Jean-Luc Fashion Project | Starfleet Uniform Part One

Starfleet Uniform, Command I (Seasons 1-2, “All Good Things”)
Starfleet Uniform, Command II (Seasons 3-7, Generations, First Contact)

Seen side by side the ‘pajama’ aspect of the early seasons TNG jumpsuit is really clear. The crew are wearing onesies.

With a zipper front and piping.

In that very first promo shot above, with his hands on his hips, it looks like the piping should extend into a cape and I would like to believe there is a universe where it does just that for admirals and above.

They also look incredibly uncomfortable and unforgiving to wear (and cast anecdotes back that up). Thus the aesthetically subtle change to a two-piece version in season three.

The cape-piping is replaced by a collar, which I am a particular fan of. 

Command was switched from gold in TOS to red for TNG due to the Red Shirt trope, but in context it’s kinda funny. 

Starfleet: We want to get back to the colors but people always shoot at Security first and now all the Red departments fear low enrollment. 
Starfleet Design: Well, what has a too high enrollment?
Starfleet: Command? There are only so many ships. 
Starfleet Design: Okay, we’ll switch Command to Red and Operations to Gold.
Starfleet: Wait, but then the captains will be shot at.
Starfleet Design: You just said you have excess.

Jean-Luc has accented his uniform a few times:

In “Sins of the Father” he wore this Klingon cloak that appears to be designed to resemble a monk (or a Jedi) but with typically Klingon quilting. 

In the same episode he wore this puny human version of Worf’s ceremonial sash (while Worf is upgraded to a stole). 

It looks like the cord for a fancy drape but that fits the story. Picard respects Klingon culture and ceremony so he puts in the effort, but he also considers what goes on an injustice so it’s only a nod (and he’s not wearing his dress uniform). I do very much like that Worf wears his uniform as well. They are Starfleet at their core.

In “Yesterday’s Enterprise” Jean-Luc and crew get shiny belts so they can carry their phasers at all times. In this timeline Starfleet has been at war with the Klingons for years so I find it weird they have the exact same uniforms otherwise. Color-coding officers seems like a poor decision in war time (think of the scene in A Few Good Men, where Kaffee and Weinberg have to cover up their dress whites to avoid being shot at). But the reflective belts make sense with the darkened conditions on the ship.

Finally, in “Final Mission”, Jean-Luc and Wesley sport these amazing makeshift hats and equipment belts for their trek through the desert. Jean-Luc is a survivor.

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