Why didn't Voyager update their uniforms after Pathfinder?

Question

In Star Trek Voyager the episode Pathfinder ends with Starfleet reestablishing regular, semi-permanent communications with Voyager. After this point why didn't the crew of Voyager update their uniform to the standard being used by the rest of Starfleet at this time?

This accepted answer to a similar question regarding TNG indicates that different uniforms may be based on the type of posting (starbases versus starships). This may explain why the staff at Pathfinder might have different uniforms compared to Voyager, but the EMH Mark 2 seen on the Prometheus, another starship, also had an updated uniform. This suggests that starship uniforms had also updated, meaning Voyager should have refreshed theirs as well.

Answer 1

Power was a continual issue in Voyager, to the point that the crew was issued replicator rations to limit usage throughout the series.

Two examples from the page:

For example a clarinet, a complicated object to replicate, required a week's worth of rations as opposed to one ration to use the replicator one time. (VOY: "Parturition")

Tom Paris' present for Kes, a locket, required two week's worth of rations. (VOY: "Twisted")

A uniform is likely even more complicated, and simply wasn't a high priority.

Maybe a background character cared enough, but for most it wouldn't have mattered, especially since it's been suggested that like real-life, uniform changes don't happen all at once.

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While the last mention of replicator rations from Memory Alpha is from the season before "Pathfinder", I don't actually recall the power issues being resolved and the rations becoming unnecessary (and the page says nothing of the sort, either). More likely they simply stopped being mentioned, but still existed in the background.

Answer 2

Out of universe

The answer is simple. The budgets for the various episodes are relatively small and replacing an entire set of uniforms is an expensive prospect. Flush with cinematic money from the recent "First Contact" film, the decision seems to have been taken to re-purpose the new FC uniforms for the last two seasons of DS9 and pass the remaining "old-style" uniforms over to Voyager where they would then supplement the existing uniforms for the next 4 years.

This is exactly the same reason why DS9 suddenly got a suspicious influx of brand-new weaponry, high quality props and external sets and why Voyager suddenly found itself travelling through Borg territory for the next couple of seasons.

In universe

There are canon indications that uniforms are replicated in Voy: Year of Hell, Pt II and Voy : Distant Origin. This means that the decision to stick with the old-style uniforms must have been aesthetic rather than utilitarian (e.g. since the uniforms were being repeatedly replaced on a regular basis anyway).

We can only surmise what the captain was thinking but it could be down to;

• Personal preference on the part of the Captain
• A conscious desire for remain "apart" from the rest of Starfleet
• Symbolic - "You'll get new uniforms when we get home"
• Or simply the most mundane of reasons; in the absence of a qualified tailor, fitting hundreds of new uniforms would tax the crew's time and effort for very little benefit.

Answer 3

As they were a roughly military organization one can draw on similar themes...we were issued our uniforms (usually 3 to 4 standard work, 1 dress and if you were in a specific area you might have gotten additional uniforms due to the nature of your workplace - i.e. medical, mechanical, flightline, etc.).

We replaced our uniforms quite infrequently (usually only after they either withered down in colour schemes from wear/tear and washing them - the uniforms became too light; nowadays is replaced with more durable wash/wear uniforms) or if you had significant weight/height changes that required a change in sizes. The only major unnanounced replacement was if damaged and could not be repaired without noticing the repair work.

Normal duration could easily last you a tour (4 years) or so without the need to replace anything.

Military changes in uniform styles were not that common but there were a few times when each general replacing the next one decided to switch something about the organizational uniforms of the service branch...whether it was replacing name tags with velcro boards, removing shoulder ranks to only velcro patch areas with ranks, to going with naval sleeve rank stripes, etc. Overall most of these styles changed only a little and the main uniform itself only changed a few times in many years (Vietnam OD Green tiger stripe, OD Green BDU, then Desert BDUs for those serving in the Middle East, then the selected digi-patterns for some services and eventually the ACU digital pattern being utilized currently). Those were not very many changes since the 1960s - 50 years worth of military service and only about 3-4 changes and not always to the entire service.