The US military is boldly going where no one has gone before.
President Trump unveiled the official emblem of the newly minted Space Force Friday, and observers quickly noted a strong resemblance to the symbol of an even more famous interstellar unit — Star Trek’s Star Fleet.
“After consultation with our Great Military Leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military!,” Trump said in a tweet.
The image smashed into Twitter like an asteroid, as critics immediately noted that the new logo’s center arrow and other features were a dead ringer for the one from Star Fleet.
Trump critic George Takei, who played Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek, suggested that he might be entitled to compensation in light of the similarities.
“Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this,” he tweeted.
“I suggest a fitting motto for the Space Force to go with the new logo: “To Boldly Go!” posted Virginia congressman Don Beyer.
“Swell, now taxpayers get to pay for lawyers when you’re sued by Paramount and the Roddenberry estate,” zinged Microsoft developer Ned Pyle.
The Space Force officially joined the Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard as a branch of the U.S. military Friday.
“Space is the world’s newest warfighting domain,” Trump said at a signing ceremony. “Amid grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. We’re leading, but we’re not leading by enough, and very shortly, we’ll be leading by a lot.”
Last week, online wags also criticized the Space Force’s new uniform.