Changes: Command division

Revision as of 18:24, 6 March 2021

Multiple realities
(covers information from several alternate timelines)

The command division was the corps of officers and crewmen within Starfleet who specialized in command and control functions on starbases, aboard starships, and numerous Starfleet Command positions.

Duties

Those in the command division were considered to be among Starfleet's supervisory personnel. (TOS: "Assignment: Earth")

Members of the command division were trained in leadership and had tactical training allowing them to decisively take action in organizing and mobilizing Starfleet crews to perform missions. Command officers included most all of the admiralty, captains, executive officers, adjutants and pilots (flight control officers, navigators, helmsmen). (TOS: "The Cage"; Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, et al.)

Command division personnel also filled the posts of communications officer (TOS: "The Corbomite Maneuver", "Mudd's Women", "Miri", "The Conscience of the King"), records officer (TOS: "Court Martial"), phaser specialist (TOS: "Balance of Terror"), gunnery officer (TOS: "Arena"), radiation specialist (TOS: "The Galileo Seven"), TAC officer (TNG: "Coming of Age"), strategic operations officer. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior")

History

"Wait a minute, aren't you two wearing the wrong color?"
[...]
"In the old days, operations officers wore red, command officers wore gold..."

– Julian Bashir and Benjamin Sisko, 2268 ("Trials and Tribble-ations")

In the Earth's Starfleet of the 2140s and 2150s, line officers of command division wore gold division stripes on their uniforms. (Star Trek: Enterprise) By 2233, command division personnel wore blue. (Star Trek)

Gold was again the color of the command division throughout the 2250s and 2260s, worn by line officers and flag officers of this division. Officers in the command division wore a five-pointed star with a lengthened upper point as an insignia on their assignment patch. (Star Trek: Discovery; Star Trek: The Original Series; Star Trek: The Animated Series; DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations")

By the 2270s, new uniforms showed different division colors, the command division was signified by white backing their Starfleet badge, and also on uniform bands and epaulets. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) This continued onto the 2280s uniforms, and the insignia used gave the officer the option of wearing command division white uniform insignia, with another department color banded across, or the opposite, with department color insignia with command white banded across. (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Star Trek Generations)

By the uniforms used from 2350s onward, red had become the command division color, and this continued through several uniform styles. (TNG: "The Pegasus", et al.)

Individuals from several possible futures, and some that have been proven to be alternate timelines, continued to wear red when in the command division. (TNG: "Parallels", "All Good Things..."; DS9: "The Visitor"; VOY: "Endgame") By the 29th century, several timelines had switched the command color to blue. (VOY: "Future's End", "Future's End, Part II", "Relativity")

Gallery

Starfleet uniform command division colors:
2140s-Early 2160s	Mid 2160s	2230s	Late 2230s-2250s
Command	Command	Command	Command	Command
2250s-Early 2270s		Mid 2270s	Late 2270s-2350s	2350s-2370s
Command	Command duty	Command	Command	Command
Command	Command dress	Command	Command	Command
Late 2360s-Early 2370s	2370s	Early 2380s	Mid 2380s	Late 2390s-Early 2400s
Command	Command	Command	Command	Command
Late 2800s		Late 3180s	Early 3190s
Command		Command	Command

Command division officers

See: Starfleet command division personnel

Background information

The Original Series

Once fully established during The Original Series, command gold was regularly worn by those in positions of higher authority, such as ship captains, commodores and admirals; however, evidence suggests that this was not a requirement for holding a command position. In the first case, starbase commodores Stone and Stocker both wore operations division uniforms, yet this exception seem to exclude commodore Mendez. The second case was that of Captain Krasnovsky, a starship captain who wore a sciences division uniform.

The helm and navigation officers typically belonged to the command division, as was the case in "The Cage", however, in "Where No Man Has Gone Before", the positions were held by operations officers, before returning primarily back to the command division once again.

Number One in "The Cage" and Spock in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" both served in the command division as first officer, before he switched back to the sciences division for the duration of the series (the same color he wore in the first pilot).

The work coveralls worn by technicians were originally muted variations on the division colors with the command division being represented by olive green, then later matching the duty uniforms. This coincides with the actual color of TOS which was lime green and only appeared gold under the lights.

The purpose of the colors was only obvious through inference, but in DS9: "Trials and Tribble-ations", gold was established in dialogue as the "old" style command color (and red as the "new" command color). The decision to switch the meaning of the colors between the TOS and TNG uniform styles was made in pre-production of "Encounter at Farpoint".

The film era

The schemes and insignia of the Star Trek films era uniforms were designed by Robert Fletcher. According to his personal notes (p. 1-2) the following was laid out:

Command division includes both line and staff officers and all personnel, both enlisted and commissioned of the following corps:

Administration
Base Operations

Fleet Operations

Personnell [sic]

Colonial Operations

General Accounting
Accountants

Pay Masters

Budget Analysis

Logistic Support
Store Keepers

Resources

Supdy [sic] analysis

Technological Support
Basic Research

Energy

Planetary Facilities

Strategy + Tactics

Requirements + Plans

Exploration + Survey

Inspector General
Adjutant General

Judges

Dept. of Space Safety

Security (See-5^th Div.)

Intelligence

Planetary Relations
Special Diplomatic Corps.

Translators

Fleet Archives + Records

Fleet Academy (See Div. 7)

In the post-TMP movie era, several costume gaffes appeared. Saavik wore command white despite having a dual position as science specialist (as did Spock, but he was a captain at this point). The costume department had planned to give her uniform a science department color swatch also, but in an error, it was never seen on film. ^{(citation needed • edit)} Also, Scott jumped from command white to engineering gold after receiving his captain's bars (ironically, he effectively used them in the "wrong" scenarios, wearing gold with his formal duty tunic but white with the more casual bomber jacket and engineering vest).

Later eras

During the course of The Next Generation, command level officers regularly wore red uniforms, however, again another exceptional case would appear in DS9: "The Die is Cast", where Admiral Toddman wore an operations uniform, the only such command level officer to do so.

Captain Braxton wore blue in VOY: "Future's End, Part II" and "Relativity", but an alternate version of him in ""Future's End"" wore red – indicating that Starfleet never changed the command color in that version.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{multiple}}
-The '''command division''' was the corps of [[officer]]s and [[crewman|crewmen]] within [[Starfleet]] who specialized in command and control functions on [[starbase]]s, aboard [[starship]]s, and at [[Starfleet Command]]. Members of the command division were trained in leadership and had tactical training allowing them to decisively take action in organizing and mobilizing Starfleet crews to perform missions. Command officers included most all of the [[admiral]]ty, {{dis|captain|rank}}s, [[First officer|executive officers]], adjutants, pilots, and [[flight controller]] (or [[helmsman]]). Command division personnel also filled posts as [[tactical officer]]s and sometimes in [[ordnance officer|ordnance]] departments.
+The '''command division''' was the corps of [[officer]]s and [[crewman|crewmen]] within [[Starfleet]] who specialized in command and control functions on [[starbase]]s, aboard [[starship]]s, and numerous [[Starfleet Command]] positions.
+== Duties ==
-An officer who belonged to the command division sometimes wore the division color of another department in which they specialized if said command officer became a [[security chief]], [[engineer]], or commanded a [[science officer|science]] department.
+Those in the command division were considered to be among Starfleet's '''supervisory personnel'''. ({{TOS|Assignment: Earth}})
+Members of the command division were trained in leadership and had tactical training allowing them to decisively take action in organizing and mobilizing Starfleet crews to perform missions. Command officers included most all of the [[admiral]]ty, {{dis|captain|rank}}s, [[executive officer]]s, [[adjutant]]s and [[pilot]]s ([[flight control officer]]s, [[navigator]]s, [[helmsman|helmsmen]]). ({{TOS|The Cage}}; {{s|TOS}}, {{s|TNG}}, ''et al.'')
-In the [[Earth]]'s [[Starfleet]] of the [[2140s]] and [[2150s]], line officers of command division wore gold division stripes on their [[Starfleet uniform|uniforms]]. By [[2233]], command division personnel wore blue.
+Command division personnel also filled the posts of [[communications officer]] ({{TOS|The Corbomite Maneuver|Mudd's Women|Miri|The Conscience of the King}}), [[records officer]] ({{TOS|Court Martial}}), [[phaser specialist]] ({{TOS|Balance of Terror}}), [[gunnery officer]] ({{TOS|Arena}}), [[radiation specialist]] ({{TOS|The Galileo Seven}}), [[TAC officer]] ({{TNG|Coming of Age}}), [[strategic operations officer]]. ({{DS9|The Way of the Warrior}})
-Gold was again the color of the command division throughout the [[2250s]] and [[2260s]], worn by line officers and flag officers of this division. Officers in the command division wore a five-pointed star with a lengthened upper point as an insignia on their [[assignment patch]].
+== History ==
-By the [[2270s]], new uniforms showed different division colors, the command division was signified by white backing their Starfleet badge, and also on uniform bands and epaulets. This continued onto the [[2280s]] uniforms, and the insignia used gave the officer the option of wearing command division white uniform insignia, with another department color banded across, or the opposite, with department color insignia with command white banded across.
+{{aquote|Wait a minute, aren't [[Miles O'Brien|you]] [[Benjamin Sisko|two]] wearing the wrong color?''"<br>[...]<br>"''In the old days, [[operations officer]]s wore red, command officers wore gold...|[[Julian Bashir]]''' and '''[[Benjamin Sisko]]|2268|Trials and Tribble-ations}}
+In the [[Earth]]'s [[Starfleet]] of the [[2140s]] and [[2150s]], line officers of command division wore gold division stripes on their [[Starfleet uniform|uniforms]]. ({{s|ENT}}) By [[2233]], command division personnel wore blue. ({{film|11}})
-By the uniforms used from [[2350s]] onward, red had become the command division color, and this continued through several uniform styles.
+Gold was again the color of the command division throughout the [[2250s]] and [[2260s]], worn by line officers and flag officers of this division. Officers in the command division wore a five-pointed star with a lengthened upper point as an insignia on their [[assignment patch]]. ({{s|DIS}}; {{s|TOS}}; {{s|TAS}}; {{DS9|Trials and Tribble-ations}})
-''Individuals from several possible futures, and some that have been proven to be [[alternate timeline]]s, continued to wear red when in the command division, but by the [[29th century]], several timelines had switched the command color to blue.''
+By the [[2270s]], new uniforms showed different division colors, the command division was signified by white backing their Starfleet badge, and also on uniform bands and epaulets. ({{film|1}}) This continued onto the [[2280s]] uniforms, and the insignia used gave the officer the option of wearing command division white uniform insignia, with another department color banded across, or the opposite, with department color insignia with command white banded across. ({{film|2}} &ndash; {{film|7}})
+By the uniforms used from [[2350s]] onward, red had become the command division color, and this continued through several uniform styles. ({{TNG|The Pegasus}}, ''et al.'')
+''Individuals from several possible futures, and some that have been proven to be [[alternate timeline]]s, continued to wear red when in the command division. ({{TNG|Parallels|All Good Things...}}; {{DS9|The Visitor}}; {{VOY|Endgame}}) By the [[29th century]], several timelines had switched the command color to blue. ({{VOY|Future's End|Future's End, Part II|Relativity}})''
 ==Gallery==
 <gallery captionalign="left">
-File:ErikaHernandez2154.jpg|[[Erika Hernandez]] of the<br />[[Columbia (NX-02)|NX-02]] in command<br />gold, [[2154]]
+File:Hernandez.jpg|[[Hernandez]] of the<br />[[Columbia (NX-02)|NX-02]] in command<br />gold, [[2154]]
 File:Richard Robau.jpg|Captain [[Richard Robau]] of the <br />{{USS|Kelvin}} in command<br />blue, [[2233]]
-File:Number One.jpg|[[Number One]] in command gold, [[2254]]
+File:Christopher Pike, 2254.png|[[Christopher Pike]] in command gold, [[2254]]
-File:Philippa Georgiou.jpeg|[[Philippa Georgiou]] of the {{USS|Shenzhou}} in command gold, [[2256]]
+File:Una, 2254.jpg|[[Una|Number One]] in command gold, [[2254]]
+File:Philippa Georgiou.jpg|[[Philippa Georgiou]] of the {{USS|Shenzhou}} in command gold, [[2256]]
 File:Christopher Pike, 2258.jpg|{{alt|Christopher Pike}} of the [[alternate reality]] {{USS|Enterprise|NCC-1701 alternate reality}} in command gold, [[2258]]
+File:James T. Kirk, alternate reality.jpg|{{alt|James T. Kirk}} of the alternate reality in command gold, [[2263]]
 File:Phaser room crew 2266.jpg|A [[phaser room]] crew in<br />command gold, <br />[[2266]]
-File:Starfleet dress uniforms, late 2260s.jpg|Command Dress uniform in command green,[[2266]]
+File:Starfleet dress uniforms, late 2260s.jpg|Command dress uniform in command green, [[2268]]
 File:Captain rank pin.jpg|A {{dis|captain|rank}}'s rank insignia on a<br />command white uniform<br />shoulder strap, [[2280s]]
 File:Jean-Luc Picard, 2366.jpg|[[Jean-Luc Picard]] wearing<br />command red, [[2366]]
 File:Kathryn Janeway, 2371.jpg|Captain Kathryn Janeway (2371)
 File:Benjamin Sisko, 2375.jpg|[[Benjamin Sisko]] wearing<br />command red, [[2375]]
+File:Jack_Ransom.png|[[Jack Ransom]] wearing <br />command red, [[2380]]
+File:Picard in uniform, 2385.png|[[Jean-Luc Picard]] wearing<br />command red, [[2385]]
+File:Beverly Picard.jpg|In an [[Alternate timeline|alternate future]], Captain [[Beverly Picard]] wears command red
+File:William Riker, 2399.jpg|[[William T. Riker]] wearing<br />command red, [[2399]]
 File:Braxton2.jpg|Captain [[Braxton]] of the <br />[[timeship]] {{USS|Relativity}} in command<br />blue, [[29th century]]
 </gallery>
 {{Command colors}}
+==Command division officers ==
+{{see-list|Starfleet command division personnel}}
 == Background information ==
 === The Original Series ===
-Once fully established during ''The Original Series'', command gold was regularly worn by those in positions of higher authority, such as ship captains, commodores and admirals, however, evidence suggests that this was not a requirement for holding a command position. In the first case, [[starbase]] commodores {{dis|Stone|Commodore}} and [[Stocker]] both wore [[operations division]] uniforms, yet this exception seem to exclude commodore [[José I. Mendez|Mendez]]. The second case was that of Captain [[Krasnovsky]], a starship captain who wore a [[sciences division]] uniform.
+Once fully established during ''The Original Series'', command gold was regularly worn by those in positions of higher authority, such as ship captains, commodores and admirals; however, evidence suggests that this was not a requirement for holding a command position. In the first case, [[starbase]] commodores {{dis|Stone|Commodore}} and [[Stocker]] both wore [[operations division]] uniforms, yet this exception seem to exclude commodore [[José I. Mendez|Mendez]]. The second case was that of Captain [[Krasnovsky]], a starship captain who wore a [[sciences division]] uniform.
 The helm and navigation officers typically belonged to the command division, as was the case in {{e|The Cage}}, however, in {{e|Where No Man Has Gone Before}}, the positions were held by operations officers, before returning primarily back to the command division once again.
+[[Una|Number One]] in "The Cage" and [[Spock]] in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" both served in the command division as [[first officer]], before he switched back to the sciences division for the duration of the series (the same color he wore in the first pilot).
-The communications officer, which began as operations division, was briefly held by officers in the command division, namely [[John Farrell]] and (briefly) [[Nyota Uhura|Uhura]], before returning to the operations division.
-[[Number One]] in "The Cage" and [[Spock]] in "Where No Man Has Gone Before" both served in the command division as [[first officer]], before he switched back to the sciences division for the duration of the series (the same color he wore in the first pilot).
+The work coveralls worn by [[technician]]s were originally muted variations on the division colors with the command division being represented by olive green, then later matching the duty uniforms. This coincides with the actual color of TOS which was lime green and only appeared gold under the lights.
-Other specific roles held by command division officers during the series included a [[gunnery officer]], [[phaser specialist]], [[radiation specialist]], and [[records officer]].
-The work coveralls worn by [[technician]]s were originally muted variations on the division colors with the command division being represented by olive green, then later matching the duty uniforms. This coincides with the actual color of TOS which was lime green and only appeared gold under the lights. {{incite}}
 The purpose of the colors was only obvious through inference, but in {{DS9|Trials and Tribble-ations}}, gold was established in dialogue as the "old" style command color (and red as the "new" command color). The decision to switch the meaning of the colors between the TOS and TNG uniform styles was made in pre-production of {{e|Encounter at Farpoint}}.
@@ Line 89: / Line 102: @@
 === Later eras ===
-During the course of ''The Next Generation'', command level officers regularly wore red uniforms, however, again another exceptional case would appear in {{DS9|The Die is Cast}}, where admiral [[Toddman]] wore an operations uniform, the only such command level officer to do so.
+During the course of ''The Next Generation'', command level officers regularly wore red uniforms, however, again another exceptional case would appear in {{DS9|The Die is Cast}}, where Admiral [[Toddman]] wore an operations uniform, the only such command level officer to do so.
 Captain [[Braxton]] wore blue in {{VOY|Future's End, Part II}} and {{e|Relativity}}, but an alternate version of him in "{{e|Future's End}}" wore red &ndash; indicating that Starfleet never changed the command color in that version.
-==Related link==
-*List of [[Starfleet command division personnel]]
 [[fr:Division de Commandement]]
 [[ja:司令部門]]
 [[Category:Starfleet]]
+[[Category:Groups]]