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Environmental suit

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An environmental suit , also known as an EV suit , pressure suit , exo-suit or environmental unit , is a special form of clothing designed to be used for protection or life support in inhospitable environments .

For Humans , with the advent of space travel came the need to perform tasks outside the controlled atmosphere of space vessels . Consequently, the EV suit was developed. As planets and other stellar objects came within the reach of Human space explorers, their EV suits became necessary for them to explore environments with different atmospheric conditions than those on Earth . ( TOS : " The Naked Time ", et al. ) Other cultures also used EV suits. ( ENT : " Silent Enemy ", " Breaking the Ice ", et al. )

• 1 20th century
• 2 21st century
• 3.1.1 Helmet
• 3.1.2 Life support and propulsion
• 3.1.3 Gloves
• 3.1.4 Boots
• 4.2 EV suit
• 4.3 Thruster suit
• 4.4 Life support and propulsion
• 4.7 Alternate reality
• 5.2 EV suit
• 5.3 Life support
• 5.6 Backup system
• 6 Late 24th century
• 7 Gelrakian EV suits
• 8 Gorn EV suits
• 9.1 See also
• 9.2 Appearances
• 9.3 Background information
• 9.4 External links

20th century [ ]

In 1969 , the first men to set foot on Earth's moon , Luna , wore space suits. Astronauts continued to use space suits for space walks in Earth orbit . ( Star Trek: Enterprise title sequence; TOS : " The Cage ")

21st century [ ]

During the initial flight of the Phoenix in 2063 , noted inventor Zefram Cochrane and his copilots – Geordi La Forge and William T. Riker – did not wear any pressure or flight suits. Cochrane made history by making First Contact with an alien species , the Vulcans , after the Phoenix 's flight had ended. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

22nd century [ ]

In the 2140s , Vulcan EV suits were relatively large, as Jonathan Archer once commented that the act of wearing one was " like you're flying around inside your own little starship . " ( ENT : " Breaking the Ice ")

In the mid- 22nd century , Starfleet tested the new warp five engine in the NX Program . The test pilots of the NX-Alpha and NX-Beta starships used only unpressurized flight suits. ( ENT : " First Flight ")

Workers at Earth spacedock wore a type of EV suit with white and red coloring. ( ENT : " Broken Bow ")

Aboard the Y-class Earth Cargo Service freighter ECS Fortunate , signage on a door gave instructions what to do in an emergency situation . It read that in the event of sudden pressure loss everyone should immediately proceed to the nearest communications panel and activate the emergency seal to close all the doors. All duty personnel should then wear pressure suits. ( ENT : " Fortunate Son ")

Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) had its own type of EV suit . ( ENT : " Anomaly (ENT) ", et al.)

Enterprise model [ ]

A new EV suit was introduced as standard issue on Enterprise NX-01 , the first ship of the NX-class . These suits were copper colored with gray padding, and were comprised of several components, including a helmet . ( ENT : " The Catwalk ")

On each NX -class starship, at least six EV suits were present. Senior officers and some security personnel had their own suits, while the rest of the suits were shared for general use. ( ENT : " The Catwalk ", " The Crossing ")

The EV suit was made as one full piece that closed at the front via a zip fastener and ended just below the elbow. The suit was self-sealing, meaning that if it were punctured or damaged in some way, sealant would be automatically applied to prevent the suit from decompressing. Although the suit was solid enough to protect its wearer from the rigors of space, a hypospray could still penetrate it in case of an emergency. ( ENT : " Minefield ") Even with the heavy padding and protection, even within a starship, the suit could only protect its wearer against a neutronic wavefront for about twenty-two minutes. ( ENT : " The Catwalk ")

Worn beneath the standard environmental suit was a distinct under suit. This form-fitting uniform was dark-gray in color and featured ribbing along the sides and chest, zipping at the front. The suit could be worn with a belt capable of holding a sidearm and various other pieces of equipment. It was also worn with booties that fit within the gravity boots of the outer EV suit. ( ENT : " Sleeping Dogs ")

The design of the helmet allowed an almost normal field of view to the wearer. Though the vertical field of view was limited, the amount of room inside the helmet allowed the wearer to compensate by simply moving his or her head . The helmet had a clear visor integrated into the front that could not be opened separately. It featured two outside lights, one on either side, and two ambient lights inside to illuminate the wearer's face. When the helmet was sealed, the ambient lights would activate. A small earphone was attached to the helmet, which the wearer could insert in his or her ear , making it possible to stay in contact with a ship or other space vehicle. Padding within the helmet made sure the wearer could not touch the visor with his or her face. ( ENT : " Fight or Flight ")

Located on the back of the helmet were air hoses to an oxygen supply, and a power connector for light , communication, and propulsion units. The helmet connected to the life support and propulsion unit via a secondary connection ring and not to the EV suit directly. ( ENT : " United ")

Life support and propulsion [ ]

The life support and propulsion unit (or "LSPU") consisted of a hard upper torso body-shell and a harness. This unit contained the essentials for survival in space: communication equipment, oxygen, propulsion unit, EV controls, and the power supply. It was padded to give the wearer some extra comfort. The LSPU also held an extra oxygen hose for refilling or sharing the oxygen supply. This extra hose allowed oxygen to be replenished from any device that held liquid oxygen, provided the physical connection would fit. ( ENT : " United ")

On the front of the unit, the following switches were present: communications, oxygen transfer, lighting and propulsion activation.

On the back were the incoming and outgoing oxygen connections. These hoses were fastened via a bayonet joint to prevent accidental release. Below one of the oxygen connections was an air supply indicator, divided into eight equal parts. This indicated the level of oxygen by means of color coding – green, yellow, and red. In 2154 , this air supply indicator was removed and replaced by an analog indicator on the right side of the LSPU. The back of the unit also contained an power cord, which transferred power and communications from the LSPU to the electrical connector at the back of the helmet.

The harness consisted of two leg bands that were connected to each other via a belt that was also used to hold small tools as necessary. The LSPU was secured to the harness at four attachment points to keep the unit in place.

The gloves had five digits and were connected to the EV suit via a zip fastener just below the elbow. They were also self-sealing.

In 2152 , when Captain Jonathan Archer assigned Doctor Phlox to purge the osmotic filters aboard Enterprise NX-01 while wearing an EV suit, Archer explained that operating the valves was normally not a problem, but his wearing EV gloves to perform the task might make it more difficult. Phlox assured Archer than back on Denobula , he was known for his fine motor skills , and doubted a pair of gloves would deter him. ( ENT : " The Crossing ")

Doctor Phlox once remarked in 2154 that his medical equipment was not designed for use while wearing EV gloves. ( ENT : " Observer Effect ")

The boots were made out of the same material as the EV suit and could be magnetized. ( ENT : " Minefield ", " Babel One ")

23rd century [ ]

23rd century Special Environmental Protection Suit

During the 23rd century , the EV suit had considerably advanced from the primitive suits of the century before. There were different types of suits for different environments, but only one of them was standard issue for Federation starships and various Federation facilities like the Elba II asylum . These EV suit were significantly more flexible than their predecessors before and less bulky. Late in the 23rd century, the standard issue EV suit changed dramatically.

The helmets of the standard-issue EV suits were more spacious and elongated, yet still smaller than their 22nd century counterparts. The clear, fixed visor was much more vast and took up a majority of the helmet. It stretched from the front of the helmet, all the way to the back. A strange ambiguous light emanated from the bottom of the helmet and upward for the occupant to see. Late in the 23rd century, the helmets became more domed with the visor facing forward. These helmets were also spacious and allowed a lot of head room.

EV suit [ ]

The EV suit was a chromo-metallic and form-fitting one-piece suit with a white belt that fastened around the waist. A phaser could be either holstered or attached to the white belt, depending on the severity of the away mission. The oblong-shaped helmet was detachable, and below the visor at the front the name of the suit's occupant was displayed on a red name-tag. The upper chest and neck area of the suit had a built-in communicator . Late in the 23rd century, the EV suit generally remained the same except the color varied.

Thruster suit [ ]

Spock in a thruster suit after detaching the thruster

A thruster suit was an environmental suit, that could be equipped with a detachable thruster pack for use to travel short distances, and has been in use among other Starfleet personnel at the Epsilon IX station as well as the drydock where the upgraded USS Enterprise was refurnished.

A short time later, Spock utilized such a suit with a thruster unit, when entering and exploring the V'ger entity in the early 2270s . James T. Kirk subsequently used a thruster suit to retrieve Spock. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

All life support and propulsion systems were interwoven together as part of the EV suit in order to function better in hostile environments. Later in the 23rd century, propulsion relied upon a jet propulsion pack that was placed on the back of the EV suit. The jet propulsion pack was detachable.

EV gloves had five digits and were connected to the EV suit. They were detachable and fastened just below the elbow.

Each EV suit came with magnetic boots made out of the same material as the EV suit.

Alternate reality [ ]

In the alternate reality created by Nero 's incursion, there was at least one type of EV suit in use in the 2250s . The suit was available in all three division colors with a Starfleet insignia displayed prominently in the center of the chest piece and featured breathing equipment, including a helmet and oxygen, for use outside of Class M environments. It could also be equipped with a parachute for orbital skydiving missions. ( Star Trek )

Spock in a heat-resistant suit during an away mission

A similar, copper-colored suit was highly heat-resistant. It could even be worn inside a volcano. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

During special emergencies, officers employed special suits with maneuverable propulsion thrusters to facilitate travel through open space. These suits also contained a holographic navigation module in the helmet visor. ( Star Trek Into Darkness )

Early 24th century [ ]

Hawk, Picard, and Worf on a spacewalk under the hull of the USS Enterprise -E

By the 24th century , the EV suit had changed into a white tight-fitting suit ( TNG : " The Child "). Some pieces of the suit were gender-specific, allowing a more customized fit than some of the previous suits. Some suits could be folded for storage in a container inside a cargo bay . ( TNG : " The Hunted ")

Elim Garak wearing a 24th century EV suit

The helmet was smaller than its 22nd century counterpart but retained the clear and fixed visor. Inside, two ambient lights were present on each side of the helmet to illuminate the wearer's face. Audio equipment, like a microphone and speaker , were integrated.

The EV suit was made as one part and was not self-sealing.

Life support [ ]

The life support unit consisted of a hard upper-torso body-shell, which was different for men and women. This unit contained the essentials for survival: communication equipment, oxygen, EV controls, power supply, and again an extra oxygen hose that made it possible to share oxygen. Alerts were available visibly via the color-coded EV controls and also by audio.

Under normal conditions, an EV suit would provide approximately twenty-four hours of oxygen. ( VOY : " Day of Honor ")

Seven of Nine and Tuvok in EV suits

The gloves had five digits and were connected to the EV suit via a self-sealing mechanism.

The boots were made out of the same material as the EV suit and could be magnetized. ( Star Trek: First Contact ; VOY : " Prey ")

Backup system [ ]

Tom Paris and Harry Kim were kept alive by the backup system of their environmental suits, by "keeping their vital functions going" while unconscious. The system kicked in due to an environmental seal in their suits had been compromised, depleting the oxygen. ( VOY : " Demon ")

In 2366 , the escaped Angosian prisoner Roga Danar hid a pressure suit he found inside a cargo bay container to cause USS Enterprise -D personnel to think he would use it to leave the starship through an airlock or torpedo tube . Security chief Worf was not fooled, however, and waited for Danar to reappear. Danar fought with Worf and escaped anyway, assisted by prior acts of sabotage on Danar's part. ( TNG : " The Hunted ")

Jean-Luc Picard , Worf, and Hawk each made use of EV suits while in the year 2063 to stop the Borg from using the USS Enterprise -E 's deflector dish as a transmitter. ( Star Trek: First Contact )

Late 24th century [ ]

By 2380 , Starfleet had introduced a more form-fitting EV suit that was considerably less bulky. This model featured magnetic boots with a Starfleet emblem and "shooting star" pattern on their soles (mirroring the standard uniform boots worn at this time ), integrated maneuverability thrusters, and a display panel on the wearer's right arm. ( LD : " Second Contact ", et al.) Additionally, at least some helmets incorporated a tactical display into the face shield. Helmets worn by Andorian officers had two sheaths on top, to accommodate their antennae . The suit was also capable of handling high pressures deep underwater. ( LD : " First First Contact ")

It was at least during this time period that it was standard protocol to sign out the gravity boots of EV suits, ostensibly so there was a record of who was outside in space, particularly for starships to avoid accidentally leaving crew behind. ( LD : " I, Excretus ")

The 'fabric' portions of this suit could tear if the user was under considerable strain, compromising the suit's integrity. ( LD : " First First Contact ")

Gelrakian EV suits [ ]

In 2380, the Gelrakians were shown to have their own environmental suits, which were primarily orange in color. ( LD : " Temporal Edict ")

Gorn EV suits [ ]

In 2259 , the Gorn were shown to have their own environmental suits, which seemed to be mostly black in color, and tailored specifically to Gorn anatomy. ( SNW : " Hegemony ")

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ].

• EVA workpod
• Isolation suit
• Life support belt
• Refrigeration suit

Appearances [ ]

• " The Naked Time "
• " Court Martial " (remastered)
• " The Tholian Web "
• " Whom Gods Destroy "
• Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek Into Darkness
• " The Child "
• " The Hunted "
• DS9 : " Empok Nor "
• " Day of Honor "
• " One Small Step "
• " Workforce "
• " Friendship One "
• " Fight or Flight "
• " Breaking the Ice "
• " Sleeping Dogs "
• " Minefield "
• " The Catwalk "
• " The Crossing "
• " Anomaly (ENT) "
• " Impulse "
• " The Forgotten "
• " The Council "
• " Babel One "
• " Divergence "
• " In a Mirror, Darkly "
• " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "
• " The Vulcan Hello "
• " Brother "
• " Project Daedalus "
• " The Red Angel "
• " Through the Valley of Shadows "
• " Rosetta "
• " Second Contact "
• " Temporal Edict " (Starfleet and Gelrakian EV suits)
• " Cupid's Errant Arrow "
• " Terminal Provocations " (in storage; holographic versions also seen)
• " Much Ado About Boimler "
• " Veritas "
• " Where Pleasant Fountains Lie "
• " I, Excretus " (physical and holographic versions)
• " First First Contact "
• " The Least Dangerous Game "
• " Trusted Sources "
• " All the World's a Stage "
• " Mindwalk "
• " Children of the Comet "
• " Memento Mori "
• " Hegemony " (Starfleet and Gorn EV suits)

Background information [ ]

Parts of two different TOS environmental suit costumes (the silver helmet from "The Tholian Web" and the red jacket, trousers and gloves from "The Naked Time") were used in Mork & Mindy 's seventh episode ("Mork Goes Public", 1978). They were worn by Fred to convince a tabloid newspaper reporter that he, Mindy and Mork were just crackpots and that Mork was not an alien.

For further information on the design and miniature used in The Motion Picture ,

Three repairmen in EV suits outside Deep Space 9

With the beginning of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ' s fourth season , the opening sequence was changed and included a cargo management unit and three repairmen in EV suits. These elements were executed as CGI effects by ILM 's John Knoll , who, while preparing for the pre-production of Star Trek: First Contact , pitched in with the work for the sequence out of courtesy, " I made about half a dozen little bits and pieces for the sequence, including a generic alien ship with blue glowy engines. " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion  (p. 335))

Filming First Contact 's spacewalk

The EV suits designed for Star Trek: First Contact , and later reused with minimal modifications in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager , were designed by Deborah Everton and illustrated by Gina A. Flanagan . She noted the script described them as "very modern and very light", so she used her experience designing underwater suits for The Abyss to perfect light suits which would allow the fabric to have a lot of give, " so we could really see the silhouette of the man in the suit. I think they looked pretty sexy. " Everton further noted " helmet design is the bane of my existence. " ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 1, Issue 13 , pp. 64-65) The suits were fabricated by Christopher Gilman and his prop company Global Effects, Inc. ; the helmets were manufactured by another company.

Regarding this design's reuse on Voyager , Robert Blackman noted: " every time the suits were specified in a script, you could hear the howling across the lot from the actors, " citing the lack of cooling fans and insufficient lighting. ( Star Trek: Costumes , p. 161)

When it came time to design the suits for Star Trek: Enterprise , Blackman was determined to include " every bell and whistle I could manage: a cooling system, several light systems, external lights – all kinds of stuff. " ( Star Trek: Costumes , p. 161) Blackman worked with Neo Innovative Technologies (Neotek) to design and manufacture the environmental suits, of which seven were initially produced. ( Star Trek: Communicator  issue 135 , p. 72)

Vincenzo Natali produced design concepts for the Star Trek: Discovery Starfleet and Klingon environmental suits. [1] In a commentary track for " Through the Valley of Shadows ", from Star Trek: Discovery , Spock actor Ethan Peck described these as being a "nightmare" to wear.

External links [ ]

• Environmental suit at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Environmental suit at Wikipedia
• Space suit at Wikipedia
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek: Discovery’s Uniforms, Decoded

Starfleet uniforms get a dramatic redesign for Star Trek: Discovery. Here's how to tell an executive officer from a security lieutenant.

Star Trek has a long tradition of color-coded uniforms that signify in which divisions Starfleet personnel serve. Perhaps most memorably, on The Original Series command division was gold, science and medical were blue, and operations, engineering and security were red. Naturally, that approach continues on CBS's franchise revival Star Trek: Discovery , with some notable alterations.

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Set a decade before Kirk, Spock & Co. set off on their five-year mission, the new show eschews the bright colors of The Original Series , and opts instead for uniforms more akin to those of Enterprise , the 2001-2005 drama that took place about a century earlier, during the early days of interstellar travel. The color piping on the blue fitted jumpsuits corresponded with each of the divisions of the beloved 1960s television series, but designated ranks with silver pips displayed on the right chest, rather than on the sleeves.

"We looked at Enterprise ," executive producer Akiva Goldsman recently explained , "we looked at The Original Series , at that point in canon, and we tried to pull across the color palette."

However, Discovery trades in the Skittles rainbow for something a little more subdued (albeit a lot more metallic), with gold, silver and bronze, a little closer to the divisional designations used in the unaired 1965 pilot "The Cage."

"We are looking at doing the red, blue and gold shirts," said costume designer Gersha Phillips. "We've come up with a system where we're doing a foiled compression panel and delta panels that we're putting in on the jackets that tell that same story of the departments."

As with The Original Series and its prequel Enterprise , the Starfleet uniforms of Discovery use gold to designate the command division, which traditionally encompasses officers and crewmen in command (of course) and control functions. That includes captains, executive officers, helmsmen and navigators.

RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery Will Push Boundaries, Drop F-Bombs, When Necessary

On Star Trek: Discovery , First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) notably wear gold accents.

Instead of the blue of The Original Series , silver is used on Discovery to specify the sciences division, which covers Starfleet officers and crewmen in scientific and medical research and control functions. Those can include a wide range of departments and duties, from sensors and research to surgery and medics.

On Discovery , science officers Saru (Doug Jones) and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), and medical officer Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) notably wear silver accents.

The largest division of most any Starfleet crew, operations encompasses such functions as engineering, security, communications and tactical. On The Original Series operations personnel wore red, which gave rise to the term "redshirt," meaning a stock character who dies soon after being introduced. However, on Discovery , operations officers and crew are designated by bronze accents on their blue uniforms.

RELATED: Star Trek: TNG's "Sarek" Is Required Viewing Before Discovery

On the new series, operations personnel include security officer Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) and Cadet Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman).

Ranks and Division Badges

The color coding of the Starfleet uniforms on Star Trek: Discovery continues with the metallic badges, which correspond to the gold, silver and bronze of each of the divisions. What's more, those badges display the division insignia as seen on The Original Series : the stylized star for command, a "ringed planet" for sciences and a spiral for operations.

But there's a twist, with ranks on Discovery indicated with pips, akin to those of Star Trek: The Next Generation , only here displayed on the badges themselves: four pips for a captain, three for a commander, and so on.

In the United States, Star Trek: Discovery debuts Sunday, Sept. 24, at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, before moving to the CBS All Access streaming service for subsequent episodes. In Canada, the series debuts on CTV and Space at 8:30 pm ET, with its second episode set to air immediately after on Space — subsequent episodes will air Sundays through Nov. 5. Internationally, the series will stream on Netflix.

Screen Rant

Discovery season 4 new uniforms bring back star trek tradition.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 has changed Starfleet's uniform colors. Captain Burnham and her crew are now color-coded like the TNG-era Starfleet.

Star Trek: Discovery season 4 will debut new color-coded uniforms that properly synch up with Star Trek tradition. Paramount+'s flagship Star Trek series charted the franchise's new future when the USS Discovery  jumped into the 32nd century in season 3. Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) learned the cause of The Burn and saved the universe in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, which ended with Burnham becoming the new Captain of the titular starship and the crew donning Starfleet's 32nd century-era grey uniforms .

Since Star Trek: The Original Series , color coding (because the 1960s TV series took advantage of new color television technology) was a fixture of Starfleet uniforms. As a starship Captain, James T. Kirk (William Shatner) donned a gold uniform to denote Command. Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), as Science Officer, and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForrest Kelley) wore blue, which was the color of Sciences and Medicine. Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) wore red as Chief Engineer, as did the various members of the starship's Security (who often died and were nicknamed Red Shirts). The Star Trek TOS movies broke this tradition; Star Trek: The Motion Picture introduced monochrome grey uniforms and then Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan changed to naval-themed crimson uniforms that the TOS cast wore for the rest of their films. When Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered, it brought back color-coded uniforms but swapped red as the color of Command and gold became the color of Engineering. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager maintained this color scheme with their jumpsuit uniforms. Star Trek: Enterprise debuted blue jumpsuit uniforms but kept gold, blue, and red stripes to denote each officer's specialty.

Related: Star Trek: Every Starfleet Uniform And History Explained

Star Trek: Discovery s eason 4's trailer revealed that the 32nd-century Starfleet changes uniform styles again and go back to proper color-coding. Captain Michael Burnham and the crew of the USS Discovery have traded their grey uniforms, which had a color stripe denoting their division, as well as their prior blue uniforms, which they lost at the end of season 3. The new Discovery season 4 uniforms are now red for Command, Gold for Operations and Security, and Blue for Sciences, similar to the 24th-century TNG -era color scheme. Additionally, there's now a dark stripe down the right side of each uniform's torso.

One significant break in tradition is the uniforms worn by Discovery 's Medical team. Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) and his staff wear white uniforms with a blue stripe to denote the Medicines division. Star Trek: Discovery 's doctors have deviated from the Star Trek tradition of medical staff wearing Science blue since season 1. Culber has always worn a white uniform, and that is continuing in the 32nd century (despite white being an odd color choice for a profession that deals with blood of different colors, depending on the patient being human, Vulcan, or another alien species).

Like Star Trek: Enterprise , Star Trek: Discovery 's crew wore blue Starfleet uniforms from seasons 1 to 3. In fact, Discovery 's blue uniforms were retconned to be standard in the show's original timeframe of 2255. The traditional color-coded TOS- era uniforms were then introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season 2 when Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and the USS Enterprise joined the show. However, Pike changed from his gold uniform to Star Trek: Discovery 's blue suit for the duration when he left the Enterprise to take command of the Discovery. The 32nd century has now come full-circle in Star Trek: Discovery season 4 so that Captain Burnham now sports the same colors as Captains Picard (Patrick Stewart), Sisko (Avery Brooks), and Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

Next: Everything We Know About Star Trek Discovery Season 4

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SDCC17: See The Federation and Starfleet Costumes and Props From ‘Star Trek: Discovery’

| July 20, 2017 | By: Matt Wright 150 comments so far

The Star Trek: Discovery exhibit opened on Thursday at the Michael J. Wolf Fine Arts Gallery, located a couple of blocks away from Comic-Con at the San Diego Convention Center. On display are genuine props, costumes and sketches from Discovery , a captain’s chair where you can take photos and a Star Trek gift shop. There are plenty of Starfleet (and some Federation civilian) costumes and props on display to feed the Discovery- craving fans.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Descriptions of all items comes from the placards in the exhibit.

Starfleet Costumes

Starfleet Duty Uniform

The fabric for the Starfleet duty uniforms is dyed a custom navy blue in Switzerland, then cut and built in Toronto by the costume department of Star Trek: Discovery under the direction of costume designer Gersha Philips.

Captains Uniform

Captain’s uniform adds gold piping on the shoulders.

Short sleeve variant

This is a variant duty uniform worn by Starfleet officers that features elbow-length sleeves and alternate detailing

Medical Uniform

Medical officers wear “hospital white” variants of the Starfleet science division uniforms. Like the regular uniforms, the fabric is custom died in Switzerland, then cut and built in Toronto by the costume department of Star Trek: Discovery under the direction of costume designer   Gersha Philips.

  Tactical Jumpsuit and Vest

Starfleet officers engaged in combat situations or potentially hazardous away missions are issued an armored tactical vest and distinctive version of the duty uniform, trading metallic accents for a low-profile navy compression panel. Laser flashlights are installed in the shoulders of vests for guidance. Vests also contain additional functional elements for attaching mission specific gear. 

Starfleet Insignia Badges

Starfleet badges were made to match the time of the uniforms and are matched to Starfleet divisions: command (gold), sciences and medical, (silver), and operations (copper). The gold, silver, and copper badges were made in Toronto by making wax models from 3D prints, then creation plaster molds for silicon bronze to poured into. The bronze badges are then polished and plated by a jeweler to creation custom colors for Discovery.

Starfleet Long Haul Space Suit

The Starfleet Long Haul EV suit was built in the UK. It was milled by high-density foam as one unit and then draped in fiberglass. The suit was then sectioned into pieces that fit as clamshell of the actor’s body. The optically clear lens of extruded plastic was made from a 3D scan of the helmet and had to be perfect to fit the suit’s frame.

Starfleet Equipment

Tricorder and Hand Scanner

Standard issue for scanning and recording data on away missions. The tricorder includes a removable hand-held scanner. The screen employs the use of a smart phone with video looping images. Made entirely with a 3D printer.

Communicator

Standard issue for away missions. These were heavily influenced by the ones seen on  The Original Series and are made from milled aluminum.

Phaser Pistol

The left side of the grip has a power meter

Phaser Pulse Rifle

Standard issue by Starfleet Command, the pulse rifle is inspired by Pup rifle designs of today. The pulse rifle has one nod to the The Original Series phaser rifle that observant fans will notice and that is the orange/copper foil chamber with the barrel. The pulse rifle was built in Los Angeles and is almost entirely 3D printed.

Federation Character Costumes

His traditional robes reflect the Vulcan culture and its devotion to a life of pure logic, serious intellectual pursuits, and spiritual contemplation. Sarek’s costume is designed by Gersha Philips and built in Toronto by the costume department of Star Trek: Discovery.

Captain’s Chair

The gallery also has a photo opportunity with a captain’s chair.

After taking your picture you get sent an email with the background from the U.S.S. Discovery to share on social media.

My Star Trek: Discovery Captain’s Chair photo via @StarTrekCBS and @StarTrek #TrekDiscovery pic.twitter.com/iVggYSG4LG — TrekMovie.com (@TrekMovie) July 20, 2017

The chair also shows off some of the controls available to Captain Lorca.

More TrekMovie SDCC coverage

SDCC17: See ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Klingon Costumes And Props

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SDCC17: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Concept Art Details Klingon And Federation Ships

Stay tuned to TrekMovie all week and weekend for our full team coverage of San Diego Comic-Con.

Star Trek: Discovery   premieres on September 24th  on CBS with all subsequent episodes on CBS All Access in the US. See our  Discovery  info page  for more details.

Keep up with all the  Star Trek: Discovery  news at TrekMovie .

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Podcast: All Access Gets To Know The Breen In ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ 505, “Mirrors”

Discovery , Review

Recap/Review: ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Reflects On Its Choices In “Mirrors”

Books , Discovery

Coffee Table Book On The ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Makeup Artistry Of Glenn Hetrick Coming In September

Analysis , Discovery

THEORY: Did ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finally Resolve The “Calypso” Mystery?

I’ve been excited about DSC since it’s announcement but these teaser updates are getting me even more excited each time! Glad they are building some anticipation!!!

Holy crap this all looks way better than I expected. Phaser is amazing. Costumes actually look better up close than they did in the trailer, which is a rarity.

I can completely accept that as a TOS tricorder. It looks great!

I am mildly disappointed the EVA suit doesn’t more closely resemble an electric razor, but other than that, I’m onboard.

And I thought it was just me……..

The sheer amount of detailing on the Starfleet uniforms is just absolutely incredible. Cosplayers are going to have to really step up their game to make realistic replicas of these beauties!

No problem. It will all be on sale at the CBS Store!

A simple, yet cunning, form of copy protection…

So they are already making the tricorder and Communicator props as smartphone cases, right? They both work by using smartphones underneath…why not go ahead and sell these as cases that are screen accurate? And don’t forget the app to make it properly replicate the series’ UI’s. Maybe even have the physical buttons have a use and do different things with each press? Plug it in the case via USB and the app automatically starts.

In spite of the flack I’ll likely take for this comment, here goes: If JJ had half the creative vision that Discovery’s Art/Prop department has in building these props, those movies would have been much, much better. These props are EXACTLY what they should be. Contemporary, stylish, and exactly how Gene would make them if he were the creative genius behind the show.

Whoever had the final say on these props, get props from me. Before seeing the premier, I give the creativity behind it an A-. I imagine that once I digest the pilot a couple of times I’ll have a much better grade, but so far the excitement, anticipation, and debut of these props, and uniforms have captured my full attention. Time for me to sign up for All: Access and support the work of these amazing artists.

Interesting. STD is employing many of the same prop makers, artists and designers used on the Kelvin movies.

please elaborate?

I completely agree. JJ did not have half the imagination of these people. But it shows you don’t need imagination to make a lot of money.

JJ came from a place of not liking Star Trek or really knowing it. So when it comes to approving designs his basis was what looks cool to him personally.

Exactly. I can’t remember the exact article, but somewhere I read that the hole idea behind the redesign of the Enterprise in the Kelvin timeline was to give the ship a “hot rod” feel.

My biggest issue with the JJ Enterprise was how massive it was. The ship had no character in the JJ films whereas in the TV shows and the films you had the sense the ship was a character.

Being so huge and so shiny with the iBridge and massive everything, it just lost some of what made it interesting.

In TOS, as advanced as it was, you still had the sense that it took many men working in the equivalent of coal shoveling in the bowels to keep the ship going. And even when pushed beyond it’s limits, the Enterprise would hold together, seemingly through sheer will. Being on this ship felt dangerous. In JJ films it felt like you were on a luxury liner.

I never got the impression the TOS ship had a ton or needed a ton of crew to run it. Quite the opposite. It always felt to my child eyes as a ship that just needed a few people.

I mean, the engine room was always seemingly empty (compared to say, TNG, with various engineers running around) and the one guy would always just be sitting there at a desk…

And the Enterprise had what, 1 pilot, 1 conn officer, a communications officer, a science officer, and a captain? Maybe some other guy milling around in the back. But a real Naval ship circa 1960s/70s had about two dozen crew members piloting and running the ship on the bridge.

There were 430 crewmen on the TOS Enterprise. That is mentioned in several episodes.

@Torchwood – yeah I get what you mean. I didnt mean there were a ton of guys, I meant to invoke the visual of the Titanic but without the man power (due to budget). But it was always Scotty having to work a miracle to keep the damn ship going lol

But it was like a super advanced ship but had the sense that space travel was still dangerous. I think there was an episode where they lost power and it was said they were some huge number of years from the nearest starbase. I liked references like that to remind us that they were essentially alone out there with only the ship and their own ingenuity to rely on.

Agreed, that and its magical ability for the interiors to vastly exceed the amount of space shown by its exteriors. But what starship doesn’t need a brewery right?

You’re probably on to something. Perhaps the difference between discovery and Jj films is the people making discovery think Star Trek was good and just needed some care and respect. Whereas Jj’s team thought Star Trek sucked and only they could fix it.

Exactly, and this is supported by the fact that JJ and co. wanted to stop the production and sale of merch from the prime timeline.

JJ wanting to stop TOS sales was probably more to do with wanting all the cake for himself. Remember they were teasing TV shows and animation etc. They wanted to create a Star Trek Universe. Which is a good idea, just not with Bad Robot at the helm.

Hopefully Discovery is as good as it seems and CBS can produce the next film.

It’s also an issue of brand confusion. When you’re trying to market your film and make it a hit, you don’t want another competing brand– particularly one that looks nearly identical to it to the casual fan– on the shelf at the same time. I understand JJ here, and I understand CBS/Para’s reluctance to agree. Not an ideal situation for either of them.

Another good example of why the two sides need to be merged again.

And potentially another reason for Discovery being in the general TOS era but all new… all those TOS merch sales can only help Discovery and vice versa. Possibly a reason they were interested in Dorn as well, bringing in a TNG character to market to TNG fans.

Sarek works as a TOS character to add because he was never a starring character and not heavily marketed, but still very well known to fans, probably known to casual fans too (from the JJ films and anyone who knows Spock knows his father was Sarek).

Paramount controls the movie franchise. CBS, controls the TV franchise.

While I agree with some of the previous statement, I don’t know I agree with CaptJWAmick. Reason being is this: if you make something in the here-and-now you don’t want a previous incarnation of that thing being sold or put out there to the public because of perception and competition. That’s not JJ being greedy or diabolical, it’s business. Marvel has their cinematic characters and their cinematic costume designs, etc so what do they do? They change the comic book costumes and attitudes to move more in line with their film counterparts. Warner Bros debuts Wonder Woman in the film Batman V Superman and she has a much more armored/gladiator look and in the comics what did they do? They got rid of her costume at the time and without explanation crossed her over to a very similar cinematic costume. They also carried that over into video games and some animated showings. It’s just something that generally happens (whether it’s right or wrong is not something I’ll make a case for).

The prop makers for Discovery and the Abrams films are largely the same people.

Can you elaborate on this?

Nick Meyer said almost exactly the same things that JJ did about Trek when he was hired for TWOK.

They’re largely the same people.

I agree wholeheartedly! While I’m not a JJ Trek hater, I didn’t care for the props that much. These are excellent.

I have to agree with you and it’s why -although I really enjoy the 2009 film- I go back and rewatch Beyond much more. Beyond felt and looked more like a true Trek installment because of the shift in look that was modern yet retro. Discovery goes even farther with this and really knocked it out of the park with props and costumes.

To be fair to JJ’s Trek I didn’t have a massive problem with the aesthetic of the movies. Don’t get me wrong, there were aspects I didn’t like – the Klingon look being one but Discovery also has that problem. What I did like was the update to the TOS uniforms. I remember when the first pictures for Star Trek 2009 started to emerge being both shocked and impressed that they’d kept the primary colours of the original series and regarding the Klingons, I think both the movie and the TV show had an impossible job keeping fans happy there. Both DS9 and Enterprise had made the mistake of establishing that the Klingons actually did look different during the TOS era and you couldn’t possibly expect a modern production to replicate 1960’s TV make up.

The throw-away line in DS9 really sucked. Ignoring it would have been ideal.

Barring that, the simple explanation that “some” warriors were altered to appear more “human” (and in fact closer to Vulcans and Romulans too) for some reason. They could have even had someone ask if it was reversible to which Worf could reply sharply “Not always”. (We know it IS reversible).

Looks like Captain Lorca can run the whole ship in battle manually from his chair without barking orders to raise the shields, fire phasers and torpedoes, etc.

He might technically be able to, but I don’t think we will ever see it other than him starting or canceling an alert. I think most of the buttons give him a status of the involved systems. Sure you might be able to fire off port forward torpedoes, but there is a lot more that needs to be known and done to safely do so (which target, type of detonation (contact, proximity, etc.), range before emergency detonation, yield, etc.), all best left to a fuller tactical interface – and someone dedicated to the duties/decisions/responsibilities of that task/post.

Man, is it awesome to be contemplating the minutia of a Trek show again! Despite that I thought Star Trek (2009) and Beyond were good and great, respectively, they were not at the same level of detail as building a whole new series in a (somewhat) new time with new, well-thought-out designs.

A wealthy person can run their entire life with minimal effort with today’s technology, but they still employ assistants, servants, etc.

That tricorder looks awesome. As functional or even more functional than the TNG/post-TNG era version but definitely bulky enough to be credible as a pre-TOS era prop.

I just hope that the phasers go “BRRREEEE!”

The new uniforms are starting to grow on me, but what is with the freaking collar and the off-center zipper? If they would just put the zipper in the center like normal and remove the weird collar flap to make the uniforms symmetric they would be perfect. I mean seriously the zipper and collar serve no purpose whatsoever and just ruin the look of the uniforms.

Love the off centred look and half-collar. Makes the uniform, otherwise it would be boring. By the way, the ST:TWOK uniforms were off-centred.

Agree that the hand props (phaser / communicator / tricorder) are perfect updates of the TOS ones – respecting the look of the original props while doing a tasteful update.

While I think the new ship designs and Klingon designs are creatively impressive, I just wish they’d taken this same approach.

Some flare to look futuristic? Lol

As mentioned below star fleet likes the off centre look.

Funny, I never noticed the half-collar deal in the production stills and teaser clips. They are a bit weird. But I think they look more out-of-whack on the mannequins with the harsh lighting. Properly fitted and under studio lighting, I don’t think they will bother me too much.

Am I the only one who silently hopes that they’ll have someone with a bit of a gut wearing one of those uniforms – you know, like almost everyone (except George Takei) on TOS, or Colm Meaney and Jonathan Frakes on TNG. It’s just that, sitting on those mannequins, the uniforms look like something straight out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue.

So in the future with all your fake diversity, the personnel of the medical corps are required to wear an insignia badge with Christian symbology. Got it.

Isn’t the medical insigna badge based on the Red Cross flag, which it is officially described as being derived from the Switzerland flag to avoid any association with Christian symbology?

This is likely based on the Red Cross sign, which in itself was based on the reversed colors of the Swiss flag.

Yeah, what Zack said. Plus, this has been a symbol in Trek medical for decades

I love when whiners think they are being clever but actually don’t know.

Aren’t you precious.

It’s not Christian symbology. It’s clearly based on the Red Cross symbol.

Those looking for reasons to be negative will typically find them.

yeah, isn’t the christian cross longer on one leg? gesh. Just don’t make the cross red, I’ve red that the red cross frowns on that.

Well… I need to lose weight and get fit so that Uniform will be looking good on me :) Also I like the info about the Tricorder using a Smartphone. But the Security Vest Combo reminds me a bit of Fallout Vault Security Uniforms but guess what I LIKE IT!

Typical prequel problems: all computers (incl. tricorder) look much more advanced than in TOS and less advanced than today’s computers and smartphones. They will never learn…

We will have to agree to disagree on that sentiment.

This is the new look of tos. So it’s a moot point if they oook more advanced than the 60’s. They’re supposed to.

Not sure where you think they look less advanced than today. A communicator and your iPhone are not the same.

This is par for the course for a series that tried to predict future technology in 1966. We’re now currently more advanced in 2017 than a lot of what they showed in TOS.

My favorite little stat is that there are computers today that have more processing power than what Data was listed as.

They don’t look more advanced than the 60s, just slightly more detailed, which is understandable considering that we’re gonna be watching it in 4K, not in 320×240. And they don’t look less advanced than today, they simply use a different design sensibility. Which is entirely understandable, considering that between today and 2200s, there was a war that returned the mankind into the middle ages for several decades.

Sure the tricorder looks bulkier than your smartphone. But can your smartphone record a raw data stream of ENTIRE EARTH HISTORY? Wait, scratch that… can your smartphone do ANYTHING USEFUL AT ALL without being connected to the internet? Imagination, man. That’s what separates the man from lesser animals. Use it. :-P

Oh, grow up.

Appears the captain’s chair has WiFi signal strength & battery charge indicators… 😂

I think it would be awesome if that iconography lasted that long. I wonder how long the 3.25 inch floppy disk icon will be used for “save”?

I had to check to see that you are correct, they do still use the 3.25″ disc for “save”. Never noticed! haha

3.5″ 😊

I. Love. It.

I like the way the phaser rifle is an intermediate step in design between the Enterprise phase pistols & Cage “hand lasers”; makes sense a combat weapon would still be more rugged.

It’s great that you can clearly see the “three coil” design of the phaser rifle from “Where No Man Has Gone Before” in this model. If you took off the forward cowl, I think the two rifles would look very similar.

spacesuit and helmet REALLY remind me of Carrie Anne Moss’s outfit at the end of RED PLANET. Hope that is the only similarity …

Something about the IDIC shown that makes me think AngelAtopXmasTree, slightly tipsy.

I seriously don’t get the need to put the Starfleet logo all over everything. The spacesuit having the visible mount screw/bolts around the SF logo plate is awfully damned retro too. I know this is just complaining about details, but you know what they say is in the details (and ” … in the Dark” too, going by 1st season TOS.)

They joked about the branding saying Star fleet was suddenly brand conscious.

Clearly it’s part of cbs strategy to make the logo ubiquitous. It’s going to be on absolutely everything.

Agreed, the delta logos on top of the phaser and all the boot-buckles are a bit much. Take it down a notch, production folks, we know what show we’re watching! But still, it’s a minor quibble with such great work overall.

Agreed. They are going a bit overboard with the deltas.

I think I’m in love…

Hey dude? Your other lapel is tucked into your collar, let me fix that… there ya go. Okay, okay, I’m sure it’s supposed to be a vestigial remnant of the big single-sided lapel from old Royal Navy uniform coats (TWOK-era movie Federation uniforms go the other direction and make them even bigger). Even with half the uniform having a Nehru collar and the other half having a 70’s-disco-era-sized lapel, still pretty stylin. Me likey.

Custom-dyed in Switzerland. Cut and built in Toronto. Still looks like a 1960s tracksuit. :-P http://i.imgur.com/vcn9eZy.jpg No, really. It may look better on-screen when worn by a live actor, but that first photo of man and woman dummy looks extremely unflattering and ill-fitting. The white one is extremely cool, though! Even if the boot design is a bit overdone and needlessly complicated. And the spacesuit, that’s a work of pure art.

Good. Very good. Please continue.

Some fans complain that it looks too modern and want it to look like TOS, and you complain it looks like something designed in the 1960s. Odd.

Can’t be a 60’s track suit with 2000’s cars in the background… :)

I don’t think they look very much like a tracksuit!

That’s the 1960s updated to today!

What ship is that on the bottom of the first command chair screen?

You know I was wondering what that was, it looked like some kind of HUD wheel to cycle through options, but yeah, it looks like Discovery’s saucer section. Likely to select “forward” “aft”, “starboard” and “port.”

I’m wondering if this supports the theory that the promoted Discovery is a mash-up of several ships. The ship on the Discovery chair screen has a totally different secondary hull.

I’m not seeing a graphic on the chair with a secondary hull? Also, I’m not familiar with this rumor. Where can I read about it? Sounds intriguing…

There was a theory Discovery was a Star Fleet saucer on a Klingon secondary hull. But that was when there was a belief our heroes were working with the Klingons and that doesnt seem to be the case.

Sorry, it’s on the chair’s control screen. There are two images below the caption “The chair also shows off some of the controls available to Captain Lorca.” On the bottom of the first image there is a circle in the middle of the phase controls with a little schematic of (presumably) the USS Discovery. The saucer looks roughly right but the impulse deck (two on either side of the spine), secondary hull (smaller and not triangle shaped), and warp engines (don’t taper and are closer to the ship center-line) are all different.

I don’t have any references to the mash-up rumor. I just recall that some folks in the comments said the triangular secondary hull and non-federation style engines on the original Discovery CGI test looks somewhat Klingon-ish and postulated Discovery was a mash-up of more than one ship.

Took me a minute to figure out what you were talking about, since it’s like a cloud and we’re seeing different things:

What I saw was the entire large circle as JUST the saucer section. But I see what you’re seeing now: the little center circle as the saucer section, with the straight vertical bars as the nacelles. And I think you may be right.

And I’m not sure what ship that is. It doesn’t appear to be the discovery, and not sure it’s the Shenzhou either. Hmm.

Looks more like the Excelsior. Are they marketing those photos ops as being in the Discovery Captain’s chair? If so, its odd that the graphic would be of a different ship…

Looks like a combination of the reliant and the excelsior. Could it be a ship the captain currently in communication with, targeting, etc?

Hmmm possibly but I would think it would be his ship although Im not even sure why unless it indicates damage, shield strength or direction. But its awfully small.

Looks very much like a Centaur-class, and is definitely not the Shenzhou. Wonder if it’s being targeted by the Discovery…

I’m not seeing a ship – I see controls for phasers and photon torpedos.

Damn. Nevermind. See it now – I clearly need reading glasses.

I’m loving ALL of this!

The main Uniform…still looks like a rejected high school band uniform…and, I don’t know, it might even grow on me if that stupid side panel with all the tiny deltas didn’t expand down into the pants as well. Looks goofy and upsets that little rule of 3/4ths utilized in design and composition. I also prefer the uniforms that do not color the neck-to shoulder ribbing. But that’s just personal taste. The poor design comes in having departments depicted in different metals. Gold…Bronze…silver…all very reflective, all very hard to differentiate one from another at a distance. I miss the more immediate identifiable color-coding. And having to get your face in someones chest to see and identify those silly little pips? No thank you. And the fact that the material is obtained in Switzerland means nothing to me. Like the medical uniforms. Like the boots and cut of the pants.

The body armor makes sense.

Like the space suit, although it’s a little bulky, prefer the sleeker streamlined look. All the detail looks like just about every other space suit in any sci-fi flick or sci-fi channel movie in the last 20 years.

For the most part, I really like all the props. Bigger and bulkier than their TOS counterparts, as it should be. The phaser may be just a little too reminiscent of TOS, which doesn’t really suit it, aesthetically. The TOS phaser is iconic because of it’s streamline, sleekness. Turn that into bulk and it starts to look like a bad TOS toy phaser from the 70’s. Especially with the Delta shield on top. Fans will know the toy I’m talking about. It was hideous lol

The phaser rifle? Why?

The WOK antenna grill on the communicator is stupid and the boxy ice-cream sandwich shape is, no doubt, a bitch to try and hold and flip lol Lots of bloopers of that beast flinging out of actor’s hands I’d bet.

The Tricorder is ok. But I still would have rather had some sort of hidden screen when not in use. It’s kind of a signature design element of tricorders through the years. Have it swivel up, pop up, door open. Something.

Captain’s chair is meh. Again, visual controls that have to be read to be located and activated…sigh…on the captain’s chair, no less. A captain…especially 10 years prior to TOS, should have immediate tactile feedback and be able to operate his controls with a blindfold on. JJ’s bridge was the best, when it came to practical functionality and the station controls with it’s nice marriage of tactile switches and buttons with touchscreen tech. I can only hope the rest of the Discovery’s bridge has that marriage as well. Wall to wall touchscreens is just impractical. Ever try opening your smartphone and selecting an app, then using said app with your eyes closed? Try it sometime and you’ll see just how ridiculous those controls would be in a high stress situation when there is no room for mistakes.

As a kid watching reruns in the 80s, TOS uniforms just looked like bad sleepwear to me. Every costume look is going to give a skewed perception to an audience determined to hate it.

My father (who was skeptical of TNG) said the uniforms looked like something circus performers would wear.

You are just determined to hate it because it’s not exactly what you wanted, so you’ll pick apart everything. At this point, why are you still here? There is NOTHING for you, clearly, so it’s like walking into woman’s fashion show and spending hours telling everyone how the clothes don’t suit your tastes and you’d never wear them.

I was surprised that the JJ films essentially kept the traditional uniforms because they do look a bit out of place although I suppose they’d be comfortable.

The TOS film unis are awesome and Enterprise got the unis right as well.

Personally I like these uniforms because I like continuity and I see a direct lineage from Enterprise to kelvin to these.

Regarding the captain’s chair, I’d agree that actual buttons would make more sense so he can find them without looking. But maybe there is haptic feedback. Also, if they were buttons/switches you’d have just as many people squawking about it.

At some point when making a movie or TV show, real-world logic must give way to what looks good and makes sense in the show. Non tactile surfaces don’t make sense in this kind of setting, but we’ve had them since at least TNG in Trek, and we accept them because they look nice, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters. It’s a reasonable compromise.

It’s interesting to me that TNG got a lot of praise for it’s set design, Okuda particularly for his creation of the control surfaces, but now fans criticize them for not being realistic– and I boil that down to the fact that in 1987 those flat panel surfaces with controls you could manipulate and re-arrange were still science fiction. But now that we all have a similar tech (arguably more advance) in our pockets, we are drawn back to “what makes the most real-world logical sense” for a starship, rather than what technology looks good on TV and/or feels futuristic.

I mean really, our tech in 2017 in some places (like control surfaces) is so far advanced from what Trek did even 20 years ago, that to be truly “futuristic” you’d have to go to computers controlled by the crews thoughts!

Ive used that exact example to explain why I didnt want to go post-Nemesis. Star Trek is a huge universe with so much to explore between Enterprise & Nemesis (and pre-Enterprise too really).

Enterprise got some things really right. The Unis and the control surfaces. I remember some people screaming about buttons and switches when we have touch screen now but in the world of space travel it still made sense.

However, what really makes sense is a combination of both. Look at a Fly-By-Wire Glass Cockpit for example. Still has buttons and switches even though they arent necessary.

A series has to be realistic for its era but also the tone of its show and marketing.

Would it make more sense for the crew to wear non-descript comfy jumpsuits with flaps for bathroom breaks? maybe. But thats not visually appealing or dramatic.

Should the Captain have extra flare on his uniform when he’s on dangerous missions so he can easily be identified and taken out by a sniper? Probably not (mentioned in A Few Good Men) But it looks cool.

Should the delta be on friggen everything? Meh. But the marketing people want it there.

Getting more excited every day. I really HOPE this show lives up to my expectations.

We still don’t have a holodeck, transporters, universal translators, a cure for cancer, hyposprays (no more needles)…. no replicators, no androids or intelligent robots, yes, plenty of stuff still to be realised I think!

All those things you’ve mentioned are in the early stages though. And sure, maybe they will never exist like they do in Trek, but we’re at an age where they are technically plausible today.

I believe Hyposprays are actually used. And Im sure I read about a universal translator as well.

They’ve been “transporting” matter for awhile now.

Holodecks are probably inevitable to a degree.

Well I happen to like them. I do agree the uneven collars detract a bit, but only a bit, from the final product. And I do like the variety here.

” At this point, why are you still here? ”

I guess, because, at the end of the day, this is all just a pretty package. I’m waiting on the meat and potatoes. Not at all thrilled that the Klingons are probably going to be in every stinking episode considering all the effort put into all that artsy costuming. But time will tell the tale. All this stuff is just fancy wrapping. Could be a diamond or a pile of targ shit inside. Have to wait and see.

Then maybe you should stop commenting on this stuff and wait to see what the meat and potatoes look like. When a restaurant serves me a bad appetizer I don’t sit around for 20 minutes going on about how the entree sucks before they bring it to me.

No, but if they bring me an appetizer that was bitter I’m going to bitch about it because I don’t like bitter. What you have heard from me, to date, concerns what they’ve placed before me. I like it or I don’t. The acting, the stories, the quality of the writing…is all yet to come…this is all decoration. All I’ve speculated on is the fact that I personally do not care for serialized, soap opera storytelling as it effectively renders it impossible for me to go back and rewatch individual episodes…should I really like it. I’m no more likely to do that than I am to pick up a favorite novel and read chapter 9. That is a big strike against it, for me, no matter how mind-blowing it may be. It’s opinion, not everyone shares it. It’s all part of the build up. I’m also no fan of heavy Klingon presence throughout. But it is what it is. The only thing I love about it, to date, is the production values. Don’t care for the way they are tinting the good guys in blue and the bad guys in gold. But it’s slick and dripping money. I just hope, in the end, it pays off where it really counts.

So if you get an appetizer, you’ll sit around with your friends who are enjoying it for the first 20 minutes of the meal bitching about it?

Boy, that’s pretty damned rude, you must have some patient friends. you sound like a huge d#ck to me.

…awww….I’m sowwy… I’ll lie and tell you what you want to hear, just so you’ll be happy. :)

….not!. lol

TOS and TMP a little mashed up. But Yeeeeees. This is nice.

Love it. Absolutely love it. Very TOS/TMP. Even the security armor looks like an early version of the ST:Movies security vests. Communicator, phasers and tricorders look spot on!! Medical uniforms make sense, look TMP. Love how the logos have “Starfleet Command”. Uh, only complaint I can see is that Discovery has rear photons, I’d have left those out to ensure she comes off as pre-Constitution class and open the door for some tactical starship drama but that is a nit pick! So far so good on a return to Wagon Train… to the Stars!!!

Defiant had aft torpedoes and she was constitution class

I grew up on TOS, loved (most of) TNG and I think everything looks fantastic thus far for Discovery as far as costumes, props and uniforms go…the attention to detail is pretty stunning and clearly the production’s budget is generous. Not so thrilled with the Starship Discovery herself yet, but that will grow as we see her in action. The other ships look cool, and the Klingon ships downright menacing, great stuff. As long as the writing is on par with the effort put forth thus far, we may have a winner here. I’m still not a fan of the time period it’s set in (I think post TUC, pre-TNG would have given them more room, 70 empty years in the timeline to play with), but hoping for a good explanation for why it is set when it is.

And for those of you who think everyone who grew up on TOS is against this show, you’re simply wrong.

Optimistic!

Like this much better than the Klingons. Seems with the Fed props they have found a good bridge between old and new.

It looks like they’re putting a TON of thought into the costumes and props. If they put that much thought into the SCRIPTS, I’ll be a very happy fan!

Im cautiously optimistic considering the writing team they have assembled. specially with Meyer having a hand in writing the premiere. He deserves a lot of credit for establishing a vision for the world Star Trek inhabits when he write WoK.

Given everything we know, we can expect them to treat this like a premium TV series and that includes the storytelling.

Certainly, we will not all agree on every creative decision. For me, I can use The Sopranos as an example, which I personally think was the best adult TV drama of all time…there were many creative decisions I greatly disliked. But I could never say those decisions were poorly executed.

I’m not as big of a Meyer fan as most people are, but I’m excited about the fact that they have a novelist on staff, suggesting that they want meaty stories and not simple-minded ones.

I started out cautiously optimistic, but I think I’ve probably reached UNcautiously optimistic by this point. :-)

Yes, I was going to mention that as well. A novel writer. Interesting. Hopefully indicates a desire to keep some story threads going continuity-wise (not just the big story, but little personal threads and traits).

I am cautiously pessimistic considering the team they assembled (Goldsman and Kurtzman). They could outcrap Berman and Braga on their worst day.

Not one mention of you trying to steal a uniform for me… did you even try ;)

Gold and copper are gonna be hard to tell apart

Yes that was a weird choice. Should have gone with red.

@albatrosity — I don’t necessarily agree, but in any event, does it really matter? It’s not an essential component for crew interaction — the choice was likely more for the audience sake (though I wonder if an actual reason has ever been published). Audience’s don’t really need that anymore. It’s not like someone who quickly needed a red-shirt crewperson knew whether they were grabbing an engineer, a security guard, or a historian.

Keeping the vaguely nautical theme, Harry Mudd’s clothes look like for a pirate!

About time the medical staff have their own uniforms, insignia and color. Luv it. Louve everything so far. The quality of the props and costumes are mind blowing. Great that it is taking serioulsy. Im confident it’s going to be great.

@Shawn — medical always had their own uniforms. Nurse Chappel had a custom variant of the standard female uniform along with a custom isignia, and McCoy had that satin short-sleeve top.

It’s that the tricorder from Search for Spock?

Heavily influenced by it, as we noted earlier this week. https://trekmovie.com/2017/07/19/star-trek-discovery-tricorder-teased/

I’m really loving the props and most of the costumes! They hit it out of the park with the Tricorder, Communicator & Phaser. Big time! Good work, designers.

My only complaint is the awkward and ugly single collar on the uniforms. What were they thinking? It’s hideous.

Well, if the series is successful you can be sure we’ll get updated uniforms at some point. So they can sell them!

I don’t really have that much a problem with them.

Unless our new heroes are forced to enter a fashion show by an evil regime, I think the new uniforms will be just fine.

The single right-sided collar looks like a fashion show costume.. this was my point.

Whoever designed the control panels on that captain’s chair probably played some Star Trek Bridge Crew :)

I’m still not sold on some of the personnel or story-telling decisions for this show but I do really like the hardware; it is one aspect that they’ve nailed. It looks futuristic but not out of line with classic design. That and no silly chrome phasers.

Ah “Star Trek: Bridge Crew” – love that game! Anyways, true – although minus the holographic displays for your armrests. I wonder how comfortable that chair really is. I’ve heard some complaints but I never sat in it, so I don’t know. Commanding officers should have practical controls on their chairs, which this command chair features.

I love these designs — especially the props. Beautiful Job.

That said, is it me, or are they over-doing the use of the starfleet chevron in these designs? It’s as if all the equipment and uniforms for the US military had to have little US Flags all over it. Until the Kelvin Universe stories, the chevron was used much more sparingly.

Really excited for this. Only thing I have issue with is the Bat leth. Honestly think it’s weak compared to what we are used to. Could have been better

The phaser, tricorder, communicator and some of the civilian clothes are period acceptable if BARELY. The rest is crap! A-historical and Non-canon.

Agreed. But it is canon. Canon being anything shown on the screen by the official owners of Star Trek. So, canon? Yes. Consistent with TOS/Cage timeline? Of course not.

The props are the only things that actually look like they’re from Trek and specifically, an updated pre-TOS aethetic. Everything else, from ship design to makeup and sets very little like the Trek aesthetic. I’ll be surprised if this isn’t a rebooted timeline, though I won’t be watching beyond the pilot.

I don’t think you’ll be surprised.

I discovered TOS in the mid 70’s. As a 9 or 10 year old, Trek grabbed my attention with all the cool gadgets they had. I burned through many AMT exploration sets. If CBS is paying this much attention to the props and costumes? I’m excited!

Watching Star Trek tonight I think I may have found a way to reconcile all these drastic differences in aesthetics inside my head…. Instead of “…well.. I know TNG showed the the original Bridge to look like this…and I know Ds9 went back in time, and showed the insides of a 23rd century starfleet to look like this…buuut… we’ll just ignore it. I mean, we know they looked like that, but we’re gonna ignore it and make it look like this…kinda because we can.” Sigh.

Suppose there was a drastic change of technology. Something so broad, it affected every bit of technology in Starfleet. . Suppose some genius came upon something revolutionary and introduced Starfleet to the ever-important ” transtator.” technology. AS described by Kirk and Spock in TOS….Spock and McCoy and Kirk were quite concerned (Kirk to a lesser extent) about the consequences of McCoy leaving his communicator behind with the imitative culture, the Iotians:

MCCOY: I left my communicator. KIRK: In Bela’s office? SPOCK: Captain. If the Iotians, who are very bright and imitative people, should take that communicator apart KIRK: They will, they will. And they’ll find out how the transtator works. SPOCK: The transtator is the basis for every important piece of equipment that we have. KIRK: Everything.

Suppose this ” transtator” is not yet a “thing” during Discovery’s time. Perhaps this amazing piece of tech didn’t come down the pike (pun intended) till later…..maybe it even accompanied a fleetwide roll out of new interfaces, using the transtator, maybe even integrated with the newest Daystrom computing systems sometime before Pike took command from April.. This could possibly create a whole new aesthetic to everything from the ship’s computers, to communicators, phasers…as Spock mentioned…everything. a refit from the clunkier, busier designs of Discovery, to the look of the Cage. And this type of tech would rock on until the Enterprise returns from its 5 year mission and finds yet another wave of new technology awaiting it …something replacing the Daystrom tech…ready to be installed into the ship…along with new phasers, communicators, etc. The styles are so radically different between TOS and Discovery, at least this gives me something to wrap my brain around to explain the differences.

Or, if such matters don’t bother you, then by all means, just chalk it up to GOT .lol I clearly have too much time on my hands tonight!

It’s funny but of the various iterations of Star Trek over the years, TNG is the only series that never seemed to fit the aesthetic of the original series. Discovery actually seems to flow seamlessly from Enterprise into what was then introduced in TMP while TNG always seemed to go as far out of the way as possible not to evoke TOS until First Contact.

As for the Klingons, I suspect that the appearance of the Klingons wasn’t changed just for the sake of changing their appearance.

There’s nothing that I’ve seen of the uniforms or props that I dislike. Well the the Klingon outfits will take a little getting use to. I think we’ll learn they’re not their standard military unis. Too ornate and flashy for warriors imo.

The one thing I’m surprised no one has commented on is the delta symbol on the phaser. To my eye its orientation is upside down. Small thing.

The phaser props, the tricorders, even the Captain’s chair control details look FANTASTIC! I love the multi barrel phaser emitters, nice nod to The Cage era lasers. I love the communicators, the flip kid looks very similar to the large communicators seen in Star Trek 2.

Where this series loses me asthetically is uniforms. These are ridiculous. They’re hideous. They’re overly and unnecessarily gaudy. Why even have those stupid shoulder loops if they don’t actually do anything?! Why are those not the rank insignia?! Galaxy Quest has better costumes.

Not too shabby.

This. Is. Awful.

props are EXCELLENT! =D uniforms are weak

“Frankly, I’m amazed any of you survived.”

The strangest Star Trek character in years is the key to its multiverse

Kovich, played by the legendary filmmaker David Cronenberg, represents the past, present, and future of Star Trek. Here's how.

The 32nd century has a shadowy guiding force. In the year 3189, as seen in Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery , the enigmatic Dr. Kovich wears a vintage 21st-century suit and giant glasses. In the world of Star Trek, only the legendary James T. Kirk wore glasses in a future where poor vision is corrected with technology. But with Kovich, the big spectacles are an effect. When questioned why he wears them, Kovich replies, “I like them.”

In 2021’s Discovery Season 4, Kovich returns, and the more we see him, the more questions we have. Played by legendary film director David Cronenberg , Kovich might be the future of Star Trek, while holding the keys to its past.

SCENE STEALERS is a countdown that salutes the unforgettable small-screen characters of the year. Kovich is #27.

In Season 4’s fourth episode, “All Is Possible,” Kovich deepens the mystique surrounding his character. At the same time, he set a course for an entirely new direction for the franchise. In the stand-out episode of the season so far, Kovich recruits Tilly (Mary Wiseman) — Discovery’s pluckiest audience surrogate — to lead a training mission with cranky Starfleet cadets. Because so many planets have been separated from one another, Kovich is worried Starfleet officers won’t cooperate as in the days of Kirk, Picard, Janeway, and Sisko.

“That’s why I’ve been asked to consult,” Kovich says coldly. “One might say that today’s exercise is about the very future of Starfleet.”

Who is Kovich?

• Best Quote: “Frankly, I’m amazed any of you survived.”
• Know For: Giant glasses, being a silver fox
• The Scene-Stealing Episode : Season 4, Episode 4, “All Is Possible” ( Star Trek: Discovery)
• Super Power: Knowing about the multiverse
• Their Scientific Element : Scandium. Like Kovich, scandium is silvery-white and is tremendously rare to find.
• Walk-up Song : “Scanners (Main Title)” by Howard Shore

In Star Trek: Discovery , the mysterious “Kovich,” played by filmmaker David Cronenberg, returns for a scene-stealing appearance in Season 4 to recruit Tilly (Mary Wiseman) for a new mission.

For Star Trek fans, Kovich is a fascinating confluence of continuity. When he first debriefed the crew, after they time-traveled forward to the 32nd century in Season 3, fans speculated he was from the Mirror Universe, a member of the spy group Section 31, or both. In the episode “Terra Firma, Part 1,” Kovich revealed his knowledge of the multiverse. For the first time since 2009, the canon of the J.J. Abrams films (the “Kelvinverse”) connected with the Prime Trek timeline, proving that both universes are, in fact, aware of each other, all thanks to him.

But who is Kovich, really? In Season 4, the fact he’s “consulting” with Starfleet Academy suggests it’s not his regular job. What exactly is his role in the Federation? And why does he know more than anyone about anything? With Kovich, the more questions we ask, the less we know.

Speaking to Star Trek Explorer in 2021, Cronenberg said Kovich “is not just an interrogator” but “kind of a cultural historian.” Despite all the deep-cut questions fans have about his character, Cronenberg himself is blissfully unaware of these implications. He mentioned many times his appearances on Discovery are because he’s “cheap and available.”

Cronenberg is better known for his work as a film director of sci-fi horror classics like The Fly and Scanners . As a self-professed fan of 1960s Star Trek , he may have been inspired by classic Trek in his capacity as an artist. In 2020, the director told Variety that he was a fan of the original.

“Especially in the ‘60s — when the original series was playing — I considered myself a potential novelist,” he said. “I never thought that I would be in film at all.”

“He unites different forces on the screen.”

There are not any direct connections between Cronenberg’s career as a film director and Star Trek. But as Discovery proves repeatedly, the story of Star Trek isn’t a straight line. Even if his past is shrouded in mystery, Kovich is boldly going where even Star Trek hasn’t gone before.

Not only does he reboot Starfleet Academy, but he poaches Tilly from her role on the USS Discovery . By the end of the episode, Tilly departs to join Kovich and teach the next generation of Starfleet. Could there be a spinoff series? Is the long-rumored Starfleet Academy show actually going to be about Kovich’s cold-hard personality butting heads with Tilly’s warm enthusiasm? The future of Trek is as vast as the final frontier.

Cronenberg joining Discovery is poignant. While Twitter might make you think new era Star Trek is a cultural and generational battleground, Cronenberg’s presence proves that kind of thing matters less than fans think it does. Cronenberg’s an old-school Star Trek fan. He’s a famous film director. And he’s on Discovery , bridging the gap between old and new. His brief scenes with Tilly are so wonderful because he unites different forces on the screen.

Alluring yet unknowable, Kovich is #27 in the Inverse Scene Stealers of 2021.

Cronenberg is part of a huge legacy of genre filmmaking, and Discovery is just one part of the science fiction TV renaissance right now. Just as Kovich knows about alternate dimensions and timelines, Cronenberg proves that loving the past doesn’t mean you should fear the future.

Star Trek: Discovery is streaming now on Paramount+.

This article was originally published on Dec. 9, 2021

• Science Fiction

• New Adventures

18 space suits from science fiction, from worst to best

When has hollywood actually gotten it (somewhat) right.

By Andrew Liptak

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Space suits are cool — and complicated. Earlier this week, my colleague Loren Grush launched her new series Space Craft by seeing what wearing one is like . The answer? Exhausting. Unsurprisingly, science fiction writers, movie directors, and prop-makers also love space suits — you’ll find them everywhere from Robert A. Heinlein’s novel Have Space Suit — Will Travel , to the latest Alien movie . But not everybody does their homework: for every fictional space suit that’s more than just a fancy costume, there’s one that’s impractical and nonsensical even in a fictional world.

There’s no such thing as an “ideal” space suit, because you need specific features for different environments. But we can answer a few basic questions. Is a fictional space suit safe and wearable for its characters? Does it perform its task well? And does it realistically look like it could perform that task? With that in mind, here are some of the greatest and most cringeworthy depictions, arranged from worst to best.

I love Titan A.E. to death, but even I have to admit that its space suit is a bit wonky. Years after the destruction of Earth, Cale ends up working salvage on a space station, which seems like a risky job — we even see him get smacked with a huge section of a ship that’s being dismantled.

But although the armored suit superficially looks designed for this work, this one seems pretty dangerous. That huge bubble helmet would provide amazing visibility, but it also looks like it could be easily broken. Those wires or tubes hanging off the back could snag on salvage. And as for the weird series of lights on the chest... what do those even do?

Where to start with Star Trek ? The upcoming show Star Trek Discovery features a badass suit that looks like an entire miniature spaceship. But there are also some bizarre, cringeworthy depictions, like these from The Original Series. They’re sparkly! They have weird, seemingly useless colored attachments, the wearer can really only see right in front of them, and the visor extends to the back of their head for some reason.

Fortunately, the show went with some marginally better (but still science fictional) versions for The Motion Picture, and some really plausible ones in Enterprise . But although the latest series’ suits look cool, they don’t seem that realistic either, with an emphasis on armor and propulsion over anything else. We’ll have to wait until later this year to know just what they’re used for.

Explorers on the Moon

One of my absolute favorite space suits appeared long before real humans went into space: it’s in the 1950s Tintin comics (and later cartoons) Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon . These suits aren’t what we ended up using: they’re hard armor with a bubble helmet rather than lighter cloth, and seem cumbersome to wear and walk around in, not to mention specifically fitted to each person (and dog!)

But, they’re still a beautiful, iconic design that did draw on some real concepts. While they certainly predate the space age, and Hergé does depict the suits in use on the Moon, as well as a couple of points where they’re being constructed and fixed, which means that he did put some thought into how these theoretical space suits might have functioned.

Destination Moon

The 1950 film Destination Moon is another classic that predates the space age, like Explorers on the Moon. But it’s one of the first to deal with space travel in a somewhat realistic way, almost two decades before astronauts landed on the Moon, and even before the first rockets brought the first satellites into orbit.

The suits used in the film look pretty cool. They’re not exactly what we ended up using for Lunar EVAs, but they get all the basics: flexible joints, detachable helmets, life support, and so forth. They even color-coded each astronaut so that the audience could tell each character apart. NASA only figured that out after Apollo 11, when people couldn’t tell the astronauts apart on the television broadcasts, and slapped some stripes onto the mission commander’s suit.

Stargate Universe

The Stargate franchise has used its share of space suits, ranging from plausibly realistic to downright strange. The last series, Stargate Universe, is definitely the latter. When an expedition is stranded on a distant starship, they discover several of these outfits and use them to explore a couple of hostile planets. But the suits look extremely cumbersome, with a lot of armor that will restrict one’s movement, not to mention corners and edges that could snag on their surrounding. To be fair, they were designed by a long-lost, advanced human race, so maybe we just don’t know what they were going for.

When I first watched Firefly , I was struck by an early scene where protagonist Captain Mal Reynolds is floating through space in a distinctly patched-together suit from repurposed parts, like his old combat helmet. Like lots of things in the series, these suits look like they could be used for any activity, whether that’s stealing cargo, working on exterior repairs, or just moving around outside. But while it fits thematically, these activities are all pretty specific tasks, and I just can’t quite buy that a suit made up of random parts is going to be safe or effective at any of them in the long run.

Battlestar Galactica

For a space show, we don’t actually see many space suits in the SCIFI channel’s revival of Battlestar Galactica . On the rare occasions people head into space, it’s usually pilots flying combat or patrol missions, where they wear suits designed to keep a pilot alive after being ejected, which look closer to high-altitude fighter pilot uniforms than your traditional space suit. That said, these suits can keep someone alive on a planet’s surface, as we saw early in the show when Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace is shot down on an uninhabitable moon.

These suits do have great helmets that afford quite a bit of visibility and can be pressurized, but there’s still some sci-fi artistic license. They look improbably easy to move around in, and don’t appear to have a whole lot of life-support options. If you’re shot out, you’ve better hope for a quick rescue.

Mission to Mars

The 2000 film Mission to Mars is an exercise in exasperation, and the space suits that its characters use are no exception. These suits are used interchangeably between surface and space expeditions, and the helmets look as though they limit one’s vision quite a bit.

But there are some good things here too: the suits piggyback off the design of real space suits, and include some realistic details like backpacks, chest controls, flexible joints, and color-coded suits.

Interstellar

Interstellar calls back to past cinematic space suits, which certainly look plausible and realistic, with details like color-coding for different characters. These appear mainly to be used for ground excursions, or for when they’re performing maneuvers in the Endurance. They do have some neat features, like thrusters mounted on the arms that don’t seem all that practical for long-term use.

But ultimately, these suits just look ... kind of boring, which is a shame, given that most of the film’s design is really distinctive.

Weeks before Michael Bay started filming his 1998 blockbuster Armageddon , he apparently went to the props department and was dismayed at the space suits that he saw . “It looked like an Adidas jogging suit on a rack,” he complained. And “if you don’t have cool space suits, your entire movie is screwed.”

The film actually does use some realistic suits. The characters train in a dive tank at NASA, and they’re later seen in the Advanced Crew Escape Suit that real shuttle crews wore during launches. But the suits they wear on the asteroid are fictional “next-generation” designs. They look a bit complicated, and are designed specifically for ground missions, carrying thrusters to keep someone on the ground in a low gravity environment. Props for specific purposes there.

Incidentally, the same year’s other blow-up-the-asteroid-before-it-strikes-the-Earth movie — Deep Impact — also featured astronauts at work in space. But that production used some suits that looked quite a bit more like the ones that are really used by astronauts.

An underrated sci-fi classic is the 1981 film Outland , which featured Sean Connery as a Federal Marshal working on a mining colony on Jupiter’s moon Io. The film features a fairly iconic suit, with a massive helmet with lights designed to show off the actor’s face.

The suits look pretty basic: they’re color coded, have a life support system and a couple of tubes that look as though they’ll get caught on things, but they look fairly rugged and easy to use for their wearers. Those interior lights would probably get annoying though: I can imagine that they’d reflect off the helmet’s inner surface and be really distracting.

Sam Bell, the sole occupant of a mining facility in Duncan Jones’ debut film Moon , uses a really fantastic-looking space suit. Bell’s suit draws some inspiration from NASA’s astronauts, as well as some classic science fiction films, like Alien .

This space suit is designed for excursions out onto the lunar surface or driving a rover, and it’s simple enough for one person to don. (Good when you’re the only person there.) The helmet pops off easily enough, and there are plenty of lights for a worker to use while out and about, but the props department didn’t add extras just for show. Another nice touch: Sam’s suit even appears visibly well-used when the film begins.

2001: A Space Odyssey

It’s hard to find a space suit design that’s more iconic than the one from Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. These suits appear a couple of times in the film in a couple of different environments: first when the characters go into Tycho Crater to explore an anomaly, and later, on the ship Discovery One.

These suits are designed with a good dose of cool 1960s futurism, but they also get a lot of details right, thanks to designers who worked in the space and tech industry. They have control panels and life support, and seem to perform their jobs well, at least when you have your helmet on. Chris Hadfield later noted that the production even captured things like the sound of breathing while suited up. The production was even good enough to make people think Kubrick faked the Moon landings a year later .

Alien Franchise

The Alien franchise is loaded with cool space suits, some better than others. Alien leads the way with the suits the crew of the Nostromo’s uses for surface EVAs. These look appropriately designed for use in a harsh environment, while the space ship comes equipped with another space EVA suit stashed away in its shuttle. The suits in Alien: Covenant, which Adam Savage geeked out over at San Diego Comic-Con , are also dedicated-purpose designs, meant for light EVA and surface work. And then there’s the hard suit that’s used for more heavy lifting , and has a completely different design.

But there are also some misses, like the surface suit used in Prometheus. These suits are beautiful: skintight, lightly armored, with a fantastic bubble helmet. But as cool as they look, they don’t seem very functional for serious or unexpected work — and they’re not good at all at keeping alien acid vomit at bay.

The Expanse

The Expanse is set in a plausibly-realistic future in which much of humanity lives and works around the solar system, and a result, the show’s characters use a variety space suits. In most cases, what we see are really utilitarian garments, used by blue collar workers on space ships or space stations.

These suits look as though they are designed with an eye towards practicality, and they’re not overly large or cumbersome. The helmets provide protection and some visibility, with lots of interchangeable parts or attachments for specific needs, such as working on depressurized parts of a spaceship, or out on an asteroid. Like Firefly’s suits, they appear to be well-worn and patched, but these look like they’re quite a bit more durable than those ones.

There are high-tech suits in the show as well: the Martian military uses some heavily armored designs for their soldiers and Marines, who appear to be right at home in space, or on the surface of uninhabitable planets and moons. These suits are not only designed to protect a wearer from outer space, but also to wage war in a vacuum or on the ground.

Of all the films on this list, Gravity draws the most from the real world, so it naturally takes its cues from real equipment. The characters also use a couple of different suits, which is a nice touch: at one point, Dr. Ryan Stone dons a Russian space suit when she escapes into a Soyuz lander.

The film does take some liberties, though. Stone gets in and out of these suits really easily, and doesn’t wear a cooling garment, whereas in real life, these are suits that are quite complicated to put on. But their appearance is as close as we can realistically expect in a big-budget Hollywood film.

In most cases, a film space suit is a film space suit. Sometimes, however, film designers recognize that they need something really specific. Case in point is the EVA suit used in Danny Boyle’s movie Sunshine . What really makes this suit really stand apart is its golden exterior, and the fact that it isn’t designed for any sort of multi-purpose use. It’s intended only for the Icarus and its mission to go close to the sun, and allow the astronauts onboard to go outside if needed in an environment of intense light.

This one is incredibly beautiful: it’s got a golden-reflective surface to protect its wearer from the intense rays from the sun, and was inspired by some unlikely sources, such as Samurai armor and deep-sea diving suits .

The Martian

The Martian (both the book and the movie) is a story that’s a realistic and plausible take on a future mission to Mars, and Mark Watney’s space suit is probably one of the most important environments in the story. After being stranded on Mars, he spends a considerable amount of time in one.

The EVA suit used in The Martian certainly doesn’t look anything like what the real Apollo astronauts used on the Moon. However, it’s designed with an eye towards of realism for what a Martian mission might require. The helmet is designed to impart as much visibility to the wearer as possible, and provides plenty of critical information. It also looks like parts can be worked on or switched out if needed, useful when you’re far from home. Another bonus comes from the book: they’re each tailored for an individual astronaut, and they aren’t a one-size-fits-all garment.

The film also goes above and beyond by showing that space suits aren’t multi-purpose: there’s one for the ground operations, but also an EVA suit for use in space, which looks really close to modern suits that NASA currently uses.

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Star Trek Discovery Michael Burnham Space Suit Gallery Statue

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Description

Gentle Giant's artists worked directly with Star Trek Discovery's producers to obtain original concept models, reference photos, and authentic production files to accurately match and recreate the costume worn by actor Sonequa Martin-Green for their first Star Trek: Discovery Collector's Gallery 1/8-scale statue. The detail in this piece has to be seen to be believed and looks stunning from every angle. Every detail of the space suit costume from the first episode has been captured: from the insignia shaped mesh, to the clear visor, to the jets, vents and scribe-lines of the suit. You can display her alone or have her facing off against the in-scale Klingon Torchbearer statue. This limited edition statue of First Officer Michael Burnam in her Starfleet long-haul space suit is hand-cast, hand-painted and hand-numbered with a limited edition Certificate of Authenticity.

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• Series & Movies

FIRST LOOK | Star Trek: Discovery - 'Mirrors'

Get a glimpse of this week's episode!

In "Mirrors," Captain Burnham and Book journey into extradimensional space in search of the next clue to the location of the Progenitors' power. Meanwhile, Rayner navigates his first mission in command of the U.S.S. Discovery , and Culber opens up to Tilly.

Star Trek: Discovery Seasons 1-4 are streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the UK, Canada, Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons 2 and 3 also are available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. The series streams on Super Drama in Japan, TVNZ in New Zealand, and SkyShowtime in Spain, Portugal, Poland, The Nordics, The Netherlands, and Central and Eastern Europe and also airs on Cosmote TV in Greece. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5's Captain Rayner Ran His Ship Like a Pirate

Callum Keith Rennie also discusses coming into 'Discovery's final season, getting into prosthetics, and how much he has in common with Rayner.

The Big Picture

• Callum Keith Rennie's Captain Rayner brings conflict and depth to Star Trek: Discovery 's final season.
• Rennie discusses his experience on Star Trek: Discovery , praising the supportive cast and crew, despite the initial challenges of joining an established series for its last season.
• In Season 5, Episode 4 "Face the Strange," Burnham and Rayner must work together within a time bubble to save the universe.

As Captain Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin-Green ) embarks on one last adventure with her crew, Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 is bringing a few new characters along for the ride. Chief among those newcomers is the blunt, war-worn Captain Rayner. Played by Battlestar Galactica alum Callum Keith Rennie , Rayner is Burnham's new second in command on the Discovery , taking over after Saru ( Doug Jones ) took a different position at Starfleet.

Having lived through The Burn, Rayner doesn't have time for niceties and butts heads with Burnham almost immediately — so naturally, she takes it upon herself to give him a second chance when Starfleet is ready to cut him loose. Last week's episode saw him, rightfully, put in his place a bit as Tilly ( Mary Wiseman ) attempted to help him connect with the crew, much to his chagrin. In Season 5 Episode 4, "Face the Strange," Rayner and Burnham are thrown into a time bubble, forcing them to work together if they ever want to get back to the correct timeline and prevent the universe from being destroyed.

Ahead of the episode, I sat down with Rennie to dig into Rayner's backstory, what we can expect from him in the rest of the season, and what it will take for Rayner to truly connect with the crew of Discovery . During our conversation, we also discussed Rennie's history with sci-fi, what it was like joining Discovery for the show's final season, and what he's taking away from the whole experience.

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

Rennie is no stranger to science fiction, having had roles in such series as The Umbrella Academy , Jessica Jones, and Battlestar Galactica. As Battlestar Galactica was the series that turned me into a sci-fi fan, and perhaps Rennie's most recognizable role, I had to ask him about being a part of such massive and beloved franchises within the genre. "It's amazing," he said. For Rennie, even though Battlestar was also a reboot of a classic series , the show's success was a lot less predictable than the mainstay that is Star Trek . He explained, "Like, say Battlestar , when I started on that I had no idea where that one was gonna go. Discovery was already very established , but I actually didn't let any of that into my [head], because I went, “That's not gonna help.” So, I didn’t. Now, I'm feeling the world of it. Now, I'm sensing what the world of Discovery is and how many people love it, and how it fits. "

Discovery also isn't his first experience with Star Trek , "I watched the original. That was my thing, and that was it," Rennie told me. While he may have missed some of the series' in between, saying, "There's big chunks of time where I just didn't watch a lot of TV, so I missed all of the other stuff," he'll always make time for The Original Series when he comes across it, "even if the old Star Trek comes on, I'll still watch it because that was my Star Trek . Jim Kirk, and all of that. "

While we've gotten a pretty good sense of who Rayner is in these first four episodes, most of his backstory remains a mystery. Rennie revealed that "some backstory comes up in a few episodes." Part of his gruff exterior will be explained as we'll "get a sense of why he's maybe got a chip on his shoulder and has some unprocessed resentments about a bunch of things that maybe have played out in his work in a negative way."

Rennie Calls 'Star Trek: Discovery's Latest Episode "Amazing"

"Face the Strange," is such a classic Star Trek episode, employing the ever-entertaining sci-fi trope of sticking our main characters in a time loop, both to put an obstacle in their path as well as to bring them face to face with some of their own demons. For Rennie, the episode really put the science in science fiction. "It was like, 'Whoa! What's happening? I don't get it.' There's just so much science stuff and talk, so much jumping about to places and history and stuff." But he had high praise for his fellow castmates as well as the crew behind the camera." Lee [Rose] being the director, you're in great hands. Being in scenes with Sonequa, you know that you're gonna be in it , and it was great. I watched it again last night, and there’s just an amazing amount of stuff in there. It was just an amazing episode. "

In this episode, Burnham and Rayner are tossed back in time to the first season of Discovery , bringing them both face to face with the version of Burnham who's fresh off her own demotion in Starfleet . Throughout the episode, it becomes quite clear that Burnham and Rayner have a lot more in common than either of them might have realized. When asked if this experience might put them more on equal footing, Rennie confirmed that "he's learned an understanding of the crew." He went on to point out that we haven't seen the relationship that Rayner had with his own crew.

He explained: "We're not on the Antares talking about his crew, which I think is an important part that we missed, where you go, 'How did I see my people on my particular ship? And how well did I know them?' No one's asking me how well I knew everybody because I did, but if I've only been there a brief time, you're only gonna have facts." He admits that it is important for Rayner to connect past the surface level. "Through that particular episode, you learn and go, 'Yes, it is good to know what people are up to and where they're from,' because in that particular instance, it saved us. So, I learned a thing, and I give a, 'Yes. Got it. Thank you.'"

Rayner Will Have to Shorten the Distance Between Himself and the Discovery Crew

While it doesn't sound like we'll be getting any flashbacks to Rayner's time on the Antares Rennie believes that he'd spent a similar amount of time with that crew as Michael has with hers. "We didn't get to inhabit that, I get to make it up in my own mind," he said. "But for me, it was more like a pirate ship that I had. " While Rayner comes off as the more stubborn, stick-to-the-mission Captain between him and Burnham, Rennie doesn't think he was quite so strict on his own ship. He said:

"That's the way I perceived it. It wasn't some rigid, completely stoic, boss fest, but a little bit of a wild card ship. We're gonna go into things that nobody else wants to go into, or knows how to deal with, but we would. "

While the walls around Rayner are still pretty high, Rennie explained that we will see him "shorten the distance" he's put between himself and the crew of the Discovery. "There's a great bit, there's an episode where Burnham leaves me again to take control of the ship. There's an interaction with everybody in a certain way because they don't like me yet. [Laughs] And I need some help a little bit, but I've created a distance, and I have to shorten that distance between everybody." He went on to say there are plenty of "fun dynamics" to look forward to and Rayner's insistence on keeping everyone at arm's length will likely come back to bite him.

Star Trek has quite a long list of original alien species created for the franchise, and Rayner just happens to be a Kellerun, a race that hasn't been seen since Deep Space Nine . In classic Trek fashion, Kelleruns appear mostly human with the most visible difference being the shape of the ears. As he follows in the footsteps of the likes of Leonard Nimoy and any actor who has ever played a Vulcan or a Romulan, I asked Rennie about getting into prosthetics for the role. "Those guys are great. Rocky [Faulkner] was great, Nicola [Bendrey] was great." While it was certainly an extra step the process was brief enough that it didn't bother him to come to set a bit earlier than usual. "That was probably an hour, and I really didn't think about that enough to go, 'Oh, that's right. I have to get up earlier.' But I think we got it down to an hour and a bit for just the ears because there’s a lot of stuff on them."

Despite the agonizing wait of sitting in front of a mirror for an hour, Rennie noted that Faulkner and Bendrey made the make-up experience as fun as it could possibly have been. He said: "I don't love just sitting there looking at myself for an hour, but there's music and great company and coffee, and it became a really sweet part of the day, and then another sweet part of the day where I download. " It wasn't his first time getting into prosthetics, but his previous experience had been brief. After playing Rayner across an entire season, Rennie admitted by the end, removing the glue actually started to feel like you'd expect pulling costume glue off your ears to feel. "There was a point near the end where the glue-on, glue-off became quite painful for a while."

The Support of the Cast and the Fans Are Highlights of Rennie's 'Star Trek' Experience

While this is Rennie's first season on the show, it's the final bow for Star Trek: Discovery . When asked what he'd be taking away from this experience, he had nothing but high praise for the cast and crew. As a newcomer on a well-established show, jumping into the fifth season had a bit of a learning curve. "I found that coming into the show was difficult for me because it was unlike a show that I'd been on before. It was already very well established." He went on to say:

"I pat myself on the back because I made it through, and there was this wonderful group energy that helped me do that. The good naturedness of the show was something that I maybe haven't worked on. There was a wholehearted goodness about it, which was quite nice, which overlapped into how people treated each other and mutual respect. Also, I kind of blocked out all Star Treks in my mind, so I'm there not thinking of Star Trek history. I'm just doing scene-to-scene and working on this stuff, and then it finishes, and then I forget that there's an incredible vast following of the show that somehow you are now part of it like that. All of that, this is all relatively new to me."

As a new addition to an already established group, I pointed out that it seemed as though Rennie's experience mirrored that of his characters, and he agreed. "I'm excited for people to see the season. And then, coming into it playing, “I don't want to be liked. It doesn't matter if I'm liked. I'm there to do my job, like Rayner, and I'm doing it. And then there's the after-effect of an incredible fan base that seems to be very supportive ."

You can watch our full conversation in the player above, and catch the latest episode of Star Trek: Discovery now on Paramount+.

'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 5 Review: One Hell of a Final Ride

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8 New Details Star Trek: Discovery Revealed About DS9s Breen

WARNING: Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery, season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors".

• The Breen from Star Trek: DS9 make a proper return in Discovery, revealing their secrets and motivations.
• L'ak is a unique Breen who fell in love with Moll, breaking the standard mold of his species.
• Discovery reveals the Breen have two faces, one translucent and one solid, hinting at a deeper evolution storyline.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors" reveals a raft of new details about the Breen from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The Breen are the latest DS9 aliens to appear in Discovery , making their proper return in the flashback sequences that fill viewers in on the backstory of Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis). Written by Johanna Lee & Carlos Cisco, and directed by Jen McGowan , "Mirrors" finds Moll and L'ak stranded in interdimensional space with Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala).

With the four treasure hunters forced to work together, there's a chance to reveal more about Moll and L'ak's motivations in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 . The bombshell reveal that L'ak is actually Breen is the first of many revelations about the enigmatic Star Trek: Deep Space Nine aliens in the episode. The flashbacks to Moll and L'ak's burgeoning romance shed light on a number of aspects of Breen culture in the 32nd century , including just what sits underneath those helmets.

Star Trek: Discovery Vs. DS9's Breen Is Now Inevitable

L'ak is a breen, but he doesn't fit the mold of a traditional breen..

As Burnham and Book try to reason with Moll and L'ak, the couple reveal that they're trying to outrun an Erigah, a Breen blood bounty. This confirms to Burnham that L'ak is a Breen, albeit without the helmet and refrigeration suit . The flashbacks to how Moll and L'ak met reveal that L'ak was a member of the Breen royal family, but he didn't fit the mold . Demoted from his royal duties, L'ak was assigned to shuttle bay duty, where he met and fell in love with Moll.

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) once stated that nobody had seen a Breen without their helmet and lived to tell the tale. The revelations about L'ak's origins mean that half the cast of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 have managed to do just that. However, as the flashbacks show, the Breen are still incredibly secretive about showing their faces, which makes L'ak a unique member of his species .

Moll Used To Sell Dilithium To The Breen Imperium

It's how she made her living during the burn.

During the time of scarcity following The Burn, Moll supplied the Breen with dilithium for use in their starships. However, Moll was cutting her dilithium supply with " impurities " , meaning that the Breen's supply was considerably watered down. Confronted about this by L'ak, Moll offered to go into business with the mold-breaking Breen to make things go smoothly. L'ak agreed, partly due to his desire to get payback for his demotion, and partly due to his immediate attraction to Moll.

Moll and L'ak became a courier couple like Burnham and Booker, giving Book hope that he could get through to his new "sister".

Moll and L'ak were eventually found out for their scam, for which the punishment was execution. However, as L'ak couldn't bring himself to kill the woman he loved, he turned on his own people, instead. In response, the Breen placed an " Erigah " on L'ak, a blood bounty that could never be cleared . While Burnham and Booker offered Federation protection from the Breen, Moll and L'ak were unconvinced that they could truly help erase the Erigah.

Star Trek: Discovery Stars Eve Harlow & Elias Toufexis Break Down Their Villainous Romance

The breen placed a blood bounty on moll and l'ak, "can they erase an erigah".

Although the Erigah was placed on L'ak, Moll refused to leave his side, meaning that the Breen blood bounty was placed on them both. This explains Booker's assessment that the couple were having fun and engaging in " cliffs-edge kind of stuff ". Moll and L'ak's devil may care attitude so far in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 is likely driven by the fact that they're on the run for their very lives . Moll and L'ak are so committed to each other that the Breen tells Burnham that he'd " rather die " than be separated from Moll in a Federation prison.

An Erigah is an aspect of Breen culture that wasn't previously mentioned in the species' multiple appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . It's therefore unclear how one collects a blood bounty, but Moll, L'ak, Burnham, and Book all seem troubled by the mention of the name. Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 7 is titled "Erigah", so it will presumably shed further light on the blood bounty placed on Moll and L'ak's heads, and who will attempt to collect it.

The Breen Atmosphere Is "Quite Comfortable"

Just as ds9's weyoun said it was..

It's long been speculated that the Breen lived in sub-zero temperatures, with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters like Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and Quark (Armin Shimerman) referring to their planet as a frozen wasteland. While Moll doesn't visit the Breen homeworld in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, she is in their territory and doesn't need to wear any protective clothing to cope with the temperatures. This, therefore, confirms something that Weyoun (Jeffrey Combs) said in DS9 season 7, episode 20, "The Changing Face of Evil".

The Breen were also said to wear refrigeration suits to cope with the higher temperatures of other planets, something which is also seemingly contradicted by Star Trek: Discovery .

The Breen were powerful allies of the Dominion in the latter stages of their war with the Federation Alliance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . After the Breen and the Dominion had signed their alliance, Weyoun reflected that the temperature on Breen was "quite comfortable". It was always possible that this was wry sarcasm on Weyoun's part. However, the atmosphere inside Star Trek: Discovery 's huge Imperium spaceport appears to confirm Weyoun's assessment of the temperature on Breen .

Star Trek: The Dominion War Timeline, Explained

The breen primarch is l'ak's uncle, part of the yod-thot royal caste..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 1, "Red Directive" revealed that the Breen Confederacy had become the Breen Imperium in the 800 years since the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Not much was known about the inner workings of the Breen Confederacy in DS9 , other than negotiations with the Dominion were led by Thot Gor (Todd Slayton). In the 32nd century, the Breen Imperium is run by the Yod-Thot royal caste, suggesting an ancestral link with DS9 's Breen .

One of the key members of the Breen Imperium is Primarch Ruhn (Tony Nappa), the uncle of L'ak in Star Trek: Discovery season 5. The Primarch is disgusted by L'ak's relationship with Moll and his insistence on denying his heritage . L'ak stopped short of murdering his uncle while escaping with Moll, meaning that Primarch Ruhn may return later in Discovery season 5. Especially if Moll and L'ak open negotiations with the Breen Imperium to provide them with the Progenitors' powerful technology .

The Breen Imperium Destroy The Federation In An Alternate Future

They're the "wrong hands" that the progenitors' technology must not fall into..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange" revealed that the Breen took possession of the Progenitors' technology in a timeline where the USS Discovery never defeated the time bug . The Krenim chronophage, left over from the Temporal Wars, was supposed to keep Discovery out of the treasure hunt until Moll and L'ak could secure the Progenitors' technology. The Breen Imperium then used the powers of the Progenitors to destroy the entire Federation in one of the most striking scenes from Discovery season 5, episode 4 .

The Breen previously launched an attack on Federation Headquarters in Star Trek: Discovery season 7, episode 20, "The Changing Face of Evil".

At the opening of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, "Mirrors", Burnham and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) reflected on the stakes of their mission. "Mirrors" also revealed that Moll and L'ak are still determined to use the Progenitors' technology to bargain for their lives with the Breen Imperium. As Moll and L'ak escape the ISS Enterprise at the end of "Mirrors", they are more desperate than ever, making Discovery 's bleak future look like a serious possibility.

Star Trek: Discovery Reveals A Voyager Enemy Played A Big Role In The Temporal Wars

The breen do bleed, or leak, at the very least..

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 14, "In Purgatory's Shadow", Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) confidently states that the Breen have no liquid circulatory system . Conducting blood screenings to root out Changeling infiltrators in the Dominion prison camp, Bashir says everyone bar the Breen prisoner has been tested because they have " No blood ". Star Trek: Discovery appears to reveal that this isn't the case, as L'ak appears to bleed after falling on his own knife during the fight with Burnham .

Given the revelations about the Breens' physiology in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, there are some possible explanations for the contradiction. Firstly, the Breen are an incredibly secretive race, who were largely unknown to the Federation in the 24th century. The Breen prisoner in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine could, therefore, have just been lying to Bashir about not having any blood . The other explanation is that L'ak isn't bleeding, rather he's leaking the gelatinous organic material that constitutes a Breen body.

The Breen Have Two Faces

One solid face, one translucent face, both green..

The biggest reveal about the Breen in Star Trek: Discovery is what they keep underneath their helmets. It's stated that a Breen has two faces; one which is translucent and gelatinous, and another which is solid and firmly humanoid. This revelation is delivered as if the viewer was already aware of such a fact, which means that Discovery doesn't dive deeper into the reasons for the Breen having two faces . Primarch Ruhn tells L'ak that the Breen have evolved past their solid forms, and that their translucent form is a sign of strength.

Star Trek: Discovery doesn't reveal what role the Breen's armor plays in maintaining their form, translucent or otherwise. Still, the idea that the Breen's softer, more vulnerable face is stronger than the hard shell is a decent sci-fi concept that will hopefully get further exploration later in Discovery season 5. However, both faces are very clearly humanoid, which heavily implies that they may also originate from the Progenitors. Whether this information will lead to peace between the Breen and the Federation remains to be seen as Star Trek: Discovery season 5 continues.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Streams Thursdays On Paramount+

Star Trek: Discovery

Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, Ren Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

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Suit up for battle and prepare yourself to discover new dimensions in the Starfleet 2256 jacket. Heavy denim secured with sturdy topstitching enables this durable jacket to withstand conflicts with Klingons or tiffs with a Tardigrade. The signature angular style of the Starfleet uniforms returns with the stylish Star Trek: Discovery additions of long, geometric lines and shoulder line details. It's perfect for all your missions, whether it's a Black Alert aboard the Discovery or a routine landing party to the store. The sleek, blue color and the subtle details of stitching color and zipper allow you to flaunt your specialty under the radar. Pick gold for Command, silver for Sciences, copper for Operations, or stealthy black if you work in Section 31. See you on board!

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The Spacesuits In Star Trek: Enterprise Put A Brutal Strain On The Series' Stars

The uniforms on the original "Star Trek" might be some of the most casual, comfy military kits ever seen. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) essentially wore a lightweight, tight-fitting long-sleeve t-shirt, a pair of black slacks, and some versatile patent leather shoes. Apart from his department color — the gold hue indicated his status as a command officer — and the rank stripes around his wrists, the uniform didn't seem to have any additional practical functions. It didn't have pockets, so communicators and tricorders needed to be carried as accessories.

One might assume that "Star Trek" uniforms were made from an ultra-advanced, super-breathable material that allowed its wearer to have a more evenly regulated body temperature, but that is mere headcanon; such details were never revealed on the show. It also wouldn't be true for the Enterprise's female crew members who were typically seen in minidress uniforms and black leggings.

Trek uniforms only got more uncomfortable-looking from there. The movies saw Kirk and Co. in red uniforms as thick as Christmas sweaters, and "Next Generation," "Deep Space Nine," and "Voyager" all featured ill-fitting jumpsuits that constantly needed readjusting. Also, if they were jumpsuits, did one have to strip all the way down to use the bathroom while on duty?

A happy medium was finally reached with the uniforms on "Star Trek: Enterprise," a show set a century prior to "Star Trek." They were still jumpsuits, but they finally looked comfortable, functional, and had many, many pockets. Very NASA.

But there were still a few costume issues. In the invaluable oral history book  "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams." edited by Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross, "Enterprise" actor Dominic Keating pointed out that the show's high-tech space suits were massively heavy.

Star Trek by way of NASA

The costume designers on "Enterprise" were clearly aiming for a midpoint between modern 21st-century NASA space suits and 23rd-century Captain Kirk uniforms. The "Star Trek" department colors were present on the "Enterprise" jumpsuits, but as mere colored shoulder accents. Otherwise, most characters wore all blue. The Vulcan first officer T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) was given textured, form-fitting catsuits to wear. Because of the lascivious underpinnings of the show , audiences also learned that everyone wore loosely draped, lightweight grey underwear with no support.

But the space suits were the biggest issue for the cast. To add to the NASA textures of the show, characters were frequently seen in astronaut outfits, complete with helmets and massive gloves. According to Keating, those space suits were heavy, which became a problem when an actor has to shoot all day long. He explained:

"The sets, the effects, the camera stuff is so much more difficult, which for the actor translates to a lot more hours, many more takes, and so on. The spacesuits look great, but, my god, they are heavy. I'm strong. I pitied the female cast members. You carry around a five-pound bucket of water for a couple of hours. The helmets alone are 16 pounds and they're not connected to the bodysuit, so it's your neck that's carrying that thing."

When Kirk wore a spacesuit, it looked awkward but was at least made of lightweight material, like mosquito netting. One might wonder why Starfleet didn't continue using personal force fields as space suits, as seen in "Star Trek: The Animated Series." That seemed to be the most comfortable option. But then, personal force fields would require a pretty massive power source, so perhaps they proved too unreliable.

Bearing the weight of being a Starfleet officer

Keating had to rely on some special self-calming techniques to get through the shooting day wearing his space suit. He said:

"I do yoga, so in the claustrophobia of the suit, I would sit down and just close my eyes and go into an almost transcendental state until I heard the bell when you have to stand up again." 

Luckily, scenes in the space suits were few and far between on "Enterprise," and characters mostly got to wear the blue jumpsuits. 

For "Star Trek: Discovery," the approach to designing the space suits was just as concerned with functionality as aesthetics, and a lot of effort went into making them resemble how space suits might actually look in the future . Those suits were built for long-term interstellar use and featured lights, thrusters, and multiple tools that can be used in a vacuum. The costumes were also made of lighter materials than the "Enterprise" suits, so actors were likely more comfortable in them.

An issue that savvy viewers might notice, however, is that most helmeted space suits in movies and on TV feature special in-helmet lighting to illuminate the actors' faces. While these miniature lights can assure a clear shot and visible acting, they don't make any sense from a practical, in-universe standpoint. It would be terribly difficult to do one's job in space if one constantly has multiple tiny LED lights shining directly in their eyes.

But the facial lighting is one of those dramatic sci-fi conceits — like artificial gravity or universal translators — that Trekkies merely have to come to accept.

'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 5 'Mirrors' is a quality installment, but weighed down by another anchor of nostalgia

This entire episode was more than likely written for the sole reason that the sets from "Strange New Worlds" could be utilized.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 5

The chase across the galaxy for the Progenitors MacGuffin continues, offering chances to insert stand-alone, episode-length adventures along the way. And this week's installment, entitled "Mirrors" features a brief and very random reminder that the Mirror Universe exists. 

And that alone would've made an genuinely enthralling episode, but...Alex Kurtzman et al could not resist the temptation for an utterly pointless and thoroughly unnecessary throwback to the USS Enterprise. Honestly, these people have a serious problem, they should seek help. 

To put all of this into context, the crew of the USS Discovery continue their pursuit of Malinne 'Moll' Ravel (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) and that chase leads them to er...well, you know, a giant, space-time swirly orifice that fills the viewscreen. Apparently, it's some sort of wormhole that's spectacularly unstable because of the constant matter/anti-matter reactions that are taking place at the opening. It's actually more than a little reminiscent of the inside of the V'ger spacecraft from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and that's just fine. 

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But it's what they find inside that grinds gears. Since the Discovery is too big to squeeze through the constantly opening and closing orifice, Capt. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Book (David Ajala) take a shuttle through only to find...the ISS Enterprise. Yes, indeed, last seen (and only seen, actually) in the epic "The Original Series" episode "Mirror, Mirror" (S02, E04).

While beaming back to the USS Enterprise during an ion storm, Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura materialize aboard a almost-identical Enterprise in a parallel universe. Here, the United Federation of Planets has been replaced by the Terran Empire and its inhabitants are violent and cruel. Their only hope is to artificially reproduce the effects of the storm to facilitate a return to their own universe. (" I mperial S pace S hip replaces the traditional " U nited S pace S hip.")

And while the idea of finding a derelict, 900-year-old starship from the latter half of the 23rd century is a great idea, in the name of the Great Prophet Zarquon, why-oh-why did it have to be the Enterprise? There are — at least — 10 other Constitution Class starships that could've been potentially chosen and thus still allowing the updated sets from "Strange New Worlds" to have been used. 

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The USS Cayuga (NCC-1557), USS Constellation (NCC-1017), USS Defiant (NCC-1764), USS Excalibur (NCC-1664), USS Exeter (NCC-1672), USS Hood (NCC-1703), USS Intrepid (NCC-1631), USS Lexington (NCC-1709), USS New Jersey (NCC-1975) and the USS Potemkin (NCC-1657). And those are just the ones that are canon. Another new vessel could just as easily have been introduced as it's not unknown for Nu-Trek to bring brand new ships to the line.

And of course Burnham makes reference to the fact that her brother, Spock, served on this ship, which is probably another reason why the Enterprise was forced upon the writers. And according to some extremely rushed exposition, most of the crew escaped the weird wibblywobbly wormhole and went on to lead peaceful and productive lives — we assume somewhere not too far away given how long ago it happened and the current location in deep space — in a somewhat Space Seed scenario. Another interesting throwaway remark from Burnham was, "Crossing between universes has been impossible for centuries now," which shuts down that potential story avenue rather abruptly. 

But let's also focus on why this episode could've been near-faultless if only someone could counsel Paramount showrunners on how to ween themselves off of nostalgia addiction. This week we get to see the whole Moll and L'ak backstory...and it's rather good and to add to that, Book and Moll confront the fact that they're distantly related. You know, because that makes things much more absurd orderly. (See how Burnham had to be related to Spock.)

The pacing of this episode, and with the exception of using the Enterprise, when any other Constitution Class starship could've worked — and served to expand the Mirror Universe a little bit — this is an enjoyable episode. It's a shame though that this is following the same cookie cutter seasonal storyline template by relying very much on a quest to follow while having standalone episode-long adventures to fill in the gaps, but hey, it can't be much worse than last season. So, there's that.

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and every other episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US, while "Prodigy" has found a new home on Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on  Paramount Plus  in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

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When Scott's application to the NASA astronaut training program was turned down, he was naturally upset...as any 6-year-old boy would be. He chose instead to write as much as he possibly could about science, technology and space exploration. He graduated from The University of Coventry and received his training on Fleet Street in London. He still hopes to be the first journalist in space.

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Max-Rated Environmental Suit (32c)

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Max-Rated Environmental Suit (32c)/Info

The Max-Rated Environmental Suit (32c) is an Environmental Suit based on the 32nd century suit worn by the crew of Discovery in Star Trek: Discovery Season 4.

• 1 Game Description
• 2 Obtaining
• 3 Gear Upgrade

Game Description [ | ]

This Environmental Suit offers balanced protection, with an emphasis on preventing environmental hazards. The Environmental Suit can be activated, disabling the safeties, and putting it into a test mode; it deploys a randomized hazard typically used for calibration, but in this case modified to be created by Foes. The Hazard deals Damage over time, slows Foes, and has an extra effect based on what type of Damage it deals. An unorthodox use of equipment, but effective.

Obtaining [ | ]

Available as a very rare drop from the [ Discovery: Unlikely Allies Lock Box ] . The boxed suit is not bound and so may be traded to other players or bought and sold on the Exchange for energy credits under the name [Environmental Suit: Max Rated Environmental Suit (32c)] . The suit itself is Bound to Character.

Gear Upgrade [ | ]

Body Armors and Environmental Suits can be upgraded using the Ground Gear Tech Upgrades or assorted Universal Tech Upgrades. This item will receive an additional modifier on successful quality improvement:

Gallery [ | ]

• 1 Playable starship
• 3 Infinity Prize Pack - T6 Ship

Star Trek Discovery, Deep space suit Concept Development

Front & Back shots

Released artwork for deep space suit

prop on set screen grab

Close up of the boots I concepted and developed through to 3D print for the final props!

My Early work used for the display CG ;D

My early model being used for the pre visualisation animatic.

Green screen shots from the making of

Early Z Brush blockk out, pbr renders

After the CBS prop teaser was recently released I was more than pleased to see one of the many development images I produced whilst working on Star Trek Discovery at FBFX prop house. You can’t see the features on the CBS site outside of the United States so it was great to find and watch it on you tube, skip to 2min to see my work amongst the other amazing props for the upcoming show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPhIj50xp1s It’s been amazing to see the project I worked on come to life and I can’t wait to see the episode premier next week (Mon 25th Sept on Netflix). The artwork featured was around mid-way through 3D development just before the lead was cast for the role. It shows my interpretation of the supplied 2D concept art which I had the honour of blocking out and developing in Z Brush. The body head and shoulders went on to the rest of the team for model making and final cad whilst I continued to concept the arm, harness and leg accessories. Check out the other block buster p

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Court Reaffirms Star Trek: Discovery Copyright Suit Dismissal, and Also, Tardigrades Are Cool

Tardigrades’ rights to be kickass water bears hardcore enough to survive in space’s vacuum just got defended by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second City Circuit. Oh, and that Star Trek: Discovery ’s use of one of the creatures didn’t infringe copyright, ending a legal battle that’s been brewing since the show’s first season.

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Back in 2018, game developer Anas Abdin sued CBS and Netflix (which distributes Star Trek: Discovery internationally) for allegedly taking the concept for the show’s giant-sized tardigrade creature from his unreleased point-and-click adventure game, Tardigrades . Abdin had been working on prototype versions of the game since 2014, but after early episodes of Discovery featured a tardigrade in a major capacity Abdin began collating what he believed to be examples of the series lifting not just its use of tardigrades, but character archetypes and designs. Abdin’s case was first dismissed by the court for the Southern District of New York in September last year, but following an appeal to the Second Circuit, it was reaffirmed today via Bloomberg Law that neither CBS nor Netflix infringed on Abdin’s intellectual property with Discovery .

In the television series, a tardigrade was the creature Michael Burnham and the crew discovered could help the titular ship’s powerful “spore drive” to travel almost instantaneously across a subspace domain called the mycelial network. But the opinion, written by Judge Denny Chin and viewable in full at Bloomberg Law , noted that part of the reason (beyond only superficial parallels between Abdin’s story in Tardigrades and the arc the tardigrade was included in on Discovery ) Abdin’s case didn’t stand up was the abilities used by the tardigrades in both properties weren’t copyrightable ideas, but basic scientific fact. Yes, in case you forgot, tardigrades are real and cool as hell.

“Abdin’s space-traveling tardigrade is an unprotectable idea because it is a generalized expression of a scientific fact—namely, the known ability of a tardigrade to survive in space...” Judge Chin’s opinion reads in part, after citing scientific experiments conducted in 2007 about tardigrades’ ability to survive in the vacuum of space. “By permitting Abdin to exclusively own the idea of a space-traveling tardigrade, this Court would improperly withdraw that idea from the public domain and stifle creativity naturally flowing from the scientific fact that tardigrades can survive the vacuum of space.”

A bit of a Trekker himself it seems, Judge Chin couldn’t get away with adding an extra source: “See Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek: The Return of the Archons , Star Trek: The Original Series (1967) (“Without freedom of choice, there is no creativity.”).”

As well as the general facts of what we know about tardigrades as real creatures, the Second Circuit further stated that the concepts as to how both Tardigrades the game—which has yet to be fully released—and Discovery showcased one being used in space travel were different enough that “undercut substantial similarity.” Even if some aspects of Abdin’s use of a tardigrade in his game were protectible (such as its role in Tardigrade ’s wider narrative or distinct physical features and coloration), the court added that there were enough substantial differences between it and the one seen in Discovery that independent comparisons could not find substantial similarities.

The affirmation likely puts Abdin’s case to bed at this point, but it also reaffirms that tardigrades, wherever they show up in sci-fi (or real life !) are pretty rad little creatures.

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