Division symbols in TOS

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Graham Kennedy
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Division symbols in TOS

Post by Graham Kennedy »

So given my recent delving into the TOS world, I have been thinking about the division symbols we see in TOS.

Of course everyone in Starfleet now uses the same delta shield symbol, but in TOS each ship had their own symbol.

Enterprise :
Image

Constellation :
Image

Exeter :
Image

And so on. I've been designing some of these to go with the TOS-era characters I created recently, and it's a lot of fun.

Slightly less obvious is that different departments have different symbols on the ship system.
Image

Engineering on the left, command in the middle, science on the right. Some sources say there was also one with a small red cross, for medical, but McCoy wore the science design in every shot I have seen.

Curiously, there doesn't seem to be a security symbol. All the redshirt security types I've found wear the engineering symbol. That seems odd to me - are we to believe that the security department is under the Engineering division? Or is it the case that there is no security division, and security officers were drawn from other divisions as needed - and most/all that we saw happened to come from Engineering?

Would it be justifiable to invent a security symbol? It needs to be a relatively simple shape, clearly different from the others... crossed swords, perhaps?

Any thoughts?
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Crossed swords would work. Maybe a simplified phaser?
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Graham Kennedy »

Image
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Graham Kennedy »

Image
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Graham Kennedy »

I actually like both of those...
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Mikey »

Maybe crossed halberds?
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Graham Kennedy »

Image
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Teaos »

A tomb stone.
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Bryan Moore »

Teaos wrote:A tomb stone.
:mrgreen: WINRAR
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Bryan Moore »

Graham Kennedy wrote:Image
This looks like a frowning gremlin! I like it.
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by RK_Striker_JK_5 »

Bryan Moore wrote:
Graham Kennedy wrote:Image
This looks like a frowning gremlin! I like it.
Now I can't unsee it. That is not a bad thing, mind. ;)
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by DonP »

It was my understanding, though I may be wrong, that the swirl symbol represented "Ship's Services": Engineering, Security, Communications, Damage Control, Laundry... Basically everything not Command or Science.
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Bryan Moore »

DonP wrote:It was my understanding, though I may be wrong, that the swirl symbol represented "Ship's Services": Engineering, Security, Communications, Damage Control, Laundry... Basically everything not Command or Science.

Heh... Laundry. Helluvah job.
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by DonP »

Yeah, my friends and I used to joke about a poor crewman who bragged to his family about working on the Enterprise until they asked him what he did, forcing him to admit it was in something like the Laundry or Waste Recycling. :P
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Re: Division symbols in TOS

Post by Mikey »

Or, per Trip, the guy who makes boots out of shit.
I can't stand nothing dull
I got the high gloss luster
I'll massacre your ass as fast
as Bull offed Custer
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