Star Trek's Bold New Starfleet Uniform Redesigns Are Here And They're Gorgeous

Published Oct 1, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

Nicolas Ayala is a Senior Writer for the Comics team at ScreenRant, with over five years of experience writing about Superhero media, action movies, and TV shows. 

The Star Trek franchise's new era arrives with a brilliant update to the Starfleet uniforms' designs. One of the many elements the Star Trek universe has turned into a pop culture staple is the Starfleet uniforms. In Star Trek: The Original Series, the vibrant division colors established an efficient visual shorthand for Starfleet's chain of command, while unintentionally birthing the trope of the ill-fated "redshirt", whose uniform became synonymous with cannon fodder. As the franchise expanded through The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, the uniforms evolved into sleek and professional two-piece suits and grey-shouldered duty tunics that still retained the simplicity of The Original Series' basic costumes.

As production values grew and real-life costume design shifted toward textured and cinematic tailoring, Star Trek modernized its wardrobe without losing the minimalistic charm of its 1960s roots. Modern iterations, most notably in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and movies like Star Trek Beyond, have replaced the off-the-rack velour and tight spandex of early eras with breathable fabrics and intricate micro-patterned Starfleet delta insignias embossed into the cloth. But as much as the materials and designs might evolve, the clean lines and primary color blocking that made the original low-budget costumes so iconic will always be at the heart of every iteration of Starfleet's uniforms.

Star Trek continues to evolve Starfleet's unmistakable uniforms with bold redesigns that respect their classic origins.

Star Trek's New Starfleet Uniforms Add Collars And Black-Prominent Palettes

Star Trek #1; Written By Christopher Cantwell; Art By Dennis Menheere

IDW’s 2026 Star Trek comic book relaunch, composed of Christopher Cantwell’s mainline reboot and Charlie Jane Anders’ sister series Star Trek: Zero Point, introduces a dramatic update to Starfleet's wardrobe. Moving away from the traditional solid-color tunics, the Star Trek comics' new designs embrace a sleek, black-prominent palette. Instead of relegating department colors to the entire torso, these new 25th-century variants focus the division signatures into angular shapes over the neck line and upper chest, but don't extend down the shoulders and the sleeves.

The classic, smooth scoop-necks of old are replaced with large collars that mitigate the casual jumper or pajama feel of legacy eras. The result is a new type of Starfleet uniform that's both more athletic and more authoritative, and honors classic franchise iconography with the visual demands of modern sci-fi. Artists Dennis Menheere and Isaac Sánchez González came up with designs that make key characters like Captain Seven of Nine and Captain Raffi Musiker look uniquely dynamic as they face new threats like The Hidden and explore previously unknown boundaries of their universe.

It's Surprisingly Easy To Miss The Mark While Updating Starfleet's Uniforms

Overdesigning Starfleet's Uniforms Would Miss The Point Of Updating Them

Sci-fi costume design often falls into the trap of assuming futuristic clothing must be brimming with unnecessary shapes, textures, and details; something that franchises as big as Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are often guilty of. Star Trek has avoided this overdesign trope since the 1960s. The original intent of Starfleet uniforms was to foster an optimistic and accessible future where plain color-blocking communicated a crew member's role at a single glance. When a redesign introduces too many distracting visual layers, it goes against Starfleet's minimalist philosophy and clutters the screen.

Not every aesthetic overhaul has hit the mark, and the clearest example may be Star Trek: The Next Generation’s initial uniform designs. Seasons 1 and 2 featured tight single-piece spandex jumpsuits intended to look ultra-smooth and wrinkle-free, but they ultimately resembled futuristic space aerobics gear. Besides, the restrictive Lycra fabric was notorious for causing back pain for the cast, which led costume designer Robert Blackman to abandon them in season 3 for more authoritative two-piece wool uniforms. Despite occasional missteps like the early TNG jumpsuits or the monochromatic tones of The Motion Picture, the majority of Star Trek updates have stayed loyal to the principles of Starfleet's uniform design.

Which Star Trek uniforms are your favorite?

Star Trek and Star Trek: Zero Point are now available from IDW Entertainmen