Starfleet insignia

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File:Starfleet command logo, 22nd c.gif

22nd century

The Starfleet insignia is a number of distinctive, slightly asymmetrical, arrowhead-shaped pennants adopted by Starfleet as its identifying emblems, used on starship hulls, installations and some uniforms worn by Starfleet personnel.

History

The Earth Starfleet of the 22nd century used a simple forward-facing "pointer" shaped pennant, with a round backdrop, that seemed to be based on symbols used by NASA in the 20th and 21st centuries. The original design for the Starfleet uniform of that era did not include this symbol, unless it was a crewperson assigned to Starfleet Command, who would wear the insignia as their assignment patch on the left shoulder. In a later uniform revision of the 2150s or 2160s, personnel wore the Starfleet patch on their right shoulder as well as the left shoulder assignment patch. (ENT: "First Flight", "These Are the Voyages..."; TNG: "The Royale")

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Personnel sit in front of a 2260s Starfleet pennant

In the early 23rd century, a simplified pennant version of this symbol was used on Federation starships and installations. This symbol for Starfleet was not worn on uniforms, which again only displayed an individual crew person's assignment patch. Some starships, such as the Defiant, had an assignment patch similar to this symbol. (TOS: "Court Martial"; ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")

By the early 2270s, while installations and starships (such as Epsilon IX station) maintained their individual assignment patches, Starfleet Command had adopted a new Starfleet insignia, a symbol previously used as the assignment patch of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) and, prior to that, the USS Kelvin. (Star Trek) Specifically, the command division insignia, with a five-pointed star contained in the arrowhead, was most often used, although a version omitting the internal star symbol gained prominence as well. This arrowhead shape, with similar asymmetry as the previous incarnation, had roots in history as being used in a basic form on the United States armed forces space command ratings badge and unit insignia, and on UESPA exploration vessels (such as the Friendship 1) in the 21st century. This symbol now pointed up when worn on uniforms (usually the chest or shoulder, depending on the uniform) and displayed in signage, and faced forward when used as hull decoration. This symbol eventually phased out all assignment patches by the late 2270s, and remained in use for some Starfleet divisions well into the 24th century. The metal badge version of this symbol would become Starfleet's first version 24th century combadge as well. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture; TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise"; VOY: "Friendship One")

In the 2340s, a more stylized version of the symbol, the familiar arrowhead without any internal symbology within the shape, and mounted on an oval field, was incorporated into uniforms. A metal badge of this emblem, again serving as a combadge, was worn on the uniform chest. This symbol also became common in starship hull pennants. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint", "Family")

By the 2370s, a newer version was created for use as a combadge, with a stylized trapezoidal background. Starship hull pennants of this era began using a simplified version of the arrowhead alone, without a background. Even with the newer insignia in use, Starfleet Command still used the 2270s circular-backed version with inscribed star shape in their signage and parts of flag officer uniforms. (Star Trek Generations; DS9: "The Search, Part I"; VOY: "Caretaker"; Star Trek: Insurrection)

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Early 2270s insignia

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Late 2270s-2340s insignia

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2340s-2360s insignia

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2370s insignia

Alternate Timeline

In the alternate timeline created by Nero's incursion, Starfleet had done away with the assignment patches by the 2250s. Instead the fleet was united behind a gold delta, slightly modified from the assignment patch of the USS Kelvin, with a shallow arrowhead indentation on the inside (as seen on dress uniforms). The insignia used on starships was a silver delta with a hollow division symbol inside the arrowhead, very similar to the assignment patches used aboard the prime timeline's USS Enterprise. (Star Trek)

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2250s insignia

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Fleet version
(Command division)

Parallel and Future versions

In the mirror universe, a dagger impaling the Earth was the symbol of the Terran Empire and as such was used as the insignia of the Imperial Starfleet. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II", TOS: "Mirror, Mirror")

In the Barash-created false-future illusion experienced by William T. Riker in 2367, the symbol used in the Starfleet combadge consisted of the arrowhead, either silver or gold, with four horizontal bars behind indicating the rank of the individual by the number of bars that were gold or silver. (TNG: "Future Imperfect") This version was also in use in an alternate quantum reality visited by Worf in 2370. (TNG: "Parallels")

In several alternate timelines observed by Starfleet personnel, new variations of this symbol exist. In the 2390s and 25th century, Starfleet personnel have been known to wear a hollow, outlined version of the arrowhead with two irregular stylized vertical trapezoids behind it as their badge. (TNG: "All Good Things..."; DS9: "The Visitor"; VOY: "Timeless", "Endgame")

Further in the future, 29th century Starfleet has a sideways turned version of the arrowhead shape, with the bottom half filled in with a mirror of the top point of the shape. In 29th century timeship hull decorations, the arrowhead has been shown pointing backwards from the direction of motion for the first time, probably because of the vessels' capability for time travel. (VOY: "Future's End", "Future's End, Part II", "Relativity")

This insignia, somewhat modified, was also used as the logo for the Chronowerx company of the late 20th century. Its founder, Henry Starling, stole a 29th century vessel and used the insignia aboard as his company logo, as most of his products were invented using scavenged parts of the ship.

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Imperial insignia
(22nd century)

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Imperial insignia
(23rd century)

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Parallel 2370 and a fictional 2383 insignia
(Captain's version)

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Alternate 2390s insignia

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29th century insignia

Background

According to the in the context of warp drive,

The starfleet delta represents the energy layers of the Cochrane. Put together theyform the energy requirements for warp drive vs. the energy required to maintain the warp field is the distortion of the warp field. Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (pages 54, 55)

A great deal of fan fiction and other non-canon sources speculate that the Starfleet-wide adoption of the Enterprise emblem was probably to honor the ship and her crew for their successful and historic five-year mission. This has not been referenced on screen, however. In a form of fact emulating fiction (and vice-versa), the US Space Command badges have a delta arrowhead very similar to the 1960s-designed Enterprise insignia, while the Earth Starfleet SF insignia seems to be a deliberate synthesis between the TOS era pennant and the NASA logo.

Several patches were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

Related Topics

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