star trek insignia class

Insignia class

Insignia -class

The Insignia -class was a type of starship in service to Starfleet in the late 24th to early 25th centuries

Design specifications [ ]

The Insignia -class was one of the first complete multi-purpose vessels in Starfleet . Designed to bolster the front lines during the Elorg War, the Insignia quickly became an integral part of the war efforts. By the war's end, more than 70 Insignia -class starships were operating within Federation space.

Because of its modular design, the Insignia -class featured a unique deck plan. While any of the 8 modules could be removed and replaced with relative ease, only the 6 modules that made up the port and starboard sides of the saucer were typically replaced. Crew quarters and other recreational facilities were contained in the two remaining modules, and typically replaced only as a last resort.

Facilities crucial to ship functions, including the bridge, sickbay, and main engineering, were part of the main hull, and could not be replaced outside of a major refit.

The Insignia design was outfitted with the standard modules required for exploratory and scientific missions. When placed into a tactical situation, the Insignia could be outfitted with modules capable of enhancing both its offensive and defensive capabilities.

External links [ ]

• Insignia class article at Star Trek Expanded Universe .
• 1 USS Discovery (NCC-1031)
• 2 Invincible class
• 3 Achilles class

Insignia Class

Begun in early 2366, the Insignia class ship was designed to be a fast, powerful explorer/scout. Started as a possible replacement for the Galaxy Class, the Insignia Class has become a  companion to the Intrepid class, augmenting the Galaxy and Sovereign Classes. Officially labeled as a Cruiser, the Insignia Class, is small, maneuverable, fast, and powerful, packing the same punch as a standard Galaxy Class Starship.

Four of the Insignia class saw service during the Dominion War. The USS Insignia, USS Deniva, USS Veracruz saw extensive service through out the final year. The Veracruz was part of the AR-558 relief force while the Insignia was took part in the first battle of Chin'toka. All three would take part in the final battle, the Battle for Cardassia, in which both the Deniva and Veracruz were lost.

Later, against the Borg in the 2381 conflict, the USS Insignia and other ships of the class saw service with the battle fleet. Their maneuverability being key. However they saw even greater success as advanced scouts. Like the Intrepid class, the Insignia class could scout out the enemy fleet and installations, while at the same time being able to look after itself if attacked. One ship of the class was lost to the Borg.

In the early 2390s the class was upgraded with new Type-XIII phaser arrays, slipstream drive, improved computer hardware with the latest LCARS version, and improved power allocation systems.

2366: Starfleet issues a general design brief for a multi purpose vessel capable of deep space, combat, and diplomatic missions. The general idea is for a modular starship, which would be based around either replacing or as a counterpart for the Galaxy Class, using the original proposed design of the Nova class. The Insignia class is approved by Starfleet as the prototype vehicle. Permission for base designs are approved.

2367: Starfleet views the Design Schematics for the class and after deliberation, the primary design is approved and briefs for the propulsion, computer, weapons and spaceframe parameters are sent out to Starfleet Design agencies for consultation. Spaceframe Design is based on the original Nova class design (that has been rejected months before), using a slightly more elliptical saucer section and redesigned engineering hull. Full specifications are forwarded to the Beta Arteries Shipyards - Arteries opens pod four for production of the USS Insignia, pod 14 for production of the USS Deniva, and pod 16 for production of the USS Veracruz. Production begins with a projected 9 year turnover for the Prototype ship.

2368: Saucer section separation mechanism is approved. Integration of Sovereign Class Warp Coils are approved. Chassis construction on first three vessels begins.

2369: Theoretical Propulsions Dynamics labs send a modified Sovereign Class warp core, fully functional, for fitting and testing with the bare chassis. Chassis latching system passes Review One. By the end of the year the Spaceframe for the USS Insignia is 87% completed, the others are at 82%.

2370: Saucer section separation latches fail Review Two. Early in the year, computer cores arrive and are fitted. By mid May, reactors are online and supplying primary power. Late in the year the computer system are operating at 76% of maximum on prototype vessel. System expected to become self aware within the year. Warpcore begins primary testing. Star drive section nears completion with final attachment of the navigational deflector array. Bridge module attached to Primary hull. Master chassis now completed for five Starships.

2371: Saucer separation latches pass Review Three. Primary hull work complete. Habitat modules are attached and bridge unit is brought to functional status. Chassis is completed. Starfleet push forward to phase II and construction of a further five ships begin at Beta Arteries. Computer systems are uploaded and tested. Primary modules are attached and outer hull of the saucer section nears completion.

2372: Warpcore passes Review Three and it tested to 85% peak. Computer system fully self aware and umbilical from the station are cut as the ship become self sufficient. Structural latching systems onboard the USS Insignia with regards to Saucer separation are tested and approved. Impulse systems pass Review Three and being autonomous low level power control. Secondary backup generators are shut down and become auxiliary system control. Structural latching system for saucer separation passes Review Three. USS Insignia leaves dry dock for primary testing estimate to last six months.

2373: USS Insignia return to Arteries early in year. Warp Stress Coating is applied and ship begins deep space assessments projected to last six months. All primary tests have passed Review 4.

2374: USS Insignia returns to Arteries for final exterior markings and paint. On 12, June 2374 the USS Insignia is officially commissioned by Starfleet at Beta Arteries during a brief ceremony. Bridge Plaque is put in pride of place and Captain Jim Howell. takes command. USS Insignia sent to the DS9 to join the fleet.

Technical Specifications for Insignia Class ships

• expected duration: 80 years
• time between resupply: 4 years
• time between refit: 8 years
• category: Explorer/Cruiser/Advanced Scout  
• officers: 70
• enlisted crew: 300
• marines: 74
• passengers: 20  
• cruising speed: Warp 6.5
• maximum speed: Warp 9.4
• emergency speed: Warp 9.9 (for 10 hours)
• Slipstream: Quantum Slipstream Velocity equivalent to 9.999997359835618 ( for 12 hours before a 'cool down' of 7 hours )  
• Auxiliary Craft:
• shuttle bays: 2
• shuttles: 4
• attack fighters: 6
• runabouts: 1  
• Defensive Systems:
• phasers: 9 type-XII phaser arrays
• torpedoes: launchers: 4 (2 forward, 2 aft)     hellfire: 40     photon: 400     quantum: 300     transphaisic: 6     tri cobalt: 10
• shields: Class 10 Hull Conformal, regenerative shielding system
• hull armor: Type-1 Ablative Armor
• Dimensions:
• height: 87 meters
• width: 223 meters
• length: 533 meters
• decks: 22  
• Sensors: Four primary arrays (2 lateral, 1 forward, 1 aft), Range of 20 Light Years. Each primary array has a back up Secondary array. Range of 14 Light Years. Each array can be set long, medium, or short range.
• Tactical: Four primary arrays (2 lateral, 1 forward, 1 aft), Range of 20 Light Years. Each primary array has a back up Secondary array. Range of 14 Light Years. Each array can be set long, medium, or short range.
• Navigational Deflector:
• Type: Molybdenum & Duranium Mesh
• Power: Six Graviton Polarity Generators
• Output: 400 Gigawatts
• Field Strength: 650 Millicochranes
• Tractor Emitters:
• Power: 3-15 Gigawatt Multi-phase Graviton Polarity Sources
• Field Strength: 480 Millicochranes
• Minimum Range: 126 Million tons at 2 Kilometers
• Maximum Range: 1 ton at 30.000 Kilometers  
• Personal Transporters:
• Rooms: 3 Transporter Rooms, six persons per cycle
• Payload: 960 kilograms
• Range: 40,000 kilometers
• Operations Per Hours: 100 persons per hour, per room  
• Cargo Transporters:
• Rooms: 2 Transporters, 1 per primary cargo bay
• Payload: 800 tons
• Operations Per Hours: 100 cycles per hour, per room  
• Computer Systems:
• Core: Type 5, Bio-Neural Processing Core
• Software Version: LCARS 6.2
• Storage Capacity: 1145 TeraQuads
• Processing Speed: 645,000 ExaFLOPS  
• Communications Systems:
• Short Range: 2,750,000 Kilometers
• Long Range: 18 Light-years for Real-Time Transmission
• Transmission Capacity: 17.2 kiloquads per second
• Transmission Speed: Warp 9.9997  
• Additional Information: Currently, there are 12 in service with 1 being produced per year through 2401. 3 were lost during the Dominion and Borg conflicts.

Rank & Uniforms

From star trek: theurgy wiki.

Starfleet ranks were the identifying titles for the officers and enlisted members of Starfleet , under both United Earth and the United Federation of Planets. These ranks used the titles and positions adopted from earlier Earth naval forces. Aside from rank , all officers also held a position in a department, which could be said to be his or her 'job'. Example: A Lieutenant's position was not to be a Lieutenant on a starship. The Lieutenant's position on a ship could Security Officer, which was a role that had certain duties attached to it.

Starfleet uniforms were mainly worn with colors denoting in what field a particular officer or crewman specialized.

• 1 Division Colors
• 2 Starfleet Uniforms
• 3.1 Flag Officers
• 3.2 Line Officers
• 3.4 Warrant Officers
• 3.5 Enlisted & Non-Commissioned Officers
• 3.6 Provisional Officers
• 3.7 Civillian Personnel
• 4 Chain of Command
• 5 Crew Quarters
• 6 Disclaimer

Division Colors

Within Starfleet , there existed four divisions of personnel, which handled all possible allotted tasks.

Red indicated Command, Tactical and CONN . These were commanders, like COs and XOs, or administrative personnel, yeomen. They were also CONN and Flight Control officers. Tactical Officers also wore this colour, with the Chief Tactical Officer posted on the Bridge.

White indicated Tactical CONN . This was where the Starfleet Fighter Pilots and Officers belonged; in the newly formed Aerospace Command division where space aviation and military/tactical knowledge went hand in hand. The Tactical CONN department worked very closely with both the CONN and Tactical departments.

Gold indicated Engineering , Operations and Security . These were those who built, configured, alloted, and repaired ship's systems. Security handled security on board, ranging from crowd control, the Brig and a number of related issues.

Teal indicated Science , Medical and Counseling . These were the nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and orderlies of the Sickbay. They also analyse scientific data, and preform experiments.

Starfleet Uniforms

Starfleet uniforms were uniforms worn by individuals serving in the Federation Starfleet , originally a United Earth organization. These uniforms facilitated the wearers' needs as both scientists and researchers, as well as Starfleet 's military role. Wearers were expected to abide by the Starfleet dress code, though special exceptions were sometimes made for certain aspects of an individual's cultural heritage, such as Worf's Klingon baldric and Nog's Ferengi headdress as well as Ro Laren's (and briefly Kira Nerys') earrings. Source: Memory Alpha

These were the Starfleet Uniforms as of 2381 in Starfleet . Like all ships, the USS Theurgy had a specific dress code for on-duty officers. The standard duty uniform was a three piece ensemble consisting of pants, colored undershirt (department specific color), and jacket. An optional skirt was permitted for female crew if they wished.

Ranks in Starfleet followed a specific order, broken up into four, in this descending rank:

Flag Officers

Line officers, warrant officers, enlisted & non-commissioned officers.

Enlisted crewmen were not trained in any command fields, and fulfilled the mundane duties of a starship or starbase . Officers were trained for command, and it was assumed that some would someday reach the ranks of captain or above. Flag officers often fulfilled administrative duties, and sometimes commanded task forces of ships. Promotions were awarded for quality of service, not for length of time served.

Provisional Officers, the exception of the four above, earned a field promotion aboard a ship or a starbase , and could even hold Line Officer rank.

A Flag Officer was both a historic naval and military rank and a modern Starfleet title. It generally referred to all officers of Commodore rank or higher. The term traditionally denoted any officer that commanded a squadron of vessels, possibly in addition to one under their direct command.

A commissioned Line Officer was an individual who had attended, and graduated from the cadet program of Starfleet Academy or had been commissioned through the Officer Candidate School after having attained their education in their field elsewhere. Those graduating from Starfleet Academy earned a four-year degree (Bachelor's) in their major field of study such as communications, engineering , the sciences, or nursing. After four years at the Academy, they either passed or failed. If passing, the person would be promoted to Ensign. Officers doing exceptionally would be promoted directly to Lieutenant Junior Grade.

Medical officers attended an additional four years at Starfleet Medical Academy before earning their medical degree (or earned their commission through Officer Candidate School after having obtained their degree elsewhere).

Cadet was a rank which was used at Starfleet Academy to denote students in training to become Starfleet officers. Becoming a Starfleet cadet was a difficult process and required a significant amount of academic achievement while in high school. Academy entrance standards were particularly high, especially in scientific and math disciplines (such as calculus). Cadets were also expected to maintain a satisfactory grade point average during their attendance at the Academy. Getting bad grades was grounds for a cadet's revocation of appointment from the Academy, also known as "washing out". Starfleet cadets were under the same uniform code of justice as Starfleet officers and were in turn subordinate to the orders of superiors. They were also required to report violations of Federation law they observed to their superiors. Cadets were also expected to show military courtesy and respect to senior commanders.

Even though Warrant Officers were considered Commissioned Officers, they are drawn from the ranks of NCO personnel. The Warrant Officer, and the ranks that follow it, were a special form of Commissioned Officers bridging the gap between Enlisted personnel and Line Officers. Only Chief, Senior Chief, or Master Chief Petty Officers could apply to the Warrant Officer ranks. A warrant officer had rank over all Enlisted personnel, and frequently took charge of large divisions or departments of these crewmen. Regular commissioned officers, such as an Ensign, held rank over a Warrant Officer. SCPO or higher was able to advance directly to WO (skipping other ranks) provided they attended Officer Candidate School. Warrant Officers were specialists in sub-departments of a starship, such as Transporter Technicians and Holo-technicians.

Most of a starship's or starbase 's staff consisted of enlisted personnel. These people carried out the day-to-day operations and maintenance that allowred Starfleet to function. Enlisted stayed in Starfleet Boot Camp for six months as a Crewman Recruit, learning the ropes in a more simple way than Commissioned Officers, with a course emphasis relevant to your division. So, Enlisted were those who had not completed the four-year Starfleet Academy course or otherwise been given a commission as an officer. In most cases, Enlisted crewmen signed up directly to a ship or posting, and received basic training, as well as any specific courses required for their position.

As with Commissioned Officers, there is a rank structure amongst Enlisted crew. The term "Non-Commissioned Officer" referred specifically to any Enlisted personnel given authority over other personnel. In Starfleet , this could refer to any Petty Officer (up to Master Chief). Once making the rank of Chief Petty Officer, NCOs could transfer to Commissioned Officer status, and become an Ensign.

All Commissioned Officer ranks, from Ensign upward, outranked all Enlisted in the chain of command. However, in certain cases, Non-Commissioned officers could exercise authority over Commissioned Officers (Miles O'Brien is one such case, in his position as chief of operations aboard Deep Space 9 ). Additionally, Chief Petty Officers such as O'Brien wielded influence far beyond their place in the rank structure due to their extensive experience and skill and were expected to mentor Junior Officers as well as other Non-Commissioned Officers.

Provisional Officers

In difficult times, it had been found a necessity to grant civilians - or crew members of other militaries - ranks that would otherwise be considered official within Starfleet . These ranks could be placed upon those that allied to Starfleet in some form or manner for whatever reason that the Commanding Officer of the ship found adequate. Provisional Officers had special rank insignia that differed from the normal pips that a Starfleet Officer would wear in his collar (Example: The rank insignia the former Marquis officers wore in Star Trek: Voyager).

Civillian Personnel

Not all members of the crew held a Starfleet rank, but would rather be civilian expertise in certain fields, filling functions of the ship where Starfleet training was not required. Examples: Waitresses/waiters of the ship lounges and the Chef in the Mess Hall. Also, some professors and scientists in certain fields did not belong to the Science Department of Starfleet .

Chain of Command

The chain of command was a ranking system used by militaries and other organized groups. It represented the line of authority down which orders are passed from one officer to another, and also the line down which passed command of a particular vessel or installation.

Aboard a starship, or most starbases the chain of command began with the assigned commanding officer, usually an officer of the rank of captain, or in some cases commander. If the commanding officer, for any reason, was unavailable to command his or her post then those responsibilities passed down the "chain" to the first officer, then the second officer, etc. After the first officer (also Executive Officer or XO), command responsibilities passed down the chain from officer to officer as necessary in accordance with each officer's rank. And it was common practice for a commanding officer to designate a second officer to take command if both the captain and first officer were unavailable or unable to perform their duties.

Crew Quarters

Rank also determined which kind of quarters Starfleet officers lived in aboard a starship. Below are the different quarters on the USS Theurgy .

Captain's Quarters & VIP Quarters

Departmental Head Quarters

Senior Officers' Quarters

Junior Officers' Quarters

Shared NCO Quarters

Shared Enlisted Quarters

Uniform text portions of this page is used with permission of USS Wolff CO - granted Nov 1, 2016

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• General Information

Star Trek Ranks, Explained

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Starting with the original series, Star Trek has adopted a quasi-military series of ranks and protocols for its characters. Starfleet is ostensibly a peaceful organization dedicated to exploration and diplomacy, but things can get dangerous on the final frontier. A functioning chain of command is necessary in the event of trouble to ensure that everyone operates at peak efficiency.

It's a bit of a paradox, since Starfleet officers also tend to be rugged individualists, but it makes a good deal of sense and over time has become an indispensable part of the franchise. A given character's rank speaks volumes about their comparative age, their position onboard, and their relationship with the other members of the crew. As with most things Star Trek, rank insignia has evolved over time. Here's a breakdown of Starfleet's ranking system in descending order from the lowliest cadets to the most powerful admirals.

Updated January 18, 2024 by Robert Vaux: Star Trek's ranking system is very stable at this point, and very little tends to change. The article has been updated to include a brief list of prominent members of each rank, along with the series and seasons they held it. It has also been updated to conform to current CBR guidelines.

9 Cadets Are Officers in Training at Starfleet Academy

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Cadets are typically students at Starfleet Academy , spending time onboard a starship as part of their training. They hold no rank and must obey the orders of any crewmen. They're often issued temporary badges or communicators and usually have a supervisory officer to watch over them. Cadets in the 23rd century wear badges with a distinctive black backing. Cadets in the 24th century wear distinctive uniforms denoting their status.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Enterprise is used as a training vessel, with the crew consisting almost entirely of cadets. Wesley Crusher formally joins Starfleet Academy starting in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 9, "Final Mission," and spends most of his subsequent appearances at that rank. Similarly, Nyota Uhura joins the Enterprise as a cadet in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as does Sylvia Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery.

8 Enlisted Personnel/NCO Are Starfleet's Worker Bees

While officers attend Starfleet Academy, the rank-and-file personnel attend the 24th-century equivalent of boot camp. They become the anonymous crew working in the background, performing the countless tiny tasks required to keep a starship running. Their ranks include both enlisted crewmen and petty officers (the equivalent of sergeants) who often play supervisory roles. They typically lack any insignia on their uniforms, though chief petty officers in the Next Generation era sometimes have a black pip or similar marking.

Enlisted personnel often serve as The Original Series ' infamous red shirts : doomed to die in the name of plot exposition. The Next Generation introduces perhaps Starfleet's best-known enlisted man. Miles O'Brien runs the transporters on the Enterprise-D, and later becomes Chief of Operations on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

7 Ensigns Hold The Lowest Rank

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Ensigns are the lowest-ranking officers on Starfleet vessels. Cadets typically receive the rank of ensign immediately upon graduation from Starfleet Academy. While they technically have command authority, they're usually assigned menial tasks beneath the attention of the senior officers. Like NCOs, they lack insignia on their uniforms in The Original Series era. With The Next Generation and later series, ensigns receive a single gold pip on their collar. They're often lumped into the red shirt category.

Harry Kim is probably the franchise's most famous (or infamous) ensign, failing to receive a single promotion through Star Trek: Voyager's seven seasons , despite serving with distinction on the bridge. The Original Series' Pavel Chekov also begins his Starfleet career as an ensign, though he advances at a faster rate. Of course, the four main characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks are ensigns, though they all receive a promotion to lieutenant, junior grade at the beginning of Season 4.

6 Lieutenant, Junior Grade Have More Responsibility Than Ensigns

The next step up the ladder is lieutenant, junior grade. These are officers with more authority and responsibility than ensigns, but who still require seasoning before taking higher command positions. Medical personnel typically receive the lieutenant, junior grade rank after graduating, which reflects their extended training time. The Original Series uses a single dashed bar on the uniform sleeves to denote them, though Strange New Worlds has retconned that with a connected colored bar. T he Next Generation and later series note the rank with a second black pip in addition to the ensign's colored pip.

Both Julian Bashir and Ezri Dax hold the rank of lieutenant, junior grade when they begin their duties on Deep Space 9, though Ezri receives hers as a field promotion in Season 7, Episode 3, "Afterimage." Geordi La Forge starts as a lieutenant, junior grade too, as does Mr. Worf. B'Elanna Torres receives the rank on a provisional basis when she joins the crew of the Voyager, and the Lower Decks crew are all promoted to lieutenant, junior grade in Season 4, Episode 1, "Twovix."

5 Lieutenants Lead the Away Teams and More

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Lieutenants have advanced to the point where they can take on considerable responsibilities. They may lead away teams or control key systems, and they often appear among the bridge crew or even as department heads. The Original Series notes them with a single bar on the uniform sleeve, while Strange New Worlds adds a second thinner bar above the lieutenant, junior grade's insignia. The Next Generation uses two colored pips on the collar — a method emulated by subsequent series.

Worf spends most of The Next Generation's later seasons as a lieutenant (he's promoted to lieutenant commander during the events of Star Trek Generations ) while Ro Laren is promoted to lieutenant shortly before her defection to the Maquis in The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 24, "Preemptive Strike." Lieutenants often occupy the helm position, including Hikaru Sulu in The Original Series, Keyla Detmer in Star Trek: Discovery , and Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

4 Lieutenant Commanders Head up Departments

Lieutenant commanders hold positions of senior responsibility onboard a starship, even serving as executive officers or de facto captains on small ships. One larger ships, they often serve as the head of specific departments such as science and engineering. In The Original Series , the rank is designated with two stripes on the sleeve — one thick, one dashed — which Strange New Worlds adjusts to two thick colored bands. The Next Generation and subsequent shows note lieutenant commanders with two colored pips and one black one.

Montgomery Scott holds the rank of lieutenant commander in The Original Series , acting as Chief Engineer and even commanding the Enterprise when Kirk and Spock are away on missions. Similarly, Geordi La Forge rises to the rank of lieutenant commander in The Next Generation , joining Data and Deanna Troi at the position, though the latter eventually advances to commander. Worf and Jadzia Dax are both lieutenant commanders when they begin their romance on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Lastly, the original Number One — Una Chin-Riley on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — is a lieutenant commander.

3 Commanders Aid and Can Take Over the Captain's Dutires

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Commanders are usually the ship's executive officers, "Number Ones," who assist the captain in their duties and step up in the event the captain is incapacitated. Commanders are often viewed as captains in training, and ultimately destined for a ship of their own in the future. In some cases, commanders are the head authority on smaller ships or space stations. Chief medical officers often hold this position as well. They're delineated by two thick bands on their sleeves in The Original Series era and three colored pips on the collar in The Next Generation and later.

Mr. Spock holds the rank of commander during the events of The Original Series , serving double duty as chief science officer as well. He's been followed by the likes of William Riker on The Next Generation and Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Picard . In addition, Beverly Crusher and Leonard McCoy both hold the rank of commander, while Deanna Tori is promoted to commander in Season 7, Episode 16, "Thine Own Self." Ben Sisko also begins his tenure on Deep Space 9 as a commander before being promoted to full captain at the end of Season 3.

2 Captains Command Starfleet's Various Starships

The captain serves as the commander of a starship, with the entire crew ranked beneath them. This affords them a great deal of autonomy, but also equal amounts of responsibility. Starships must often face dangers alone in the far depths of space. It falls to the captain to make the final call when lives are at stake. Occasionally, captains can be found in other duties, such as commanding a star base or holds an administrative position on Earth. Captains are delineated by three stripes on their sleeves in the Original Series era — two thick, one dashed — which Strange New Worlds slightly alters to a single thin band sandwiched between two thicker ones. The Next Generation era uses four full pips on the collar.

Most Star Trek series use a captain as the main character, starting with James T. Kirk in The Original Series . Their ranks include Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, Christopher Pike, and Carol Freeman. In addition, many lower-ranking characters eventually attain the captain's chair, such as Will Riker, Tuvok, and Mr. Spock. Both Ben Sisko and Michael Burnham become captain after several seasons of climbing the ranks, a change from most Star Trek series which tend to begin with their captains in place.

1 Admirals Possess The Greatest Rank and Come to Represent Starfleet Itself

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Admirals are Starfleet's major movers and shakers, placed in charge of entire fleets or overseeing vital operations. As flag officers, they no longer serve onboard starships, though they can claim command of one if circumstances dictate. James T. Kirk takes control of the Enterprise as an Admiral in both Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , while both Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy and Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard are the authority on their respective vessels.

In addition to giving successful captains a cushy desk job, Star Trek often uses admirals as stand-ins for Starfleet itself: either aiding the crew in their endeavors or standing in their way when they go against protocol. They're delineated by a wide variety of methods, and hold varying ranks within the admiralty, such as Vice Admiral and Commodore, that shift from project to project.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Published Jan 28, 2020

Let's Revisit the History of the Starfleet Insignia

As America debuts its Space Force flag, we take an in-depth examination of the famous Starfleet symbol.

StarTrek.com

Last week, the official insignia for the United States Space Force debuted and Star Trek fans immediately thought it looked familiar:

Reactions to the logo for the newly formed Space Force included: "THIS IS THE STARFLEET LOGO!" "Is nothing sacred?" "Swell, now taxpayers get to pay for lawyers when you're sued by Paramount and the Roddenberry estate..." https://t.co/AJpqYd8Avb — NPR (@NPR) January 25, 2020

I can’t say how right or wrong they are, but it was a delicious irony that the real world decided to drop some new Trek content the same week we got the first episode of Star Trek: Picard . But they are also part of a back-and-forth between the design sensibilities of the United States military and space programs, and the Starfleet designs that are supposed to be a direct descendant of them.

This isn’t the first time the space program has taken inspiration from Trek , after all — the debut space shuttle was named the Enterprise after Trek fans waged a campaign for it, and decades later that shuttle became part of the opening credits to the show of the same name. But if you look at the fictional history of Starfleet and the real history of American military emblems, you can see that the new Space Force insignia mostly serves to fill in one more gap in the Starfleet emblem’s fictional history.

THE EARLY YEARS

Uniform patches have long been a tradition in the United States, and the general layout has been the same for decades, as seen with the United States Marine Corps insignia here — a circular layout, with the name of the organization around the outside, and the Corps’ “eagle, globe, and anchor” in the middle. This type of thing has informed public perceptions about what looks like an “official” organizational emblem for years.

The most obvious precursor to Starfleet in our modern world is NASA, where you can a lot of the same design elements that would later show up in Starfleet designs — the field of stars, the orbital path encircling the logo, and even a sort of oblong arrowhead shape that kind of looks like the Starfleet delta got stuck in a taffy-puller (or maybe an “automatic rice picker”). Patches like these show up, framed, in the “602 Club” frequented by Jonathan Archer and others of Starfleet’s earliest officers.

AIR FORCE SPACE COMMAND

The clearest design inspiration for the new Space Force logo is the shield for the Air Force Space Command, which was designed in the early 80s. The Space Command oversaw space-based defense missions like missile warning systems, and existed right up until the the Space Force became the sixth branch of the US Armed Forces in 2019. If nothing else, this shield showcases that if the United States is taking their design inspirations from Star Trek , they’ve been doing so for decades.

THE BEGINNINGS OF STARFLEET

“Through hardships to the stars” proclaims the earliest example of the Starfleet logo, which is clearly intended to be a direct descendent of the NASA emblems that proceeded it. In the early days, Starfleet uniforms featured a lot of design elements later uniforms would drop: things like visible zippers, plenty of pockets, and designated ship patches for each vessel. The crews of ships like the Enterprise and Colombia proudly identified the ship to which they belonged — because when you serve aboard the Enterprise , no matter the era, you want people to know it.

INCORPORATING THE MACOs

Before the creation of the Federation, the Earth stood alone. With the creation of a united Earth government, there was no longer a need to maintain militaries for individual countries to fight one another. The soldiers didn’t go away, however: they became MACOs, the “Military Assault Command Ops,” the official military tasked with defending Earth against extraterrestrial threats. By comparison, Starfleet was a smaller pilot program that spent its nascent years in danger of being scrapped.

When Earth was attacked by the Xindi, Jonathan Archer was sent to find and stop them — and he was given a detachment of MACO troops to help bolster Starfleet’s firepower. The MACO insignia includes a five-pointed star with an elongated top, which would become incorporated into the Starfleet logo

THE U.S.S. FRANKLIN

The Franklin is a ship that vanished during the early days of Starfleet, and its captain, Balthazar Edison, served as a MACO before the formation of the Federation. This mission patch shows one of the earliest instances of the Starfleet “Delta” in more or less the right shape.

THE U.S.S. DISCOVERY

By the time of the U.S.S. Discovery , the Starfleet insignia had evolved to a very recognizable form — with the addition of a vertical line that separated the insignia into two-toned sections. The MACO star, by this point, signified command-level crew, with different-model insignia for other departments.

KIRK'S ENTERPRISE

For a while during Kirk’s era, different divisions aboard the ship had different variants of the Starfleet insignia to denote the different departments, like Science and Engineering/Operations. Later generations (including The Next Generation ) would indicate departments through color-coded jumpsuits.

The Starfleet insignia later took on greater utility and importance as it came to house an officer’s communicator, scaled down from the bulky “flip-phone” design to a hands-free wearable device. The badge also tracks the wearer’s movements and activities everywhere they go, kind of like our smart phones do now (it’s best not to think about that too much).

Originally seen in the TNG series finale “All Good Things…” this future combadge popped up in multiple alternate futures: Captain Nog wears it in “The Visitor,” and a future version of Admiral Janeway dons one in Voyager ’s finale, “Endgame.” A slightly-sleeker version of this iteration of the combadge appears to be what Starfleet is wearing by the time of the new Star Trek: Picard .

THE FUTURE'S FUTURE

Spotted on the lapel of time-traveling 29th-century Starfleet officer Captain Braxton in Voyager , this combadge shows that the Starfleet insignia truly has some staying power.

Of course, the 29th century was previously the farthest ahead we’ve ever gotten in the Trek timeline, but with the upcoming season of Discovery we’ll hopefully see our intrepid crew carrying the gospel of slightly-oblong triangles to a new generation of future humanoids.

Sean Kelly (he/him) is a freelance writer based in St. Louis. He occasionally gets depressed that he’ll never know what raktajino tastes like.

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Star Trek Timeline

Monday, October 2, 2017

Starfleet insignia explained.

Starfleet Starship Duty Insignia, Command Division from Star Trek: The Original Series .

"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 Scottish 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 TOS :

• 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.

Above: 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, Doctor 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.

The steely glare of 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 two, 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 once themselves they 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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Insignia class starships

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Insignia -class

This category lists Federation starships classified as Insignia -class .

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Starfleet insignia

The Starfleet insignia or Starfleet delta was an asymmetrical, arrowhead-shaped emblem used by Starfleet . This symbol was used on every Starfleet badge and was displayed on starship hulls , installations , uniforms , and equipment, such as screws and screwdrivers .

• 1.1 Alternate reality
• 1.2 Mirror universe
• 1.3 Parallel and future versions
• 2.1 Background information

History [ ]

NASA insignia

This arrowhead shape has roots in history, beginning with a basic form on the logo used NASA in the 20th and 21st centuries , the United States military space command ratings badge and unit insignia, and on UESPA exploration vessels, such as the Friendship 1 , in the 21st century .

United Earth insignia

Building on that legacy, the United Earth Starfleet of the 22nd century used a simple forward-facing "pointer" shaped pennant, with a round backdrop. The original design for the Starfleet uniform of that era did not include this symbol, unless it was a crewperson assigned to Starfleet Command , who wore the insignia as their assignment patch on the left shoulder. In a later uniform revision of the 2160s , personnel wore the Starfleet patch on their right shoulder as well as the left shoulder assignment patch. ( ENT : " First Flight ", " These Are the Voyages... "; TNG : " The Royale ")

Shortly after the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161 , a solid silver delta was worn on the left breast of the uniform , with individual assignment patches worn on both shoulders. ( Star Trek Beyond )

After the 2160s, Starfleet slightly changed its insignias. The forward facing "pointer" shaped pennant remained the main logo for all of Starfleet, however Starfleet adopted different insignias for a different part of the fleet such as Starships and installations. For Starships. a new arrowhead delta design was adopted. This new arrowhead was the iconic Starfleet delta and was used only used on Starships. This design was used continuously until at least 2255 or 2256 , when the right side of the delta was changed to be outlined and slightly separated from the rest of the arrowhead. ( DIS Seasons 1 and 2 ; SNW Season 1 ; Star Trek: The Original Series ; Star Trek: The Animated Series ; Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

Personnel sit in front of a 2260s Starfleet pennant

The main logo of Starfleet was modified by 2256, with the left side of the insignia shortened. This simplified pennant was still used to display on Federation starships, and some installations, though it was not used on uniforms. ( TOS : " Court Martial "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly ", " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")

Three variants of the Starfleet insignia on uniforms aboard the USS Discovery ( 2257 )

The arrowhead delta insignia of Starships remained on the uniforms of officers and enlisted who served on starships. It came into usage for much of Starfleet's exploration division in the early to mid- 23rd century . ( TOS : " Court Martial ")

A starburst insignia was used by flag officers and administrative support staff of fleet headquarters and starbases . The regular Starfleet arrowhead insignia remained the standard identification for Starfleet from the late 2250s to at least 2265 . ( TOS : " The Cage ", " Court Martial ", " The Doomsday Machine ", " The Omega Glory "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II "; Star Trek ; DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ")

Two variants of the Starfleet Insignia based on rank and division, seen aboard the USS Enterprise ( 2268 )

By the mid- 2270s , while some installations such as Epsilon IX station , maintained their individual assignment patches, Starfleet Command began adopting the Starship arrowhead design for all of Starfleet. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; Star Trek ; Star Trek Beyond ) Specifically, the command division insignia, with its five-pointed star contained in the arrowhead, was most often used, although a version omitting the internal star gained prominence as well. This symbol was now pointed up when worn on the chest or shoulder of uniforms, as well as displayed in signage, and facing fore when used as hull decoration on ships. This symbol eventually phased out all assignment patches by the late 2270s, and remained in use for some Starfleet divisions well into the 24th century . The metal badge version of this symbol became Starfleet's first combadge as well. ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise "; VOY : " Friendship One ")

Two variants of Starfleet insignias worn on uniforms on the USS Enterprise -D (2365)

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

Two variants of the Starfleet insignia worn on uniforms, as seen on the USS Cerritos (2380s)

By the 2370s , a newer version was created for use as a combadge , with a stylized trapezoidal background. Starship hull pennants of this era began using a simplified version of the arrowhead alone, without a background. ( Star Trek Generations ; DS9 : " The Search, Part I "; VOY : " Caretaker "; Star Trek: Insurrection ) Starfleet adopted the simplified silver version as part of the uniform used in the early 2380s, alongside continued use of the version used in the 2370s. ( LD : " Second Contact "; PIC : " Nepenthe ")

In 2383 , some Starfleet personnel wore a hollow, outlined version of the arrowhead in silver with two dark, irregular stylized vertical trapezoids behind it. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ") This is similar to a version of the insignia used in several alternate timelines around 2390 onward, which used vertical gold bars as the backing. ( TNG : " All Good Things... "; DS9 : " The Visitor "; VOY : " Timeless ", " Endgame ") In 2378 , one of these "alternate future" combadges was brought into the prime timeline by a future version of Kathryn Janeway , where it remained alongside other anachronistic advanced technology used to bring the USS Voyager home early. ( VOY : " Endgame ")

By 2399 , this design had been adapted with the trapezoids in dark silver, and now only descending from arrowhead. By 2402 , the combadge had been revised slightly, with the color of the trapezoids restored to gold.( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

By 3190, a solid chrome background with 2 golden triangular shapes (one bigger than the other), making up the arrowhead, placed on top with a silver, curved, bottom. It also had markings on the right-hand side to show the wear's rank, following the same pattern as the pips on the collar (number and colour). it was also the wear's Tricom badge . This insignia was also used on robotic droids such as Darts used on USS Discovery . ( DIS : " Scavengers ") An insignia, similar to that used in the 24th Century, was used on EV suits .

Alternate reality [ ]

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

By 2379, Starfleet was using an insignia similar to the one used from the 2340's to the 2360's in the Prime timeline. ( DIS : " Terra Firma, Part 1 ")

Mirror universe [ ]

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

Parallel and future versions [ ]

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

In several alternate timelines observed by Starfleet personnel, new variations of this symbol existed. In the 2390s and 25th century , Starfleet personnel were known to wear a hollow, outlined version of the arrowhead with two irregular stylized vertical trapezoids behind it as their badge. ( TNG : " All Good Things... "; DS9 : " The Visitor "; VOY : " Timeless ", " Endgame ") One of these combadges was brought back in time to 2378 in the prime universe by a future version of Kathryn Janeway , where it was left behind alongside other anachronistic technology. ( VOY : " Endgame ") This design was in use aboard the USS Dauntless in 2384 of the prime timeline. ( PRO : " A Moral Star, Part 2 ")

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

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

Appendix [ ]

Background information [ ].

Division insignia used during most of TOS

From the Star Trek Encyclopedia , 4th ed., vol. 1, p. 365, " The distinctive arrowhead symbol used on Starfleet uniforms was first created by Star Trek: The Original Series costume designer William Ware Theiss for the " The Cage " in 1964 . Three versions of the original symbol were created, used for command personnel, science specialists, and engineering staff. (A fourth version, featuring a red cross, was occasionally worn by Christine Chapel .)" Another version, which appeared only in "The Cage", had a unique symbol of a box, open on the wearer's left, with a "C" shape inside. Only two crewmembers were seen wearing this unique insignia; both were on the bridge with one standing like a guard at the turbolift doors, and the other standing at times next to Captain Pike's chair. This unique insignia's meaning was never mentioned on screen; it was dropped in the second pilot, " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", and never appeared again.

Following the original Star Trek series, it was generally assumed that the arrowhead symbol was unique to Enterprise , and that other starships had different insignia for their uniforms." This misunderstanding may have arisen from a costume error in " The Omega Glory ", which officers on the USS Exeter were shown having their own unique insignia, but the intention was for all ships to use one symbol. A memo from Robert H. Justman dated 18 December 1967 clarified the policy around the arrowhead emblem , stating " all Starship personnel wear the Starship emblem that we have established for our Enterprise Crew Members to wear, " meaning that the arrowhead was always meant to be the emblem for all of Starfleet. Further, the crew of the Antares was the " equivalent of the Merchant Marines or freighter personnel " and other emblems should be counted as production mistakes. [1] Nevertheless, the two-part Enterprise episode " In a Mirror, Darkly (episode) " depicted the USS Defiant as having its own distinctive insignia.

Reference works , such as the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (p. 3), suggest that the Starfleet-wide adoption of the Enterprise emblem was probably to honor the ship and her crew for their successful and historic five-year mission . Considering that one of Star Trek 's long-held influences is the Age of Sail, it may be a reference to the British Royal Navy's adoption of Nelson Chequer – the particular coloration of the ships of Admiral Horatio Nelson – on all of its ships after the Battle of Trafalgar . In a form of fact emulating fiction (and vice-versa), the US Air Force Space Command badges have a delta arrowhead very similar to the 1960s-designed Enterprise insignia, while the United Earth Starfleet insignia seems to be a deliberate synthesis between the TOS era pennant and the NASA logo. Several other space agencies (Roscosmos, JAXA, CNSA, ISRO) use a variation of the 'vector' shape in their logos as well.

Fletcher's revised division insignia seen in TMP

The Star Trek Encyclopedia further notes: " This changed in Star Trek: The Motion Picture , when a modified emblem, designed by Robert Fletcher , was used not only on Enterprise crew members, but on all Starfleet personnel. We therefore assume that at some point after the original Star Trek series, the Enterprise emblem was adopted for the entire Starfleet. The feature film insignia (in a couple of variations) was used for the movies set in the Kirk era, as well for Star Trek: The Next Generation flashback sequences involving Picard's cadet days. Yet another variation was created for Star Trek: The Next Generation 's first season by Theiss, in conjunction with Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda . This version was also used on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Most recently. Starfleet officers wear a version designed by John Eaves and Bob Blackman , first seen in Star Trek Generations . Additionally, two hypothetical future versions have been seen. One, designed by Okuda, was seen in " Future Imperfect " and " Parallels ", while another, designed by Eaves, was used in " All Good Things... " and " The Visitor ". Still more variants were added for the Kelvin timeline for Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness . "

The 29th century insignia is referred to as the "far future Starfleet" symbol in the Star Trek Sticker Book , and was designed by Richard James and Rick Sternbach. (p. 14)

Several patches were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [2] (X)

Following the announcement of the logo of the United States Space Force , a division of the Department of the Air Force, a number of sources noted its similarity to the Starfleet insignia, though others pointed out that the design appeared to based on the logo of the Air Force Space Command , which was phased out in place of the new Space Force. [3]

• 1 USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-G)
• 3 Daniels (Crewman)

One Underrated Star Trek Character Is Getting Celebrated In a Surprising Way

The greatest Starfleet officer... ever?

Almost four decades after the debut of Star Trek: The Next Generation , and 25 years after the end of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the one character who spans both shows is getting some interesting recognition from his future birthplace. In the Star Trek timeline, in 2328, Miles Edward O’Brien was born in the Irish town of Killarney. And now, this working-class hero of Starfleet might end up as a statue. Which, strangely enough, would fulfill a prediction that Trek canon actually made in 2020.

According to Radio Kerry in Ireland , a petition now has about 600 signatures to get a statue of Trek character Miles Edward O’Brien erected in Killarney. As reported by the Killarney Advertiser , the petition strongly emphasizes Star Trek's “hopeful vision of the future,” and suggests that the “statue would shine as a beacon of hope for our world standing at the centre of one of the most beautiful regions of Ireland, if not the galaxy.”

Interestingly, this petition comes the same month that the dream pop band Mister Data just released their latest single, “Transporter Room 3,” with lyrics that are specifically about O’Brien’s biography and his family’s history of being pro-union and in favor of fair working conditions. Weird, right?

O’Brien as Star Trek’s everyman

O’Brien and Bashir share some beers in Deep Space Nine .

Notably, Irish actor Colm Meaney — who played O’Brien in Trek — was born in Dublin, not Killarney. However, fictional birthplaces of Star Trek characters have been immortalized in local landmarks before. There is a statue of Captain Janeway in Bloomington, Indiana, and several murals and one statue of Captain Kirk in Riverside, Iowa.

But those characters are captains, while, of course, O’Brien is a former transporter operator, former flight controller, and eventually, the maintenance guy who kept both the space station Deep Space 9 running, and the USS Defiant from flying apart.

O’Brien’s working-class values are perhaps, part of the aspirational nature of the character. Although many Trek characters are “officers,” O’Brien makes a point in several episodes (including “Past Tense”) of reminding people that he is an “enlisted man,” meaning, he’s not an academy graduate, nor was his career path one where he wanted to get all the glory.

Instead, O’Brien is Star Trek’s best example of how some forms of classism do exist in the egalitarian 24th century. But O’Brien’s story also reveals that people need not be trapped by their class in the Trek future. In fact, O’Brien uses his decision not to attend the academy to his advantage.

Star Trek Canon’s O’Brien statue

Star Trek: Lower Decks predicted an O’Brien statue already.

Interestingly, Trek canon already predicted there would be a statue of Miles O’Brien at some point. Back in 2020, in the Lower Decks Season 1 episode “Temporal Edict ,” a distant future flash forward indicated that O’Brien would be considered the most important person in Starfleet history ever .

So, if the Killarney O’Brien statue becomes a reality, it will exist several hundred years before even Trek canon predicted. Hopefully, that means O’Brien’s warm down-to-earth worldview and basic kindness will pervade Earth earlier than the 24th century, too.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine stream on Paramount+.

• Science Fiction