Biologist, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Biologist and Payload integrator, Editor of NASAWatch.com and Astrobiology.com, Lapsed climber, Explorer, Synaesthete, Former Challenger Center board member...

22 replies on “Space Force Rips Off Yet Another Logo Design”

  1. No, Keith. The military retains design elements from prior organizations when creating emblems for new organizations. The vector comes from the old Air Force Space Command emblem in use since 1982. The US Army Institute of Heraldry followed heraldric rules and procedures. You will also find the vector on many army and air force space unit emblems over the last forty years. https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

    1. I see the SF emblem has “Dept of the Air Force.” I guess AF still has their claws in the new branch? Wow, sure is difficult for this new branch of designing new emblem, what you call personnel (“spacers” just doesn’t roll off the tongue like soldier, sailor, or airman). I guess managing sophisticated equipment and responsibilities is pretty easy.

        1. Yes, the military takes great care when designing an emblem. Every item on it has a history or symbolic value.

      2. As I posted previously, there is nothing wrong with the generalized term “spacemen”, without regard to gender; just as members of the Air Force are called “airmen”. And fifty or a hundred years from now (when we are all past caring), a real Star Fleet can trace its heritage back to the United States Space Force.
        Ad Astra!

        1. The motto of USAF Space Command is “Guardians of Space” so calling U.S. Space Force members Guardians fits well their tradition and provides an even stronger foundation for any future Star Fleet.

    2. USAF NORAD Space Operations had a similar logo in the 1970s-that was even before Star Trek became popular. Remember except for an enlightened few in sci fi circles, Star Trek was not originally a popular show and the original only lasted 3 seasons.

  2. This appears to be an article on where the original Star Trek emblem came from. It seems NASA inspired it, specifically the logo for Project Apollo.

    https://www.startrek.com/ar…

    Starfleet Insignia Explained
    By John Cooley/ October 7, 2018 12:18 PM EDT

    However I also suspect that the Missileman Badge the USAF used during that era had an influence.One could see how a more stylized version would serve to be worn on Star Trek uniforms.

    https://airandspace.si.edu/…

    Indeed, the 17th Air Division emblem from 1959-1971 seems to illustrate the history of using the arrowhead for rockets.

    https://commons.wikimedia.o…

  4. Considering half the space agencies on the planet use the same triangle rocket motif I expected better from this website than say what George Takei’s Twitter followers are frothing at the mouth over.

    Note Russia, India, and China space agency logos especially. I realize nasawatch knows this but some folks reading this comment might benefit.

  5. Star Trekers ought to be proud if there is any connection between their emblem with the Space Force logo. Was there anything in Star Trek lore that told where the idea for Star Fleet originated. Maybe from the Old Earth US Space Force? Perhaps, sometime down the road, Space Force could become Star Fleet!
    Ad Luna! Ad Ares! AD ASTRA!

  6. Well…..I did some digging and the 36th Fighter Group apparently was the first unit to put the delta on their emblem, and that was in 1940. Gene Roddenberry served in the USAAF in that era.

    1. Yes, and he did serve in New Guinea flying bombers where the 36th Fighter operated so he very likely saw it and it very well may have influenced him at some level as looking good.

      But also remember, the Star Fleet embalm in TOS was very different from the one in ST NG that is being compared to the U.S. Space Force emblem. And it is very clear that this new emblem has evolved from the USAF Space Command emblem created in 1982 while the Star Trek movies were still using the original rounded off delta.

      In any case this shows that the USAF used it long before Star Trek existed. Sadly the media, even the space media, fail to do any research on this story before just spreading what they saw on social media.

    1. And their anthem will presumably include the phrase:
      “Star Trekkin’ across the Universe, boldly going forward ‘cos we can’t find reverse!”…

  9. To be fair these are pretty obvious design elements for the purpose. Now if they used an inverted crucifix or pentagram in chartreuse and hot pink…

  10. Interestingly enough, while everyone was focused on the U.S. Space Force logo, General John Murray of the U.S. Army Futures Command was seen down Texas way with a member of Congress inspecting a starship…

    https://www.kveo.com/news/l…

    Washington officials visit SpaceX Boca Chica
    Posted: Jan 22, 2020 / 06:00 PM CST

    1. More

      “I might also say we had the pleasure of meeting with Elon Musk at SpaceX this afternoon, and there’s something he said that I thought was really important,” Vela said. “He said, ‘If you want to predict the future, you have to make it.’

      https://www.google.com/amp/…

  11. Not all of those are canon. Only Enterprise, Constellation and Exeter were seen in the show. Defiant was too, but was a different badge than this one.

  12. Yes, and Gene Roddenberry did say repeatedly he was inspired by Project Apollo to create Star Trek.

Comments are closed.