Starfleet uniform ( late 2270s - 2350s ) The Starfleet uniform of the late 2270s through the 2350s represented a radical change from older uniform designs . Around this period , Starfleet abandoned the practice of using individual insignia for each mission or starship . From this point on , all Starfleet personnel wore the " arrowhead " insignia previously used by the crew of the , the , the , the and the . The uniforms of this period bore the new Starfleet insignia on a brass - colored pin worn on the breast ; officers wore the insignia with a round - ended rectangular shield backing it . New rank insignia , with individual symbols for each rank , were also introduced , and were worn on the clasp and left wrist of the tunics . This uniform style was phased out in the 2350s after undergoing several minor changes . It was Starfleet ' s longest tenured uniform design to date , having been used with variations for over almost eighty years . ( ; ; ; , ) Officer uniform . Late 2270s to 2290s . By 2278 , the officer uniform sported black trousers and a double - breasted red jacket worn over a turtlenecked undershirt . The undershirt , along with stripes on the pants , shoulder , and left sleeve had distinctive division colors . The jacket closed by a clasp at the right shoulder and a sealing mechanism that ran along the black stripe . This allowed the wearer to have a more relaxed appearance and likely allowed more circulation of air . An optional skirt was available for female officers . There was a leather vest that could be worn underneath as seen worn by Saavik under her excursion jacket . The vest was seen after she arrived on Vulcan after Genesis . ( ; ; ; ; ; ) 2290s . By 2293 , a vest could be worn over the undershirt and below the jacket . ( ) 2320s . By 2327 , the ribbed collars of the division color undershirts were replaced by shorter " crewneck " - style collars . ( ) 2340s . By 2344 , the belts and undershirts were no longer in use , and the uniform insignia doubled as a combadge . The combadge was redesigned by 2348 . ( ) Flag officer uniform . Flag officer uniforms were the same as the officers uniform , except that the pants stripe and tunic were trimmed in gold . In the 2280s , flag officers who were part of the Federation Council wore stylized pins centered on the breast of their jacket . ( ) In the 2290s , flag officers wore service ribbons on the left breast of the jacket , below the Starfleet insignia . These ribbons varied in color and position , and likely indicated different commendations and awards received by the officers for their service in Starfleet . ( ; ; ; ; ) Excursion jacket . Like the excursion jackets of 2150s and 2250s , Starfleet issued a version in the 2270s that sported a large ribbed collar and several external pockets . The rank insignia was worn above the right cuff , and a patch of Earth ' s solar system and departmental color stripe was attached to the left shoulder . This jacket was worn in combination with an excursion vest over the turtleneck undershirt during away missions , and was issued by Starfleet . ( ; ; ) Bomber jacket . In keeping with the Starfleet practice of allowing officers of command rank to wear a less formal variant of the uniform , starting in the late 2270s command officers were given the option of wearing a suede leather bomber jacket version of the uniform . This was worn over the department color turtle neck . ( ; ; ) Engineering attire . Engineer ' s vest . Starfleet also allowed its engineers to wear a vest with pockets to hold various engineering instruments . It was worn over the standard undershirt . ( ; ; ; ) Engineering suit . The engineering suit was a slightly modified version of the suit introduced earlier in the 2270s in order to protect engineering personnel while servicing the warp and impulse engines , as well as performing other tasks where they may be exposed to radiation . The suits were primarily white in color , featuring a black collarpiece . Changes to the suit from the previous version included the addition of a division stripe on the left sleeve , just below the elbow , and the relocation of the Starfleet insignia patch from the left forearm to the left shoulder . The color of both the shoulder tabs and the background of the insignia patch were changed to reflect the updated division colors . A variant worn by midshipmen featured a red collarpiece and division sleeve stripe . A variant of the engineering suit was created to allow extravehicular movement in the vacuum of space . This could be used to repair damage , or to complete maintenance on the outside of a ship or starbase . These suits were supplied with their own oxygen supply and artificial gravity units . This version of the suit lacked the large collarpiece of the standard engineering suit . Utility uniform . Enlisted crew wore crimson and tan utility jumpsuits with black undershirts ( red for trainees ) , with division color appearing on shoulder tabs and strap on the left sleeve . The rank insignia indicators were pinned directly to the left sleeve between the strap and elbow . Due to anatomical differences , crewmen such as were allowed to go barefoot . ( ; ; ; ; ; ; ) Medical attire . Type A . A holdover from the last uniform design , this white uniform was worn by medical staff . Consisting of a white wide collared shirt worn over the division undershirt , it was worn with white pants and boots . While still sporting the division color shoulder tabs where rank was displayed on the last version of the uniform , the only rank insignia was now displayed on the above the left cuff , where a division color strap was added . The left breast now sported a different medical symbol when compared to the previous version . ( ) Type B . This version was mostly similar to the type - A version , except for the lack of a collar on the shirt itself . ( ) Security uniform . Type A . Security officers continued to wear the body armor introduced in the early - 2270s . This armor was worn over a specialized uniform consisting of a red shirt , pants , and red and black boots . The red shirt was worn over the dark green security colored undershirt , and sported the colored strap near the left cuff . The pants had the standard division colored strip running down the sides , but were much tighter near the boots when compared to the standard black pants . ( ; ; ) Type B . The spacedock prison guards wore blue - gray uniforms , white utility belts and white caps . ( ) Field uniform . For field operations on a planetary surface , the ' s strike team donned special field uniforms . Most field uniforms were tan in color , but Captain James T . Kirk ' s was charcoal gray . A ribbed shirt replaced the jacket worn over the department colored turtleneck . This shirt retained the department colored left sleeve strap , but lacked the right shoulder strap as both shoulders had a large area made of a different material . Officers wore their Starfleet insignia belts , while crewmen worn the uniform without one . The pants were the same color as the shirt with division colored piping running down the side . Unlike the standard uniform , the pants were not tucked into the boots . The uniform could also be equipped with a two - strapped backpack with optional utility belt combo . ( ) Other uniform features . Officers serving as a captain ' s or admiral ' s yeoman would wear an honor " cord " on the left shoulder . In 2285 , on officer ' s uniform s , the cord itself was somewhat textured and worn with a red epaulet that the cord attached to , encircling the left shoulder . On the utility uniform , the cord was plainer and could be worn attached to a boatswain ' s whistle . ( ; ) By 2287 , the epaulet had been removed on officer uniforms , and the cord , which was the plainer version , was attached directly to left arm material at the shoulder , as well as at the belt after looping down to the waist . ( ) Rank insignia . Division band insignia . Like the navies of Earth during the 20th century , uniforms of this era used insignia to denote time served in the fleet , as well as commendations and awards . This was done using a series of circular service markers and oblong commendation markers – familiarly called " pips " and " squeaks " respectively – worn on the left sleeve division band . A pip symbolized five years of service , while a pip with an engraved delta symbolized ten years of service . A squeak symbolized a Starfleet commendation . Service and commendation markers were gold for officers and silver for enlisted personnel , with arrangement at the individual ' s discretion . Appendices . Background information . Robert Fletcher designed the uniforms seen throughout the movies , with later new designs provided by Nilo Rodis ( which were further adapted into future versions on TNG by Robert Blackman ) . In addition to lacking belts , had crew neck undershirts ( instead of the turtleneck - style ) that were sometimes not visible over the collar of the uniform jacket . The shoulder strap and wristband still displayed the division color , however . " " This uniform style was first seen in . Its earliest chronological appearance is on the crew of the in ( 2278 ) . Its latest chronological appearance is in the holographic message Jack Crusher recorded for his son Wesley in 2349 in " Family " , where a TNG - style communication badge was used because the art department had no contemporary available . The previous uniform insignia was in fact used as a communications badge , however , as evidenced by Richard Castillo of the , although since the " flip " communicators were still in use as of , it ' s likely that that insignia was later modified to be used as a communicator , and that it didn ' t always have that capability . The shirts worn by the members of the Angosian Senate were the turtlenecked men ' s shirts from this era Starfleet officers ' uniform . ( ) For more information on how the uniforms were created , see " " . Several costume elements , including belts , undershirts , and division strips were sold off on the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction on eBay . Several parts and complete versions of the engineer ' s radiological suit were also sold off as well as a completely blank crewman jumpsuit , a petty officer 1st class uniform including black Puma athletic shoes , and a flag admiral skirt .