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Summary
Star Trek ’s carmine shirt joke has n’t actually been true since 1987 whenStar Trek : The Next Generationbegan . OnStar Trek : The Original Series , the USS Enterprise ’s protection officers wore red uniforms and were normally the first 1 to die on dangerous away foreign mission . Over the class ofTOS , approximately 55 characters were obliterate , 24 of whom were wearing red shirt , importantly more than any other uniform color . police chief James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) and Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) often went on away missions follow by security measure officers whose deaths became an infamous fly the coop joke .
After the terminal ofStar Trek : The Original Series , the redshirt trope took on a life of its own and has been spoofed and referenced in legion other television shows and films . By the sentence ofStar Trek : The Next Generation , however , thecolors of Starfleet ’s uniforms had change — red was now bidding and gold was certificate . This put an end to the high death tally of ruby - shirt - put on officers , but the trope itself had already been instill in popular culture . The new consistent colors introduced inTNGhave remain the criterion , and evenStar Trekprequels have more or less abandoned the red shirt image .
Star Trek is ending series like Discovery and Lower Decks but renewed Strange New Worlds while set up new streaming and theatrical moving picture .
TNG’s Starfleet Uniform Color Switch Ended Star Trek: TOS’ Redshirt Joke
Regardless, the redshirt trope will likely remain a part of popular culture.
Over the years , Starfleet ’s uniforms have gone through many change , often with no in - universe account . There may not be a clear reason for the substitution from Au to red for command uniform , butStar Trek : The Next Generation ’s Captain Jean - Luc Picard(Patrick Stewart ) quickly made the red Captain ’s uniform just as iconic as Captain Kirk’s . With red now being the color for Starfleet officer on the instruction track , it actually madeStar Trekcharacters weary red less far potential to be belt down . It was highly unlikely , after all , thatStar Trek : The Next Generationwas going to pop off Captain Picard or Commander William Riker ( Jonathan Frakes ) .
The death of gold uniform - wear Lt . Tasha Yar ( Denise Crosby ) inStar Trek : The Next Generationseason 1 and its impact on the characters also helped dispel the nonmeaningful death red - shirt trope .
For the most part , Star Trek : The Next Generationtook the deaths of gang members more seriously thanStar Trek : The Original Series . While nameless crew member were sometimes killed onTNG , they were not associated with any special uniform colour . Stories likeTNGseason 7 , episode 15 , " Lower deck of cards " showed the annihilating impact felt by Starfleet officers when one of their fellow crewmembers , Ensign Sito Jaxa ( Shannon Fill ) , was killed in the line of duty . Episodes like " Lower Decks " helped ferment characters who might have been considered " red shirts " onTOSinto relatable fictitious character with lives and friends , making their demise all the more tragical .
Killing off a minor graphic symbol in Deep Space Nine time of year 1 fixed Star Trek ’s redshirt job and ensured that last would have meaning on DS9 .
Redshirts Are Now Star Trek’s Safest Uniform Color
Modern Star Trek shows have also made even minor characters' deaths have more impact.
In everyStar Trekseries set afterStar Trek : The Next Generation , red is used for bidding uniforms , which makes it the safest uniform color . Captain Benjamin Sisko ( Avery Brooks ) ofStar Trek : Deep Space Nineand Captain Kathryn Janeway ( Kate Mulgrew ) ofStar Trek : Voyagerwore cerise uniforms , and they were safe as serial publication go . Even the shows set beforeStar Trek : The Original Serieshave put main characters in red- like Lieutenants La’an Noonien - Singh ( Christina Chong ) and Erica Ortegas ( Melissa Navia ) onStar Trek : Strange New Worlds . ModernStar Trekshows have mostly done away with the nonmeaningful end of minor characters , instead notice other ways to lift the bet .
Death mean more in modernStar Trek .
InStar Trek : Discovery , Michael Burnham ( Sonequa Martin - Green ) began wearing a cherry-red uniform when she became Captain of the USS Discovery , and it ’s highly unlikelyDiscoverywill vote down off its serial lead story . InmodernStar Trekshows , red seems to be one of the safest uniform colour to fag out . in the end , however , whichStar Trekcharacters live or die has small to do with the colour of their Starfleet uniform . sure enough , certificate officers may go up against danger first , but life on a Starfleet vessel is inherently irregular and often dangerous . decease means more in modernStar Trek . character are given time to mourn their precipitate crewmates , and their stories have become more significant than whether or not they happened to be wearing reddish .
All of the Star Trek appearance mentioned above are uncommitted to pour on Paramount+ .
