Oh yeah, I’m going there (as though the title of my blog wasn’t enough of a clue already), so if you’re already rolling your eyes just go on to http://espn.go.com/ or http://perezhilton.com/ now and tell yourself that’s honestly more fascinating =p .
I’ve always loved the world of Star Trek and a large part of that is the ships, uniforms, ranks and insignia, props, etc. One thing I’d thought about was what the crews of the different series would look like in the Starfleet uniforms of the different eras.
- 2140s – 2160s The uniforms as seen on Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT)
- 2265 – 2270 The uniforms as seen on Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) and Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS).
- 2271 – 2277 The uniforms as seen in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (TMP). I won’t be including these as they only appeared in one film and are quite frankly horrible.
- 2278 – 2352 The uniforms as seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (TWoK), Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (TSfS), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (TVH), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (TFF), and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (TUC) as well as flashbacks in various other series e.g. the TNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”.
- 2353 – 2371 The uniforms as seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) and Star Trek Generations (GEN).
- 2369 – 2372 The uniforms as seen in the first five and a half seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), Star Trek: Voyager (VOY), and Star Trek Generations (GEN).
- 2373 – 2393 The uniforms as seen in Star Trek: First Contact (FC), the last two and a half seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9), Star Trek: Insurrection (INS), and Star Trek Nemesis (NEM).
I’m assuming the FC uniform would probably have been in service until about 2393 because in three future alternative timelines in the TNG episode “All Good Things…”, the VOY episode “Endgame”, and the DS9 episode “The Visitor” which took place in 2395, 2404, and 2422 respectively there was a newer uniform and combadge and 2393 would mean the FC uniform had been in service for about 20 years. The ENT and TNG uniforms had been in service for about 20 years, the TWoK uniform for about 75 and the other three for about 5 years each. I won’t be including this future alternative timeline uniform and I also won’t be including or going into the uniforms of the J.J. Abrams Star Trek (2009) film.
I do try to go by what is strictly canon, though when something doesn’t make sense and the reason is clearly a costume gaffe, a lack of research by the producers, or a lack of budget preventing them from doing it correctly, then I prefer to go by what would make more sense than what was actually in the show. Also in each series there are some characters not actually in Starfleet so to make things uniform I have listed each character’s equivalent Starfleet rank and uniform and if they were not in any service then at least what department uniform they would have worn given their function or profession on the show. After each section will follow notes about changes, mistakes, irregularities, etc.
My sources for information besides the shows themselves are Memory Alpha, Wikipedia, Ex Astris Scientia, Spike’s Star Trek Page, and the books The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future, Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, and Star Trek Chronology. The rank graphics below are from Kuro-RPG. Uniform graphics above from Spike’s Star Trek Page.
Star Trek: Enterprise Characters
T’Pol’s changed from the Vulcan High Command equivalent of Subcommander. Trip should really have been a Lieutenant Commander instead of a Commander but for some reason the show had an aversion to that rank, some sources saying it didn’t even exist at the time (ridiculous). Hayes changed from the Military Assault Command Operations (MACO) equivalent of Major. Reed was originally supposed to be a Lieutenant Commander but was changed to Lieutenant just before the show started (giving some evidence that rank was to exist). Phlox given the equivalent uniform, he had no rank.
Star Trek: The Original Series Characters (during the series)
Spock promoted from to Commander at the beginning of the series. Starfleet is modeled as a naval service which generally has enlisted rates which designates rank as well as position e.g. Yeoman, First Class is the position of Yeoman and the rank of Crewman, First Class. I’m simplifying things somewhat and filling in some gaps in the show as Star Trek has always had a tradition of main characters all being officers and all non-speaking extras being enlisted for the most part and because of this there is very little information on enlisted and non-commissioned officer ranks. Arguably the only characters in all of Star Trek that weren’t officers were Janice Rand and Miles Edward O’Brien and the history of their rank and position are fraught with problems. Rand was a Yeoman in the series and as she was the Captain’s personal Yeoman and seemed to be senior to much of the enlisted crew I’m going to guess that she was a Crewman, First Class.
Star Trek: The Original Series Characters (during the films)
Prior to the films Kirk had been promoted to Rear Admiral. In the past above the rank of Captain was Commodore, Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, Fleet Admiral. At some point the rank of Commodore was discontinued and Rear Admiral was split into Lower Half and Upper Half. It was never said that Kirk was upper half but from the rank insignia and the inconsistent use of Commodore it would suggest it (again, I’m simplifying things). Later Kirk is demoted back to Captain. Spock is promoted to Captain. Scotty is promoted to Commander and then to Captain. McCoy is promoted to Commander. Sulu is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, then Commander, then Captain, though while a Commander his uniform should be command white but it’s incorrectly operations gold. Uhura is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, then Commander her uniform should be operations gold but it’s incorrectly science grey. Chapel is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, then to Commander and she got her medical degree and is a doctor instead of a nurse. Rand is promoted to Chief Petty Officer, then to Master Chief Petty Officer, then she somehow (perhaps some kind of Officer Candidate School [OCS]) becomes an officer as an Ensign and is then promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) and her uniform changed from operations gold to science grey. Worse still in one film she has the rank of Commander and the uniform of command white and in the VOY episode “Flashback” she is given the incorrect insignia of Lieutenant Commander. But worst of all the costume, rank, and character problems is Saavik and Valeris. First of all, they were supposed to be the same character but Gene Roddenberry thought the fans were too fond of Saavik and the character in TUC was supposed to commit treason so they created Valeris. This is the best example of the one failing of Star Trek which is not allowing the characters to be flawed enough to make them dramatically compelling or give them room to grow and develop over the course of the series. Regardless, in TWoK Saavik’s uniform is cadet red though she has the rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade), cadets or midshipmen are generally of four ranks fourth through first class, though those may be indicated with four of the normal rank insignia. But then she returns in TSfS as a Lieutenant (Junior Grade) in command white, as though she graduated Starfleet Academy and had been promoted, and as she’s now the science officer on the USS Grissom (NCC-638) and no longer a helmsman her uniform should be science grey and not command white. Then in TUC Valeris has the cadet red tunic but the science grey jacket which should match, regardless both are wrong because as helmsman her uniform should be command white. And as if they couldn’t have messed it up any more they gave her the rank insignia of Lieutenant Commander when she was clearly referred to as a Lieutenant. What they should have done was in TWoK have Saavik be a Cadet, First Class in her fourth year, then in TSfS the following year she’s graduated as an Ensign serving her first assignment aboard the Grissom, then in TUC eight years later keep the same character, she’s already a Lieutenant Commander having risen quickly through the ranks and now the same rank as when Spock started out at the beginning of TOS. Now we have all that emotional investment in the character, we clearly see Spock choosing to groom her to replace him when he retires and we get to see how she’s changed in all that time, and how her misguided ambition and lack of faith leads her to her treasonous actions. Regardless, TUC is still the greatest Star Trek film of all time in my opinion, though when I watch it Valeris is Saavik in my mind’s eye.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Characters
Riker later promoted to Captain. Data’s uniform is operations gold for his position as Operations Manager, though it could be science blue for him being Chief Science Officer and it could be command red for him being Second Officer, I’m sure the choice was cosmetic. It is common for characters to service multiple positions, even those with conflicting department colors. Spock wore science blue as Chief Science Officer but he could have worn command gold as Executive Officer. Troi is promoted to Commander and thank you Captain Edward Jellico for making her start wearing a proper uniform from “Chain of Command, Part I” on. La Forge is promoted to Lieutenant and then to Lieutenant Commander and changes from command red to operations gold and changes from Flight Controller to Chief Engineer. It still boggles my mind how, after the success of Scotty on TOS, they still started TNG with a continually changing minor character in the crucial role of Chief Engineer, especially after they invested the budget in the engine room set right with the first episode. Worf is promoted to Lieutenant and changes from command red to operations gold as Security Chief and Chief Tactical Officer. Ro had previously been demoted to Ensign, she was later promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) and Lieutenant before leaving Starfleet to join the Maquis. Ogawa is later promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) and Lieutenant. Wesley is given the provisional/brevet rank of acting Ensign, then Ensign wearing command red, then he later attends Starfleet Academy as a Cadet Fourth, Third, and Second class, is then demoted and forced to repeat the previous year as Cadet, Third Class, then leaves the Academy and at some point returns to finish an graduate as an Ensign and is eventually promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) wearing operations gold and service as Assistant Chief Engineer aboard the USS Titan (NCC-80102) under a newly-promoted Captain Riker. O’Brien appeared in the first episode with the rank insignia of Ensign and a command red uniform. He later returned as “Transporter Chief” with the rank insignia of Lieutenant and operations gold uniform. While there are titles such as “Chief Engineer” where the “Chief” is the head of a department, usually in the naval world when someone is referred to as “Chief” they mean the non-commissioned officer rank of Chief Petty Officer. This is backed up in a couple episodes where it is stated that O’Brien is not an officer e.g. the episode “Family”. Again, I think it was intended that he be a CPO but Star Trek writers and producers just didn’t understand how to write or handle non-officers. Keiko given the equivalent uniform to her profession, she had no rank.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Characters
Sisko later promoted to Captain. Kira changed from the Bajoran Militia equivalent of Major, she is later promoted to “Colonel” although they should have meant Lieutenant Colonel which comes after Major and before Colonel in any non-naval rank structure and which is called “Colonel” for short just as Lieutenant Commander is called “Commander” for short. If they’re going to say that the Bajoran Militia just inexplicably doesn’t have that rank then that’s poor research and writing. In the episode “When It Rains…” Kira is given a battlefield commission as a Starfleet Commander for a mission, Commander being the equivalent of a Lieutenant Colonel. Kira finished the series as a Lieutenant Colonel in my mind, not a Colonel. Worf is promoted to Lieutenant Commander and changes from operations gold back to command red as Strategic Operations Officer. Jadzia Dax promoted to Lieutenant Commander. Bashir promoted to Lieutenant. Ezri Dax promoted to Lieutenant (Junior Grade). Nog enters Starfleet Academy and only two years in he receives a battlefield promotion to Ensign and less than a year later a promotion to Lieutenant (Junior Grade) at the end of the Dominion War. This is a little fast and unrealistic to me, field promotions are understandable, but finishing the academy just can’t be skipped. O’Brien starts the show as Chief of Operations in operations gold and a single half-pip rank insignia and no explanation. Still called “Chief” some thought this was from his title rather than his rank, others said the insignia suggested he was a Chief Warrant Officer. Later with the FC uniforms he is given the proper rank insignia of a Senior Chief Petty Officer, having been a Chief Petty Officer back in TNG. Finally, some resolution! Though given how long O’Brien’s been in the service (nearly 30 years by the “What You Leave Behind” finale) and his extensive experience spanning two wars I can’t believe he isn’t promoted to Master Chief Petty Officer even at the end of the series when he leaves to teach at the academy. Odo given the equivalent uniform to her profession, despite being with the Bajoran Militia he had no rank. Keiko given the equivalent uniform to her profession, she had no rank. Quark given the equivalent uniform to her profession, he had no rank.
Star Trek: Voyager Characters
Granted the USS Voyager (NCC-74656) is a smaller ship and granted a large number of its crew was killed and granted they had to supplement the crew with undertrained Maquis, some with no experience in Starfleet, but VOY had the single most low-ranked and under-promoted crew of all time, call it Captain and ten Ensigns. And given the history of field promotions, brevet ranks, and Captain’s discretion I think the “Provisional” rank insignia really wasn’t necessary other than a dramatic device to clearly demarcate the crew between Starfleet and Maquis in a weak attempt to fabricate a dramatic fault line in the crew which never really worked. VOY is also guilty of the most costume rank gaffes of any series or film. Chakotay had left Starfleet and was given a provisional rank at his old Starfleet rank when he joined the crew. He is referred to as “Commander” and listed as Commander in all the credits but his rank insignia was always that of Lieutenant Commander. Add to this that a Lieutenant Commander is often just called “Commander” for short and that Voyager’s original Executive Officer Cavit whom Chakotay replaced was also a Lieutenant Commander and I have to conclude that this was Chakotay’s intended rank. They just got used to every single series having a Commander as Executive Officer and made the mistake of thinking Chakotay was the same. Tuvok is referred to as a Lieutenant but his uniform has the rank insignia of Lieutenant Commander. It’s corrected to make him a Lieutenant again but then he’s promptly promoted in an episode to Lieutenant Commander and his rank insignia changed right back. This gaffe is because the character was supposed to be much older and was to have been played by a much older actor, but Tim Russ did such a good job in the audition he got the role and they never properly corrected the character for him. Initially they tried to backtrack like reducing his rank and writing him younger but the root of his character, the reason they created him in the first place was to be that old confidant to Janeway like Spock was to Kirk or (Curzon) Dax was to Sisko. Spock was 33 at the beginning of TOS and Leonard Nimoy was 35, for TUC Spock was 61 and Nimoy was 60 and in the TNG episode “Unification, Part I” Spock was 136 and Nimoy was 60. Tuvok left the academy shortly after graduating, returning 50 years later to teach where he met Janeway. By the first episode of VOY Tuvok was 107 and Tim Russ was 38. Despite Russ just not looking it they eventually gave in and went back to the ‘Tuvok is really old’ idea, increasing his rank, confirming his age, and doing stories about it like “Flashback”. Tuvok was one of my favorite characters from VOY but I just couldn’t believe he was over a century old, Vulcan or not. B’Elanna was given the provisional rank of Lieutenant (Junior Grade), then promoted to Lieutenant as a gaffe then demoted back to Lieutenant (Junior Grade). Given her promotion over Lieutenant Joseph “Joe” Carey as Chief Engineer she should have been made full Lieutenant. Paris has his previous rank reinstated but a costume gaffe has him as a Lieutenant which is later corrected to Lieutenant (Junior Grade). He is later demoted to Ensign and then finally promoted back to Lieutenant (Junior Grade). As an acting senior officer and given the lack of other command track staff he should have been a full Lieutenant from the start as they had initially done as an accident. Barclay guest stars and is still a Lieutenant (Junior Grade) but is later promoted to Lieutenant when he returns. Kim goes the whole bloody show as an Ensign without ever being promoted which is a crime, the least they could have done was thrown in a double promotion to Lieutenant in the final episode. Seven of Nine given the equivalent uniform to her profession, she had no rank, the Doctor had a uniform but no rank. Though given their responsibilities and given the need for everyone to fall within the chain of command and given how they were throwing out provisional ranks left right and center they should bloody well have both been given a rank and a uniform. I thought they were the two best characters in the show, I just with Seven hadn’t been given the fan service costume she had. Jeri Ryan would be stunning in a burlap sack, it was her acting and compelling character that saved the series, not her physical assets. That “fan service” costume detracted from the show in my opinion, like Troi I would have rather seen her in a standard uniform. Neelix and Kes given the equivalent uniform to their professions, they had no rank.
Starfleet Ranks
Below are the Starfleet ranks from the 2373 – 2393 period in command red including officer, cadet/midshipman, non-commissioned officer, and enlisted.
