Giving us a glimpse of Starfleet’s formative years, Star Trek Enterprise embraced a world before colourful uniforms, flashy computer panels and creature comforts all around. Set a century before Captain Kirk’s five year mission and focused on the first line of Starfleet ships built to take on the final frontier, the show focused on Starfleet’s first steps into becoming what we all knew and loved….
Offering a dramatic shift in visual identity, Enterprise took a massive step back from the comfortable styles of the Next Generation, and even further away from the colour coded optimism of the original series. Instead of bold colours and hidden zips, designer Robert Blackman took inspiration from his own century, using Enterprise’s timeline to bridge the style gap between Kirk’s era and our own.
Taking inspiration from NASA’s flight suits, Starfleet’s were idealised as the next evolution. While Robert Blackman’s previous Trek designs were under the direction of having no pockets or visible zips to make them appear seamless and advanced, the Enterprise style offered the freedom to throw out the rule book and build around practicality.
Using a blue base similar to USAF and NASA suits, the Enterprise jumpsuit was a multi-panel piece with exposed zips in the torso, thigh and arms with pockets visibly stitched over the base uniform. The layered panels gave a rougher, more militarised feeling though snaps in the collar and rear waistband helped to shape the already snug design. With a more detailed cut that leaned on modern space flight, the idea was to highlight the crew of the Enterprise as pioneers of Starfleet more than experienced explorers in a more refined world.
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