The logo of the United States Space Force was unveiled Wednesday, immediately calling to mind the logo from “Star Trek” or an upside-down Pontiac badge.
The Space Force Twitter account posted a series of tweets outlining the logic behind the logo’s various elements, which are all based around a delta symbol. The delta’s silver outline “signifies defense and protection from all adversaries and threats emanating from the space domain.”
“The black area inside embodies the vast darkness of deep space,” the account added. The spires within the delta “represent the action of a rocket launching into the outer atmosphere in support of the central role of the Space Force in defending the space domain.”
The beveled ends of the symbol represent other U.S. armed forces, including the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines. Within the delta “is the star Polaris, which symbolizes how the core values guide the Space Force mission.”
The Space Force also revealed its Latin motto — “semper supra,” or “always above.”
Reactions to the logo poured in across social media. Many pointed out that it was reminiscent of the Starfleet delta insignia from “Star Trek,” as well as the Pontiac logo. At least one commentator argued that the explanation for the logo “genuinely looks like satire.”
Perhaps anticipating the critiques, the Space Force Twitter account tweeted that the delta symbol “was first used in space organizations as early as 1961 and has inspired generations of space professionals.”
The official seal of the Space Force — featuring more imagery reminiscent of “Star Trek’s” Starfleet — drew similarly raised eyebrows when it was unveiled in January. President Donald Trump — who described the Space Force in a Jan. 24 tweet as “the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military” — chose the seal from a set of options presented to him by the Department of the Air Force, according to a spokesperson.
George Takei, who played Sulu in the original “Star Trek” television series and subsequent films, tweeted, “There is nothing sacred anymore.”