'Star Trek' is Bringing Back the Skant Starfleet Uniform

Longtime fans of Star Trek may remember Starfleet’s “skant” uniform. The uniform variant was [...]

By Jamie Lovett

Longtime fans of Star Trek may remember Starfleet's "skant" uniform. The uniform variant was a unisex dress worn by men and women during the era of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The skant was rarely seen then and hasn't been revived since. Star Trek: Discovery's iteration of the Starfleet uniform is unisex in another way. The naval design puts male and female characters both in pants. Earlier this season, Cmdr. Nhan of the USS Enterprise debuted in a version of the classic Star Trek Starfleet uniform with a skirt. She's since transitioned to a variant of the USS Discovery uniform that also has a skirt.

Could the skant return next? According to Star Trek: Discovery costume designer Gersha Phillips, yes, the skant will appear before the end of Discovery's second season. Here's what she told The Daily Dot when asked if they'd considered updating the Skant:

"We have! They haven't come out yet, they'll be later in the season. I was looking for a particular character to do it on, and we didn't have anybody specific. It'll come up closer to the end, but we did do it and we will try to do it going forward.

"It's true that it's always been there for Star Trek – you know, apart from the original series and the J.J. [Abrams] remake, they have maintained a really cool non-binary look throughout. So I think that for us going forward, it was really important to do that as well. The tunic will come back because so far Nhan's the only one that's worn them on our ship. She wore the blue Disco one, which turned out really cool. But yeah, our intention is definitely to do them for both men and women."

Those looking for more Next Generation nods won't be disappointed. In an interview with ComicBook.com, Phillips hinted that there are some classic Klingon references in store, saying, "It may not be right off in the first time we see Klingons. I'm trying to think of what I did to the first one. I feel like, this one, I sort of just went out on my own. There are some pieces, yes, that you can say that there might be some nods, for sure. Yes, I think L'Rell's dress definitely. I think the two ladies that I've been asked about, and I never remember their names. The ones that have that sort of cutout breast pieces from... Is that TNG as well?

What do you think of Star Trek: Discovery bringing back the skant costume? Let us know in the comments.

New Star Trek: Discovery episodes become available to stream Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS All Access. The first season of Star Trek: Discovery is available to stream in its entirety on CBS All Access in the U.S., through CraveTV in Canada and through Netflix in other international markets. The first season is also now available on Blu-ray and DVD and via digital storefronts.

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