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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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Who Created The Star Trek Logo & What Do Its Variations Represent?

"Star Trek" has some of the most recognizable iconography in all of sci-fi, from the hulking image of the Starship Enterprise to the pointy ears of the Vulcans. Even just one look at the "Star Trek" logo — that basic arrowhead-esque shape containing a star with one elongated point inside — is enough to conjure countless memories of the adventures seen throughout the franchise. In fact, it's such an iconic component that some fans may have never stopped to wonder where exactly it comes from and what it's supposed to represent.

The "Star Trek" logo that everyone knows and loves — also commonly referred to as the "Delta" — was created in 1964 by the costume designer for the original series, William Ware Theiss. Theiss contributed a lot to the look of early "Star Trek," and his development of the "Delta" insignia to denote members of Starfleet on their uniforms quickly became the franchise's most enduring symbol. In the years since, the insignia has evolved and shifted into several distinct variations, each of which carry their own in-universe meaning.

There are a couple major Starfleet insignia variations

While the exact look of the Starfleet insignia has changed with just about each new entry into the "Star Trek" canon, it has just about always retained its core arrowhead shape. However, even dating back as far as the original series from the 1960s, the symbol contained within each variation of the arrowhead has actually been used to denote the specific division of Starfleet that the corresponding individual is a part of.

Of course, the most popular variation and the one most commonly seen today is the logo with the star inside. This version is commonly used to denote a Starfleet employee who is a member of the command division. Most of the major characters who make up the crew of various starships, from Spock to Captain Picard, are part of the command division, hence why it's the most common variation.

"Star Trek: The Original Series" further introduces three other major variations. The one with two overlapping circles signifies a member of Starfleet's sciences division, the one with a spiral inside represents the operations division, and, finally, the one with a red cross contained inside belongs to medical personnel. Other "Star Trek" projects have introduced the occasional new variant, but these four comprise the most well-known versions in canon.

The Starfleet insignia takes inspiration from a surprising place

It's been established that William Ware Theiss developed the Starfleet logo for "Star Trek: The Original Series," but some fans may still be wondering about its canonical origin. Where did the arrowhead symbol come from in-universe and why does it represent Starfleet? As it happens, the in-universe history of the Starfleet symbol and some of the pieces of inspiration Theiss drew from in the real world are one and the same.

The bulk of the "Star Trek" timeline that fans see takes place far into the future beyond the real-world present day. As such, it's frequently suggested that Starfleet as an organization grew out of Earth's space-based initiatives and programs from our real-world history. Indeed, there's a clever link between NASA and Starfleet in terms of their logos. Simply take the NASA logo and focus solely on the diagonal-pointing red "V" shape. Adjust it slightly so that the "V" is pointing upwards, and the resulting shape resembles the basic outline of the Starfleet symbol. To make this connection stronger, the franchise's United Earth insignia hews even closer to the NASA design in terms of composition.

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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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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TV Corporation | UPN | USA Network | UrbanBaby | VIVA ( Austria | Germany | Hungary ) | VH1 ( Adria | Denmark | Indonesia | Italy | Latin America (HD) | Poland | Romania | Russia | UK ) | VH1 Classic ( Europe ) | VH1 Films | VH1 MegaHits | VH1 Uno | Viacom ( Special Delivery ) | Viacom Consumer Products | Viacom Pictures | Viacom Blink! | Viacom New Media | VistaVision | Voot | Westinghouse Broadcasting Company | Westinghouse Broadcasting International | Wilshire Court Productions | Worldvision Home Video | ZDNet

Notes: 1 Joint venture with BeIN Media Group 2 Co-owned with TV18 3 Co-owned with NBCUniversal 5 Co-owned with 20th Century Fox 6 12.5% stake co-owned with Warner Bros. Discovery , the remaining 75% stake is owned by Nexstar Media Group . 7 Joint-venture with Weigel Broadcasting 8 Co-owned with Seoul Broadcasting System 9 Co-owned with Corus Entertainment 10 Co-owned with 1+1 Media 11 Co-owned with RTL Group 12 Joint venture with AMC Networks International 13 Joint venture with BBC 14 Joint venture with Marvel Comics 15 Co-owned with Grupo Abril from 1990 to 2009 16 Co-owned with Viva Entertainment 17 Joint venture with Hubbard Broadcasting 18 Co-owned with Solar Entertainment 19 51% owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting 20 Co-owned with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 21 Joint venture with RTL Group 22 Co-owned with ABC 23 Joint venture with Comcast 24 Co-owned with Viaplay Group 25 Co-owned with CH Media

• 2 JioCinema
• 3 Nickelodeon/Logo Variations

Star Trek Logos: Major Galactic Powers

Artwork by Kris Trigwell

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 .

The Emblem of Starfleet Command

by Jörg Hillebrand , Bernd Schneider and Brad Wilder

Classic Command Emblem Discovery & Picard Command Emblems Addendum: Starfleet Logo on Tube-Shaped Bag Addendum: Precursors of the Command Emblem

The Starfleet Command emblem never appeared on TNG and was created by Michael Okuda as late as for the fourth season of DS9. It is prominent in several DS9 and Voyager episodes.

In the Star Trek Sticker Book , on the cover of which the logo of Starfleet Command is shown at a large size, Mike Okuda writes:

"The Starfleet Command seal was first seen 'Homefront' (DS9) and later in 'In the Flesh' (VGR), although the agency itself, of course, dates back to the original Star Trek series. The symbol was intended to be somewhat reminiscent of the NASA emblem."

Even after a thorough review we could not find the logo either in "Homefront" or in "Paradise Lost".

Mike Okuda: "I don't recall where it appeared in 'Homefront'."

The actual first appearance seems to be a bit later in the fourth season of DS9, in "Rules of Engagement". In this and many other episodes we can see the logo on a yellow flag. It turns out, however, that there are two variants of this yellow flag. In later episodes, a gray flag with a differently colored logo should be added. Finally, we can see the emblem as a standalone seal in several episodes.

Variations of the Starfleet Command logo would later be created for Enterprise and for Discovery/Strange New Worlds and Picard.

Classic Command Emblem

Ds9: rules of engagement.

DS9: Behind the Lines

After a long time we see the logo again in this episode, for the first time on the back of a PADD. The PADD contains an "Intelligence report" on a Dominion sensor array in the Argolis Cluster discovered by Starfleet Intelligence. As the information is classified, the words "For Eyes Only" are written on the front of the PADD, across a Starfleet logo. On the back of the same PADD we can see the Starfleet Command logo. It looks exactly as described above and as depicted on the cover of the Star Trek Sticker Book . The arrowhead has a gray gradient that is intended to mimic the metallic effect of silver.

It is important to note that in "Behind the Lines", Admiral Ross appears with Starfleet's new admiral uniform for the first time. However, in this episode it still lacks the belt buckle with the Starfleet Command logo surrounded by olive leaves. Here, Admiral Ross's uniform has a simple, rectangular belt buckle.

In the same episode we also see the yellow flag of Starfleet Command for the second time, both in Admiral Ross's office and in Sisko's office on Starbase 375. In all other episodes featuring Starbase scenes, as well as in all subsequent DS9 episodes, the yellow flag will never resurface, however.

DS9: Favor the Bold

At least one of the belt buckles was listed for auction by It's a Wrap! in 2007.

VOY: In the Flesh

Although it is just a fake scenario created by Species 8472, "In the Flesh" has the first appearance of the emblem on Voyager. We can see it behind the bar in the Quantum Café. In terms of color, there are slight differences. The arrowhead is white or light gray. The red rings seem to be missing or are very thin. The area between the rings is no longer black, but light gray. The text inside the rings is no longer white, but black. The comet tail retains its yellow color.

In addition, Boothby's office has several windows with the logo. These windows were reused in later episodes in Admiral Paris's and Admiral Janeway's offices. For these later appearances, however, frosted instead of clear glass was used. In the variant of the logo on glass, the arrowhead, the area between the two rings and the small stars in the background are all silver. The command star and the text are therefore transparent, or later white. The yellow tail, however, is still colored.

Star Trek Insurrection

In this movie we see Admiral Dougherty wearing the admiral's uniform and the decorated belt buckle described above.

DS9: The Changing Face of Evil

Here we can see the logo in a flower bed on the grounds of Starfleet Headquarters. The logo looks like it was described in the introductory text, the two red rings are clearly visible.

DS9: The Dogs of War

One last time we see the logo on the back of a PADD in "The Dogs of War". This is probably the same PADD as in "Behind the Lines". The PADD is used when Admiral Ross transfers the command of the USS São Paulo to Captain Sisko. This is a formal Starfleet document, hence probably the Starfleet Command sticker on the back of the PADD.

VOY: One Small Step

The gray flag has two red rings. The text between the rings is white. The area between the two rings, which is black on the yellow flag and on the standalone seal, is gray, like the rest of the flag. Also, the area inside the inner circle, which is dark blue on the yellow flag and the seal, is gray here. This circle is missing the white stars as on all other variations. The arrowhead is silver (it appears to be dark gray in the episode), the Command star is black. Inside the star there are still two white dots that are supposed to represent stars, which is probably an oversight. The comet tail is still yellow, as usual.

Mike Okuda: "Regarding the grey flag for 'One Small Step,' it was likely made because DS9 and VGR had separate set dressing departments, and sometimes it is more convenient to have duplicate props than it is to coordinate with another production that might need it for something else. Or it might simply be that our set decorator, the late Jim Mees, wanted a grey flag, instead of the yellow flag that we used in DS9. On the other hand, I seem to recall that Jim had me make a yellow flag (with a different graphic) for Starfleet Command in Enterprise. I also recall that Jim wanted the United Earth flag in Enterprise to be grey."

The flag was later auctioned by It's a Wrap!. The photo of the prop clearly shows the silver color of the arrowhead and the black command star.

VOY: Pathfinder

In "Pathfinder", the Starfleet Command emblem appears in several variants and in different places. For the first time, it can be seen in plain gray/white on the façade of the Starfleet Communications Research Center building. All components of the logo, including the stars in the inner circle, are present. This shot was often reused in later episodes that take place on Earth.

Several admirals, including Admiral Paris, can be seen with the decorated belt buckle.

In Admiral Paris's office the gray and the yellow variant of the Starfleet Command flag appear together for the first time. The gray flag is the same that was introduced a few episodes earlier, in "One Small Step".

The picture of the flag from the It's a Wrap! auction clearly shows the differences between this flag and the one that appeared on DS9.

Why was a new yellow flag created? Maybe the old one had disappeared after the end of DS9 a few months earlier. This could be another reason why the gray flag was created for "One Small Step". In all subsequent Voyager episodes featuring the Starfleet Command logo, both flags should always be visible.

In Admiral Paris's office we can also see the windows with the Starfleet Command logo, which were probably reused from "In the Flesh". As already mentioned, instead of the previous transparent ones the panes are frosted now. The logo is unchanged compared to "In the Flesh".

Finally, the logo is visible on a glass door at the entrance to the Pathfinder lab. The design matches the logo on the glass in Boothby's office in "In the Flesh", but is not colored. All the areas that were silver or yellow in this logo are tinted glass while the rest of the logo (and the door) is translucent.

VOY: Life Line

This episode briefly shows the gray and yellow Starfleet Command flags in Admiral Hayes's office.

VOY: Inside Man

"Inside Man" is another episode to feature all variations of the logo from "Pathfinder". This includes the logo outside the Communications Research Center building, the one on the windows in Admiral Paris's office, the two flags, the belt buckle and the glass door to the Project Pathfinder Laboratory. The laboratory space looks completely different and the logo on the glass pane is barely recognizable, but it is the same glass door as still in "Pathfinder".

VOY: Author, Author

We can see the logo on the outside of the Communications Research Center building and on the glass front door to the Pathfinder lab. Only the flags do not appear in this episode.

VOY: Friendship One

The gray and the yellow Starfleet Command flags show up in Admiral Hendricks's office.

VOY: Endgame

In the scenes that are set in the year 2404, the logo can be spotted several times. The first time is in a new take of the Starfleet Communication Research Center. Also, the already known shot of the building appears. Admiral Janeway's office displays both flags and the familiar frosted glass version. The glass door of the Pathfinder Project Laboratory also displays the logo. In the final scenes, which take place in the Pathfinder laboratory in the year 2378, the logo can be seen on the belt buckles of several admirals.

The window panes with the emblems were later auctioned off by It's a Wrap!.

Star Trek Prodigy

A monochrome seal appears appears on CR-721 and on a wall display on the Dauntless in PRO: "Mindwalk".

Discoverse & Picard Command Emblems

Star trek discovery.

Like the uniform badges, the Starfleet Command emblem of the reboot series shows a "split" arrowhead. Another characteristic feature of the Discovery-style Command emblem are the four stars that perhaps represent the four founding members of the Federation.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek Picard

The new Picard-style Starfleet command logo appears anachronistically on two of Picard's awards that date back to the years 2333 and 2351, respectively. Other awards from this era correctly show an arrowhead that was actually in use at the time. Picard's trophies and awards created for "Remembrance" contain several more errors and were never meant to be seen up close anyway. We can spot the problems only on prop photos, not in the episode itself.

We can see the so-lettered Starfleet Command emblem on Star Trek Picard, as well as a logo for the Starfleet Museum and one for the Quantum Archives. They are all identical except for the lettering.

Addendum: Starfleet Logo on Tube-Shaped Bag

In many DS9 episodes we can see an interesting tube-shaped, blue-red document bag with a Starfleet logo. The logo can never be seen up close, but it has a yellow or golden ring. It is not clear if there is text in this ring. Inside the yellow ring is a black area. Centrally located in this area is a silver arrowhead, in the middle of which we can spot the black Command star. The arrowhead partially protrudes into the yellow ring. Further details are not recognizable. Since this logo bears a certain resemblance to the Starfleet Command logo, it is included here. The bag showed up as soon as in the first season DS9 (e.g. in "A Man Alone"), well before the logo was created for the fourth season ("Rules of Engagement").

Addendum: Precursors of the Command Emblem

Abramsverse

The Emblems of Earth Starfleet and Earth Starfleet Command - overview of all variations of the two logos

The Emblem of Starfleet Academy - overview of its evolution and of the correctness of the motto

The Evolution of the Starfleet Medical Emblem - exhaustive survey of all variants

Thanks to Star Trek Auction Listings , from where we took photos of auctioned items.

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

Last modified: 17 Feb 2024

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Fleet Yards

Starfleet ranks

• View history

The rank insignia of a Starfleet captain in the late 23rd century

Cristóbal Rios' rank pip collection from his Starfleet career

Tom Paris is demoted to ensign for disobeying orders

Starfleet ranks were identifying titles of rank for the officers and enlisted members of Starfleet denoting the chain of command under both United Earth and the United Federation of Planets . These titles were generally adapted from earlier Earth naval forces. ( TOS : " The City on the Edge of Forever ", ENT : " Storm Front ")

• 1 Early usage
• 2.1 Early 23rd century
• 2.2 Early-mid 23rd century
• 2.3 Late-mid 23rd century
• 2.4 Late 23rd century
• 3 24th century
• 4 25th century
• 5 29th century
• 6 32nd century
• 7.1 Mirror universe
• 7.2 Alternate reality
• 7.3 Alternate universe
• 8.1 Flag officers
• 8.2 Officer ranks
• 8.3 Provisional officers
• 8.4 Cadet ranks
• 8.5.1 Non-commissioned officers
• 8.5.2 Crewmen
• 9.1 Fleet captain
• 9.2 Deputy director
• 9.3 Colonel
• 9.4 Corporal
• 9.5 Miscellaneous
• 10.1 See also
• 10.2 Background information
• 10.3 Apocrypha
• 10.4 External links

Early usage [ ]

By the development of the NX-Alpha in 2143 , the Starfleet rank structure had at least three enlisted ranks, four officer ranks, and three ranks for use by flag officers . Silver rank pips were displayed on the right breast of the Starfleet uniforms , above a colored shoulder trim denoting what division the crew member was assigned to. Flag officers' pips were surrounded by a black rectangle with a silver border. ( ENT : " First Flight ", et al.) This system was still in place by 2161 . ( ENT : " These Are the Voyages... ")

23rd century [ ]

Early 23rd century [ ].

By the 2230s , the Starfleet uniform used a sleeve stripe system instead of pips to denote rank. ( Star Trek )

Early-mid 23rd century [ ]

Gold shoulder trim of a flag admiral, captain, and officer (left to right)

By 2239 , Starfleet had adopted a uniform where officer rank was denoted by the number of raised or indented pips on a Starfleet delta . ( ST : " The Brightest Star ") The admiralty wore a Starfleet insignia surrounded by a wreath made up of smaller golden or black Starfleet insignia on a dark disc; the more of them are gold, the higher the rank. ( DIS : " The Vulcan Hello ", " The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry ")

A variation of this uniform introduced in the 2250s changed the rank system back to a sleeve stripe system. For the command and operations division officers, the stripes matched the division color: gold stripes for command, red stripes for operations. Sciences division officers wore silver stripes. ( DIS : " Brother ", " Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 ")

A new uniform was introduced around 2259 , retaining the rank insignia system from the previous style with only slight modifications. Sciences officers wore blue stripes in the new system, while silver stripes were reserved for medical officers. Doctors wore a light-blue variant of the sciences uniform while nurses wore white. ( SNW : " Strange New Worlds ", et al.)

Another Starfleet uniform used around this time had a much simpler rank and insignia system, in which enlisted personnel wore no rank insignia while the rank of chief petty officer was denoted by a special sleeve stripe. Commissioned officers wore a solid gold stripe. This system would be in use concurrently with other rank insignia systems for at least fifteen years, with only a slight modification by 2265 , when those holding the rank of captain were authorized to wear two gold stripes whereas other officers wore one. ( TOS : " The Cage ", " Where No One Has Gone Before ")

Late-mid 23rd century [ ]

By 2266 , Starfleet had phased out the simple rank system that gave all commissioned officers the same insignia. They also modified the other system that had been in use for the last decade or so. In this new system, all enlisted personnel, chief petty officers included, as well as ensigns, had no insignia whatsoever with most enlisted personnel also wearing Starfleet jumpsuits instead of the standard tunic uniforms worn by the officers. ( TOS : " The Corbomite Maneuver ", et al)

Starfleet flag officers wore a thicker braid insignia than regular officers. ( TOS : " Court Martial ", " The Trouble with Tribbles ")

The rank of cadet and midshipman were both in use at Starfleet Academy . ( TOS : " Shore Leave ", " Court Martial ")

In the mid- 2270s , Starfleet changed its uniforms yet again, although mainly in appearance only. The rank insignia of officers remained almost the same, though the lieutenant junior grade braid was now used to indicate ensign. Enlisted personnel adopted a style of their own rank insignia and both officers and admirals could now wear a short sleeve "Class B" uniform which displayed rank insignia on shoulder tabs. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture )

Late 23rd century [ ]

By the year 2278 , Starfleet had again changed its uniforms , abandoning the previous sleeve stripe system and adopting a totally new insignia design which incorporated a series of rank pins worn on a shoulder strap with the color of the strap determining the bearer's branch within Starfleet. At this point, the lieutenant junior grade rank had also been re-established.

The shoulder strap system also matched with a cuff strap which could display various citation and years-of-service pins. Finally, in the case of admirals, another series of cuff straps denoted the particular rank of the admiral.

Enlisted uniforms were also completely revamped from previous versions and now were worn as jumpsuits with rank pins worn on the lower right sleeve. Enlisted ranks themselves were expanded, encompassing several grades of petty officer and chief petty officer . ( Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )

With the exception of some minor cosmetic changes to officer uniforms, including the introduction of a standard communicator pin by 2344 , the uniforms and insignia of the late 23rd century remained unchanged until the late 2340s . ( TNG : " Yesterday's Enterprise ", " Family ")

Concept art by Robert Fletcher

24th century [ ]

Ranks in the 2360s

A captain's rank pips

By the year 2355 , Starfleet had introduced a new uniform design , with a pip system of golden pin insignia worn on the collar. ( TNG : " The Battle ")

The 24th century pip system included a black pip insignia to denote chief petty officers. ( TNG : " Realm Of Fear ")

The pip system used in the mid-to-late 24th century remained relatively unchanged through 2385 , having been kept across several uniform design changes. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

In the 2360s , admirals wore a triangular insignia on a special flag officer uniform. ( TNG : " Too Short A Season ", " Coming of Age ", " Conspiracy ")

Admiral insignia worn in the vertical fashion

By 2365 , this insignia had been replaced by a "boxed pip" system worn vertically on the flag uniform collar. ( TNG : " The Measure Of A Man ") By 2366 , the admiral insignia was commonly worn horizontally against the collar in the same way as the insignia worn by other grades. ( TNG : " The Defector ")

Chief petty officer

By the mid- 2370s , Starfleet had changed the chief petty officer rank insignia, replacing the black pip with chevrons and dots. ( DS9 : " Hippocratic Oath ")

25th century [ ]

By the year 2399 , Starfleet's familiar pip design had been relocated from the collar to the right breast of the uniform and the pips had become silver. ( PIC : " Remembrance ") By the early 2400s , the silver rank pips were back on the collar of the uniform. ( PIC : " The Star Gazer ")

The pips of flag officers were placed on a dark gray isosceles trapezoid with a silver border. ( PIC : " Maps and Legends ")

29th century [ ]

The uniforms worn by the Starfleet crew of the USS Relativity during the 29th century displayed a new design for rank insignia, with horizontal bronze chevrons on the right collar instead of pips. ( VOY : " Future's End ", " Relativity ")

32nd century [ ]

By the 32nd century , Starfleet had passed through a number of rank insignia systems. ( DIS : " Forget Me Not ", " Su'Kal ")

By 3189 , rank was indicated on an officer's tricom badge . The ranks of captains and admirals were also shown on the collar and shoulders. The shoulder and collar had a similar design; captains had a vertical shoulder rank band at the edge of the shoulder, while admirals had a horizontal band along the top of the shoulder. ( DIS : " Die Trying ") Other officers had a plain collar badge.

Tricom badge concept art

Alternate timelines [ ]

Mirror universe [ ].

• See : Starfleet ranks (mirror)

Alternate reality [ ]

By 2258 in the alternate reality , Starfleet had adopted uniforms and an insignia pattern reminiscent of the mid 2250s in the prime reality . These new insignia consisted of silver bands worn on the lower sleeves of the uniform. Ensigns and certain skirt uniforms displayed no rank insignia. ( Star Trek )

Alternate universe [ ]

In an alternate universe observed during a quantum fissure , Starfleet had adopted an additional form of insignia which was incorporated directly into the design of the Starfleet combadge . The insignia appeared as black, gold, and silver bars behind the Starfleet delta, designed to show the rank of the wearer and along with collar pips. ( TNG : " Parallels ")

The same insignia was also used by the alien Barash during a holographic simulation of the USS Enterprise -D , designed to trick Commander William T. Riker into thinking he was in the future. Barash's simulation did not include the collar pips. ( TNG : " Future Imperfect ")

Comparative rank tables [ ]

Flag officers [ ].

Admirals in Starfleet were described as the flag officers , a term held over from naval tradition. These ranks constituted the highest authorities of Starfleet Command . ( TOS : " The Deadly Years ")

Officer ranks [ ]

Provisional officers [ ].

Insignia worn by warp specialist Kosinski

In 2364 , Starfleet propulsion expert Kosinski ran several upgrade experiments on the Enterprise -D. Kosinski wore a unique rank insignia denoting his special position. ( TNG : " Where No One Has Gone Before ")

The crew of the USS Voyager , which included non-Starfleet Maquis members, was forced to make use of provisional rank appointments as a matter of course since the ship was stranded in the Delta Quadrant and the Maquis members were essential to shipboard operations. ( VOY : " Caretaker ", et al. )

In 2381 , Vulcan Officer T'Lyn was given a provisional rank appointment as an ensign when she transferred from the VCF Sh'vhal to the USS Cerritos . ( LD : " wej Duj ")

Emblems designed by Madgaleno

Cadet ranks [ ]

Cadet ranks were held by those attending Starfleet Academy during their training to become commissioned officers. ( TNG : " The First Duty ")

Enlisted ranks [ ]

Enlisted ranks were achieved by members of Starfleet who had not attended Starfleet Academy. ( DS9 : " Starship Down ")

Non-commissioned officers [ ]

• Petty officer, first class; also known as " technician first class ", etc. ( TOS : " Space Seed ")
• Petty officer, second class; also known as "specialist second class", etc. ( citation needed • edit )
• Petty officer, third class; also known as " yeoman third class ", etc. ( TOS : " Charlie X ")

Crewmen [ ]

• Crewman first class ( TNG : " The Drumhead ")
• Crewman second class ( ENT : " Shuttlepod One ")
• Crewman third class ( ENT : " Cold Front ")

The lowest possible rank of recruit , ranked below the crewman grades. ( ENT : " Rogue Planet ", " Cogenitor ")

Titles and positions [ ]

Fleet captain [ ].

Fleet captain insignia, 2259

Fleet captain was a title bestowed upon Starfleet captains when in command of more than one facility. It was a rare distinction, held by particularly respected captains. ( TOS : " The Menagerie, Part I ", " Whom Gods Destroy ") The 2259 fleet captain rank insignia used the flag-officer-disk-version of the Starfleet insignia, with only the two small delta leaves below the main delta colored gold; the cuff stripes and other elements of the uniform were those of a captain. ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ")

In 2259, Captain Christopher Pike , commanding officer of the USS Enterprise , was temporarily promoted to fleet captain, bringing the USS Farragut and Bavali Station under his command. ( SNW : " Lost in Translation ") Pike was permanently promoted to this title by 2266 . ( TOS : " The Menagerie, Part I ") In the 2260s , it was also held by Captain Garth , one of Starfleet's most decorated captains and hero of the Battle of Axanar . ( TOS : " Whom Gods Destroy ")

Deputy director [ ]

Sloan's insignia

Sloan posing as a deputy director with Internal Affairs

While posing as a deputy director with Internal Affairs , Luther Sloan wore captain's pips with a gold bar connecting them beneath. ( DS9 : " Inquisition ")

Colonel [ ]

Colonel West in 2293

In 2293 , Starfleet Colonel West was involved in the Khitomer conspiracy . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country )

Corporal [ ]

In 2154 , Starfleet Corporal Askwith perished at the Earth embassy on Vulcan. ( ENT : " The Forge ")

Miscellaneous [ ]

The space officer's shoulder epaulets

In 2254 , Captain Christopher Pike, while on Talos IV , imagined himself as an Orion trader . He imagined an officer in a dress uniform with him at the Orion colony wearing peculiar shoulder epaulets and of unknown rank. ( TOS : " The Cage ")

In 2376 , The Doctor aboard Voyager briefly resigned his Starfleet commission. ( VOY : " Virtuoso ")

Appendices [ ]

See also [ ].

• Starfleet admirals
• Starfleet captains
• Starfleet commanders
• Starfleet lieutenant commanders
• Starfleet lieutenants
• Starfleet lieutenants junior grade
• Starfleet ensigns
• Starfleet cadets
• Starfleet enlisted personnel
• Starfleet crewmen

Background information [ ]

The rank system used during Star Trek: The Original Series was originally designed by William Ware Theiss , with the first versions inspired principally by the insignia of the United States Navy. According to Inside Star Trek: The Real Story [ page number? • edit ] , since Gene Roddenberry didn't want an overtly military Starfleet, Theiss toned down his stripe system by giving ensigns no stripe and lieutenants one full stripe, which is what an actual USN ensign wears.

For Star Trek: The Motion Picture , Jon Povill sent Fletcher a production memo, dated 3 August 1978 , explaining the rank insignia to be used in the film, with no reference to lieutenant junior grade or other flag officers. ( The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture , p. 126) Robert Fletcher , who designed the Starfleet uniform used in the film, developed a rank system which displayed on straps over both shoulders. These insignia included a circle for "mid shipman", a triangle for "lieut comm jr. grade", a chevron for "lieutenant comm", a single stripe for "commander", two stripes for "captain", two stripes a circle with spines for "admiral" and two spiney circles for "adm of the fleet". ( Star Trek: Costumes , p. 45) An unidentified triangular insignia is worn on the epaulets of several crewmembers, but is not identified in any production or background sources. It's A Wrap! sale and auction listed it as representing the rank of petty officer . [6] While an additional epaulet insignia featuring a single thin strip was also used but not identified to a rank. [7]

One version of the flag officer rank insignia sold as part of It's A Wrap! sale and auction

During the production of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , Director Nicholas Meyer wanted the uniforms to feel as real as possible, and asked for new rank insignia. Fletcher explained: " There was kind of a complicated arrangement of divisions and ranks expressed by the braid on the sleeves. I made that up. I organized it and produced a little instruction booklet about it for the wardrobe department […]. " ( citation needed • edit ) On the early version of the uniforms, the insignia was on a band around the upper arm, which was later moved to the cuff. ( citation needed • edit )

The Star Trek Encyclopedia omitted and created insignia, introducing some confusion

The Star Trek Encyclopedia  (3rd ed., p. 201), depicted an overview of the rank system used in the Star Trek films , though it omitted the petty officer second class, created the master chief petty officer second class and fleet captain (which had not been used in the films,) and depicted erroneous insignia for lieutenant commander and admiral. The Star Trek Fact Files Part 70 and the Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 2, Issue 10 , p. 99, would also include the apocryphal fleet captain and master chief petty officer second class insignia, the erroneous lieutenant commander insignia (with a broken vertical gold stripe, instead of a solid horizontal gold stripe,) and an almost entirely different depiction of flag officer insignia. This system created an insignia with one gold dart to represent commodore, used the commodore insignia for rear admiral, created a three gold dart insignia for vice admiral, and used the rear admiral insignia for admiral. A three gold dart insignia was included in some It's A Wrap! sale and auction flag officer sets, but never seen on screen. [8]

The later pip designs of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Enterprise emulated US Navy insignias almost exactly, although an article on the 2151 uniforms and rank did not mention lieutenant junior grade or lieutenant commander. ( Star Trek: The Magazine  Volume 3, Issue 11 , p. 42) Neither rank is used during Star Trek: Enterprise .

Apocrypha [ ]

The role-playing game supplement Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual discusses ranks.

Starfleet officers in the late 2230s

Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness , Issue 2 depicts that a style of uniform was in use by 2239 . This would make it seem that a few versions of the prime reality uniform were never adopted in the alternate reality, unless they was used very briefly after 2233 .

A rank senior to fleet admiral was first referenced in " The Wormhole Connection ". The rank of grand admiral is said to have existed in 2285 and has a special uniform with shoulder boards worn on the red maroon jacket uniform. The rank also appeared in the novel The Sorrows of Empire , held first by the counterpart Garth , then by the counterpart Matt Decker and then by Spock , before he becomes Emperor of the Terran Empire .

A "flag admiral" pin used as one of Data's medals

A "flag admiral" insignia design (a six pointed starburst) from the fan-published Klingon Covert Operations Manual was used as one of Data's medals in " The Most Toys ".

External links [ ]

• Earth Starfleet ranks at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Federation Starfleet ranks at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Mirror Universe Spocks Fate In Star Trek: Discovery Explained

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"

• Mirror Universe Spock's death led to a revolution in the Terran Empire, but ultimately couldn't prevent its downfall.
• The ISS Enterprise became a symbol of hope in the Mirror Universe, with rebels seeking freedom in the Prime Universe.
• Dr. Cho, a refugee from the Mirror Universe, rose to become a Branch Admiral in Starfleet, shaping her own future.

Star Trek: Discovery confirmed the fate of Mirror Universe Spock (Leonard Nimoy) after the events of the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "Mirror, Mirror." Since its first appearance on TOS, several Star Trek series have visited the Mirror Universe, a parallel universe populated by evil versions of Star Trek's heroes. In the Mirror Universe, the xenophobic Terran Empire serves as the antithesis to the United Federation of Planets, and torture and murder are commonplace. Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the USS Discovery are already familiar with the Mirror Universe, as they spent some time there in Discovery season 1.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5 , "Mirrors," Captain Burnham and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) follow couriers Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) into interdimensional space in search of the next clue leading to the Progenitors' treasure. Once there, they find the damaged ISS Enterprise, which holds clues about the fate of Mirror Universe Spock and his crew. In Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, episode 4, "Mirror, Mirror," Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) encourages Mirror Spock to initiate change, telling him: "In every revolution, there's one man with a vision." Written by Johanna Lee and Carlos Cisco, and directed by Jen McGowan, Star Trek: Discovery's "Mirrors" offers more insight into what became of that revolution.

What Happened To Mirror Universe Captain Kirk In Star Trek?

What happened to mirror universe spock revealed by star trek: discovery, spock died fighting for change..

After the events of Star Trek: The Original Series' "Mirror, Mirror," Captain Kirk left Mirror Universe Spock with a lot to think about. The goateed Vulcan apparently took Kirk's words to heart and began enacting a series of reforms to change the way things were done in the Terran Empire. Although he was attempting to prevent the collapse of the Empire, Star Trek: Discovery revealed that Spock was killed while working on his reforms. In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 5, Burnham and Book explore the ISS Enterprise and discover a plaque detailing some events from the Mirror Universe.

The light of hope shines through even the darkest of nights" became a "rallying cry" for those who opposed the violence of the Terran Empire.

Reading from the plaque, Book says that the "Terran High Chancellor was killed for trying to make reforms." Although Michael does not know that Spock was the Terran High Chancellor, the audience knows this information in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Mirror Universe episodes. Spock helped turn the Terran Empire into a more peaceful galactic power, and while his reforms were popular with many, some clearly opposed them. Nevertheless, Spock's dedication to logic made him less villainous than his Mirror Universe counterparts, and his words: “The light of hope shines through even the darkest of nights" became a "rallying cry" for those who opposed the violence of the Terran Empire.

Star Trek: DS9 Reveals What Happened To Mirror Universe After Spocks Death

Spock initiated change, but couldn't prevent the fall of the terran empire..

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 23, "Crossover," Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) find themselves in the Mirror Universe. Major Kira's Mirror Universe counterpart, Intendant Kira, runs the equivalent of Deep Space Nine (Terok Nor) as a mining station populated by Terran slaves. The Intendant reveals that Captain Kirk's visit to the Mirror Universe had a "profound influence" on Mirror Universe Spock, which led Spock to reform the Terran Empire. Unfortunately, these reforms rendered the Empire unable to defend itself when the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance decided to attack.

After conquering the Terran Empire, the Alliance proved to be just as brutal and eventually became ruled by Regent Worf (Michael Dorn).

Having been under Terran occupation for years, Bajor petitioned for entry into the Klingon/Cardassian Alliance and went on to become a major player in the Alliance. Much like Kirk's visit to the Mirror Universe affected Spock, Major Kira and Dr. Bashir's visit inspired a rebellion among the Terran slaves, which became a thorn in the side of the Alliance. Although Spock had initially been trying to prevent the fall of the Terran Empire, the Empire fell away, but some people held on to the ideals Spock had tried to spread.

Star Trek 10s Best Mirror Universe Variants

Star trek: discovery reveals what happened to mirror universe spocks iss enterprise, the iss enterprise became a symbol of hope and freedom..

The plaque Captain Burnham and Cleveland Booker find on the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise also reveals some events after Mirror Spock's death. After Spock was killed, those who believed in his reforms sought help from a "Kelpian slave turned rebel leader," aka, the Mirror Universe version of Saru (Doug Jones). Saru told these people about Star Tre k's Prime Universe, describing it as "a near perfect mirror that casts our darkness into light." While Saru stayed behind to help more people in the Mirror Universe, several rebels stole the ISS Enterprise and traveled to the Prime Universe to begin new lives.

Dr. Cho was also one of the six scientists who helped hide clues to the Progenitors' technology.

Upon returning to the USS Discovery, Michael finds proof in Federation databases that many of the refugees on the ISS Enterprise successfully made new lives for themselves in the Prime Universe . One refugee, named the Enterprise's Science Officer, Dr. Cho, joined Starfleet and eventually became a Branch Admiral. Dr. Cho was also one of the six scientists who helped hide clues to the Progenitors' technology, which remains at the center of Star Trek: Discovery season 5's quest. Michael remarks that Cho may have chosen to leave her clue on the Enterprise as a reminder that almost anyone can shape their own future, even when facing impossible odds.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery stream Thursdays on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Discovery

Cast Blu del Barrio, Oded Fehr, Anthony Rapp, Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, Wilson Cruz, Eve Harlow, Mary Wiseman, Callum Keith Rennie

Where To Watch Paramount+

Release Date September 24, 2017

Showrunner Alex Kurtzman

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Star Trek: The Original Series

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

Release Date September 8, 1966

Showrunner Gene Roddenberry

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cast Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller