One of the notable changes between the original “Star Trek” series set in the 23rd century and those of the ‘Next Generation’ era set in the 24th century is the uniforms.
Whilst the style of the uniforms changed every few years, one thing that changed between the two time periods was the color. In the original 1960s series, the command officers wore yellow, operations officers (engineering/communication/security) wore red, and science/medical officers wore blue.
In the ‘Next Generation’ era, the red and yellow color designation switched. As a result, shows set around the Kirk-era such as “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”, retain the old color scheme, whilst those set in the TNG-era like the animated “Star Trek: Lower Decks” have the Next Gen color scheme.
The difference will reportedly be addressed in the upcoming crossover episode between those two shows according to Slashfilm who spoke with ‘Strange New Worlds’ costume designer Bernadette Croft.
Croft spoke about the challenge of adapting the animated uniforms into actual clothes for live-action actors – from microprint on the uniforms, which began with the more modern Paramount+ era of Trek, to some key decisions about color. The most important thing was paying attention to detail:
“The key things to consider were: Were we going to use microprint on the uniforms? Should the fabric and colors be the same as the ‘Strange New Worlds’ uniforms? Interestingly, when you see the animation, the color of the pants is charcoal, they’re not black. And also, the soles of the boots have this distinct logo. Even the way Mariner wears her uniform in this nonchalant way, she has her sleeves rolled — these are all very important references for me, and I always had to take note of those particular things.”
Croft also spoke about one key visual element – Ensign Boimler’s purple hair. The show’s hair and makeup department dealt with that question, and Croft said Lower Decks’ showrunner Mike McMahan was key to picking the final result:
“They tested a few options, which was really interesting. Throughout prep, we consulted with the ‘Lower Decks’ showrunner Mike McMahan. He had to be involved to help us balance all of these elements so that it made sense for both shows. I cannot wait for this episode. I’ve seen it and it’s so funny.”
The second season of “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” will debut on June 15th and run for ten episodes through August 17th. Jonathan Frakes directed the ‘Lower Decks’ crossover episode, and it’s currently not known which episode in the run it will be.
The likeliest possibility is either the fifth or seventh episode both airing in mid-late July, as they’re both co-written by Kathryn Lyn who also serves as an executive story editor on ‘Lower Decks’.
