2017 has been a difficult time for many people, including yours truly, and so I figured that it was time to have a lighter post. Also, as I have said before, I've been focused on NaNoWriMo this month and have not completed any of the posts that I have been working on. 

Sometime earlier in the week, I had the idea to rank my favorite science fiction uniforms from television and movies, and on Wednesday when I was laid-up with a migraine and unable to be creative, I jotted down the uniforms while I was no longer in pain. I decided to go ahead and talk a little about my top 10, and then list more uniforms that I like at the end. I will be getting back into more informational posts soon!

Please feel free to list your favorites in the comments! I would love to hear from you.

The following uniforms are listed from favorite to least favorite. I am only using uniforms from movies and television - no books, comics, or video games. Also, I am only including uniforms from shows and movies that I am very familiar with - there are many fandoms out there, and I do not know them all. These are all just a personal preference.

1. Starfleet movie-era uniforms
2. Earthforce uniforms from Babylon 5
3. Colonial Military uniforms from Battlestar Galactica (RDM)
4. Rebel Alliance uniform from the original Star Wars Trilogy
5. Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek Beyond
6. Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek: The Original Series
7. Starfleet uniforms from the two Star Trek pilot episodes
8. Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness
9. Starfleet uniforms from Deep Space Nine/TNG movie era
10. Starfleet uniforms from Deep Space Nine/Voyager

Starfleet, Earthforce, Colonial Military, Rebel Alliance - militaristic uniforms.

The uniforms that Starfleet issued during the movie era of Star Trek is my all-time favorite - they are sleek, have a coat and slacks combination with an awesome belt, maintain an easy way to recognize which department people belong to, have actual uniforms for enlisted/NCO personnel, and just plain look good. They have a very uniform feel to them, more so than Star Trek ever had before or after. 

Babylon 5 and Battlestar Galactica maintain more of a specifically military structure in their series, and that is something that very much appeals to me. Also, while Star Wars is not focused so much on the military, the Rebel Alliance has a military structure to it while it seeks legitimacy.
Though I am very much an explorer, I love the structure that the military provides. And military uniforms provide a sense of commonality and solidarity, as well as set a mood. A well-designed uniform sticks out, looks sharp, and gives a sense of purpose, as well as makes it easy to identify what a person does or at least what organization a person represents. And these four franchise uniforms very successful at all of these criteria. Also, each of these uniforms have appropriate variants for different levels of formality, mission types, and climates.
All of these uniforms are just fantastic.

Starfleet, Starfleet, Starfleet, and Starfleet - a classic design.

Star Trek Beyond took the classic design of the Starfleet uniform and somehow improved upon it. With smooth lines, bright colors, different types depending on one's needs and comfort, the uniforms in Beyond have done well. 
Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series is the classic, the trendsetter that set the course of uniforms for Star Trek and one of the major influences for our imaginations. The uniform's bright colors were friendly, expressing Starfleet's mission of peace, while also maintaining the uniform's purpose of identifying what organizations people are with and creating a source of commonality and solidarity. It was an idealistic uniform for an idealistic era.
However, the uniforms from the pilot episodes of Star Trek is what launched it all. Though the colors are muted, it set the slack and tunic trend of a simplistic design that also spoke volumes. Though the following episodes improved upon the design, these uniforms still hold a special place.

The uniform designs for the first two reboot Star Trek movies, though, fall somewhat short - they tried very hard to copy and update from the original uniforms, and they almost made it. Unfortunately, they made some unfortunate decisions with the skirt uniforms - the absence of the sleeves and the placement of virtually every female character on screen meant that no woman had a rank until a man gave it to her. Though I have many, many issues with the first two reboot movies, and I will have to go into detail in another post.

Doing More With Less

The uniforms of Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and the TNG-era films are a departure from what we had grown accustomed to. They kept to the uniform style of The Next Generation, except making most of the torso black and moving the color to the shoulder, and then eventually to the undershirt. These uniforms are very sharp and very Star Trek while using a minimum of colors.

For those who are interested, the remaining contenders on my list, ranked, are:

1. Planetary Union uniforms
2. Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek: The Next Generation Seasons 3-7
3. Resistance uniform from the third Star Wars Trilogy
4. Imperial Military uniform from the original Star Wars Trilogy
5. Bajoran Militia uniform from Deep Space Nine
6. First Order uniform from the third Star Wars Trilogy
7. Starfleet uniforms from Enterprise
8. Starfleet uniforms of the mid-2160s
9. Starfleet uniforms of the 2230s
10. Starfleet uniforms from Discovery
11. Galaxy Quest uniforms
12. Starfleet uniforms from Star Trek: The Motion Picture
13. Starfleet uniforms from The Next Generation Seasons 1 & 2

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