Science Division

The sciences division was the corps of officers within Starfleet who specialized in both scientific and medical research and control functions on star bases, aboard starships, and at Starfleet Command. Members of the sciences division may have specialized in sensors, research, theoretical and physical laboratory work, biological studies, and also as technicians, medics, and surgeons. Officers who belonged to the sciences division sometimes wore the division color of a department other than that which they specialize in. For example, if a science officer were to become a department head, he might wear the colors of command division, or if he has a dual specialty in an operations division department, an alternate color might be worn. Beginning with the Earth Starfleet of the 2140s and 2150s, line officers and noncoms of science division wore blue division stripes on their uniforms. This use of blue continued through several uniform styles until 2260s. On starships, such as the USS Enterprise, science division crewmembers had a specialty insignia in their insignia patch, a circle with two longitudinal lines dividing it. By the 2270s, new uniforms showed different division colors, with the sciences division signified by two differing colors. Science research and technical staff wore orange behind their Starfleet badge, on uniform bands, accessories, and epaulets. Medical crew now wore green badge backings and accessories. The sciences division was changed again with the 2280s uniforms, with green continuing to represent medical personnel, but science and technical staff now wore gray colors (which was a style shared by services personnel of operations division). The insignia used gave the officer the option of wearing command division white uniform insignia, with another department color like sciences' banded across, or the opposite, with department color insignia (green or gray, in this case) with command white banded across. The uniforms used from 2350s onward, blue had again become the sciences division color. The second variant of the 2371 uniform, while still referred to as blue, was actually a shade of green, jungle green. The color was later be applied to the 2373 uniforms as well.