When Star Trek: Discovery first aired on CBS All Access, many took notice that the uniforms worn by Starfleet were drastically different than the ones seen in the original series. Star Trek: Discovery had wanted to carve its own identity in the Star Trek canon and with every new Star Trek shows that airs, a new uniform is introduced, to continue to give each show its own identity.
Ever since the initial shock of the Star Trek: Discovery uniforms, most of the uniforms each new show has introduced have been updated versions of ones from the previous shows. With Star Trek: Strange New Worlds on the way, a new uniform is on the horizon.
Star Trek: Discovery - Season 1
When Star Trek: Discovery first premiered, it told the story of Michael Burnham starting the Klingon/Federation war. Under the command of Captain Lorca, the USS Discovery built a new form of propulsion called the Spore Drive which allowed them to cross to the Mirror Universe, where Lorca ended up being from.
This darker tone for a Star Trek show was first noticed due to the more militaristic uniforms they wore. Unlike anything that Star Trek had shown before, these uniforms were mostly a darker blue with gold or silver highlights added to various areas of the uniform. It's not the worst looking, but it loses points for its militaristic nature.
Star Trek: Discovery - New 32nd Century
When Star Trek: Discovery moved to the 32nd Century in its 3rd season, the Discovery and her crew were interested in finding the source of the Burn, which decimated warp-capable societies including the Federation. When the Discovery was officially welcomed back into Starfleet, a new threat arrived in the form of the DMA, a massive black hole that threatened the entire galaxy.
Now that they're part of the Federation in the 32nd Century, they need to wear the proper uniforms. The costume designers wisely got rid of the ugly grey ones from season 3 and updated the look with the division colors and a black stripe down the side. The only issue is that it's such a long jacket with pronounced shoulder pads that make the uniform look more ill-fitting than anything else.
Star Trek: Picard - Season 1
Star Trek: Picard season 1 followed the adventures of the aging Admiral Picard as he set out to solve the mystery of why the synthetics rose up all those years ago. He faced a galaxy that was far less hopeful than the one he was accustomed to. There was even a plot in Starfleet that wanted to see him fail due to the actions of a Romulan who had infiltrated Starfleet.
The Starfleet of 2399 had a new type of uniform with the division colors on the shoulder of a mostly black jumpsuit. Reminiscent of the early Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager uniforms, but unlike those uniforms, it didn't open at the neck and it sported a collar that made it look militaristic. Since Starfleet was feeling more isolationist at the time, it probably made sense.
Star Trek: Prodigy - Admiral Janeway
Star Trek: Prodigy follows a group of alien kids in the Delta Quadrant as they find a Starship called the USS Protostar. They use the ship to escape their imprisonment, but Starfleet is also looking for that ship and its former crew. Admiral Janeway is revealed at the end of the latest episode of Star Trek: Prodigy to be actively searching for the experimental Starfleet vessel.
Admiral Janeway and her Trill helmsman are sporting a new uniform than the ones viewers have seen in that time period. This uniform has black shoulders over the division colors and a gold trim outlining a potential separation point, similar to a jacket. It's a nice update to those that came before. Hopefully, there will be more of it in the coming episodes.
Star Trek: Picard - Flashbacks
The flashback sequences in Star Trek: Picard show the events that led to Picard retiring from Starfleet. After the attack on the shipyards on Mars, Picard's efforts to help evacuate Romulus were put on hold and Picard blames himself for the lives lost when the Romulan homeworld was destroyed.
Starfleet apparently had many uniforms in service in the mid-2380s. This design's only real flaw was the ill-fitting shoulder pads, but otherwise, it was a natural upgrade from the ones seen in Star Trek: Voyager. The black bar in the division colors helped distinguish it from prior iterations.
Star Trek: Prodigy - Protostar
When the young crew of the USS Protostar decided to go back to their slave colony, they wanted to do so as Starfleet officers. Even though they weren't, they at least had to look the part, so they donned the uniforms that they found in the ship.
These uniforms are apparently specially made for the USS Protostar. Since the ship is an experimental vessel, it makes a certain amount of sense that it would have its own uniform. The uniform in question is a sleek-looking jumpsuit with an asymmetrical block of white along the chest and shoulders. It's too bad cadets didn't adopt this widespread.
Star Trek: Picard - Season 2
When Star Trek: Picard returned for the second season, there was a whole new tone around it. Starfleet and the Federation seemed like the kind of utopian that fans had expected to see. In another great Picard vs. Q debate, Q took that all away, but it looks like Starfleet entered the 2400s with a new uniform and a new outlook.
This new uniform represents the new outlook Starfleet has in the new season. Once again the uniforms are black with division colors on the shoulders, but the militaristic collar has been removed in favor of a black undershirt with a more defined collar. The chest opens like a jacket and the whole thing fits comfortably. Hopefully viewers haven't seen the last of these.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is going to follow the adventures of Captain Christopher Pike, the second captain of the USS Enterprise. Picking up where Star Trek: Discovery left him and his crew, audiences will finally see the adventures he had before Captain Kirk took command of the Enterprise.
Like all the shows, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is introducing a new style of uniform. This style looks a bit more comfortable than the original series uniforms but looks to share a design sense as the ones seen in Star Trek, the JJ Abrams film. A solid color shirt with a black undershirt, it immediately invokes the style of the original series while updating it for the modern century.
Star Trek: Lower Decks
The first-ever adult animated Trek show, Star Trek: Lower Decks follows the adventures of one of the least important ships in Starfleet, the USS Cerritos. The "lower decks" crew aren't the best or the brightest that Starfleet has to offer but they love their job and they're always excited for the next adventure.
These uniforms are perfect updates of the ones seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation. The solid division colors with a white border separating the black shoulders is just perfection. It's unclear if these uniforms will ever make the jump to live-action, but they should. These uniforms are just one of the reasons Star Trek: Lower Decks is very popular with fans right now.
Star Trek: Discovery - Enterprise
The second season of Star Trek: Discovery saw Captain Pike leave the Enterprise and take command of the Discovery to track down the mystery of the red angel that keeps popping up in the galaxy. The mystery led to the reveal that Section 31 was about to destroy all life in the galaxy and with Discovery's help, they were able to stop it and save the future.
When Captain Pike beamed over to the USS Discovery, he came with a big surprise for audiences, a different uniform than the ones seen on Discovery. Apparently, the Enterprise got some new uniforms that the rest of Starfleet didn't. These things are perfect. While they share some design similarities to Discovery's, the solid division color with a black collar was just the perfect update to the ones seen in Star Trek: The Original Series. It's such a shame they didn't carry over to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.