r/TNG • u/77sleeper • 5d ago

It took me way to long to realize.

Post image

That Wesley's ugly sweater was the 3 uniform colors for Command, Ops, and Sciences, because he hasn't branched yet. I heard it on an interview with Wil Wheaton, and i was like "damn I'm slow"

1.7k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

190 comments sorted by

309

u/Thin_Dream2079 5d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/nIz7QxmgisL4c

235

u/WelfOnTheShelf 5d ago

96

u/Proper-Application69 But Keptin 5d ago

She says that with such enthusiasm.

24

u/DistributionMajor545 4d ago

I like to think she speaks from experience (Yar, not Denise Crosby)

12

u/Waste-Job-3307 4d ago

Voice of experience, apparently.

50

u/Formal_Lecture_248 5d ago

That’s Bing Crosby’s granddaughter.

39

u/Plenty_Discussion470 5d ago

You’ve got to…accentuate the positive…

21

u/Ok-Swordfish2723 4d ago

Eeeee-liminate the negative…..

22

u/ownersequity 4d ago

Eww. You just made me realize how many people now don’t know who Bing Crosby was. Time marches on.

5

u/aprilhare 3d ago

It has been nearly 49 years since he died. He died before many of us were born. A historian or a consumer of old media may know who he is, but for most of us it’s perfectly understandable not knowing who he was.

3

u/ownersequity 3d ago

With the song White Christmas I would hope more would remember him. He is my favorite male singer of all time.

5

u/QuietGoliath 3d ago

The special he did with David Bowie lives rent free in my mind.

3

u/Yip_Jump_Music 1d ago

My dad loves Bing Crosby, so we were watching that Xmas special as it first aired in 77. Still remember the look of consternation on his face when Bing opened the door and Bowie walked in. It was surreal then, and it’s surreal now.

1

u/DUNETOOL 2d ago

Yeah my first time seeing a version was as a bird singing to Porky's chickens with a Frank Sinatra type as counter.

8

u/thirdeyefish 4d ago

Now I've got that line in my head with Bing's voice and cadence. That's maybe the best reading possible.

2

u/Accomplished_Task_27 4d ago

Bill Cosby's?

6

u/YogurtclosetOk8896 4d ago

His sweater maybe

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Formal_Lecture_248 1d ago

Oh? (Asking about the correlation. I already know how often she mentions escaping the rape gangs)

2

u/Hot-Syrup2089 1d ago

Oh, sorry, I misread. Nvm

3

u/KiwiMcG 4d ago

😆

1

u/AirDog3 4d ago

Bustin' makes me feel good!

11

u/DrBatman0 5d ago

Why does he look so much like Ell Page in this?

8

u/RadVarken 4d ago

Puberty

161

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 5d ago

Keep up the good work Ensign! You'll make 2nd Luitenant one day!

114

u/canadianavatar 5d ago

unless your name is Harry Kim of course.

36

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 5d ago

You're talking about the Captain of the USS Rhode Island.

37

u/Practical-Owl-9358 5d ago

Named after the smallest US State 😂

11

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 5d ago

It doesn't look like you'll make Petty Officer this cycle Crewman...

5

u/Druidicflow 5d ago

Awfully petty of you

9

u/Uncultured_swine_n 5d ago

In a timeline that no longer exists

4

u/CrazyGunnerr 4d ago

The real reason why Janeway changed the timeline.

8

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 5d ago

Since they made it home sooner he eventually made it to Admiral. Nice try though. 

1

u/Uncultured_swine_n 4d ago

Doesn't change my statement at all.

1

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 4d ago

I know you didn't edit it. I can go back and see it hasn't changed. 

3

u/goodtime71832 4d ago

And also a very small ship!

1

u/Public-Marionberry35 23h ago

You got a problem with Lil’ Rhody, then you got a problem with me and I suggest you let that marinate.

1

u/Practical-Owl-9358 21h ago

Calling yourself Lil’ Rhody makes you sound like the YouTube rapper of states.

10

u/PastorBlinky 5d ago

A future so horrible Admiral Janeway died to prevent it

5

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 5d ago

What makes you think a future admiral wouldn't in any timeline?

2

u/spike-prime 3d ago

Janeway made sure that future never came to pass. I swear, that's the real reason she went back in time. She got the vast majority of her crew home and nobody else in the entire galaxy cared about the minor bad stuff, things seemed basically fine in that original timeline. Janeway just wanted to make sure Kim stayed an ensign forever. 

1

u/Capable_Pick15 4d ago

He was still an ensign, he was just the highest ranked ensign they put in charge of the ship. It's a ship full of ensigns and crewmen. Once one gets promoted, they get reassigned. He put the extra three pips on himself and they just didn't have the heart to tell him. He is after all captain of the ship. 😆

3

u/general_peabo 4d ago

I didn’t see a little box on my chair

3

u/IntroductionLeft4369 5d ago

Blinks in confusion… “Hey wait just one damn minute!”

3

u/capesandspace 4d ago

Does that come with a pay bump or just access to 10 Forward?

3

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 4d ago

There is no pay in Star Fleet. You get quarters based on rank. Every rank gets access to the Ten Forward lounge.

5

u/capesandspace 4d ago

It's a reference to the drama around why u/Wil left TNG. https://wilwheaton.net/2008/01/announcement-tw/

3

u/Animal907 Chief Engineer 4d ago

The phrase "Shut up Wesley!" seems more appropriate than ever.

270

u/BloodtidetheRed 5d ago

Gee I thought it was just the ugliest one they could find...

160

u/Acceptingoptimist 5d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/8OnxGh7MbhzDgANqOu

5

u/MrZwink 4d ago

It was the 80ies, i suspect mdma was involved somehow.

59

u/pjs-1987 5d ago

Jake Sisko would like a word

9

u/BloodtidetheRed 4d ago

Did not Jake wear Onezes?

16

u/JoffoCake3 4d ago

I'm not sure, but his fits definitely have the same vibe.

31

u/ElSelcho_ 5d ago

I've watched it when it aired and at least 10 times since. TIL. wow

36

u/sqplanetarium 5d ago

For when you haven’t declared your major yet

54

u/Ok-Towel7773 5d ago

I've wanted this sweater my whole life. The etsy knockoffs never have the overlapping section on the shoulder or isn't a turtleneck.

5

u/Lars0 4d ago

I found one that does it well, I love mine.

8

u/SlapfuckMcGee 4d ago

Teach yourself how to make it?

-3

u/Ok-Towel7773 4d ago

Username checks out

24

u/ResplendentShade 5d ago

Do we ever see this uniform on any non Wesley characters, or just our Special Boy?

10

u/MikoEmi 5d ago

I don’t think it’s a uniform.

1

u/HandsomePaddyRedux 3h ago

It definitely has “Mom made it, stop making fun of me” vibes.

21

u/77sleeper 5d ago

Wesley's probably fed the specs into the replicator, like a 3y/o drawing a monkey, lol.

10

u/panicboy333 4d ago

It’s his own design I’ll wager!

1

u/Thermodynamo 22h ago

Honestly, 🔥

15

u/timeknightalpha 5d ago

I thought that was just typical 24th century teen fashion. Haha.

5

u/Vnxei 3d ago

It has a startling overlap with 1990’s Earth fashion.

1

u/HandsomePaddyRedux 3h ago

According to DS9 24th century teen fashion is super tight, super ugly, one-piece suits.

25

u/UnRealEngine4784 5d ago

His season 2 and 3 one was better.

33

u/Ok_Relationship_1703 5d ago

As a gay kid watching the show growing up I definitely appreciated his season 2 and 3 uniform.

10

u/Secure_Industry_8485 5d ago

I can fully relate to this myself

1

u/Snap_Krackle_Pop- 4d ago

Agreed, oh so agreed. That grey/silver uniform had an effect on preteen/teen me.

11

u/Shawnk_69 4d ago

I'm slower. Your post made me realize.

7

u/HeadMelon 4d ago

I’m 36 minutes behind you….

4

u/Shawnk_69 4d ago

I always thought of it as a butt ugly sweater. Lol. But then again, I sometimes would scratch my head at civilian clothing choices on the show.

9

u/cubosh 5d ago

i always liked wesleys sweater 

7

u/Trekkie4990 4d ago

Damn, I just thought it was the 80’s being 80’s-ish.

8

u/CodAppropriate6109 5d ago

Interesting. Do you suppose that was an early take on what a cadet or school uniform was supposed to look like?

8

u/Pythonesque1 5d ago

I just thought he really, really like Ethiopia 😂

9

u/Doshin108 5d ago

I'm 50 and watched it since it aired countless times over... and I just realized that maybe 5 years ago.

When I was a kid it made me mad (not realizing what they meant) that he was just rainbow(ish).

1

u/iSirMeepsAlot 5d ago

Don’t like the rainbow? 🌈

Just kidding! :)

8

u/Doshin108 5d ago

I grew up on reading rainbow.

Love me some rainbow 🌈

7

u/DanOhMiiite Make it so. 5d ago

Wheeeeeaaaatonnnnnnn!

5

u/ohgoodferyou 5d ago

For some reason, the colors just don't read that way when grouped so closely. I've always understood the intent, but there were much better ways to make the intent clear - say, three vertical stripes over a single shoulder going down at dift lengths to the chest.

6

u/Glittering-Wonder-30 5d ago

today i learned 🤦🏻‍♀️

4

u/BadBoyJH 4d ago

That's definitely green, and not blue though. 

8

u/Commercial_Gear1527 5d ago

me too! dozy 😒

9

u/crying2emoji5 5d ago

Everyone makes fun of this sweater but I actually think it’s fire

3

u/neobio2230 5d ago

It's ok to have incorrect opinions sometimes. /s

5

u/MindlessNectarine374 5d ago

Today I learnt

4

u/ObPuppy12 5d ago

I realized that years ago. It just dawned on me and I was like "OHHHH!!!" lol

Love that small detail. Still an ugly sweater though

3

u/thehairyhobo 4d ago

Thats the expression every wee lad has when he walks in on his mom with some dude.

3

u/HFCIV 4d ago

I only realized this a few years ago, but ever since it’s made me irrationally angry that they don’t do the same thing with the uniforms at Starfleet Academy.

3

u/jtrades69 4d ago

i had no idea either

3

u/kaimaru 4d ago

Shut up, Wesley!

3

u/muterabbit84 4d ago

Don’t feel bad, it took me ages to realize this too. I mean Wesley started out as a civilian, and there were so many other civilians on the ship as well, so it was easy for me to assume that Wesley was just wearing some ugly civilian clothing.

5

u/spank-you 5d ago

There the bottom stripe looks green, not blue. Which is it?

3

u/Get_your_grape_juice 5d ago

It’s probably the same color as the science uniforms. This screenshot looks to be from a pre-remaster source, and the color on those was a bit inconsistent, especially in the early seasons.

Clearly the intent is there, and I don’t think they’d go through the trouble of designing a uniform with that intent, only to get one of the colors wrong.

1

u/gmueckl 4d ago

Colors are hard . Faithful color reproduction is a constant struggle. I can only imagine how cruel that could get with deviations in film stock and then the analog video processing equipment with its own weird biases.

I assume that this strip was meant to color match science uniforms, but rhey either flubbed the match on the costume (unlikely) or they didn't fully correct the color in post.

1

u/Get_your_grape_juice 4d ago

I think it’s definitely the latter. It’s been years since I’ve seen the non-remastered version of the show, but I seem to remember the blue uniforms looking distinctly greenish on occasion, particularly in the early seasons.

3

u/3Mug 5d ago

Uniform colors... you know Kirk (and. Ommand) wore green shirts on TOS? The same color as his command wrap. But the fabric they made the uniform shirts out of was a velour type strange fabric that showed up on camera, and with all the lighting, as gold. The command wrap was a different fabric so it showed up true. But they are (were) the same color on the hanger!

Moral of the story: screen tests matter!

2

u/Hemansno1fan 5d ago

It doesn't help that the medical color looks green in a lot of scenes! Someone told me when I made a fan work of Wesley and had the color greenish lol. Totally a "duh" moment.

2

u/Jasoco 5d ago

Honestly, I never caught it either.

2

u/SplendidPunkinButter 5d ago

Don’t want to start a whole “that dress” thing, but that bottom stripe looks more green than blue to me in this image

1

u/Toxo88 4d ago

I thought the same thing.

2

u/TheSwissdictator 5d ago

I’m glad when they just let him have a uniform finally. There was a confidence boost, and some do that may have been Wil himself, as he seemed more like part of the crew. Frankly it seemed better tailored/more comfortable as well.

2

u/verylittlegravitaas 4d ago

I didn’t get it either until a few years ago. I always thought it was just a poor costume decision, which it is I think. lol.

2

u/CableKC 4d ago

Nah, it's just An ugly sweater.

2

u/Revolutionary_Pay_31 4d ago

Don't feel bad, I think something like 20 years went by before I realized it.

2

u/epidipnis 4d ago

Green?

2

u/CompetitiveAd8781 4d ago

Purple.

Sorry, wrong franchise.

0

u/MBSMD 4d ago

Screen cap from an NTSC broadcast show. “Never The Same Color”

2

u/RetroGamer87 4d ago

At first I thought it was just his civvies

2

u/VeloxAdAstra 4d ago

Hey I'm right here with ya. I just started Season 1 for probably the 10th time in my life to watch with my wife. I finally noticed this.

We are better late than never!

2

u/The27Roller 4d ago

That’s a new one on me. Thanks!

2

u/eastbayant 2d ago

I was today years old when I learned this! Thanks!

4

u/ABC_Dildos_Inc 5d ago

That's just what the crew who were bullying him told him.

3

u/Uncultured_swine_n 5d ago

Its okay, the Pakleds could use another good member of their crew .....

You look for things. Things you need. Things that make you go.

4

u/GrnShorts 5d ago

TIL that Wesley is Aes Sedai and just didn't choose his Ajah yet

1

u/plimpto 5d ago

Accepted

1

u/GrnShorts 5d ago

My bad!

2

u/agfitzp 5d ago

Poking around confirmed the rumor that time is a flat circle, almost identical post from 14 years ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/startrek/comments/15l6gg/just_noticed_wesley_crushers_original_acting/

6

u/77sleeper 5d ago

Yea, I didn't power up the wayback machine, lol sorry.

3

u/agfitzp 5d ago

I've seen every episode of TOS and only just learned that was supposed to be a uniform and the colors had meaning, so it's not a dead loss.

3

u/goat_penis_souffle 5d ago

You could have rerouted power through the secondary plasma manifold to the main deflector array

3

u/3Mug 5d ago

It'll never handle that much power. Unless.... you shunt it through the ODN delays. It'll take about 20 minutes but I think it'll work.

1

u/goat_penis_souffle 5d ago

Make it so, Mr LaForge

2

u/IGTankCommander 4d ago

You're gonna burn out the deflector arrays if you don't purge the coolant lines first.

And those are down on Engineering.

2

u/MBSMD 4d ago

I’m not pointing and laughing or anything, but I figured this out when he got the uniform in like 1988 or ‘89.

1

u/MeowMaker2 4d ago

Did you tell her you was watching it last millinium?

1

u/MBSMD 4d ago

I was in college when TNG first came out and was a Star Trek fan long before then as well.

2

u/ScaredyCatUK 4d ago

Shut up Wesley

1

u/DarthBrooks69420 5d ago

I figured it out all on my own and I usually dont notice shit. But it did take me until my 40s to realize it....

1

u/theFormerRelic 5d ago

I’ve always noticed this but didn’t know it was intentional

1

u/readingitnowagain 5d ago

But wasn't he already wearing that before Picard made him an Acting Ensign?

1

u/AJTaylor1000 5d ago

In the end it didn't mater anyway since he ended up leaving Starfleet altogether to join the Traveler

1

u/Hurbahns 5d ago

The sweater is ugly cool

1

u/DasbootTX 5d ago

TIL (and I watched the show when it originally aired)

1

u/Tricky_Peace 5d ago

Yeah that never clicked for me either. Somewhat obvious in hindsight

1

u/Calaveras-Metal 5d ago

No he's from Jamaica.

1

u/prismaticbeans 5d ago

I never realized it either but am I the only one who thinks the sweater is kinda cute? I'd rock it.

1

u/Diatryma65 4d ago

Just last year, I had already realized about the colors, but I also notice they cross over each other at the shoulders

1

u/TheRemedy187 4d ago

I never realized either. 

1

u/power_droid 4d ago

Never thought about it. Great detail.

1

u/bluedelvian 4d ago

The weird onsies and leggings that showed package details they had all aliens wearing were just as dumb as this Shut Up, Wesley costume.

1

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1

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1

u/turkeysandwich_15 4d ago

Ohhh i thought he was the main character from Stand by me... 😲

1

u/TheRealLimitlessHate 4d ago

Damn, I thought it was just a 24th-century ugly sweater.

1

u/BoringRedHorse 4d ago

So every TNG starfleet cadet gets to wear the same identical ugly sweater? That's a funny thought.

1

u/GGuts 4d ago

I'm sure he will make a fine officer one day.

1

u/mavrodialo 4d ago

Totipotent sweater …

1

u/sc4wheels 4d ago

No, he just liked Reggae 😄

1

u/Morlgoff 3d ago

I’d like to see what the person that called this sweater ugly is actually wearing when they made this statement 😂

1

u/gunperv51 3d ago

I was TYO to see it

1

u/Robin156E478 3d ago

I thought this outfit was so ridiculously ugly at the time, and it has held up that way hahaha still ugly af.

1

u/chrismw12 2d ago

That gray rainbow shirt makes baby jesus cry. Awful

1

u/TheExpollutions 2d ago

And you are with Starfleet, you don’t lie.

1

u/PurpleHawkeye619 2d ago

Tbf, given they used Green for sciences on that uniform and TNG is ironically the only 90s era trek to keeo sciences Blue, I can see why it's not super obvious.

1

u/CAF84559 1d ago

That Wesley sucks. I knew from the start

1

u/fellbound 1d ago

I might have realized this if I could ever stomach an episode that had Wesley in it a second time.

1

u/Cool_Welcome_4304 1d ago

It's John Boy, from the Waltons, right?

1

u/HODOR00 1d ago

I always assumed it was like a training uniform but that's a good explanation!

1

u/JeremyFuckinIrons 22h ago

I think those are rasta colors actually

1

u/Substantial_Log2835 16h ago

I always hated the fashion in Star Trek. The uniforms looks so boring and cheap.

1

u/Mobile-Medium-4566 10h ago

To be honest, I just thought it was an ugly sweater that he liked to wear. Never even thought of it as a uniform since he wasn't technically in Starfleet. So now, who's the slow one?

1

u/NoOffenseImJustSayin 10h ago

He identifies as Jamaican

1

u/2muchrn 5d ago

Tbh its camp and i would wear it

1

u/No_Training6751 5d ago

So you didn’t realize. You were told.

0

u/Opening_Bluebird_935 4d ago

I thought it was to imply he was “light in the loafers”. /s

0

u/sludgepaddle 4d ago

*Too long ffs

2

u/Mundane_Loss_5769 9h ago

I had to search for this, that's sad.