Fleet 31 Cadet Uniform

This uniform is officially the Cadet variant of the Fleet 31 Monster Gray uniform, but as it contains no gray, the MG name doesn’t really seem to fit. It takes cues from TNG cadet uniforms and TWOK Monster Maroons, with the Fleet 31 Monster Grays as the inspirational model. This variant is a one-piece item, a jacket with no visible undershirt, worn with slacks and boots.

The division colors available for this uniform are as follows:
Red: Tactical
Yellow: Engineering, Security
Teal: Sciences, Medical

The badge is properly worn on the left breast, horizontally halfway between the armpit and the center of the chest. Vertically, the top tip of the badge should be no closer to the lower edge of the yoke than .75″, and no more than 1.5″, depending on height (where a taller height warrants more space).

Pips are the lozenge-shaped pins seen on TNG Cadets, and are to be worn on the right side of the collar, vertically centered between the parallel top and bottom edges, with the first pip placed roughly 3/4″ away from the center edge of the collar, with 1/8″ between pips moving outward toward the side of the neck from the front. If the rank called for requires a black/hollow pip, that pip is to be placed last in the chain.

This uniform is worn with the same type of belt as the F31 Monster Grays, which can be found by searching eBay for “star trek belt”. The buckle has a total diameter of about 2-1/4″ with a brass finish. The belts available for adults with this buckle may be too long for a Cadet, and a new hole may need to be punched; the recommended tool for this is a small leather punch, although a strong knife may be used in a pinch. Thanks to the aid of belt loops, it is easier to wear the belt with excess length beyond the connection to the buckle worn behind the initial length, such that the end of the belt is not outwardly visible.

The yoke and collar are to be the color of the Cadet’s division of service. The collar stands 1″ in height, and is rounded at the upper edges near the center of the neck in the shape of the TNG Cadet collar, with the lower edges almost or just meeting in the center.

The yoke should extend down to a height one-half the distance between the top of the shoulder and the bottom of the sleeve hole. Whereas in the TNG Cadet uniform the yoke would be a single piece of fabric, due to the overlap that is not possible here. Therefore, the yoke is split along a seam at the top of the shoulder, running from the sides of the collar to the top center of each sleeve. The height of the division color section on the upper sleeve is determined by the height of the yoke on the main torso; the lower tip forms a 90-degree angle which radiates outward along straight lines to meet the lower edges of the main torso yoke, with the upper edge defined by the upper limit of the sleeve.

Unlike the TNG Cadet uniform, in which the yoke and torso appear to be a single layer joined at the seams, this uniform places the yoke over the torso sections as a second layer, both to decrease the amount of labor necessary in production, and to evoke the feeling of the F31 Monster Grays.

The black panels of the sleeves and torso follow the same pattern as the F31 Monster Grays. The body of the jacket should extend in length to the base knuckle, where the finger meets the hand. The sleeve should extend in length exactly to the wrist, such that when the hand is fully extended backward, the cuff barely breaks.

This uniform has a 1″ stripe of the division color fabric layered over the sleeve, with the lower edge of the stripe placed 2″ above the end of the sleeve.

The front/side belt loops are placed just to the outside of the front black panels at navel height using black top-stitch as close to the edge as possible.

The back belt loop is worn in the center of the back at navel level. It is trapezoidal in shape, with the top edge measuring 3″, the bottom edge measuring 2″, and total height being 2-1/4″. Unlike the back belt loop of the F31 Monster Grays, this belt loop is not quilted. It should be attached such that the loop is flat to the back using a black top-stitch as close to the edge as possible.

The closure method for the front flap is still undecided, as the removal of the strap present in the F31 Monster Grays presents other considerations.

This uniform uses four #4 snaps between the overlapping body layers:

1. Hidden below the collar, just left of the center, such that when the uniform is worn in its open position, the flap creates a triangle with the top point at the horizontal center of the body and does not disturb the collar.
2. Just medial to the left side belt loop, such that any bulge from the snap is hidden under the belt.
3. Just medial to the right side belt loop, such that any bulge from the snap is hidden under the belt.
4. On the right edge of the front body panel, such that when the uniform is worn in its open position and the first snap is properly placed, the triangle created is a right triangle.

Whereas the standard version is a jacket/shirt combo, this is only a jacket worn with slacks (no skirts), and the shoulder strap has been removed. It is worn with the same length as the standard uniform and follows the same pattern for all jacket panels.

This uniform was designed with budget in mind. For starters, the jacket has a standing collar like the uniforms used in TNG season 3 through Generations, which ultimately serves to help cut out the division color shirt under the jacket. By cutting out the shoulder strap and shirt, the amount of labor and materials needed are both reduced, and by replacing the gray wool with the division color fabric, we can further reduce the cost of materials. All of this is important considering that many members in the Cadet age range are still growing.

Unlike the standard version, the yoke is not quilted, although the cuff stripes are still 1″ in width regardless of the size of the uniform. The inside of the outer flap should be black, although whether or not that requires another layer of black suiting to hide the stitching will depend on the skills of the maker.