President Donald Trump on Jan. 24 unveiled the first official Space Force seal, an early step in the new service’s attempt to craft its own culture.
The seal features an arrowhead symbol over a globe, encircled by a stylized design of an orbit around the Earth. Twenty-three stars adorn the black background, and along the bottom runs year 2019 in Roman numerals: “MMXIX.”
“The US 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,” USAF spokesman Maj. Will Russell said. “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.”
But Twitter users were quick to point out the image is nearly identical to the Starfleet logo in “Star Trek,” which uses the arrowhead on everything from uniforms to command imagery. The design is another example of science fiction intertwining with military reality: Trek creator Gene Roddenberry served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, leaving as a captain in 1945.
US Space Command’s seal also features a globe with criss-crossing orbits, a bald eagle, and stars.
The Space Force on Jan. 17 also tweeted a photo of its boss, Gen. Jay Raymond, in a camouflage uniform bearing a “U.S. Space Force” nametape, the US Space Command seal, and a full-color American flag patch.