Starfleet 2401 Uniform
Starfleet uniforms were uniforms worn by individuals serving in the Federation Starfleet, originally a United Earth organization. These uniforms facilitated the wearers' needs as both scientists and researchers, as well as Starfleet's military role. The uniform and combadge used by Starfleet personnel may vary by the ship or facility they were assigned to, or the officer's rank or department. These were often retained even when visiting other Federation locations. (TNG: "The Child"; DS9: "Homefront", "Tears of the Prophets"; LD: "We'll Always Have Tom Paris", "Kayshon, His Eyes Open"; DIS: "Saints of Imperfection")
Starfleet 2401 uniform
Casual duty attire also allowed for considerable variation of uniform aboard a Starfleet vessel, though it was ultimately up to the captain's discretion. Wearers were expected to abide by the Starfleet dress code, though special exceptions were sometimes made for certain aspects of an individual's cultural heritage, such as Worf's Klingon baldric, Nog's Ferengi headdress, and the earrings of Ro Laren, Kira Nerys, and Shaxs. (VOY: "Learning Curve", et al.) According to Elim Garak, "I think Starfleet should allow their officers more latitude in accessorizing their uniforms. You'd be surprised what a nice scarf can do." (DS9: "Broken Link")
In 2369, the Bajoran civilian, Mullibok, who was being evicted from his home, asked Commander Benjamin Sisko how many Federation uniforms he planned on sending down to have him removed. (DS9: "Progress")
In 2372, Chakotay referred to his as a Federation uniform as he explained to Kar how it was like the Jal name that the Kazon earned. Chakotay told him that his uniform was earned through "years of study", and "learning about science and ships and navigation," adding too, that he was further taught to be "[..] prepared us to defend ourselves in battle. They prepared us very well. And we had to pass many difficult tests before we were given the right to wear the uniform." (VOY: "Initiations")
Starfleet uniforms were classified by color among the command, sciences, and operations divisions. Occasionally, the uniforms were also broken down by department, while displaying rank insignia conspicuously. The color scheme had varied over time throughout Starfleet history, but the uniforms were designed for comfort even in the most extreme environments. (DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations", "Let He Who Is Without Sin...")
Some officers wore alternate uniforms. Deanna Troi often wore casual clothing while on duty, and T'Pol retained her original Vulcan uniform with a few concessions to her Starfleet rank and ship assignment. Other officers, such as Worf, Montgomery Scott, and Ro Laren, were allowed to wear accessories relating to their culture with their uniforms, but this was at the discretion of the captain. Uniforms were also altered to accommodate non-humanoid officers, such as the three-armed, three-legged uniform of the Edosian Arex, and the uniforms for beluga whales Kimolu and Matt. (ENT: "Borderland"; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan; TNG: "Ensign Ro"; TAS: "Mudd's Passion"; LD: "First First Contact")
Uniforms were also adapted to environmental or atmospheric conditions. When exploring the planet Tyree, Benjamin Sisko and colleagues wore long, flowing gown uniforms to deal with the sand. They featured a colored stripe to represent departments. (DS9: "Shadows and Symbols")
Dress uniforms were a variant of the standard Starfleet uniforms worn for special occasions, such as weddings, courts martial, funerals, and the greeting of ambassadorial delegations and heads of state. (TOS: "Court Martial", "Journey to Babel"; TNG: "Lonely Among Us", "Manhunt", "Data's Day"; DS9: "Move Along Home", "Rules of Engagement"; VOY: "Course: Oblivion", "One Small Step", "Ashes to Ashes"; Star Trek: Insurrection)
Patrick Stewart's character of Jean-Luc Picard has appeared in more styles of Starfleet uniform than any other character on screen without story contrivances (like time travel, holodecks, or alternate timelines) being involved.
For most of Star Trek's history, Starfleet uniforms have had at least three division colors. Some characters have worn different division colors in different episodes. Leslie, Jae, Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and Sylvia Tilly have each been shown wearing three colors at different points (including, for Paris and Kim, alternate timelines and holodeck scenarios); however, the first character to wear all three division colors in one episode was Ensign Sam Rutherford, who wore operations gold, command red, and medical blue in LD: "Envoys".
The Starfleet uniforms worn during Star Trek: The Original Series were designed by William Ware Theiss, who returned to design the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms (which were further adapted into future versions on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and the TNG-era films by Robert Blackman). Robert Fletcher designed the uniforms seen throughout the original series movies, with later new designs provided by Nilo Rodis.
Robert Blackman also designed uniforms worn on Star Trek: Enterprise, a design representing a precursor to those seen in TOS. The uniforms seen in Star Trek: Discovery were designed by Gersha Phillips. The uniforms in Star Trek: Picard were designed by Christine Clark.
As shown in the It's A Wrap! sale and auction, a number of Starfleet uniforms have had padding to increase muscular appearance. Such cases include two costumes for Tom Paris, one racquetball costume for Julian Bashir, and a Deep Space Nine costume for Worf, to create a more Klingon appearance. According to Wil Wheaton, all the main cast members wore muscle padding during the first two seasons of The Next Generation, mainly because of the tight-fitting nature of the spandex uniforms used in these two seasons. [2]
A Human female seen as a member of the Elysian Council in "The Time Trap" wore a uniform of ambiguous origin. It was described in the Star Trek Concordance as "a white suit with blue collar and an insignia on the left breast," and was suggested to "possibly [be] an early Star Fleet [sic] uniform". While it is known that the Bonaventure, and possibly other Earth/Federation ships, were lost in the years prior to 2269, it is unclear if this is indeed a Starfleet uniform, and, if so, from which era it originated.
This uniform, in use by 2396 (PIC: "No Win Scenario"), consisted of a black turtleneck undershirt, a pair of black trousers, and a black top with division colors displayed on both its shoulders and its high collar. Unlike the previous uniform iteration, the 2390s uniform did not have a black stripe running through the division color, and had small Starfleet deltas on the shoulder fabric, much like the uniforms from the alternate reality created by the arrival of Nero in 2233. (PIC: "Remembrance", "Maps and Legends")
In a departure from the previous uniform style, rank insignia were moved from the turtleneck to the upper right side of the wearer's chest, against the officer's division color. (PIC: "Remembrance", "Maps and Legends", "The Impossible Box", "Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2")
This variant was introduced by 2401. While similar to the previous version, this uniform top had a breast flap similar to those on the early 2380s uniform. Additionally, there was no outer turtleneck, rank insignia were again placed on the collar, and division-colored piping was present on the side of the trousers. (PIC: "The Star Gazer", "Farewell", "The Next Generation")
The flag officer uniform in use by 2401 was more similar to the standard duty uniform, save for the addition of gold piping across the chest and sleeves, and the fact that they wore two copies of their rank insignia; one on either side of their collar. (PIC: "The Star Gazer")
The Captain's variant uniform in use by the early 25th century appeared to have a simpler configuration than previous versions. These uniforms featured a zippered jacket that was mostly gray in color, with a division-colored shoulder area that had golden-brown piping beneath it. The wearer's combadge and rank insignia were placed in the same areas they were worn on the standard uniform. (PIC: "The Next Generation")
A variant duty uniform was worn by Starfleet Intelligence officers who were not undercover. The uniform jacket was mostly black, with minimal division coloring on the shoulders and along the neck. Unlike the standard uniform, rank insignia were arranged vertically, rather than horizontally. (PIC: "Imposters")
This jacket could be worn by Starfleet officers on away missions. It was mostly black, with minimal division coloring on the shoulders, in darker shade than on standard duty uniforms. (PIC: "The Bounty")
The rank insignia were designed as silver pips. They replaced the gold pips placed on the collar that had been worn with nearly all Starfleet uniforms since the 2350s, but retained the same number of pips, solid or hollow, for each rank. The pips of flag officers were placed on a dark gray isosceles trapezoid with a silver border.
The Chancellor(s) of Starfleet Academy wore a distinctive combadge on a day-to-day basis when at the academy, as well as when visiting active duty starships. The badge displayed the Starfleet delta in a golden laurel wreath design on a red and white-striped horizontal backing. As such, the design of the chancellor's badge heavily resembled that of the badge worn with the Starfleet uniform from the late 2270s to the 2350s. (PIC: "The Star Gazer", "The Next Generation", "Disengage", "Seventeen Seconds", "No Win Scenario", "Imposters", "The Bounty", "Dominion")
The Starfleet uniforms seen in Star Trek: Picard were designed by Christine Clark. In designing the costume, Clark researched the lineage of Starfleet uniforms, noting: "we wanted to get a severity of lines to that, to take the color blocking [that had come before]; ...very structural, and geometric, and kind of simple." (TRR: "Away Mission Special") 041b061a72