DS9 - walking with hands behind their backs

[headvoid]

Why do all DS9 characters walk with their hands behind their backs towards the camera talking to each other.

Do they do it in other series?
Is it about sticking their chests out?

this one is the worst

 

[Eggs Mayonnaise]

They do it in most TNG-era shows. It's Starfleet posture.

STAND THOSE BOOBS AT ATTENTION! (this also applies to Chakotay)

 

[Fuddlemiff]

Spock did it all the time as well, but he was Spock.

I think, in psychological terms, it's probably a sign of being comfortable with the other person and open to listening. Maybe a bit of domination too, as is the case with putting your hands behind your head (which is basically telling the other person that you're so confident that you could break them like a twig if necessary, that you can present them with all your most vulnerable areas while practically handcuffing yourself).

It's a bit annoying, isn't it?

 

[whisky]

Or it could be that they just dont have pockets.

 

[The Question]

Spock did it all the time as well, but he was Spock.

I think, in psychological terms, it's probably a sign of being comfortable with the other person and open to listening.

Nope, that's standing with arms in view and not crossed, palms facing just slightly toward the person you're listening to.

Maybe a bit of domination too, as is the case with putting your hands behind your head (which is basically telling the other person that you're so confident that you could break them like a twig if necessary, that you can present them with all your most vulnerable areas while practically handcuffing yourself).

Nope, it's not that, either. That posture you describe is passive-aggressiveness. An aggressive posture is one where the torso is angled as if you're leaning toward the subject you're interacting with, hands at your sides but elbows bent, fingers varying from moderately curled to balled into fists.

The posture of DS9-and-onward characters is known in the military as "Parade Rest." Ever watch a D.I. inspect recruits? That's where the Star Trek directors got that posture from. DS9 was meant to portray a more aggressively military Starfleet, and the characters adopting that posture is meant to be a subliminal way of conveying that.

The clip shown here is an excellent example, although R. Lee Ermey is telegraphing more aggression in it than the DS9 characters do.

 

[Fuddlemiff]

That's what I get for believing what they say on Big Brother's Big Brain.

 

[CaptainWacky]

Jadzia explains in one episode that she picked the habit up from a previous Dax host.