Brass was a metal alloy on Earth, composed of copper and zinc. The alloy was used as a material in various pieces of equipment and structures as late as the 24th century. (DS9: "Rapture", "Behind the Lines"; VOY: "Friendship One")
In terms of military parlance, by the late 23rd century the term "top brass" was a phrase used to describe Starfleet Command, specifically the many admirals who were adorned with various pins and badges on their Starfleet uniform. A high level decision, involving several admirals, was said to be one which was "up to its brass". (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)
With the exception of a very small number of episodes in Star Trek: The Original Series and the Animated Series, the uniforms seen in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country are the only occurrence of Starfleet personnel outwardly displaying medals and awards on a Starfleet uniform.
Pavel Chekov, attending one such Starfleet Command briefing in 2293, commented that he expected the meeting was only intended for "top brass" and was confused why the crew of the USS Enterprise had been invited. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country)
Another colloquial saying using the word "brass", was "brass hat". (TOS: "Dagger of the Mind"; DS9: "Favor the Bold")
External links[]
- Brass at Wikipedia
- Brass at Memory Beta, the wiki for licensed Star Trek works