- The Best
Star Trek Cosplay Costumes
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Let’s take a look at what it takes to cosplay as a character in Star Trek.
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Star Trek Cosplay Costumes of 2023
The long-running science fiction franchise created by Gene Roddenberry has been around for decades now, and countless fans have been cosplaying as members of Starfleet in conventions, Halloween parties, Renaissance fairs, and so on. Let’s take a look at what it takes to cosplay as a character in Star Trek.
Who is Star Trek?
Star Trek is all about the United Federation of Planets and its deep space exploration and defense service called Starfleet. Its first series focuses on the voyages of the USS Enterprise, which would be captained by James T. Kirk, and then by Jean Luc Picard. Subsequent shows would then follow the USS Defiant, USS Voyager, and so on.
The concept behind Star Trek is a distant future where humanity has achieved interstellar travel, interacted with extraterrestrial life, and created a supranational interstellar union that spans across multiple star systems throughout the Milky Way galaxy. The mission of Starfleet is to explore more of space and the galaxy and come in contact with more civilizations (if they have already achieved space travel).
How to Look Like Star Trek Characters
The most distinct visual feature in Star Trek has to be the uniforms. There are also the physical features of different alien races, like the ears and hairstyle of Vulcans, the forehead ridges of Klingons, and the ears and teeth of Ferengis.
For this guide, we shall focus on cosplaying as a member of Starfleet as that is the most recognizable Star Trek cosplay out there.
Star Trek Cosplay Variations
The main focus in Star Trek cosplay is from which series of the franchise you wish to portray. This Star Trek costume is perhaps one of the most studied and replicated in history. It gets to a point where the exact placement of the Starfleet communicator badge has become well-known in the community, showing their attention to detail.
The Original Generation
The first series is set in the 2250s, thus it features the first version of the uniforms that Star Trek is best known for. The standard duty uniform is a long-sleeved shirt that’s colored to denote the division of service, black pants, and black knee-high boots. The shirt also has cuff braids that serve as rank insignia. The dress uniforms of high-ranking Starfleet personnel also include epaulets on the shoulders to further denote rank.
Female crew members wore a dress with stockings and high-top boots. The communicator badge is worn on the left chest.
Best Star Trek Costumes & Accessories of 2023
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Set around 20 years after the original series, the uniforms here are updated to have a more military look. The standard duty uniform is a two-piece tunic that comes in either blue-gray, beige, brown, or white, sometimes in combination. The tunic is worn untucked with a life support monitor belt buckle worn around the waist, a lot of times with no visible belt.
The tunics come in three varieties, one with a low flat collar, another with a v-neck flared collar, and another with a more formal collar. There’s also a short-sleeved tunic word underneath the uniform of flag officers.
The admiral’s uniform has a dark gray flared shirt with high collar instead of the regular tunic. Epaulets and sleeve stripes denote rank, and a gold Starfleet Command pin is worn on the left chest.
The Wrath of Khan, etc.
This is agreed upon by many fans to be the best uniform in Star Trek, especially the officer uniform. It’s composed of a double-breasted red jacket and black trousers. Captains also wear gold trim on the trousers, which was once reserved for flag officers. Meanwhile, the utility uniform wore crimson and tan jumpsuits. The rank insignia is pinned directly to the left sleeve between the strap and elbow.
The Next Generation
This is the uniform that Jean Luc Picard wore. The basic gist is that it takes the same design concept of the original uniforms and adds black to them. The standard duty uniform consists of a form-fitting jumpsuit that’s predominantly black, with the chest, upper abdomen, and arms colored with the wearer’s division of service. The communicator badge is worn on the left chest and the rank insignia is a round pip worn below the right side of the collar.
In the late 2360s, it was changed to have the division of service color on the shoulders instead, and it featured a v-neck collar.
Star Trek Enterprise
This was set around the 2150s, so the uniforms looked less futuristic compared to others. Their standard duty uniform looks like a jumpsuit with an assignment patch on the left sleeve, rank insignia on the right chest, and colored piping on the shoulders to denote division of service. The dress uniform has a similar look, albeit with a jacket and pants instead of a jumpsuit.
If you’re intrigued by the cosmic voyages of Star Trek, you might also enjoy embodying Sailor Moon‘s celestial heroism. For a darker twist on character complexity, a Death Note cosplay could make your next convention experience truly unforgettable.
