"Star Trek" and its ever-expanding mythology and universe have become staples of American pop culture since it first debuted in 1966. And whether you love or hate the "Trek" universe, I don't think there's too much to debate about my statement above.
As a young lad, I recall watching reruns of the original series on a local, UHF station which seemed to run them on an endless loop in the mid-1970s. I can tell you right now what ultimately drew me into the series were the cast's cool, colorful, and iconic uniforms and gadgets. As a six or seven-year-old I surely couldn't follow the dense, sci-fi plots that "Trek" doled out on a weekly basis, but what I did know was that Kirk, Spock, Sulu, and Scotty looked damn cool firing their phasers and calling the Enterprise on their communicators in their spiffy, color-coded uniforms. When the series progressed on TV and in theaters in the 1980s and beyond, that distinctly sophisticated Starfleet style was still evident through several decades and permutations.
Now, thanks to Geek Tyrant and Costume Supercenter, (who are no doubt looking to get a jump on Halloween costume sales) there's a handy infographic/chart that can guide you through the differing uniform versions and rankings in the expanded Star Trek universe. The chart is presented in "true" chronological order as well (i.e., "Star Trek: Enterprise" comes before the Original Series, etc.).
Check it out below...and no, you'd don't have to have any advanced Klingon language skills to be able to figure it out.
