Space Force unveils official motto and Star Trek-ish logo

Starting up a new branch of the US military requires some attention to pageantry. Space Force already revealed its seal and flag, and has now moved on to its official logo and motto. 

"Today we are proud to showcase the Space Force logo to the world," the organization tweeted on Wednesday along with a graphic explaining the symbol.

Star Trek comparisons have dogged Space Force ever since it unveiled its official seal, which resembles the logo for Starfleet Command. This deep dive into the history and symbolism behind Space Force's new logo might help dispel a little of that.  

Here are the highlights: 

• The overall symbol is known as a delta. 
• The silver outer border stands for defense and protection.
• The black interior embodies deep space.
  
• Two spires pointing upward inside the delta are stylized rocket launches.
• The four beveled shapes inside represent the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines. (Sorry, Coast Guard.)
• The star at the center stands for Polaris the North Star), "which symbolizes how the core values guide the Space Force mission."

The military branch pointed out that the delta is a nod to the heritage of the US Air Force and Space Command and was first used in 1961. Yes, that's a few years prior to the debut of the original Star Trek series.

Space Force also showed off its new Latin motto "semper supra," which it said translates to "always above." "It represents our role in establishing, maintaining, and preserving US freedom of operations in the space domain," the branch tweeted.

Space Force came into existence under the direction of President Donald Trump, becoming the sixth branch of the US military. It has already been the subject of a Netflix comedy send-up starring Steve Carell. 

Space Force probably won't be able to quell the Star Trek talk even after advertising the history of the logo. Now if only the US Navy's for-real Captain James Kirk would transfer to Space Force, our Trekkie lives would be complete.