[Howlin' Wolf]

Originally Posted by leftysaxdude

you suck! lol

LMAO!

[TJJones]

Back in the FASA days, the communications officer coordinated damage control efforts and, as such, was the de facto damage control officer. It's likely there's a damage control specialist officer subordinate to the comms officer, but, either way, I fancy the DCO would wear red.

"Readiness" would likely be a command specialty, and would probably be folded into another position...definitely gold.

Environmental sciences would be blue, but environmental engineering would be red.

And, like the others have said, weapons officers would most likely be gold.

That said, I'm sure there's some cross training involved for junior officers, which is why you see officers of different colors in various support positions.

[Samuel]

Originally Posted by Howlin' Wolf

Here ya go, knock yourself out.

http://t-shirts.cafepress.ca/star-trek_green-t-shirts

That is a really ugly green.

[vaal]

Originally Posted by leftysaxdude

no no no, not that one, but one that looks like the rest, but green, perhaps to differential between science and medical.

sometimes the lighting makes kirk's uniform look green-ish



chekov has the same problem 40 years later




i remember hearing,some years ago,that the gold uniforms were originally green. the lighting made them look gold. that would explain why kirk's dress and v-neck uniforms are green. i don't know how accurate that information is

[Commodore]

They original TOS command shirt were lime green according to original designer Wiliam Ware Theiss, but they wound up looking gold in the final color mix on most people's TV sets.

Red, green, and blue were originally chosen as the branch colors for Starfleet because they were the primary ones used for early color television.

[leftysaxdude]

Appearance counts for more than substance these days, so if it appears gold, that's what it is! I like gold better than green anyway. I still would like to see science division in forest green shirts, where medical gets blue. And perhaps a different color for security? Command: gold. Science: green. Engineering: burgundy. Medical: blue. If those were the colors, what would you pick for security?

[Pauln6]

I'm still trying to fathom the colour scheme for TMP. No matter how many times I look at it, it doesn't make sense. Even TWOK era made the odd choice of making helm and engineering the same colour - maybe it just brought out Takei's eyes more - but I would have thought the helmsman should have worn white or their own special colour.

In TOS the helmsman was the tactical officer. Although the navigator had primary responsibility for shields, either console could operate weapons/shields in a pinch. I think there was an engineering station and a weapns station which presumably monitored and controlled power supplies for shields and weapons albeit these were not necessarily manned by officers and the crewmen there never got any lines.

Uhura doubled as damage control. The only time you saw it though is in TMP when they are trying to get the ship operational at the start. I don't think she was just sitting there waiting to open hailing frequencies - she was a senior officer after all.

I never really understood the logic of making tactical officer and chief of security one post. I would have thought two such vital positions would have warranted two separate officers one of whom specialised in command and starship tactics (tactical) and one who specialised in small unit tactics and internal protocols (security).

[Commodore]

Originally Posted by Pauln6

I'm still trying to fathom the colour scheme for TMP. No matter how many times I look at it, it doesn't make sense. Even TWOK era made the odd choice of making helm and engineering the same colour - maybe it just brought out Takei's eyes more - but I would have thought the helmsman should have worn white or their own special colour.

They simply changed things up in TMP. The colors chosen were totally arbitrary just as they were in TOS.

With TMP, branch color was denoted by a circular patch behind the uniform insignia:
Command: white
Engineering: red
Bridge operations: yellow
Sciences: orange
Medical: green
Security/tactical: gray

Uhura doubled as damage control. The only time you saw it though is in TMP when they are trying to get the ship operational at the start. I don't think she was just sitting there waiting to open hailing frequencies - she was a senior officer after all.

As communications officer, Uhura was the bridge's liaison to all the other departments on the ship. She was never a member of damage control department, but she could contact them from the bridge.

I never really understood the logic of making tactical officer and chief of security one post. I would have thought two such vital positions would have warranted two separate officers one of whom specialised in command and starship tactics (tactical) and one who specialised in small unit tactics and internal protocols (security).

Both duties related to defense and munitions, and Starfleet likely cross-trained such personnel in both starship tactical systems and personnel security. That versatility probably allows all Starfleet security personnel can serve as tactical personnel if necessary and presumably vice-versa.

[Pauln6]

I'm down with the notion of cross-training - I just question whether being in charge of tactical and all the security staff would be too much of an adminsitrative headache for one person. Maybe s/he has two deputies and a yeoman to take care of the admin!

Making bridge operations yellow made sense. Making helm and navigation different colours in TWOk never really made sense.

The colours of the departments in TMP make sense. It was the colours of the uniforms that I can't fathom. Apparently command postings are grey and yet Sulu and Chekov are in tan. Non-command bridge posts are tan but Chekov's deputy (rhaandarite security ensign) wears grey. Technicians wear white - I can cope with that.

[Commodore]

Possibly, but the adminstrative "paperwork" is probably what happens offscreen, IMO...