U.S. Space Force logo boldly goes where Star Trek has gone before

An image of the newly unveiled Space Force logo.

Toronto — U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled the new logo for the military’s Space Force on Twitter Friday and the internet was quick to point out its uncanny similarity to a beloved fictional -- and copyrighted -- insignia.

“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!” Trump tweeted.

The new logo bears a strong resemblance to the emblem for the Star Trek series’ Starfleet Command.

Actor George Takei, who played Sulu in the original Star Trek series, tweeted, “Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this …”

The Space Force’s round logo in mostly navy blue depicts a circular globe behind an arrow-like triangle that points upwards, with an orbital swirl circumnavigating both elements. White dots and stars are speckled around it, with the words “United States Space Force” and “Department of the Air Force” encircling the image.

There are variations of the Starfleet Command logo, but they generally depict an asymmetrical arrow-like insignia on a dark blue background, with an orbit that wraps around the arrow and surrounded by white dots and stars. The words “Starfleet Command” and “United Federation of Planets” also wrap around the outer edge of the round logo.

“Swell, now taxapayers get to pay for lawyers when you’re sued by Paramount and the Roddenberry estate…” tweeted Ned Pyle, with an image that juxtaposed the two logos.

There was some debate on social media over which logos and emblem designs came first, with some arguing that the new logo has overlapping elements with the old U.S. Air Force Space Command patches that date back to the previous Space Command that existed between 1985 and 2002.

So which design actually came first?

One of the first appearances of the Star Trek command emblem in question was in an episode of Deep Space Nine that aired in 1996.

But the original Star Trek series actually took inspiration from NASA, according to the official startrek.com history that explains the original Starfleet insignia.

“In the Star Trek universe, the delta emblem is a direct descendant of the vector component of the old NASA,” the website said. The “vector” can be seen in the NASA logo, which dates back to 1959.

“In the 1960s, the Starfleet delta had far more in common with the golden pin awarded to a NASA astronaut than a simple mission patch, and it was intended to equal that proud emblem in both use and sentiment,” the website added.

The NASA seal used for formal occasions also includes planet, stars, an orbit and a vector in its design.

While the Space Force logo resembles the Starfleet Command logo the most, both emblems appear to draw inspiration from NASA.