Discovery set a sort of precedent for this era of Trek by having only the XO and Captain wear gold. This of course gets mirrored in updated colors when they arrive in the 32nd century. It doesn't make a lot of sense unless, as you suggest, there's no clear pattern to the division color for pilots/helmsmen.
Oddly enough Geordi doesn't wear command red even though he is ostensibly a flag officer in command of multiple ships. He wore command red as a pilot and then never again, apparently, even as he obtained senior rank.
Discovery set a sort of precedent for this era of Trek by having only the XO and Captain wear gold. This of course gets mirrored in updated colors when they arrive in the 32nd century. It doesn't make a lot of sense unless, as you suggest, there's no clear pattern to the division color for pilots/helmsmen.
Oddly enough Geordi doesn't wear command red even though he is ostensibly a flag officer in command of multiple ships. He wore command red as a pilot and then never again, apparently, even as he obtained senior rank.