# CBS flashing the Star Trek badge **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660 "2019-12-10T18:37:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/1 "2019-12-10T18:37:32Z")
I’ve notice that CBS after showing commercials for its own programming frequently flashes the Star Trek badge (for lack of a better term) for perhaps a quarter of a second, then shows the CBS symbol (if I’m remembering the sequence correctly). Has anyone else noticed this? Is it some type of visual subliminal-ish device? Have they owned up to this? I don’t remember seeing this for anything else. I presume it’s to support their pay to view channel? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/2 "2019-12-10T18:46:02Z")
Yes, I’ve seen it. I assume it’s subliminal advertising for ST Discovery. Or bragging. “We have Star Trek and you can’t see it unless you pay us. Nyah nyah.” ---
**Author:** ![cormac262](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@cormac262](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cormac262)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/3 "2019-12-10T18:47:31Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Yes, I’ve seen it. I assume it’s subliminal advertising for ST Discovery. Or bragging. “We have Star Trek and you can’t see it unless you pay us. Nyah nyah.” Plugging both “Discovery” and the new “Picard” show coming in Jan (?) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/4 "2019-12-10T19:16:53Z")
I thought I saw that the other day. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/5 "2019-12-10T20:00:10Z")
> [@spifflog](#): > > I’ve notice that CBS after showing commercials for its own programming frequently flashes the Star Trek badge (for lack of a better term)… Starfleet insignia, FWIW: [Starfleet insignia | Memory Alpha | Fandom](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Starfleet_insignia) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2019, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/6 "2019-12-10T20:10:54Z")
I assume it’s meant to commemorate the Viacom/CBS merger. ---
**Author:** ![nonacetone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonacetone/32/2819_2.png) [@nonacetone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonacetone)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/7 "2019-12-11T22:13:11Z")
My husband, and myself, saw it, as well. We were watching something we had DVR’d, and noticed it. Not being absolutely sure our eyes weren’t playing tricks on us, I did a quick rewind, and, there it was. No explanation. Just the insignia. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/8 "2019-12-12T04:35:28Z")
I think Kelsey Grammer crashed his Dodge Viper into the CBS transmitter thereby creating a temporal causality loop so Data keeps broadcasting a subliminal picture of the insignia to get us to decompress the main shuttlebay. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/9 "2019-12-12T15:24:40Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > I think Kelsey Grammer crashed his Dodge Viper into the CBS transmitter thereby creating a temporal causality loop so Data keeps broadcasting a subliminal picture of the insignia to get us to decompress the main shuttlebay. :: golfclap :: ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/10 "2019-12-12T15:45:48Z")
> [@zbuzz](#): > > I think Kelsey Grammer crashed his Dodge Viper into the CBS transmitter thereby creating a temporal causality loop so Data keeps broadcasting a subliminal picture of the insignia to get us to decompress the main shuttlebay. Not a Dodge Viper. A Plymouth Reliant. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/11 "2019-12-21T18:22:19Z")
I know someone who works for CBS, so I asked: It is indeed to promote CBS All Access’s [Star Trek: Picard](https://www.cbs.com/shows/star-trek-picard/) as **cormac262** suggested. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2019, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cbs-flashing-the-star-trek-badge/844660/12 "2019-12-21T18:24:33Z")
They’ve extended it; previously it just showed the logo but now it shows Patrick Stewart in character very briefly. Perhaps that’s the plan; to gradually extend the length of the promo.