# A mistake in all Star Trek series and films after TOS that irritates me **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** star-trek-paramount\ **Created:** [October 30, 2026, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256 "2026-10-30T08:14:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/1 "2026-10-30T08:14:37Z")
Military heraldry does not change. Watch a color film about the US Civil War. Look at the vertical stripes on the officers pant legs, chevrons on enlisted men’s sleeves, and piping on their uniforms. Of the 3 combat arms, infantry wore blue, cavalry wore yellow, and artillery wore red. 100 years later when the helicopter went to war in Vietnam, the 1st Air Cav’s dress uniform patches were yellow. In Star Trek TOS, Command wore yellow, Science wore blue, and Engineering and expendables wore red. But starting with TNG, Command wore red and engineering wore yellow. I don’t recall what the expendables wore after TOS. But this change in colors just gripes me. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/2 "2026-10-30T08:58:42Z")
Expendables are an official branch of the military? That must make for interesting recruiting posters. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/3 "2026-10-30T09:02:25Z")
But military heraldry does change. For example, [the United States Infantry has cycled between white and blue](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry_Branch_(United_States)#Branch_colors). > [@](#): > > The Infantry has made two complete cycles between white and light blue. During the Revolutionary War, white facings were prescribed for the Infantry. White was the color used for Infantry until 1851 at which time light or Saxony blue was prescribed for the pompon and for the trimming on Infantry horse furniture. In 1857, the color was prescribed as sky blue. In 1886, the linings of capes and trouser stripes were prescribed to be white. However, in 1902, the light blue was prescribed again. In 1917, the cape was still lined with light blue but the Infantry trouser stripes were of white as were the chevrons for enlisted men. The infantry color is light blue; however, infantry regimental flags and guidons have been National Flag blue since 1835. White is used as a secondary color on the guidons for letters, numbers, and insignia. There’s no reason [Starfleet uniforms](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_uniforms) shouldn’t change their branch/corps colors as well as the ships and duties change. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/4 "2026-10-30T09:07:28Z")
The TOS movie red uniforms were the only ones that actually looked like a military uniform. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/5 "2026-10-30T09:10:23Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > Expendables are an official branch of the military? [In the original series, they might as well have been.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redshirt_(stock_character)) As for Starfleet being military, the entire franchise seems to have an issue with are they or are they not. Ostensibly they were explorers, but they were armed to the teeth and quite bloodthirsty on occasion. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/6 "2026-10-30T10:38:50Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Military heraldry does not change. Watch a color film about the US Civil War. Look at the vertical stripes on the officers pant legs, chevrons on enlisted men’s sleeves, and piping on their uniforms. Of the 3 combat arms, infantry wore blue, cavalry wore yellow, and artillery wore red. 100 years later when the helicopter went to war in Vietnam, the 1st Air Cav’s dress uniform patches were yellow. And yet, ironically, a mere decade before the civil war, the infantry color was _white_. And then again just a couple decades _after_ the Civil War. This is memorialized in my alma mater’s school colors: red (artillery), white (infantry), and yellow (cavalry). Because those were the branch colors when the school (a military school) adopted its school colors. > **[VMI Logos Change with the Times - VMI Alumni Agencies](https://www.vmialumni.org/vmi-logos-change-with-the-times/)** This is consistent with the Wikipedia article @Monty cites. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/7 "2026-10-30T10:45:18Z")
Not to hijack, but in the first Abrahams movie Pike described Starfleet as a “peace keeping and humanitarian armada”. Good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/8 "2026-10-30T12:56:12Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > Command wore yellow, No. They wore green, as can be seen from stills taken on the set. After processing the films made for broadcast, they appeared to be gold. This was most pronounced when the uniform shirts were made from velour in seasons 1 and 2. The relatively primitive color TVs of the era didn’t help much either. I think David Gerrold described this phenomenon as a “color freakout.” In other words, different fabrics photograph and televise differently, due to a number of factors. _ **Star Trek** _’s creative lighting may also have played a role, since Herb Solow once described the difficulty post-processors had in getting things like Spock’s yellowish complexion just right. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/9 "2026-10-30T13:01:31Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > No. They wore green, as can be seen from stills taken on the set. After processing the films made for broadcast, they appeared to be gold. As I have argued before, _Star Trek_ is what appeared on our TV screens, not what happened on the Desilu sound stages. The uniforms may have been green on set, but that’s nothing but a bit of trivia. On screen, and in our memories, and therefore officially and canonically, the command color was yellow (or gold, if you prefer). ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/10 "2026-10-30T13:04:09Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > As for Starfleet being military, the entire franchise seems to have an issue with are they or are they not. The closest analogue to Starfleet is the British Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th centuries. Its duties included policing the seas, exploring, colonization, humanitarian actions, and fighting in times of war. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/11 "2026-10-30T13:09:42Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > On screen, and in our memories, and therefore officially and canonically, the command color was yellow (or gold, if you prefer). You should be happy then that replica shirts for cosplay come in both colors, green and gold. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/12 "2026-10-30T13:12:30Z")
I am, indeed. (I believe it was in a long-ago thread about cosplay that I mentioned this before). ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/13 "2026-10-30T13:17:07Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > On screen, and in our memories, and therefore officially and canonically, the command color was yellow [https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search\_query=kirk+tribbles](https://m.youtube.com/results?sp=mAEA&search_query=kirk+tribbles) > **[Star Trek: Captain Kirk (Trouble with Tribbles) - Mego V2 Galleries](https://www.megomuseum.com/megocorp/2019/07/23/star-trek-captain-kirk-trouble-with-tribbles/)** > > Wave six was an interim wave meant mainly for foreign markets that didn’t get waves 1-5, this didn’t stop US Mego collectors from grabbing with both hands, however. Show accurate painted phasers and communicators were a big difference in this range.... ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/14 "2026-10-30T13:26:14Z")
Wow, that’s a sinister-looking Kirk! Maybe it’s his evil transporter duplicate. That figure is wearing that weird wrap-around tunic that they used to deal with Shatner’s weight fluctuations. It always appeared green on-screen. For whatever reason, probably the material, it wasn’t affected by the camera effects that made the original green uniform appear yellow. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/15 "2026-10-30T13:28:43Z")
Huh, I have never really thought about whether those uniforms were really gold or green or whether there were supposed to be different colours; it was always that shirt Shatner wore. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/16 "2026-10-30T13:50:14Z")
Regading Black and White filming, the makeup artists and set designers/decorators of the era were grandmasters without a doubt. The way the people and the sets looked in real life was more of a horror show vibe but it came out very well on screen. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/17 "2026-10-30T13:53:57Z")
Eh. Kirk’s shirt was always greenish gold or goldish green on our RCA That was the era of avocado and harvest gold home decor & he fit in perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/18 "2026-10-30T13:55:28Z")
I think _Incubus_ is a good movie. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/19 "2026-10-30T13:59:43Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > After processing the films made for broadcast, they appeared to be gold. Well, paint them greener! In then Viewmaster reel set from Star Trek (episode; The Omega Glory) it’s shocking to see the uniforms as green. GAF’s film must have been different. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256/20 "2026-10-30T14:06:14Z")
Now that I think about it, I believe the color specified for Command Level in the Franz Josef Tech Manuals of the 1970s was “tenne,” a somewhat tawny shade of gold (or orange) used occasionally in heraldry. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mistake-in-all-star-trek-series-and-films-after-tos-that-irritates-me/1034256.md?page=2)