Conclusion
Some fans believe Star Trek’s film franchise stumbled out of the gate with TMP, and maybe it did to some degree (especially with the rushed theatrical cut, which even director Robert Wise only regarded as a rough cut), but I still love it.
This first movie’s uniforms aren’t everyone’s cup of tea; some fans have been critical of the muted color palette and unflattering costumes.
In his book Star Trek: Movie Memories, William Shatner said, “I hated our new uniforms. Ugly, form-fitting, pastel-colored, one-piece jumpsuits, these things itched even worse than our old TV series togs.”
He continued with this amusing anecdote:
“Far worse was the fact that due to the design of these outfits, it was virtually impossible for any male member of our cast to sit down without seriously endangering his ability to procreate.
“All day long, our set was peppered with the pitiful high-pitched yelps and wailings of castmates discovering this particular design flaw for the very first time.
“Nichelle tells me that the outfits were equally uncomfortable for our female cast members, but I find that hard to believe.”
Nevertheless, despite the criticism – or perhaps because of it – I think it’s amazing how strong of a legacy this movie’s costumes left, and how many of them were reused in the following productions.
Congratulations on finishing this detailed analysis of the TMP “Class D” jumpsuits!
After that info-dump, you might feel like this:
But don’t worry!
I drafted my Tailors Gone Wild movie-era jumpsuit patterns to be as faithful to the original costumes as possible, and my TMP “Class D” jumpsuit sewing tutorial is thorough enough to help you to construct a fantastic replica of your own. 🙂
And if you enjoyed this costume analysis, please support my costume research on Ko-Fi!
Every bar of gold-pressed latinum helps me produce more sewing/costuming resources like this. 🙂
