The 4th Uniform Color???

[Spock's Barber]

We all know the Starfleet uniforms are 3 basic colors :

Gold - Command
Blue - Science and Medical
Red - Engineering, Communications, Security

Can anyone else think of another service function aboard a Starship that would necessitate a 4th color uniform?

 

[Markonian]

Split security and engineering. Colours could be gold, blue, red and green.

In the ST: Enterprise: Rise of the Federation novels, we have command/avocado, science/blue, security/grey, engineering/bordeaux.

Star Trek pastiches/parodies feature:
1) Galaxy Quest. Command/grey, operations/red, science/blue, helm/blue.
2) Traumschiff Surprise: Periode 1. Command/orange, science/purple, operations/green. (just watch "Space Taxi" music video on YouTube).
3) The Orville. Admiralty/purple, command/blue, operations/red, science/green.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

In my headcanon, the fourth TOS uniform color is BLACK, worn by Starfleet Marines.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Other known Starfleet and/or Federation colors:

Commander Hansen in "Balance of Terror" and Lieutenant Harold in "Arena" wore a grey/beige colored outpost uniform with a black color and distinctive insignia, but no rank braids. We can see Harold's uniform pants, which are black, like Kirk's.

Finnegan's blue-silver cadet uniform is also visible in "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "Wolf in the Fold," contemporary to TOS.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Red: Engineering and Maintenance ("Engineering")
Gold: Operations and Services ("Communications", "Security", "Admin" etc).
Blue/Cyan: Command
Green: Ground Forces (including "Marines")
Lilac/Purple: Staff Corps (inc Research, JAG, Academy etc)

 

[Tracy Trek]

Didn't Kirk occasionally wear a green uniform shirt?

 

[J.T.B.]

Didn't Kirk occasionally wear a green uniform shirt?

I think there has been some talk to that effect, yes.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I think there has been some talk to that effect, yes.

Tell me more....

 

[plynch]

The Elvis division wore brown as in my avatar pic. It was lavender velour that actually photographed brown.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Administrative/records-keeping should have had a color of its own accented by the color of the division they were assigned to.

EDIT: You could have a white or slate gray dress/shirt with a colored scarf/shoulderpiece/light jacket.

 

[KyleCampbell]

Divide Security as a seperate division away from Engineering and Support. One could use the same department colors as TMP or TWOK to divide the departments up a bit.

 

[Mad Jack Wolfe]

Red with a white bullseye on the back for rookie security detail. Or Target cashier. Same difference.

 

[Arpy]

I can't see green as another service color on a starship as the captain wears it as his more casual and his more formal uniform color.

I hadn't noticed the beige before -- good catch.

I always associate "blank" grey as a cadet color, as we saw cadets on most series in it.

It's interesting the shades of colors they choose. For yellow they went with a mustard gold. For brown they went beige. I wonder if they needed a purple if they'd go indigo.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Divide Security as a seperate division away from Engineering and Support. One could use the same department colors as TMP or TWOK to divide the departments up a bit.

IMHO they should have Starfleet Marines handle all shipboard security.

 

[USS Triumphant]

IMHO they should have Starfleet Marines handle all shipboard security.

And an actual flight team to handle small craft operations (with maybe even a flight or wing commander on ships with a large complement of small craft)?

I agree, but, I also understand that on a meta level, they want to give the big 3, er 7, er whatever stuff to do and screen time - not have a whole bunch of recurring characters stealing the limelight. The Chief Engineer being in charge of ship's security made zero sense, otherwise, and that's just the most blatant example.

 

[Spock's Barber]

The US Navy aircraft carrier flight deck crews have numerous different colored uniforms for different operations; i.e. Purple is fuel, Red is ordnance, Yellow is plane director, etc. I wonder if Starfleet should have followed some of this tradition for their uniforms?

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

I can't see green as another service color on a starship as the captain wears it as his more casual and his more formal uniform color.

Personally, I prefer the Fletcher unis idea that Captains and higher wear white as their individual uniform particularly for formal wear (the tuxedo uniforms of the 2370s & 2380s also follow this trend). The 5-6 colour system used in TMP seems to be in improvement (Engineering & Maintenance, Security & Services, Bridge/Flight Operations, Scientific Research & Technical and Medical & Health Services)

I always associate "blank" grey as a cadet color, as we saw cadets on most series in it.

It's interesting the shades of colors they choose. For yellow they went with a mustard gold. For brown they went beige. I wonder if they needed a purple if they'd go indigo.

I agree on grey uniforms for cadets and trainees.

I think it depends on the shade of other uniforms: deep colored uniforms like most of post-2350 variants or the KT version of the TOS unis, I would say that indigo/violet/deep purple would probably work best. But paler/brighter uniforms like the Cage/WNMHGB, Classic TOS or the "Monster Maroons" would work better with a paler colour like lilac.

IMHO they should have Starfleet Marines handle all shipboard security.

I agree that security should be dedicated function, however I would split internal security/investigations (Starfleet Security, squad-level, primary type in canon), small unit direct action/base defense (Starfleet Special Operations, platoon or company level, see "The Seige of AR-558") recruited from within Starfleet proper; and rapid deployment infantry/heavy weapons (Starfleet Marines or as I prefer Starfleet Ground Forces (TrekLit canon) & Starfleet Infantry Reserves) who mostly have a seperate chain-of-command and IMO are probably eld at strategic locations through out UFP space and aren't typically stationed on most starships (apart from the largest with sufficient warning). .

The US Navy aircraft carrier flight deck crews have numerous different colored uniforms for different operations; i.e. Purple is fuel, Red is ordnance, Yellow is plane director, etc. I wonder if Starfleet should have followed some of this tradition for their uniforms?

I'm not convinced that that would make sense.

 

[Spock's Barber]

I'm not convinced that that would make sense.

It makes sense onboard an aircraft carrier. I'm thinking more than just the three basic Starfleet colors would be similar to the divisions on a carrier. In TMP, the crewmens' lounge scenes show all the different incarnations of Enterprise and one of them is the aircraft carrier U.S.S Enterprise. Tradition.

 

[Classic_Colin]

In my headcanon, the fourth TOS uniform color is BLACK, worn by Starfleet Marines.

Black uniforms would have been too evocative of the Klingon uniform, though, I think. The original Star Trek's colourful Starfleet symbolised its progress and vivacious humanity. Purple would have been most fitting, especially since it was seen before.

 

[Shamrock Holmes]

Black uniforms would have been too evocative of the Klingon uniform, though, I think. The original Star Trek's colourful Starfleet symbolised its progress and vivacious humanity. Purple would have been most fitting, especially since it was seen before.

If we're having a ground forces specific shirt color then I'd prefer green, grey (TrekLit from the MACO coveralls) or brown (from the MACO t-shirts).

Purple would be better for either Sciences or Operational Support (Quartermaster, JAG, SCE etc).