Star Trek: Enterprise Jumpsuit Analysis/Tutorial: Misc. Observations and Errors, part 1

Believe it or not, even after the torrential onslaught of information we've presented to you thus far, we still have many observations left to present to you!

That's right - even the enormous variations in zipper lengths and placements, number of rows of topstitching on this piece and that piece, etc. don't even count as "miscellaneous observations!"

Furthermore, for the most part, we've mostly avoided pointing out any actual, legitimate mistakes with the ENT jumpsuits so far, primarily focusing instead on determining ideal "standards" on which to base a replica.

The simple fact is that these uniforms may have been freaking awesome, but they were really all over the place in terms of consistency regarding details. We lumped as many specific observations as we could into the main (bloated) body of our analysis, but many of them simply wouldn't fit coherently.

If you're still reading, imagine how much more difficult it would have been to keep up with everything so far if we were constantly going on minor tangents pointing out this and that as random little notes along the way!

Anyway, we found all of the following interesting and worth sharing (obviously), and we hope you will as well!

Perhaps the most notable (non-construction-related) observation regarding the ENT jumpsuits is that they were made in two very different colors!

The first season's uniforms were surprisingly purple-y in retrospect, but starting early in the second season, the purple-y ENT jumpsuits were phased out and replaced with much bluer ones.

ENT, 1x26 "Shockwave (part 1)"

ENT, 3x2 "Anomaly"

Keeping in mind the considerable extent to which color can be processed and changed in the photo editing process, compare these early/late ENT jumpsuit colors:

(publicity photos)

Yeah ... big difference!

(publicity photos)

As mentioned previously, the bluer ENT jumpsuits began sneaking in during the early second season.

The early, purple-y ENT jumpsuits were seen in the season two premiere, "Shockwave (part 2)" - probably because it didn't make any sense to change uniform colors for the second half of a two-part story, even with the seasonal hiatus.

Barely any Starfleet characters were seen in the following episode, "Carbon Creek" - only Archer and Trip, who still wore their early, purple-y ENT jumpsuits.

In fact, the main cast was barely in that episode at all; we'd previously assumed this was primarily for budget purposes (recovering from the "shockwave" and all ... see what we did there?), but now we're thinking that it may (also?) have been because the costume department (also?) needed time to whip up a whole new set of ENT jumpsuits.

ENT, 2x2 "Carbon Creek"

It was the following episode, "Minefield," in which the later-style bluer ENT jumpsuits were introduced, but apparently (and unsurprisingly), only on the main cast.

ENT, 2x3 "Minefield"

The change in color was easy to miss at first unless you knew to look for it; for instance, during the breakfast scene near the beginning of the episode, Archer and Reed were wearing their new/bluer ENT jumpsuits, but the server was still wearing the original/purple-y one:

ENT, 2x3 "Minefield"

The extras/background all appeared to still be wearing the original/purple-y ENT jumpsuits:

ENT, 2x3 "Minefield"

The color difference was especially striking when we cut directly from the purple-y extras to Travis in his new blue ENT jumpsuit!

ENT, 2x3 "Minefield"

Of course, the lighting difference didn't exactly diminish the effect ...

Although many (if not most) of the extras'/background ENT jumpsuits would eventually be replaced with the newer, bluer ones, the transition was kind of rough ... check out the following episode, "Dead Stop," in which Trip and Reed are wearing their newer-color uniforms in a sea of older ones ...

ENT, 2x4 "Dead Stop"

The season one/purple-y ENT jumpsuits did occasionally get reused on extras/background performers, for some reason; check out the guy on the far (camera) left:

ENT, 3x10 "Similitude"

Here's another obvious example of color mismatching:

ENT, 4x10 "Daedalus"

This unfortunate mismatching was particularly noticeable during the show's finale, "These Are the Voyages" (although if ENT jumpsuit color mismatching was the biggest head-scratcher about that episode we wouldn't have minded!); check out all the recycled season one ENT jumpsuits!

ENT, 4x22 "These Are the Voyages"

ENT, 4x22 "These Are the Voyages"
(behind-the-scenes Blu-Ray special feature)

Speaking of TATV, the epaulets appear to have been made from the later-style blue (of course), which worked fine for those wearing the later-style blue ENT jumpsuits, but many of the recycled season one purple-y ENT jumpsuits had mismatched epaulets!

"Lynsioux" photo of screen-used ENT jumpsuit

ENT jumpsuit (female) auction photo

ENT jumpsuit (female)
auction photo

ENT jumpsuit (male)
auction photo

Somebody dropped the ball big-time and actually made the epaulet out of the division-colored fabric:

ENT jumpsuit (male) auction photo

This particular example probably never made it on-screen, but we don't know for sure.

In addition to the mismatched epaulet/jumpsuit colors from the final episode, sometimes the reused season one ENT jumpsuits were later modified, outfitted, or repaired with the later blue denim, and the color difference was pretty obvious:

ENT jumpsuit (male) auction photo

There was this peculiar ENT jumpsuit, presumably a reused season one jumpsuit which had a sleeve that had been extended with the later bluer fabric:

ENT jumpsuit (male) auction photo

This is particularly curious considering the original sleeve hem appears to have been roughly twice as tall as the extension; one wonders why the costumer didn't simply let down the sleeve hem and reattach the sleeve cuff to the longer sleeve. (True, there's still the issue of the sleeve zipper and gusset, but those would have presumably been issues regardless of how the sleeve was extended.)

Aside from the on-screen ENT jumpsuit color mismatches, we have three other brief observations to share regarding the color change.

First, oddly (at least, in-universe), during the second season flashback episode, "First Flight," the Starfleet jumpsuits were all the newer blue instead of the older purple!

ENT, 2x24 "First Flight"

Of course, from a production standpoint, it made sense to use the newer uniforms, since at this point (near the end of the second season) they would be standardized and in rotation.

In-universe, it would mean that the jumpsuits were originally blue, then either Starfleet switched them to purple or the Enterprise crew (only) got the purple-y jumpsuits, and then either Starfleet switched them back (and the Enterprise crew got new uniforms somehow - probably the same way they got those crayon drawings) or the Enterprise quartermaster decided (s)he didn't care for the purple-y color and switched back to the original blue. Who knows?

Second, the season one (purple-y) ENT jumpsuits may have made a brief reappearnce on the main cast during the shootout toward the end of the third season episode, "North Star."

It's tough to say for sure, of course, because the color palette for that episode was kind of bleak and the visuals in general were harsher and edgier than usual. However, it would make sense to recycle the older uniforms considering the stunts required and visual style obscuring the switch between colors.

In the absence of proof, you can decide for yourself; here's a shot before the commercial break:

ENT, 3x9 "North Star"

And after the commercial break:

ENT, 3x9 "North Star"

Lastly, although the later/bluer ENT jumpsuits weren't introduced until early in the second season, it appears that things may have begun trending toward blue near the end of the first season; check out the color mismatch on Archer and Trip:

ENT, 1x20 "oasis"

Moving on ...

PREVIOUS: Uniform Variation 3: Sim/Udan

NEXT: Misc. Observations and Errors, part 2

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September 27, 2015

Misc. Observations and Errors, part 1

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