Space Force Reveals Origins of Logo After Donald Trump’s Reveal Draws ‘Star Trek’ Comparisons

The United States Space Force released an explanation about its official logo on Friday after many people joked about its resemblance to the Star Trek insignia. The new military branch made a case for the design, without mentioning the controversy around it. Many responders still felt unsatisfied with it.

The U.S. Space Force is the new military branch created by President Donald Trump and signed into law last year. The small organization is expected to fall right into place with the army, navy, air force and other branches of the military. However, the transition is not going perfectly smooth.

This week, Trump himself tweeted the official logo for the Space Force. The insignia bears a arrowhead shape over a globe with a diagonal white ring encircling them, all on a starry field. The symbol looks remarkably similar to the one worn by members of Starfleet in the Star Trek franchise.

After several hours of jokes on social media, the official Space Force social media accounts chimed in. Without acknowledging the comparisons, they explained the origin of their new insignia.

“The U.S. 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,” it read. “The delta symbol, the central design element in the seal, was first used as early as 1942 by the U.S. 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.”

Fans noted that these specific dates fell before the premiere of Star Trek the original series in 1966. Still, the explanation did little to stop the deluge of jokes online, including some from the cast of Star Trek themselves.

“Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this…” tweeted George Takei.

This is the second round of aesthetic scrutiny the Space Force has come under in its first full month of operation. Last week, the Space Force revealed its uniforms — heavy-duty clothes made from the same forestry camouflage as other uniforms. Many social media users cracked jokes about the outfits, pointing out that there are no forests in space.

The Space Force is comprised of about 16,000 U.S. service members, and is still establishing itself within the military system. Over time, the uniforms and the insignia could conceivably evolve their own distinct style and significance.