Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
it will genuinely never stop being upsetting to me that Bajoran earrings are against Starfleet dress code but Worf’s baldric (sash) is completely fine and dandy.
both these articles are ways for Bajorans and Klingons to show pride and connection to their culture. for Worf, this need to feel connection is due to the death of his parents and his status as the only Klingon in Starfleet. for Ro Laren (TNG) and Gerron (VOY), this need for connection is due to the fact that the Bajoran people are literally the victims of the Space Holocaust. allowing Bajoran officers to wear their earrings is vital at any point in the franchise’s timeline, but especially at the time of Voyager and Next Gen, because the entirety of DS9 is happening at the same time, with the end goal of Starfleet’s oversight of the station being to bring Bajor into the Federation. the Federation cannot claim it wants to support Bajor while also denying Bajoran officers a very simple display of culture and history.
it cannot be argued that the earrings distract from the cohesion of the uniform, as the baldric is much larger and physically breaks up the lines created by the seams of the shirt. it also cannot be argued that removal of the earrings is for safety concerns (similar to the dress codes of many sports and real-life militaries). the baldric’s size and fit make it much easier to grab and manipulate in order to use against the wearer.
in-canon, the Starfleet dress code’s exclusion of Bajoran earrings is a narrative tool used to explain why the two relevant characters joined the Maquis — and, by extension, the existence of the Maquis as a whole — but that narrative does not make sense when Worf’s baldric exists.
i am fully aware that i am overthinking the entire concept. if that’s not your cup of tea, scroll on by.
truthfully, yeah. and that’s part of the reason it’s upsetting to me. it makes sense in the canon of the show. it makes sense for Starfleet to do this. but I wish Starfleet was better.
