The emblem of the controversial Space Force has been tweeted out by Donald Trump and has been observed by many to bear more than a little resemblance to the logo of Star Trek.
The image, consisting of a chevron enclosed by the orbital path of a spacefaring object and backed by a basic stylization of the Earth and the small dots of distant stars, has an unquestionable similarity to that of Starfleet Command. And as you can always rely on when something obvious is unleashed into the wilds of the internet, Twitter has not been shy in pointing it out.
The new #SpaceForce logo sure looks familiar… pic.twitter.com/ImpGtjo1Aj
— Ben Warwick (@BenCBS4) January 24, 2020
Today Donald Trump Praised The Creativity Of His Designers For The New Space Force Logo.
Star Trek Creator, Gene Roddenberry, Who Wished For A Better Society Would Be So Disappointed. pic.twitter.com/l8D6Qxw8qb— mongoose115 (@mongoose115) January 25, 2020
Kudos I guess to the "Great Military Leaders, designers, and others" for trolling the "Magnificent Military" Leader with this concrete case of trademark infringement against Paramount. #evilUniverse pic.twitter.com/Xx35g7ry7P
— Alexander (@AlexanderComics) January 24, 2020
Live long and let Paramount’s lawyers prosper #spaceforce https://t.co/pISxK3yDSR
— Mark Critch (@markcritch) January 24, 2020
I really hope Paramount sues the US Government but at least if we are going to have a Space Force, can someone put Picard in charge? https://t.co/CjQlEWXxzt
— Meredith (@mplacko) January 24, 2020
I think Paramount is going to sue. https://t.co/K4w8JLSbva
— David Goodman (@DavidAGoodman) January 24, 2020
Yeah, that makes me feel like this is a serious new branch of government ??Wonder if Disney, or Paramount or whoever owns the rights is going to sue https://t.co/cF8pWy2kQK
— Kodiak? (@Sensei415) January 24, 2020
Looking forward to Paramount v United States Government. https://t.co/1JBtDcRoM2
— Ashley Lynch (@ashleylynch) January 24, 2020
Space force: “hey can I copy your homework?”
Star Trek: “Yea just change it up a bit so it doesn’t look the same.”
Space force: “ok” pic.twitter.com/hvdglpgnpH
— my cat & i are pro-choice (@non_fele) January 24, 2020
Hope I’m the first to make this! #StarTrek #SpaceForce pic.twitter.com/6CyT33cvZK
— Saint (@SaintUwU) January 24, 2020
You just know Trump looked up the Star Trek logo, pulled out his Sharpie, copied it on a notepad and wrote Space Force on it.
Then, he told some poor schlump to draw it on the computer, where he claimed it was the most brilliant design in history. Period. https://t.co/ZyY9y7QEBb
— Leslie on a Pike ? (@Leslieoo7) January 24, 2020
Space Force or Star Trek? What's the difference really? pic.twitter.com/fbSinl2Ep9
— THE FLAT EARTHER ? (@TheFlatEartherr) January 27, 2020
Well, when you come up with a name like Space Force, why bother designing an original logo? https://t.co/z9FHmBGSOX
— Angry Staffer (@AngrierWHStaff) January 24, 2020
Another #StarTrek post from #instagram I liked. This is how I feel about #SpaceForce. ? pic.twitter.com/ka3Z3nDyx8
— ?️?GoCaptainRainbow?️? (@TheQueerKlingon) January 26, 2020
We don’t money for public college, healthcare, SNAP, affordable housing, or clean water.
But we have plenty of money to plagiarize the Star Trek logo & create Space Force to fight off the invading Klingons. ? pic.twitter.com/p4vDZk4YKB
— Qasim Rashid for Congress (@QasimRashid) January 24, 2020
Well, when you come up with a name like Space Force, why bother designing an original logo? https://t.co/z9FHmBGSOX
— Angry Staffer (@AngrierWHStaff) January 24, 2020
To be fair (and I hate having to use those words in relation to anything Trump does), the Space Force logo is merely the latest iteration of that used by the military service previously known as Air Force Space Command, both it and Star Trek’s being ultimately inspired by the NASA emblem. However, it’s difficult to believe it to be anything other than intentional for it to have undergone the amount of alteration from the previous version to change it to something barely distinguishable from that seen used in the 23rd and 24th centuries.
It’s possible it’s an attempt to invoke the utopian ideals of Star Trek to imply that the formation of Space Force will somehow one day lead to the show’s promised post-scarcity society of exploration and understanding, and is not merely a narcissistic billionaire wanting to play spaceman with vast amounts of public funding like a Galaxy Squad Lego set.
If such a tacit comparison is intentional, the timing of its release is suspect, coinciding with the debut of Star Trek: Picard that sees the return of the greatest captain in any Star Trek medium. However, the notion of an old white man resigning his high powered position in disgust after the administration to which he belongs refuses to help those in need due to their being an Other is something Trump probably wouldn’t understand.
