President Donald Trump shared the Pentagon’s Space Force logo, the newly formed U.S. sixth branch of the military, on Friday and “Star Trek” fans were quick to point out the similarities to the Starfleet insignia as seen on the fictional sci-fi show.
“After consultation with our Great Military Leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military!” Trump said in a tweet along with the blue logo.
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The logo, which bears the date 2019 in Roman numerals, also is similar in design to that of Air Force Space Command, from which Space Force was created by legislation that Trump signed in last month.
A U.S. Space Force spokesperson confirmed to News 6 the logo unveiled by the president is the official seal and explained the significance.
“The creation of the U.S. Space Force seal pays tribute to the newest Armed Service that organizes, trains, and equips space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. The U.S. Space Force seal honors the Department of the Air Force’s proud history and long-standing record of providing the best space capabilities in the world."
The delta symbol popularized by the film and series “Star Trek” has been used by the U.S. military forces since World War II, according to the spokesperson.
"The delta symbol, the central design element in the seal, was first used as early as 1942 by the U.S. Army Air Forces; and was used in early Air Force space organization emblems dating back to 1961. Since then, the delta symbol has been a prominent feature in military space community emblems.”
Social media users offered up side-by-side comparisons of the logo with the Starfleet Command insignia used in “Star Trek.” The stars and the swoosh around the arrowhead-like delta symbol are close in resemblance.
After consultation with our Great Military Leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military! pic.twitter.com/TC8pT4yHFT
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2020
George Takei, who played Mr. Sulu in the original “Star Trek” TV series and films, tweeted in response, “Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this.”
Space Force is the first new military service since the Air Force was created in 1947. It is meant mainly to improve the protection of U.S. satellites and other space assets, rather than to put warriors in orbit to conduct combat in outer space. Trump originally wanted a Space Force that was “separate but equal” to the Army, Navy and Air Force, but instead, Congress made it part of the Department of the Air Force.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.