For a show that spent its first 25 years reaching toward socialism and absolute equality with both hands, the physical and semiotic impact of clothing — particularly of uniforms; they’re all military of one kind or another — can’t be overstated. While the intensity of the enduring cosplay world tells us a lot about which costumes, uniforms and details have made the most impact on readers and viewers of genre fiction, comics and television, there is a specificity to “Star Trek” fandom — and fetishism — that speaks to our complicated, long-term relationship with those enduring visuals, the bodies within them, and the highly emotional and gendered response that they still evoke.
Read more of my thoughts on Deanna Troi’s “TNG” fashion revolution
