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Published Aug 23, 2023

The Starfleet Insignia Explained

No Star Trek symbol captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta.

StarTrek.com

"The Starfleet Symbol." "The Arrowhead." "The Delta."

Star Trek uses symbols to convey a lot of things, but none captures the eye or imagination quite like the delta. In the years since The Original Series first aired, fans have tried to determine the meaning behind the various insignia shapes we see in the show. To most, it seems that the iconic delta shape is some sort of ship assignment patch meant to represent the U.S.S. Enterprise .

Some arrive at this conclusion because they see various Starfleet personnel wearing a number of different insignia. However, like any puzzle without a key, it’s impossible to precisely interpret the meaning of these other insignia.

The hidden key to the puzzle was finally uncovered a few years ago. The discovery was a memorandum written by producer Robert H. (Bob) Justman to  costume designer William Ware (Bill) Theiss . The subject? STARSHIP EMBLEMS.

A copy of that memorandum has been digitized from the Gene Roddenberry  Star Trek  Television Series Collection (held in the Library Special Collections division of the Young Research Library at UCLA in Irvine, California) and is shown below:

This memo, written during the production of the episode "The Omega Glory," and referencing Captain Ron Tracey, nullifies the long-held assumption that Starfleet assigned different insignia shapes to starships during TOS. Theiss’ inclusion of an alternate insignia for the  Exeter 's captain and chief medical officer, unfortunately, downplays how genuinely ubiquitous the delta insignia is within the  Star Trek  universe. As a result, fans of the series are left with conflicting visual information regarding the meaning of the insignia worn throughout the original series.

Nearly 50 years after Bob Justman wrote his memo, we now have the opportunity to clarify the use of each and every Starfleet uniform insignia used in   TOS. With a wee bit of Scotty's ingenuity, and a pinch of Vulcan logic, the complete picture of what Gene Roddenberry envisioned for the delta insignia should snap into focus.

There are six Starfleet duty insignia used in The Original Series:

• Starship Duty Insignia (Fleet personnel emblem)
• Spacecraft Duty Insignia (Auxiliary Fleet/ Merchant Marine personnel emblem)
• Outpost Duty Insignia (Outpost and Colony personnel emblem)
• Cadet Duty Insignia (Starfleet Academy student emblem)
• Starbase Duty Insignia (Headquarters,  Space stations, Drydocks, and Ground installation personnel emblem)
• Fleet Command Insignia (Senior field commander personnel emblem)

In the  Star Trek  universe, the delta emblem is a direct descendant of the vector component of the old NASA (and later UESPA) logos in use during Earth’s space programs of the 20th and 21st Centuries. Those symbols were worn by some of the first space explorers and adorned uniforms and ships during humanity’s first steps into the final frontier.

United Earth Space Probe Agency integrated with Starfleet as the leading United Earth space exploration service.

The delta insignia was first drawn in 1964 by costume designer William Ware Theiss with input from series creator Gene Roddenberry. The delta — or “Arrowhead” as Bill Theiss called it — has evolved into a revered symbol and one that's synonymous with  Star Trek  today.

The delta also conveys information about the wearer’s duties aboard ship using a series of division symbols. When paired with a distinctive, elongated “star,” the insignia represents someone assigned to the Command division aboard ship. When it displays the “planet” symbol, it represents the Sciences division, a stylized “e” stands for Engineering (later Operations), and a red “Swiss Cross” is worn by starship personnel assigned to the Nursing Corps.

Captain James T. Kirk wearing the Starship Duty Insignia, Command Division.

Let’s continue our study of  Star Trek ’s insignia with personnel assigned to other starships that are wearing the delta insignia.

Before we knew about this memo, we assumed that each ship had its own unique insignia, but there are problems that theory doesn't account for. For instance, does it bother you, or at least seem odd to see the surly guys in Starbase 11’s Officer's Club (in the episode "Court Martial") giving “their captain” a hard time over the presumed death of their mutual friend Ben Finney? Or, to see deceased crew members aboard the  U.S.S. Defiant  (in the episode "The Tholian Web") wearing the delta insignia?

If different starships had different symbols, why weren't they wearing them? Simple. The memo makes it clear that those Starfleet officers are not assigned to the  Enterprise ; they are simply wearing Starfleet’s standard-issue Starship Duty Insignia.

Non-Enterprise Starfleet personnel in Starbase 11’s Officer’s Club in Court Martial, and Below: Deceased U.S.S. Defiant crew member wearing the Starship Duty Insignia in "The Tholian Web."

By now, you might be saying, “What about U.S.S. Exeter ’s Captain Ron Tracey and his chief surgeon, Dr. Carter?” As these two insignia patches are the error being addressed in the memo, they need no further explanation. They alone are the anomaly (an anomaly Theiss never repeated), which led to the misconception that every ship has its own assignment insignia.

Above: Captain Ron Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter, and Below: his CMO, Dr. Carter.

As you can see here, Theiss thoughtfully, if erroneously, provided both officers with unique assignment insignia patches, and in keeping with his fastidious reputation, insured both patches included their appropriate division symbols.

Early in TOS, we get our first look at non-delta insignia. In the episode "Charlie X,"  Antares ’ Captain Rampart and his first officer are wearing the Spacecraft Duty Insignia, which indicates that they are assigned to an auxiliary spacecraft serving in Starfleet's Merchant Marine Corps — just as Justman points out in his memo. 

Antares' Captain Rampart, and his XO wearing the Merchant Marine Spacecraft Duty Insignia.

Not long after that, we get a look at another new insignia. The Outpost Duty Insignia is worn by Starfleet personnel assigned to outposts on the very edge of Federation space, the frontier. This emblem is characterized by a gold spikelet against a black background. Warning: Do not put yourself in a situation where this insignia goes on your uniform. Personnel wearing this badge never seem to live happily ever after.

Outpost Crew from "Balance of Terror" & "Arena" pictured wearing the Outpost Duty Insignia.

A few episodes later, the Enterprise takes shore leave and Kirk reminisces about his days at the Academy. Worn by students attending Starfleet Academy, the Cadet Duty Insignia is characterized by a pewter colored, smaller version of the Starbase Duty Insignia.

Second Class Midshipman Finnegan wearing the Cadet Duty Insignia.

First seen in "The Menagerie," the Starbase Duty Insignia is worn by personnel assigned to Federation Starbases, which include Starfleet Headquarters, space stations, drydocks, and other ground installations. The emblem, which is devoid of any departmental symbol, is a stylized representation of an “Evening Starflower” (a flowering plant native to the western hemisphere of Earth).

Above: Admiral James Komack of Starfleet Command - Sector 9, and Below: Admiral Fitzpatrick.

Miss Piper, assistant to Commodore Mendez, and Lt. Areel Shaw Starbase 11 JAG Officer wearing the Starbase Duty Insignia.

So how does Commodore Wesley in "The Ultimate Computer," or Commodore Decker in "The Doomsday Machine," fit into the spectrum of Starfleet insignia?

Well, let’s talk about commodores for a moment. A commodore is a flag officer rank, one position above captain. A starship captain usually commands a single vessel, but a commodore ordinarily commands more than one ship. Usually, commodores command a group of ships (either close to their flagship or distant), or in the case of TOS, they normally command a starbase.

In charge of evaluating the operational performance of the M5 computer while it's in total control of a starship, Commodore Wesley sits in temporary command of the  U.S.S. Lexington  to lead a battle fleet in war games against the  Enterprise . Throughout the episode, Commodore Wesley continues to wear his Starbase Duty Insignia, while the  Lexington  crew would have been wearing the delta.

Commodore Bob Wesley in the transporter room briefing Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock about the M5 computer.

Finally, we come to one of my favorite characters ever — Commodore Matt Decker in "The Doomsday Machine." We saved him for last because we could only properly discuss his insignia and what it means after we talked about Starfleet’s other symbols first.

William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker

Unlike Commodore Bob Wesley, who was only in temporary command of the  Lexington , Matt Decker is a Flag Officer with permanent field command of a starship. In fact, he's the only Flag Officer we see in  Star Trek  with a field command. As a consequence of Commodore Decker's rank and status as Commander of the  U.S.S. Constellation  (his flagship), he wears the Fleet Command Insignia denoting his status as a Flag Officer in the field. If we had seen Commodore Decker's crew (may they rest in peace), we would have seen the delta shape insignia in use on their uniforms. Commodore Decker's own first officer would have held the rank of Captain and worn the Starship Duty Insignia.

It should be noted that "The Doomsday Machine," which was filmed early in Season 2, is not referenced in Bob Justman’s memo. Some speculate that Decker’s absence from the memo is further indication of the inconsistent use of emblems in  Star Trek , but that presupposes that the production staff missed that detail. However, the very existence of the Justman memo, and a whole forest of others just like it, demonstrates that the opposite is true.

The production team of  Star Trek  worked diligently to ensure that every aspect of the future they were busy creating held up under scrutiny. Gene Roddenberry was notoriously rewriting scripts himself to ensure no less than exactly what he wanted ended up on-screen, and that fastidious nature permeated the entire production staff. That Decker’s unique emblem is not mentioned in the production memo indicates that his particular insignia isn't an error at all; but represents something else.

Check out Commodore Decker's insignia. Remember that when Theiss created the insignia for Captain Ron Tracey, he went out of his way to ensure it was emblazoned with a Command Star department symbol. Commodore Decker has no such departmental symbol in his insignia patch, which places it in the same design lineage as the Starbase Duty Insignia, which is also devoid of any departmental symbol.

At this point in  Star Trek , we’ve seen a number of flag officers; but they have all worn the Starflower shape, which indicates assignment to a starbase, while Matt Decker alone in TOS series serves as a flag officer in permanent command of a starship. He is wearing an insignia that conveys his unique status, the Fleet Command Insignia, and if you look closely, you'll see that Matt Decker’s emblem is visually related to the Starbase Duty Insignia. Decker’s insignia is a stylized representation of an individual petal from the same “Evening Starflower” emblem that comprises the starbase symbol. This insignia isn't mentioned in the production memo because it's not an error at all.

Hopefully, by now, you can see how consistent the  Star Trek  costume department really was in their use of insignia, and that Bill Thiess never repeated the error he made during "The Omega Glory" after it was pointed out by the memo.

Returning to the delta, Roddenberry and Justman intended it to be a very special symbol that communicates something important. The insignia worn on Starfleet uniforms is the equivalent of the badges worn by U.S. Service members — to show how they serve, not where they serve. Both men served with distinction in World War II. Roddenberry was an Army Air Corps pilot and Justman was a radio operator in the Navy. In the air and at sea, they understood the value of visual communication. In uniform, they themselves carried those values on their chests, on their collars, and on their sleeves. Twenty years after they wore their own various insignia, they helped to create something new — a symbol to inspire others. 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 NASA Astronaut Pin. There are two versions of this pin, a silver pin awarded to those who complete their training, and a gold pin awarded only to astronauts who have flown in space.

The delta proclaims that the person wearing it has achieved the goal of every cadet entering the Academy, and the dream of many a devoted fan — to serve aboard a starship and set sail in an endless sea of stars.

Starfleet Insignia Badge, Command Division from Star Trek Discovery

They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to.

Captain James T. Kirk

I am grateful to have an experienced and learned group of expert Star Trek fans who helped with the research on this article — Steve Fronczek, Creative Services Manager, ANOVOS; Lieutenant Commander Michael J. Quigley, United States Navy; and Dayton Ward, Star Trek author.

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This article was originally published on October 7, 2018

John Cooley is a lifelong Star Trek fan.

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Uniforms & Costumes : Officer Rank Insignia

Starfleet officers in STAR TREK: The Original Series typically wear rank insignia in the form of braid attached to their uniform sleeves.

Braid is gold in overall colour and worn on Service Uniforms and Service Dress Uniforms, but not on Full Dress Uniforms or Working Uniforms. (More detail on uniform variants is given below.)

Stripes of braid appear in three varieties:

• Solid stripes are continuous and adorned with helices.
• Broken stripes consist of a series of evenly-spaced parallelogram "dashes".
• Wide stripes are thick bands of gold with ornate trim on their edges.

Junior and Senior Officer rank insignia utilise solid stripes and broken stripes, while Flag Officer rank insignia utilise wide stripes and solid stripes.

N.B.- Broken stripes are also sometimes referred to as "half-stripes". For example, a Lieutenant Commander might be described as wearing "one and a half stripes".

Rank Insignia Chart

Flag officers.

Junior & Senior Officers

N.B.- Officer Division colours are for illustrative purposes only.

Sleeve Insignia & Braid Specifications

As a standard, rank braid is sewn onto both sleeves starting 2" from the bottom of the cuff.

There does not appear to be a precise measurement for the distance between stripes. It is approximately the width of one solid stripe — seeming sometimes slightly less or slightly more. Of greatest importance to aesthetics is that all stripes are equidistant.

Solid stripes are sewn into the inner sleeve seam . (The common knowledge that "insignia were removed daily for cleaning" is only necessarily in relation to the breast insignia , on which the gold foil could easily become damaged. The amount of effort required to do the same with rank insignia would be heroic.)

TOS Season 1 Braid Considerations

The earliest Season 1 uniforms utilised "reverse braid" (as it is now called), in which the helices and individual dashes both leaned to the viewer's right .

Broken stripes were initially in a dense configuration, with 7 dashes per stripe on average.

During the season, reverse braid was phased out in favour of what we now consider standard braid – with left -leaning helices and dashes – that remained in use until the end of the series.

Broken stripes were made more moderate, with 6 dashes becoming the average number.

Uniforms with the reverse braid and dense broken stripes were replaced naturally over time. A screencap from “ Operation -- Annihilate! ” [1x29] shows both configurations still in use at the end of Season 1:

TOS Season 3 Braid Considerations

As of “ Spectre of the Gun ” [3x01] , the velour uniforms were abandoned for a complete wardrobe department change-over to nylon double-knit. ( This is when the command uniform colour became the infamous shade of avocado that photographed yellow, rather than actual gold!)

Along with the new stretch fabric, men's shirt hemlines were lengthened: the body now went to the hips rather than the waist, and the sleeves went to the top of the hand instead of stopping above the wrist bone.

By Season 3, broken stripes were in a sparse configuration as the norm, with an average of 5 dashes per stripe:

Uniform Variants

Service Uniforms and Service Dress Uniforms are the two variants upon which rank braid is worn.

Service Uniforms

Service Uniforms would be the accurate U.S. Navy term for the so-called "standard duty uniforms" that we're all familiar with. (The latter was never spoken in TOS; it may have entered the common vernacular through the non-canon " STAR FLEET TECHNICAL MANUAL " (1975) by Franz Joseph.)

Captain Kirk's alternative wraparound uniforms also fall into this category — with the Season 1 version uniquely featuring rank braid on its shoulders rather than the sleeves!

Dress Uniforms

Dress Uniforms have several on-screen mentions, with the first being in “ Journey to Babel ” [2x15] :

MCCOY: Dress uniforms, spit and polish. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to stand this.

However, many viewers are not aware that two distinct varieties of dress uniform appeared: a less formal Service Dress Uniform and a more formal Full Dress Uniform .

Both utilise the same basic garments, but differ in that:

• Full Dress Uniforms display medals & awards on the left breast, but do not display breast insignia or rank braid. Grade is indicated solely through the presence, degree, and type of trim and piping.
• Service Dress Uniforms display the familiar breast insignia and rank braid as worn on Service Uniforms, but do not display medals or awards.

Full Dress Uniforms are worn almost exclusively throughout the series, and are specifically named as a variant twice in “ The Savage Curtain ” [3x22] :

KIRK: It's obvious he believes it. Doctor McCoy, Mister Spock, full dress uniforms. ... SCOTT: Full dress? Presidential honours? What is this nonsense, Mister Dickerson?

However, “ Court Martial ” [1x14] stands apart: while the officers of the board wear Full Dress Uniforms, we observe the prosecution (Lieutenant Areel Shaw) and the clerk (un-named Ensign) wearing Service Dress Uniforms in numerous scenes:

N.B.- Dress Uniforms are also referred to by fans as formal tunics or formal uniforms . While the description isn't inaccurate, there is no instance in TOS where they are named as such. The closest related statement is Dr McCoy describing the delegate gathering at which they are worn in “ Journey to Babel ” [2x15] as a formal reception .

Enlisted Ranks and Working Uniforms

There are no enlisted rank insignia that we're aware of — namely because there are no enlisted men "per se" serving onboard the U.S.S. Enterprise or other Starships like her during the 2260s.

The crewmen that are regularly seen working in coveralls are of at least Ensign rank, and do not represent enlisted members (as they are sometimes assumed to).

Extensive explanation is given in the article on Ratings and Enlisted Men .

Suffice it to say here:

• That Starship officers , crew , and personnel are all interchangeable terms; and
• that analogous to the U.S. Navy, Starfleet issues its officers with Working Uniforms for more labour-intensive duties; and
• that no rank insignia is worn upon Working Uniforms.

Additional Notes by Rank

Admiral ranks up to and including the Navy-equivalent "5-star" Fleet Admiral are recognised in Starfleet, as discovered through Dr McCoy's quip in “ Space Seed ” [1x24] :

MCCOY: Very impressive. Are we expecting a fleet admiral for dinner?

No admiral's rank insignia was ever seen in TOS, despite several appearing as talking heads on viewscreens. Thankfully, the wardrobe department (perhaps not aware of how tight the camera angle would be) still attached commensurate braid onto Admiral Fitzpatrick's uniform for “ The Trouble with Tribbles ” [2x13] .

• Analogous to the U.S. Navy's flag officer insignia, the "one star" wide stripe for Commodore remains present, with one solid stripe added for each additional level of rank (making Fizpatrick a Vice Admiral specifically).
• In contrast to naval tradition, Starfleet places the wide stripe in the middle of any additional stripes.

One question remaining from the Fitzpatrick insignia was whether an odd number of solid stripes would favour placement above or below the wide stripe. Going outside the realm of TOS by necessity, the "best answer" was provided by Rear Admiral Kirk's rank insignia in STAR TREK: The Motion Picture , which consisted of one solid stripe placed above one wide stripe.

Historically, Commodore may or may not be classified as a flag rank in any given force, but two lines of dialogue in “ The Deadly Years ” [2x11] establish that it is in Starfleet:

STOCKER: As a Starfleet flag officer, I must follow regulations. ... STOCKER: Since the senior officers are incapable and I am of flag rank, I am forced by regulations to assume command.

All Commodores wore the same rank insignia: a single wide stripe. However, two styles of stripe appeared, with differing edge trims.

• Stone in “ Court Martial ” [1x14]
• J.I. Mendez in “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15]
• Matt Decker in “ The Doomsday Machine ” [2x06]

• Stocker in “ The Deadly Years ” [2x11]
• Bob Wesley in “ The Ultimate Computer ” [2x24]

While the reason for the change isn't known, it can be said from the progression of episodes that Starfleet altered the style of its Flag Officer braid during TOS Season 2.

N.B.- The original "wavy" trim remains superior in keeping the wide stripe visually distinct from additional solid stripes. Any Commodore is difficult to mistake, but utilising standard braid as trim can easily give the illusion of two stripes too many on an Admiral's insignia.

Fleet Captain

Two officers of current or former Fleet Captain rank appear in TOS:

• Christopher Pike in “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15] & “ The Menagerie, Part II ” [1x16]
• Garth of Izar in “ Whom Gods Destroy ” [3x16]

Unfortunately, neither was seen in uniform as such: with the former being severely disabled and the latter in an insane asylum.

It seems that this rank is bestowed sparingly upon captains of great renown, and venerated. We don't know if it is in any way analogous to the U.S. Navy's Fleet captain title of the 19th century — nor do we know if its rarity is entirely due to special protocol surrounding the rank itself, or bolstered by a minimal number of situations in which a promoted Captain wouldn't be made a Commodore.

The rank of Fleet Captain will undoubtedly continue to be a hot topic for discussion and speculation, but it is not advisable to utilise it without excellent cause and back-story.

Commander / Lieutenant Commander

Although the rank insignia of Commander and Lieutenant Commander are not in dispute, they were interestingly plagued with several recurring errors during TOS Season 1:

• In “ Court Martial ” [1x14] , Commander Spock is incorrectly referred to as a Lieutenant Commander by the computer reading his file. Conversely, Lieutenant Commander Ben Finney wears the rank insignia of a full Commander.
• The next episode filmed – “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15] – sees Commander Spock again being referred to as a Lieutenant Commander , this time in Kirk's log.
• In a repeat of the Ben Finney error, Lieutenant Commander Giotto's rank insignia in “ The Devil in the Dark ” [1x26] is also that of a full Commander. (He is addressed several times simply as Commander Giotto , but the dialogue twice specifies that his rank is Lieutenant Commander.)

Lieutenant Junior Grade

It has been theorised in various fan forums that a junior lieutenant rank was not meant to exist, and that Mr Tormolen was conceived of as a full Lieutenant. Given the other Season 1 hiccups with Commander versus Lieutenant Commander rank insignia, this doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility. His You don't rank me line to Lieutenant Sulu and the subsequent absence of this rank in STAR TREK: The Motion Picture can be cited as supporting evidence.

The real reason for the rank's scarcity might be simple production practicality: if a wardrobe department is tasked with constructing numerous Ensign and Lieutenant stock uniforms for guest and background performers, sewing many individual dashes is significantly more time consuming than sewing solid stripes.

Whether intentional or not, this rank insignia exists, yet remains something of an anomaly in TOS.

Cadet / Midshipman

The distinction between cadet and midshipman was never clarified in dialogue; both terms are certainly in use:

• Captain Kirk recalls his Academy days as a midshipman once in “ Court Martial ” [1x14] , but as a cadet three times in “ Whom Gods Destroy ” [3x16] .
• Commodore Mendez states in “ The Menagerie, Part I ” [1x15] that Christopher Pike's accident occurred on an inspection tour of a cadet vessel .
• Spock explaining dunsel (a slang term) in “ The Ultimate Computer ” [2x24] states that it is used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy .

Going back to basics, Wikipedia defines Midshipman as an officer cadet or a commissioned officer candidate of the junior-most rank .

The simplest solution is therefore that "cadets" is a generic term for students enrolled at Starfleet Academy (in the same way that "officers" describes those that have graduated and received commissions), while Midshipman is the actual rank that a cadet holds in this era.

Further Reading

The article on Pilot Uniforms - Insignia examines rank braid as it first appeared in the TOS pilot episodes ( “ The Cage ” [0x01] & “ Where No Man Has Gone Before ” [1x01] ).

Acknowledgements

• Rank Insignia Chart images created by Kuro-chan of Kuro-RPG .
• Dialogue quotations from Chrissie's Transcripts Site .
• Star Trek: TOS screencaps from TrekCore .

Starfleet Insignia: Evolution of the Star Trek Delta Shield

U.S.S. ENTERPRISE NCC -170I LEGEND Colors shown near insignias DIVISIONS listed with each insignia or color band identifies the division assignment of the wearer. indicate base colors of uniforms that the insignias have been commonly worn with. THE FIRST PILOT Mission designation: "The Cage" (1965) Commander: Captain Christopher Pike NCC-1701 1965 COMMAND SCIENCES OPERATIONS THE SECOND PILOT Mission designation: "Where No Man Has Gone Before" ( 1966) Commander: Captain James T. Kirk* :A A A NCC:(700 19686 COMMAND SCIENCES OPERATIONS Despite Kirk's tombstone in this episode reading "James R. Kirk". STARFLEET INSIGNIA EVOLUTION OF THE STAR TREK DELTA SHIELD On the original television series, all members of the starship Enterprise were seen wearing arrowhead-shaped patches on their uniforms. In combination with the symbol shown within it and the base color of their outfit, they helped identify that crewperson's department or division on the ship. As originally conceived, each starship in Starfleet had its own uniquely designed insignia patch. But as shown in the V'ger Incident told in The Motion Picture, Starfleet had adopted the insignia of the Enterprise to use universally across all Starfleet uniforms, starships and starship markings. This infographic presents that insignia, also known as the "delta shield", in the various forms it appeared on uniform tops in nearly fifty years of Star Trek, from the unsold pilot through to The Next Generation, various time streams, and alternate universes. THE ORIGINAL SERIES 1966-1969 COMMAND SCIENCES OPERATIONS MEDICAL THE ANIMATED SERIES 1973 -1975 AAA NCC-1701 1971 COMMAND SCIENCES OPERATIONS THE MOTION PICTURE and its sequels 1979 -1991 -O :A A A A A A ADMIRALTY COMMAND SCIENCES MEDICAL ENGINEERING OPERATIONS SECURITY Mission designation: "The Wrath of Khan" 1982 ENLISTED/TRAINEE OFFICER Refit: 1979; A: 1987 ENLISTED TRAINEE COMMAND MEDICAL OPS (HELM, ENGINEERING) OPS (COMMUNICATIONS) OPERATIONS (SECURITY) CADET THE NEXT GENERATION and beyond 1987-2004 MISSION: "Future Imperfect" (TNG) MISSION: "All Good Things..." (TNG) MISSION: "Future's End" (VOY) 1996 Standard Version 1 Standard Version 2 1987 1990 1994 1995 THE ALTERNATE REALITY UNIVERSE 2009-2013 NCSATO STARFLEET U.S.S. KELVIN 2009 DUTY UNIFORM DUTY UNIFORM DUTY UNIFORM DUTY UNIFORM COMMAND SCIENCES OPERATIONS MEDICAL V. ACADEMY COLLAR PIN ACADEMY JUMPSUIT ACADEMY STARFLEET UNDERSHIRT STARFLEET DRESS UNIFORM DRESS UNIFORM DRESS UNIFORM ADMIRALTY COMMAND SCIENCES OPERATIONS Design & Graphics : FRANKPEPITO.com

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This magnetic pin comes to you directly from the   Star Trek: Picard . It is a full-size delta. While manufactured with FanSets normal attention to detail this pin is not meant to be an exact prop replica. With a bright silver delta over a matte finish black nickel it measures 2 ¾" tall. Revised for screen accuracy this new version of the Picard Delta features a groove in the silver overlay. This magnet lets everyone know how much you enjoy Star Trek: Picard.

Product Details:

• Official Size and Scale!
• Double Clutch Magnetic Back
• Measures 2 ¾” tall

STPIC-R7000287-1-ST-P-D

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What Is the Star Trek Badge Called? 4 Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know

By: Author Brad Burnie

Posted on Published: June 28, 2021  - Last updated: August 26, 2022

Share the Universe!

The Star Trek badge comes all the way from Star Trek- The Original Series . Its design borrows heavily from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the United Earth Space Probe Agency (UESPA) logos that were in use during the 20 th and 21 st Centuries.

These were Earth’s inaugural space agencies. It was worn by the pioneer space explorers of the Star Trek universe. It became a symbol of the Starfleet that has been maintained throughout their space excursions.

Costume designer William (Bill) Theiss simply referred to it as the Arrowhead when he came up with it during the making of The Original Series. In the Star Trek universe, the arrow-shaped pennant is called the Delta, and it is the identifying emblem of The Starfleet. It is worn on the left breast of the uniforms of all Starfleet personnel.

Over the years, we have become accustomed to the badges so much we may not have realized some subtle changes taking place and small but significant differences across badges in the Star Trek universe.

Below are 4 interesting facts about the Delta that makes it both unique and consistent.

1. They are Universal Standard Issue Starfleet Badges

The badges were meant to be similar in all vessels belonging to the Starfleet throughout Star Trek. Producer Robert H. Justman even wrote the now-famous memo to costume designer William Ware Theiss regarding a disparity in the emblems in December 1967, during the Original Series filming. He noted the captain of another starship was wearing an unfamiliar emblem, different from those of the USS Enterprise crew.

The memo was written about the 23 rd episode of the 2 nd season of the Series. The Enterprise finds the deserted USS Exeter orbiting the planet Omega IV. When they finally locate its captain Ron Tracey, we can see his badge, and that of his Chief Medical Officer is different from the USS Enterprise. This unintentional mishap left fans conflicted about the universality of Starfleet crew badges in the Star Trek Universe. This anomaly was never repeated in subsequent episodes.

2. The Delta is Exclusive to Starfleet Crew

In the same memo, Robert acknowledges the error may have alluded to a different emblem being used the previous season on the Antares in the second episode of the first season dubbed ‘Charlie X.’

He explains that since the Antares was a merchant ship, the ship’s personnel are the equivalent of merchant marine or freighter personnel and are therefore not qualified to wear the pride of the Starfleet on their breasts. The badge asserts that the wearer has achieved the level of service aboard a starship and set sail across the stars.

There are other insignia besides the delta that are dedicated to other stations or non-fleet personnel that have been used throughout the Original Series, which should be distinguished from it:

• Spacecraft Duty Insignia: Like the Antares, the subject of the memo, these are worn by merchant marines and auxiliary fleet personnel.
• Outpost Duty Insignia: It is a gold spikelet on a black background for personnel in colonies and outposts on the Federation’s edges.
• Starbase Duty Insignia: This emblem does not have any unique departmental feature. It is a replica of the evening sunflower, a plant that flourished on the earth’s Western Hemisphere. It is worn by personnel stationed at the headquarters, dry docks, space stations, and ground installation.
• Cadet Duty Insignia: This is a gray-colored smaller version of the evening sunflower used in the Starbase duty insignia. Starfleet Academy students wear it.
• Fleet Command Insignia: These had to be unique to emphasize the ranks for senior field commanders while out in the field

3. It Conveys Information About the Wearers Duty On the Ship

The Deltas have symbols representing the division where the wearer is posted.

• An elongated star means someone is assigned to the command division aboard the ship.
• The planet symbol represents the sciences division
• stylized letter ‘e’ stands for engineering, which was later converted to operations
• The red ‘Swiss Cross’ is worn by crew assigned to the nursing corps

4. It Was Modified to Function as a Communicator Badge (Combadge)

From the time of The Next Generation (2364 to 2370), Starfleet officers and enlisted personnel adopted modern communicator badges, which they wore on their left breasts.

These badges retained the shape of their traditional insignia but were more functional. They enabled communication between individuals in the ship when its communication system was not practical. They are also equipped with a universal translator with which they can instantly communicate to different species from all over the galaxy.

Later episodes and movies show the Starfleet personnel embraced the enhanced badges used throughout the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and throughout the Voyager. A combadge constituted standard equipment for all starship personnel. Taking it off was akin to taking off the uniform.

They employ the latest technology; their signal could bypass electromagnetic interference. The first combadges were made by Section 31 as early as 2256 and deployed to its members in Starfleet Delta.

We discover they are made out of silicon, the rare Beryllium, gold, and carbon 70 in the 126 th and 127 th episodes of The Next Generation, Time’s Arrow . The crew of the Enterprise has to travel back in time to save Lieutenant Commander Data . Data describes what the badge is made of at a poker game.

Confusion aside, the Delta is probably the most consistent element in the Star Trek universe from the beginning to where we are at the moment. Although some specific details may vary, there is no gainsaying the important role the insignia plays in identifying the crew members, their roles, and the time period from which they came.

Knowing how to distinguish between the Star Trek badges can be considered a Trekkie’s secret map through their universe.

Brad Burnie is the founder of Starships.com. He loves all video game genres. In his spare time, he loves reading, watching movies, and gaming

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A Close-Up Look At ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Uniforms [INFOGRAPHIC]

| June 22, 2017 | By: Aaron Harvey 189 comments so far

Ever since the Star Trek: Discovery trailer came out last month, fans have been talking about the costumes and yesterdays release of the first picture of Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) gave us the clearest picture yet of the Starfleet uniforms.

For the past few weeks this has been me: “Zoom in…is that a seam, or is that just a digital artifact?” “See that person coming down the hall on the left…what are they holding?” “Ok back, and to the left…what’s on her boot?” I feel a bit like I have been on a CSI case, teasing out details from the smallest of clues, interviewing suspects who just aren’t talking. These new “Beastly Blues” are tricky! Hey,  the original series movies had the “ Monster Maroons ” we need a catchy name too.

Starfleet officers in uniform from Star Trek: Discovery

These new uniforms appear to be the most intricate of any seen before in the franchise, either on TV or film; providing a particular challenge to cosplayers seeking to craft their own. Showrunner Aaron Harberts recently cited them as one of the reasons the show has been delayed; they flew a costume designer to Switzerland to get the fabric, and some of the detailing had to be custom-made using 3D printers.

Like any uniform, these 23 rd century Starfleet issues are designed to be both functional, and to convey information about the officer wearing them. We’ve taken a close look and created a detailed infographic for you. We also take a look piece-by-piece at each component with some zoomed in screenshots below. Let’s start with the infographic…

INFOGRAPHIC: The Star Trek: Discovery Starfleet Uniform

(Click for an even higher-resolution, downloadable version.)

Note that the above graphic is based on observations from what has been released as of now. As more images and information is released we will update the graphic and repost it.

The new Starfleet Uniform – a closer look

The jackets.

They key component of the new uniform is the jacket. All the uniforms (jacket and trousers) appear to come in the same basic blue. The zipper (which is slightly offset from center), shoulder braids (which seem decorative and don’t indicate rank), and a raised delta shield pattern on the sides all have the accent which indicates department: gold for command, silver for science, and bronze for operations. The captain also gets an additional striped shoulder pattern. One note is that the braid, as seen so far in the handful of examples from the trailer, has four stripes for women and five for men.  This seems to be a function of the size of the uniform, not something indicating rank, division, or gender.

Shoulder braids and delta pattern in bronze, gold and silver indicate division with captains (center) getting special shoulder patch

Trousers and Boots

The delta pattern is continued on the trousers, which also include a zipper and stripes, again indicating division. This division detail continues even down to the boots, as not only do they have a color-coded stripe around the sole, there also appear to be two delta shield clasps as well. These are hard to see in the trailer, but can be made out with closer observation of the trailer.

Division color-coding even applies to boot trim

Star Trek: Discovery also brings us delta shield badges which are new but still familiar as they use the same division symbols seen on the original Star Trek (set 10 years later). The badges are also color-coded to these same divisions, but they are doing double duty. They also function as rank insignia, although you will have to be pretty close to make it out. They are using a ‘pip’ system similar to that from Star Trek: Enterprise (set in the 22 nd century) but actually more akin to  Star Trek: The Next Generation ‘s 24th century-era.

Starfleet insignia badges show both division and rank

One quick note on the ranks: If we assume TNG system of rank pips then the trailer images indicate that Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is a Commander and Saru (Doug Jones) is a Lt. Commander, however earlier reporting had them as Lt. Cmdr. and Lieutenant respectively. So either the Discovery pip system is different or their ranks on the show are different than originally reported, or possibly their ranks change during the show.

Variants and Other Starfleet Outfits

In addition to the main uniform, we have also seen some other bits of Starfleet kit. One of the more interesting ones appears to be some kind of variant. You only get a couple of glimpses of it from behind in the trailer, but it appears to be a short-sleeved version of the standard uniform with a sort of cummerbund wrap which is (of course) color-coded. There are only a couple of examples and both were female crew members so it is possible this variant is only for women. One of the images was from the back of the bridge, so it does still appear to be something worn on duty. Unfortunately we haven not seen the front of it so we can only speculate, but presumably it is a shirt with a badge or possibly the badge is on the cummerbund, like Kirk’s green wrap tunic . It may even be that this short-sleeved shirt is what is worn under the standard jacket.

Star Trek: Discovery Starfleet uniform variant in silver and bronze

An even more obscure detail was spotted for just a few milliseconds in a scene in the corridor of the U.S.S. Shenzhou . As we follow one officer (in the above mentioned variant) down the hall, a brief flash of another crew person putting on some kind of white jacket can be spotted. This white jacket could be casual wear, but a good guess might be that it’s a medical smock.

Blink and you miss it glimpse at a white smock

One thing we get a really good look at is a new spacesuit, worn by Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), as she takes a spacewalk in the trailer. And just like the uniforms, this is the most elaborate Starfleet spacesuit seen in Trek.

Michael Burnham in Starfleet space suit

The trailer and officially released images also give us a look at some desert wear. These do not appear to be standard Starfleet desert uniforms as there are no indications of rank or division, unlike the desert uniforms seen on   Star Trek: Enterprise  and similar uniforms on  Deep Space Nine.  However, they may still be Starfleet-issue and made to blend in with the locals on a visit to an alien world. The utility belt also seems to be similar to those from the original Star Trek’s “The Cage .”

Captain Philippa Georgiou and Michael Burnham in desert clothes

Like in “The Cage”,  Discovery has field jackets, but with a bit more of a tactical bent. The braiding along the sides of the pant and shirt are black, the collar is lower and a uniform hight and it zips to the top, and the chest, back and shoulders have extra protection in the form of a vest. Where the division badge would be looks to be a standard Starfleet Command insignia, like on the space suit. There is also another (different) utility belt for holding a sidearm on the leg and (presumably) a communicator in the pouch at the waist.

Starfleet tactical uniform

Changes made since first look

It also appears that there have been changes made to the uniforms since the behind-the-scenes teaser trailer was released in January . The badges appear to have been widened. The cut of the jacket seems to have changed as well. Plus, a color-coded zipper is now more prominent. .

The uniforms have already changed since this earlier version was shown in January

“Happy Transporter Accident”

The new standard uniforms for Star Trek: Discovery are unique, and clearly different from the standard duty uniforms worn on the U.S.S. Enterprise either under Captain Kirk or Captain Pike, but that does not mean they are entirely new. Last summer,  Discovery co-creator and former showrunner Bryan Fuller described the uniforms thusly:

“I think that when you see it [the uniform] I can tell you specifically what the influences are, and that the styles that [they adopted] a transporter accident in their approach. A happy transporter accident. I think when you see the design, you’ll say “It’s a little bit of this, it’s a little bit of that.”

When you look closely you do see various influences, particularly the 22 nd century Starfleet jumpsuits seen on Star Trek: Enterprise . While the new uniforms are two pieces, you can still see the influence of the blue and the zippered pockets from Enterprise . And another major influence may be the excursion jackets from the original Star Trek episode “The Cage,” which is set at the same time as  Star Trek: Discovery .

As noted before, the insignia design and sizing are pretty much straight out of the original Star Trek , although styled more as badges than sewn on. The rank pips on the badges seem to be replicated from Star Trek: The Next Generation .

The new Discovery badges appear to be a mashup of TOS design with TNG rank system

As for the color-coding system of gold, silver and bronze, this may be another element that pulls from “The Cage” style. With gold again for command, science blue becoming silver, and the operations tan becoming bronze.

Classic division colors may have influenced the silver, gold and bronze for Discovery

The uniforms may also share more influences from beyond Star Trek, including NASA. The shoulder braids seem particularly reminiscent of a classic sci-fi look from the 1950s, also used extensively in Futurama .

More influences for the new Discovery uniforms?

Keep up with all the  Star Trek: Discovery  news at TrekMovie .

What do you think of the new uniforms?

So what do you think of Starfleet’s latest outfits? Sound off in our comments section below.

Aaron Harvey is a graphic designer and hosts an excellent podcast dedicated to Star Trek: TAS (and Trek in the 70s) for Trek.fm called Saturday Morning Trek .

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What do I think? I think I really, really want one! Love this design :)

I want one too! Can you say Halloween goals! I just love the uniforms. They are just awesome.

Really? They look so tacky.

Very pro this uniform. Clear attention to detail. Looks smart. I don’t care if it doesn’t particularly fit the time line precisely, the cage was made with almost no money. I can’t wait to see them in action!

The Cage had a huge budget. The uniforms looked the way they did because that’s how they thought the future looked to people in the 60s.

Thanks for the detailed analysis of the new uniforms; that’s very interesting!

I like the way the new uniforms look; they’re really quite spiffy. Fond as I am of the TOS uniforms, these uniforms provide a nicely updated look.

The only problem I have with them is that rank isn’t visible unless you’re practically on top of the person. Kirk could look at a crew member beaming aboard for the first time and call them “Lieutenant” from ten feet away, since from that distance, he could see they had one stripe around their sleeve. Captain Lorca will have to practically kiss new crew members in order to see their rank. :-)

Of course, I’m sure any captain would review the personnel files of new crew members before they even beamed aboard; that was just an example. :-)

That’s why PineKirk kept trying to kiss Nuhura… because he couldn’t find her rank.

Yeah I agree, and it looks like the badges did get bigger between time of the teaser trailer and now so I am sure we aren’t the only ones to point that out!

I agree with you Corylea. The rank system appears to be one of those “Hey wouldn’t it be a neat idea if…” moments, which no one thought through the practical implications of. I’m a bit of a Miliary geek so its really annoying. Also the division colours seem a bit “gaudy” for standard day uniform, and they run risk of implying that Ops/Bronze is less important/third place to, the other divisions.

Ha! I knew that little pip was going to be the rank insignia!

What else would it be?

When that first pic was released in the trailer, there was a lot of discussion that it was possibly a reflection, or an indentation, a lot of people didn’t know what it was. I had a discussion elsewhere with some folks where I posited it could be the rank pips, and for whatever reason most of them thought that was preposterous.

No jumpsuits! YAY!!!!

“Cadet”? Try enlisted.

Mary Wiseman is playing Cadet Tilly, she is specifically NOT Enlisted.

Cadet is a rank which Starfleet Academy uses to denote students in training to become Starfleet officers. In the 2250 cadets had a small starburst crest so it stands to reason cadets will have a different badge system, especially given the main uniform is put together.

Enlisted personnel may be promoted to receive a commission, but must pass necessary examinations and/or attend the Academy. So they may have just a blank badge, but we don’t know yet.

Cadet is simply a Starfleet officer who hasn’t graduated the Academy. Saavik was still a cadet, but held the rank of Lieutenant.

This is the kind of geeking out that Trek fans love–and, honestly, this deep dive article has only gotten me more excited for Discovery!

I’m right there with you buddy!

I’m totally geeking out!

“geeking out”? This one doesn’t.

I’ll do the geeking for me and for you then.

Same here, I’ll pony up for the stupid streaming service (but only after all the episodes are up, not because I’m that cheap so much but that I know when I get rolling on this, it’s binge-watch time and I hate being frustrated!)

Meh. They’re ok. Much more stylish than functional. Then again, Trek uniforms have never seemed particularly functional on the whole. I like the excursion jackets, and I really, really dig the boots. They remind me of Leela’s from Futurama. The EVA suit screams Buzz Lightyear. ;)

Enterprise uniforms were completely functional, and the most ‘realistic’ of the bunch. TOS movie (while good looking), and TNG uniforms were the least functional of the bunch. Both looked more like a dress uniform, not a duty uniform.

One of the things I like about the JJ-Verse uniforms is that they have uniforms specific to what they’re doing. Not a one-size-fits-all that doesn’t really fit for anything.

@NX — not sure I understand what you’re saying here — DISC evidently has custom uniforms for various purposes. There’s a duty uniform for ship wear, desert uniforms, away mission uniforms, and probably many more … Not sure what else you want. Also The Kelvin uniforms were way too baggy — at least TOS were fitted and snug. And they BEYOND uniforms seemed way too formal. Aside from the metal decoration, in many ways they seemed more stuffy than the DISC. So not really following your complaint here …

Sounded more like an observation than a complaint to me, but hey, I’m not a telepath!

The uniforms are growing on me. I really like the gold, silver, bronze parts. Getting more excited for September!

Looks like they’ll be expensive for accurate cosplay, especially with the boots. Don’t mind the look, though.

Maybe you should stop using stupid make up terms like “cosplay”. I assume you’re an adult.

Wouldn’t every word be “made up” at some point? Cosplay is certainly a word now. In fact, it didn’t even get flagged by spell check. Grow up.

No explanation as to why they are using 1701 specific insignia back when every other ship had their own. Oh well, must be another one of those JJverse changes. And, yes, still not buying that this is a prime universe setting.

The different insignia is a combination of costuming errors in Season 2 of TOS (Bill Theiss went and did whatever he wanted) and then a “fanon” explanation to try to deal with it. The intent was that all starships use the delta, other areas of service had their own badge, so only people serving on starships got the delta, folks doing cargo duty had a different patch and so forth. You can see the delta used in The Cage for non-Enterprise personel, and then later in Season 3 as well. You can find Justman’s memo from late 1967 floating around explaining it. So, there’s nothing wrong with using the delta for a starship crew.

Well, Decker commanded a starship in TOS and his uniform had a unique symbol – no Delta… can you elaborate on that memo’s explanation? Thanks! P.S. I still really like these uniforms, though…

See Aaron’s full copy and paste of the memo in the comment below our little chain here.

Doomsday Machine is part of TOS season 2, which as I mentioned is when the error crept in.

Justman’s memo comes from late ’67 when they were filming The Omega Glory, and he noticed they gave Capt. Tracy a unique insignia, which shouldn’t have happened. Justman either missed Decker’s insignia difference, or it may have been okay by him since he was a Commodore, no one is sure what happened there.

And then ENT went and created a custom insignia for the Defiant, which is now canon as well.

Yeah sadly they did that based on the incorrect “fanon” idea :-/ and until the HD remaster of TOS in 2006 (after the production of ENT ceased), you couldn’t really make out what insignia they had on, they had standard deltas, most dead guys on the Defiant are slumped away from the camera so you can barely see the insignia, making it super tough to tell.

These two shots are pretty darn clear in HD now:

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x09hd/thetholianwebhd0228.jpg

http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/3x09hd/thetholianwebhd0270.jpg

I just took screenshots of the same thing :-)

@Matt — ha, I never saw that. I always assumed they put the dead guys face down specifically to avoid having to go to the expense of creating a new assignment patch, since it had already been established practice during the second season (never realizing that there was a memo indicating that practice was a mistake).

@Matt Wright – “These two shots are pretty darn clear in HD now:”

Yeah, those nice HD restorations is how this new insignia was discovered in “The Cage”. I’d love to know what the thought was of putting two apparent security guards in sciences blue, with their own custom insignia. Using blue for security continued into “WNMHGB” too, complete with the sciences insignia, evidently swapped for operations. It’s hard to hinge canon permanently on mistakes made in production, or inferred by fans to retcon it …

It’s hard to hinge canon permanently on mistakes made in production, or inferred by fans to retcon it.

Exactly, people need to give the show some slack. TOS wasn’t perfect by any means, there are production mistakes, issues, etc. throughout every show. TOS of course was invented as it went, Season 1 had a lot of world building to do, Starfleet wasn’t even a term for the first few episodes, and so forth.

On that 4th division, I have to admit, I didn’t even know there was one in Cage/WNHGB. Until the HD remasters I’m sure people just thought that was the engineering/operations division symbol since it’s somewhat similar.

Let me acquaint you with a memo from Bob Justman circa Dec 1967:-)

TO: Bill Theiss

FROM: Bob Justman

SUBJECT: STARSHIP EMBLEMS

TO: Bill Theiss FROM: Bob Justman SUBJECT: STARSHIP EMBLEMS DATE: December 18, 1967

Whilst sitting in Dailies today, it was noticed that a Starship Captain (from another Starship) was wearing an emblem unfamiliar to yours truly. I have checked the occurrences out with Mr. Roddenberry, who has reassured me that all Starship personnel wear the Starship emblem that we have established for our Enterprise Crew Members to wear.

Doubtless this situation has arisen due to the fact that a different Starship emblem was used last season on “CHARLIE X”. However, the personnel of that other ship in that show were the equivalent of merchant marine or freighter personnel — and therefore not entitled to bear this proud insignia on their individual and collective breasts.

Please do not do anything to correct this understandable mistake in the present episode. However, should we have Starfleet personnel in any other episodes, please make certain that they were the proper emblem.

Under penalty of death!

Signed this 18th day of December, in the year of our Lord, 1967, by

ROBERT H. JUSTMAN Chief Inquisitor

CC: Gene Roddenberry John M. Lucas D.C. Fontana Gregg Peters

RHJ:sts P.S. A carven “I’m sorry!” will be sufficient. R.H.J.

Under penalty of death — maybe this is the true language of General Order 4…or was it 7…

God I love Justman’s memos. They made “The Making of Star Trek” so much fun.

Thanks for posting that! I’ve seen the “different starships had different insignia” thing stated as fact in several places; it’s nice to have Mr. Justman set the record straight.

“No explanation as to why they are using 1701 specific insignia back when every other ship had their own. Oh well, must be another one of those JJverse changes. And, yes, still not buying that this is a prime universe setting.”

OMG, get OVER it. And how are you not ‘buying’ its not in the prime universe. Do you think CBS is lying about it? They aren’t the U.S. President.

No kidding.

TOS was filmed in the 60’s. Are we to expect every error, every cheap set, every decision made from the 60’s perspective to be adhered to? Come on…

bassmaster22 TOTALLY agree and it really a shame.

While I think they should have gone with sleeve ranks like in TOS rather than TNGs pips system, I think these uniforms are neat and tidy and reflect the quasi-military well that Starfleet is and aspires to be. Awesome article, thanks much!

Horrible and horrendous.

I think they’re hideous. The color is atrocious. Off center zippers are passe. And the entire thing doesn’t fit the timeline at all. Plus why the hell are they still using that stupid delta-shield pattern. UGH.

In Lirk’s time (10 year after Discovery), each ship had its own unique symbol, with Enterprise using the Delta Shield. If this show is a decade earlier, why does Discovery have a Delta shield? It should be different & unique to that ship. The Felta didn’t get adopted by Starfleet until after Kirk’s historic 5 year mission (or longer, until we reach the Motion Picture). If Discovery is in the Prime Timeline, this insignia use goes against known history and was the easy way to go (giving fans something familiar on the uniform). I wonder if they will ever address this during the run of the show, or if they will simply ignore established Prime Timeline history… Thoughts?

Captain Lirk is my favorite.

TO: Bill Theiss FROM: Bob Justman SUBJECT: STARSHIP EMBLEMS DATE: December 18, 1967 Whilst sitting in Dailies today, it was noticed that a Starship Captain (from another Starship) was wearing an emblem unfamiliar to yours truly. I have checked the occurences out with Mr. Roddenberry, who has reassured me that all Starship personnel wear the Starship emblem that we have established for our Enterprise Crew Members to wear. Doubtless this situation has arisen due to the fact that a different Starship emblem was used last season on “CHARLIE X”. However, the personnel of that other ship in that show were the equivalent of merchant marine or freighter personnel — and therefore not entitled to bear this proud insignia on their individual and collective breasts. Please do not do anything to correct this understandable mistake in the present episode. However, should we have Starfleet personnel in any other episodes, please make certain that they were the proper emblem. Under penalty of death! Signed this 18th day of December, in the year of our Lord, 1967, by ROBERT H. JUSTMAN Chief Inquisitor CC: Gene Roddenberry John M. Lucas D.C. Fontana Gregg Peters RHJ:sts P.S. A carven “I’m sorry!” will be sufficient. R.H.J.

Trek fans not knowing the truth and complaining about it.

Actually, real world explanation aside, you don’t know this. We only ever saw other starship assignment badges over 10 years after DISC is set. So anything else could have been the norm at that time. I recall reading one explanation about the assignment patches that suggested as more Constiution Class ships were launched, assignment patches were developed unique to each one, but eventually after the newness and pride of launching these powerful ships faded, and so many were lost, that the unique badges were retired, and the system was dropped in favor of a return to the delta shield uniformity that predates the Constitution badge departure.

That doesn’t bother me, since the delta is a bit different from the Enterprise one, and there’s at least one instance of a ship emblem being a variation on that logo. You can see it at https://goo.gl/images/PrSq3Q What does bother me is the change in the division colours and the overly complicated uniforms. Starfleet uniforms have generally been simple and functional, and these are way too dressy and decorative to fit with the design concepts to which Starfleet clearly subscribed during this period. I can forgive the colours because of The Cage, but the style is way too complex and overtly militaristic.

I do think the new uniforms are cool, pretty and unique. If it was just a general Sci-Fi space outfit, looks good. I love the dark blue with the metal highlights. However, as Starfleet? No, sorry. Doesn’t make sense to change to metals instead of blue/gold/red as it’s always been pretty much. The pips on the delta shield just don’t make sense to me. Why are we using the Delta shield anyway? I guess they just want to make it look cool but not strictly adhering to cannon.

Kudos, Mr. Harvey. Great work! I have to say that I found it especially thrilling that you pointed out the possible correlation between the new metallic colour scheme and the Cage-era colour scheme, since I have commented on that just yesterday. Now, to be fair, the division colours of the Cage-style uniforms are actually rather elusive, since the set lighting had a such a great effect on them. The colours seem to vary from shot to shot and sometimes it can be hard to tell whether Scotty and, say, Yeoman Colt are actually wearing the same colour, since it appears to oscillate between salmon, khaki, pale ochre and pale copper depending on the shot. Also, from what I’ve gathered, the “gold” uniforms, as worn by Pike or Spock were actually lime – which is also why they look a lot closer to that colour in the remastered version of the episode.

I LOVE the INFOGRAPHIC, and I LOVE the new uniforms! Glad the 1950s Sc-Fi aesthetics is being noticed more and more. This new uniform is just marvellous and unashamedly ‘Space-Age’.

I know the view is obscured by the holsters, but I’m liking how the phasers look.

Agreed! I’m not offended by the tweaks they’ve made to the look , but it’s great that the phasers seem to be close to the TOS ones (Which admittedly are one of the only things that still look cool by modern standards, in my opinion.)

1st I’m going to drop 25 pounds, then I’m going to buy these threads when I have no doubt Annovos will begin taking orders for them.

The ONLY part I would change is black pants. You gotta have black pants on Trek. ;)

I made a similar version to this graphic when the trailer came out, I like this uniform very much, except for the fact that the rank is nearly invisible.

http://rekkert.deviantart.com/art/Star-Trek-Discovery-Starfleet-Uniforms-681371238

Having seen this outfit a lot while doing that image, I’m fairly certain that the jumpsuit variant is in fact what everyone is wearing beneath the jacket. We’ll find out before September I’m sure.

I agree about the rank. Perhaps after seeing them on-screen they might update the uniform to include larger pips across the shoulder or the rank braids on the sleeve.

But the jumpsuit variant has a collar that looks like it’s identical in construction to the main uniform – that would super weird (and uncomfortable!)

The Division colors are so, so subtle. Without a full sense of the show’s look, I’m not sure I like the sparing and uniform use of color. I wasn’t a huge fan when DS9 went to the grey-shouldered First Contact unis. This, ahem, uniformity is so much more militaristic, and I’ve never loved that aspect pushed too hard.

The TOS movies must have really upset you then.

I like everything but the boots. I don’t know but they look like something college girls would wear to me. I kind of wish they stuck with the boots they were on Enterprise or even the KT films. But other than that its not bad. Still not my favorite uniforms (that will always be the First Contact era uniforms) but I do like them. I’m just glad they didn’t go back to the ugly uniforms of The Cage. Ugh.

Just a little love for Zap Brannigan? If Picard could wear a romper….

I can’t wait for the Mirror Universe Episodes and a Potential Mirror Universe Spin off.

I just don’t like the matching pants and jacket color. I would rather the pants be black or dark gray. Other than that, the uniforms are great.

@VZX — you must have hated the ENT uniforms.

I wonder why some have 4 and others have 5 shoulder stripes

So far it seems to be based on gender, broad shouldered men have an extra stripe to fill it out.

So then it’s not that much gender than more the encoded size of the uniform xxs=1, xs=2, s=3, m=4,l=5 … ;)

Right, however thus far from the trailer, all women seen have 4, all men seen have 5. So it ended up in practice based on gender, whether that’s the intention or not.

If its gender, I don’t like that. The stripes could, in an unintentional way. denote a higher rank for men. If they felt 4 didn’t look right on wider uniforms, they should have went with a slightly wider stripe rather then add a stripe.

But time will tell.

Agreed, TUP.

“These new uniforms appear to be the most intricate of any seen before in the franchise”

Nah, the most intriace are still the Monster Maroons.

Not from a construction standpoint, the Monster Maroons were much easier to build where the seams lie and availability of materials…the last time I checked they didn’t have tiny 3-D printed deltas overlaid on a different colored fabric panel inset, or any inset panel for that matter :-)

@Aaron — I assume by “Monster Maroons” you mean TWOK uniforms? If so you should read about them. There’s a reason they stopped using the white turtlenecks in TNG, and it had nothing to do with the evolution of the look. That turtleneck was likely more complicated than 3D printing of mini deltas on the side panels, requiring a custom machine they no longer made.

Awesome! Well Done!

Nope, not feeling this at all. I think it’s a real stretch on trying to explain the copper color for engineering division. I get it that in the first two pilots you didn’t see any red uniforms, but this is where you can take some creative liberties; but they’ve gone really beyond that at this point

Huh, how is the copper-color a stretch for engineering/support?

because copper is copper color, and red is red….also science/medical is silver now?

At least JJverse got it right; brilliantly right

You lost me at “JJverse got it right”. Like really, you lost complaining privileges with that one lol

@Hugh — Ignoring your JJ comment, but hunkering you in the original comment; there was NO RED during THE CAGE era. It was beige. Copper is as good as any neutral metal to represent a beige color. So … Checkmate. You lose.

Anyone notice the smashed NX-O1 in the asteroid field in the blown up Infographic? It’s to the left of the Captains Delta Shield. Look closely!

Where was the red cross badge used? I don’t recall seeing it. You would think that by the 22nd, 23rd or 24th century they would understand that not all cultures use the cross in their medical simbology, e.g., red crescent, red star of David,…

Nurse Chapel wore it in TOS.

They also left off the “Security” badge from the original CAGE pilot, which would have been used during this period.

The cross in the red cross isn’t a religious icon, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Rather, it was intended to be a universal symbol that would be easily recognisable at a distance as representing medical personnel. That’s why it’s red on white, as both colours are highly visible. The red crescent was introduced because it was feared in the 19th century that some Muslim soldiers might interpret the red cross as a religious symbol, but it would be nice to think that we’d moved beyond that sort of thing by the 23rd century.

Very professional-looking infographic. Wow.

Notice the NX-O1 when you enlarge the Infographic? Look on the right side of the Infographic where the Captains Delta Shield is. Then look to the left. The USS Discovery is closing in on what appears to be a badly damaged NX ship stranded in the asteroid field. You can tell it’s an NX ship by its nacelles and configuration.

I wondered if anyone would see that!

In the recently released picture Captain Lorca has silver stripes though. If that infographic is right, shouldn’t they be gold?

He doesn’t though – if you notice that image is WAY blown out and the white balance is off (unless he is an alien with a bluish pallor) the material rarely appears that bight cerulean blue. This also does hint at an issue with using reflective metallic highlights – colors can get tricky!

Here’s a properly white balanced image in comparison with the released image:

Looks better corrected. Thank you. The darker shade is definitely better.

It’s a nice, rich blue, much better. Thanks Aaron!

I really hate these uniforms. They’re way too ornate to be Starfleet. Star Trek has always spend with the exception of the WoK style, Starfleet uniforms have always been simple, as though we’ve grown out of the need to decorate ourselves. These are far too overtly militaristic and decorative to really feel like they belong in Star Trek when compared to every other series, including Enterprise.

If you really mean “with the exception of “WoK” style, you’re talking about a style that basically lasted, what, 70 years? So…it would seem that design was the longest served design in Star Fleet history.

I agree, the weird shoulder stripes..I think someone from Starfleet uniform R&D went into the 1940s and said they liked the old Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers uniform look from the serials and just recreated those.

Too much unnecessary details, the deltas all over, the stripe on the boots in the infographic, the ribbing, the stripe on the sides of the torso..just too much.

CBS, TPTB, the showrunners, anyone that understood how uniforms have looked in Trek for 50 plus years should have tried harder.

They look nice, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say they’re the “most intricate” of any & all Trek uniforms to date. Unless you’re ignoring Star Trek Beyond.

Beyond doesn’t count because it’s in the Kelvin Universe. I can’t say I love everything about these uniforms. I like the metal color coding scheme, but I’m not crazy about the excessive use of the delta shield pattern, nor the liberal use of braiding. It’s far too much bling for a BDU. I could see the dress uniforms with all this extra trim and decoration, but otherwise it’s too much IMO.

Curious, It does look verrrry dressy.

@Marja — no denying that. However, I’d say TWOK uniforms look even more formal and dressy, despite the lack of shiny things. I’m eager to see these in practical application.

I’m just confused with the use of the Delta shield. In original Star Trek, only the Enterprise has the Delta and it was explained that the Delta shield was adopted by the whole of Starfleet to honour the Enterprise after its 5 year mission (being the only ship to make it home), however if this series is set before Original Trek, then all the different uniforms in original trek now have a continuity error. (or there was a coincidence that the Enterprise crew just happened to use the symbol which Starfleet dropped and then take it back up again). I think this might already be discussed in the chain. Personally, I think they could have left the Delta shield “on the shelf” and used something else.

Nah, they couldn’t really drop the delta shield – that’s literally the most identifiable symbol of the franchise — and let’s be real: CBS is looking to build a strong franchise brand, and a little retcon to preserve that goal is a small price to pay.

The question I have is whether we’ll see the original 4th division symbol created for the Cage:

http://memory-alpha.wikia.com/wiki/File:Starfleet_security_badge,_2250s-60s.jpg

There are some fans that would rather have a series that never makes it off the ground ore gets cancelled quickly then one that takes creative license and attempts to create something that is successful

Really? did you read any other comments before posting? We’ve addressed this a few times in the comments. The idea of the delta being Enterprise only is “fannon”.

https://trekmovie.com/2017/06/22/a-close-up-look-at-star-trek-discovery-uniforms-infographic/#comment-5346294

“Tactical” – still uses 21st century plastic buckle.

Looks like they should be playing a tuba in that outfit. All that’s missing are hats. So many problems on so many levels…

I hope we get some detailed information about the back soon as well! The two pictures available are not too clear. I make my own uniforms, so that’s a detail I need to get started. The rest I already got by watching the trailer frame-by-frame.

There really doesn’t seem to be much on the back. Everything stops at the center seam except for the striping from the armpit down the top and onto the pants….3 on one side 3 on the other and four course the bands around the shoulder. The rest is plain. There might be some stitching we can’t see (and some we can) but there doesn’t seem to be any design elements unless it’s the women’s variant top….well we’ve seen 2 women wear it, there maybe be a mens version we just haven’t seen.

Here’s an image I compiled:

I really, really love how the gold, silver and bronze division colors more closely match the “Cage”-era division colors of gold (command), blue (science/medical) and tan (ops). I know: silver isn’t blue, but blue isn’t an option.

Also, I’m so glad they decided to stick with the rank/pip system that’s been in place since TNG, rather than reverting to the Kirk-era system. It’s still a continuity problem, of course, introduced when Enterprise decided to use the TNG rank/pip system 2 centuries earlier. That means the Kirk-era stripes from the series/medallions from the movies are radical rank departures that Starfleet takes for about a century. Whatever … some yahoo in the quartermaster’s office got antsy in the mid-23rd century, I guess.

It’s good. A tad overcomplicated at places, but good.

I don’t understand the idea of color-coded boots, though. What purpose does it serve? To allow a hidden enemy crouching under a table to tell an engineer from a science officer?

And these are supposed to evolve into the uniforms of Kirk’s era? I see a complete lack of effor to make them appear like anything that came before. Nothing but typical gimmicky science fiction design. Might as well have flames shooting out of the back of the engine pods. Should have looked to Abrams movies, at least they got that right over there.

Are you for real? You don’t see any evolutionary nods to Enterprise, Kelvin? They do look like that which came before in the sense it could evolve.

You must still be really upset with how drastically the uniforms changed between TOS, TMP and WoK…

I know this would be a crazy departure from continuity, but the way high tech “wearables” are going, there’s really no excuse for uniforms in the 23rd C to be just plain fabric and metal with no intelligence built in to do the stuff you’d want them to do: deflect energy weapons, provide breathable atmosphere and pressure (including automatically activating in emergencies), heads-up displays built into visors/goggles, monitor vital signs, etc. Uniforms in the 23rd C should basically be like walking around wearing a very sophisticated and unobtrusive computer that encompasses your entire body.

How do you know they’re not?

These look like they were reused from Galaxy Quest. Wouldn’t it make more sense to do something similar to the uniforms from Captain Pike era? That’s about the same time as this series is going on , correct?

They don’t really look like Galaxy Quest. GQ was very much playing up on the TNG uniforms, so in as much as that Trek DNA is there, they look like Discovery, but not really. They are much closer to say Babylon 5 or the BSG reboot.

The Troy, 7 0f 9 and T’pol catsuits always looked out of place to me, especially that white, with the cameltoe outfit that T’Pol wore on the desert planet.

BSG Uniforms were great. They had TWOK film era look to them, which works so well to express the mood of he character by unbuttoning the flap. The DSC uniforms have a bit of that as well.

Have you not seen the uniforms from Pike’s era? People have to think like a 25 year old whose never watch much Star Trek before. To you it may look normal. To a lot of people who never watched it, it looks like something from the 60s. I know you are saying not to use the exact look, maybe update it a bit like the KT films did but even those looked too retro. I have a feeling why they got a nicer change up in Beyond.

The delta shield was the symbol for the Enterprise in TOS and each ship had their own. It was adopted for all Starfleet after the 5 year mission. Why does Discovery have the Delta shield?

Are you serious? Read other comments before blindly posting… this has been bitched about and answered many times already.

This is the stupidest complaint that keeps getting repeated.

Here Rob: https://trekmovie.com/2017/06/22/a-close-up-look-at-star-trek-discovery-uniforms-infographic/#comment-5346377

Horrifying.

This drama is set during the same time period as the Talos IV Incident. While I would understand upgrading Discovery and Shinzou, they could have at least used Fifties era fatigue uniforms with some upgrades.

Enterprise could’ve been testing a new line of uniforms – much like they already used those black collar uniforms while other ships still had The Cage ones. Or, like DS9 started using those new jumpsuits before Enterprise-D did.

I am so massively tired of everyone doing some form of the overly on the nose micro printed pattern. Superman’s S didn’t need it in Superman Returns, the uniforms didn’t freaking need them in the first two nuTrek movies, and they don’t need them here.

@will — I actually kind of agree with this as a practical matter. And it’s certainly not as subtle here as it was in the first two BR movies, which makes me dislike it any more. From a marketing, branding, franchise perspective it makes a lot of sense, and let’s face it, that’s what this is. But as a life-long Trek fan, I find it kind of annoying. But they would have gotten a lot more love from me if they’d been a mono-chromatic texture and not such a garish metallic print.

• View history

A sheriff's badge (top)

A badge was an insignia which could be a symbol of authority , responsibility, or membership of an organization. ( DS9 : " Trials and Tribble-ations ")

The mascot of Tribbles Spicy Ranch cereal wore a cowboy hat with a sheriff 's star - shaped badge pinned to it. ( ST : " The Trouble with Edward ")

The badge worn by many generations of Starfleet personnel was shaped like an arrowhead. Like the uniform , it showed the division in which one was serving. In the 24th century , this badge was integrated with the communicator to become the combadge . ( TNG : " Encounter at Farpoint ", et al.)

In the mid- 23rd century , two types of distinctive Vulcan badges, including the IDIC , were worn by graduates of the Vulcan Science Academy on their graduation day . One of these badges was worn on the left breast of a white cloak and the other, the IDIC, was worn near the neck, clasping the front of the cloak together. ( DIS : " Lethe ")

The medicine badge was a badge adorned to a headband which was worn by the medicine chief of the Amerind inhabitants . ( TOS : " The Paradise Syndrome ")

As of 2399 , visitors to Starfleet Headquarters were issued badges identifying them as visitors. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

See also [ ]

• Assignment patch
• Button badge

External link [ ]

• Badge at Wikipedia
• 1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

• The Original Series
• The Animated Series
• The Next Generation
• Deep Space Nine
• Strange New Worlds
• Lower Decks
• Star Trek Movies
• TrekCore on Twitter
• TrekCore on Facebook

The Evolution of the Romulan Emblem

by Jörg Hillebrand and Bernd Schneider

Obscure TOS Emblem TNG-Style Emblems Nemesis-Style Emblems Picard Emblems Addendum: Ni'Var Emblem Conclusion

Romulans appeared in over 50 Star Trek episodes and movies altogether. On many of these occasions we could see a Romulan emblem. The very first emblem is kind of obscure and could only be seen in TOS: "The Enterprise Incident". The familiar emblem is a bird-of-prey supposedly holding the planets Romulan and Remus in its claws. It first showed up in TNG: "The Neutral Zone". After that, it could be seen in many variations with switched colors green and blue, with different colors, with variations of the shapes and letters, and sometimes without the letters. The emblem was finally updated to a stylized and monochrome version for "Star Trek Nemesis".

This article outlines the development of all variations of the Romulan emblem.

Obscure TOS Emblem

Although it may be just a decoration or a pictogram denoting a certain section of the ship, there is one reason why it was likely intended to be the Romulan emblem indeed. It looks remarkably similar to the Klingon symbol that had premiered just a few episodes earlier, in "Elaan of Troyius". It is even composed of the same colors. So whoever created this supposed Romulan emblem had a good intention to give this race more distinctiveness, but should have come up with something much more original to that end. Yet, perhaps the set designers deliberately made it look like the Klingon trefoil. The latter can be found on the ship's hull and may have been recognizable in the episode (the Romulans are using Klingon D7 cruisers in this episode). So the Romulan emblem may have been made to look similar. A possible retroactive in-universe explanation is that the logo symbolizes the supposed short-lived alliance of the Romulans with the Klingons in the 2260s. The colors and their arrangement were taken from the Klingon trefoil, while the unknown individual Romulan emblem may have contributed the hexagonal shapes. Hexagons can be seen all over the Romulan ship in this episode, and probably not by mere coincidence.

Interestingly, the regular hexagon can already be seen on a Romulan helmet in TOS: "Balance of Terror", while elongated coffin-shaped hexagons appear as the cross-section of the bridge in the same episode and, in many places, on Vulcan in TOS: "Amok Time".

TNG-Style Emblems

"I knew of the logo in 'The Enterprise Incident.' Although I often tried to preserve elements from the original series, in this particular case, I thought it was too similar to the Klingon logo. I had an artist named Monte Thrasher design the predatory bird for the TNG Romulan logo."

Two large plexiglass panes with the emblem on white ground were fabricated for TNG. The first variant is visible in nine episodes. The second one is slightly larger and shows up in two episodes.

The first appearance of the smaller panel (and of any variant of the Romulan logo) is in TNG: "The Neutral Zone" in the background of the Romulan Warbird bridge. It is barely possible to say which part of the emblem is blue and which is green. We believe that the right half is blue, as will be confirmed in later appearances of the same panel. On some other types of logos, the two colors green and blue are switched. In later episodes we will also see that the gray/white part of the plexiglass panel has a slight pattern like a brick wall that is turned by 90 degrees. This is best visible in "Face of the Enemy". The writing on the emblem is recognizable for the first time in "Contagion". We can see an E-shaped letter on the left. The location of this "E" indicates the orientation of the lettering, which is mirror-inverted on many other variants. The bird's (right) blue wing has a green outline, and vice versa, as we can clearly see e.g. in "The Mind's Eye" or "Redemption". Furthermore, the whole emblem has a white border.

The plexiglass pane can be seen in TNG: "The Pegasus" with an unusual green lighting.

Monochrome TNG-style emblems also show up twice in "Star Trek: The Final Frontier" (set in 2286). The first one can be seen on Caithlin Dar's mask. The second one can be spotted on a sign in Paradise City, beside the Klingon and the Federation emblems. Including the then new logo in the movie was the obvious choice, as it had just been established for the Romulans on TNG, albeit 80 years later in the timeline.

Similar monitor emblems appear on the Defiant in DS9: "The Search I", with the orientation as in the remastered version TNG-R: "Birthright II". These emblems show up whenever the ship is cloaked but not on red alert.

The first one (variant 18a) is colored and is placed on a trapezoid label. It can be seen in Enabran Tain's room on the Warbird and in the adjacent corridor. A still smaller version of this logo appears on a Romulan device in DS9: "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges". We can't recognize any details on the screen caps, but the scan of the label gives away that there is an additional Romulan letter on the emblem, on the very left. It can also be seen that the left half of the emblem is olive green now, whereas the left planet is still plain green.

"Star Trek Nemesis" is known for introducing a new style of Romulan emblems . However, we can also still see the TNG-style emblem in the movie, on a monitor on the Enterprise-E. We can't really identify if there is any text, but this could be another occurrence of variant 19.

Unusual emblems

The Cardassians usually display symbols of other aliens in the "true" colors, or in simplified colors. In the sixth and early seventh season of DS9, however, we can see strangely colored Cardassian variants of the Romulan, the Klingon and the Federation emblem on a couple of occasions. It appears that the Cardassians adapted the enemy emblems to their pastel color palette.

Uniform insignia

The TNG-style Romulan uniforms already existed in TNG: "The Neutral Zone" and "Contagion". But the Romulans didn't yet have badges based on the emblem. In "The Neutral Zone", the two officers wear drapes, with emblems that roughly resemble the Romulan logo from "The Enterprise Incident" but perhaps not on purpose. In "Contagion", the Romulan insignia is recycled from Q's post-atomic horror uniform from "Encounter at Farpoint".

The familiar Romulan insignia first appears in TNG: "The Enemy". At the time of TNG, there are two color variants. The higher-ranking officers consistently wear a copper emblem and sash, whereas the lower ranks wear silver gray.

The Romulans who always wear the copper sash are:

• Tomalak in all his appearances in "The Enemy", "The Defector", "Future Imperfect" and "All Good Things"
• Sela in all of her appearances except "The Mind's Eye"
• The Romulan commander in "Tin Man"
• Taibak in "The Mind's Eye" (who seems to be in command, rather than Sela)
• Romulan commander in "The Chase"
• Major Rakal und Toreth in "Face of the Enemy"
• Sirol in "The Pegasus"

The Romulans in "The Next Phase" have silver/gray badges, probably because it is only a science ship. In "Timescape", all Romulans have silver gray insignia, as we never see the commander.

The TNG-style copper insignia don't show up again in the later series. For DS9, collar rank symbols were introduced, making the sash insignia expendable.

Discovery emblem

Strange New Worlds emblem

Prodigy emblem.

Nemesis-Style Emblems

Nemesis senate sculpture and insignia.

We can see Rick Sternbach's "Nemesis"-style emblem in ENT: "Kir'Shara", "Babel One", "United" and "The Aenar" (set as early as 2154) too. It appears on the Romulan uniforms that Enterprise simply took over from the movie, just like the CG cityscape.

Nemesis screen and floor emblems

"I designed the floor layout and the bird sculpture, but someone else did the central bird graphic that was printed on adhesive vinyl and applied to the floor. I don't remember who did that one."

We can't make out the TNG-style logo in "Nemesis" at all. Also, the two stylized new Romulan emblems have in common that they never appear in a specific color or even in multiple colors; they are always plain silver or gray.

Promotional logo and variations

There is, however, a new wall decoration in the trilogy of "Babel One", "United" and "The Aenar" that features another variation of a stylized bird-of-prey. The engraved depiction on the wall panel clearly resembles the "promotion logo" from "Nemesis", although the proportions are not the same. Interestingly, the same wall element can be seen with yet another and even more stylized bird-of-prey depiction and without the planets Romulus and Remus when Reed and Tucker are aboard the Romulan drone ship in "Babel One" and "United". This was obviously done to obscure the Romulan origin of the ship (although the Romulan writing on the panels should give it away just as well).

Abramsverse emblems

Lower Decks emblems

The Nemesis-style emblem appears in a somewhat more detailed form on the vertically oriented ship in LOW: "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee" and on a D'deridex class in "Empathalogical Fallacies".

Picard Emblems

The political situation of the Romulans after the disaster of 2387 that destroyed the home system of their empire is unclear. The Borg cube known as the "Artifact" is in the possession of an entity called the "Romulan Free State". On the other hand, the secret police Tal Shiar still exists, although the Romulan Empire has collapsed. We can't tell whether the emblems displayed on and inside the Artifact belong to the Romulan Free State or to the Tal Shiar. Two decades ago, the latter used to have distinct emblems from the official Romulan state and government, emblems which are not the subject of this article. See Other Romulan Logos - Tal Shiar .

Notwithstanding the exact political situation, new Romulan emblems were created for Star Trek Picard. They still contain the bird-of-prey, but without the two planets in its talons, which used to represent the now destroyed Romulus and Remus.

Relief emblems

A similar but not quite the same relief logo appears on the uniforms of some Romulan guards, continuing the tradition from TNG and DS9. Commodore Oh has a similar emblem on her uniform belt, which could be a different, more reddish or copper color.

Finally, there are wall panels that very roughly resemble a bird-of-prey, comparable to the ones we already saw on Star Trek Enterprise.

Stylized emblem

Addendum: Ni'Var Emblem

Other Romulan Logos - communicator badge, Tal Shiar, Senate and more

Alpha and Beta Quadrant Emblems L-Z

Forgotten Alien Emblems

Some screen caps from TrekCore . Thanks to Ambassador/Ensign Q and to E.W.G. for suggestions pertaining to the origin of the TOS Romulan emblem and to Nathan for the hint about the Romulan hexagon in "Balance of Terror". Special thanks to Rick Sternbach for clarifying some issues regarding the "Nemesis" emblems and to Brad Wilder for redrawing the Picard emblems.

https://www.ex-astris-scientia.org/inconsistencies/romulan_emblem.htm

Last modified: 29 Sep 2023

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Star Trek Logos: Starfleet Ships and Stations

Artwork by Kris Trigwell