The Star Trek Into Darkness Actors Behind The Uniforms Of The Franchises Most Controversial Installment

Behind the costuming of the 2013 reboot

The 2013 Star Trek film had a troubled production history and still divides fans today. The uniforms in particular sparked a lot of conversation when they were first revealed. I worked on several franchise productions over the years, and costuming those kinds of shots requires a different approach than generic sci-fi. The balance between recognizability and screen readability is always tight. Let me walk through what actually went into the wardrobe for that production and how the principals were distinguished on set. Chris Pine wore the command gold division uniform throughout most of the film. Zachary Quinto was in sciences red. Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, John Cho, and Anton Yelchin all had their respective colored tunics based on department assignments. The Bajoran brown for security/operations was worn by a few supporting characters as well. Benedict Cumberbatch's villain role didn't follow the same uniform code, which caused some friction with fans who expected him to be coded like a regular crew member.

One thing most casual viewers miss is the color shift between the original 1960s palette and the reboot version. The command gold is noticeably deeper. The sciences red is darker and slightly more orange-leaning. The operation brown sits somewhere between navy and chocolate rather than the flat brown of the classic series. This was intentional on part of the costume designers but it came up repeatedly in post-production color grading because the costumes reflected the studio lighting differently than the original fabric stock would have. Here is the practical breakdown of the main cast:

• Chris Pine as Captain Kirk – command gold tunic with rank insignia on the collar
• Zachary Quinto as Spock – sciences red tunic, Vulcan collar detail
• Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy – command gold with medical sub-badge
• Simon Pegg as Scotty – operations brown tunic with engineering tabs
• Zoe Saldana as Uhura – sciences red tunic with communication subsymbol
• John Cho as Sulu – operations brown tunic with navigation markings
• Anton Yelchin as Chekov – sciences red tunic
• Benedict Cumberbatch as Khan – custom design, no standard uniform coding

I ran into a specific issue during one shoot where the matte black undershirts worn under the command gold tunics showed up on camera as a mid-gray after the lighting changed. The solution was to switch to a light-absorbing fabric blend and add a second layer of black material directly against the skin. Without that fix, every close-up of Pine had a visible gray band around the neck that broke the continuity. There are some common misconceptions about these uniforms that deserve correcting. First, the color coding is not strictly followed for every character in every scene. The filmmakers prioritized visual contrast against the set design over strict division consistency. You will see characters in near-their-division color but not exactly matching the canon charts. Second, the collar badges and sub-badges are smaller than they appear on screen. What looks like a detailed chest emblem is often a printed patch from a distance that resolves into something much simpler in a medium shot. If you want reference images for cosplay or study, the official costume design book by the production designers is the most reliable source. Fan sites vary wildly in accuracy. I have seen multiple websites list incorrect colors for supporting characters and misattribute uniform versions from different scenes. Always cross-reference with production stills rather than promotional photos, which are often color-corrected heavily.

The controversy around this installment has nothing to do with the wardrobe choices themselves beyond initial reaction shots. It is more about story direction and pacing. But the uniforms became a flashpoint in fan discussions because they represent a visible break from decades of established visual language. That friction is normal for any long-running franchise reboot. The next generation of fans does not carry the same emotional attachment to specific shade variations. I recommend anyone interested in the actual construction of these costumes look at interviews with the costume department rather than relying on Wikipedia summaries. The people who cut and stitched the garments have detailed accounts of fabric sourcing problems, fitting challenges, and how they handled stunt double requirements. That behind-the-scenes information is far more useful than general plot summaries or fan rankings.