After solidifying a formal military style with stiff dark reds and heavy duty fabrics through the latter half of the 23rd century, the ‘Monster Maroons’ defined Starfleet as a more serious, more robust organisation. With minor tweaks the look stayed strong for almost 80 years when suddenly Starfleet decided they needed a dramatic change. It’s not uncommon. Starfleet goes through uniforms faster, and in more rapid evolutions than any other organisation in history.
Maybe it’s because of the constant evolution of the Federation? Bringing in new members, new styles, new sensibilities and adapting to their needs. Maybe the MonsterMaroonians joined the Federation and would only absorb their navies into Starfleet if they adapted to their style, and it took eighty years for another species to come in and make fashion related demands. Maybe a new Admiral became Commander in Chief and decided that he was tired of hearing complaints from officers sending him complaints about how hot it was in all those layers of padded wool?
Or maybe it was just a simple need for a new look to define an era and a costume designer was hired to help update the look of a TV show? Who knows.
Either way, at some point Starfleet decided that it was time to get rid of the formal looks, the heavy twill and sharp style and opt to raise the game with something a little bit more dramatic; Spandex.
The Spandex Generation
(2350s-2366)
Originally designed by William Ware Thiess, the uniforms of the Next Generation skipped the design evolution of the 1980’s films altogether. Instead the designer looked to the original series designs for inspiration, aiming to provide a design that was new and unique, but just as practical and simple as the Starfleet uniform the audience had grown up with.
Thiess of course knew that style of the original series well. He created it all. From the green wraparound of Captain Kirk, to the shimmering silver bikini’s of Triskelion. Being a massive contributor to the now iconic styles of the 23rd century, styles that are still given nods to today with revamps seen in Discovery and the Kelvin Timeline film franchise, executive producer Gene Roddenberry had faith in him delivering a new vision of the 24th century.
The results were one of the most iconic of the franchise that would be the base for creating the entire world of the 24th century; with elements still surviving in modern designs including the turn of the century outfits seen in Star Trek Picard.
Login to Continue
Full access to Q2 Relay and other elements are restricted to members of Q2. Please login to continue. Not a member? Find out more.
About the author
[For The Uniform] Generational Upgrade: 2350’s-2370’s
After solidifying a formal military style with stiff dark reds and heavy duty fabrics through the latter half of the 23rd century, the 'Monster Maroons' defined Starfleet as a more serious, more robust organisation. With minor tweaks the look stayed strong for almost 80 years when suddenly Starfleet decided they needed a dramatic change. It's not uncommon. Starfleet goes through uniforms faster, and in more rapid evolutions than any other organisation in history.Maybe it's because of the constant evolution of the Federation? Bringing in new members, new styles, new sensibilities and adapting to their needs. Maybe the MonsterMaroonians joined the Federation and would only absorb their navies into Starfleet if they adapted to their style, and it took eighty years for another species to come in and make fashion related demands. Maybe a new Admiral became Commander in Chief and […]
[Treknology] Clearing The Way: The Deflector
Over the decades the technologies of Star Trek have become so popularised and well known that even someone who's never seen an episode knows what a phaser is, or that warp drive goes really, really fast. Even if someone couldn't tell you what a transporter does, “Beam Me Up” is still a phrase you can say and people will just know what it means.But when you look at ships like the Enterprise, there's one big feature built into every design since that might not be as well known as the saucer, the bridge or the glowing warp nacelles, but is one of the most vital parts of any and all starships flying from planet to planet. When you think of space, you imagine this big empty void of nothingness. But while there is a huge expanse of distance between locations […]
Them From That Thing: Sally Kellerman
Building an eclectic career with over sixty years in film, television, music and theatre, Sally Kellerman is fondly remembered by a whole generation as the original Hotlips Houlihan in the film adaption of MASH. Her part in the world of Star Trek helped introduce the world to the little sci fi show that began it's own franchise of entertainment. Starting her acting career in the late 50's after turning down a contract with Verve Records, Kellerman was a familiar face on television by the time Star Trek came around. With appearances on Bonanza, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and the Twilight Zone among others, Kellerman was able to gain a wide range of experience that helped establish an adaptability that would carry her career forward in playing anything from a glamorous and sophisticated character, to intense and eccentric parts. Kellerman’s appearance […]
Who is David Marcus?
While the original series brought the idea of Star Trek to life, it's film sequels did a lot to flesh out and develop the characters in the next era of their life, with new characters coming on board the Enterprise to both challenge the leading crew and give us a new perspective of the world saving heroes of the Federation. One of the most impactful appeared in only two of the six films, but left a lasting impression on Captain James T Kirk... Working with his mother Carol, David Marcus was one of the lead scientists on the Genesis project. Based on a remote space station, David's part in the project was both what helped it succeed, as well as cause it's downfall. Genesis was an experimental, and highly secret, project to terraform barren planets and manufacture life. While Starfleet […]
Across The Universe And Back To Strange New Worlds!
Time has certainly flown by as Strange New Worlds penultimate season is just days away. Things have been a little guarded since the show was announced to be ending with a shortened 5th season, but it gave the production plenty of warning to wrap things up and bring an end to the original Captain and his crew! With some cast announcements for Season 5 seeing new additions including Thomas Jane as Leonard McCoy, as well as knowing it'll a shorter season to bring the show to a close, the fourth instalment feels a little bittersweet. But from recent hype from Paramount, we might just be in for a fun time. Season 4 Episode Titles Ahead of the series launch, the Star Trek social media team have been hard at work with some teases including short clips of each of the […]
Behind the Viewscreen: Jerry Goldsmith
Across a long career writing music for some of Hollywoods most celebrated films, Jerry Goldsmith's mark can be heard in a huge range of genre's from The Omen, to LA Confidential, from Patton to Planet of the Apes. But even when it comes to his science fiction scores including Alien and Total Recall, none have left as iconic a mark as his contributions to Star Trek. During the reinvention of Star Trek for cinema, director Robert Wise knew the challenge. Turn a small sci fi show into a cinematic epic. The success of that has often came up for debate, but no matter the opinion on the Motion Picture, the one celebrated element was the music Goldsmith delivered and the new template he build for the sound of Star Trek. Blending classic orchestra with electronic synthesizers and complex rhythmic patterns, […]
Related
[For The Uniform] The Pioneers: Mid 22nd Century
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 […]
[For The Uniform] The Next Gen Era ‘Working’ Uniform; 2360s-2370’s
Complimenting the formal styles worn in the era on starships such as the USS Enterprise-D, Starfleet introduced a 'Type B' working uniform in the mid-late 2360's. With a looser and more relaxed fit, the working uniform was a standardised jumpsuit with darker tones used on facilities such as Deep Space Nine and later selected by many captains as standard dress across the fleet. Type B uniforms were a simplistic design compared to the Type A's worn by the Enterprise crew. A minimalist style, the base was a black jumpsuit typically worn with an open collar. The four-panel design was straight forward and simple, with internal waistband bringing in the fit at the waist while 'action pleats' were styled into the back for more ease of movement. The shoulder panels, mimicking the style of the Type A, would be coded to […]
[For The Uniform] The Flashback Era.
Since 2017 we've been blessed with multiple glimpses of our future across several era;s and styles. For those looking at the fashion of the Federation, due to the age old tradition of getting bored of the same look after a while, thats meant a look at how the Starfleet style evolved from The Next Generation into the 25th century. Giving us our first civilian-led cast, Star Trek Picard departed from Starfleet as it's focus. However, Starfleet wasn't totally off screen. Through flashbacks would fill out the gaps, giving us a second 'lost era' with it's own distinct style.... Starfleets a funny thing. Obviously there's a production reason for the differing looks, but each one reflects an era in very specific ways. The orginal series had a simple, bright and hopeful style that distanced itself from the militaristic look of most […]
[For The Uniform] The Strange New Uniforms of the Mid 23rd Century
In the 1960's Star Trek introduced a bold and simple look for the officers of the USS Enterprise with a style that became iconic in science fiction. For a modern return to the era, a new series needed a new look that stayed true to the original. Being a prequel series, Strange New Worlds era of Starfleet's style was largely pre-determined. The classic colours of the original series were the template for the era's visual upgrade and much like the Kelvin Timeline films, the style's upgrade came with it's own twist on the iconic look. On Discovery, Gersha Phillips re-coloured the base template of her utilitarian uniform design to match the bright shades of the original series. Having worked alongside Phillips on the show, Strange New Worlds lead costume designer, Bernadatte Croft, used similar techniques to create a more balanced […]
Relay Recap: July 2024
All Features Universe Categories Fleet Alert Comms GORN GIRL recap; july 2025 Picking up on the Season 2 cliff-hanger, Strange New Worlds returned to our screens this month to find Captain Pike and his crew on the edge of war with the Gorn as Season 3 was finally released!Exploring new worlds and new problems, the Enterprise crew are back in action on Paramount Plus and we're keeping ourselves up to date with weekly episode discussion threads on our FB Continuing Mission Group & Weekly episode reviews from Admin ! Explore... Episode Reviews Spoilers Group ACROSS THE UNIVERSE As we look back on Pike's adventures on the Enterprise in the prequel series, Paramount also gave us a look at whats to come next as Entertainment Weekly and SDCC's Star Trek Universe panel gave us a sneak peek at the reopening of […]
[For The Uniform] The Monster Maroons! (2280’s-2350’s)
If there's one thing that Trekkies can agree upon, it's that the Motion Picture uniforms were awful. Even designer Bob Fletcher, who'd put a lot of work into the design process, completely agreed. When Star Trek 2 was given the thumbs up, new director Nicholas Meyer wanted a complete overhaul, so it was back to the drawing board for Fletcher with more direction on what Meyer wanted from the uniforms and significantly less to spend on them. Meyer's impression of the Motion Picture was pretty much just people walking around in space jammies. While Roddenberry had objected to calling Starfleet a military, to Meyer, it very clearly was. There was a command structure, a mission, a ship and a crew all acting as if they were military officers on a peaceful mission. So why not dress them like it? Using […]
