OUR COLORS
The Flag, the Seal, and the Symbols We Carry
Every expedition needs a little identity of its own.
Some have names. Some have emblems. Others have flags that become recognizable wherever their journeys take them.
The Kusanagi Expedition has all three.
Our flag and seal are expressions of what this project represents: curiosity, adventure, discovery, and the desire to experience more of the world around us.
They also bring together two things that have been important parts of my life for a very long time.
The real-world spirit of exploration and the imaginative universe of Star Trek.
I wanted something that could represent both.
Something that belonged just as comfortably beside a mountain trail or historic landmark as it did within the fictional world of the U.S.S. Kusanagi.
And perhaps most importantly, something that would remind me why I started this adventure in the first place.
To explore. To discover. To experience.
The Expedition Flag
A banner for the journeys ahead.
I’ve always appreciated the traditions surrounding flags.
They can represent nations, communities, organizations, ships, expeditions, and the people who travel beneath them.
A flag can carry a history. It can mark a place, commemorate an achievement, or simply identify the people who have come together for a common purpose.
For The Kusanagi Expedition, I wanted a flag that would reflect our own particular combination of exploration, imagination, and personal identity.
The design draws inspiration from several traditions.
Its deep red field, navy-blue cross, and white borders create a distinctive banner with a traditional maritime character.
At its center is our gold compass and Starfleet-inspired delta, combining two symbols that have become closely associated with the expedition.
The compass represents direction, curiosity, and the willingness to seek unfamiliar places.
The delta reflects the influence of Star Trek and its enduring spirit of exploration.
Together, they represent the idea that has guided this project from the beginning.
There’s always somewhere else to go.
The flag also incorporates the silhouette of a Constitution III-class starship, representing our fictional flagship, the U.S.S. Kusanagi, NCC-59420-A.
Her name and registry establish the connection between the flag and the Starfleet-inspired identity we’ve adopted for our real-world adventures.
And woven into the design are the words that define the expedition:
ENDEAVOUR TO EXPLORE
TO EXPLORE • TO DISCOVER • TO EXPERIENCE
The flag isn’t intended to represent a fictional nation or an official Starfleet organization.
It’s our expedition banner.
A symbol of the journeys we’re taking and the adventures still waiting somewhere beyond the next horizon.
The Expedition Seal
An emblem for the places where a flag cannot fly.
While a flag is meant to be seen flying in the open air, a seal serves a slightly different purpose.
It provides a compact, recognizable representation of the expedition’s identity.
Something that can accompany our stories, photographs, expedition records, and other materials without requiring the full flag.
Our expedition seal carries the same central themes as the flag, but expresses them through a different design.
At its heart is the gold compass and delta, set within a circular emblem inspired by traditional maritime seals and Starfleet insignia.
The design incorporates Japanese-inspired elements honoring the name Kusanagi and its connection to one of Japan’s most celebrated legendary swords.
The surrounding imagery brings together the themes of exploration, heritage, imagination, and the continuing journey.
The name of the U.S.S. Kusanagi and her registry connect the emblem to our fictional flagship, while the expedition’s motto reminds us of the real-world purpose behind it all.
ENDEAVOUR TO EXPLORE.
For me, the seal represents more than the identity of a fictional starship.
It represents the larger expedition.
The destinations, discoveries, experiences, photographs, and stories that are gradually becoming part of its history.
The Compass and the Delta
Two symbols. One spirit of exploration.
The compass and Starfleet-inspired delta appear throughout The Kusanagi Expedition.
They’ve become the most recognizable symbols of the project.
The compass is an ancient companion to explorers, sailors, travelers, and anyone trying to find their way through unfamiliar territory.
It represents navigation, certainly.
But for this expedition, it also represents curiosity.
The desire to find out what lies beyond the next bend in the road.
The willingness to venture somewhere unfamiliar.
And the understanding that the journey itself may be as important as the destination.
The delta brings another dimension to that idea.
For generations, Star Trek has encouraged audiences to imagine a future in which exploration, discovery, knowledge, and encounters with unfamiliar civilizations are among humanity’s greatest achievements.
That philosophy has always appealed to me.
Not because I expect to discover strange new worlds aboard an actual starship, but because I believe the underlying spirit applies just as readily to the world we already inhabit.
There are extraordinary places right here on Earth.
Different cultures to encounter.
Histories to discover.
People whose stories deserve to be heard.
And experiences we may never have considered until curiosity leads us toward them.
The compass points the way.
The delta reminds us why we explore.
Together, they represent the spirit of The Kusanagi Expedition.
A Name Worth Carrying
The legacy of Kusanagi.
Our colors are also connected to the name we’ve chosen for the expedition.
Kusanagi.
The name comes from Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the legendary Grass-Cutting Sword of Japan.
Its story reaches back into Japanese mythology, where the sword is associated with the storm god Susanoo, the great serpent Yamata-no-Orochi, and the heroic prince Yamato Takeru.
Over the centuries, the sword became one of Japan’s Three Sacred Treasures.
Its legendary history speaks of courage, adversity, survival, and the unexpected ways a journey can change our destiny.
Those themes resonate with the spirit of exploration.
The name also provides a connection between our fictional flagship and the traditions that inspired her identity.
I didn’t choose Kusanagi because the expedition is meant to recreate Japanese history or mythology.
I chose it because the story behind the name captured my imagination.
And because a good name, much like a good story, ought to mean something.
There’s more to that story, of course, and I’ve explored it in greater detail on our Our Namesake page.
Under Our Colors
The adventures are real. The imagination comes along for the ride.
Eventually, I’d like to carry the expedition flag on some of our adventures.
Perhaps at a scenic overlook, beside a historic site, during a gathering, or somewhere that marks a particularly memorable journey.
Not every destination will be an appropriate place to display a flag, of course.
And not every adventure needs one.
Sometimes the camera and a willingness to see what’s around the next corner are more than enough.
But I like the idea of having something that connects these journeys.
A recognizable symbol that says, in its own way:
We were here. We explored. We discovered. We experienced.
Over time, I hope the flag and seal will come to represent a growing collection of real places, real experiences, and stories worth remembering.
Perhaps there will be photographs of the flag at places I haven’t even thought about visiting yet.
Perhaps there will be adventures that lead somewhere entirely unexpected.
That’s part of the appeal.
The symbols may remain the same, but the stories behind them will continue to grow.
And wherever the next journey takes us, they’ll be a reminder of the same simple philosophy.
Going somewhere just to see what’s there.
ALWAYS ENDEAVOUR TO EXPLORE
TO EXPLORE • TO DISCOVER • TO EXPERIENCE
The places are real. The journeys are real. The experiences are real.