Unlicensed publications

The Star Fleet Uniform Recognition Manual is a Star Trek reference work, one which Paramount Pictures does not officially recognize as canonical, that was written and illustrated by Shane Johnson and originally published by the Noron Group in 1985. It is a companion volume to one of his previous works, Mr. Scott's Guide to the Enterprise, which concentrates primarily on uniforms and clothing.

Contents
The book is divided into five chapters, all of which have their own headings.

Federation Color Codes
The first chapter, called "Federation Color Codes," is just that – a table of Federation color codes which adds eight colors to the list of thirty-two that Franz Joseph's design company provided in the Star Fleet Technical Manual. This "chapter" also includes tables of Star Fleet section colors past and present and a key to the symbols that Johnson uses in the book.

Insignia And Rank
The second chapter, titled "Insignia And Rank," is a series of drawings, some of which also include text; they depict how starship assignment and service grades were previously indicated as well as how they have since been indicated.
 * (Since the manual was written and published not long after was released, this chapter includes details about the uniforms that were introduced in that motion picture.)

Uniforms (Obsolete)
The third chapter is titled "Uniforms (Obsolete)" and depicts the uniforms and other gear worn at the approximate time of TOS.
 * This chapter depicts the uniforms William Ware Theiss designed for TOS, but it erroneously includes a dress uniform design for female personnel differing vastly from what TOS actually showed.

Uniforms (Current)
The fourth chapter is titled "Uniforms (Current)," and it primarily depicts the uniforms that were introduced in. This uniform design is often called the "monster maroon" uniform because of the difficulty fans often have in assembling it for personal wearing.
 * Robert Fletcher's second series of designs, his first having been for, are shown in this chapter; Nilo Rodis-Jamero's additonal designs are not.

One uniform this chapter describes and depicts is the "Diplomatic Dress Uniform," which was not shown in any Star Trek motion picture. The references Johnson employed in drawing it and listing its details are not known. Paramount Pictures is not known to have provided any photographs of this uniform for reference works; thus it is not considered an officially recognized Star Fleet uniform.

Intelligence Report
The fifth and final chapter, titled "Intelligence Report," shows Klingon uniforms past and present, as well as how the appearances of the Klingons have changed since they were first shown, and concludes with an illustration of how the outfit Ricardo Montalban wore as Khan Noonien Singh might have looked when it was intact. According to Johnson, this outfit was actually the remains of a life support suit designed specifically for use with the DY series of sleeper ships.
 * ''This chapter again contrasts William Ware Theiss's original designs with Robert Fletcher's later ones. Fletcher's design for Khan's outfit emphasized Montalban's significant musculature, the by-product of the strenuous exercise regimen the actor maintained till his last years; he lived with a disability, which later proved to be a birth deformity, that made such a regimen a necessity for him.

Canon violation
The Star Fleet Uniform Recognition Manual is not considered official Star Trek canon material, even though it does contain design details of the so-called "monster maroon" uniforms that had not been officially referred to in any canon sources. It uses a timeline Paramount Pictures officially considers faulty, ascribing the time when the various ship badges became obsolete to the early decades of the 23rd century, which James T. Kirk's reference to the year 2283 in Star Trek II contradicts.