This goes back to the original series and doesn't make much sense. Supposedly "operations" officers wear the same color (red or gold, depending on what century we're in), but it seems to me it would've made more sense to make security and engineering distinct from one another. What exactly keeps an engineer from being mistaken for a security officer and vice versa?
Why do engineering and security have the same color uniform?
- Thread starter t_smitts
- Start date
Security officers always have phasers.
The Orion Syndicate only offers three kinds of dye.
The same colour reflect the fact the two departments have very similar training. As proven in Chain of Command, one of the first things Jellico does upon taking command of the Enterprise is transfer half its engineering staff to security. The only way that can be possible is if the two departments have similar training.
I thought they just picked what colours looked best of the actors and then justified them later, hence it not making the best of sense. Then in TNG, Patrick Stewart looked better in red than yellow, so they switched those colours around, and since Brent Spiner's makeup looked better with gold instead of science blue, the vague position of "operations officer" was created.
Helm specifically, nothing much, I'd imagine. Wearing red seems to indicate the person in question is a line officer (or whatever the equivalent term might be in-universe).
Wiki said:
As an explanation this creates problems when we consider that Data is second in line to command, though. But I guess you can only wear one color uniform and since he's Ops Officer under normal circumstances, I can overlook it. He wore red when serving as Riker's XO in 'Gambit'.
Command generally deals with leadership, but it can also involve flight control, administration, clerical, and perhaps general services, IMO. Most Starfleet captains and admirals seem to come from the command branch.
I recently saw a yellowshirt admiral on a DS9 episode and thought it very strange.
^Yes, that was Admiral Toddman. I thought it was a nice touch. We saw flag officers wearing operations red in TOS, (Commodores Stone and Stocker) so why not have admirals wearing gold and blue? I have always thought Admiral Haftel from "The Offspring" should've worn sciences blue. He was definitely qualified for sciences, seeing as he assisted Data in operating on Lal.
^^^
It could be that during the TNG era, admirals (and perhaps some captains) in gold or blue don't get out much.
It could be that during the TNG era, admirals (and perhaps some captains) in gold or blue don't get out much.
Admiral Toddman is the only officer above Commander to wear anything other than red in the 24th century. I never understood why they bothered, they would have had to spend money on maikng a new costume when a perfectly good Admiral's uniform was hanging in the closet.
What keeps a geologist from being mistaken for a doctor?
On TOS they had no budget and reused or redressed everything. Pretty much this is where it started and it was carried on in later renditions of "Star Trek".
I doubt that budget was the reason they used only three colors.
Similar threads
