Star Trek’s new Uhura Zoe Saldana says that her Uhura costume is her favorite, however it has had some problems, notably how she would inadvertently flash her co-stars. Details below.
Saldana: Star Trek Costume Is Her Favorite – But Did Cause ‘Flashing’ Problems on Set
Speaking to E Online at the opening of the Academy of Arts and Sciences’ Hollywood Costume exhibit in L.A this week, Zoe Saldana was asked what was her favorite movie costume and she said:
Of mine? I think Star Trek. There is something about those costumes that [designer] Michael Kaplan definitely had that honored the old but brought in that spunk of today that they were just really likable.
A very pregnant Zoe Saldana at Hollywood Costume exhibit on Oct. 1
However, Zoe also noted that the costumes for Star Trek are "uncomfortable" and actually caused some issues on the set, noting:
"I kept being reminded by all my male cast members that I was flashing. I would sit down and it would be like, ‘Oh, Zoe, cross those legs.’ And I would say, ‘They are crossed.’ [They would say], ‘Well, then put something over that because I’m just seeing everything.’
Watch video of Zoe talking about costumes at EOnline or via embed below
So that’s the lens flare issue lol
Ps Zoe we love you
Lol It’s short indeed (funny enough it’s longer than Nichols’s it figures how short that one was) and it doesn’t have rank stripes that is something Kaplan could have corrected (though I remember that Mccoy’s own short sleved uniform didn’t have stripes either) and I agree with her that the new costumes are great! If I think about TOS Spock pants and boots now I lol
The new costumes are more realistic (short skirts aside) they look more comfortable.
Btw Zoe wins the prize for the cutest pregnant girl! She looks great! Always smiling and radiant. Hope everything goes well for her and the little one(s). My bet, from the way she looks, is that she’s due in november
Fantastic to know that the overtly sexist costumes (and the only ones with no rank displayed) from BR Trek, are at least redeemed by their practicality and functionality.
Underwear would have been helpful in that situation.
Zoe is looking really gorgeous!
Remember, George Lucas convinced Carrie Fisher that no one wears underwear in space. Truth in two universes!
I hope they’re not changing the uniforms for 3.
Dear Zoe, you are gorgeous and glowing. Beautiful Woman! I read that she was actually having twins. Is that true?
Sexist? No. Possibly sexy? Yes. The short dress or tunic would look better if she wore black leggings with it – attractive and practical.
8. Keachick (Rose) –
“Dear Zoe, you are gorgeous and glowing. Beautiful Woman!”
I SO agree!
The BR costume/uniform dresses-
“Possibly sexy? Yes.”
Definitely sexy! :-)
“The short dress or tunic would look better if she wore black leggings with it – attractive and practical.”
Yes! Agreed again Rose. The nu unis could be attractive, practical, sexy (AND display rank insignia as they SHOULD) if those who have say in such things would only make it so. How about it Bob?
Ah, Nu-Trek: lose the forward thinking progressivism, retain the backwards sexism of the original series.
Keachick, you took the words right out of my mouth. Even black tights would be preferable … I’ve been saying that since I first saw NuTrek … too distracting.
I mean, I remember skirts that short. If you stood up from a leather seat your legs made that embarrassing thwoooook! sound.
“Flashing”? Maybe Zoe was wearing dark underwear under her minidress and the boys got confused. Actually I think they were just funnin’ her. At least she doesn’t have to wear velour panties in a matching color as on TOS.
I can’t imagine how functionally impaired the junior officers, males and gay females alike would be if Lt Uhura walked up some stairs in front of them … yikes. Just NOT appropriate for a work situation, but I suppose very appropriate for the teenboy audiences they’re reeling in ….
She’s wonderful. Thank you for putting Star Trek first, Zoe.
I’m not saying that Zoe Saldana’s shirt and a Microsoft app are not newsworthy stories to do articles about. But, if you’re looking for Trek-related stories, two parts of the rather meaty interview that Nick Meyer did recently are still out there. Whether fans would find the Trek-related thoughts of the writer/director of TWOK and STVI and co-writer of STIV as interesting as Zoe Saldana’s shirt is anybody’s guess.
“very appropriate for the teenboy audiences they’re reeling in ….”
Is 52teen a real age, cause that’s me who luvs short skirts and the womenz who fill em.
@7. TrekMadeMeFat – October 5, 2014 I hope they’re not changing the uniforms for 3.
But i do hope they finally introduce TOS Kirk’s iconic green tunic costume (like the one mirror Archer wore in ENT In A Mirror, Darkly).
@10. A. Thorn,
“retain the backwards sexism of the original series.”
In principal I don’t have a problem with that uniform. But the fact that there is no rank insignia on it, when everybody else has clearly displayed rank, basically turns Uhura into an “object”, not important enough to assign rank. I guess were just lucky she’s not barefoot too.
The skirt length is obviously too short. And it’s deliberately sexist. Maybe if Scotty was wearing a short kilt, it might be different. But the producers singled out Uhura as the sex object of the bunch, so now they need to take responsibility and give her a knee-length skirt with a visible display rank on it.
The idea of Uhura wearing a skirt on the Enterprise is fine by me…but let’s keep it dignified.
@15. RoadSiren21,
“But i do hope they finally introduce TOS Kirk’s iconic green tunic costume”
So do I. We’ve seen McCoy’s medical short sleeve tunic, now it’s time for the wrap around. Nothing says five year mission like the iconic green wrap around. I’d also like to see the green dress uniforms as well, but that would mean they’d have to do something formal.
Pockets. When it comes to uniforms for women, they always forget the effing pockets. I endured three years in the Coast Guard with dress uniforms that had no useful pockets and were designed for women with no upper body strength. The final year of my hitch they did a redesign and finally got it right. If Uncle Sam’s Confused Group could get it right, why can’t Starfleet?
Yell, no kidding. It’s a costume, not a uniform.
Then again, this has also been a well mauled topic….
@19. Susan,
“Pockets.”
I believe the no pockets thing goes back to Roddenberry. In the future people don’t need pockets. Even when they needed a way to carry communicators and phasers, they chose to stick them on with Velcro rather than pockets.
I don’t recall, do they have any pockets in BR Trek?
This is not about what the producers do. This is about how you, mostly guys, are or are not able to see and understand. As someone pointed out, TOS’s Dr McCoy’s blue short-sleeved tunic did not have any rank insignia on it either, so I guess everyone would have naturally regarded him as merely an “object” as well.
It takes more than having some rank insignia or whatever on an article of clothing to stop sexist attitudes. That is now abundantly clear. The sexist attitudes lie with some of you posters and you don’t even know it.
I don’t think this issue warrants much discussion in polite company.
11. Marja – October 5, 2014
Your being sexist Marja there is a teen girl audience for Zoe thinking the same thing as the teen boy audience is about Zoe. :)
But unfortunately Zoe’s Uhura seems to be a hobbled together collection of exposed underwear and girly issues which coincidentally constitutes the entire marketing philosophy to teen girls and is also the marketing image of women to boys. Go dump Uhura in the 50s where the current interpretation of the character would find what she seems to be looking for. A man to follow and a career to flush down the toilet while at the same time looking desirable to others so she can feel beautiful like a in a soap commercial.
Every time we hear about Zoe it is a trivial little girly issue. But those issues coming from an adult female over and over again is not cute its quite discouraging that this is still considered an ideal and an achievement for women.
Zoe how about some input from you into your Uhura or is your Uhura your ideal for how women should achieve things in the adult world? Throwing tantrums in a crisis, Arguing with your boyfriend because hes not showing you he cares. While at the same time selfishly ignoring the issue of billions dead and his world gone may be a disrtaction for Spock at the moment. But don’t worry Uhura can handle it just throw things at the console pout and go all weepy. What a waste of a Character Zoe if you have any influence in the movie industry. Pop some clothes on and be an adult female in your approach to Uhura and give the audience some one to respect and not laugh at.
What a bitchy, idiotic comment. Then again, it is Son of Jello writing…:(
Yeah, well, this ain’t no documentary.
Increasingly, I’m looking at Star Trek more as an entertainment vehicle than a “Serious Philosophical Thing” (TM, patent pending, all rights reserved, etc.).
I’m sorry, but I had hoped that Star Trek would change the world, but today I think that it’s all up (or down) there along the lines of Kim Kardashian and “Hell’s Kitchen” and whatever bizarre artifact of pop culture we’re cooking up today.
Comments relating to the miniskirtization of Trek focus my attention on the idea that Trek is: QUOTE/UNQUOTE, entertainment. All-caps intended. It’s Hollywood hokum, in other words.
Or is it?
If Bob Orci and the other folks who actually produce Trek read this, then take this for what it is: Critical analysis of Star Trek in a not-so-nice cast of mind. I think a little realism is in order here. Trek is an entertainment franchise. It’s not science, it’s not sociology, and it’s not real as an actual universe.
It’s an escape from real life. Talking about costumes and their shortcomings only highlights this fact all the more.
Perhaps this is what Shatner said when he told us to “get a life.”
The rank stripes are missing (and they could still put them or add another design with that purpose) but is that something that the general audience cares about? I don’t think so. I bet my money that if you ask random people they might know Uhura’s rank but they might have no idea what Scotty, Mccoy and the other dudes are. Because she’s the character whose rank is often vocalized when characters talk to her (first example being her own boyfriend who always calls her lieutenant and will use her given name only when he’s talking to her as his significant other and not related to work).The dudes, on the other hand , are more often than not called with their names only and no rank stripes will make the general audience understand their rank because many aren’t so involved in the trek fandom to notice these details and know what they stand for.
Again, when it comes to the female characters some sides of this fandom prove to have made their hobby to hold them to double standards and derail the topic with pot/kettle arguments and rethoric.
The TOS costumes were far more sexist than the current ones.
Also people should start to understand the difference between sexy and sexualized/sexist/objectified (a difference that Zoe here can obviously tell)
There is nothing wrong in women being sexy and pretty.
Costumists surely will design a costume trying to make the actress look pretty, not the contrary..and why you think that the t-shirts (and the pants) of the guys look a bit tight sometimes? ;) I guess it’s to make them look more professional….
You couldn’t expect them to design costumes that were dramatically different compared to TOS either. Original Uhura is a base where to start from (that costume is iconic) Then like Zoe said, they used the old model but added a modern spunk to it.
Reboot Uhura looks polished and simple (simpler than the females officers in the tos counterparts) but still retains a girly touch, so to speak. She’s feminine but not in a redundant and in your face kind of way (an expression itself that we aren’t in the 60s anymore, even things like a simpler make up show the difference) compared to TOS Uhura she looks more realistic as a female officer. E.g., Her no heels boots, the simple ponytail and make up, polished nails but kept short which is more comfortable for pushing buttons on her station. She’s pretty but more simple, feminine in a subtle way. I imagine that in the future female officers don’t need to not look feminine to be considered equal to the male ones, it’s just a matter of balance
I think more often than not, it’s the way we look at women that is sexist and it’s the audience that turns them in sexual objects, not canon.
Ever watched the movie Persepolis? Do it.
Matter of fact, there is nothing in Uhura’s portrayal that makes her a sexual object. Her skirt might be short but none of the male characters makes a point about it. She is always respected as an officer. Besides, if you pay attention there are females officers wearing pants so clearly they have two uniforms.
24. Son of Jello
You’re fine, right ?
I swear sometimes I feel like I’m living in my own AU here.
Where were you when Uhura and other female characters were sexualized and forever reduced to decorative background patterns in TOS (including the 80_90s movies)? When Nichelle Nichols (who, btw, likes reboot Uhura) said her character was super underdeveloped?
As if I didn’t know that some people started to care about ‘sexism’ only in 2009 when, outrage and tragedy, one of the main dudes of this franchise dared to kiss Uhura and, somehow, the fact the two fictional characters found love in each other suddenly destroyed your trek and is a threat to your ‘dudes only’ party (in the meantime in the distance the katra of millions of vulcans cry about the priorities of the star trek fans…). God forbid anyone trying to have female characters in this franchise. The writers can’t win.
They get equal complains for their supposed sexism than they do with the whole ‘waaa Uhura is replacing McCoy!’ nonsense, often by the same people who make the first complain (just because coherence obviously is a common trait in this fandom). Can’t. Win.
When it comes to Uhura’s hate fanboys and the slash shippers alike are both terribly transparent. But you still try…
I wish some people could be honest and admit they just dislike Uhura and Zoe. Instead, we get disingenuous (and ignorant.*) comments like the one by Son of Jello above.
___________
(*Talk about intersectionality clearly being nonexistent for some people here. Because, after all, Uhura is a white girl and clearly what is a stereotype for white characters is the same for woc. They are always the love interest in mutual loving relationships in mainstream movies, right? Racism clearly wasn’t the reason why TOS Spock/Uhura or Uhura/anyone could never be a thing.
Bad me though. People don’t even get feminism, how can I even expect you to get intersectional feminism? Too big as effort. SMDH)
I miss the more dignified and absolutely not sexist, skin-tight catsuits of the superior Star Trek.
In fact, I think they should put Shatner in a catsuit so the spinoff fan will have a nostalgic moment to warm his heart.
8. Keachick (Rose) – October 5, 2014
I read that she was actually having twins. Is that true?
—————
so it seems…
only Zoe, her hubby (and maybe the star trek producers, LOL) know, though.
all the media is saying that she confirmed it because in the same event from this interview she joked about the fact that she might need 3 halloween costumes.. so everyone takes it as her admitting she’s having twins or even admitting that her due date is in october.
In reality though, she didn’t… Maybe she just joked about the fact that she’s getting bigger and bigger every week like in the last stages of every pregnancy so she might need to have 3 costumes because of that.
They need an on set code for her costume issue: “Uuuuhhh, Zoe…Your hailing frequencies are open!”
# 26. Hat Rick – October 6, 2014
” Perhaps this is what Shatner said when he told us to “get a life.”” — Hat Rick
Actually, it was the man who wrote that line, Robert Smigel of Triumph the Insult Comic Dog fame, who was doing the speaking to us. Shatner wasn’t “saying” anything to “us” any more than he was as a character in the AIRPLANE sequel.
Oh, Zoe. Every good girl knows how to cross her legs just right.
I love the uniforms too. They remind you of the originals but they don’t look like roughed up, overwashed velour.
I remember reading (and I believe it was on this very site) Zoe being questioned about the miniskirts and her saying yes they are minis as they were in TOS and she even asked that they be made even shorter. I don’t know if she was joking or if they acquiesced to request or what but I do remember reading that.
Also, if the mini unis were designed more like the originals the actor’s modesty would be maintained (at least somewhat) as they either had built-in color-matched undies or were some kind of 23rd century “space ‘skort-dress’ (drort??) type of thing.
But…
@ 27. Jemini –
“The rank stripes are missing (and they could still put them or add another design with that purpose) but is that something that the general audience cares about? I don’t think so.”
Maybe the GA would not care about rank insignia but since as you said it could be added, why in the world (or rather the AU) not?!? The lack of rank insignia is inconsistent with the “reality” that this fiction is attempting to maintain – Star Fleet as a ‘military-type’ organization with the attendant hierarchy of such an organization. And the fact that the inconsistency falls directly down the line of sex is ridiculous, and telling. It is simply illogical. And the lack of the insignia does not honor TOS. Really a large thing IMO that could so very easily be corrected.
@34. crazydaystrom,
“the fact that the inconsistency falls directly down the line of sex is ridiculous, and telling”
Yes, it is. And it has nothing to do with what the audience knows about the character, or the overt use of her rank in her name. Sexisim is at its worst subtle. And there is a subtle message being conveyed in Uhura’s rank-less uniform, even if it is otherwise mitigated in the movies. This was a major complaint in the first film and yet they chose not to address it in the second, while simultaneously creating two completely new uniforms for everyone, and at least a dozen individual new ones.
One could argue that the special tunic McCoy wears has no rank, but then if the chief medical officer is the only one who wears it, then people pretty much know who he is, even if they’ve never seen him before — in much the same way a white lab coat indicates something similar at a hospital. Uhura is wearing a BDU, like hundreds of other people on the Enterprise, yet, there’s no reason to put her rank on the uniform to identify her to others? So then what, an Ensign calls out, “hey lady”, or “Miss”, when they see Uhura thinking they can order her to do something, only to find out she outranks them? Perhaps, like McCoy’s tunic, the mini skirt uniform is issued ONLY to attractive female Lieutenants (the unattractive ones get pants). So the uniform itself dictates the rank. Oh yes. THAT’S MUCH BETTER!
Saldana is wonderful at Uhura. I think they have done a lot to help her feel like a vital member of the crew. She was also great as Gamora in Guardians of the Galaxy.
As far as the uniform goes, maybe she should wear it with pants or leggings? I get that they are trying to keep the uniforms consistent with the TOS, but it does seem a little silly.
#36 “As far as the uniform goes, maybe she should wear it with pants or leggings? I get that they are trying to keep the uniforms consistent with the TOS, but it does seem a little silly.”
Ummm…no.
Bob Orci, please continue to offend the tiny minority who have some sort of “issue” with the uniform. The majority of the audience either a) doesn’t mind, or b) doesn’t care. You have bigger fish to fry than this, don’t waste your time with it.
@36. Platitude – October 6, 2014
I agree. I don’t understand why the women can’t wear the same uniforms as the men. It’s not just silly, but stupid.
As I said earlier, the issue is not the idea of a skirt. I do think Uhura should be allowed to wear one on the Enterprise. The issue is that the producers forced the actress to wear a revealing, risque version that exposed her intimate parts to the cast during production. Instead of Zoe apologizing, it’s the costume designer who needs to accept responsibility.
Either that, or force Chris Pine to wear a mini-skirt with no underwear and then bring in gay men to ogle him. Oh, but wait, they wouldn’t do that now, would they? They wouldn’t want to humiliate him.
So yes, it is sexist. Just because they got away with it during TOS doesn’t mean they should be repeating it.
Knee-length skirt with a proper rank on it. Simple.
Also, Dr. McCoy’s tunic was just that, a tunic. It wasn’t revealing any private parts. Comparing it to Uhura’s skirt is comparing apples to oranges and deviates from the core issue.
Wow, she’s been in some very big movies and she picked Star Trek as her favorite! Nice!
#39. Red Dead Ryan – October 6, 2014
You’ve explained your position so well that I think I have to throw in with you on it.
I don’t think I have much else to add in support except that i still have questions:
Why does Carol’s uniform require panties but Uhura’s doesn’t?
Should I slam the costume designer for Carol’s undies lack of rank insignias?
Will Seth MacFarlane please do another Scotty throw away gag in which he’s just put in command of the Enterprise as Kirk’s gone planetside, and his first order is “The uniform of the day will be microkilts.”
Well, in Avatar she wore a mo-cap suit, so I can understand why she wouldn’t choose that. In GotG, she more a lot of make-up, so that might have been uncomfortable. All her other roles were not as famous, so I Can see why she choose Star Trek.
Also, she wore costumes other than the standard duty uniform dress: scuba gear, civilian clothes on Kronos, dress uniform, etc. Sooo, yeah.
@39, That sums it up nicely. If it’s not sexist, then everyone wears the same costume.
39. Red Dead Ryan – October 6, 2014
As I said earlier, the issue is not the idea of a skirt. I do think Uhura should be allowed to wear one on the Enterprise. The issue is that the producers forced the actress to wear a revealing, risque version that exposed her intimate parts to the cast during production
——–
exaggerating.
I don’t remember ever seeing Uhura’s ‘private parts’ in these movies
I’d be more careful with words like ‘forced’ here.
And I’m pretty sure the guys were just teasing her and she did wear panties
(Not to mention that if you watch behind the scenes videos she wears pants between takes, probably more for the cold than anything else)
Sometimes watching the whole interviews and hear the tone someone is using doesn’t hurt, you know.
_____________
@Mad Mann
Gamora’s costume in gotg was a tight thing in leather a bit more stylish than Uhura’s….that wasn’t a skirt but it was sexy. There were bits in the trailers with close ups on her behind and her closing the zip to the front… I laugh just imagining what would have happened if they had that kind of shot in trek.
But some people here probably think only skirts are sexist…
(Btw for a matter of equality they should have Zachary/Spock in underwear in trek3. That just fair)
Zoe/Uhura wore panties. Why wouldn’t she/they? WTF?
I think the guys were kidding around. Pine et al can have wicked sense of humours and Zoe knows that.
#27 – “I think more often than not, it’s the way we look at women that is sexist and it’s the audience that turns them in sexual objects, not canon.”
Yes, that is what I have been saying all along. It is more about audience biases, ignorance and perception than generally anything else. I realize there can be exceptions but BR Star Trek is not one of them.
#29 – “In fact, I think they should put Shatner in a catsuit so the spinoff fan will have a nostalgic moment to warm his heart.”
Well, they did put Denny Kirk…oops, Denny Crane aka William Shatner in a wetsuit in an episode of Boston Legal…Oh my…:) It was either the episode Spring Fever or the next one BL:Los Angeles, end of Season 2. BL:Los Angeles had Jeri Ryan in it.
Of course, STID has Chris Pine, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana and John Cho don wetsuits – surely not much different from catsuits, as in tight – mmmm…:) Yes, indeed…
Yuck to this “militaristic style” Starfleet that some seem so desperate to see. The Enterprise and crew are supposed to be out in space on peaceful exploration. Why not let them look the part in a neat casual way? All rank insignia should be on all uniforms or be easily placed in a prominent place by the person wearing the item, whether the clothing be short-sleeved, long, short, or even as a washable tattoo for a (alien) crew member who cannot wear anything artificial against their skin. How hard would that be?
Producers and audiences alike need to think outside the square sometimes.
# 45. Keachick (Rose) – October 6, 2014
“… even as a washable tattoo for a (alien) crew member who cannot wear anything artificial against their skin. How hard would that be?” — Keau got me wondering if i chick (Rose)
Wow, now you’ve got me wondering if I will ever live long enough to see uniformless nudist Trek in the form of your alien captain’s Federation Starship, and if my heart will be strong enough to take it when it comes to pass?
# 45. Keachick (Rose) – October 6, 2014
weird…I have no explanation why the word processing function thought your monicker needed that sentence fragment dupped there.
45. Keachick (Rose) –
“Yuck to this “militaristic style” Starfleet that some seem so desperate to see. The Enterprise and crew are supposed to be out in space on peaceful exploration.”
Hmm. Not sure how much desperation there is to see a militaristic style Starfleet. I know there’s none in my part. It just simply cannot be denied (at least not legitimately so) that Starfleet is a quasi-military styled organization, complete with rank hierarchy, orders given and expected to be obeyed, brigs and uniforms. The command structure alone is indicative of the intended military-style that has ALWAYS been part and parcel of Star Trek and there’re more than just a few indications with nuTrek that that style remains the operative one. And THAT makes the glaring omission of rank insignia on female officer uniforms highly inconsistent and logical, all things considered.
#47 – My planet Menosia may decide to join the Federation and the Nulis allow some of them to be part of Starfleet. Menosians (and others?) will be crew/passengers as they have always been.
Menosians wear very little. They do not need to on their world and find that they are allergic to most, if not all, of the fabrics worn by humans and others. When necessary, for protection against inclement weather/other, their hair (on the head) will grow very thick and VERY fast. Unlike humans, where baldness in itself (like male pattern baldness) is not usually a sign of illness, a balding Menosian is a very sick person. Menosians have hair harvesting festivals.
Giving away too much here, I fear…oh well.
I am really beginning to wonder if the people complaining about Zoe showing some skin (why, dear God, why would anyone complain?!?) ever actually saw TOS. I mean, it was very buttoned-down, PC earth tones with asexual tailoring for TNG, but TOS looks like it was created in the middle of a fabric shortage. Naturally, since the men did all of the “dirty work” of exploring, they got to keep covered, but those women . . . Oh, my. (Yes, I’m fully aware of the irony of that statement)
TOS went off the air when I was two months old. However, growing up in the 70s and watching the reruns on TV, I never gave the women’s costumes a second thought; remember, this was the pre-internet era when it was still possible to be innocent. I remember watching one episode thinking, “why is that girl watching Kirk change his boots? How did he get mud on them while on board the ship?” Yes, I was THAT innocent. That was the great thing about TOS. However, over the years, I lost contact with the show, only to discover it again in grad school. The first episode I had revisited after all that time was “Who Mourns for Adonais?” and I remember thinking, “how did they get that past the censors?” Then there was “The Cloud Miners,” or whatever and the girl with the name that sounds like a cold medicine came out and I had to mop up the drool. As I saw more episodes, I notice that the shorts under Uhura’s uniform would sometimes be visible during a scene in which the ship got rocked around and all I can say is, uh, they could have been used in a Vegas showgirl’s costume. Not that I’m complaining.
My point is, female skin in Trek is hardly new. And for the record: Zoe could wear Kathy Bates’ wardrobe and still look good. Yum!