The Evolution of Starfleet Uniform Colors: Unveiling their Hidden Meanings & Fascinating Transformations

Summary

Star Trek's uniform colors have changed over the years to reflect different meanings and visions of the franchise's costume designers.

In the original series, the colors blue, gold, and red were assigned to represent the medical and science divisions, command positions, and engineering, security, and communications divisions respectively.

The transition from red to gold uniforms in the 24th century was probably a deliberate choice by Starfleet to distance themselves from the negative connotation of red uniforms, which were often associated with "redshirt" deaths.

Star Trek's iconic uniforms have undergone various changes in color designation and design over the past 57 years for different reasons. In the unaired pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series, there were only two colors - blue for science and medical divisions, and gold for everyone else. Due to the budget constraints of producing a second pilot for the network, the gold uniforms were kept for TOS' successful pilot episode, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". From then on, Star Trek embraced the gold, blue, and red uniforms that became a significant part of TOS' iconic visual style from 1966 to 1969.

The meanings of gold, red, and blue have evolved over the years, as well as the way these colors are displayed on the uniforms. This is understandable for a franchise that has been running for 57 years. Each new costume designer brings their own vision of how Star Trek's uniforms should look and which characters would suit each color best. For instance, Robert Blackman adapted William Ware Theiss' Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms for the Trek shows and movies of the 90s. Although Blackman redesigned the outfits, he respected the new color meanings established by Theiss.

What Star Trek’s Uniform Colors Mean

Throughout the entire history of Star Trek, the color blue has consistently signified that the officer wearing the uniform is affiliated with either Starfleet's medical or scientific divisions. In the 23rd century, the gold uniform indicated command positions and was also worn by key personnel such as Lt. Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), the expert helmsman, and Lt. Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), the navigator. On the other hand, the red shirts were exclusively worn by members of the engineering, security, and communications divisions. Unfortunately, these red shirts became infamous for being associated with the numerous casualties among Starfleet members on away missions. Meanwhile, Captain Kirk's green uniform was primarily reserved for diplomatic engagements.

In the 24th century, there was a significant change in the color scheme of Starfleet uniforms and their corresponding affiliations. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his second-in-command, Commander William T Riker (Jonathan Frakes), both wore red uniforms throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, rather than the traditional gold ones. Additionally, the gold uniforms became the standard attire for all operational roles ranging from security to engineering. However, there were occasional instances where helmsmen on the Enterprise-D, like Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) during the first season of TNG, would don a red uniform.

Why Star Trek’s Uniform Colors Changed

There has never been an official explanation within the Star Trek universe for the change from red and gold uniforms in the 23rd to the 24th centuries. One possible reason could be that Starfleet's wardrobe department made a deliberate decision to move away from the negative connotations associated with the "redshirt" trope. Additionally, the gray uniforms seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the more somber design of the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms may have been intended to reflect the war-like situation Starfleet found itself in during the conflict with the Dominion.

On the other hand, the real-life reason behind Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes not wearing gold uniforms is more intriguing. There are unofficial accounts suggesting that Stewart and Frakes did not appear as authoritative in the gold uniforms created by the original Star Trek: TNG costume designer William Ware Theiss. It is indeed true that the deep red uniforms worn by Captain Picard and Commander Riker have a more visually appealing impact on screen compared to the gold uniforms worn by the operations team. Furthermore, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), who was originally meant to wear a blue science division uniform, could not do so due to the unfavorable effect it had on his android skin tone.

Starfleet Uniform Variants In Star Trek

Scott Bakula's Star Trek: Enterprise brought back the color distinctions seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. The blue flight suits had colored piping around the shoulders, with yellow representing command and red representing operations. However, there was a slight difference for Lt. Hoshi Sato (Linda Park), who had blue piping to signify her role as the linguist and translator on the Enterprise NX-01. Hoshi's scientific research into alien languages played a crucial role in enabling Lt. Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) to maintain communication frequencies in her operational position on the USS Enterprise.

In addition, Star Trek: Discovery introduced blue uniforms with gold or silver cuffs and side panels for command and operations, respectively. The iconic crimson movie costumes featured different colored turtleneck sweaters under the tunics to indicate crew roles. Prior to these, Star Trek: The Motion Picture received criticism for its monochrome uniforms, derogatorily referred to as "space pajamas." As the franchise continues into the future, Starfleet uniforms are expected to continually adapt and evolve. Interestingly, Star Trek: Discovery's far future uniforms demonstrate that the classic commanding red color remains fashionable even after almost a millennium since its introduction.