The Most Controversial Costumes In Sci-Fi TV History

Boob armor, missing headgear, and blasé beige. Here's what can happen when a superhero suit — or a starship uniform — doesn't stick the landing.

#SciFi #Controversy #Costume

Deanna Troi's original outfit | 0:00
Firefly borrowed culture without representation | 1:10
What Master Chief isn't wearing | 1:59
The Doctor's regenerating wardrobe | 3:05
Starfire's Titan(ic) wardrobe change | 4:07
Starlight shines too bright | 5:05
The Next Generation… of miniskirts | 6:01
Bo-Katan's Mandalorian boob armor | 6:57
Loki's cardboard-color khakis | 7:34

Voiceover by: Sydney Osmon

[BiggestDawgEver]

Along with many other erroneous or misinterpreted observations in this video, it was Nichelle Nichols who wanted the Star Trek TOS mini-dress uniform. It was designed that way at her request.

[stepal]

The Mandalorian "controversy" was one of the most ridiculous. She just had armour fitted to her body shape. It wasn't even revealing or sexualised in any way. And like a lot of these "controversies" it probably came from a couple of loudmouths on twitter that were amplified by lazy media types looking for easy article/video ideas.

[YeeSnarky]

So this was not a serious look at Costumes in SF, but an actual put down of things fans have come to love and expect in the adaptions they love. Hollywood seriously underestimates the fan base they are trying to mine for as much bottom line cash that they can get without causing any controversy, ie the so called political correct way of doing things. Time and time again they have proven that doing something with a politically correct change or two can sink a show faster than the titanic went down. Trying to make thing appeal to every minority base out there by changing what actually made fans love something originally is not only a slap in the face of existing fans, but shows just how racist, sexist and bigoted they are. Why make a white character black just to appease black fans when that actually points out how racist the choice to do so is. Rather create something new that has original characters that are then defined by the choices made by the creators. Trying to make bland shows just makes everything boring and samey. Take for instance a show like "The Big bang Theory" where the original premise of geeks who were basically fish out of water type characters who follow their own thing. When the show started they had all sorts of inside jokes and fantasy and science fiction fan friendly set against real science facts. This was an intensely different show that dared to be different. But then somewhere along the line the writers changed and it became just another show putting down fandom in favour of the same girl meets boy sitcoms that plague out screens, all clones of one another and hardly any different from each other. Why? It alienates the original fans and doesn't attract many new fans who were probably watching whatever boring romantic show they favoured.

Attacking costumes they way you have done in the video just shows an ignorance of the original media by forcing us to view your own agenda. If a character in the original media (books or comics mostly) does not take off his helmet, ever, then the Hollywood project should do the show the same way. If a female character is perhaps overly sexualised in a comic (which I do not truly believe to be the case in many instances) then to change that character to fit some bland unoffending norm is just pandering to masses who do not care about the original source material. I very much agree that the character of Cory in Titans was done badly. The character is an alien girl, so hiring a woman of colour to play her is acceptable, if she looks enough like the character, but to then dress her up to look like a hooker, and she really did look like a street walker, is just stupid. I've seen amateur cosplay costumes at family friendly comic-cons do a better job. And the idea that a costume strait from the comics has to be sexualised and in poor taste and not good looking on screen, just means that the costumer is doing it wrong. I have seen many shows get it right, and many more shows get it wrong. All the costumers have to do is look at what is being done at cosplayer level to see what has worked better, and what is actually tacky looking, which when it comes to cosplayers they seem to make it work far more often that they don't, especially in recent years. Sensibility and logic dictate that to take something original and try to mold it into a bland mainstream media franchise just doesn't work. Part of what makes art is making something original and making people think, even if those choices are not politically correct or necessarily friendly to every level of society. The world has gone mad on trying to make everything the same, and everyone the same even if that flouts historic or social fact. I think that if Hollywood cannot come up with original material to pander to various factions of society then they really should not try to pander to it by remaking what worked before by fundamentally changing it to fit their idea of what should be or has been. A historical show that casts a black actor in a traditionally white role is saying that history doesn't matter. That only leads to people forgetting the lessons learned from historic fact to perhaps make a better future.

[davidanderson_surrey_bc]

I've never played Halo but I understand enough about the character and the game concept to know that never taking off his helmet for the viewer was always an important character feature.

[broccanmacronain]

This video was titled to bring up the most controversial costumes in SciFi TV history but when you brought up Firefly there was no controversial costume choices brought up. So why even have it in the clip?

[edrosa]

I think Russel Davies comments about "bigots" is bull. The doctor has always regenerated in the previous doctor's clothes, it's considered canon. Throw in a line "oh this is not flattering at all" or some other funny quip and Tennant could go back in the Tardis and change into his traditional garb. There was nothing "drag" about Jodi's outfit.

[daveofyorkshire]

So this is a veiled attack on anyone with an opinion that doesn't match the show runners. In short thinking for yourself or prizing the original material makes you a bigot...

[randomcommentary]

So, please let me get this straight, cultural appropriation is a good thing? You keep saying changing a white character to black is good and anyone who speaks out against it is racist. However, if a white person plays black or Asian characters it is bad. Do I have that right? Besides taking a beloved character and appropriating them for no reason, now you call the fandom names for not liking the appropriation, that is wrong. Furthermore, dressing any character like a HOOKER, regardless of race, is over sexualizing a woman for no reason, and real fans have a right to point this out. It’s not the fans but the producers of the show that are being sexist here. As a fan of Sci-Fi I don’t like when announcers call me names and disrespect me because I respect the original creators vision.

[kpowers]

Troi was the ship's counselor. Marina Sirtis mentioned it at conventions that Troi was supposed to be more civilian/friendly so crew members could feel more comfortable approaching Troi with their personal feelings. Her civilian uniform gave that feeling instead of her "military feel" Starfleet uniform would have.

[mefrommyglass]

There's NO EXCUSE for race swapping characters to fit the modern narrative.
Just write better characters.

[g.n.]

It's not "racist" to complain when they race swap...if the original comic book version of a character(the one that became popular enough for someone to make it into a TV series or movie)...then why would you want to change that formula?? ....of course we all know this just goes one way. If the original version of a character was anything but white and a race swap was done and the character was made white - there would be all kinds of complaints from the woke crowd - but for some reason it wouldn't be racist for them to Let's see what would happen if Black Panther was played by Ryan

[vrlon]

What was CONTROVERSIAL about Deana Trois costume? What COSTUME was controversial in Firefly? It seems more like the video is trying to talk about everything but costumes. Clearly, the costume controversy is all in the author of this video's mind.

[AngelicusImmortus]

Masterchief like Dredd never takes his helmet off. its part of who they are.
if i remember right, in the game, the chiefs armour is (somehow) welded/melded onto his body. so he cant remove it.
In dredd the judges are meant to be faceless to stand them apart from population and remove individuality.

[StephanePoirierGaming]

My problem with the TV Starfire is very simple: she was not orange. It was not the hooker outfit (but let's call a spade a spade).

No. It was that in this age of CGI they couldn't be bothered to have her turn orange. At least Gar had green hair.

[tysoncutler]

Davies thinking putting Tenant in Whittaker's costume for however long it took to change would enrage fans is probably more bigoted than the bigots he's afraid of.

[chrispugsley]

I'm a Trekker and All I can say is that Nichelle Nichols, Marina Sirtis and Rebecca Romijn looked cute and absolutely beautiful wearing those Starfleet uniforms.

[mikemalo]

ah sorry the wardrobe regen was the LEST of Doctor WHO's issues.

[pwnmeisterage]

Just an FYI, the "iconic mini-skirts worn in Star Trek" were not horny old Gene Roddenberry's idea. Grace Lee Whitney requested a mini-skirt and successfully pitched the idea to the cautious conservative prude producers to let her show off her toned dancer legs. Nichelle Nicols enthusiastically agreed because she also wanted to show off her toned dancer legs.
Some sources claim that while it was obvious Gene liked seeing actresses in mini-skirts, he also initially resisted the idea. Because he didn't want to risk losing the entire show (offending one of the all mighty network executives) over something so edgy.

[EqualOpportunityDestoroya]

Most people are more familiar with Stafire from the original Teen Titans sans Go. A sweet and bubbly girl, who has a crush on Robin.

[gpgpgpgp]

Lost all respect for you when you accused people who don't like race-swapping established characters as racist.