star trek badges explained

Starfleet ranks

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 )

The rank of lieutenant junior grade was not seen on Star Trek: Enterprise or depicted prior to 2233 .

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 ")

The rank of fleet admiral was mentioned in dialogue in " Space Seed ".

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

A captain rank badge was among the items which were sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

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 ")

The officers who have been known to used this style of insignia ( Savar , Aaron , Gregory Quinn , and Mark Jameson ) were only referred to as "admiral" (Jameson) or "senior admiral" (Quinn, Savar, and Aaron) in dialogue and the episode scripts. [2] [3] [4]

These pins were later reused as Kes decorations in TNG : " Attached ", Data's belt clasps in TNG : " All Good Things... ", and ornaments on Fennim 's costume in VOY : " Think Tank ". [5]

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 ")

An alien appearing as Vice Admiral Janeway wore boxed pips in the Star Trek: Voyager episode " Coda "; he died in 2358 .

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 ")

The insignia from "Future Imperfect" was obviously reused to represent the same ranks in "Parallels", though the lieutenant insignia was only seen in "Parallels", and the crewman and admiral insignia were only seen in "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 ")

Kosinski appeared in a Starfleet uniform with no communicator and does not appear to have a Starfleet rank, as he is referred to throughout the episode as "Mr. Kosinski". His collar features a unique rank insignia : a small silver rectangle, and a darker rectangle of the same size. The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion , 2nd ed., p. 37, makes light of this peculiarity as well, noting, "Kosinski's unexplained square rank pip was never seen again."

In Star Trek Online , this insignia is used to denote specialists, additional black rectangles indicating higher ranks.

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

The insignia for provisional commander followed the pattern of what would be a lieutenant commander, which Jim Magdaleno intended it to be. However, the only character ever seen wearing this insignia – Chakotay – held a rank of provisional commander throughout the series. In " Before and After ", Chakotay is promoted to captain and wears the standard Starfleet insignia of four pips. This may indicate that there is no provisional rank insignia for captain – and/or that Starfleet policy simply did not allow a person with a provisional commission to command a starship.

Cadet ranks [ ]

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

The rank of midshipman has occasionally been interchanged with that of cadet, as in TOS : " Court Martial " and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan .

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 ")

Crewman, 2nd class, was the only class mentioned in dialogue in Star Trek: Enterprise , though insignia representing the three classes were seen on Cutler (1st class) and Michael Rostov (2nd class) in " Strange New World ", and Daniels (3rd class) in " 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 ")

Fleet captain was assigned a rank pin in the Star Trek Encyclopedia , as part of a movie-era set of ranks established for Star Trek II through Star Trek VI . The pin was the same as the captain's rank pin, but with two additional "flags" attached to the long edges of the pin. In addition, FASA 's Star Trek: The Next Generation Officer's Manual carried the idea of a fleet captain insignia into the TNG era, using five solid pips to designate the rank.

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 ")

The exact relationship between the position of deputy director and the rank insignia Sloan wore while posing as a deputy director is unclear. While posing, Sloan did seem to have some command authority over Captain Sisko.

Ronald D. Moore believed that the bar reflected Sloan's alleged position in Internal Affairs. ( AOL chat , 1998 )

Colonel [ ]

Colonel West in 2293

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

In the US Armed Forces, the rank of colonel in the Marines, Army, and Air Force is equivalent to that of captain in the Navy and Coast Guard. Colonel West wore the uniform of a Starfleet vice admiral. His rank was in fact taken from the real-life Lt. Colonel Oliver North . ( Cinefantastique , vol. 22, no. 5)

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 ")

The space officer wore one stripe.

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

The Doctor wore no rank insignia, and this was the only indication that he was a commissioned Starfleet officer.

This chart shows only general equivalencies based on the ranks used by many governments on Earth , as well as the rest of the galaxy .

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 Daniels (Crewman)
• 3 Bell Riots

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.

0 comments:

Post a comment.

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 .

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

By: Author Brad Burnie

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

Share the Universe!

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

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

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

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

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

1. They are Universal Standard Issue Starfleet Badges

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

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

2. The Delta is Exclusive to Starfleet Crew

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Star Trek: Discovery’s Uniforms, Decoded

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Jake Schreier & Olga Kurylenko on Marvel's Bold New Direction for Thunderbolts

10 shows that changed main cast members after the pilot, 10 weirdest details in the arrowverse, ranked.

Star Trek has a long tradition of color-coded uniforms that signify in which divisions Starfleet personnel serve. Perhaps most memorably, on The Original Series command division was gold, science and medical were blue, and operations, engineering and security were red. Naturally, that approach continues on CBS's franchise revival Star Trek: Discovery , with some notable alterations.

RELATED: Every Star Trek TV Pilot, Ranked

Set a decade before Kirk, Spock & Co. set off on their five-year mission, the new show eschews the bright colors of The Original Series , and opts instead for uniforms more akin to those of Enterprise , the 2001-2005 drama that took place about a century earlier, during the early days of interstellar travel. The color piping on the blue fitted jumpsuits corresponded with each of the divisions of the beloved 1960s television series, but designated ranks with silver pips displayed on the right chest, rather than on the sleeves.

"We looked at Enterprise ," executive producer Akiva Goldsman recently explained , "we looked at The Original Series , at that point in canon, and we tried to pull across the color palette."

However, Discovery trades in the Skittles rainbow for something a little more subdued (albeit a lot more metallic), with gold, silver and bronze, a little closer to the divisional designations used in the unaired 1965 pilot "The Cage."

"We are looking at doing the red, blue and gold shirts," said costume designer Gersha Phillips. "We've come up with a system where we're doing a foiled compression panel and delta panels that we're putting in on the jackets that tell that same story of the departments."

As with The Original Series and its prequel Enterprise , the Starfleet uniforms of Discovery use gold to designate the command division, which traditionally encompasses officers and crewmen in command (of course) and control functions. That includes captains, executive officers, helmsmen and navigators.

RELATED: Star Trek: Discovery Will Push Boundaries, Drop F-Bombs, When Necessary

On Star Trek: Discovery , First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) notably wear gold accents.

Instead of the blue of The Original Series , silver is used on Discovery to specify the sciences division, which covers Starfleet officers and crewmen in scientific and medical research and control functions. Those can include a wide range of departments and duties, from sensors and research to surgery and medics.

On Discovery , science officers Saru (Doug Jones) and Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), and medical officer Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) notably wear silver accents.

The largest division of most any Starfleet crew, operations encompasses such functions as engineering, security, communications and tactical. On The Original Series operations personnel wore red, which gave rise to the term "redshirt," meaning a stock character who dies soon after being introduced. However, on Discovery , operations officers and crew are designated by bronze accents on their blue uniforms.

RELATED: Star Trek: TNG's "Sarek" Is Required Viewing Before Discovery

On the new series, operations personnel include security officer Lt. Ash Tyler (Shazad Latif) and Cadet Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman).

Ranks and Division Badges

The color coding of the Starfleet uniforms on Star Trek: Discovery continues with the metallic badges, which correspond to the gold, silver and bronze of each of the divisions. What's more, those badges display the division insignia as seen on The Original Series : the stylized star for command, a "ringed planet" for sciences and a spiral for operations.

But there's a twist, with ranks on Discovery indicated with pips, akin to those of Star Trek: The Next Generation , only here displayed on the badges themselves: four pips for a captain, three for a commander, and so on.

In the United States, Star Trek: Discovery debuts Sunday, Sept. 24, at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on CBS, before moving to the CBS All Access streaming service for subsequent episodes. In Canada, the series debuts on CTV and Space at 8:30 pm ET, with its second episode set to air immediately after on Space — subsequent episodes will air Sundays through Nov. 5. Internationally, the series will stream on Netflix.

• CBR Exclusives
• Star Trek: Discovery (2017)

Screen Rant

Idris elba: star trek beyond’s movie villain explained.

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Sofia Boutella: Star Trek Beyond’s Jaylah Actor Explained

One of dr. crusher's best tng episodes is a breakthrough for women in star trek, why worf really declares his love for troi in star trek: picard season 3.

• Idris Elba plays Krall, a Star Trek villain with a human origin.
• Krall seeks vengeance using alien tech in Star Trek Beyond.
• Krall's impact on the Star Trek franchise falls short compared to other iconic villains.

Released in 2016, Star Trek Beyond introduces audiences to a brand-new Star Trek villain, Krall, played by Idris Elba. The third movie in J.J. Abrams' Kelvin Timeline Star Trek movies , Star Trek Beyond continues the adventure begun in 2009's Star Trek , as the crew of the USS Enterprise truly gel together. Krall serves as an opposing force to the two Starfleet teams also stranded on the planet Altamid: one consisting of Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Dr. Leonard McCoy (Karl Urban), and the other made up of Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), Montgomery Scott (Simon Pegg), and newcomer Jaylah (Sofia Boutella).

To exact revenge upon the Federation, Krall uses the technology that was left behind by Altamid's native people, including machines that prolong Krall's life, and drones that attack as a swarm. Krall is hellbent on assembling a powerful weapon, the Abronath, but only has one half. Upon discovering that the USS Enterprise carries the other half of the Abronath, Krall captures the Enterprise and sets his sights on Starbase Yorktown, a bustling Federation colony. Throughout Star Trek Beyond , Krall speaks of his past as a dedicated soldier on a warlike planet whose government betrayed him.

Star Trek Beyond introduced brand-new character named Jaylah, played by Rebel Moon actress Sofia Boutella.

Idris Elba Played Krall In Star Trek Beyond

In Star Trek Beyond, Idris Elba's Krall is a seemingly alien villain with a surprising origin as a human named Balthazar Edison. Edison was a MACO veteran who joined Starfleet after the forming of the United Federation of Planets, but Edison's ship, the 22nd-century USS Franklin , crashed on Altamid. Krall's decidedly non-human appearance is due to the use of energy transference technology that prolonged Edison's life but gave Edison the physical features of his alien victims. Because Krall was once human, the warlike planet that Krall describes throughout Star Trek Beyond is, in fact, a pre-Federation Earth, and Krall's vengeance comes from feeling abandoned by the Federation.

As a MACO, Edison is a veteran of the Xindi Wars, which ties Krall back to the season-long story arc of Star Trek: Enterprise season 3.

Idris Elba is a prolific English actor whose role as Russell "Stringer" Bell in the acclaimed TV series The Wire made him more well-known to US audiences. Elba made the jump from primarily television roles to movies after 2007's 28 Weeks Later. Idris Elba's career spans genres , from action roles like Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Stacker Pentecost in Pacific Rim , and the Fast & Furious franchise; to voice acting as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book and Knuckles in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . Elba has also taken on dramatic roles, starring as Nelson Mandela in 2013's Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom , and the Apple TV+ series Hijack .

Where Does Krall Rank Among Star Trek Movie Villains?

Krall doesn't have much impact on the star trek franchise.

Among Star Trek movie villains, Idris Elba's Krall doesn't rank particularly highly. Krall is relatively forgettable compared to villains who greater impact on the franchise with their repeat appearances. Ricardo Montalbán's Khan Noonien Singh in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan inspired Benedict Cumberbatch's turn as Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness . Three different versions of the Borg Queen appeared in Star Trek: Alice Krige, debuting in Star Trek: First Contact; Susanna Thompson in Star Trek: Voyager; and Annie Wersching in Star Trek: Picard . Krall also isn't a member of any Star Trek mainstay antagonists, like Klingons or Romulans.

Buried under layers of prosthetic makeup, it's hard to tell that Krall was portrayed by such a memorable actor.

Idris Elba's Krall in Star Trek Beyond was a missed opportunity. Buried under layers of prosthetic makeup, it's hard to tell that Krall was portrayed by such a memorable actor. Before the reveal that Krall was once human, Krall is fairly effective as a mid-level antagonist who opposes the USS Enterprise crew's story of teamwork. The most interesting thing about Krall is Krall's twist origin as Edison, which changes Krall's story into a commentary on the treatment of veterans as forgotten citizens. Unfortunately, the revelation comes too late in Star Trek Beyond and gets as lost as Idris Elba in the Krall makeup.

Star Trek Beyond

Not available

How Patti Yasutake's Star Trek Character Grew From Walk-On To Series Regular

Actress Patti Yasutake, best known to Trekkies as Nurse Alyssa Ogawa, died on August 5, 2024, of a rare type of T-cell lymphoma. She was 70 years old. 

Nurse Ogawa first appeared on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" in the episode "Future Imperfect" (November 12, 1990) more or less as a background character. She was one of Dr. Crusher's retinue of medical staff, there to give viewers the impression that the ship's sickbay was constantly bustling. She went on to star in 14 additional episodes of the show, and was usually merely standing next to Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) , passing her tools or saying "Yes, Doctor." She had a good bedside manner, and her repeated appearances had viewers wondering who she was and what her story might be. As the series progressed, Nurse Ogawa's role expanded incrementally, eventually leading to her becoming a legitimate supporting player. 

Indeed, by the show's seventh season, Nurse Ogawa began to have significant episodes of her own. In "Parallels" (November 29, 1993), for instance, Worf (Michael Dorn) found himself unexpectedly shunting between parallel dimensions, and in one of them, Dr. Crusher was dead (or just absent) and Dr. Ogawa had taken her place. It was nice to know that, even in a parallel universe, Nurse Ogawa's professional medical career would continue apace. 

Nurse Ogawa was also one of several featured characters in the episode "Lower Decks" (February 7, 1994), which would serve as the primary inspiration for the modern-day animated series that shares its namesake. That episode was about a random assortment of ensigns on the U.S.S. Enterprise, Nurse Ogawa among them, who don't always get a full description of the missions the senior staff is involved with. It's frustrating when you only have to follow orders. 

Nurse Ogawa's 14 episodes

On the DVD commentary track for "Lower Decks," writer René Echevarria said Nurse Ogawa was included among that episode's main characters because the "NextGen" writers always liked Patti Yasutake, and wanted to give her something significant to do. She wasn't in earlier drafts of that script, but Echevarria found a way to work her in. 

In the season 7 episode "Genesis" (March 21, 1994), Nurse Ogawa announced to Dr. Crusher that she was pregnant, a surprise to her boss, as it didn't seem like her relationship with the off-screen Lieutenant Andrew Powell. Indeed, Nurse Ogawa seems to have had several romantic relationships on "NextGen," including with someone named Ensign Markson, as stated in the episode "Attached" (November 8, 1993). Andrew Powell was said to have proposed marriage in "Lower Decks," and Ogawa would become pregnant with their child by "Genesis." Nurse Ogawa's pregnancy proved to be a plot point in that episode. A virus was causing the ship's crew to devolve into animals (Ogawa became an ape), but her fetus was protected by its amniotic locale. Data (Brent Spiner) was able to extrapolate a cure from Nurse Ogawa's body. 

Also notable: in 1993, Patti Yasutake appeared in a TV commercial for Hallmark's "Star Trek: The Next Generation" collectible ornament. That year, Hallmark put out an ornament of the U.S.S. Enterprise D, and the commercial depicted Nurse Ogawa, in her quarters, asking the ship's computer (Majel Barrett) about the object in question. She liked it so much, she replicated one herself.

Nurse Ogawa in the movies

Although she has little to do in them, Nurse Ogawa also appeared in the first two "Star Trek: The Next Generation" spinoff movies "Star Trek: Generations" and "Star Trek: First Contact." In the former, she was merely a medical professional again, standing alongside Dr. Crusher. While nothing was added to her story, it was comforting to see that she was still on the ship for its first big-screen outing. In "First Contact," she could be seen steering people to safety during a Borg attack. Looking closely at her rank pips in the movies reveals that Nurse Ogawa had been promoted from an ensign to a lieutenant. 

Yasutake stayed in the orbit of "Star Trek" for a few years thereafter, providing her voice for various characters in "Star Trek: Armada II" (2001), and appearing as Dr. Beverly Krasher in the 2016 "Star Trek" spoof "Unbelievable!!!!!" That film also featured Snoop Dogg and over 40 known Trek actors, including Walter Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols in her final film role. 

Yasutake began her career in the 1980s, and some might recall her role as Umeki in Ron Howard's "Gung Ho," a role she reprised for the spinoff TV series. She was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award in 1988 for her performance in Michael Toshiyuki Uno's "The Wash," and played a newscaster in the Sylvester Stallone vehicle "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot!" She's a cult favorite as Mrs. Howard in "Drop Dead Gorgeous" but most recently, Yasutake appeared on the heavily awarded TV series "Beef" as Fumi.

She was always a welcome presence on "Star Trek," and a warm human being otherwise. Rest in peace.

• More to Explore
• Series & Movies

Published Aug 15, 2024

Before Home Video and Streaming, Science-Fiction Fans Worked Hard to Keep Fandom Alive

In the mid 1900s, fans kept their favorite shows alive by helping to build modern fandom.

Getty Images / StarTrek.com

When you watch something on Disney+, Netflix, or physical media, you can do so at your convenience. This is a relatively new phenomenon.

You can choose to watch something "live," but you don't have to. You don't, for example, have to make it a priority to watch a TV pilot as it premieres at 7:30 on a Thursday night; you certainly can, but you'll have other chances to watch it.

A preview for Star Trek from the September 3-9 issue of TV Guide

StarTrek.com

On September 8th, 1966, however, there was no other way to watch Star Trek . VHS and Betamax, the true originators of home video, would eventually premiere in 1970, but even then, it would take until the end of the decade before tapes, VCR recording, and time-shifting became affordable. There was simply no way to catch a TV show without the studio deciding to air it, and even then, you had to consult the TV Guide and make sure to be in front of your TV at a certain time.

Star Trek , luckily, got a chance to live again in reruns, but many shows and films never got a second chance. For a time, media lived entirely in a fan's memory. Thus, before the VHS tape, fandoms and fans had to find different ways to grow and survive.

Without the benefit of being able to import, export, share, or binge the source of their obsession, fans had to get creative. Through their creation and community, fandom became the powerful, resourceful, and innovative force it is today. And those who loved science fiction and worked to keep the memory of Star Trek alive were no exception.

Spockanalia 1, the first Star Trek fanzine

The first fanzine (fan magazine), The Comet , premiered in 1930 and was created by the Science Correspondence Club in Chicago. First created to share club news and recent scientific developments, fanzines would grow and spread in popularity over the coming decades. Fanzines could be made cheaply with supplies that were available to many people, and they facilitated fandom moving from one-on-one conversations to a larger community. Science fiction fanzines mostly published club news, convention reports, and self-published original fiction. When Star Trek burst onto the scene, making fanzines that featured fan-fiction became very, very popular.

With increased fan interaction came fan meetups. There are a few contenders for "first fan convention," including the first Philcon in 1936, which was a meeting of nine fans at Milton A. Rothman's home . Just a few years later, the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) was inaugurated in 1939 in New York City, with a much more robust 200 attendees.

Forrest J. Ackerman and Myrtle Douglas in the world's first cosplay

At that first Worldcon, Myrtle Douglas made costumes for her and her boyfriend, Forrest J. Ackerman, to wear, inspired by science fiction magazine covers. Ackerman reported that children in the streets believed he was Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers. The next year, for the 1940 Chicago Worldcon, several dozen people showed up in costumes. Ackerman would later recall taking advantage of the fact that cosplay was so unheard of:

I got kind of a quixotic notion around eight o'clock that night, after the masquerade. I asked the 25 people in costume to come with me five blocks to the major newspaper of Chicago. They didn't know what I was up to, but we went through the streets and I went into the office of the night editor. With a very straight face — as the editor looked up at these spacemen and vampires, wondering what all of this was about — I explained to him that we were time travelers. I said, 'You see, tomorrow we picked up your newspaper, and saw that there was a photograph of us and an interview, so naturally we had to get in our time machines and come back here to be with you tonight.'

Myrtle Douglas

The Star Trek Concordance by Bjo Trimble

As television rose in prominence, fans kept up with conventions, fanzines, and cosplay, but they sought new ways to capture and discuss a medium that couldn't be traded, collected, and couldn't be consistently seen.

Fanzines like the Star Trek Concordance by Bjo Trimble would include episode guides, with detailed notes on people and places as well as episode synopses. These reference guides helped fill fans in on things they missed and kept intricate details fresh and accurate for fans.

Reference guides would sometimes even cross international waters, with Doctor Who plot synopses coming out in fanzines years before those episodes would come to the United States. Other fans opted to preserve episodes by holding tape recorders up to their televisions as episodes aired, recording audio, if not video. Many fans would also simply take photos of their TV sets, sometimes called telesnaps; in Textual Poachers , Henry Jenkins describes the album of reference photos one Quantum Leap fan made of Scott Bakula's face.

Photo still from King Kong (1933), printed in Famous Monsters of Filmland #108 (1974)

Famous Monsters of Filmland

The meticulous ways in which these fans preserved the memory of temporary things was amazing, and in some cases, entirely saved history from being lost. The format TV stations used to keep recordings, VTR, was expensive.

However, the magnetic tape could be wiped and recorded over, which happened a lot, to some near-priceless pieces of media. NASA recorded over the moon landing. The BBC recorded over hundreds of early Doctor Who episodes, including the first Dalek episodes.

But using fans' audiotapes and telesnaps, many of those Doctor Who episodes have been successfully reconstructed. Forrest J. Ackerman and other fans also worked tirelessly to preserve and rediscover history; in 1974, Ackerman was able to find photo evidence of a lost sequence from 1933's King Kong that had long been dismissed as rumor.

Sing A Song of Trekkin', a filk songbook by Roberta Rogow

One of the most creative ways fans celebrated fandom was through filking. 'Filk' was initially developed as science fiction folk music, but has come to be an umbrella term for folk music created by and for fans.

Filk songs were, like folk itself, designed to be communal, and enjoyed in group settings. Filk songs were often set to traditional folk tunes; "What Do You Do With a Drunken Vulcan," by Roberta Rogow, was to the tune of "What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor."

This made them easy to perform, and to print in fanzines, sharing them with wider audiences. While filk is rarer now, conventions like Dragon Con still host filk as a subsection, and filking would help inspire future genres like wrock ('wizard rock' inspired by Harry Potter ) and musicians like The Protomen, whose songs all focus on the Megaman video game series.

RCA Star Trek advertisement

Fans could even play with video as a creative medium without home video. In 1974, Star Trek fan Kandy Fong met her future husband, Ron Fong, who had "several shoeboxes" of outtakes and cut footage from Star Trek . Looking for something new to show at her fanclub, Kandy worked with Ron to make projector slides out of key shots and scenes, and then rearranged them to music, and to original stories she wrote.

Her first slideshow, set to "What Do You Do With a Drunken Vulcan," was a hit with the fanclub, and when she brought it to Equicon in 1976, it had to be run continuously to keep up with the crowds. Kandy's slideshows were able to create new stories out of old Star Trek simply by rearranging scenes and using narration and music to create entirely new meanings, leading to the creation of 'fanvidding' once home video was accessible.

Perhaps what best defines fandom is that it is a culture created by those without a monetary or corporate stake in the franchise. Fandom has always worked from the grassroots up, and is therefore defined by the creativity used to keep it alive and vibrant, even when facing technological and economic barriers. We see so much creativity and variety in fandom today because so many of those barriers have been removed by advancing technology. But even with barriers, early fandom was able to find a way.

Get Updates By Email

This article was originally published on December 19, 2019.

Cindy Massre (she/her) is based out of Florida, where she works with public libraries and nerds out on the regular. Cindy talks about Spock on Twitter @yipp33kiyay.

• Behind The Scenes