2 Attachment(s)
U.S. Space Force Logo Looks A LOT Like Star Trek’s Starfleet Logo
This afternoon, President Donald Trump unveiled the official logo for the United States Space Force and people were quick to realize where they'd seen it before, as the similarities between the new logo and the classic insignia for Star Trek's Starfleet are undeniable.
Lest anyone think that this new Space Force logo has been simply sitting in development for an amount of time which predates Star Trek, it's worth noting Gene Roddenberry's first Star Trek series debuted back in 1966 and has maintained a pop culture presence ever since. Most recently, Patrick Stewart's Jean-Luc Picard has returned in his own series, simply titled Star Trek: Picard, for CBS All Access. The franchise will also receive a new theatrical movie soon that will not be directed by Quentin Tarantino, though maybe one will someday, and will instead be helmed by Noah Hawley, the creator of television shows like Fargo and Legion. Currently, Noah Hawley's Star Trek movie has yet to begin filming.
Trump's message on Twitter displaying the official Space Force logo has set off a blitz of reactions on the internet which range from eye-rolling over the lack of creativity to genuine excitement at the prospect of being able to join a real-life Starfleet. Many fans were quick to joke about how the United States government needs to get ready to hear from Star Trek's lawyers, and among those voices was Original Series icon George Takei, who wants to know when the royalty money will be rolling in. Check out the official image, along with Takei's response, below:
The idea for a Space Force independent from NASA and the Air Force has been kicked around since the early 2000's, but never really caught any traction until President Trump made a speech declaring the need for it in March of 2018. The idea was treated as little more than a joke by many, but on December 20th, 2019 Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law, officially creating the United States Space Force. Officially, the bill transferred the pre-existing Air Force Space Command, along with the temporary transfer of 16,000 airmen and civilians, into the new Space Force as well as instilling General John Raymond of Air Force Space Command and U.S. Space Command as the very first Chief of Space Operations.
All in all, this isn't too far from what many were expecting when the Space Force was first announced. The Starfleet, Mass Effect, and Halo jokes hit the internet immediately back then, but it's safe to say the degree of accuracy on display there has caught people by surprise. It will be interesting to see how the Star Trek similarities come in to play when this whole process is satirized by Netflix's comedy series, Space Force, later this year.
