TEXT: Uniforms of the Third Imperium 
   
  Paul Elliott 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  d 
  Ranks 
  Matt (Mufossa75 on the CotI forums)  wrote: There was a TAS Digest article that went into some 
  detail about Imperial uniforms. It was called, "Uniforms of the Terran Occupation Force." It 
  described in great detail a (Marine) uniform that looks a lot like the New BSG uniform. They 
  even went into details about rank insignia... called the Joint Imperial Service system, a joint-
  service system. I use those particular details when I describe uniforms to my own game party. 
  Apparently one of the many Emperors got tired of having to memorize four different insignia 
  systems so he issued a decree that all Imperial forces adopt a standardized system that can be 
  identified immediately. For the enlisted soldiers: On a square patch on the upper arm, disc 
  shaped pips are arranged in such a way that they ultimately form a cross shape called the 
  "Warrior's Cross." 
   
  Enlisted Ranks 
   
  Army 
  Marines 
  Navy 
  E1 Private 
  Private 
  Starman Recruit 
  E2 Lance Corporal 
  Lance Corporal 
  Starman Apprentice 
  E3 Corporal 
  Corporal 
  Able Starman 
  E4 Lance Sergeant 
  Lance Sergeant 
  Petty Officer Third Class 
  E5 Sergeant 
  Sergeant 
  Petty Officer Second Class  
  E6 Gunnery Sergeant 
  Gunnery Sergeant 
  Petty Officer First Class 
  E7 Leading Sergeant 
  Leading Sergeant 
  Chief Petty Officer 
  E8 First Sergeant 
  First Sergeant 
  Senior Chief Petty Officer 
  E9 Sergeant Major 
  Sergeant Major 
  Master Chief Petty Officer 
   
   
   
  If you are a GM like me, you want to give your players vivid descriptions of the world around them. With 
  the military of the Imperium playing such a key role in character generation and in scenarios, I find myself 
  getting more and more desperate for some guide to the uniforms of the Third Imperium. The military 
  forces of the Imperium comprise the Imperial Army, the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Marines and the 
  Imperial Interstellar Scout Service. We are not concerned, here, with organization, that is dealt with 
  elewhere. Here we are only concerned with creating a useful guide to uniforms.   
   
  This booklet, then, is a collection of working notes. My own guide to the uniforms of the Imperium, based 
  on some facts, some conjecture and a bit of guesswork. Sources are quoted where relevant. If you have 
  anything to add, please email me on: zozer@talktalk.net  
  
  Commissioned Ranks 
   
  Army 
  Marines 
  Navy 
  O1 
  Second Lieutenant 
  Second Lieutenant 
  Ensign 
  O2 
  First Lieutenant 
  First Lieutenant 
  Sublieutenant 
  O3 
  Captain 
  Captain 
  Lieutenant 
  O4 
  Major 
  Force Commander 
  Lieut. Commander 
  O5 
  Lieut. Colonel 
  Lieut. Colonel 
  Commander 
  O6 
  Colonel 
  Colonel 
  Captain 
  O7 
  Brigadier General 
  Brigadier General 
  Commodore 
  O8 
  Major General 
  Major General 
  Fleet Admiral 
  O9 
  Lieutenant General 
  Lieutenant General 
  Sector Admiral  
  O10 General 
  General 
  Grand Admiral  
   
   
         Rank insignia created from the Traveller Digest article by Aramis on the CotI forums.  
   
   
  
  Imperial Army 
  For evidence of the army‟s uniform, I was able to find several ink 
  illustrations of imperial soldiers in GURPS Ground Forces as well as a 
  description of their uniform. (pg24). “The Army dress jacket is black , with 
  slate grey trousers. The uniform is trimmed with the soldier‟s branch colour. 
  Officers have their branch colour bordered by silver threads”. It is a high-
  collared jacket. Low Dress uniforms are worn with skill and unit badges. The 
  main dress uniform includes all medals and skill badges, officers wear their 
  swords. The illustrations show a high-collar jacket with a pocket on each breast, a red imperial 
  sunburst on the left or right shoulder sleeve, but some soldiers have unit patches instead. 
  Piping runs down the centre of each sleeve to the cuff. Decorations are worn above the right-
  chest pocket, a name tag sits over the left-chest pocket. The jacket shoulders have epaulettes 
  which can presumably carry rank, as can the raised collar. The officer or NCO seems to have 
  rank insignia both on his raisd collar as well as the cuff.  
   
   
   
  Branch 
  Colour 
  Lift Infantry 
   
  Jump Infantry 
   
  Cavalry 
   
  Artillery 
   
  Sylean Rangers 
   
   
  Admin 
   
  Support & Service 
   
  Military Police 
   
  Engineers 
   
  Medical 
   
   
   
   
  The closest on-screen image I can find of a uniform like this are the military uniforms from 
  Icarus Base in the TV series Stargate: Universe.  
  
   
  Swap the name tag to the left breast, assume the Icarus patch is a unit insignia, and that 
  there is a red imperial sunburst on the right shoulder. Add coloured piping down each sleeve 
  and along the central zipper.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
  Imperial Navy 
  For evidence of the navy‟s uniform, I was able to find a reference in Grand 
  Survey to a tailored-vacc suit: “Duty Suit. Naval personnel require 
  protection from vacuum first and foremost. Body armor is worn by some 
  security personnel and shipboard patrols but the main danger faced by 
  naval personnel is from decompression. The standard duty uniform of naval 
  personnel is a TL-14 tailored vacuum suit. This “duty suit” is designed to 
  allow personnel to operate complex shipboard systems in a depressurized 
  environment, without interfering with operational efficiency. The suit is 
  worn as uniform dress, and is made atmosphere-tight by gloves, an air rebreather unit and a 
  soft, transparent “beachball” helmet. These are carried on the belt as part of duty kit. In the 
  event of sudden loss of pressure, this suit allows personnel to survive for a time; hopefully 
  long enough to remedy the situation or escape. For combat conditions, a rigid suit helmet and 
  small life-support pack are used instead of the constant-carry emergency kit. A duty suit offers 
  little protection against radiation, and does not maintain pressure very well. This is not a 
  problem when plugged into a life-support console at a duty station, but for extended 
  independent operations a more substantial suit is needed.” (Grand Survey p.54) 
   
  Details of the Imperial Navy uniform‟s appearance can just be made out in the MegaTraveller 
  book Arrival Vengeance: The Final Odyssey. The illustrations are included below.  
   
   
  It could easily be a tailored vacc suit. 
  The IN uniform depicted here is a 
  one-piece jump suit with epaulettes 
  and zip down the front. It has a high 
  collar, an imperial sunburst on the 
  left shoulder and unit/squadron/ship 
  patch on the right shoulder. There 
  are two buttons/umbilical points just 
  below the neckline, and a name tag 
  on the right chest. There may be breast pockets as well as a 
  pocket on the right shoulder. I would imagine there would be cargo pockets on the trousers 
  too. Distinctive is the diagonal seam running from neck to armpit.  
   
  Grand Survey gives us additional information about branch insignia.  
   
  Crew/Line/Staff: Starburst 
  Boat Branch: Starburst, wing above (yellow) 
  Flight Branch: Starburst, wing above (gold) 
  Gunnery: Cannon emblem in yellow 
  Engineering: Yellow jump spiral motif 
  Medical Yellow Serpent and sword „caduceus‟ 
  Technical: Yellow burning torch 
  Naval Regiment: Yellow starburst crossed by two cutlasses 
  Attache: Yellow starburst surmounted by an open hand 
   
   
  
  The closest on-screen image I can find of a uniform like this are the uniforms from first few 
  seasons of Stargate:Atlantis.  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Traveller/00 - Other Materials/Fan Materials/COTI Forum/uniforms_of_the_third_imperium (Paul Elliot).pdf