Imperial sunburst?

[Trent]

Anyone know where the imperial sunburst comes from? I was wondering something: I'm trying to do a traveller webcomic and I was going to use the "jump portal effect" which would look like an imperial sunburst. The theory is that the imperium based it's symbol on what made the imperium possible: Jump drive.

So I was going to speculate that the sunburst symbol looks like what you get when you turn on a jump drive, the opening to jump space.

Is there any canon on the origin of the sunburst? If not I might go ahead with my idea of making it the initial reaction of a jump drive.

 

[deniable]

Edited to add the second paragraph mentioned by G. Kashkanun Anderson and BigBadRon.

THE IMPERIAL SUNBURST​

The symbol of the Third lmperium was established by Cleon (the first emperor) when the empire was proclaimed. Images show him standing before the original banner with a golden yellow sunburst against a black background, representing Capital's type G star against dark space.

In 247, the Eliyoh (a nonhuman minor race) joined the Imperium. To that race the symbology was unimpressive. The Eliyoh vision centered in the far infrared, which resulted in distinction between the official colors of black and yellow being impossible. So the Empress Porfiria declared that the symbol would have no official color. The original banner in the imperial throne room is still black with a yellow sunburst. The Imperial Interstellar Scout Service uses a red sunburst; the Imperial Navy, yellow; the Imperial Army, black; the Imperial Marines, maroon.

I'm not sure if there are any others.

 

[G. Kashkanun Anderson]

'm not sure if there are any others.

Nope. That's about it -- although Imperial policy later shifted from a yellow starburst to one of no particular color, due to the light-spectrum viewing limitations of a particular minor alien race.

 

[BigBadRon]

I believe, according to the same source, that the different Imperial armed forces have different colours for it too.

Army = Black
Marines = Maroon
Navy = Yellow
Scouts = Red

 

[far-trader]

All correct, but don't let that stop you from using the idea Trent. I for one think it's catchy. And it is after-all your comic. Good luck with the project

 

[Trent]

Thanks, FT. I was just thinking the "sunburst" pattern would make a good jump effect...

 

[taradusis]

It was also used on the wings of Emperor mings ships in the Flash Gorden serial?

 

[Trent]

Well, all versions of the imperium were based on jump drive, and the imperium, in all forms, was molded by the abilities and limits of jump drive, so in a way it would make sense if the symbol of he imperium was connected to jump drive.

I mean, it was the fact they stumbled onto jump-2 tech that allowed the otherwise unremarkable vilani to establish the zhiru surkhu or however you spell their version of the grand empire of stars, and it was the terrans advent of jump-3 that put the last nail in it's coffin and created the second imperium, right?

So maybe "uncle cleon" could have decided to make a "jump opening" the symbol of his imperium, or at least I thought so.

Then again, there are so many different views on traveller canon one more trivial issue isn't going to kill anyone. I might just use the sunburst symbole as a jump effect and not mention it unles someone asks...

 

[Andrew Boulton]

Maybe it's one of those "facts" that everyone knows (but are total rubbish), or it's just a coincidence.