George Takei has been suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome for a long time and has probably spent more time in the past few years criticizing Trump than breathing. Nothing is too petty for Takei to gripe about when it comes to Trump. When Trump announced the new logo for the U.S. Space Force, it was inevitable that the has-been actor, mostly known for his portrayal of Lieutenant Sulu on Star Trek: The Original Series, would have an opinion.
After consultation with our Great Military Leaders, designers, and others, I am pleased to present the new logo for the United States Space Force, the Sixth Branch of our Magnificent Military! pic.twitter.com/TC8pT4yHFT
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 24, 2020
Many people quickly noticed the similarities between the new Space Force logo and the logo of the fictional Starfleet Command from the Star Trek universe:
https://twitter.com/stevekovach/status/1220821938660085761
But, the insufferable George Takei’s criticism reached an extra level of absurd when he suggested that he and others connected to Star Trek were somehow entitled to royalties.
Ahem. We are expecting some royalties from this… https://t.co/msYcJMlqjh
— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) January 24, 2020
It’s possible that Takei was being tongue-in-cheek with his tweet, but I’m inclined to believe he was being serious. For starters, he’s technically accusing the federal government of trademark infringement, since the logo was created for the Space Force, and not the same as the Starfleet Command logo that has been licensed for use by the federal government. If it were, neither Takei nor any actors involved with Star Trek would not be entitled to any such royalties, as ViacomCBS owns Star Trek, and it would be up to them to make any claims of trademark infringement or claim any monetary compensation or royalties.
But here’s the other problem with George Takei’s accusation. Chris Burns at Slash Gear explains why the logos look similar. “[The Space Force] logo should look familiar. It would very much appear to be a reincarnation of its former self – not to mention a clear reminder of the origins and controversy over the original. And yes, that does very much look like the Star Trek Starfleet Command insignia, largely because all of these symbols are designed to mimic one another – for real.”
Michael Okuda, the longtime graphic designer and lead designer for Star Trek who designed the Starfleet Command seal, noted that his logo “was intended to be somewhat reminiscent of the NASA emblem.”
George Takei knows what NASA is, right?
Seriously though, George Takei could have simply acknowledged the logos as being homages to each other, and maybe even taken some pride in the similarities of the logos, but instead, he decided to use the news to make another silly attack on Trump.
So, no George, you aren’t entitled to any royalties. If you’re that desperate for money, go start a GoFundMe page.
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Matt Margolis is the author of Trumping Obama: How President Trump Saved Us From Barack Obama’s Legacy and the bestselling book The Worst President in History: The Legacy of Barack Obama. You can follow Matt on Twitter @MattMargolis
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