Uhura's Band
- Thread starter Ssosmcin
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I've never heard any official reason for Uhura's black arm band she wears on her bridge scenes in the Teaser and the top of Act I in "City on the Edge of Forever." At the Startrekhistory.com website, there's a blurb about this:
"It is this author's belief that the arm band was used to hold Uhura's communications earpiece. This would allow her to walk around the bridge without the burden of holding the earpiece when not in use."
Careful study of Uhura's movements in "City on the Edge of Forever" reveals that at no time does she actually place her earpiece over on this (conjectured) Velcro holder on her sleeve--although it's a completely plausible speculative explanation. Although no actual final episode footage shows such an earpiece holder functionality, it would be interesting to see if any unused footage or film clip trims show the earpiece being stored on the armband.
Uhura's belt on the bridge in "Operation--Annihilate!" is easier to explain. The shooting for "City..." ran over by a couple of days, and they had to shoot the next episode ("...Annihilate!") back-to-back in the middle of the week--with no weekend break between the two episodes. The wardrobe team laundered all the uniforms overnight and then, I suspect, dutifully laid out Nichelle Nichols' costume the way they had laid it out the day before (when Nichelle had shot her "City.... planet scenes with a belt). And then Nichelle probably just dutifully wore the costume that had been laid out for her by the wardrobe folks--belt and all-- without really giving it much thought. "The wardrobe folks must know what they are doing."
"City on the Edge of Forever" details at the StarTrekHistory.com website can be found here:
http://www.startrekhistory.com/DS6.html
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The thing is, the yeoman in the landing party in Operation: Annihilate also, I believe, wore a black belt.
I just assumed that this yeoman was the first armed female on a landing party on the show, and that there was a realization that she had nowhere to store her phaser.
Whether this wardrobe addition simply bled over to Uhura, who knows? I'm too tired right now to check the episode, and if my track record is any indicaton I'm probably wrong anyways.
I just assumed that this yeoman was the first armed female on a landing party on the show, and that there was a realization that she had nowhere to store her phaser.
Whether this wardrobe addition simply bled over to Uhura, who knows? I'm too tired right now to check the episode, and if my track record is any indicaton I'm probably wrong anyways.
The thing is, the yeoman in the landing party in Operation: Annihilate also, I believe, wore a black belt.
I just assumed that this yeoman was the first armed female on a landing party on the show, and that there was a realization that she had nowhere to store her phaser.
Whether this wardrobe addition simply bled over to Uhura, who knows? I'm too tired right now to check the episode, and if my track record is any indicaton I'm probably wrong anyways.
Well, aside from Number One and Yeoman Colt who wore weapons belts and lasers in "The Cage' (and I don't know why we would exclude them) the first crew woman to wear a belt and carry a phaser in a "regular" TOS episode was Lieutenant Marla ("where is my rank braid") McGivers in "Space Seed."
All the woman who wore weapons belts are here:
https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150425694920934
Also, when the landing party beamed down to Deneva in "Operation--Annihilate!." Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Scott have hand phasers, the Security Guard has a pistol phaser, and Yeoman Zahra Jamal was the one person who was unarmed. (All she had was a communicator and a tricorder.) So she clearly wasn't the first woman crew woman to be armed: she was not actually armed at all.
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Thanks, Greg.
Yeah, I for whatever reason, my brain missed the post about the "velcro earpiece storage" It seems like a pretty weird thing to put on the uniform. A holder on the console I would get. The belt made sense on a landing party because her communicator and stuff had to hook onto something. Wearing it on the bridge in the next episode didn't until you offered the possible explanation.
You're right, G. I always forget about her.
Colt and Number One I just assumed wore their landing party gizmos inside their coats. Armed, though, yes. Right again!
(I don't remember just what the inside-the-jacket-equipment holsters looked like, was there much of a view of that?)
Yeah, it's coming back to me now. I remember Kirk telling her to "record everything that went on down there". Can't do that with a phaser.
If you asked Nichelle herself, I'm sure she would tell you that she got the arm band from MLK himself. He had asked her to wear it in case he was assassinated a year or so later!
If you asked Nichelle herself, I'm sure she would tell you that she got the arm band from MLK himself. He had asked her to wear it in case he was assassinated a year or so later!
Ouch.
Colt and Number One I just assumed wore their landing party gizmos inside their coats. Armed, though, yes. Right again!
(I don't remember just what the inside-the-jacket-equipment holsters looked like, was there much of a view of that?)
The landing party in the "The Cage" wore regular WW II-era M1936 web belts--that have been painted white.
More info here:
http://www.ima-usa.com/original-u-s-wwii-m1936-web-pistol-belt.html
That's very interesting. I guess I'd always assumed that the devices were stored onto something on the inner lining of the jackets. Interesting how we don't always see what it is we think we see (or remember what we think we remember!)!!
The belts in "The Cage" also have some kind of side/shoulder straps, as well. They're hard to see under the jackets, and I don't have any idea their purpose, but they're there.
That's fascinating, G! I don't know how you've managed to unearth all this Trek minutae, but it sure makes for interesting reading!
With all the World War II recycling, I guess it's surprising that this wasn't sitting in top of Pike's tv console:
http://s16.postimg.org/hzbd3h9b9/helmet.jpg
With all the World War II recycling, I guess it's surprising that this wasn't sitting in top of Pike's tv console:
http://s16.postimg.org/hzbd3h9b9/helmet.jpg
Gotta love painting the army belts and webbing silver:
Army gear.... IN SPACE....
Army gear.... IN SPACE....
That's fascinating, G! I don't know how you've managed to unearth all this Trek minutae, but it sure makes for interesting reading!
With all the World War II recycling, I guess it's surprising that this wasn't sitting in top of Pike's tv console:
http://s16.postimg.org/hzbd3h9b9/helmet.jpg
His former yeoman sure coulda used it.
Perhaps she wore a black arm band for the same reason that people do so today: to signify that someone close to her had passed, and that she was in mourning.
(People tend to wear such higher on the arm, however.) Or maybe it's a fancy Dr. McCoy device, to heal a sprain?
Or maybe she had carpal tunnel.
I'm amazed that people keep turning up details that I've never noticed before. Kudos!
(People tend to wear such higher on the arm, however.) Or maybe it's a fancy Dr. McCoy device, to heal a sprain?
Or maybe she had carpal tunnel.
I'm amazed that people keep turning up details that I've never noticed before. Kudos!
That's one pretty big problem with the idea that it was a symbol of mourning right there.
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