What's wrong with...
...Askwith's uniform in ENT The Forge?
Askwith wore a Starfleet uniform in that episode but is referred to as
"Corporal Askwith" by Dr. Phlox. Maybe he was intended to be a MACO but the
wardrobe department put him in the wrong uniform.
ENT The Forge
...Bennett's uniform in DS9 Dr. Bashir, I Presume?
Admiral Bennett wore the rank insignia of a full admiral (4 pips), but Sisko
introduced him to Dr. Bashir as "Rear Admiral Bennett".
DS9 Dr. Bashir, I Presume?
...Maxwell Burke's
uniform in VOY Equinox? (not confirmed)
Burke was referred to as "Commander,"
although he only wore the rank insignia of a lieutenant.
VOY Equinox, Part 1
...Brackett's
uniform in TNG Unification, Part 1?
Captain Picard referred to her as "Fleet
Admiral Brackett," although she only wore the rank insignia of a Vice Admiral (3 pips). It
is possible that "Fleet Admiral" was meant to be the short
form for "Starfleet Admiral" or that it didn't refer to her rank but to her
position.
TNG Unification, Part 1
...Chakotay's uniform?
Chakotay wore the provisional rank insignia of a Lieutenant Commander but everyone
referred to him as "Commander Chakotay". Although Lieutenant Commanders are normally
referred to as "Commander" other officers that held that rank (e.g. Data or Geordi La Forge) were at least occasionally referred to as "Lieutenant Commander," but Chakotay was never referred to as "Lieutenant Commander".
Well, that's not really an error. It's just very odd.
VOY Parallax
...Christine Chapel's uniform in Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
Chapel first appeared in a medical uniform with the rank tabs of a Lieutenant.
At the end of the movie, she wore a Class A uniform with the rank braid of a
Lieutenant Commander. According to a production memo by associate producer Jon
Povill, Chapel was intended to be a lieutenant.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
...Dorian Collin's uniform in DS9 Valiant?
Ms. Collins introduced herself as "Acting Chief Petty Officer," yet her collar
clearly showed the rank insigna of a Senior Chief Petty Officer.
DS9 Valiant
...Data's uniform in TNG Hide and Q?
Data's rank insignia were wrong shortly after Riker and the bridge crew had
been teleported to the planet by Q. He wore two hollow pips and one solid pip.
TNG Hide and Q
...Data's uniform in TNG All Good Things...?
Data wore the rank pips of a Lieutenant JG in the 2364 flashback scenes of
TNG All Good Things...,
although he already was a Lieutenant Commander at this point.
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...the Defiant crew's uniforms in TOS The Tholian Web?
Many crewmembers of the Defiant tried to hide their ship insignia from the
viewer, but it was still visible on some of them. As can be seen below, they're
wearing what is generally accepted as Enterprise's unique insignia.
TOS The Tholian Web
...Dickerson's uniform in TOS The Savage Curtain?
Lieutenant Dickerson wore the dress uniform of a Lieutenant Commander.
TOS The Savage Curtain
...Benjamin Finney's uniform in TOS Court Martial?
Finney wore the rank braid of a full Commander, although his rank was stated
as Lieutenant Commander.
TOS Court Martial
...Giotto's uniform in TOS The Devil in the Dark?
Security Chief Giotto wore the rank braid of a full Commander, although his
rank was stated as Lieutenant Commander.
TOS The Devil in the Dark
...Hector Ilario's uniforms in DS9 Field of Fire?
Apparently, Ilario was the Defiant's helmsman but he wore a yellow
uniform instead of a red one.
DS9 Field of Fire
According to dialogue, he graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2372, but on an academy picture he and his class mates are wearing Starfleet uniforms first issued in 2374.
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 Cadet uniforms |
...Edward Janeway's uniform in VOY Coda?
It was established that Kathryn Janeway's father died in 2358 but his
uniform didn't reflect that at all. It had rank pips that were introduced in
2366 and a communicator of the style first used in 2371.
VOY Coda
...Kathryn Janeway's uniform in Star Trek: Nemesis?
It was barely visible, but Janeway wore the rank insignia of a Vice
Admiral. Since U.S.S. Voyager returned at the end of the year 2377, and Star
Trek: Nemesis
was set in the second half of 2379, Janeway would have been promoted three times
within 22 months, which is just ridiculous.
Star Trek: Nemesis
...James T. Kirk's uniform in TOS The Enemy Within?
His uniform lacked the Enterprise insignia in some scenes.
TOS The Enemy Within
...James T. Kirk's uniform in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home?
After Kirk was demoted from Rear Admiral to Captain, the rank pins on his
uniform were changed and the flag rank stripe was removed. The costume designer,
however, forgot to remove the gold piping along the uniform flap.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
...Geordi La Forge's uniform in TNG Yesterday's Enterprise?
At the end of that episode, La Forge was still wearing the Starfleet uniform
from the alternate timeline.
TNG Yesterday's Enterprise
...Geordi La Forge's uniform in TNG Man of the People?
In one scene of that episode, La Forge wore two hollow pips and
one solid pip.
TNG Man of the People
...Noah Lessing's uniform in VOY Equinox? (not confirmed)
Lessing was referred to as "Crewman," altough he wore the rank insignia of
an ensign.
VOY Equinox, Part 1
...Levitt's uniform in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country?
During the briefing on the new Klingon situation at Starfleet Headquarters,
the C-in-C referred to her as "Captain," yet she wore the uniform of an admiral.
This character had no last name in the movie or the script, but I've decided to call her "Levitt" because she was played by Walter Koenig's wife Judy Levitt.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
...the Lieutenant JG rank in Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
In a memo of August 3 1978 to costume designer Robert Fletcher, Jon Povill
nailed down the rank scheme for Star Trek: The Motion Picture. It was basically the same
one as used during TOS with one big difference: Ensigns had one broken sleeve
stripe and the rank of Lieutenant JG was totally omitted. Unfortunately, this
incomplete rank scheme was used in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. There's one scene
where Uhura refers to an Alien officer with one broken sleeve stripe as
"Ensign". One can only speculate why Povill omitted the rank of Lt. JG. It
is
probably due to the fact that Lieutenant JGs were rarely seen during TOS. He
might have gotten the impression that the rank of Lt. JG didn't exist during TOS
either.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
...the Maquis uniforms on Star Trek: Voyager
All former Maquis crewmembers with the exception of Chakotay and B'Elanna
Torres wore the rate insignia of a Chief Petty Officer, even those who were
clearly referred to as "Crewman" or "Ensign". Some prime examples are displayed
below.
 Ensign Seska VOY Emanations |
 Crewman Dalby VOY Learning Curve |
 Ensign Lon Suder VOY Meld |
 Crewman Hogan VOY Investigations |
 Crewman Michael Jonas VOY Investitagions |
Ensign Tabor VOY Nothing Human |
...Leonard McCoy's uniform in TOS Obsession?
Instead of the science division chest insignia, he wore an engineering
insignia.
TOS Obsession
...Leonard McCoy's and Spock's field jacket in Star Trek: The
Motion Picture?
At the end of the movie, the two of them switched their jackets, thus having
both wearing an incorrect division arm band.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
...Marla McGivers' uniform in TOS Space Seed?
McGivers was referred to as "Lt. McGivers" throughout the episode but her
uniform lacked the proper rank braid. Moreover, she should have worn a blue
uniform instead of a red one, as she was a scientist (ship's historian).
TOS Space Seed
...Jose Mendez' uniform in TOS The Menagerie?
Commodore Mendez wore the dress uniform of a captain in that episode. His
uniform lacked the gold piping that runs down the outer seam of both sleeves
from the neck to the cuff.
 Commodore Mendez TOS The Menagerie |
 Comparison Commodore Stone TOS Court Martial |
...Ann Mulhall's uniform in TOS
Return to Tomorrow?
Lt. Cmdr. Mulhall wore a red uniform, however she was a scientist
(astrobiologist). Blue would have been the correct uniform colour.
TOS Return to Tomorrow
...Alynna Nechayev's uniform in TNG Chain of Command?
Apparently, she forgot to wear a combadge on that day.
TNG Chain of Command
...Alynna Nechayev's
uniform in TNG Journey's End?
Captain Picard referred to her as "Fleet
Admiral Nechayev," although she only wore the rank insignia of a Vice
Admiral (3 pips). It's possible that "Fleet Admiral" was meant to be the short
form for "Starfleet Admiral," or that it didn't refer to her rank but to her
position.
TNG Journey's End
...Nog's uniform during DS9 season 6?
Nog received a field promotion to Ensign in DS9 Favor the Bold, yet throughout
season 6 he wore the rank insignia of a Chief Petty Officer. The error was
finally fixed in the DS9 episode "Valiant".
 DS9 Sacrifice of Angels |
 DS9 The Magnificent Ferengi |
 DS9 Valiant |
...Nog's uniform in DS9 Valiant?
He was field promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander but he only wore
the rank insignia of a Lieutenant JG.
DS9 Valiant
...Miles O'Brien's uniform during TNG season 1-5?
O'Brien started out as Ensign (1 solid pip) in TNG Encounter at Farpoint
(Season 1). He then appeared as full Lieutenant (2 solid pips) in TNG The Child
(Season 2). He was even referred to as "Lieutenant" by Commander Riker
on one
occasion (TNG Where Silence Has Lease). In TNG Family (Season 4), Worf's father,
Sergei Rozhenko, referred to
him as "Chief Petty Officer," but O'Brien was still wearing two pips. It was not
until TNG Realm of Fear (Season 6) that he got the correct rank pip for a Chief
Petty Officer (1
hollow pip).
 TNG All Good Things... |
 TNG Encounter at Farpoint |
 TNG The Child |
 TNG Where Silence Has Lease |
 TNG Family |
 TNG Realm of Fear |
...Miles O'Brien's uniform in DS9 Crossfire?
O'Brien's didn't wear any rank insignia on his dress uniform during that
episode.
DS9 Crossfire
...Miles O'Brien's uniform in DS9 Rules of Engagement?
O'Brien didn't wear his new rank insignia with the chevrons on his dress
uniform, but his old insignia; one hollow pip.
DS9 Rules of Engagement
...O'Neil's uniform in TOS The Tholian Web?
In one scene, Lieutenant O'Neil is seen with the proper Lt. stripes on his
uniform, but a couple of seconds later in a close-up scene he's wearing Lt.
Cmdr. stripes. Stock-footage of Lt. Cmdr. Scott working at the transporter
console was used for this scene, thus causing the error.
TOS The Tholian Web
...Owen Paris' rank pins in VOY Inside Man?
Owen Paris first appeared in VOY Persistence of Vision with the rank
insignia of a Vice Admiral. Prior to VOY Pathfinder he was promoted to full
Admiral, as he wore 4 boxed pips in this episode, but in VOY Inside Man he was back
to 3 boxed pips. The error was corrected in VOY Endgame.
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VOY Endgame |
...Thomas Paris' rank pins during Voyager's first season?
In VOY Caretaker, Janeway promoted Paris to the rank of full Lieutenant. Later,
when the people in charge changed Tuvok's rank pips from Lieutenant Commander to
Lieutenant in VOY Cathexis, they also changed Tom's rank pips from Lieutenant to
Lieutenant JG, probably because they wanted Tuvok to outrank him.
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VOY Cathexis |
...Thomas Paris' uniform in VOY Pathfinder?
In this episode, we can see that Admiral Paris has a picture of his son Tom,
wearing a cadet uniform, on his desk. If the generally accepted assumption that
Tom was born in 2342 is correct, he should have graduated from Starfleet Academy
approximately in 2364, two years before his cadet uniform was issued.
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Cadet uniforms |
...Jean-Luc Picard's uniform in TNG Cost of Living?
In one scene, Picard wore only three rank pips instead of four.
TNG Cost of Living
...Jean-Luc Picard's uniform in Star Trek: Nemesis?
On his academy picture, Picard did not wear the uniform of a cadet but of
a non-commissioned officer.
 Star Trek: Nemesis |
 Overview |
...Piersall's uniform in DS9 Second Sight?
According to the script, Piersall was intended to be Lieutenant Commander
but in the episode he only wore the rank insignia of a Lt. JG. The wardrobe
department obviously forgot to add one golden pip.
DS9 Second Sight
...Ilia's uniform in Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
Ilia and an Alien ensign were wearing blue uniforms which, according to
backstage material, denoted command officers. This seems odd because
higher-ranking officers such as Lt. Cmdr. Uhura and Lt. Cmdr. Sulu were wearing
beige uniforms and classified as bridge officers.
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LT Ilia Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
nameless ENS Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
...Janice Rand's uniform in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock?
Rand wore an officer's uniform with the rank insignia of a Commander in that
movie. This is inconsistent with her being a CPO before and after Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. One can either accept this as an error or pretend that the
character in Spacedock wasn't Rand. After all, Grace Lee Whitney was only
credited as "woman in cafeteria".
 Star Trek: The Motion Picture |
 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock |
 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home |
...Janice Rand's uniform in VOY Flashback?
She was a Lieutenant JG in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, but in VOY
Flashback she wore the rank insignia of a Lieutenant Commander.
Furthermore, everyone referred to her as "Commander". Fortunately, we just saw the
obviously incorrect memories of a brain-sick Vulcan.
 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
 VOY Flashback |
Nancy Randolph's uniform in TAS Eye of the Beholder?
Randolph was the navigator of U.S.S. Ariel, but wore a red uniform instead of the
proper gold.
TAS Eye of the Beholder
...William Riker's uniform in VOY Death Wish?
Riker wore the Starfleet insignia with the round background in this episode.
The problem is that Riker seemed to be familiar with Voyager's disappearance, but
his
Starfleet insignia was phased out before Voyager's transfer to the Delta
Quadrant. Thus, he either shouldn't have known about it or worn the insignia with the
rectangular background.
VOY Death Wish
...Ross's uniform in Star Trek: The Motion Picture?
According to the script and the end credits, Ross was intended to be a Chief
Petty Officer but in the movie she only wore the shoulder tabs of a crewman.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
...Saavik's uniform in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock?
Saavik was shown as the Chief Science Officer of the U.S.S. Grissom. Hence, her white sleeve band with
the imposed grey slash. Unfortunately, the costume
department forgot to add the grey slash on her shoulder strap.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
...Montgomery Scott's uniform in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home?
Scotty was promoted to the rank of Captain during Star Trek III: The Search
for Spock, yet during the trial in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home he was wearing
the rank insignia of a Commander. This error was probably due to the fact that
his uniform jacket wasn't used following the scene where Morrow told him of his
promotion in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
...Shanthi's
uniform in TNG Redemption, Part 2?
Captain Picard referred to her as "Fleet
Admiral Shanthi," although she only wore the rank insignia of a Vice
Admiral (3 pips). It's possible that "Fleet Admiral" was meant to be the short
form for "Starfleet Admiral," or that it didn't refer to her rank but to her
position.
TNG Redemption, Part 2
...Benjamin Sisko's uniform in DS9 Emissary?
In the flashback scenes of Jake's Birth (2355), Sisko didn't wear the
contemporary uniform, but a uniform design introduced in 2366.
DS9 Emissary
...Benjamin Sisko's uniform in DS9 Rules of Engagement?
In one scene, Sisko wore only three rank pips instead of four.
DS9 Rules of Engagement
...Benjamin Sisko's uniform in DS9 Rapture?
His commbadge was in the wrong place and his uniform lacked division sleeve
stripes. These errors were fixed during the next episode "The Darkness and the
Light".
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...Spock's uniform during Star Trek's first season?
Spock wore the rank braid of a full Commander, although he was referred to
as "Lieutenant Commander" in the episodes "Court Martial", "The Menagerie", and
"Tomorrow Is Yesterday".
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TOS Court Martial |
TOS The Menagerie |
TOS Tomorrow Is Yesterday |
...Hikaru Sulu's uniform in TOS The Enemy Within? (not confirmed)
His uniform lacked rank stripes in some scenes.
TOS The Enemy Within
...B'Elanna Torres' uniform during Voyager's first season?
In VOY Caretaker, Torres was given the provisional rate of "Crewman" (well,
she was actually wearing the rate insignia of a Chief Petty Officer but that's a
different story). In VOY Parallax she was promoted from Crewman to full
Lieutenant and named Chief Engineer of U.S.S. Voyager. Later, when the people in
charge changed Tuvok's rank pips from Lieutenant Commander to Lieutenant in VOY
Cathexis, they also changed B'Elanna's rank pips from Lieutenant to Lieutenant JG,
probably because they wanted Tuvok to outrank her.
 Crewman B'Elanna Torres VOY Parallax |
 Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres VOY Eye of the Needle |
Lieutenant JG B'Elanna Torres VOY Cathexis |
...Tuvok's uniform during Voyager's first season?
Tuvok wore the rank pips of a Lieutenant Commander, but everyone referred to him as "Lieutenant Tuvok". Furthermore, he was listed as "Lt. Tuvok" in the credits. Finally, the
people in charge realised their mistake and Tuvok got the correct number of rank
pips in VOY Cathexis.
 VOY Parallax |
VOY Cathexis |
...Uhura's uniform in TOS The Corbomite Maneuver?
In the first episodes of TOS, Uhura wor a golden uniform instead of a red
one. Additionally, she wore a Science divison insignia instead of a Command
division patch.
TOS The Corbomite Maneuver
...the uniforms of the officers in the Starbase 11 recreation facility in TOS
Court Martial?
In this episode, several officers who were not assigned to U.S.S. Enterprise
nevertheless wore what is generally accepted as Enterprise's unique insignia.
TOS Court Martial
...the uniforms of the Ariel crew in TAS The Eye of the Beholder?
Tom Markel and Randi Bryce wore the insignia of the Enterprise, even though
they served aboard another ship, the Ariel.
TAS The Eye of the Beholder
...the uniform of the Columbia helmsman in ENT Affliction? (not confirmed)
Captain Hernandez referred to her helmsman as "Lieutenant", but his uniform
showed the rank insignia of an ensign.
ENT Affliction
...the uniforms of the Enterprise-A kitchen staff in Star Trek VI: The
Undiscovered Country?
The kitchen staff should've worn the sky blue colour of the Special Services
Division. However, they wore Engineering and Science Division colours.
star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
...the uniform of the Enterprise-A transporter chief in Star Trek VI: The
Undiscovered Country?
Instead of wearing yellow ochre shoulder tabs and sleeve stripe, the
transporter chief wore a green Medical division uniform.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
...the uniform of the Excelsior navigator in VOY Flashback?
The navigator in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was a Commander and wearing an appropriate grey Science division uniform. In VOY
Flashback, however, he was suddenly a Lieutenant JG and wearing a white Command
division uniform.
 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
VOY Flashback |
...Valeris's uniform in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country?
1.) Rank insignia:
Everyone in the movie referred to her as "Lieutenant Valeris," but her uniform showed the rank
insignia of a Lieutenant Commander.
2.) Shoulder strap colour:
Her shoulder strap was grey, although she was the helmsman of the Enterprise-A.
The correct shoulder strap colour would have been yellow ochre.
3.) Shirt colour:
Spock stated that Valeris has already graduated from Starfleet Academy. Thus, her turtleneck shirt shouldn't have been red, because that's the colour for cadets
and trainees. Moreover, the shirt colour has to be of the same colour as the
shoulder strap. The correct shirt colour would have been yellow ochre.
4.) Pants stripe:
Her pants stripe was red, although a red stripe is only worn by command
officers. The correct pants stripe colour would have been yellow ochre.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
...Dmitri Valtane's uniform in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country?
Valtane was a science officer aboard the Excelsior but the lining of his
uniform jacket was white instead of beige. White is reserved for command
division officers, while beige lining is used for all other divisions.
 Lt. Cmdr. Dmitri Valtane (Science Division) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
 Capt. James T. Kirk (Command Division) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
 Cmdr. Leonard McCoy (Medical Division) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country |
...West's uniform in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country?
Colonel West wore a uniform with the rank insignia of a Vice Admiral in that
movie. They hadn't had enough budget for new Starfleet uniforms, so everything
was off the rack. That's how this mistake could happen.
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country