The distinction is not between science and medical but between the TNG uniform (blue chest) and the DS9/VOY uniform (teal shoulders). But nobody seems to have seen the shows anyway so who cares, I guess.

I have watched all of the shows very carefully. While the main cast members of DS9 and Voyager may not be seen wearing the standard blue, if you watch the extras in the background you can see some of them wearing that color in various episodes. I would not have put it in there had I not seen it in the shows.

I wish I could watch the shows again. I never caught that. I just remember the TNG extras wearing the early-season front-zipper hand-me-downs from the main cast in later seasons.

gads this is a long thread. SO, just a quick heads up.. Scotty wore gold in because Scotty is a command grade officer (In ST-III he is refered to as a Captain of Engineering.) But I saw a great many engineering tunics with a Black Collar. (The Black Gang? rference to early steam powered ocean surface ships powered by coal...Most navys gave them black uniforms that would hide the worst of the coal dust)

Ahh starfleet, all about tradition ya know?

Notice: I've updated the WoK section and wallpapers to include the Medical variant green and to clear up designations. In addition I've added Skirt Variants to the MU section. TOS Skirt Variants coming soon.

Black designates Enlisted Crewmen or Non-Commissioned Officers as well as Security. You can see them all over the place, not just in Engineering.

Before anyone points this out, the Dark Green collars specified for Security on Memory Alpha actually appear to designate specifically Medical or Psychiatric Security as they only appear in The Search for Spock at the psychiatric facility that McCoy is being held in. The rest of the security officers seen throughout the film series wear Black collars.

Bumping for top of the first page exposure.
There's good info in here.

Awesome stuff! I look forward to trying this out on my character.

Prestige bump.

That's an excellant resource on ST uniforms. It explains things very well, and anyone wishing to be "canon" in their character's interpretation should be grateful.

However, my own "interpretation" does not follow canon. In fact, with the armor, kits and fleet uniforms (inlcuding characters running around in "civilian clothing", any uniform thatdoes follow canon is in the minority (unless you're an AI in the "pajama" uniform).

My own uniform is the STII:TWOK type, except I didn't like the over-all red coats that came with it. I merely made the coat Science Officer blue, with white trim. The only reason is that I think it looks better, and you can tell at a glance (unlike the canon ST:TWOK uniforms) that I am in the Science field. Personally, I still associate red uniforms with Engineering (probably because I was 11 years old when Star Trek first came on back in 1966 and am too old to change my spots). There are a few items that I may spruce up a bit (belt and edging), but I'm happy with the result. I MAY make the white trim gold when I make Captain, but that's for the future.

So, the next time you see a guy in a blue ST:TWOK, don't come up and try to explain canon colors. I'll just nod politely and continue on with my business.