Do the Starfleet uniforms on Star Trek change depending on the different environments that Star Trek characters go to? There have been multiple variations of the Starfleet uniform in every Star Trek show, and the most famous Starfleet uniforms evolved from the easily-recognizable contrast of a dark lower half and brightly colored top popularized by Star Trek: The Original Series. Similar iconic styles and color schemes were used on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager, only swapping the red and gold associated with the command and operations divisions after the long run of the militaristic “Monster Maroon” Starfleet uniform.
Recent productions of Star Trek see the Starfleet uniforms undergoing rapid changes on a fairly regular basis, with a new Starfleet uniform seemingly issued every few years or so. Even after slight deviations, Starfleet keeps returning to the high-contrast uniforms that always seem to come back in fashion, with a particularly sharp 32nd-century Starfleet uniform in Star Trek: Discovery. There’s no mistaking a Starfleet officer when you see one, but the bold colors that make Star Trek uniforms work so well on television could theoretically pose a problem in real-world situations, when away missions take Starfleet officers to unknown environments.
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On The Delta Flyers podcast, Star Trek: Voyager‘s Harry Kim actor Garrett Wang pauses during a discussion of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 1, “The Homecoming”, to point out one of the major differences that Wang noticed between real-world military uniforms and the uniforms seen throughout Star Trek. This detail isn’t limited to Starfleet’s standard uniforms, since other Star Trek species seem to do the same thing. Read Wang’s quote and listen to The Delta Flyers, starting at the 48:21 timestamp.
Garrett Wang: “One thing I’ve noticed about all of Star Trek that is not consistent with modern military organizations is that depending on the environment, the uniform changes color. But yet, in Trek, it’s always the same. For instance, here they’re in the quarry, they should’ve had stone gray Cardassian uniforms, but if our military goes to the desert, they have desert camo. But you don’t see that on Star Trek. Whether it’s Cardassian, or Starfleet, or Klingon, no one ever changes their fatigues. It’s always the same.”
Star Trek Uniforms Do Have Environmental Variants
Starfleet Officers Wear Uniform Variations When They Need To
Historically, Star Trek characters did wear the same Starfleet uniform on away missions and on starships, no matter what awaited the away team on unexplored planets. But that detail began to change when the 90s era of Star Trek introduced variant Starfleet uniforms designed for specific environments, like a gray rock climbing uniform in Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 16 “Blood Fever”, or a lightweight Starfleet uniform designed for desert environments, seen in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7, episode 2 “Shadows and Symbols”. Both Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager included Starfleet standard-issue EV suits for hazardous conditions like space walks.
The modern era of Star Trek expanded the possibilities for Starfleet uniforms designed for specific environments. Nearly every new Star Trek show featured extravehicular, field operations, athletic, or combat-ready versions of the Starfleet uniform. As an animated series, Star Trek: Lower Decks ran with even more variants, including specialized uniforms for rain, swamps, wetsuits, and skydiving. Most impressively, Star Trek: Discovery‘s 32nd-century technology allowed for immediate uniform adjustments according to planetary conditions, including hazard gear. While it was rare for Starfleet uniforms in any era to completely blend in with the environment, the characters on Star Trek were undoubtedly protected from harsh environments in style.
Source: The Delta Flyers season 10, episode 1, “The Homecoming”
Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Discovery, and Star Trek: Lower Decks are all streaming on Paramount+.
