One of the most long serving and influential visual architects of the Star Trek universe, Robert Blackman became part of the Star Trek franchise during the Next Generations second season as lead costume designer. Responsible for re-shaping Starfleets style, his work and influence was a vital parts of shaping the look of an entire era.
Blackman’s introduction to the Star Trek Universe had an awkward start. Having a background in theatre and film, he was already committed to another show as it’s costume designer when the Star Trek office began courting his services. The Next Generation was in it’s second season and already had a defined look, but it wasn’t quite right. Not yet.
Accepting the contract with conditions – primarily by keeping his word and finishing his commitments elsewhere, his first task was to update the spandex jumpsuits of the Enterprise crew ahead of the third season. A seemingly small task to modify an existing piece. But that small task made a huge impact that would help not only define the Next Generation, but continue to Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Refining the existing aesthetic developed by William Ware Thiess, Blackman kept the theme of the uniforms but updated them with cleaner lines, improved (and more comfortable) structure and created a clean silhouette that instantly redefined the more professional and mature image the TNG crew projected. As the franchise evolved, so did Blackman’s work. With Deep Space Nine, he helped usher in a dramatic shift toward darker colours, layered fabrics, and more utilitarian construction to give a ‘working mans’ vibe in contrast to the dressed up office workers of the Enterprise.
His work and influence extended beyond Starfleet dress code with his designs embedding themselves into the fabric of Star Trek. Deep Space Nine’s mixed crew and wider cultural setting allowed a wider showcase, from the more rough around the edges style of the emerging Bajoran Militia, to the hard and reptilian Cardassian Union giving an imposing presence, to the blend of civilian clothing from overseeing Jake Sisko’s multiple outfits to the unique and striking all business looks of the Ferengi.
Later in his Star Trek career, Blackman was able to redefine Starfleet once more by going back to it’s roots. While Deborah Everton led the redesign of the darker tones for Starfleet in First Contact, Blackman would take the styl;e of the fleet back to basics for prequel series Enterprise; focusing on heavier fabrics and a look that more closely mirrored present day astronauts as a step between the 21st and 23rd centuries.
After his long tenure as Star Trek’s principal costume designer through The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise, Blackman moved on to other television projects. He worked on series such as Pushing Daisies, The Cape and Glee – the latter of which saw him working from the same office space he used during his Star Trek tenure. Though his most iconic and lasting work is undoubtedly from his time in the 24th century, which he see’s replicated faithfully by fans at conventions to this date.
Robert Blackman’s work is celebrated for blending futuristic imagination with functional realism. His costumes never overwhelmed the story; instead, they enhanced it, quietly reinforcing tone, status, and cultural identity. Decades later, the visual language of 1990s Star Trek remains deeply influential, and for many fans, that era’s look is inseparable from Robert Blackman’s enduring creative legacy.
About the author
[Retro Review] Space Seed
By chance, the Enterprise comes across an ancient Earth ship drifting through space. On board they find a whole bunch of people held in suspended animation, wake up the leader of the gang and accidentally unleash one of the most iconic villains of the franchise. Being coy with his identity at first, ship historian Marla McGivers becomes fascinated with a glimpse at the past while Kirk and the rest of the non-historians figure out that he just happens to be one of the most notorious war lords in Earths history... Star Trek, Season 1 , Episode 22 For all the action and adventure of deep space and the idea of using alien make up to mask more down to earth stories, Space Seed gives the first real glimpse of Star Trek's history. Khan is a relic of Earth from long […]
Resistance Is Optional: Choose Your Adventure!
Our trials of bringing the fleet together have been hit and miss with scheduling and dates being a bit slim. So we're opening the floor to the fleet to pick the next date and theme! You can make your selection below on what works best for you ahead of our next fleet event! The final outcome will be shared at Europa on Facebook and in Fleet Alert in the Officers Hub as soon as we have a comfortable number of notes. For more information or to get direct updates on non-Discord online events, you can the subscribe to Twitch channel, visit twitch.tv/sfcq2. Google Meets events are hosted by our google account - you can add sfcquad2@gmail.com to your whitelist to ensure direct notification. Info and invite confirmations may also come from jt@sfcq2.com directly.
Sixty Year Mission…
It's been a really weird year already for the world of Star Trek fans. We started 2026 with a new venture into a strange new future with Starfleet Academy. Then just as the show had won people over, we found out it's the latest in a long list of recent productions to get a cancellation order, is a bit of a weird way to start the 60th anniversary of a legendary franchise. The past few years we've kind of spoiled. Growing up it was exciting to have Deep Space Nine run alongside the Next Generation. In modern times we had multiple shows going at once with Discovery's launch spawning a new world of story telling from revisiting Picard in his post-Starfleet years, to animated comedy with Lower Decks, to finally telling the story of Captain Pike and even a peek […]
[Retro Review] Let This Be Your Last Battlefield
Often shown in highlight reels and quoted in discussions about Star Trek's more forward thinking messages, Let This Be Your Last Battlefield is at it's simplest, a story of the ridiculousness of segregation. En route to a vital mission of mercy, Kirk and his crew end up in the middle of a political minefield. Interrupted in the mission by a stolen Federation shuttle carrying an injured alien, Lokai from the planet Cheron, they're soon further interrupted by Commissioner Bele, an official representing Cheron who announces Lokai as a political traitor and demanding custody. One asylum request later, Kirk's stuck between the two trying to find the right course of action knowing he has orders to follow beyond the situation. The separation between Belle and Lokai is a simple context. And also a strangely charged one looking at it from a […]
[Treknology] The Holodeck
An immersive experience in itself, the Holodeck is one of the many creature comforts that help bring comfort and entertainment within the life of a starship years from home that not only acts in creating a live action gaming environment, but as a useful tool for educational simulations, experiments and the occasional Hirogen nightmare! The holodeck is a complex device. Essentially a simulated environment generator, the holodeck is usually a vast room that used a combination of forcefields, matter replication and visually manipulative holographic systems to create an immersive environment that one or multiple people can use to not only see and hear, but physically interact with. Able to replicate anything from historical settings to an entirely original landscape, the holodeck ios Knightmare in ultra high resolution without a headset or guide, but a physical interaction with a created world […]
A Fistful of Sisko
In the past few years, Star Trek has made several nods to it's past. But while The NExt Generation and Voyager had their continuations, Deep Space Nine continued to 'black sheep' of the family with it's history and name drops being few and far between. Until Academy when we had an entire episode based around the legend of Starfleet's most complex captains. Starting his show as a widower and single parent, Benjamin Sisko started his time in Star Trek as a reluctant hero turned religious icon who's become a prime figure in Bajoran history, the Federation-Dominion war and much more. If you missed his series, first of.... why?! And also, if you want a quick intro - here's our Sisko top five to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBkvzPoofQ IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT Season 6, Episode 13 Lets […]
Related
That Guy From That Thing: Harris Yulin
Among the many acclaimed guest appearances from all corners of the Star Trek Universe, there are only a small few who gave as deep a performance as Harris Yulin in his sole appearance in the franchise. Taking the spotlight as Aamin Marritza in Deep Space Nine's first season episode Duet, a Cardassian civilian who arrives at Deep Space Nine and raises a massive red flag for Kira when she learns he has a condition that links him to a brutal mining camp that many Bajorans suffered through during the occupation. Yulin is an actor who you may not recognise by name, but you always recognise. Having made his name in the New York theatre scene in the 60's, he quickly established himself as a serious dramatic talent with an incredible command of language, subtly and presence before he'd ever step […]
[Inside Trek] Behind the Viewscreen: Robert H Justman
It takes an army to bring a TV show to life, especially one creating it's own world to explore in and more often than not the people behind the scenes are often unsung heroes despite being key to the creation of an iconic a legacy as Star Trek. Robert Justman was one of the many responsible to shaping the Star Trek Universe, particularly in it's early days, and was one of the most influential producers in helping form the original series. Staring his career in technical and production roles, Justman learned the ropes in the 1950's as television in the US would go from a rare luxury to a household staple throughout the decade. Building his skills and reputation as assistant director and production manager on a variety of styles, Justman gained a reputation for being highly unorganised and keeping […]
Inside Trek/Outside Trek: Robert Picardo
The Doctor was a character designed as a stop-gap, a temporary solution in a crisis who would end up developing beyond his limited programming to serve as the only doctor on board the USS Voyager for it's seven years lost in the Delta Quadrant. It seems fitting that the man behind the emitter, Robert Picardo, has since become a larger part of the Star Trek Universe than he ever thought he'd be. Now starring as a main feature on Starfleet Academy, his second live action role, Picardo's Doctor was also a prominent part of both seasons of Star Trek Prodigy and has even man aged to squeeze in appearances as another EMH on board the Enterprise E in First Contact, and as holographic engineer Lewis Zimmerman in Deep Space Nine as well as bringing the character to expanded media including […]
[Inside Trek] Behind the Viewscreen: Remembering Louise Fletcher
One of Deep Space Nine's biggest strengths was it's incredibly diverse cast of characters, from Starfleet heroes and freedom fighters, to Cardassian spies and the ever devious Dominion. The series was spoiled for the level of skill and talent involved. Especially when it came to one small recurring part who became one of the most unforgettable villians of the series brought to life by Academy Award–winner Louise Fletcher. Known to most of the world as Nurse Ratched, the tormentor of Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Fletcher was only the third woman to win an Academy Award for her cold and heartless performance. Gaining immense respect and stardom for her performance, by the time she arrived in the Star Trek Universe, Fletchers reputation for playing complex and calm authority figures made her a star before she even […]
Inside Trek/Outside Trek: Isa Briones
When Star Trek Picard premiered in 2020, one of its brightest revelations was Isa Briones. New to the franchise, Briones was a core part of the story who's first season came in two parts; Dahj, who was swiftly killed off in the first episode revealing her synthetic origins as one half of a pair, giving us her second and most vital character, Soji. Having been in the spotlight since she was three years old, Isa Briones is one part of a family of actors. Her parents - Megan Johnson and Jon Jon Briones – are both working actors, as is her brother Teo. Having been raised within the industry, Briones had a huge learning experience throughout her life and career before being cast in Picard. Coming fresh off a Broadway run of Hamilton, Briones was only twenty years old at […]
That Guy From That Thing: Billy Campbell
Gaining his first major role only two years after his screen debut, Campbell gained the role of Luke Fuller in the iconic American soap opera Dynasty, acting opposite Jack Coleman a love interest of Steve Carrington until Luke's death. It was a huge role for Campbell's early career and, much like Coleman, a launching pad to becoming a workhorse of an actor in TV and film. Soon after leaving Dynasty, another set of producers had their eyes on Campbell for their own show; a sequel to 60's space drama Star Trek. Campbell was eyed for the role of the bold first officer, Commander Riker, and the favourite to take the role. Telling StarTrek.com that 'the best man got the job' in 2014, and had elsewhere commented that he didn't feel his final audition went well, but that disappointment didn't slow […]
