After the uproar and response from Twitter users over the announcement that the Space Force would be wearing woodland camouflage uniforms surfaced last week, I really wasn’t too upset one way or the other – looking at the whole thing as more in the way of comic relief after being inundated with impeachment news.
Now, with President Donald Trump announcing on Friday the newest branch of the military has been issued a new logo, which bears a striking resemblance to the logo used in the Star Trek movies, we should all be thankful for another comic interlude by Twitter users and Star Trek fans.
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! TC8pT4yHFT
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2020
According to the Associated Press, Trump, writing on Twitter said that he had consulted with military leaders and designers before presenting the blue-and-white symbol, which features an arrowhead shape centered on a planetary background and encircled by the words, “United States Space Force” and “Department of the Air Force.”
The Space Force was created last month as part of the massive spending bill Trump signed. During the signing ceremony, Trump said: “Space is the world’s new war-fighting domain. Among grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. And we’re leading, but we’re not leading by enough, and very shortly we’ll be leading by a lot.”
So apparently Space Force is boldly going where a few men (and Lt. Uhura) have gone before? vOQJusyEeZ
— Peter Botte (@PeterBotte) January 24, 2020
And as The Guardian says, “Amid the hullabaloo, some pointed out that the United States has been all about that “live long and prosper” life for a while now.”
The truth be known, the Space Force logo 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.
The Space Force issued a statement on Friday explaining the logo: “The delta symbol, the central design element in the seal, was first used as early as 1942 by the US 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.”
MiiKsLmxtT
— JGutter (@RealJGutter) January 24, 2020
In all seriousness, even if the logos do look similar, at least someone recognizes the important cultural contributions the likes of Gene Roddenberry and all the characters in the Star Trek series of movies we have come to love have made. Live long and prosper.