double-breasted jacket that could presumably be opened like the jacket of the previous style , along with a featureless black belt, pants, and boots. The jacket opening was trimmed in gold, as were the black shoulders and large black cuffs. Gold trim also ran down the back in the same manner that black piping had ran down the back of the previous uniform style. Rank insignia was worn on the right shoulder just above the trim halfway between the jacket opening and the center of the collar, as well as on the cuffs. ( VOY : " Coda ")

Admiral Savar in 2364

This uniform variant, available to Starfleet admirals and other higher-ranking flag officers as early as 2364, featured a design distinguishing it from the standard duty uniform.

Consisting of a short, burgundy and black tunic, with black trousers, this uniform featured gold braid at the yoke, shoulders and collar. It was also marked by a distinct wedge of black material extending from the right shoulder down to the left waist. ( TNG : " Too Short A Season ", " Coming of Age ", " Conspiracy ")

Vice Admiral Nakamura in 2365

As early as 2365, another admiral's service uniform was available. Consisting of a short tunic top, with gold braid and yoke piping, the uniform was worn with black trousers.

The uniform rank insignia was displayed as a box-shaped insignia with pips inside, on either side of a high collar. ( TNG : " The Emissary ", " The Measure Of A Man ")

The post-2366 flag officer's uniform

With the alteration of the standard duty uniform in 2366, a new wave of uniforms for flag officers and admirals came into service.

This alteration featured a long service jacket and trousers. Similar to the standard duty jacket, the flag officer's uniform was marked by a V-shaped black cutout, trimmed in gold.

The rank insignia were enclosed pips worn on either side of the uniform collar, as well as displayed on both sleeves with four widely spaced, thin gold braid stripes ending at the cuff. ( TNG : " The Defector ", " Man Of The People ")

In 2369 , a new flag officer's uniform was introduced. Retaining the familiar long jacket and trousers, this newer version was simpler, abandoning the distinctive black wedge cutout from the previous design for a gold-trimmed closure running down the front of the uniform. The sleeves of the uniform were also modified, now bearing the rank insignia within a wide, black cuff.

This version was ultimately retired from service in the year 2374 in favor of yet another design . ( TNG : " Realm Of Fear "; DS9 : " Behind the Lines ")

Dress uniform [ ]

In the early 2360s, Starfleet personnel were issued a standard dress uniform that had a long wraparound tunic top worn with black leggings. An officer's standard rank insignia were not worn; instead, a band of gold braid ran the entire length of the jacket closure. ( TNG : " Lonely Among Us ", " Coming of Age ")

An admiral's version of this uniform also existed, which was worn in the same style, save for the gold braid, which was much thicker. Q once wore this uniform during his second encounter with the crew of the USS Enterprise -D . ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

Introduced in 2365, this version of the dress uniform introduced rank insignia to the right shoulder and swapped the single gold braid for two narrower braids running parallel to each other (one gold, one silver), which together were the same thickness as the original. The gold braids also no longer extended below the black material that covered the shoulders from the yoke upwards. By 2366, the leggings had given way to a more standard black pants and boots. ( TNG : " Manhunt ", " Sarek "; LD : " Reflections ")

Picard in his dress uniform in 2368

In 2367, the dress uniform was again modified, this time removing several inches of material at the bottom, bringing the bottom of the jacket to mid-thigh just below the hands. A small section of the gold trim that ran vertical from the end of the top opening to the yoke was also removed, leaving only the trim above the rank insignia that ran around the collar. ( TNG : " Data's Day ", " Qpid ", " Cost Of Living ", " The Perfect Mate ", " Chain Of Command, Part I ")

By 2370, the dress uniform jacket had again been shortened, this time just removing enough material to bring the bottom to the hands, just below the waist. This uniform style was used by Starfleet until its retirement in 2374, though officers aboard the USS Voyager used it throughout their mission in the Delta Quadrant ending in 2378 . ( TNG : " Liaisons ", " Sub Rosa "; DS9 : " The Adversary ", " Crossfire "; VOY : " Course: Oblivion ", " Someone to Watch Over Me ", " Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy ", " One Small Step ", " Ashes to Ashes ")

Medical attire [ ]

Lab coat [ ].

Dr. Crusher in her lab coat

Starfleet medical personnel generally wore standard duty uniforms. In some situations, officers like Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher of the starship USS Enterprise -D wore medical lab coats over their sciences division uniform. ( TNG : " Evolution ").

Medical skant [ ]

A variant of the Type A standard duty uniform available to medical personnel. This uniform featured a tunic with a cut similar to that of the Skant style uniform, but apart from black shoulders, was completely medical-division blue. This tunic was worn untucked over separate black trousers, and standard duty boots. The initial design of this uniform featured two front pockets and a raised band in the midsection; these elements were later eliminated from the uniform. ( TNG : " The Child ", " Where Silence Has Lease ")

CMO Dr. Katherine Pulaski appeared to prefer this uniform to the Type A duty jumpsuit. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2 )

Dr. Pulaski operating in surgical scrubs

During surgical sessions, scrubs were provided to doctors, consisting of burgundy-colored gowns and caps. Medical personnel also wore rubber-like surgical gloves during more intensive medical procedures and surgeries. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ", " Ethics "; DS9 : " Life Support ", " Profit and Lace ", " Tears of the Prophets ")

Utility uniform [ ]

The mid- 24th century uniform issue included a utility jumpsuit for technical personnel. The jumpsuit, in the three standard department colors, was worn over a black, long sleeve mock turtleneck, although some versions had a short black collar built in, and was worn with black boots. Another variation had division-color boots and black sleeves. Personnel wearing utility jumpsuits were sometimes issued combadges. ( TNG : " The Naked Now ", " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " The Big Goodbye ", " Datalore ", " 11001001 ", " Home Soil ", " Coming of Age ", " Heart of Glory ", " Symbiosis ", " Skin Of Evil ", " Conspiracy ", " The Neutral Zone ", " The Child ", " Where Silence Has Lease ", " Contagion ", " Peak Performance ", " Galaxy's Child ", " The Nth Degree ", " Schisms ", " Eye of the Beholder ")

Covert ops attire [ ]

Beverly Crusher and Worf in covert ops uniforms

In certain instances of covert operations or espionage , Starfleet officers were afforded specific attire to aid in the completion of their mission.

As early as 2369, some officers wore a black, tight-fitting jumpsuit uniform, not marked with an insignia or any kind of outwardly identifying marks. Distinguished by an optional jumpsuit hood and black boots, this uniform was sometimes worn with a backpack and technical gear for grappelling or other physically daunting tasks. ( TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ", " Frame of Mind ")

Cadet uniform [ ]

During the late 2360s, cadets at Starfleet Academy wore distinct duty uniforms consisting of a black, two-piece jumpsuit with division-colored shoulders, which is a reversal of the Starfleet duty uniform colors, resembling the next uniform design .

Originally, the cadet uniform maintained the low collar of the original uniform design, trimmed in black, and had no rank insignia. Two years later, the cadet uniform featured a high collar, with rank (or student year) insignia being added shortly thereafter. Both versions of the cadet uniform bore several large pockets running down the trousers. ( TNG : " Allegiance ", " The Game ", " The First Duty ", " Journey's End ")

This uniform was in use aboard Terrasphere 8 , Species 8472 's recreation of Starfleet Headquarters and the Academy in San Francisco , in 2375 alongside the next version of the standard duty uniform . ( VOY : " In the Flesh ")

Provisional uniform [ ]

The provisional uniform was worn by crewmen such as acting ensigns . There have been two variations of this uniform; the first had a light blue turtleneck tunic with navy blue shoulders and collar bordered with the colors of all three divisions. The blue division stripe crossed over the others to form an upward-pointing arrow on the left shoulder, while the red division stripe crossed under to point down. The uniform's navy blue pants matched the shoulders. The second variation was a heathered battleship grey turtleneck with matching trousers and dark charcoal gray ribbed shoulders and collar.

The first variation was worn with no combadge; the second worn with an entirely silver-colored combadge.

Other uniform features [ ]

Some officers wore alternate uniforms at times. Deanna Troi often wore casual clothing while on duty. Other officers, such as Worf, were allowed to wear accessories relating to their culture with their uniforms, but this was at the discretion of the captain. Bajoran officer Ensign Ro Laren was allowed to retain her culture's traditional earring, despite the reservations of some of her fellow officers ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ", " Chain Of Command, Part I "), and once wore a headband the same color as her division. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ") Benzite officer Mendon, participating in the Officer Exchange Program wore a uniform variant with a higher collar. It is unknown if this was in some way related to the breathing apparatus attached to his chest.

Rank insignia [ ]

The rank insignia were simplified from complex symbols from the previous uniform to small circular pips . These pips were colored either gold or black, to signify full or partial rank, respectively.

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Gene Roddenberry reviews a preliminary TNG uniform design

Studying the final uniforms

Robert Blackman examines the original uniform design

The Starfleet uniforms worn during The Original Series were designed by William Ware Theiss , who returned to design the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms (which were further adapted into future versions in DS9 , VOY and the TNG -era films by Robert Blackman ).

It is possible that the the command and operations division colors from The Original Series (gold and red, respectively) were switched for The Next Generation to make Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes more "commanding." [4]

Patrick Stewart claimed that the change from this Starfleet uniform to the new version after the second season of TNG was thanks to his chiropractor, who recommended Stewart sue Paramount for "lasting damage done to [his] spine." Evidently, the producers wanted to have a smooth, unwrinkled look to the Starfleet uniforms, which put strain on Stewart's shoulders, neck and back after two seasons in a lycra costume that was one size too small. [5]

Among the costumes and uniforms which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, was an operations division uniform from this era. [6]

Appearances [ ]

• Season 1 (all episodes)
• Season 2 (all episodes)
• Season 3 (all episodes) (seen on background performers)
• " Suddenly Human " (photograph only)
• " Identity Crisis "
• " Violations "
• " Second Chances "
• " All Good Things... "
• ENT : " These Are the Voyages... "
• DIS : " Terra Firma, Part 1 " (hologram)
• LD : " Reflections " (image only)
• " The Bounty " (flashback)
• " Surrender " (hologram)
• Season 3 (all episodes)
• Season 4 (all episodes)
• Season 5 (all episodes)
• Season 6 (all episodes)
• Season 7 (all episodes)
• " Emissary "
• " Second Sight "
• " The Maquis, Part I "
• " The Maquis, Part II "
• " The Jem'Hadar "
• " Defiant "
• " Explorers "
• " The Way of the Warrior "
• " The Visitor "
• " Homefront "
• " Paradise Lost "
• " Rapture "
• " The Sound of Her Voice "
• " Tears of the Prophets "
• " What You Leave Behind " (flashback only)
• " Non Sequitur "
• " Death Wish "
• " Infinite Regress " (flashback)
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• " Remembrance " (dream)
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 "
• " The Next Generation "
• " The Last Generation " (flashback; archive footage)
• " Temporal Edict " (seen on a Miles O'Brien holo-statue)
• " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers " (seen on Data bubble bath bottles)
• " Reflections " (image and flashback)
• " The Stars At Night " (flashback)
• " Parth Ferengi's Heart Place "
• " Old Friends, New Planets " (cadet uniform; flashback)
• PRO : " Kobayashi " (hologram only)
• DIS : " Red Directive " (image only)
• " Worst Contact "
• " Holograms All the Way Down "
• " Walk, Don't Run "

Skant uniform

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " The Naked Now "
• " Code of Honor "
• " Where No One Has Gone Before "
• " Lonely Among Us "
• " Justice "
• " The Battle "
• " Hide And Q "
• " The Big Goodbye "
• " Angel One "
• " 11001001 "
• " When The Bough Breaks "
• " Home Soil "
• " Coming of Age "
• " Heart of Glory "
• " The Arsenal of Freedom "
• " Symbiosis "
• " Skin Of Evil "
• " We'll Always Have Paris "
• " Conspiracy "
• " The Neutral Zone "

Utility uniform

• " The Last Outpost "
• " Datalore "
• " The Child "
• " Where Silence Has Lease "
• " Contagion "
• " Peak Performance "
• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "
• " Final Mission "
• " Galaxy's Child "
• " The Nth Degree "
• " The Host "
• " The Mind's Eye "
• " Redemption II "
• " Silicon Avatar "
• " Cost Of Living "
• " The Next Phase "
• " Schisms "
• " Rascals "
• " Eye of the Beholder "

External links [ ]

• Starfleet uniform (2350s-2366) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Starfleet uniform (2366-2373) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Starfleet uniform (2351-2365)  at Spike's Star Trek Page
• Starfleet uniform (2366-2372)  at Spike's Star Trek Page
• 24th century Starfleet uniforms  at Ex Astris Scientia
• 1 Star Trek: Discovery

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Star Trek: Lower Decks RITOS Adult Short Sleeve T-Shirt

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If you are a fan of Star Trek: Lower Decks you will love this RITOS shirt a s worn by Captain Freeman on   Star Trek: Lower Decks.  The t-shirt features RITOS on the front  emulating the DISCO shirts worn on Star Trek: Discovery.

• Fit: This crew neck shirt is comfortable and lightweight.
• Made of: 100% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton and 90/10 Cotton/Polyester in color
• Care: Machine wash cold inside out with like colors and tumble dry low.

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 .

STLD-100011-0013-ST-LD-ritos

Star Trek: Lower Decks RITOS Women's Short Sleeve T-Shirt

If you are a fan of Star Trek Lower Decks you will love this 'RITOS' shirt as worn by Captain Freeman on Star Trek: Lower Decks . The t-shirt features RITOS on the front emulating the "DISCO" shirts worn on Star Trek: Discovery.

• This is the perfect tee to lounge around in!
• Additional Information: This shirt is designed to have a snug fit - we suggest sizing up if you prefer your shirts to be baggy.

STLD-100012-0013-ST-LD-ritos

Star Trek: Lower Decks RITOS Fleece Crewneck Sweatshirt

• Get cozy in this super-soft traditional crewneck sweatshirt!
• Fit: Comfy and casual fit
• Made of: 50% polyester / 50% cotton

STLD-100000-0007-ST-LD-ritos

Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform T-Shirt

DOORBUSTER DEAL ! Additional discounts do not apply. Shop all doorbusters here!

• CUSTOM STAR TREK APPAREL: This official Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform T-Shirt is made of 100% cotton for ultimate comfort during space travel.
• OFFICIALLY LICENSED: Wear these officially licensed Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform T-Shirt everywhere you go to show your love for your favorite franchise
• PERFECT FOR GIFTING: These official Star Trek Uniform T-Shirts make an out-of-this-world birthday, holiday, or graduation gift to any Star Trek fan!
• This Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform T-Shirt features metallic printing on the sleeves and delta for an eye-catching design visible from space.
• Wear this classic Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform T-Shirt over and over again by machine washing cold on a gentle cycle with like colors. Tumble dry low.
• Availability: Ships to the United States and Puerto Rico.

STTOS-R7000496-2-ST-TOS-EUTP

Star Trek: Discovery Science Women's Uniform (Silver)

Boldly go where no man has gone before, and look great while doing it with this Star Trek Discovery Science Uniform in silver. This blue top features an inner lining, a silver Starfleet emblem on the chest and additional silver accents ,  making it the perfect addition to your Star Trek cosplay costume . Pants are not included, only the jacket.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Material: 100% Polyester
• Care: Hand Wash to preserve uniform
• Additional Information: Pants are not included.
• Shipping Policy: For more information, see our Shipping Policy .

ST-D-279843

Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

Even those in the command division need some R&R! With a soft mink front inspired by the command uniforms of the U.S.S. Voyager crew members, this comfy Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket is perfect to throw over your shoulders after a busy day. With a soft mink front and cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek: Voyager blanket is a must-have addition to your personal quarters.

• You'll never need another blanket! This blanket is the perfect addition to your home, it looks good and is a nice companion on cool nights.
• Made Of: 100% polyester.
• Care: Machine wash cold on gentle cycle with mild detergent and similar colors. Tumble dry low or lay flat to dry for longest life.

STV-100206-0009-ST-V-CUS

Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

This Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket lets you relax in ultimate comfort after a long day of commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise. Featuring the iconic colors of the Star Trek: The Next Generation command uniform on the soft mink front and a cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek blanket is perfect to snuggle up in as you unwind during the evening.

STTNG-100206-0002-ST-TNG-CUS

Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Beach Towel

Make your next beach vacation the best one yet with this Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Beach Towel. Perfect for crew members in the command division, this soft Star Trek: The Next Generation beach towel keeps you dry while showing off your love for your team.

• Whether at the beach or pool you will use this beach towel as your favorite accessory all summer!
• Measures: 30"x60".
• Made Of: 100% Velour Terry Cotton.
• Care: Please wash before using towel. Pile and softness will return.

STTNG-100199-0001-ST-TNG-CUB

Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Throw Pillow

Give your starship quarters a noticeable upgrade with this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Pillow. Inspired by the iconic command uniform from Star Trek: The Original Series , this Star Trek accent pillow makes a great finishing touch to your home decor.

• Show off your favorite shows or characters with this vibrant throw pillow. You'll want to be able to display one of these in each comfortable spot in your house!
• Measures: 16” Wide x 16” Tall.
• Made Of: spun poly material with down alternative; blown and closed.
• Care: Spot Clean or Dry Clean Only.

STTOS-100256-0003-ST-TOS-CUP

Star Trek: The Original Series Spock Dog Costume

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Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform Athletic Shorts

Planning a trip to Risa, Casperia Prime, or maybe Freecloud is more your vibe? Don't forget to pack these Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform Adult Shorts in your suitcase! Channel your inner Paul Stamets, Montgomery Scott or Georgi LaForge in these amazing red uniform shorts featuring the Engineering Badge! With mesh side pockets, water-repellant fabric, and elastic waistband, you can't go wrong rocking these amazing shorts on your next adventure.

• Made of: 91% recycled polyester, 9% spandex (fabric composition may vary by 3%)
• Four-way stretch moisture-wicking microfiber fabric
• Elastic waistband with a flat white drawstring
• Mesh side pockets

STTOS-100442-0008-ST-TOS-EUS

Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform Adult Shorts

Planning a trip to Risa, Casperia Prime, or maybe Freecloud is more your vibe? Don't forget to pack these Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform Adult Shorts in your suitcase! Get ready to do some high tech science experiments aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 in these blue Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform Adult Shorts featuring the Science Badge! With mesh side pockets, water-repellant fabric, and elastic waistband, you can't go wrong rocking these amazing shorts on your next adventure.

STTOS-100442-0036-ST-TOS-SUS

Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

Whether you are unwinding after a long day aboard the U.S.S. Discovery or settling in for a Star Trek marathon, you will love snuggling up in this Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket. With a soft mink front inspired by the DISCO command uniforms and a cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek: Discovery blanket will become your favorite household accessory.

STDIS-100206-0010-ST-D-CUS

Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Beach Towel

From pool days to beach vacation, this Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Beach Towel is a must-have accessory for DISCO fans. Inspired by the command uniforms within the DISCO series, this soft towel lets you lounge or dry off while showing your pride for the command division aboard the U.S.S. Discovery.

STDIS-100199-0001-ST-D-CUB

Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Throw Pillow

Give your decor an out-of-this-world upgrade with this Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Pillow. Inspired by the command uniforms within the DISCO series, this Star Trek: Discovery pillow is perfect for command division members and Star Trek: Discovery fans alike.

STDIS-100256-0003-ST-D-CUP

Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Throw Pillow

The perfect accent pillow for Star Trek: Voyager fans and command division members alike, this Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Pillow instantly elevates your home decor. Featuring a design inspired by the command uniform of Voyager crew members, this Star Trek: Voyager pillow is a fun addition to your room, media room, dorm, and more.

STV-100256-0003-ST-V-CUP

Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Throw Pillow

If you are in the command division on your starship, then you deserve some R&R every now and then! Inspired by the command uniform of crew members aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, the Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Pillow lets you relax in comfort while showing some pride for your division.

STTNG-100256-0003-ST-TNG-CUP

Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

Being in the command division takes a lot of skill, energy, and focus. That is why you will love relaxing in your quarters with this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket draped around your shoulders. With the colors of the Star Trek: The Original Series command uniform on the soft mink front and a cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek blanket is a must-have for all crewmembers aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

STTOS-100206-0004-ST-TOS-CUS

Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Beach Towel

Just because you take a vacation from commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise doesn't mean you can't represent your division! Inspired by the command uniform of crew members aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Beach Towel will make your next beach vacation out of this world.

STTOS-100199-0001-ST-TOS-CUB

Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Tote Bag

You can let everyone know your status in the command division by throwing this spacious Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Tote Bag over your shoulder. Featuring a design inspired by the iconic red command uniform, this Star Trek: The Next Generation tote bag will become any fan’s favorite accessory.

• Dimensions: Bag 15" x 15"
• Maximum weight limit: 44lb
• Handle length: 11.8".
• Made Of: 100% spun polyester fabric, Dual handles 100% natural cotton bull denim.
• Care: Handwash.

STV-100145-0001-ST-TNG-CUT

Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Premium Tote Bag

Whether you are commanding a starship or heading to class, this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Tote Bag lets you store everything you need for the day in one secure place while showing off your command division status. Featuring the iconic yellow uniform and command division badge, this Star Trek: The Original Series tote bag is a must-have addition to your style.

STTOS-100145-0001-ST-TOS-CUT

Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform T-Shirt

Are you ready to join the command division of Starfleet? Then you will love adding this official Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform T-Shirt to your wardrobe. Perfect for those who excel in the command division aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise , this tee is a must-have addition to your wardrobe.

• CUSTOM STAR TREK APPAREL: This official Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform T-Shirt is made of 100% cotton for ultimate comfort during space travel.
• OFFICIALLY LICENSED: Wear these officially licensed Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform T-Shirt everywhere you go to show your love for your favorite franchise
• From Star Trek marathons to exploring new areas of the galaxy aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, this Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform T-Shirt is a must-have look for any fan.
• Wear this classic Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform T-Shirt over and over again by machine washing cold on a gentle cycle with like colors. Tumble dry low.

ST-TNG-CUT-SM

Star Trek: Discovery Women's Command Uniform

Step onto the bridge and take control this Halloween with the Star Trek: Discovery Women's Command Uniform. Whether you are dressing up as Michael Burnham, the Shenzhou Captain Philippa Georgiou, or assuming command of your own spaceship, this uniform will let everyone know who's in charge. This Star Trek: Discovery outfit features the standard-issue navy blue uniform of all Federation crew members, as well as the gold trim that signifies command personnel. Includes a shirt with Starfleet insignia and zipper, a matching pair of pants, and boot tops.

ST-D-R821183-SM

Star Trek: Discovery Women's Copper Operations Uniform

Look as stylish as Cadet Sylvia Tilly this Halloween when you put on the Star Trek: Discovery Women's Copper Operations Uniform. This lined blue shirt with copper accents is a replica of the style worn by Mary Wiseman as Cadet Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery. It features copper shoulder braids and a copper Starfleet emblem.

ST-D-R821207-SM

Star Trek: Discovery Men's Copper Operations Uniform

Did you know that the Uniforms for Star Trek: Discovery were based on actual NASA uniforms? That is why they are so stylish. The Star Trek: Discovery Men's Copper Operations Uniform looks just like the one worn by Shazad Latif as Security Officer Lt. Ash Tayler in the series. The lined blue top features a copper Starfleet badge and additional copper accents.

ST-D-R821206-STD

Star Trek: Discovery Women's Gold Command Uniform

Step onto the bridge and take control this Halloween with the Star Trek: Discovery Women's Gold Command Uniform. Whether you are dressing up as Michael Burnham, the Shenzhou Captain Philippa Georgiou, or assuming command of your own spaceship, this uniform will let everyone know who is in charge.

ST-D-R821205-SM

Star Trek: The Original Series Women's Deluxe Science Uniform

You'll look like you stepped off the Starship Enterprise when you wear this  Star Trek: The Original Series Women's Deluxe Science Uniform. This costume includes a form-fitting blue dress with a black collar shiny gold wrist bands and a replica Star Trek emblem pin. Look your best and impress Star Trek fans young and old in this officially licensed costume.

• 100% Polyester
• Embroidered Star Fleet emblem on front
• Metallic band around forearms

ST-TOS-R889060-XS

Star Trek: The Original Series Women's Deluxe Command Uniform

You'll look like you stepped off the Starship Enterprise when you wear the  Star Trek: The Original Series  Women's Deluxe Command Uniform. This costume includes a gold, form fitting long sleeved mini dress with a black collar, shiny gold wrist bands, and a replica Star Trek emblem pin. Look your best and impress Star Trek fans young and old in this costume.

ST-TOS-R889059-XS

Star Trek: The Original Series Deluxe Spock Uniform

Suit up for duty with this fresh Star Trek: The Original Series Deluxe Spock Uniform and you'll look and feel as good as new! Made of 100% polyester, this pullover shirt with a v-neck and raglan cut sleeves will keep you cool while you’re making the crucial decisions you never get credit for! It’s also got an embroidered Starfleet emblem and metallic ribbon sleeve stripes, because what’s the point of being out in space if you can’t have some seriously far-out, from the next galaxy type-a style? Live long and prosper, indeed!

• 100% polyester
• Pullover shirt has V-neck and raglan cut sleeves
• Embroidered Starfleet emblem and metallic ribbon sleeve stripes
• Original series style, finally available in our century!

ST-TOS-R888983-SM

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• Wrapped Canvas
• captains quarters
• coming-soon
• discount-text
• discount-text2
• funkoexclusive
• hide-holiday-message
• mugato land
• not on sale
• one_line_name
• personalized
• personalized text
• star Trek day
• star trek day
• two_line_name
• wrapping paper

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