Star Fleet Uniform Recognition Manual The " Star Fleet Uniform Recognition Manual " is a " Star Trek " reference work , not officially recognized as canonical by Paramount Pictures , that was written and illustrated by Shane Johnson and originally published by the Noron Group in 1985 . It is a companion volume to one of his previous works , " Mr . Scott ' s Guide to the Enterprise , " which concentrates primarily on uniforms and clothing ; Johnson had previously had to incorporate the uniforms and clothing details into the " General Information " section of " Mr . Scott ' s Guide to the Enterprise , " where he could not include all of them . Contents . The book is divided into five chapters , all of which have their own headings . Federation Color Codes . The first chapter , called " Federation Color Codes , " is just that – a table of Federation color codes which adds eight colors to the list of thirty - two that Franz Joseph ' s design company provided in the " Star Fleet Technical Manual . " This " chapter " also includes tables of Star Fleet section colors past and present , and it also gives a key to the symbols that Johnson uses in the book . Insignia And Rank . The second chapter , titled " Insignia And Rank , " is a series of drawings , some of which also include text ; they depict how starship assignment and service grades were previously indicated as well as how they have since been indicated . Uniforms ( Obsolete ) . The third chapter is titled " Uniforms ( Obsolete ) " and depicts the uniforms and other gear worn at the approximate time of TOS , which is incorrectly given as the early 2200s . Uniforms ( Current ) . The fourth chapter is titled " Uniforms ( Current ) , " and it primarily depicts the uniforms that were introduced in . This particular uniform design is often called the " monster maroon " uniform because of the difficulty fans often have in assembling it for personal wearing . One uniform which is described and depicted in this chapter , but was not shown in any " Star Trek " motion picture , is the " Diplomatic Dress Uniform . " The references Johnson employed in drawing it and listing its details are not known . Paramount Pictures is not known to have provided any photographs of this uniform for reference works ; thus it is not considered an officially recognized Starfleet uniform . Intelligence Report . The fifth and final chapter , titled " Intelligence Report , " shows Klingon uniforms past and present , as well as how the appearances of the Klingons have changed since they were first shown , and it concludes with an illustration of how the outfit Ricardo Montalban wore as Khan Noonien Singh might have looked when it was intact . According to Johnson , this outfit was actually the remains of a life support suit designed specifically for use with the DY series of sleeper ships . Background information . The " Star Fleet Uniform Recognition Manual " is not considered official " Star Trek " canon material , even though it does contain design details of the so - called " monster maroon " uniforms of Robert Fletcher ' s design that had not been officially referred to in any canon sources . It uses a timeline Paramount Pictures officially considers faulty , ascribing the time when the various ship badges became obsolete to the early decades of the 23rd century , which James T . Kirk ' s reference to the year 2283 in contradicts .