President Trump today unveiled the Space Force logo via social media and Star Trek fans around the world think the “coincidence” in the appearance of the Starfleet Command logo is “very illogical,” “clearly copied” and our personal favorite: “a blatant f****** rip off.” – The great people of Twitter
The other half of Twitter is furious at the accusation that the logo was copied, citing the 1982 design of the US Air Force Space Command logo, and saying it’s just an update of that and not to blame Trump but Reagan and #journalism for not researching the history of logos. Still others say it all started with NASA and Big Brother always wins.
So which came first: the chicken, the egg or the alien?
1. Starfleet Command
To be fair, Starfleet Command is credited with being founded between 2030 and 2040 and we all know that if you’re not first, you’re last. But put the future aside and if we’re just talking facts, this bad boy was created in the 1960s. According to startrek.com, “The delta badge was first drawn in 1964 by the creator of William Ware Theiss costumes with input from series creator Gene Roddenberry.The delta – or ‘Arrowhead’ as Bill Theiss called it – has become a revered symbol and synonymous with star trek today.”
Star Trek recognizes on its site that it was inspired by the NASA logo (NASA was created in 1958): “In the star trek universe, the delta emblem is a direct descendant of the vector component of the old NASA (and later UESPA) logos used during the Earth’s space programs of the 20th and 21st centuries. These symbols were worn by some of the earliest space explorers and adorned uniforms and ships during humanity’s first steps toward the final frontier.
upload.wikimedia.org
2. Air Force Space Command
We’re no IP experts here, but this looks SUPER like the Star Trek one. Like almost the same. Sure, they added a globe and changed some stars a bit, but it’s a bit like the Under Pressure vs Ice Ice Baby debate.
Founded in 1982, Air Force Space Command was a major command based at Petersen Air Force Base, with a mission to provide resilient, defensible, and affordable space capabilities to the Air Force, Joint Force, and Nation. Their vision: innovate, accelerate, dominate.
Kind of like the innovative piece didn’t extend to logo design. Too early?
3. THE FORCE OF SPACE!
It’s even hard for us to say Space Force! without an exclamation mark at the end, so we’re disappointed that it wasn’t included in the logo. We do, however, appreciate the addition of Roman numerals to give it a more futuristic look, while acknowledging that the average American’s understanding of Roman numerals goes no further than the current year’s Super Bowl.
You be the judge: Star Trek, Space Force or not?
