Gathered there are Capt. Ben Sisko, Chief Miles O'Brien and Dr. Julian Bashir who are dressed for a very unusual away mission.
Back in time to the USS Enterprise under the command of Capt. James T. Kirk.
BASHIR: (in medical/science blue) Captain.
SISKO: (in command gold) Lieutenant, actually. I didn't want to push my luck.
O'BRIEN: (wearing engineering red) Looks good on you, sir.
SISKO: Thank you, Ensign.
BASHIR: Wait a minute, aren't you two wearing the wrong colour?
O'BRIEN: Don't you know anything about this period in time?
BASHIR: I'm a doctor, not a historian.
SISKO: In the old days, operations officers wore red, command officers wore gold.
(Jadzia Dax enters)
DAX: And women wore less.
(Dax pirouettes.)
BASHIR: I think I'm going to like history.
Man, I like history too, Dr. Bashir. Especially when history is dressed up like that!
That sequence from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, "Trials and Tribble-ations" calls attention to a unique fashion design from Star Trek, the original series.
The mini skirt as a Starfleet uniform.
The 1960's was a pivotal era in the development of women's liberation and the sexual revolution.
The heightening hemlines of skirts and dresses were a reflection of women's new found freedom of self expression.
In the pilot episodes of Star Trek, the original Starfleet uniform for women was the same as it was for men, a color coded tunic paired with black trousers.
But Grace Lee Whitney who played Yeoman Janice Rand wanted something more. Or should I say less?
She wanted something that would show off her "dancer's legs".
And creator/producer Gene Roddenberry and costume designer William Ware Theiss were more than happy to oblige.
The result was a super short dress paired with semi-opaque black tights and go-go boots and VOILA! The new official uniform for the female officers of Starfleet.
Whitney was pleased with the results, calling the design “sensational”, an outfit that "stopped traffic.”
What was sensational for Grace Lee Whitney became required for Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel.
Nichelle Nichols had some thoughts about the outfit.
"In later years, especially as the women’s movement took hold in the seventies, people began to ask me about my costume. Some thought it 'demeaning' for a woman in the command crew to be dressed so sexily. It always surprised me because I never saw it that way.
After all, the show was created in the age of the miniskirt, and the crew women’s uniforms were very comfortable. Contrary to what many may think today, no one really saw it as demeaning back then. In fact, the miniskirt was a symbol of sexual liberation. More to the point, though, in the twenty-third century, you are respected for your abilities regardless of what you do or do not wear."
While Nichelle Nichols may have been appreciative of the mini-skirt uniform, her fictional alter ego Lt.Uhura may have been less sanguine as expressed in DC's Star Trek Annual#2 by Mike W. Barr, Dan Jurgens & Bob Smith.
Poor Scotty really doesn't have a good response to this.
What's he gonna say. "Aye, lassie! But I love the wee skirt!"
If you wanna go cosplayt as a TOS female Starfleet officer, here are some tips.
1. The Iconic Uniform Dress
The signature female uniform is a long-sleeved, a-line mini dress with a wide open collar. The color of the dress indicates the wearer's division:Command (Gold/Yellow): Worn by Captain Kirk.Operations/Security/Engineering (Red): Worn by Lieutenant Uhura and Scotty.Science/Medical (Blue): Worn by Mr. Spock and Nurse Chapel.
2. Undergarments & Accessories
Because the dress has a very short hemline, it was worn over matching high-cut shorts (often referred to as "modesty shorts") of the same color as the dress. Complete the outfit with opaque* black tights or pantyhose and flat or low-heeled go-go boots.
*I would say you want to go with semi-opaque. If you go opaque, you could wind up with black out tights that might as well be black trousers and not really convey the look of the original series.
3. Emblems & Rank
Authentic details elevate the cosplay:The Starfleet Insignia: A gold, metallic or embroidered delta-shaped patch is pinned to the left breast.Rank Braids: Gold ribbon was sewn onto the sleeve cuffs to indicate rank (e.g., three stripes for a Commander, two for a Lieutenant).
4. Hair and Makeup
Lean into the 1960s aesthetic. Think heavy eyeliner, voluminous hair, and structured updos or sleek, shoulder-length styles with thick blunt bang.
While I understand the design of the women's uniform from the perspective of the 1960's Star Trek was originally made in, I still have a hard to time squaring the circle as to how and why in universe this was an acceptable fashion choice in the 23rd century.
I know Nichelle Nichols made the case that "in the twenty-third century, you are respected for your abilities regardless of what you do or do not wear." But such a feminine aesthetic does seem somewhat antithetical to a future where men and women should be treated equally and not be divided by such drastic differences in uniform design.
I've noticed some variation of this design in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds with Una Chin Riley sporting an extended tunic similar to the mini dress but paired with black trousers instead of tights.
Anything is better than the bland pajama uniforms in Star Trek: the Motion Picture. Which thankfully did not last beyond that movie.
