The Costumer

Star Trek–it’s iconic. In short? Abrams captured and expressed the action and excitement experienced by long-time fans in this latest edition to the Star Trek universe–and the costumes kept on target. He succeeded in revitalizing interest in Star Trek. Oddly enough, former classmates who once ridiculed my interest in Star Trek now openly tweet about their joy over the new release. “Fascinating.”

Let’s move on to the important topic: Star Trek costumes and uniforms. While there are no major spoilers below, please note that there are mentions of minor events and characters in the film.

Notable non-crew costumes:

• In the beginning of the film, James T. Kirk, our future captain of the Enterprise, drives a vintage car (this is visible in trailers). During that scene, he wears a heavily-vintage civilian outfit (generic) topped by a somewhat futuristic-looking textured jacket. This outfit functions to help an audience from our time relate to Kirk, particularly if the audience is not a prior Trek fan.

• Kirk does encounter a police officer from his time. The future cop wears fitted black armor. My fiance, who served in the United States Marine Corps, particularly found the futuristic-looking armor to be believable and functional. The police officer also wore a helmet which matched his ‘cruiser.’ The helmet was not displayed for a particularly long period of time, but it seemed to indicate an LED-type interior display within the helmet. One could not see the cop’s face. This costume functions to bind the audience to the officer’s adversary–the law enforcement official is literally or metaphorically a drone and it makes sense to side with Kirk, the rebel.

• Spock’s (human) mother, portrayed by Winona Ryder (yes, really) has at least two outfits in the film. The first outfit features a cylindrical bodice which is shaped more like an ice cream cone and is wide at the bust. It reminded me of the White Witch’s attire in the first Narnia flick. The second outfit was essentially an elegant cloak which could fit for many sci-fi or fantasy characters. It evokes a classic Red Riding Hood-esque feeling when she peers out of the hood and up at other characters. These costumes function to bring a very innocent but maternal aspect to the film, in the obvious exaggeration of shape and the classic wardrobe of a female on a quest. It is the inclusion of this archetype which makes this Trek movie more than an action flick for me.

• At one point, one of the Vulcans (Spock or possibly his father, Sarek) wears a civilian outfit which includes a belt. The front of the belt features a very obvious triple moon symbol. As a pagan, this reinforced the aforementioned importance of the female character as a catalyst for change throughout the duration of the film and time in general. Memory-alpha hints at Vulcan spirituality and the importance of the katra (soul); I see the inclusion of a triple moon as a subtle advancement of this Trek sub-topic. This piece functions to connect (subconsciously, for many) the Vulcan culture to the origins of our own humanity–cultural connection being a primary function of the entire Star Trek universe.

Enterprise crew costumes and uniforms:

• The cadet uniforms featured are standard and unremarkable; they are crimson, functional, and feature the insignia pinned on the left side of the collar.

• During his time on the Enterprise, Kirk mainly appears in a basic black. It appears to have the same cut of the regular uniforms (mentioned below) with a silver sparkly insignia on the chest, per standard uniform. The outfit functions to allow the audience to focus on Kirk’s actions, movements, and words, as well as to mark him as ’similar but different’ from the rest of the crew without putting him in something crazy.

• The male Starfleet uniforms combine the texture of the Enterprise-series uniforms with the color and functionality of The Original Series uniforms many have come to recall as ‘pajama-esque.’ More fitted than TOS uniforms, they feature a slightly netted texture. Like the bridge of the Enterprise, the costumes function as a literal bridge in the continuity of the series.

• The female Starfleet uniform, as worn by Uhura,  retains the classic mini-cut of the uniform. While the uniform is displayed, it is at no point the primary focus of anyone’s attention–even potential love interests.

This can only lead me to believe that heroic men of the future can actually look straight into a woman’s big, beautiful eyes. Kudos to them and to all that worked on the Star Trek costumes.

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