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Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform T-Shirt

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Introducing our Star Trek Uniform T-Shirt, where style meets intergalactic adventure! Inspired by the iconic uniforms worn by the crew of the Starship Enterprise, this shirt is a must-have for any Star Trek enthusiast.

• Your new favorite tee is made from super smooth and comfortable cotton touch polyester jersey that won't fade after washing.
• Fit: Regular fit; item generally runs small.
• Made Of: 95% polyester, 5% elastane.
• Care: Machine wash cold inside out with like colors and tumble dry low.

Ordering Information

• Return Policy: We will gladly accept returns for any reason within 30 days of receipt of delivery.
• Shipping: Ship times are estimates of time in transit after your product leaves the fulfillment center. Some items in your order may ship separately to arrive faster.
• Availability: Ships internationally to most countries around the world.
• Shipping Policy: For more information, see our Shipping Policy .

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Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform T-Shirt

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Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform T-Shirt

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Star Trek: Picard Magnetic Delta Badge

This magnetic pin comes to you directly from the   Star Trek: Picard . It is a full-size delta. While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail this pin is not meant to be an exact prop replica. With a bright silver delta over a matte finish black nickel it measures 2 ¾" tall. Revised for screen accuracy this new version of the Picard Delta features a groove in the silver overlay. This magnet lets everyone know how much you enjoy Star Trek: Picard.

Product Details:

• Official Size and Scale!
• Double Clutch Magnetic Back
• Measures 2 ¾” tall
• Shipping Policy: For more information, see our Shipping Policy here .

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Badge

Star Trek: The Next Generation Delta This delta comes to you directly from Star Trek: The Next Generation.  It is a full-size delta that features a matte brushed metal finish.  The magnetic version has two horizontal magnets or clutches to hold it securely in place. While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail, this delta is not manufactured as a prop replica.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Throw Pillow

If you are in the command division on your starship, then you deserve some R&R every now and then! Inspired by the command uniform of crew members aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, the Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Pillow lets you relax in comfort while showing some pride for your division.

• Show off your favorite shows or characters with this vibrant throw pillow. You'll want to be able to display one of these in each comfortable spot in your house!
• Measures: 16” Wide x 16” Tall.
• Made Of: spun poly material with down alternative; blown and closed.
• Care: Spot Clean or Dry Clean Only.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform Adult Shorts

Planning a trip to Risa, Casperia Prime, or maybe Freecloud is more your vibe? Don't forget to pack these Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform Adult Shorts in your suitcase! Get ready to do some high tech science experiments aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 in these blue Star Trek: The Original Series Science Uniform Adult Shorts featuring the Science Badge! With mesh side pockets, water-repellant fabric, and elastic waistband, you can't go wrong rocking these amazing shorts on your next adventure.

• Made of: 91% recycled polyester, 9% spandex (fabric composition may vary by 3%)
• Four-way stretch moisture-wicking microfiber fabric
• Elastic waistband with a flat white drawstring
• Mesh side pockets

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Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Throw Pillow

The perfect accent pillow for Star Trek: Voyager fans and command division members alike, this Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Pillow instantly elevates your home decor. Featuring a design inspired by the command uniform of Voyager crew members, this Star Trek: Voyager pillow is a fun addition to your room, media room, dorm, and more.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

This Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket lets you relax in ultimate comfort after a long day of commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise. Featuring the iconic colors of the Star Trek: The Next Generation command uniform on the soft mink front and a cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek blanket is perfect to snuggle up in as you unwind during the evening.

• You'll never need another blanket! This blanket is the perfect addition to your home, it looks good and is a nice companion on cool nights.
• Made Of: 100% polyester.
• Care: Machine wash cold on gentle cycle with mild detergent and similar colors. Tumble dry low or lay flat to dry for longest life.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Throw Pillow

Give your starship quarters a noticeable upgrade with this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Pillow. Inspired by the iconic command uniform from Star Trek: The Original Series , this Star Trek accent pillow makes a great finishing touch to your home decor.

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Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

Whether you are unwinding after a long day aboard the U.S.S. Discovery or settling in for a Star Trek marathon, you will love snuggling up in this Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket. With a soft mink front inspired by the DISCO command uniforms and a cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek: Discovery blanket will become your favorite household accessory.

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Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Beach Towel

From pool days to beach vacation, this Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Beach Towel is a must-have accessory for DISCO fans. Inspired by the command uniforms within the DISCO series, this soft towel lets you lounge or dry off while showing your pride for the command division aboard the U.S.S. Discovery.

• Whether at the beach or pool you will use this beach towel as your favorite accessory all summer!
• Measures: 30"x60".
• Made Of: 100% Velour Terry Cotton.
• Care: Please wash before using towel. Pile and softness will return.

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Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Throw Pillow

Give your decor an out-of-this-world upgrade with this Star Trek: Discovery Command Uniform Pillow. Inspired by the command uniforms within the DISCO series, this Star Trek: Discovery pillow is perfect for command division members and Star Trek: Discovery fans alike.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Beach Towel

Make your next beach vacation the best one yet with this Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Beach Towel. Perfect for crew members in the command division, this soft Star Trek: The Next Generation beach towel keeps you dry while showing off your love for your team.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

Being in the command division takes a lot of skill, energy, and focus. That is why you will love relaxing in your quarters with this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket draped around your shoulders. With the colors of the Star Trek: The Original Series command uniform on the soft mink front and a cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek blanket is a must-have for all crewmembers aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Beach Towel

Just because you take a vacation from commanding the U.S.S. Enterprise doesn't mean you can't represent your division! Inspired by the command uniform of crew members aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Beach Towel will make your next beach vacation out of this world.

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Tote Bag

You can let everyone know your status in the command division by throwing this spacious Star Trek: The Next Generation Command Uniform Tote Bag over your shoulder. Featuring a design inspired by the iconic red command uniform, this Star Trek: The Next Generation tote bag will become any fan’s favorite accessory.

• Dimensions: Bag 15" x 15"
• Maximum weight limit: 44lb
• Handle length: 11.8".
• Made Of: 100% spun polyester fabric, Dual handles 100% natural cotton bull denim.
• Care: Handwash.

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Star Trek: Discovery Men's Copper Operations Uniform

Did you know that the Uniforms for Star Trek: Discovery were based on actual NASA uniforms? That is why they are so stylish. The Star Trek: Discovery Men's Copper Operations Uniform looks just like the one worn by Shazad Latif as Security Officer Lt. Ash Tayler in the series. The lined blue top features a copper Starfleet badge and additional copper accents.

PRODUCT DETAILS:

• Material: 100% Polyester
• Care: Hand Wash to preserve uniform
• Additional Information: Pants are not included.
• Availability: Ships to the United States and Puerto Rico.

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Starfleet 2256 Women's Jacket

Suit up for battle and prepare yourself to discover new dimensions in the Starfleet 2256 jacket. Heavy denim secured with sturdy topstitching enables this durable jacket to withstand conflicts with Klingons or tiffs with a Tardigrade. The signature angular style of the Starfleet uniforms returns with the stylish Star Trek: Discovery additions of long, geometric lines and shoulder line details. It's perfect for all your missions, whether it's a Black Alert aboard the Discovery or a routine landing party to the store. The sleek, blue color and the subtle details of stitching color and zipper allow you to flaunt your specialty under the radar. Pick gold for Command, silver for Sciences, copper for Operations, or stealthy black if you work in Section 31. See you on board!

• Badge backing pocket to hold magnet makes putting on and taking off the badge quick and stealthy
• Durable metal zipper matches the topstitching
• Heavy denim with a small amount of stretch
• Reinforced topstitching
• Asymmetrical zipper
• Snap tab collar can be worn closed or open
• Magnetic external pocket closure for maximum futuristic tech
• Internal pocket
• Made in the USA
• Comes with a certificate of authenticity
• Command Gold - Sailor with navy accents and gold thread, gold zipper
• Sciences Silver - Sailor with navy accents and silver thread, silver zipper
• Operations Copper - Sailor with navy accents and copper thread, copper zipper
• Section 31 - Black with black accents and black thread, charcoal zipper

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Starfleet 2364 Women's Jacket

Outfit yourself for missions through space and time with the Starfleet 2364. Constructed of heavy denim with rugged topstitching, the jacket is strong enough to last a Vulcan's lifetime. The signature angular style of the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms are transformed into streetwear: recognizable as TNG-inspired, practical, and wearable. It's perfect for all your voyages, great and small. Whether you don Command Red, Operations Gold, or Sciences Blue, you'll be ready to tackle journeys in the Enterprise D—or just around your neighborhood—in this sleek jacket. Live long and prosper! 🖖

• Heavy duty water and stain repellent denim
• Two snap closure external pockets
• Comes with a certificate of authenticity.
• Command Red - Red with black accents and red thread
• Operations Gold - Gold with black accents and gold thread
• Sciences Blue - Blue with black accents and blue thread

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Starfleet 2256 Men's Jacket

PRODUCT FEATURES

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Starfleet 2364 Men's Jacket

Outfit yourself for missions through space and time with the Starfleet 2364. Constructed of heavy denim with rugged topstitching, the jacket is strong enough to last a Vulcan's lifetime. The signature angular style of the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms are transformed into streetwear: recognizable as TNG-inspired, practical, and wearable. It's perfect for all your voyages, great and small. Whether you don Command Red, Operations Gold, or Sciences Blue, you'll be ready to tackle journeys in the Enterprise D—or just around your neighborhood—in this sleek jacket. Live long and prosper! 

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Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform Athletic Shorts

Planning a trip to Risa, Casperia Prime, or maybe Freecloud is more your vibe? Don't forget to pack these Star Trek: The Original Series Engineering Uniform Adult Shorts in your suitcase! Channel your inner Paul Stamets, Montgomery Scott or Georgi LaForge in these amazing red uniform shorts featuring the Engineering Badge! With mesh side pockets, water-repellant fabric, and elastic waistband, you can't go wrong rocking these amazing shorts on your next adventure.

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Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket

Even those in the command division need some R&R! With a soft mink front inspired by the command uniforms of the U.S.S. Voyager crew members, this comfy Star Trek: Voyager Command Uniform Sherpa Blanket is perfect to throw over your shoulders after a busy day. With a soft mink front and cozy sherpa back, this Star Trek: Voyager blanket is a must-have addition to your personal quarters.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Premium Tote Bag

Whether you are commanding a starship or heading to class, this Star Trek: The Original Series Command Uniform Tote Bag lets you store everything you need for the day in one secure place while showing off your command division status. Featuring the iconic yellow uniform and command division badge, this Star Trek: The Original Series tote bag is a must-have addition to your style.

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Star Trek: Discovery Women's Copper Operations Uniform

Look as stylish as Cadet Sylvia Tilly this Halloween when you put on the Star Trek: Discovery Women's Copper Operations Uniform. This lined blue shirt with copper accents is a replica of the style worn by Mary Wiseman as Cadet Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery. It features copper shoulder braids and a copper Starfleet emblem.

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Star Trek: Discovery Women's Gold Command Uniform

Step onto the bridge and take control this Halloween with the Star Trek: Discovery Women's Gold Command Uniform. Whether you are dressing up as Michael Burnham, the Shenzhou Captain Philippa Georgiou, or assuming command of your own spaceship, this uniform will let everyone know who is in charge.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Women's Deluxe Science Uniform

You'll look like you stepped off the Starship Enterprise when you wear this  Star Trek: The Original Series Women's Deluxe Science Uniform. This costume includes a form-fitting blue dress with a black collar shiny gold wrist bands and a replica Star Trek emblem pin. Look your best and impress Star Trek fans young and old in this officially licensed costume.

• 100% Polyester
• Embroidered Star Fleet emblem on front
• Metallic band around forearms

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Star Trek: The Original Series Women's Deluxe Command Uniform

You'll look like you stepped off the Starship Enterprise when you wear the  Star Trek: The Original Series  Women's Deluxe Command Uniform. This costume includes a gold, form fitting long sleeved mini dress with a black collar, shiny gold wrist bands, and a replica Star Trek emblem pin. Look your best and impress Star Trek fans young and old in this costume.

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Star Trek: The Original Series Deluxe Spock Uniform

Suit up for duty with this fresh Star Trek: The Original Series Deluxe Spock Uniform and you'll look and feel as good as new! Made of 100% polyester, this pullover shirt with a v-neck and raglan cut sleeves will keep you cool while you’re making the crucial decisions you never get credit for! It’s also got an embroidered Starfleet emblem and metallic ribbon sleeve stripes, because what’s the point of being out in space if you can’t have some seriously far-out, from the next galaxy type-a style? Live long and prosper, indeed!

• 100% polyester
• Pullover shirt has V-neck and raglan cut sleeves
• Embroidered Starfleet emblem and metallic ribbon sleeve stripes
• Original series style, finally available in our century!

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Star Trek: The Original Series Spock Dog Costume

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Star Trek: Discovery Science Women's Uniform (Silver)

Boldly go where no man has gone before, and look great while doing it with this Star Trek Discovery Science Uniform in silver. This blue top features an inner lining, a silver Starfleet emblem on the chest and additional silver accents ,  making it the perfect addition to your Star Trek cosplay costume . Pants are not included, only the jacket.

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Star Trek: Discovery Women's Command Uniform

Step onto the bridge and take control this Halloween with the Star Trek: Discovery Women's Command Uniform. Whether you are dressing up as Michael Burnham, the Shenzhou Captain Philippa Georgiou, or assuming command of your own spaceship, this uniform will let everyone know who's in charge. This Star Trek: Discovery outfit features the standard-issue navy blue uniform of all Federation crew members, as well as the gold trim that signifies command personnel. Includes a shirt with Starfleet insignia and zipper, a matching pair of pants, and boot tops.

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From TOS to Star Trek Beyond: The Evolution of Uniforms

From its humble – and somewhat precarious – beginnings in 1966, Star Trek’s place in science fiction has grown to epic proportions, unmatched by others in its genre (which, of course, is a bone of contention).

Arguments aside, there’s one constant element in Star Trek that we cannot do without: their wonderfully designed uniforms. I have to admit – there’s not much sexier than a person in uniform. Especially if they’re in Star Trek.

I’m not saying outlandish alien features and costumes don’t add to a story’s appeal, but Star Trek’s crew members – from TOS to Star Trek Beyond – hit the spot with their simple but “look at me” vibe.

So, how well do you know your Star Trek uniforms?

If your memory is a little hazy, let’s help you with that. Here is a Star Trek uniform guide which showcases the threads from The Original Series, The Motion Picture, The Next Generation, Generations, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, and the most recent movies.

Perfect timing for Star Trek Beyond, don’t you think?

Which uniforms do you like best?

Related: Which Star Trek Villain Are You?

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Published Mar 5, 2021

You Wear It Well: The Uniforms of Star Trek 

Turns out, "dress for the job you want, not the job you have," might still be a phrase heard in the 23rd Century and beyond!

StarTrek.com

The Delta Shield. The colors: red, gold and blue. The form-fitting jackets and often black trousers. Even the confining jumpsuits. Star Trek uniforms have a special place in pop culture, equal in renown maybe only by the jerseys and full kits of certain sports teams. Let’s take a look at some of the uniforms over the years and what messages they are sending to the galaxy.

Star Trek: Discovery — Of Terran Capes And Crowns with Gersha Phillips

Star Trek: The Original Series

The TOS uniforms are arguable the most recognized and iconic of uniforms in the canon. They are the blueprint for all other uniforms in Star Trek . While they carry some of the elements from the “The Cage” unaired pilot episode — tunic-like top, Section colors, black capri-length trousers and boots — the cut and fit of the garments are narrower, the colors much sharper and for the women, no pants. Looking back from our vantage point the uniforms feel more inspired by the 1960s' mod culture, or the era’s British rock bands, not what a fleet of earth-based space explorers would be wearing in the 23rd Century. However, the athleisure vibe of it all was as portentous to our time as the TOS-inspired technology and gadgets that we use on a daily basis. Comparing these uniforms from the garments of other space traveling cultures seen throughout TOS is where you can really see the youthfulness of Starfleet. While Romulans’ uniforms echo the turtleneck silhouette, knit fabric and ultra miniskirts of Starfleet, the rigid textures, exaggerated shoulders, and the addition of a scarf or half vest overlays connotes a sense of the authoritarian militaristic society. Comparing the two looks, without context, you wouldn’t be at fault for easily assuming that Starfleet was the newest team in a galactic travel league.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation was all about the jumpsuit, with a touch of individuality. The best examples of this is Lieutenant Worf’s beautiful Klingon military sash or baldric and Lt. Troi’s flowing dresses and jumpsuits. The Next Generation also famously changed command colors from gold to red, ending a fan favorite “red shirt” trope from TOS. You see other examples of Starfleet uniform styles on the flagship Enterprise , including skants and tunics. The men’s TNG dress uniforms could even be worn as dresses due to their somewhat elongated line. However, from a design and storytelling point of view, the jumpsuit's utility is matched with the artful graphic design which evolves easily into the dress uniform’s elegance and formality.

Into the #Starchive Featuring Captain Picard's Uniform

We can see Starfleet’s evolution of mission and the number of lightyears traveled in the precision of the TNG uniform. Interestingly, the need to continuously mirror the delta design — in the shoulders, sleeves, even in the transition from bodice to trousers both section colors, front and back — is like a monogram. For the many species Jean-Luc Picard and his crew will make First Contact with, this uniform conveys a simple message: We are Starfleet.

Star Trek: Enterprise

We cannot talk about jumpsuits without talking about Star Trek: Enterprise ! The uniforms on this series most closely represent what our beginnings of further flung space travel might look like. In fact, rather than trying to create something that feels brand new and “science fiction,” the Enterprise crew looks like a team from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The command colors are placed in a simple elegant line framing the shoulders ending, of course, in a point or delta shape. The jumpsuits have the wonderful addition of actual pockets, which actually makes you wonder where all the pockets have been all of this time. Hallelujah — there will be pockets in the future! The jumpsuits are reminiscent of a behind-the-scenes pit or union crew, workers who are laying the important foundation for the future. Yet, similar to workwear from the 20th Century, there is an elegance of how a non-gender specific garment function matches and enhances its form. A more advanced culture may be more fancily dressed, but no one can jump on a nacelle rigging faster than Charles “Trip” Tucker, III.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager

These series combine the streamlined look of the TNG jumpsuit with the function of Enterprise series jumpsuits — jackets, pockets, and pleated trousers. The colors: command red, operations gold, and sciences blue continue with the addition of a mock turtleneck undershirt in grey, which evolves later in a uniform variant where the section colors are the turtleneck and the upper bodice detailing is a quilted grey. Grey as a standard color for Starfleet uniforms appears in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and seen again in Star Trek: Discovery season 3, discussed below.

Into the #Starchive with Captain Janeway's OG Uniform

Deep Space Nine uniforms are particularly interesting in the way all clothes are, in relation to the places and people we associate these outfits with. What makes DS9 unique is the variety of dress everywhere on the starbase, from the Bajoran military uniforms with even more emphasis on the upper bodice and shoulders than Starfleet’s uniforms, to the regalia of the Bajoran monks.In the context of running a space station, Starfleet uniforms need to balance a message of both authority and hospitality. In a sea of colorful people and outfits on the space station’s promenade, the Starfeet uniforms’ relative dark color scheme is the easiest to recognize.

Star Trek: Discovery (Seasons 1-2)

At first glance the Discovery uniforms ignore all previous series. However, there are nods to past series that reveal themselves. While no longer jumpsuits, the jacket, and trouser-leggings of Discovery are blue and thus similar to the Enterprise series. As the series is set between Enterprise and TOS this for me, as a fan, a welcome nod. Most startling is the loss of the iconic red, gold and blue color scheme, it is seen nowhere unless you count the reddish-bronze for Operations. Out of all the series the Discovery uniforms are the most formal. Comparing them to other series, they in fact look like the uniforms of people who have been traveling throughout the galaxy for some time. The form-fitting suit with metal rather than rainbow colors seem to say, “We mean business.” Discovery leans into a militaristic style, more than with previous series. From the rigidity of the jacket to the stripes at the shoulder the uniform appears to, if not welcome , then at least expect conflict and war. The subtle pips on the delta shield could be interpreted to mean that while rank is important, the crew of the Discovery is a family — a band of brothers and sisters equally important and valuable as a captain or admiral. The biggest hint to where this series is going is the asymmetry introduced into Starfleet uniforms for the first time. The eschew collar which creates a delta shape in the front of the face (invoking TOS’ uniform) is closed by a bold metallic zipper that goes from the left of the neck to the center at the jacket bottom. These off-center details could be interpreted to mean that unexpected outcomes are coming!

Star Trek: Discovery (Season 3)

A conversation about Star Trek uniforms would be incomplete without some mention of Season 3’s far-flung future Federation uniforms. It’s not hard to see where these new uniforms took inspiration from other Trek series. In addition to the grey color seen most notably in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , the quilted-ridges at the top of the jacket mirrors that of Deep Space Nine ’s uniforms, and the asymmetry at the bottom of the jacket reminds us of Discovery ’s earlier uniforms. Season 3 even brings back the red, gold, and blue for command, operations, and sciences, this time in a bold sculptural color block down the right side of the jacket. Its appearance seems to state that knowing you and your colleagues’ place in the Federation and on your ship of duty is paramount for rebuilding. This is no time for subtlety. While this same meticulous design could also be overcompensation for the reduction of the Federation’s place, power, and purpose in the 32nd Century it could also be the Federation’s way of “dressing for the job you want (the premiere intergalactic union of planets), not the one you have.” And that’s a tip we can all take with us, to the board room or the Ready Room.

Designer Gersha Phillips Looks Back on Discovery Season 2 Costumes

Bio: Tereneh Idia (she/her) is a writer, fashion designer and fashion educator who has taught and designed in Pittsburgh, New York City, Nairobi, Kenya, Singapore and Bali, Indonesia. While missing out on Star Trek as a child, she expects the rest of her adult growing up to be inspired and entertained by Star Trek.

Star Trek: Discovery streams on Paramount+ in the United States, airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel and streams on Crave in Canada, and on Netflix in 190 countries.

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DS9/NEM-era Starfleet Uniforms

Updated DS9/NEM costume analyses and sewing tutorials are coming soon – hopefully later this year?

In the meantime, you can read my older DS9/NEM-era resources here:

ds9nemcaptainjacket.blogspot.com

Much of the information still holds true, but I’ll be heavily updating all those materials and migrating them to their new homes here on the STCG blog as soon as I’m able. 

If you enjoy those older resources and are looking forward to the updates, please support my costume research on Ko-Fi . 🙂

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Why Star Trek's Ever-Changing Uniforms Are More Than Just Style Choices

This post contains spoilers for the season finale of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds."

 The first-season finale of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," called "A Quality of Mercy," arrived on Paramount+ today, ending what may be the finest first season in "Star Trek" history (Trek shows all notoriously get off to rocky starts ). The final episode, rife with fan service, sees Captain Pike (Anson Mount) confronting his future self and visiting the "Original Series" era via a magical widget called a Klingon time crystal. Pike's future self — coming from a timeline where a great Romulan war is raging — offers present-day Pike an opportunity to visit a period seven years hence where he will have the opportunity to prevent said war from ever starting. As it so happens, that period is the original "Star Trek" episode "Balance of Terror" from 1966, only with Pike serving as captain instead of Kirk (It should be noted that "Strange New Worlds" takes place nearly a decade prior to the events of "Star Trek").

When Future Pike arrives to tell Present Pike about the possibility of a future timeline, he appears in a red nautical uniform with a pull-across breast flap, an over-the-shoulder clasp, and a small, white collar. This is the uniform first seen in " Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ," and which persisted throughout the following four Trek feature films. The uniform was a chronology-appropriate reference to the way Starfleet uniforms change over time, and was an instant indicator — in addition to Anson Mount's age make-up — of when exactly this new Pike was visiting from. 

The frequent rotating of uniforms

Sticklers for continuity — and all good Trekkies are likely sticklers for continuity — might point out that the frequent changes of uniform may not make a lot of sense for a military organization like Starfleet. Starfleet is frequently depicted as being devoted to order and fostering its crew's esprit de corps, and devotion to a certain orderly status quo is one of the tenets of the organization. 

It's jarring to a Trekkie's eye to see multiple kinds of uniforms occupying the same bridge at any given moment. In the original "Star Trek," the female officers wore miniskirt uniforms, a sexist trope that "Next Generation" tried to take the curse off of by depicting male officers wearing them as well. While the effort was appreciated, it was too little too late, and a universal uniform was eventually settled on. Especially jarring was the mixture of uniforms seen in the 1994 film "Star Trek: Generations" which featured several characters wearing the color-coded departmental uniforms as they appeared on " Next Generation ," but several others wearing the colored-shoulder-grey-turtleneck uniforms that first appeared on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Did "Generations" take place during a strange, brief transitionary period in Starfleet when either uniform was okay?

The changes in uniform, while perhaps the most logical thing in terms of continuity, do make sense from a dramatic perspective: A viewer will be able to tell at a single glance what era the characters are living in . Pike wearing a uniform from the classic movies immediately communicates to the uninitiated that he is from a time far away enough for the uniforms to have changed, and to the initiated that he is from close to 27 years in the future when "Wrath of Khan" takes place. 

Keeping it all straight

Ever since the debut of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" in 1993, it became acceptable for multiple "Star Trek" shows to run simultaneously. "Deep Space Nine" overlapped with "Star Trek: The Next Generation" for a time, and then shared " Star Trek: Voyager " airspace for multiple seasons. Since Trek is largely about Starfleet, military vessels, and people in uniform ("Star Trek" is, above all, a workplace show), all the characters in any series have to wear the same thing, especially if they take place in the same timeline the way NextGen, DS9, and "Voyager" did. However, in order to distinguish the three shows, the uniforms were slightly different. 

The NextGen uniforms were the standard, with the DS9 uniforms appearing to be assignment-based; perhaps deep space assignments warranted a new look. The USS Voyager took on that look, and DS9 changed to a uniform with grey shoulders and department-colored collars. The grey-shoulder look would also carry into future NextGen movies. "Voyager" kept the grey-neck look throughout its run, as they were 75 years away from home and couldn't get the orders to change outfits. 

With only the three active Trek shows/movie series running, the uniform shifts were easy to track. This has become more difficult in the Paramount+ era, when the franchise's timelines are splayed all over Trek continuity, and there are more shows than ever shows running simultaneously.

Seven at once

To establish something of a brief timeline of the newer Trek programs: the first two seasons of "Star Trek: Discovery" take place about a decade prior to "Star Trek." "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" takes place immediately after the second season of "Discovery." Meanwhile, " Star Trek: Lower Decks " takes place after the events of the 2002 movie "Star Trek: Nemesis," and characters from NextGen appear regularly. The first season of " Star Trek: Prodigy " takes place concurrently with the third season of "Lower Decks." " Star Trek: Picard " takes place about 18 years after "Prodigy." Then, just to muddy the waters further, the third and fourth seasons of "Discovery" take place in the distant 32nd century.

Now that no one is confused, let us move on. 

Looking over the above list, there would need to be seven distinct looks invented. One for each era of Starfleet, and for each notable ship (it's been established that some ships wear different uniforms than others, again presumably as a way to denote the nature of their assignments). The USS Discovery began with blue/silver jumpsuits and boots, and had to change into a new era's uniforms when arriving in the distant future. "Strange New Worlds" features a subtle update of the 1966 uniforms  (and even then, were updated slightly from their initial appearance on "Discovery"). The crew of the USS Cerritos on "Lower Decks" wear a NextGen-adjacent look, while the teens on the USS Protostar in "Prodigy" have something more akin to Pike's "Khan"-era uniform. "Star Trek: Picard" mostly takes place out of Starfleet's purview, so the uniforms aren't as common, giving the show its own unique, civilian look.

And none of this addresses formal uniforms, standard athletic uniforms, away mission jackets, medical uniforms, etc. etc. etc.

Across the centuries

The above breakdown of "Star Trek's" timeline reveals that Trek, unlike other sci-fi franchises, offers a very distinct, recorded history and chronology. "Star Wars" fashion, in contrast, seems to be weirdly stable over its generations, with only Stormtrooper outfits changing from time to time to denote the era. "Star Trek," in frequently rotating uniforms, creates not just visual variety between its multiple, concurrently-running shows, but a solid, visual timeline of Starfleet history. When Pike shows up in "Khan"-era uniforms, we know when that's from. Thanks to the NextGen episode "Tapestry," audiences know that those uniforms were in use at least until when Captain Picard was a young man. 

The uniforms are also often used to show that time is out of joint. When Kirk finds himself in a dark mirror universe , his outfit is immediately different. When Worf begins slipping between parallel dimensions, the communicators change. When an alternate future is shown in "Future Imperfect" or "All Good Things...," the uniforms serve as the instant indicator that reality has been rent asunder. Costume design is being used to communicate time, place, and mood. There is an efficient brilliance to that. 

Because of the sheer volume of current Trek, it can seem like Starfleet is playing a little fast and loose with their traditions of formality. But the frequent uniform redesigns serve both a story function as well as a taxonomic function, and can serve as guideposts in case the audience gets a little lost or overwhelmed. The uniforms will be the familiar things we can latch onto. 

Redesigning Starfleet’s Uniforms for Deep Space Nine

Rick Berman insisted on a new uniform for Deep Space Nine , rejecting budget-conscious overtures from Producer David Livingston, who had suggested using the same costumes as The Next Generation to save money.

It fell on Robert Blackman, who had been in charge of costume design since Season 3 of The Next Generation , to come up with uniforms that looked different enough to set the new show apart, but similar enough that the two could reasonably coexist in the same universe.

Blackman felt that, for a space station, the uniforms should be more utilitarian. The Next Generation ’s had a “very dignified and ennobling kind of appearance,” he told Cinefantastique in 1996, “with that vertical, perfectly done, military-esque kind of structure.”

Deep Space Nine ’s, by contrast, were “a cross between a NASA jumpsuit and a mechanic’s jumpsuit.” They were looser and they allowed characters to roll up their sleeves, something Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) would often do.

Blackman toyed with making the uniforms out of cotton twill, but chose wool after making some test suits. Cotton doesn’t dye as permanently. The colors would have fainted with repeated washings.

“Wool is actually a wonderful, breathable fabric,” he said.

They’re not lined very much. They have some structure built in, but not much. They’re soft-shouldered.

The result was a uniform that Blackman felt looked more real.

You and I could put on one of those suits and walk around. They’re still very handsome, but there’s great mobility and a lived-in reality to them.

Deep Space Nine Uniform

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The Deep Space Nine Uniform is the uniform style used primarily on the first five seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and all episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as well as Star Trek: Generations alongside the previous uniforms .

The DS9 Uniform was previously available as part of the Collector's Edition and Gold Edition .

List of parts [ | ]

Upper: Deep Space Nine

Badge: The Next Generation - Series

Badge: The Next Generation - Film

Loose - The Next Generation

Canon color guide [ | ]

Command Uniform

Sciences Uniform Standard

Operations Uniform

Sciences Uniform Variant

External links [ | ]

• Starfleet uniform (late 2360s-early 2370s) at Memory Alpha , the Star Trek Wiki.
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• 2 Playable starship

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Star trek generations: why only some uniforms changed to ds9's.

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Captain Sisko Wasn't The First Star Trek Character Who Loved Baseball

I forgot guinan had children on star trek: tng, why lucy gray wasn't a tribute option in hunger games: catching fire's quarter quell.

One of the strangest aspects of Star Trek Generations is why some crew members of the U.S.S Enterprise-D were wearing the standard Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms while others wore the newer Starfleet jumpsuits from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager . Even weirder was how Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and Lt. Commanders Data (Brent Spiner) and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) changed from the TNG uniforms to the DS9 gear during the film with no cause or explanation.

Released in 1994, Star Trek Generations marked the TNG cast's leap to the big screen. To make their first movie extra special,  Generations featured appearances by Star Trek: The Original Series legends Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), and Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig). The big draw was Picard and Kirk finally meeting and teaming up — which resulted in Kirk's death and the original Captain of the Enterprise getting written out of the franchise. Star Trek Generations was also an extremely busy and eventful movie: Worf (Michael Dorn) was promoted to Lieutenant Commander, Picard learned that his family in Le Barre, France died in a fire, Data activated his emotion chip and had to navigate having feelings for the first time, and the U.S.S. Enterprise-D was destroyed. But the curious case of Star Trek Generations ' changing uniforms is something many Trekkers are still confounded by 26 years later.

Related: Star Trek: Sisko Meeting Kirk Was Much Better Than Picard

When Star Trek: The Next Generation launched in 1987, the cast wore form-fitting, collarless, one-piece jumpsuits. At the start of TNG season 3, the costumes changed to the more popular duty uniforms, a two-piece ensemble with raised collars containing the pips denoting the Starfleet Officers' ranks. When Star Trek: Deep Space Nine debuted in 1992, that series' cast received distinctive jumpsuits, which reversed  TNG 's black shoulders with the Officers' division colors and featured a zippered front and a turtleneck. For Star Trek Generations , the producers decided to make some changes for the big screen: the TNG cast got new Starfleet insignias and brand new uniforms were ordered for the film, which were mostly identical to the TNG TV outfits, except the raised collars were now colored and the pips were moved to the right upper chest; however, just a few days into shooting the movie, the producers suddenly decided to scrap the new uniforms altogether. Star Trek Generations'  action figures are the only place the abandoned movie uniforms can be found.

The last-minute call to dump the new movie uniforms led to the decision for Star Trek Generations' cast to wear a mix of the DS9 and Star Trek: Voyager uniforms (the Kate Mulgrew-led spinoff was in preproduction during the TNG movie's shoot). Even though only some of the main cast would be able to wear new uniforms in Generations , this ostensibly fulfilled the producers' requirement to have "new uniforms" for the film. As a result, Stewart, Frakes, Spiner, and Burton borrowed costumes from the DS9 and Voyager wardrobe departments. However, since the uniforms on loan were fitted for DS9 stars Avery Brooks and Colm Meaney and Voyager cast members  Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang — not the TNG cast — it's noticeable throughout the film that the new uniforms don't quite fit.

And yet, no in-movie rationale was given as to why Picard, Data, Riker, La Forge, and some random background actors wore the DS9 -style jumpsuits while everyone else remained in their TNG uniforms and it makes viewing Star Trek Generations rather odd. This incongruity does, however, give Generations the distinction as the only Star Trek  movie mixing different TV series' uniforms on screen.

Starting with the next film, Star Trek: First Contact , the TNG cast finally got their new movie uniforms, which had blue-grey shoulders over colored turtlenecks — a look that was so popular, DS9 adopted it in season 5 and it became the standard Star Trek uniform for years after. But there are yet other uniforms in Generations : when the TNG crew first appears in their debut film, they're on the holodeck wearing 19th-century British naval uniforms. Amusingly,  Star Trek Generations wouldn't have been significantly weirder if Picard and his crew kept wearing those togs for the whole movie instead of switching back-and-forth between the TNG and DS9 uniforms.

Next: Star Trek: Data's Insurrection Role Sets Up Soji In Picard

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• Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine : “For The Uniform”/“In Purgatory's Shadow”

“For The Uniform” (season five, episode 13; originally aired 2/3/1997)

In which Sisko gets his man…

(Available on Netflix and Amazon .)

It’s hard to sell complexity in fiction. It’s hard to sell complexity anywhere, really, because the whole world is full of that shit and who wants to pay for more? But with stories, especially stories that seem to fall in the easily graspable confinement of genre, that uphill battle turns into more a straight up climb, one with few clear hand-holds, and a lot of distance to the bottom. Escapism is arguably the first, and easiest, goal of narrative: life sucks most of the time, so you give your audience a place they can go to where things make a basic kind of sense, where cause and effect holds sway, the bad guys suffer, the good guys win out. And if that doesn’t satisfy, maybe the good guys aren’t so great, and the bad guys are sympathetic; maybe you blur the lines. But the further that goes, the harder it is to pull off, partly because there are more moving pieces to account for, and partly because it’s unsettling to see heroes turn monstrous. Unless this was a stated intention from the beginning, it feels like a violation of some sort of promise. We’re supposed to be able to root for these people—if we can’t root for them, if the whole idea of “rooting” is called into question, what then?

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“For The Uniform” puts Sisko in an impossible position, and then proceeds to nudge him into making a seemingly unthinkable choice. It’s an odd fit for a Star Trek episode. Captains in the franchise have made tough calls in the past, but Sisko’s decision to play the villain in order to force Eddington’s hand feels distinct, a kind of bar-raising that is at once thrilling and more than a little disconcerting. The whole episode seems designed to push our comfort zones, especially when it comes to its leading man; Sisko is an angry man, but in the past, that anger has been directly proportional to the level of offense that inspired it. In this case, though, the balance is a bit off. Eddington’s actions deserve censure and justice, no question, but Sisko’s raging need to catch him goes beyond simple law and order. Something in what Eddington has done offends Sisko to his very core, and the story depends on how much you’re willing to accept the explanation for his fury. I think it works, but the episode’s climax depends on a kind of behavior that changes a lot of my assumptions about Sisko. It clarifies him in interesting ways, but those ways will only really work if the clarification lasts. This is the sort of twist which can pay off down the line, but if forgotten or ignored, looks cheap in retrospect; a shock without regard to consequence.

But before we get there, “For The Uniform” is often a very fun piece of work, in spite of all its sturm und drang. At its heart, the episode is a basic chase story, and it makes the smart choice of creating a seemingly uncatchable villain. I never thought much about Eddington while he was a Federation officer—given the nature of the show, I suspected him vaguely, but never had any serious expectations until his sudden betrayal of our heroes. But while we may never see the character again, this hour gives Ken Marshall plenty of opportunities to show why turning traitor was the best choice the writers could’ve made for his character. Regardless of why it happened, outlaw Eddington makes for a terrific opponent, and Marshall’s clipped, calm delivery makes the character’s various taunts throughout the episode all the more infuriating. It’s not hard to understand at least some of Sisko’s anger. If I had to deal with that smug, condescending bastard mocking me at every turn, I’d be pissed off too. (I mean, the dude emails him a copy of Les Misérables , and then takes the time to explain the incredibly obvious reference. Goddamn rebel hipster lit critics.)

Another reason the episode is a pleasure to watch is the effort the writers take to put Sisko at a disadvantage. During a chase sequence at the start of the hour, Eddington sets off a “cascade virus” (no idea if this is real or not, but as technobabble goes, that’s top-shelf material; the phrase is at once poetic and suggestive of collapse) in the Defiant ’s computers that wipes the ship’s memory banks, effectively setting them back weeks of repair time. Given how long Eddington was on Deep Space Nine before revealing himself, he had plenty of opportunities to install viruses and other forms of sabotage into the station’s systems. Odo finds at least two viruses lurking in the system already, and he was only able to recognize those because they matched the virus on the Defiant . So, Eddington thinks ahead, which raises the stakes; but what’s also neat is how, when Sisko ultimately decides to take the Defiant back out on the chase before the ship is completely repaired, the show finds a way to make space travel look challenging again. That’s not something you see a lot on Trek , and since part of the appeal of the franchise is fabulous future technology, that’s not a flaw. But it’s still nice to, every once in a while, remind us of the machinery and effort it takes to fly between the stars. (The earlier episode with Jake and Sisko flying an old Bajoran designed craft did a good job with this; some of the battle scenes in “For The Uniform” also reminded me of Star Trek II: Wrath Of Khan .)

Eddington’s lingering effect on DS9 serves another purpose as well: It gets to the heart of what’s driving Sisko out of his mind. In a great scene between him and Dax, he rants to her about what’s really getting to him: Eddington is human. Not a Changeling, not some Cardassian spy, not some super genius alien, but a regular old person, a person who worked with him in plain sight for months on end, and of whom Sisko never suspected a thing. That’s what really galls. He’s mad because Eddington has betrayed Starfleet, and pulled a fast one on Sisko himself, but what sticks in the deepest is the way the anonymous, friendly balding man has forced the captain to question his ability to do his job. This is personal when it shouldn’t be personal, and that depth of frustration colors everything Sisko does, and makes his decision to poison a Maquis planet all the more difficult to parse. He crossed a line, but was his action necessary? Eddington wasn’t showing any signs of backing down, and the poison idea came from him; he was using biogenic weapons to poison Cardassian-settled planets in the D.M.Z. with material that would make them uninhabitable for the Cardassians. Capturing him was a high priority, especially after he was able to gut the Malinche .

And yet, there’s a line. There has to be a difference between Sisko and Eddington; it’s right there in the episode’s title. Acting on behalf of Starfleet, doing something “for the uniform” means protecting the honor of an institution that deserves defending, and Sisko’s willingness to cross the line, to embrace Eddington’s concept of their conflict, is both intensely clever, and hard to reconcile. The captain realizes that, if he’s Javert, then Eddington must see himself as Valjean, the noble hero who gives his entire life to the protection and well-being of others. Anyone with that kind of strong, idealized self-image is vulnerable to attack, and Sisko decides on the weak point: By giving in to his obsession, he forces Eddington into a position where it’s either sacrifice himself and save the rest of the colonies, or watch the people he’s given up everything to protect lose their last remaining sanctuary.

It’s a bold move on Sisko’s part, even though the episode makes an effort to minimize the damage. The torpedoes he fires don’t directly kill anyone; they just make the planets unlivable for Bajoran settlers. After the dust clears, the Cardassians who were evicted from their home by Eddington take over the planet Sisko forced the Maquis to abandon, and vice versa. So no harm done, and I do respect the show’s willingness to follow through on Sisko’s intensity without overtly condemning him for his behavior; as with Kira’s time in the resistance, we’re left to judge for ourselves if Sisko’s actions were appropriate. His decision to embrace his inner villain presages, in a small way, the current run of TV antiheroes, and the attraction of characters that make strong decisions, morality be damned. But lingering doubts remain. For one, it’s strange to end the hour with Eddington still able to cling to his delusions of heroism. For all Sisko’s determination to make the other man pay, Eddington’s self-esteem is intact. And even though Sisko’s actions weren’t exactly evil, something is lost in making them. Some small piece of integrity. Maybe that’s the point, though. You fight so long against an enemy you never see, something has to give eventually.

Stray observations:

• I love the “holographic communicator” that O’Brien just happened to rig up before the episode. From a practical standpoint, it allows Sisko and Eddington more face time; without it, they’d be restricted to the cold open, and a lot of bickering through the view screen. But I also like the idea of Trek technology that’s really just useful because it looks cool.
• Nog relays messages to engineering when the Defiant sets out post-virus. I was expecting some jokes about Nog being irritatingly enthusiastic, but there aren’t any, which is cool. (Although he does yell loudly.)
• Dax is totally accepting of Sisko’s decision, which makes sense. Their last conversation (“You know, sometimes I like it when the bad guys wins.”) lets him off too easily, though. Again, it depends on whether or not the writers return to this particular well. Once Sisko decided to play baddie, capturing Eddington was almost ridiculously easy. The temptation to pull the same kind of trick again will be all the higher when the next crisis arrives.

“In Purgatory’s Shadow” (season five, episode 14; originally aired 2/10/1997)

In which BASHIR IS A CHANGELING…

(Available on  Netflix  and  Amazon .)

There’s a lot to talk about in this episode, but let’s get this out of the way first: How long has Bashir been a Changeling?

This season hasn’t really had a Bashir-centric storyline. Looking over the run to this point, I’d have a hard time believing the Bashir we saw in “Trials And Tribble-ations” wasn’t the real thing; a Changeling would have a hard time keeping up the O’Brien/Bashir chemistry. I doubt the Bashir who broke up with Leeta (or whom Leeta broke up with, or who mutually agreed to end a relationship with etc.) was a phony, and the Bashir of “Things Past” was too invested in Odo and the others’ fate to not be himself. But I can’t be sure about that one, and after that point, all bets are off. Maybe the writers have confirmed one way or the other, but there’s a brilliant creepiness to Julian popping out at the Jem’Hadar internment camp without any significant setup or foreshadowing. Sure, the fake Bashir had been acting a little sharper than usual back on the station. While the Changeling’s ability to see through Garak’s lie wasn’t surprising, his clear, smug pleasure at catching the Cardassian wasn’t like the doctor we’ve come to know and love; and there was a certain arrogance to the way he carried himself, a certain “God, you idiots are so easy to fool” subtext under his few lines. But this is all in retrospect. At the time, the reveal that the station’s Bashir wasn’t the real thing blew my freakin’ mind.

But back up a bit, because “In Purgatory’s Shadow” isn’t really about Bashir. After a few weeks of character dalliances, time travel, and vacation spots, this episode returns us to what’s presumably the season’s over-arcing plotline: the incipient war with the Dominion. And where earlier stories about the buildup to the war have contented themselves with conspiracy theory and suggestion, this one dives straight in. By the end of the hour, Garak, Worf, and Bashir are trapped in Internment Camp 317; the fake Bashir has managed to short circuit DS9’s one hope at closing off the wormhole; and Sisko and the others are staring at a fleet of Jem’Hadar warships. As cliffhangers go, this is pretty swell. Not Locutus of the Borg level, maybe, but the Dominion threat is a more integral part of DS9 ’s design than the Borg ever were in Star Trek: The Next Generation . This plays like the start of a long awaited pay-off, and even if it isn’t, even if the writers find someway to walk this back (and they’ll have to find something, as we’re barely past the season’s midpoint), the status quo has been changed. The Founders have once again demonstrated their intent and raised the stakes of the entire series.

This is a two-parter, though, and as is so often the case with two-parters, the first half is less a story in its own right than a bunch of scenes setting up part two. Compare/contrast this with “For The Uniform.” In the former, we spend most of the hour onboard the Defiant; the focus is on Sisko, and his hunt, and there’s very little in the script that doesn’t involve him or reflect back on him. In “In Purgatory’s Shadow,” there’s an adorable cold open with Kira helping Odo resettle his Changeling furniture; then we find out about a Cardassian code signal from the Gamma Quadrant; then Garak interprets it, lies, tries to go off by himself, gets caught; Sisko decides to let Garak go after the signal anyway, but only if Worf goes with him; aaaaaand 20 minutes later, they leave.

Well, maybe not 20 minutes. I didn’t have a stop-watch. But it takes half a dozen scenes before Worf and Garak are on that shuttle together, and it takes a few scenes after that before they get picked up by the Jem’Hadar. Most of these scenes are solid enough, character-building exchanges that remind us of/work to establish relationships, but they don’t move the plot forward much, and there’s a kind of drag to the first half of the episode that can be a little frustrating at times. Garak and Ziyal’s friendship (which may be something more) is interesting, and Gul Dukat’s anger at discovering that friendship could lead somewhere, but it doesn’t tie into what we really care about. The fact that Ziyal ultimately turns on her father, and disobeys his order to leave the station, is moderately satisfying (it’s always fun to see someone say no to Dukat), but given everything else that’s going on, it’s a small blip on the corner of a very busy radar a screen.

Then again, it’s hard to really say how any of this fits together before we get to next week’s second half. I doubt Worf and Dax’s exchange about goodbyes and Klingon opera is going to matter all that much, but it was a decent conversation between the two of them that made their relationship seem not completely horrible, so there’s that. One relationship that does pay off in this episode is one that I’d long thought closed for good: Garak and Enabran Tain. After Tain’s disappearance in “The Die Is Cast,” it seemed plausible enough that the former head of the Obsidian Order was dead, victim to his own hubris and inability to recognize the true nature of the Dominion threat. This assumption was neither confirmed nor denied when Garak asked for information from the female Changeling; she told him Tain was dead, but by her logic, all Cardassians were dead. They just hadn’t realized it yet. The transmission Garak translates at the start of the story is supposedly a message from Tain, but that could mean anything. The Founders are tricksome, and when Worf and Garak stumble across the Jem’Hadar fleet, it looks like they’ve fallen into another trap.

Garak and Worf haven’t hurt the Dominion invasion in any substantial way, but their discovery of the threat wasn’t planned. Tain really did send the message, and he’s trapped in the same Internment Camp that Garak and Worf are sent to. I’ll allow it, although it’s convenient—especially considering that General Martok is there to, getting beat up by Jem’Hadar soldiers. (Sorry, that was redundant.) But it’s worth the convenience to see Garak struggle once more with failing to live up to the expectations of his former boss; after all, it’s doubtful Tain sent a message purely for the pleasure of the tailor’s company, and Worf and Garak don’t seem to be doing so great on the “rescue” front. It’s hilarious to watch Garak complaining to Bashir about Tain’s attitude, given that Tain is dying, and Bashir has been stuck in hell for a month now. And then the final reveal, as Tain slips away: He’s Garak’s father. Their connection always made sense, but now it just clicks into place a little clearer, just as Garak himself comes a trifle more into focus.

Really, that's the main non-plot effect of the episode: bringing things into focus. It’s a reminder of the complacency of the past few weeks, as our heroes have struggled with their own personal demons while forgetting the big hulking threat still lurking the next galaxy over. That’s how the show tells its stories, but that’s also how life tends to work: The darkness on the horizon is terrifying, but without form, the terror fades away, turns into acceptance. The Changelings want everyone dead, but hey, there’s a station to run, debts to be repaid, lives to lead. We’re only really as a capable as the immediate crisis demands of us. Everything else is just background.

“In Purgatory’s Shadow” is mostly about setting the table for the meal to come, but it offers up some quality silverware, and the smells coming from the kitchen have my mouth watering. (Yeah, that metaphor isn’t great, but it was one of those “I’m in this now, and I’m going to keep being in this until we get through it together” moments.) The sight of the fleet coming through the wormhole as Sisko’s last ditch attempt to stop them fails is shocking enough, but the more intimate questions are the ones that attract the most interest. Like, is someone on the station going to figure out who Bashir is before it’s too late? (Or too late-er, I guess.) And what will the Changelings make of the fact that Odo got his mojo back? What’s Sisko going to do next? And back in the Internment Camp, how are Garak, Worf, Mortak, and Bashir going to escape? That last has me especially excited, because I’m a sucker for great escape stories, and also because Garak now has a very specific reason to hate the Changelings. He once tried to murder their entire race. That probably isn’t an option right now, but he’s not someone you want for an enemy. There are plenty of ways of changing your shape. Also, Worf is, really good at punching things. That should probably come in handy.

• Odo has self-help books on dating. That is adorable.
• Gul Dukat: still an asshole.
• “At the first sign of betrayal, I will kill him, but I promise to bring the body back intact.” “I assume that’s a joke.” “We will see.”—Worf can do funny.
• Man, that scene with Worf and Garak in the shuttle is just the definition of time-killing. It’s not terrible, and I guess it’s entertaining to watch Garak screw with the easily trusting Worf, but after all the talk that precedes it, it’s hard not wish they’d gotten to the fireworks factory a few minutes earlier.
• “I should have killed your mother before you were born.”—Tain, not big on fatherly love. (That said, his anecdote about meeting Garak when Garak was just a boy is surprisingly emotional.)

Next week: The saga continues with “By Inferno’s Light,” and Bashir learns some tough truths in “Doctor Bashir, I Presume?”

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

For the Uniform

• Episode aired Feb 3, 1997

When the traitorous Eddington returns, Sisko will go to any lengths to capture him. When the traitorous Eddington returns, Sisko will go to any lengths to capture him. When the traitorous Eddington returns, Sisko will go to any lengths to capture him.

• Victor Lobl
• Gene Roddenberry
• Rick Berman
• Michael Piller
• Avery Brooks
• Rene Auberjonois
• Michael Dorn
• 15 User reviews
• 4 Critic reviews

• Captain Benjamin 'Ben' Sisko

• Constable Odo

• Lt. Cmdr. Worf

• Lt. Cmdr. Jadzia Dax

• (credit only)

• Chief Miles O'Brien

• Doctor Julian Bashir

• Major Kira Nerys

• Michael Eddington
• (as Kenneth Marshall)

• Captain Sanders

• SF Cmd Lieutenant jg
• (uncredited)
• Maquis Child
• Starfleet Ops Lieutenant

• Dopterian waiter
• Bajoran Ops Officer
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia First use of the holo-communicator.
• Goofs Dax orders the Defiant to preform a half roll. From the external view Defiant rolls about 70 degrees, less than 1/4 roll.

[Sisko is trying to arrest a former Security officer turned traitor]

Odo : Sir, have you ever reminded Starfleet Command that they stationed Eddington here because they didn't trust me?

Sisko : No.

Odo : Please do.

• Connections Referenced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Blaze of Glory (1997)
• Soundtracks Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Main Title (uncredited) Written by Dennis McCarthy Performed by Dennis McCarthy

User reviews 15

• Aug 7, 2019
• February 3, 1997 (United States)
• United States
• Official Site
• Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Paramount Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 46 minutes

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Starfleet uniform (2350s-2370s)

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Starfleet uniforms (2364)

Starfleet uniforms (2369), with optional tricorder and phaser holsters , and armbands

In the early 2350s , the Starfleet uniform was completely redesigned. Closer in appearance to those in service during the late 2260s , the new Starfleet uniform spawned several variants, most notably in 2366 , and inspired versions yet to come.

The next major redesign came in the late 2360s , and was used in conjunction with this design for a few years before both styles were completely phased out.

• 1.1.1 Skant
• 1.2 Transitional versions
• 1.3.1 Captain's variant
• 1.3.2 Maternity uniform
• 1.3.3 Uniform undershirt
• 4.1 Lab coat
• 4.2 Medical skant
• 5 Utility uniform
• 6 Covert ops attire
• 7 Cadet uniform
• 8 Provisional uniform
• 9 Other uniform features
• 10 Rank insignia
• 11.1 Background information
• 11.2 Appearances
• 11.3 External links

Standard duty uniform [ ]

Command red

Operations gold; note that male and female styles are identical

Sciences blue, open

Introduced as early as 2353 , the standard Starfleet duty uniform in use aboard Starfleet starships , at starbases , and at Starfleet Headquarters on Earth , consisted of form-fitting jumpsuits, primarily black but prominently displaying the wearers' division of service. ( TNG : " Suddenly Human ", " Encounter at Farpoint ")

As with earlier Starfleet uniforms, the divisions were distinguished by color, with red for command , gold for operations , and blue for sciences , but switching the command and operations division colors from the earlier uniform designs , while the science division color stayed the same, with the colors shown on the chest, back and sleeves, as well as in piping along the shoulders, collar, and pant cuffs.

Worn with a Starfleet insignia combadge on the left breast, this uniform also displayed rank insignia – in the form of round pips – below the collar on the right side.

Closing at the front, the Starfleet uniform was adaptable for away team missions, including areas to attach phasers , tricorders or other equipment. While most officers wore the single-piece duty uniform, variants were available, such as the "skant" and medical skant versions.

While an updated version of this uniform was introduced in 2366, the 2350s variation remained in service, usually for lower-ranking personnel. This 2350s uniform disappeared from common use between 2367 and 2370. ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " The Child ", " Shades of Gray ", " Suddenly Human ", " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II ", " Violations ", " All Good Things... "; ENT : " These Are the Voyages... ")

A similar uniform design was in use by the Starfleet of the alternate reality by 2379 . ( DIS : " Terra Firma, Part 1 ")

Introduced alongside the standard duty uniform jumpsuit, a skirt or " skant "-style uniform was also available to Starfleet officers as early as 2364 . Similar to its jumpsuit counterpart, the skant uniform was a short-sleeved dress that could be worn with or without trousers, and included knee high, or shorter, black boots.

It was worn by all genders – though men tended to wear the shorter boots – until it was phased out of service in early 2365 . ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " The Child ", " All Good Things... ") In 2381, Ensign Mariner asserted that "nobody wears those anymore," in response to Ensign Boimler 's suggestion that they wear skants to the Command Conference held at Starbase 25 . ( LD : " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers ")

Transitional versions [ ]

A transitional version, between the Type A and Type B, of the uniform, introduced in early 2366, was designed with two vertical seams down the front of the jacket and dart seams in the underarm areas to create a more tailored look. The male design lacked the waistband found in the final Type B jacket revision. ( TNG : " The Survivors ") The uniforms were gradually phased out over a few months. ( TNG : " The Price ")

In 2366, one junior officer wore an unusual hybrid of the two primary uniform designs: a Type A one-piece uniform with division-colored shoulder and ankle piping, but featuring the Type B collar with neckline piping. ( TNG : " Sarek ")

Beginning in 2366, a new uniform variation was introduced to officers serving in Starfleet.

Retaining the same, distinct two-tone style as before, the newer version featured a higher, more formal collar. Division color piping was relocated from the yoke to the top of the collar, leaving a flat black look. The combadge remained on the left breast. Division colors were retained, with wine-red for command/helm, mustard-yellow for operations/security, and teal-blue for science/medical. Uniforms also came with a division color undershirt beneath the uniform jacket that was tucked into the pants just below the breast. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

This alteration to the standard duty uniform was introduced to senior officers only at first, but was ultimately trickled down to lower-ranking crewmembers by 2368 . Still, while all officers aboard starships wore the same basic uniform, senior officers and department heads generally wore the belted version while other crew members wore the tighter, non-belted versions.

Officers continued to wear this style uniform, even after the introduction of the next uniform redesign , which at first was used only aboard starbases. Still, while the two uniforms were worn in service together (giving officers aboard ship a greater choice of wardrobe), the more formal duty uniform fell out of use aboard starships by 2371 . It continued to see use by officers serving at Starfleet Command on Earth or in other diplomatic service as late as 2374 . ( TNG : " Evolution "; DS9 : " Tears of the Prophets "; VOY : " Caretaker ")

Captain's variant [ ]

The captain's variant

In 2368, Starfleet had a uniform variant jacket made available to commanding officers in service aboard starships. ( TNG : " Darmok ", " Unification I ", " Cause And Effect ", " A Fistful of Datas ")

Maternity uniform [ ]

A maternity uniform in 2370

This appears to be a looser-fitting uniform designed to better accommodate the growth of a crew member while pregnant. ( TNG : " All Good Things... ")

Uniform undershirt [ ]

Ro Laren wearing the Type B undershirt

The Type B uniform had a sleeveless undershirt in the wearer's division color, worn beneath the uniform jacket and tucked into the uniform pants just below the breast. ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ")

Flag officer uniform [ ]

Flag officer uniform, pre-2358

Sometime before 2358 , this uniform was available to Starfleet flag officers .

This uniform consisted of a double-breasted jacket that could presumably be opened like the jacket of the previous style , along with a featureless black belt, pants, and boots. The jacket opening was trimmed in gold, as were the black shoulders and large black cuffs. Gold trim also ran down the back in the same manner that black piping had ran down the back of the previous uniform style. Rank insignia was worn on the right shoulder just above the trim halfway between the jacket opening and the center of the collar, as well as on the cuffs. ( VOY : " Coda ")

Admiral Savar in 2364

This uniform variant, available to Starfleet admirals and other higher-ranking flag officers as early as 2364, featured a design distinguishing it from the standard duty uniform.

Consisting of a short, burgundy and black tunic, with black trousers, this uniform featured gold braid at the yoke, shoulders and collar. It was also marked by a distinct wedge of black material extending from the right shoulder down to the left waist. ( TNG : " Too Short A Season ", " Coming of Age ", " Conspiracy ")

Vice Admiral Nakamura in 2365

As early as 2365, another admiral's service uniform was available. Consisting of a short tunic top, with gold braid and yoke piping, the uniform was worn with black trousers.

The uniform rank insignia was displayed as a box-shaped insignia with pips inside, on either side of a high collar. ( TNG : " The Emissary ", " The Measure Of A Man ")

The post-2366 flag officer's uniform

With the alteration of the standard duty uniform in 2366, a new wave of uniforms for flag officers and admirals came into service.

This alteration featured a long service jacket and trousers. Similar to the standard duty jacket, the flag officer's uniform was marked by a V-shaped black cutout, trimmed in gold.

The rank insignia were enclosed pips worn on either side of the uniform collar, as well as displayed on both sleeves with four widely spaced, thin gold braid stripes ending at the cuff. ( TNG : " The Defector ", " Man Of The People ")

In 2369 , a new flag officer's uniform was introduced. Retaining the familiar long jacket and trousers, this newer version was simpler, abandoning the distinctive black wedge cutout from the previous design for a gold-trimmed closure running down the front of the uniform. The sleeves of the uniform were also modified, now bearing the rank insignia within a wide, black cuff.

This version was ultimately retired from service in the year 2374 in favor of yet another design . ( TNG : " Realm Of Fear "; DS9 : " Behind the Lines ")

Dress uniform [ ]

In the early 2360s, Starfleet personnel were issued a standard dress uniform that had a long wraparound tunic top worn with black leggings. An officer's standard rank insignia were not worn; instead, a band of gold braid ran the entire length of the jacket closure. ( TNG : " Lonely Among Us ", " Coming of Age ")

An admiral's version of this uniform also existed, which was worn in the same style, save for the gold braid, which was much thicker. Q once wore this uniform during his second encounter with the crew of the USS Enterprise -D . ( TNG : " Hide And Q ")

Introduced in 2365, this version of the dress uniform introduced rank insignia to the right shoulder and swapped the single gold braid for two narrower braids running parallel to each other (one gold, one silver), which together were the same thickness as the original. The gold braids also no longer extended below the black material that covered the shoulders from the yoke upwards. By 2366, the leggings had given way to a more standard black pants and boots. ( TNG : " Manhunt ", " Sarek "; LD : " Reflections ")

Picard in his dress uniform in 2368

In 2367, the dress uniform was again modified, this time removing several inches of material at the bottom, bringing the bottom of the jacket to mid-thigh just below the hands. A small section of the gold trim that ran vertical from the end of the top opening to the yoke was also removed, leaving only the trim above the rank insignia that ran around the collar. ( TNG : " Data's Day ", " Qpid ", " Cost Of Living ", " The Perfect Mate ", " Chain Of Command, Part I ")

By 2370, the dress uniform jacket had again been shortened, this time just removing enough material to bring the bottom to the hands, just below the waist. This uniform style was used by Starfleet until its retirement in 2374, though officers aboard the USS Voyager used it throughout their mission in the Delta Quadrant ending in 2378 . ( TNG : " Liaisons ", " Sub Rosa "; DS9 : " The Adversary ", " Crossfire "; VOY : " Course: Oblivion ", " Someone to Watch Over Me ", " Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy ", " One Small Step ", " Ashes to Ashes ")

Medical attire [ ]

Lab coat [ ].

Dr. Crusher in her lab coat

Starfleet medical personnel generally wore standard duty uniforms. In some situations, officers like Chief Medical Officer Beverly Crusher of the starship USS Enterprise -D wore medical lab coats over their sciences division uniform. ( TNG : " Evolution ").

Medical skant [ ]

A variant of the Type A standard duty uniform available to medical personnel. This uniform featured a tunic with a cut similar to that of the Skant style uniform, but apart from black shoulders, was completely medical-division blue. This tunic was worn untucked over separate black trousers, and standard duty boots. The initial design of this uniform featured two front pockets and a raised band in the midsection; these elements were later eliminated from the uniform. ( TNG : " The Child ", " Where Silence Has Lease ")

CMO Dr. Katherine Pulaski appeared to prefer this uniform to the Type A duty jumpsuit. ( Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2 )

Dr. Pulaski operating in surgical scrubs

During surgical sessions, scrubs were provided to doctors, consisting of burgundy-colored gowns and caps. Medical personnel also wore rubber-like surgical gloves during more intensive medical procedures and surgeries. ( TNG : " Samaritan Snare ", " Ethics "; DS9 : " Life Support ", " Profit and Lace ", " Tears of the Prophets ")

Utility uniform [ ]

The mid- 24th century uniform issue included a utility jumpsuit for technical personnel. The jumpsuit, in the three standard department colors, was worn over a black, long sleeve mock turtleneck, although some versions had a short black collar built in, and was worn with black boots. Another variation had division-color boots and black sleeves. Personnel wearing utility jumpsuits were sometimes issued combadges. ( TNG : " The Naked Now ", " Where No One Has Gone Before ", " The Big Goodbye ", " Datalore ", " 11001001 ", " Home Soil ", " Coming of Age ", " Heart of Glory ", " Symbiosis ", " Skin Of Evil ", " Conspiracy ", " The Neutral Zone ", " The Child ", " Where Silence Has Lease ", " Contagion ", " Peak Performance ", " Galaxy's Child ", " The Nth Degree ", " Schisms ", " Eye of the Beholder ")

Covert ops attire [ ]

Beverly Crusher and Worf in covert ops uniforms

In certain instances of covert operations or espionage , Starfleet officers were afforded specific attire to aid in the completion of their mission.

As early as 2369, some officers wore a black, tight-fitting jumpsuit uniform, not marked with an insignia or any kind of outwardly identifying marks. Distinguished by an optional jumpsuit hood and black boots, this uniform was sometimes worn with a backpack and technical gear for grappelling or other physically daunting tasks. ( TNG : " Chain Of Command, Part I ", " Frame of Mind ")

Cadet uniform [ ]

During the late 2360s, cadets at Starfleet Academy wore distinct duty uniforms consisting of a black, two-piece jumpsuit with division-colored shoulders, which is a reversal of the Starfleet duty uniform colors, resembling the next uniform design .

Originally, the cadet uniform maintained the low collar of the original uniform design, trimmed in black, and had no rank insignia. Two years later, the cadet uniform featured a high collar, with rank (or student year) insignia being added shortly thereafter. Both versions of the cadet uniform bore several large pockets running down the trousers. ( TNG : " Allegiance ", " The Game ", " The First Duty ", " Journey's End ")

This uniform was in use aboard Terrasphere 8 , Species 8472 's recreation of Starfleet Headquarters and the Academy in San Francisco , in 2375 alongside the next version of the standard duty uniform . ( VOY : " In the Flesh ")

Provisional uniform [ ]

The provisional uniform was worn by crewmen such as acting ensigns . There have been two variations of this uniform; the first had a light blue turtleneck tunic with navy blue shoulders and collar bordered with the colors of all three divisions. The blue division stripe crossed over the others to form an upward-pointing arrow on the left shoulder, while the red division stripe crossed under to point down. The uniform's navy blue pants matched the shoulders. The second variation was a heathered battleship grey turtleneck with matching trousers and dark charcoal gray ribbed shoulders and collar.

The first variation was worn with no combadge; the second worn with an entirely silver-colored combadge.

Other uniform features [ ]

Some officers wore alternate uniforms at times. Deanna Troi often wore casual clothing while on duty. Other officers, such as Worf, were allowed to wear accessories relating to their culture with their uniforms, but this was at the discretion of the captain. Bajoran officer Ensign Ro Laren was allowed to retain her culture's traditional earring, despite the reservations of some of her fellow officers ( TNG : " Ensign Ro ", " Chain Of Command, Part I "), and once wore a headband the same color as her division. ( TNG : " The Next Phase ") Benzite officer Mendon, participating in the Officer Exchange Program wore a uniform variant with a higher collar. It is unknown if this was in some way related to the breathing apparatus attached to his chest.

Rank insignia [ ]

The rank insignia were simplified from complex symbols from the previous uniform to small circular pips . These pips were colored either gold or black, to signify full or partial rank, respectively.

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

Gene Roddenberry reviews a preliminary TNG uniform design

Studying the final uniforms

Robert Blackman examines the original uniform design

The Starfleet uniforms worn during The Original Series were designed by William Ware Theiss , who returned to design the Star Trek: The Next Generation uniforms (which were further adapted into future versions in DS9 , VOY and the TNG -era films by Robert Blackman ).

It is possible that the the command and operations division colors from The Original Series (gold and red, respectively) were switched for The Next Generation to make Patrick Stewart and Jonathan Frakes more "commanding." [4]

Patrick Stewart claimed that the change from this Starfleet uniform to the new version after the second season of TNG was thanks to his chiropractor, who recommended Stewart sue Paramount for "lasting damage done to [his] spine." Evidently, the producers wanted to have a smooth, unwrinkled look to the Starfleet uniforms, which put strain on Stewart's shoulders, neck and back after two seasons in a lycra costume that was one size too small. [5]

Among the costumes and uniforms which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay, was an operations division uniform from this era. [6]

Appearances [ ]

• Season 1 (all episodes)
• Season 2 (all episodes)
• Season 3 (all episodes) (seen on background performers)
• " Suddenly Human " (photograph only)
• " Identity Crisis "
• " Violations "
• " Second Chances "
• " All Good Things... "
• ENT : " These Are the Voyages... "
• DIS : " Terra Firma, Part 1 " (hologram)
• LD : " Reflections " (image only)
• " The Bounty " (flashback)
• " Surrender " (hologram)
• Season 3 (all episodes)
• Season 4 (all episodes)
• Season 5 (all episodes)
• Season 6 (all episodes)
• Season 7 (all episodes)
• " Emissary "
• " Second Sight "
• " The Maquis, Part I "
• " The Maquis, Part II "
• " The Jem'Hadar "
• " Defiant "
• " Explorers "
• " The Way of the Warrior "
• " The Visitor "
• " Homefront "
• " Paradise Lost "
• " Rapture "
• " The Sound of Her Voice "
• " Tears of the Prophets "
• " What You Leave Behind " (flashback only)
• " Non Sequitur "
• " Death Wish "
• " Infinite Regress " (flashback)
• Star Trek Generations
• Star Trek: First Contact
• " Remembrance " (dream)
• " Et in Arcadia Ego, Part 2 "
• " The Next Generation "
• " The Last Generation " (flashback; archive footage)
• " Temporal Edict " (seen on a Miles O'Brien holo-statue)
• " An Embarrassment Of Dooplers " (seen on Data bubble bath bottles)
• " Reflections " (image and flashback)
• " The Stars At Night " (flashback)
• " Parth Ferengi's Heart Place "
• " Old Friends, New Planets " (cadet uniform; flashback)
• PRO : " Kobayashi " (hologram only)
• DIS : " Red Directive " (image only)
• " Worst Contact "
• " Holograms All the Way Down "
• " Walk, Don't Run "

Skant uniform

• " Encounter at Farpoint "
• " The Naked Now "
• " Code of Honor "
• " Where No One Has Gone Before "
• " Lonely Among Us "
• " Justice "
• " The Battle "
• " Hide And Q "
• " The Big Goodbye "
• " Angel One "
• " 11001001 "
• " When The Bough Breaks "
• " Home Soil "
• " Coming of Age "
• " Heart of Glory "
• " The Arsenal of Freedom "
• " Symbiosis "
• " Skin Of Evil "
• " We'll Always Have Paris "
• " Conspiracy "
• " The Neutral Zone "

Utility uniform

• " The Last Outpost "
• " Datalore "
• " The Child "
• " Where Silence Has Lease "
• " Contagion "
• " Peak Performance "
• " The Best of Both Worlds "
• " The Best of Both Worlds, Part II "
• " Final Mission "
• " Galaxy's Child "
• " The Nth Degree "
• " The Host "
• " The Mind's Eye "
• " Redemption II "
• " Silicon Avatar "
• " Cost Of Living "
• " The Next Phase "
• " Schisms "
• " Rascals "
• " Eye of the Beholder "

External links [ ]

• Starfleet uniform (2350s-2366) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Starfleet uniform (2366-2373) at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Starfleet uniform (2351-2365)  at Spike's Star Trek Page
• Starfleet uniform (2366-2372)  at Spike's Star Trek Page
• 24th century Starfleet uniforms  at Ex Astris Scientia
• 3 Erigah (episode)

8 Best "O'Brien Must Suffer" Star Trek: DS9 Episodes

• O'Brien's suffering in "O'Brien Must Suffer" episodes allows the audience to connect with his character on a deeper level.
• Episodes like "Whispers" and "Hard Time" showcase O'Brien's resilience in the face of intense mental and emotional challenges.
• The dynamic between O'Brien and his family, especially with his wife Keiko, adds a human element to the sci-fi drama of Star Trek: DS9.

"O'Brien Must Suffer" is a unique subgenre of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, but which one is best for the audience and worst for Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney)? Originating in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Chief O'Brien became a regular member of the Star Trek: DS9 cast because the producers wanted to give Colm Meaney a bigger role. Promoting the show a month before it aired in the Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine #1 , Meaney said that O'Brien was the same as he was in TNG , but just had " to deal with many more problems " .

Colm Meaney's words turned out to be eerily prophetic, as it was soon decided that once or twice a season the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writers would put Chief O'Brien through the wringer. These episodes later became known as "O'Brien Must Suffer" stories, and many of them make up the canon of Chief O'Brien's best Star Trek episodes . Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe explained why it was so important to the DS9 writers to "torture" O'Brien once or twice a season in the DVD special feature, Crew Dossier: Miles O'Brien on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5 boxed set. Read Hewitt Wolfe's quote below:

" If O'Brien went through something torturous and horrible, the audience was going to feel that, in a way they wouldn't feel it with any of the other characters. Because all the other characters were sort of, I wouldn't say larger than life, but nobler than life, but O'Brien was just a guy, trying to live his life and so if you tortured him that was a story. "

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Season 6, Episode 15, "Honor Among Thieves"

O'brien goes undercover, betrays a friend, and sends a man to his death..

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 15, "Honor Among Thieves" is something of an oddity, playing out more like a cop show than an episode of Star Trek . However, it ticks the box of making O'Brien suffer by placing him inside the Orion Syndicate to expose a Starfleet mole. Over the course of his investigation, O'Brien also discovers that the Dominion are using the Orion Syndicate as trigger men for an assassination attempt against a Klingon ambassador .

"Honor Among Thieves" started life as a gangster comedy in which Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) would befriend the Orion Syndicate and quickly get in over his head.

O'Brien's information is passed from Starfleet Intelligence to the Klingon Empire, who will execute the would-be assassins. If that wasn't morally dubious enough, O'Brien has become close to one of the men, Bilby, whom he'll be sending to his death. To save his friend's life, O'Brien is forced to admit his betrayal, but it's not enough to convince Bilby not to walk into a Klingon ambush . The final scene in which O'Brien cares for Bilby's cat is brutal, showing how traumatized Miles is by the whole ordeal.

Season 3, Episode 17, "Visionary"

O'brien gets radiation sickness, jumps through time, sees ds9 get destroyed, and dies..

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 7, "Visionary", O'Brien contracts a rare form of radiation sickness that allows him to travel through time. These time jumps allow O'Brien to unmask a Romulan conspiracy to destroy both DS9 and the Bajoran Wormhole to prevent the Dominion from entering the Alpha Quadrant. To foil the Romulans' plot, O'Brien has to keep shifting into the future, which increases the fatal effects of the radiation sickness.

"Visionary" is notable for being the first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to introduce the legendary O'Brien dart board, later memorialized in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

As in "Whispers", Chief O'Brien again has to watch himself die, as the time traveling version encounters the corpse of his future self, the victim of sabotage. In the climax of the episode, the time traveling version of O'Brien finally succumbs to his radiation sickness, and sends his future self back in time to replace him. It's a mind-boggling paradox that must have made life quite difficult for O'Brien in the immediate aftermath of the events of "Visionary".

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Season 2, Episode 13, "Armageddon Game"

O'brien is infected by a deadly bioweapon, targeted for execution, and on the run with bashir..

"Armageddon Game" is the episode that bonds Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's two best friends, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) for life. Having been targeted for execution by the Kellerun, Bashir and O'Brien have to go on the run, hoping that eventually their crewmates will come to their rescue. The only problem is that everyone on DS9 believes the lies that O'Brien and Bashir perished in a tragic accident. It's only due to Miles' wife, Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao), that Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) realizes that he's been lied to.

The Kellerun have finally expanded upon in Star Trek: Discovery , with the addition of a Kellerun Starfleet officer, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) in season 5.

While not officially the start of the "O'Brien Must Suffer" trend, the Chief does suffer a great deal during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 14, "Armageddon Game". Not only is he forced to spend time with the youthful and arrogant Dr. Bashir in close quarters, O'Brien gets infected by the very bioweapon that he and Julian were sent to destroy. A cure is eventually found, and the Chief's life is saved, but it's fair to say that he's been through hell and back, made worse by the fact that Dr. Bashir thinks he and O'Brien are bonded for life.

Season 2, Episode 14, "Whispers"

O'brien gets kidnapped, duplicated, and has to watch himself die..

The first proper example of an "O'Brien Must Suffer" episode, "Whispers" follows an increasingly paranoid Chief O'Brien as he comes to believe that the entire crew of Deep Space Nine have been replaced by impostors. In reality, the audience is actually following a replica of O'Brien, who is a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate a visiting dignitary. However, O'Brien's strength of character is so great that his replicant sets out to solve the mystery rather than succumb to his programming.

To better get across the paranoid atmosphere of "Whispers", Colm Meaney played the role of the O'Brien replicant as if he were the real one, never deviating from this throughout the episode.

Technically, the real Chief O'Brien is unconscious for almost the entire runtime of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 14, "Whispers". So it's DS9 's O'Brien replicant that truly suffers, experiencing paranoia, alienation, isolation, and ultimately death. Still, the existential horror of the real Chief O'Brien looking into the dying eyes of his replicant is more than enough to categorize "Whispers" as the first true example of the "O'Brien Must Suffer" episode in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

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Season 5, Episode 5, "The Assignment"

Keiko o'brien is possessed by a pah-wraith who forces miles to do their bidding..

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 5, "The Assignment", Keiko returns from Bajor to reveal that she's the victim of demonic possession. During a visit to the Bajoran Fire Caves, Keiko is possessed by a Pah-wraith, essentially the demons of Bajor's religion. In "The Assignment", the Pah-wraith embodying Keiko threatens to kill her unless Chief O'Brien assists it in destroying the Celestial Temple of the Bajoran Prophets. Family is everything to Chief O'Brien, so there's a particular type of pain for him witnessing his wife being inhabited by a malevolent force.

The Bajoran Fire Caves was the location for the final confrontation between Captain Sisko, Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher).

O'Brien is stringing the Pah-wraith along so that he can eventually save Keiko and avert the destruction of the Wormhole. However, O'Brien still has to shoot his wife with a chroniton beam to remove the Pah-wraith from Keiko's body. O'Brien and Keiko were Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's emotional core, the everyday family put under the extraordinary pressure of living in the Star Trek universe. It's for that reason that "The Assignment" feels particularly gruelling as this down-to-earth husband and wife are placed right in the center of a conflict between angels and demons .

Season 6, Episode 24, "Time's Orphan"

O'brien and keiko lose their daughter in a temporal anomaly..

The O'Brien family are tested once again in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 24, "Time's Orphan". When Molly O'Brien (Hana Hatae) falls into a time portal, she returns as a teenager, who has gone primal after spending so many years alone. It's a unique parenting challenge for both Miles and Keiko, who struggle to cope with their young adult daughter. Events reach a head when Molly tears up Quark's Bar and stabs a patron with a broken bottle. This crime forces the Federation to order that Molly be sent to a special facility, something that Miles and Keiko oppose.

Joe Menosky originally pitched "Time's Orphan" for Star Trek: The Next Generation , because he had become sick and tired of Worf's son Alexander.

With no other options, the O'Brien's break Molly out of prison, with help from Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) . Returning to the planet where they lost Molly, the O'Briens were fully prepared to never see their daughter again by destroying the portal and leaving her to live in her own time. Thankfully, this outcome is averted when the older Molly finds her younger counterpart and reunites her with her parents. It's a brutal episode for both Miles and Keiko as they're forced to consider some huge moral issues as parents .

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Season 2, Episode 25, "Tribunal"

O'brien is framed for arms dealing, imprisoned, tortured, and sentenced to death..

It's well known from Star Trek: The Next Generation that Chief O'Brien hates Cardassians, due to his experiences in the Federation-Cardassian War . This fact is used against him in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 25, "Tribunal", when he's framed as a Maquis traitor. DS9 reveals that the Cardassian legal system is utterly brutal, as it's based on a presumption of guilt. This means that Chief O'Brien's verdict has been sealed long before he goes on trial. Sentenced to execution, O'Brien is forced to live out a miserable life in a brutal Cardassian prison until his sentence is carried out.

A line from "The Maquis, Part II", in which Gul Dukat said " On Cardassia, the verdict is always known before the trial begins " inspired the conception of "Tribunal".

As if O'Brien being sentenced to execution and brutal prison treatment isn't enough, "Tribunal" also reveals that one of his old friends, Raymond Boone (John Beck) had been killed and replaced by a Cardassian spy. Worse still, O'Brien's life is being used as a political bargaining chip, with his trial designed to discredit the Federation during the ongoing Maquis crisis. There's some small consolation that, by being at the heart of a conspiracy, O'Brien is like Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , but Miles truly suffers in "Tribunal".

Season 4, Episode 19, "Hard Time"

O'brien spends twenty years inside a psychic prison, struggles to readjust..

The most brutal, and therefore the "best" of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's "O'Brien Must Suffer" episodes is "Hard Time". Once again, Chief O'Brien is on the receiving end of alien justice, as he's wrongfully accused of a crime, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Normally, this would allow plenty of time for Captain Sisko and the crew to prove O'Brien's innocence and get him out of jail. That's not the case in "Hard Time", however, as the Argrathi punish their criminals by instantly implanting twenty years of prison memories, meaning that O'Brien serves his full sentence before Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) gets him back to DS9.

The wife of writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who was a trained psychotherapist acted as an unofficial consultant on the script's treatment of O'Brien's PTSD.

It's heartbreaking to watch O'Brien struggle to readjust to life aboard Deep Space Nine, experiencing hallucinations of the cellmate that he "killed" as his mental health rapidly deteriorates. O'Brien even considers suicide in one of the most devastating scenes in the whole episode. It's thanks to the love of his family, the support of his crew, and his friendship with Dr. Bashir that O'Brien ultimately pulls through one of the harshest ordeals in all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, Ren Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.