Voyager and the First Contact uniforms

[tim0122]

A thought just occurred to me. Before, it always made sense why the Voyager crew kept wearing the early-DS9-styled uniforms: They're trapped 70 years away from home. Even once they make contact with Earth again, it still made sense. But I was just thinking, once they made contact with Earth and saw the new uniforms, couldn't the computer have made those new uniforms for the crew to wear? It seems to do so for certain away missions and for holodeck dressing up. Or can it be explained away as not a priority and/or Janeway wanting to conserve resources?

 

[Firebird]

Probably resource conservation. It takes a lot of energy to use the replicators to make that many new duty uniforms.

 

[Akiraprise]

Janeway preferred that style. As we all know it's the Jane-way or no way.

It probably just came down to cost for the production. When DS9 switched over to the FC uniforms VOY inherited all of their costumes. Then when they made contact with the Alpha Quadrant it was easier for the audience to differentiate where the personnel were stationed in the episodes too.

 

[Nerys Myk]

A thought just occurred to me. Before, it always made sense why the Voyager crew kept wearing the early-DS9-styled uniforms: They're trapped 70 years away from home. Even once they make contact with Earth again, it still made sense. But I was just thinking, once they made contact with Earth and saw the new uniforms, couldn't the computer have made those new uniforms for the crew to wear? It seems to do so for certain away missions and for holodeck dressing up. Or can it be explained away as not a priority and/or Janeway wanting to conserve resources?

They saw they were ugly and said "hard pass."

 

[fireproof78]

They saw they were ugly and said "hard pass."

That's hilarious given some of the civilian style clothing seen in TNG and others. Plus Neelix's wardrobe...

 

[Nerys Myk]

That's hilarious given some of the civilian style clothing seen in TNG and others. Plus Neelix's wardrobe...

Then imagine just how horrible they are!

 

[Dukhat]

Probably resource conservation. It takes a lot of energy to use the replicators to make that many new duty uniforms.

Unfortunately, the show ended up implying that they did not need to conserve energy one bit, since anyone could use the holodeck whenever they wanted.

The real reason was that the producers didn't want to spend money making new uniforms for the cast.

 

[Finn]

Janeway preferred that style. As we all know it's the Jane-way or no way.

It probably just came down to cost for the production. When DS9 switched over to the FC uniforms VOY inherited all of their costumes. Then when they made contact with the Alpha Quadrant it was easier for the audience to differentiate where the personnel were stationed in the episodes too.

Plus I'm sure some borederline casual viewers would have been confused with which show they were watching if they had Voyager adopt the FC uniforms....

I'm not joking.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

Maybe the Voyager style uniform hadn't actually been phased out. Sure we see the First Contact uniform replace both the TNG uniforms on the Enterprise and the Voyager style uniforms on DS9, but that doesn't mean everyone made the switch.

It would've been nice though to get a conversation on the show about why Janeway didn't go for the update. I'd rather hear the reasons than speculate on them.

Unfortunately, the show ended up implying that they did not need to conserve energy one bit, since anyone could use the holodeck whenever they wanted.

The holodecks used a separate power source that couldn't be used for the replicators. It doesn't make any sense, especially as people could go replicate a meal on the holodeck, but the writers did give the crew a pass to use it as much as they wanted.

 

[NCC-73515]

They were rationing replicator power for food already, remember how upset Janeway got when Chakotay made a watch for her?

 

[matthunter]

Though Trek likes to pretend 24th Century society has evolved past this, people DO become accustomed to things. A uniform change is an upheaval in the lives of a crew who already have a LOT of shit to deal with mentally. They've been seeing each other mainly in the colourful uniforms for 6 years by that point - it's practically part of their identity.

Witness Troi's discomfort at Jellico insisting she wear SF uniform rather than the more informal outfits she regularly chose - OK ultimately she got over it but it was still an uncomfortable time initially and she WASN'T stranded far from home. Why shake the crew up just for the notion of "solidarity" with a fleet they aren't necessarily going to serve alongside for another few decades as far as they can estimate?

 

[Markonian]

I thought about this often back in the day. However, newer Trek established that different styles are in use at the same time. According to LDS, the VOY-style uniforms are still in use as of 2382.

On the other hand, I enjoy when different Trek media shows the VOY crew in the gray-shouldered uniforms, starting with an EMH in TNG: First Contact.

Next, we had Tuvok - in Elite Force II, the USS Titan exhibition and finally LDS as well.
Admiral Janeway famously in NEM and The Borg Encounter.
Seven of Nine in the Hive comic.
Finally, mostly everyone in the First Splinter timeline novels.

While Kes was seen in a VOY science uniform in Trexels, neither Kes nor Neelix appeared in the gray-shouldered uniforms to date.

 

[Gaith]

Plus I'm sure some borederline casual viewers would have been confused with which show they were watching if they had Voyager adopt the FC uniforms....

I'm not joking.

Would also have made older eps/reruns stick out more.

Also, the FC uniforms might have been too similar in color tone to the ship itself, making for a blander image.

 

[Finn]

as opposed to the DS9 sets outside of Quark's Bar?

 

[AntonyF]

While it was likely done for budget reasons, I'm glad they didn't. It would have been too easy to change them over and sell new action figures etc.

Whereas in reality it would make little sense to be 'on brand' so far away and use resources to do so.

 

[NCC-73515]

I read somewhere years ago that Berman or someone from the studio wanted casual viewers to instantly know which show they're watching based on uniforms and badges etc.

 

[TommyR01D]

As I've mentioned before, Voyager has the unusual double-distinction of being the only Star Trek series (pre-2017 at least) not to have a new Starfleet uniform designed for it and the only one to stay in the same style for the entire run.

Would also have made older eps/reruns stick out more.

More importantly, changing uniform designs makes life harder for mashup artists like GeneralGrin.

 

[Dukhat]

Also, the FC uniforms might have been too similar in color tone to the ship itself, making for a blander image.

As I've mentioned before, Voyager has the unusual double-distinction of being the only Star Trek series (pre-2017 at least) not to have a new Starfleet uniform designed for it and the only one to stay in the same style for the entire run.

Yep. UPN wanted the show to be so episodic that someone could watch any episode in the entire seven-year run of the show, and not be confused about anything. So the crew wearing different uniforms would have added to that confusion. Remember, Berman and UPN believed that their audience was so dumb that they couldn't comprehend the idea of change. That's why they showed Starfleet Command in pristine condition despite it having been destroyed by the Breen sneak attack in DS9 not long before.

 

[Gaith]

Also, the FC uniforms might have been too similar in color tone to the ship itself, making for a blander image.

as opposed to the DS9 sets outside of Quark's Bar?

You jest, but DS9's bland look, along with the lack of an HD upgrade, is a key reason I've never felt super tempted to finally give the show a real try. I don't hold the series' bland look against it, per se, and I respect the artistic inclination to go in a very different direction from the bright and cheery TNG, but there's a lot of other, better-written and more critically acclaimed shows I'm inclined to check out first.

And I think we can all agree the very last thing Voyager needed was to look grayer and blander.

 

[Yuri Nikolayev]

A thought just occurred to me. Before, it always made sense why the Voyager crew kept wearing the early-DS9-styled uniforms: They're trapped 70 years away from home. Even once they make contact with Earth again, it still made sense. But I was just thinking, once they made contact with Earth and saw the new uniforms, couldn't the computer have made those new uniforms for the crew to wear? It seems to do so for certain away missions and for holodeck dressing up. Or can it be explained away as not a priority and/or Janeway wanting to conserve resources?

They should have been updated. It’s not a resource issue… the old uniforms would get recycled back into the replication system.