Donald Trump has unveiled a proposed new "Service Dress Uniform" for the US Space Force, dubbed "Next Generation," which has drawn ridicule online for resembling costumes from science fiction films rather than a genuine military design. Critics noted the design directly echoes the armour worn in the 1997 film Starship Troopers, with several commentators joking it looks more like the "bad guys" or "galactic empire" from Star Wars than a real-world uniform. The episode matters because it is the latest in a string of incidents where the newest branch of the US military has been mocked for appearing to borrow imagery from sci-fi franchises, undermining efforts to present it as a serious fighting force.

According to the accompanying description, the uniform draws on "the discipline and functionality of the starship trooper uniform modernised for the guardians of the space domain," using a colour palette of "space grey," "midnight black," "silver grey" and "satin black." Trump offered no official explanation for the design, and both the White House and Space Force have yet to respond to requests for comment. This follows previous criticism of the Space Force's 2021 uniforms, its "delta" logo likened to Star Trek's Starfleet badge, and its "guardian" title compared to Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, while separately officials including Space Command's General Stephen Whiting have been stressing the growing military importance of space warfare.