TWOK era uniform badge

[Crewman47]

I've never thought about this until now but I vaguely recall that the Delta shield was chosen for it's meaning (forget exactly what is was and I don't mean why they chose the Enterprise symbol for Starfleet, I mean originally why it was chosen in 1966) but when it came to designing the badge for the TWOK uniforms they kept the delta but put it in front of a rounded rectangle with some kind of rectangle with the sides pointed inwards and then a small dot at the top right corner. I was wondering if there was meaning behind this or if it was just a random choice?

 

[Therin of Andor]

My personal interpretation of the shape behind the insignia is that it's a miniaturization and relocation of the Perscan belt buckle from TMP.

The Perscan device, described briefly in TMP production notes (and the novelization), was a great idea for monitoring crew vital signs (and the late 70s phenomenon, biorhythms), and had a small dot on one side only, reminding me very much of the small dot that appeared on the ST II badges.

I fully expected the ST II production notes to describe the changes, but it never happened and my theory may well be only my own fanciful imaginings. Although I have mentioned it here a few times.

I mean originally why it was chosen in 1966

Arrowheads are a traditional symbol for exploration. I've seen similar logos in pre-TOS symbols such as early Apollo patches, little toy Lego figures, and even Arctic expeditions, IIRC.

 

[GodThingFormerly]

The Perscan device, described briefly in TMP production notes (and the novelization), was a great idea for monitoring crew vital signs (and the late 70s phenomenon, biorhythms), and had a small dot on one side only, reminding me very much of the small dot that appeared on the ST II badges.

The Perscan system was directly based on NASA's "biobelt" instrumentation worn by the Apollo astronauts.

TGT