The film’s uniforms threatened her ‘ability to procreate’

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There’s still some debate among Trekkies as to which of the “Star Trek” feature films is better. Common wisdom holds that Nicholas Meyer’s 1982 film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” is the best, and some of the films that followed (“Star Trek: Nemesis” and “Star Trek Into Darkness,” in particular) are essentially “Wrath of Khan” retreads. Other Trekkies, however, might prefer Robert Wise’s ambitious “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” from 1979. This film is about a massive, cloud-like space entity – an ineffably powerful machine intelligence – that threatens to swallow the Earth if its mysteries are not solved in time. “The Motion Picture” is certainly the kind of intoxicating story that befits “Star Trek.”

But even fans of “The Motion Picture” will agree that the Starfleet uniforms in “The Wrath of Khan” are infinitely better. The uniforms worn in all the “Star Trek” films made from 1982 to 1991 had a militant appeal; they look formal and ornate. The uniforms in “The Motion Picture” specifically make the crew of the USS Enterprise look like dental hygienists. They’re all given unappealing muted colors, including beige, off-brown, and gray, and no one in the film’s cast seems comfortable wearing them. In the original “Star Trek” television series, Starfleet (men’s) uniforms are a two-piece combination of a shirt and pants. For “The Motion Picture,” however, they are decked out in full bodysuits.

William Shatner, who played Admiral Kirk, hated the suits. Indeed, in his memoirs “Star Trek Movie Memories”, The actor addressed Starfleet uniforms in “The Motion Picture” and recalled how they rode up in front, crushing the genitals of whoever wore them. And when the actors sat in them, the suits tightened even more, causing, Shatner remembers, many screams of pain.

Shatner had nothing nice to say about the space dentist uniforms in “The Motion Picture,” writing:

“Ugly, fitted, pastel-colored one-piece jumpsuits. […] [I]It was virtually impossible for a male member of our cast to sit down without seriously jeopardizing their ability to procreate. […] All day long, our set was peppered with the pitiful high-pitched screams and groans of our comrades discovering this particular design flaw for the very first time. »

It should be noted that the uniforms were not designed by “Star Trek: The Original Series” costume designer William Ware Theiss. Rather, they were the work of stage veteran Robert Fletcher. In 1980, Fletcher spoke with Fantastic Films Magazine (which was easily transcribed by the “blog”). My Star Trek album), and he spoke at length about his ambitions for Starfleet’s new outfit. Fletcher thought that Theiss’ uniforms were too “plump” and not very practical. He was particularly skeptical of the miniskirts worn by the female crew members of the Enterprise. “The last thing a crewwoman needs in a red alert situation,” he explained, “is to run around in her tights.”

He also reasoned that the engineers would, logically, wear spacesuit-like uniforms with built-in biomonitors (hence the large round widget on the bellies of the engine room crew members). He believed that even Starfleet military uniforms would be varied, just like modern military uniforms. Everything was supposed to look futuristic while still being soft and practical. Indeed, the calming colors make “The Motion Picture” appear less visually demanding and more relaxed. In this regard, Fletcher succeeded.

Yet, as Shatner pointed out, Fletcher failed spectacularly when it came to actors’ crotch comfort. Fletcher was wise enough to redesign the uniforms for “The Wrath of Khan.”