Memorable Examples
Although the enlisted jumpsuits were primarily worn by extras, the most memorable characters to wear these were probably the two assassins in ST6.
Crewman Dax also had a quick moment in the spotlight.
The great James Horner also had a cameo in The Wrath of Khan, wearing this uniform.
Crew Positions
Enlisted crew had a variety of jobs, like blowing the whistle to announce the arrival of important figures:
They did the cooking – although why the Enterprise galley was run almost exclusively by crew members wearing engineering gold instead of “special services” blue is somewhat curious:
They apparently did a lot of the physical labor, like preparing the photon torpedo launchers:
During the ST6 investigation, enlisted crew members seem to have done most of the actual hunting:
They may have filled in for officers and key bridge stations as-needed, too.
In ST2, the Enterprise pilot and navigator were both officers (or one officer and one cadet, depending on how you regard the rank of “lieutenant, junior grade”):
In ST3, after Saavik’s departure an enlisted crew member took over as navigator, which I’d accept considering even if it was normally an officer’s position, the Enterprise probably only had a skeleton crew on board by that point.
Assuming the two bridge stations had the same functions, we saw the reverse situation on the Excelsior, which was piloted by an enlisted crew member, while the navigator was an officer.
We then saw this again on the Grissom, although that crew member was curiously wearing sciences gray (or possibly special services blue).
Starfleet training is extremely thorough, so I think we can safely assume all Starfleet personnel (officers and enlisted alike) have at least a basic proficiency at every station.
And I obviously have no issue with enlisted crew members manning key bridge stations like the helm and navigation; I’m just not sure what the rhyme or reason was.
In any event, in ST4 there was one enlisted lady who was also a member of the Federation Council – good for her!
Enlisted vs. Trainees
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a common misconception that cadets wore these jumpsuits and switched to the “monster maroons” once they graduated.
These jumpsuits had quilted collars and cuffs, analogous to those on the division-colored undershirts worn by officers.
Enlisted personnel always had black collars and cuffs:
However, enlisted trainees had red (specifically, “flame red”) collars and cuffs:
Here’s an enlisted trainee wearing the jumpsuit, near a cadet wearing the “monster maroon.”
Here two more can be seen:
