Starfleet’s wardrobe always seems to change. Different producers and designers always bring something new to the table, whether it’s a need to create a more militarised uniform, something nice and simple for a more real-world feel, or sometimes – just sometimes – space pyjamas.
Last issue saw us chart the early half of 23rd Century, looking Starfleet style from the era of Robau and George Kirk from the shared-timeline USS Kelvin, to the bold colours of Kirk Jr’s time as captain of the Enterprise during the infamous five year mission.
Now we continue inspecting the uniforms of Starfleet through the latter half of the 23rd century with the movie era of Trek; And things get a little bit complicated….
THE MOTION PICTURE
(2270’s)
In the 1960s, colour television was all the rage and Star Trek was at the forefront of that huge leap in visual technology. It’s outfits and set design were crafted to be bold and brash, resulting in the bright paintwork, scenes lit with vibrant pinks and purples and of course the now iconic division coloured uniforms.
In the 70’s Star Trek was moving into Phase II; a new series capitalising on the popularity of Star Trek’s later syndication where suddenly the show was reborn to a new and growing audience across the United States. In both the planned launch of Phase II in 1978 and the earlier animated series in 1973, the iconic look of Starfleet was retained with test footage released years later showing new cast additions David Gautreaux and Persis Khambata wearing the iconic gold command uniforms last seen in production nearly a decade later.
But when plans were scrapped and Paramount opted to follow Star Wars success on the big screen, The Motion Picture went into development and somewhere along the lines the production team opted to banish the famous red, blue and gold and replace it all with something that fit with the tones of 70’s sci fi and the desire to lean towards a more ‘real world’ and practical update in comparison to the design cues of the era that brought us Adam West’s Batman….
For a full breakdown of the TMP uniforms, as well as the new styles introduced in the Wrath of Khan, you can read the article in full in our SFCQ2 Comms Discover More Edition of Comms published January 2019.
Members can read the full article by logging into Comms or by downloading their latest copy. If you’re not a member and want to read more or enjoy more of our membership benefits, you can enlist today for free!
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Site & Service Updates July 2026
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