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In ST:TNG Season 5, episode 3 (Ensign Ro), the following scene occurs:

[Transporter room]

(a young woman in red uniform beams in, wearing a sullen expression and a fancy earring)

RO: Ensign Ro Laren reporting as ordered, Commander.

RIKER: You will follow Starfleet uniform code aboard this ship, Ensign.

(she removes the earring)

Why, when Worf is permitted to wear his sash, is Ro not allowed to wear her earpiece?

Often Right
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ThePopMachine
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  • I can't remember, but doesn't the sash have some religious/cultural significance, wherease the earrings where just jewelry? – Robotnik May 27 '15 at 04:51
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    @Robotnik The earrings have to do with Bajoran religion – Izkata May 27 '15 at 05:03
  • @Izkata - ah, that's right. thanks :) – Robotnik May 27 '15 at 06:24
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    It's possible that the writers hadn't yet determined the importance of the Bajoran earrings. DS9 was 2 years after that episode, and that's when all the nooks and crannies of Bajoran culture got vastly expanded. –  May 27 '15 at 14:59
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    Could it be as simple as Ensign vs. Lieutenant, Junior Grade (and bridge officer)? I'm not that familiar with the rank system used by ST... – DevSolar May 27 '15 at 15:51
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    to misquote Han Solo, because Bajorans don't rip people's arms out of their sockets when you try to prohibit their earrings – DVK-on-Ahch-To May 27 '15 at 17:22
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    Or it could be that the earring was a "visible body modification" and a sash was just... a sash. – Just here for the cookies May 27 '15 at 19:36
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    The sashes are markings of rank and family. They have no religious significance among the Klingons. The sash is also a part of the standard Klingon uniform, so it may be allowed as being the same as the collar pips on a Starfleet uniform. – BBlake May 27 '15 at 20:39
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    Not that I'm complaining, but I don't see why this is getting so many upvotes... – ThePopMachine May 28 '15 at 01:03
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    @Keen Attention wasn't drawn to it like with Ro when she boarded the ship, but all the Bajorans on the planet in that episode were also wearing earrings. It was definitely a cultural thing, although I doubt the details about it being religious were worked out – Izkata May 28 '15 at 03:08
  • Well Worf is Klingon, and the sash means the symbol of a Klingon's house. So Starfleet made an exception and allowed Worf to wear his sash. – Universal Electricity May 28 '15 at 06:39
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    The real question is how an interstellar federation would have uniform codes when they can't even guarantee a person (i.e. aliens) would have ears, or necks, or feet, or any body at all... – Matthew Wilcoxson May 28 '15 at 11:33
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    Speculation: If Ro ended up grappling with a hostile (alien or otherwise) that hostile might try to grab the chain on the earpiece and rip her earlobe off? – Nu'Daq May 28 '15 at 17:26
  • Is there something the current two answers are not providing? If not, why haven't you accepted an answer yet? – Often Right Jun 01 '15 at 00:33
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    @N.Soong: It's not required to accept an answer in any particular period or time or at all. At this time, there are two different answers, and neither is 100% convincing, nor is it evident which one is "more correct". Both are bordering on speculation in different ways. – ThePopMachine Jun 01 '15 at 14:45
  • @Nu'Daq I think Bajoran earrings are all clip-on. It would just slip off without any damage – Izkata Jun 06 '15 at 23:15
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    @MatthewWilcoxson - At least in one book (My Enemy My Ally), rank insignia was put on whatever was available. Ensign Nahrat (A Horta) had his insignia (or lack thereof) on his vocoder. – JohnP Aug 18 '15 at 21:58
  • @Izkata: Maybe the studio version are, but that doesn't mean that their in-universe counterparts are really supposed to be clip-on. – O. R. Mapper Aug 13 '16 at 09:48
  • @O.R.Mapper, as I commented elsewhere on this question, she is clearly shown unclipping it to remove it on screen, so it is clip-on in canon and in universe. – ThePopMachine Aug 14 '16 at 04:20

7 Answers7

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Fairly simple: Worf is a respected officer with a spotless record, thus he gets a bit more tolerance in some areas. Ro was court-martialed and had to be sprung out of prison by an admiral, therefore Riker has her toe the line like a first-year cadet. She was out of uniform upon arrival, and got snapped at for it.

In reality, Worf was wearing the sash in Encounter at Farpoint and they just never had a reason to take it off. Ro needed to be pictured as rather less desirable, and a reprimand from the FO 15 seconds after arrival does that quite well.

paul
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    The direct contrast would seem to encourage the idea that Riker was making it somewhat personal. – Neil May 27 '15 at 15:39
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    @Neil he was. In his mind, her presence was an insult to him and every other Starfleet Officer. She had no business being on ANY Starfleet ship, let alone THE flagship of the Federation. A ship thousands of more deserving officers would give their eye teeth to serve on. – Kevin May 27 '15 at 17:44
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    Also supported by Troi being allowed a leotard on the bridge instead of a uniform - she too was in good standing – Izkata May 28 '15 at 03:16
  • If this were true, it would imply that Worf was not permitted to wear the sash when he was a cadet or an ensign. Absent any evidence of that, I think we need to assume he always wore it. – ThePopMachine Jun 01 '15 at 14:06
  • @ThePopMachine Or there was less prejudice against Worf. After all, he was not court-martialed and disliked by virtually everyone who knew him, unlike Ro. – forest Nov 15 '18 at 09:07
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According to the Memory Alpha article on Starfleet Uniform Code, it is explained that there seem to be some inconsistencies regarding Bajoran earings. Although, as the OP points out, Worf was able to wear his baldric, this may have been because it denotes the symbol of a Klingon's house, according to this article, which is highly significant to a Klingon. (Note I'm not saying that the Bajoran earing isn't important to Bajorans, but it may have been due to cultural understandings between the Federation and Bajorans at the time not being fully developed; indeed apparently one Bajoran serving on the Enterprise-E wore an earing according to the Memory Alpha article which suggests to me that there may have been improved cultural understandings between the Bajorans and Federation, especially following the events of Star Trek: Deep Space 9).

To explain why Riker said this, I do point out that Starfleet Uniform code does specify that:

elaborate headbands and jewelry were in violation of the dress code

hence, perhaps we can conclude that Riker saw Ro's earing as an 'elaborate piece of jewelry' so on that basis asked her to remove it.

Similarly, in VOY 'Learning Curve', Tuvok requires that Gerron removes his Bajoran earing as well. This suggests that the earing is indeed seen as an 'elaborate piece of jewelry', like Chell's Kazleti pendant. This probably reflects Starfleet's lack of understanding of Bajoran customs. Considering the Federation sets up on Deep Space Nine in 2370 and the USS Voyager is lost in the Delta Quadrant in 2371, over a year Starfleet may have not had time to update their protocols to accept Bajoran earings.

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Often Right
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    Back to Cultural Sensitivity 101 for him then! Paging Starfleet HR! – Gaius May 27 '15 at 11:28
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    Is Cultural Sensitivity 101 where they also tell you not to seduce aliens? – DJClayworth May 27 '15 at 18:13
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    @DJClayworth That figures, I never saw Kirk in those classes at Starfleet either... – Tonny May 27 '15 at 18:58
  • I think we've missed some significance here. There is an instance when J.L. Picard tells Worf to "straighten his baldric" (from the article you reference as 'this article') Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but I think this indicates that the baldric was a well-known insignia -- Picard knew its name without hesitation. – Jeutnarg Oct 26 '15 at 04:58
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    @Jeutnarg that being said Picard is fairly well versed with Klingon culture as we see in the series – Often Right Oct 26 '15 at 05:53
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    The fancy Bajoran earrings are, if nothing else, something of a safety hazard. There are all kinds of places on a starship where they might get snagged and cost somebody an ear. It's somewhat foolish of her to wear it when on-duty. – Perkins Jan 12 '17 at 19:19
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Because she hadn't obtained permission yet.

At the end of that very same episode, she asks Picard for permission to continue wearing her earring, and he grants it.

Since Worf is already wearing his baldric when we first see him, it's reasonable to assume that he has already asked for and been given an exemption that allows him to wear it.

DCShannon
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In Memory Alpha, it states that if someone wants to wear anything not part of the dress code, they need the captain's permission to wear it. Worf probably already obtained permission, whereas Ro obviously had not.

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Davis Jensen
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I always thought it was because the boldric is tightly put on the uniform and made for someone in combat, while the earings are not fit for combat given they hang down and could be easily pulled out or used to control the wearer in hand to hand. So basically the boldric either worf was trained to wear in combat or was made to not be used against him unlike a big easy to grab earing.
Also for those who say it was starfleet just not understanding bajoran culture should remember when kira was given a field commission she had to take her earing off and that was like the last few episodes of ds9, this might also mean it is up to the commander if the posting has enough combat for it to matter or not.

trekmonger
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  • OK, except the Bajoran earrings are shown to be clip-ons. – ThePopMachine Oct 26 '15 at 03:58
  • Also forgot they say in ds9 the earings style has something to do with there cast or province or something like the boldric in a way. – trekmonger Oct 26 '15 at 04:00
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    hmmm always just headcanonned that away as a prop thing for the men who didnt have earing holes and due to heavy prop material(big earings can be painfull....has it ever been said they are all clips? – trekmonger Oct 26 '15 at 04:02
  • Riker chews Ro out and she takes it off onscreen. – ThePopMachine Oct 26 '15 at 04:09
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    Yeah but just because something looks one way doesnt mean it was intended to be that way and not just prop limitations. also on ds9 it would be hard to keep so many earings clean and ear infections would be rampent on set. Either way the earings clip on both the lobe and the top of the ear so they would still be bad for combat. – trekmonger Oct 30 '15 at 11:20
  • What is shown onscreen is what is shown onscreen. Except in cases of extreme other evidence, we don't get to ignore what's shown onscreen by conjecturing "prop limitations". Clipping to the top of the ear is a possibly valid point, although we really don't know how easily it comes away. – ThePopMachine Oct 30 '15 at 14:26
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This isn't canon, but there is some flexibility in military uniforms. There are several options that may or may not be worn depending on the occasion. Ribbons, medals, and other insignia can be optional; e.g., a surface warfare pin should be worn by a qualified sailor but it's not wrong to leave it off. Worf's sash seems to fall into that category.

There is not to say that there are many options. You must be in proper uniform while on duty unless ordered otherwise. Rank insignia must always be displayed with rare exceptions. You must wear a cover (hat/cap) outside unless the area is designated a no-cover zone.

Generic Geek
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I don't think the ear piece is religious, in DS9 its described as representing their 'D'jarra' (the class of worker they were born into 'preoccupation by the Cardassions'). It may be a sign they trust the Prophets but that's not its intended purpose

On the other hand Worf wore a representation to his house, the 2nd most important thing in Klingon culture (next to honor)

Therefore one is a strongly acceptable compromise (for the only Klingon in star-fleet, where relations with that culture aren't the best most of the time). Whereas the other wants to wear an ear piece that has no significant meaning anymore to her culture. Relations with Bajor suggested that others in that species were OK with removing it without offence

It stands to reason that the only pure Klingon in star-fleet would be allowed to show his house (as star-fleets would like more Klingons to join), and the Bajorans who have shown no cultural problem by taking them off, would be considered jewelry.

RedCaio
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Matt
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  • why the down-votes, I'm relatively new here, I am just trying to work out how this works, I think the points I made are valid watch TNG: The Bonding at the end the satch is given to a child to bring him into his family, Its clearly more significant to the Bajoran ear piece. Are you just down-voting because I am new? – Matt Aug 12 '16 at 23:29
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    I personally downvoted because your answer was lacking in the punctuation which your comment above shows that you're capable of using. It resulted in another user having to spend several minutes going through and correcting your (otherwise quite sensible) post. – Valorum Aug 12 '16 at 23:32
  • I corrected it myself after your comment, All RedCaio edited was remove the line i added which said 'Edit: punctuation and spelling corrected' – Matt Aug 12 '16 at 23:36
  • Fair enough. In that case I've removed my downvote. It's a reasonable answer, but I'm not convinced that you could argue that Worf's sash is a religious artifact and that Kira's earring isn't. Wouldn't it be more likely that it's the other way around, that Worf's sash is non-religious and that her earring is religious (and hence, potentially inflammatory to others)? – Valorum Aug 12 '16 at 23:41
  • Thanks, but my point is that neither were religious, just that the sash was culturally significant to Klingon's and important to the culture, whereas the ear piece is cultural but not something Bajorans need to display, as they are happy to take them off, AND is from a preoccupation era of cast structure. Religion has nothing to do with at all. Just importance to that culture – Matt Aug 12 '16 at 23:52
  • Which is a fair point. Can you back this up with some examples of other Bajorans who didn't wear earrings? – Valorum Aug 13 '16 at 00:04
  • I haven't watched DS9 in a while, but one episode where an ear piece was sent to Kira (she identified it and rescued him suggests cast not religion). Another when the 2nd prophets came and tried to reinstate the D'jarra people moved out the way because of the ear piece, another no Bajoran I can remember has ever refused to remove it for any reason. If there was some significance to culture OR religion someone would have said no. The Klingon sash however has been constantly repeated (not the sash particularly but to display the symbol of your house as a matter of honor: Num1 with Klingons) – Matt Aug 13 '16 at 00:17