Starfleet insignia The Starfleet insignia are asymmetrical , arrowhead - shaped pennants adopted by Starfleet as its identifying emblems , used on starship hull s , installations and uniforms worn by Starfleet personnel . History . The United Earth Starfleet of the 22nd century used a simple forward - facing " pointer " shaped pennant , with a round backdrop , that was reminiscent of symbols used by NASA in the 20th and 21st centuries . The original design for the Starfleet uniform of that era did not include this symbol , unless it was a crewperson assigned to Starfleet Command , who would wear the insignia as their assignment patch on the left shoulder . In a later uniform revision of the 2160s , personnel wore the Starfleet patch on their right shoulder as well as the left shoulder assignment patch . ( ; ) Shortly after the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161 , a solid silver delta was worn on the left breast of the uniform , with individual assignment patches worn on both shoulders . ( ) In the early 23rd century , a simplified pennant version of the delta was used on Federation starships and installations . This symbol for Starfleet was not worn on uniforms , which again only displayed an individual crewperson ' s assignment patch . Some starships , such as the " Defiant " , had an assignment patch similar to this symbol . ( ; ) The delta insignia came into usage for much of Starfleet ' s exploration division in the early to mid 23rd century . A starburst insignia was used by flag officers and administrative support staff of fleet headquarters and starbases . Some Constitution Class Federation Starships during the mid - 23rd century used a variety of insignia unique to each ship . The " Enterprise " maintained the delta as her insignia and assignment patch . ( ; ; ; ) By the early 2270s , while installations and starships , such as Epsilon IX station , maintained their individual assignment patches , Starfleet Command had adopted a new Starfleet insignia , a symbol previously used as the assignment patch of the , and prior to that , the and . ( ; ; ) Specifically , the command division insignia , with the MACO five - pointed star contained in the arrowhead , was most often used , although a version omitting the internal star gained prominence as well . This arrowhead shape , with similar asymmetry as the previous incarnation , had roots in history as being used in a basic form on the United States armed forces space command ratings badge and unit insignia , and on UESPA exploration vessels , such as the " Friendship 1 " , in the 21st century . This symbol was now pointed up when worn on the chest or shoulder of uniforms , as well as displayed in signage . The arrowhead was faced forward when used as hull decoration . This symbol eventually phased out all assignment patches by the late 2270s , and remained in use for some Starfleet division s well into the 24th century . The metal badge version of this symbol became Starfleet ' s first combadge as well . ( ; ; ) In the 2340s , a more stylized version of the symbol , the familiar arrowhead without any internal symbology within the shape , and mounted on an oval field , was incorporated into uniforms . A metal badge of this emblem , again serving as a combadge , was worn on the uniform chest . This symbol also became common in starship hull pennants . ( ) By the 2370s , a newer version was created for use as a combadge , with a stylized trapezoidal background . Starship hull pennants of this era began using a simplified version of the arrowhead alone , without a background . Even with the newer insignia in use , Starfleet Command still used the 2270s circular - backed version with inscribed star shape in their signage and parts of flag officer uniforms . ( ; ; ; ) Alternate reality . In the alternate reality created by Nero ' s incursion , Starfleet had done away with the assignment patch es by the 2250s . Instead the fleet was united behind a gold arrowhead , slightly modified from the assignment patch of the , with a shallow arrowhead indentation on the inside ( as seen on dress uniform s ) . The insignia used on starships was a silver arrowhead with a hollow division symbol inside the arrowhead , similar to the assignment patches used aboard the prime timeline ' s . ( ) Parallel and future versions . In the mirror universe , a dagger impaling the Earth was the symbol of the Terran Empire and as such was used as the insignia of the . ( ; ) In the Barash - created false - future illusion experienced by William T . Riker in 2367 , the symbol used in the Starfleet combadge consisted of the arrowhead , either silver or gold , with four horizontal bars behind indicating the rank of the individual by the number of bars that were gold or silver . ( ) This version was also in use in an alternate quantum reality visited by Worf in 2370 . ( ) In several alternate timeline s observed by Starfleet personnel , new variations of this symbol exist . In the 2390s and 25th century , Starfleet personnel have been known to wear a hollow , outlined version of the arrowhead with two irregular stylized vertical trapezoids behind it as their badge . ( ; ; ) Further in the future , 29th century Starfleet has a rotated version of the arrowhead shape , with the bottom half filled in with a mirror of the top point of the shape . In 29th century timeship hull decorations , the arrowhead has been shown pointing backwards from the direction of motion for the first time , possibly because of the vessels ' capability for time travel . ( ) Appendix . Background information . A memo from Bob Justman dated 18 December 1967 discusses the Starfleet arrowhead emblem and individual crew patches . It states " " all Starship personnel wear the Starship emblem that we have established for our " Enterprise " Crew Members to wear , " " meaning that the arrowhead was always meant to be the emblem for all of Starfleet . Further , the crew of the " Antares " was the " " equivalent of the Merchant Marine s or freighter personnel " " and other emblems should be counted as production mistakes . A great deal of fan fiction and other non - canon sources speculate that the Starfleet - wide adoption of the " Enterprise " emblem was probably to honor the ship and her crew for their successful and historic five - year mission . This has not been referenced on screen , however . Considering that one of " Star Trek " s long - held influences is the Age of Sail , it may be a reference to the British Royal Navy ' s adoption of – the particular coloration of the ships of Admiral Horatio Nelson – on all of its ships after the Battle of Trafalgar . In a form of fact emulating fiction ( and vice - versa ) , the US badges have a delta arrowhead very similar to the 1960s - designed " Enterprise " insignia , while the United Earth Starfleet insignia seems to be a deliberate synthesis between the TOS era pennant and the NASA logo . From the , " " The distinctive arrowhead symbol used on Starfleet uniforms was first created by costume designer William Ware Theiss for the in 1964 . Thee versions of the original symbol were created , used for command personnel , science specialists , and engineering staff . ( A fourth version , featuring a red cross , was occasionally worn by Christine Chapel . ) During the original " Star Trek " series , it was generally assumed that the arrowhead symbol was unique to " Enterprise " , and that other starships had different insignias for their uniforms . This changed in , when a modified emblem , designed by Robert Fletcher , was used not only on " Enterprise " crew members , but on all Starfleet personnel . We therefore assume that at some point after the original " Star Trek " series , the " Enterprise " emblem was adopted for the entire Starfleet . The feature film insigna ( in a couple of variations ) was used for the movies set in the Kirk era , as well for flashback sequences involving Picard ' s cadet days . Yet another variation was created for " " first season by Theiss , in conjunction with Rick Sternbach and Mike Okuda . This version was also used on . Current Starfleet officer s wear a version designed by [ [ John Eaves ] and [ [ Robert Blackman | Bob Blackman ] ] , first seen in . Additionally , two hypothetical future versions have been seen . One , designed by Okuda , was seen in and , while another , designed by Eaves , was used in and . Still more variants were added for the " [ [ USS Kelvin | Kelvin ] ] " timeline for and . " " Several patches were sold off on the [ [ It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction ] ] on eBay . [ [ cs : Insignie Hvězdné flotily ] ] [ [ de : Sternenflottenabzeichen ] ] [ [ Category : Clothing accessories ] ] [ [ Category : Symbols ] ]