The Best & Worst Fictional Flags & Emblems | 2022
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 24. 08. 2022
- Flags and emblems can be a really cool part worldbuilding, but all too often the rules and guidelines are ignored, and we end up with mediocre results. In this episode of Incoming, we celebrate great examples of flags and emblems, and ridicule the ones that suck.
Raise The Colors! Tweet your flag designs to / templinedu
In Incoming, The Templin Institute discusses the theories and ideas found across alternate worlds.
The Templin Institute. Investigating alternate worlds.
New episodes every week.
Other Divisions & Branches:
đč Patreon | / templininstitute
đč The Templin Commissary | shop.templin.institute
đč Twitch | / templininstitute
đč The Templin Archives | / @templinarchives
đč CZcams Membership | / @templininstitute
đč Submit Your Episode Idea | ideas.templin.institute/
Communications & Media:
đč Website | www.templin.institute/
đč Discord | / discord
đč Facebook | / templininstitute
đč Twitter | / templinedu
đč Instagram | / templininstitute
đč Subreddit | / templininstitute
đč Mailing Address | Unit 144 - 919 Centre St SW Calgary, AB T2E 2P6
Background music: âWhite Atlantisâ by Sergey Cheremisinov. User under a Attribution-NonCommercial License.
Ending music "Battle Forever" used under license from Shutterstock.com. - ZĂĄbava
Not only should flags feature predatory birds they should in fact just be a predatory bird painted up and tied to a flagpole.
funny , at least one roman legion was to said to have a REAL eagle (in a cage) as there insignia, instead of the gilded or silver eagle others used.
Yep. It's a great yet simple way to portray power and freedom across all langauges.
using a living bird as your standard is actually kinda metal though
Are you going to be the one to tie the famously-sharp violence creature to the stick?
May we use other dinosaurs on our flag?
Templin Institute: "Why would an anime antagonist blatantly adopt the symbol of a fascist navy?"
Japanese Navy: _sweats nervously_
Based Warcrimes acknowledger. Eat your heart out, Shinzo. More like Schitzo. ;)
If you read into Zeon ideology & history, it's very much just Space Imperial Japan. "Space for Spacenoids" aka Space ruled by Zeon or die, units thrown around the Earth without supply, holdouts for decades after the war is over, human experimentation for "science," and even a Co-Prosparity Sphere as the last gasp of Zeon.
Also templin institute: Shows chinese flag like its normal
@@KoreanGeorge bruh
@@Avicerox i mean PRC is literally psuedo facist, complete with ethnic cleansing
I'd say the reason the Zeon flag incorporates 1940s Germany-like imagery is because the guy who was effectively in charge took being compared to 1940s Germany's chancellor as a compliment.
The One Year War is an mini version of the second wold war in the manga and anime actually, the guy who wrote it was a big history buff as well so there are tons of nods and inspiration taken from it. It's a really well done universe as well and the two factions are generally neither good or bad taking the position that most soldiers are not willing partakers in the war. The Zeon actually have a somewhat good goal of freedom but with basically space hitler leading them and the federation is textbook massive government that is as corrupt as it is large. The colonies have few to no rights and no representation in the federation government which is partly what kicked off the whole war and wars after.
@@taliawtf6944 Nothing says "Spacenoid Freedom" like exterminating like half of them.
But he did not design the flag, he usurped his father who formed the country.
@@Duchess_Van_Hoof Actually Degwin Zabi didn't form the country himself, Zeon Deikun did whom he murdered to get full control over the new nation. Degwin was fine with his son going all Hilter until he started forcing their own people to leave a colony that was being turned into a big super weapon (that was eventually used to murder his own father.) I think Zeon Deikun came up with the symbol and the in universe reason it looks the way it does it because a large chunk of the population of Side 3 was German which is why you see tons of German sur names in Zeon.
@@taliawtf6944 Zeon Deikun was a leader under the Republic of Zeon so the flag would have been different.
Also I think the Neo-Zeon flag does a nice job of simplifying the design.
Why do you think Thrawn studies art from so many other species? He wants to find where his own went wrong.
From what I read Thrawn does appear to be a more unconventional thinker in the Chiss military.
They say the sith have a way of royally fucking every military they try to adopt
Maybe the sith code fucked the chiss graphics design department
The space racism didn't help either
Maybe the Chiss met young Thrawn and were like, 'OK, this kid says our flag gives away our tactics, let's make one that means *absolutely nothing.* Have the computer put up some circles or something. :) "
@@OllamhDrab Thrawn was so influential they were copying his tactics from 3000 years before he was born
@@MandalorV7 so he was Too Chiss for the Chiss?
Flags are wonderful. Thereâs just something about those cloth rectangles thatâs just beautiful. Theyâre so perfect for symbolism.
Who says they only have to be rectangles?
@@trygveplaustrum4634 true true
@@trygveplaustrum4634 Nepal moment
*nepal had never seen such bullshit before*
@@trygveplaustrum4634 rectangular privilege
I love how the rebel alliance symbol in canon is a mix of the starbird and the partisans logo.
Really reminds of the Jedi Order symbol also.
But not as much adaptable as the 6 branches hexagon patterns of the Sith, which is basically EVERYWHERE if you look closely ;) :
In the Galactic Empire symbol, in the Old Sith Empire symbol, and even in CSI symbol and TIE fighters wings !
@@rKhael53 oh yeah! I didnât think about the Jedi order symbol.
The Empire when you examine it is essentially modeled after the Sith doctrine of survival and power through sacrifice. Usually of your peers.
I think that's something the Star Wars universe had so right from the beginning; those emblems are so well designed.
@@neofulcrum5013 A moment of silence for the many Sith Empire bureaucrats dealing with the paperwork of yet another Sith "workplace dispute".
Naw it's just a marauder cruiser
The 40k double eagle, or aquila, flag packs a surprising amount of symbolism in a fairly simple (albeit predatory bird) form.
First and most obvious, the two heads. These represent the twin empires of Terra and Mars that are united but separate.
The talons, one smooth and one spiked, represents the two sources of might for the Imperium; the Administratum who controls the vast population and resources, and the Minitorium who controls the armed forces.
Of note is that only one of the heads have an eye. For those of us used to reading left to right, it's the one looking backwards. This represents the distrust of anything new, and the glorification of the distant past.
It has been stated in HH books that the blind head is actually looking to the past, meaning that we should only focus on the future. Maybe they changed it after the Heresy, but I think it would be a great irony that the current day Imperium would use symbolism like this, considering their condition
@@malfuy9558 That's very much in keeping with the setting : so much of the 40k Imperium is based on distorted understanding of it's own history, with so much actually lost.
I also thought having two heads had to do with mutants/mutation somehow.
The Imperial of Man Aquila symbol predates the Treaty of Mars that saw Mars into compliance state.
Actually the Imperium itself is stylized after the TWO 'Medieval Roman Empires'--The Byzantine Empire and The Holy Roman Empire.
I don't exactly mind predatory birds on flags, under two conditions. The bird must be a national symbol of great importance, or the flag is to represent an air force or space navy, preferably one that focuses on speed.
General rule of thumb I fallow is that lettering and logos are allowed, when we deal with corporate or unit logos.
But even then they should be simple and fallow other rules. Complex seals and symbol spam is bed in general.
predatory birds need to be identifiably of specific species.
One of the best use of a bird is on the flag of the japanese Tottori Prefecture. The name Tottori means about as much as "catch a bird", and the flag displays the kana ăš (which is pronounced "to") stylized as a bird.
So in the end the name is related to birds, the flag displays a bird, but also a symbol that can be used to write the word bird, but at the same time keeps the shape simple.
@@T2266 Unless you're going to make the bird incredibly detailed and photorealistic, that's usually not possible. How would you be able to tell, say, a grey eagle from a Haast eagle from a golden eagle? Better, perhaps, to make them more stylized for the sake of simplicity and just have people take your word for what species it is.
Does the Raven Guard count as a naval faction? They are space *marines* after all.
I feel like the House Atreides flag mostly doesn't work well solely because of rounded corners like some current day Adobe Illustrator logo. Otherwise the simple yet distinct stylized shape feels like a depiction of some monumental brutalist structure, something extremely sturdy and timeless, which would work very well for a movie with such monumental feeling structures and spacecraft.
I have no idea how to support this, but I much prefer Westwood's interpretation of House Atreides flag, and much more House Harkonnens flag back then.
To be fair Dune takes place so far in the future that vexillological standards are vastly different to those of our day
It's also worth considering, it may be that ironically an ancient house would have a futuristic design because the empire is stagnant, even culturally declining. If you were walking downhill, somebody lagging behind you is actually higher up.
Yeah, I feel like it is the result of centuries or millennia of simplification. That at some point it was indeed a much more complex design, but as time went on they made it easier to recognize.
I wouldn't exactly call brutalism timeless.
just wanna shoutout to the Flag of the "United Nations of Earth and Luna" (The Expanse). I just love, how a realworld flag/symbol is taken and slightly altered that it makes sense given the progression of civilization and terretory AND is instantly recognizable as its former version... it maybe a bit complex, but I think it is one of the exeptions of the rule
Can't go wrong with instant recognizable and comprehensive by most flag.
Oh my god its a Liopleurodon
I also love the Martian Congressinal Republic flag as the simplicity is great and I canât get enough of it.
@@hunterjarman4728 Most importantly, it has orange os two of the primary colors. Such a great color that almost nobody uses.
Historically it probably wasn't used because it would be hard to tell the difference between orange and yellow once it is a bit faded and the light isn't great, which can be a problem when trying to identify a column of knights approaching in the distance. But since flags are no longer relevant for battlefield identification and used as decoration and we now have much more enduring dyes, orange really should be used more in new flag designs. All of this goes for purple.
And the MCR flag even uses a shade of orange that is very distinctive from either orange or yellow.
Pity that Luna is a nonplayer in Expanse though. Despite realistically being largest megacity, largest spaceport, largest military base and largest megafactory outside Earth.
I did notice what MIGHT be hidden symbolism on the Spartan Ops flag: in one claw, the bird holds arrow, a symbol of war and destruction. In the other claw, it holds a lightning bolt, a symbol of war and destruction. Contrast this with most American flags and symbols, where the symbols are usually one claw holding a symbol or war, and the other claw holding a symbol of peace.
Perhaps the symbolism of the Spartan Ops flag is: âYou already had your chance at resolving this peacefully, and you squandered it, so now the only question is HOW weâll destroy you.â
perhaps still could have achieved the same meaning there with some reference to the great warriors the program was named for
@@erubianwarlord8208 Like a ancient greek helmet and weapons or if they had to pick a bird, use a vulture which is used as a symbol of Ares god of war and major deal in ancient spartan society.
@@cjstanky exactly loose the bolt and make it a vulture holding a sword in one talon and a spear in the other with a spartan helmet at the backdrop with the vulture on the forehead if front on or on the side if the helmet is 3/4s pov
@@erubianwarlord8208 I agree that the flag isn't great for Spartan Ops, and that a reference to the original Spartans would have been better.
I was just pointing out some possible symbolism that the Templin Institute may have overlooked.
Iirc, the symbolism of the SPARTAN insignia has to do with the first meeting with Dr Halsey and John. She had an American quarter that she used to test his luck. He snatched the coin out of the air and when he opened his hand, it was tails. So since he was the leader of the II-series he probably had the most input of designing the unit insignia for their dress uniforms.
The Principality of Zeon is an interesting case. While they certainly have the fascist aesthetic down, their motivation is largely revolutionary and separatist.
Yes and no.
The Zeon people majorly supported revolution and separatism but the ruling Zabi family was facist for sure. (Gihren outright says he idolizes Adolph Hitler) They highjacked the popular uprising and twisted it to serve their ideals.
And even if a lot of the rank and file may night have agreed with it, they still gassed 20 million fellow colonists and crashed the colony into earth killing untold millions more. And then they invaded Earth.
Their coverage of the topic here is unfortunately very dishonest.
@@danieloconnell4868 Someone that actually understands Zeon and doesn't fanboy over them. You don't see that everyday.
@@danieloconnell4868 And yet somehow they were still less puppy kicking than the Titans...
@@fanusobscurus4309 Thanos with Jamitov's face crudely photoshopped in: "I use the fascist dictatorship to destroy the fascist dictatorship." lol
The reason for predatory birds is simple: it passes through human history and every single European, European-descendent, Northern Africa, and quite a bit of Asia takes a lot of inspiration from Rome, and thus the imperial eagle is ubiquitous in it's symbolism across history which feeds further into fiction. I get where you're coming from but honestly I don't take issue with it for the most part.
I kinda like the Chiss flag. It is simple, has implied alien symbolism where the elements do appear related but we don't know why or how. It fits for a largely background faction meant to be mysterious.
Didn't the Mongols have a bird as their banner?
@@genghiskhan5701 No the banner was made of yak tails in a cylinder that were black in times of war and white in times of peace. They did have one flag, of about 5, that used a bird but that was uncommon and most used horses or traditional symbols.
Who does North Africa takes inspiration from Rome? It's a completely different aesthetic
@@Red0Wn You mean the Egyptian one?
That's very close to one of the Roman aquilas, there was more than one style, there were quite a few. The one used in Egypt is stylized a little differently with the old aquila typically being more rounded and natural looking, and the shield is its own addition, but over two thousand years, yes, that's a variation drawn from the Roman Empire.
@@pubcle the Eagle of Saladin doesn't have a direct link to the Roman Eagle tho.
The Eagle on the flag of Egypt is from the standard of Saladin
The Problem with Vexiliology is that sometimes you need to break the rules, and many of the best looking and most meaningful flags tend to break at least one, such as the bedford flag, and hell, even the Old Pocatello Flag, which represented that town to a truly uncanny degree.
That's why as a rule of thumb, you don't need to follow all of them, but follow at least two
The former Pocatello flag summed up the stories of modern flags: They were designed to work as logos, and their designers didn't consider the possibility that they would be used as flags. But as awareness of the issue spread, the flag became something truly special.
One flag detail I like in Star Wars Legends (from an out of universe perspecive) is how Revan's Sith Empire incorporates the Star Forge as its flag, both subtly implanting a stylised version of the construct while the player is hunting for the Star Maps that lead to it and making it look more unique than other Sith flags.
While they were an absolute joke I kinda liked the dagger emblem of the Sith Eternal, and some of the fanmade designs incorporating it as part of the First Order flag look pretty good
Mustâve been awkward when it blew up
Wasn't the starforge the symbol of the infinite empire?
@@Bread-nx9fo *Remaining Sith when the news breaks:* Bother.
11:58 I hope that The Templin Insitute conduct their investigation on the Principality of Zeon and their notable military power and hierarchy, society and weaponry and technology in the future.
Yeah, start with. Gihren Zabi first.
Absolutely they need to. Gundam is a very lore heavy series. Even if itâs an anime Gundamâs technology, history, and politics are exactly the kind of things the Templin Institute likes to talk about.
@@solarsailor1534 Totally agree. Universal century lore would be a goldmine fore this channel.
Hopefully they do a better job than they did here.
Sieg Zeon!
The tree of Gondor is detailed and iconic enough to have been stolen by a bunch of nutcases squatting in a church in my city.
As for Zeon, well Gihren Zabi takes his dad comparing him to Hitler as a compliment so the Zeon flag being full on Kriegsmarine is on point for that genocidal nutter.
And to be pedantic, King Menelaus of Sparta and his brother Agamemnon were both represented as being Zeus's avenging eagles, so there is a Spartan connection in the S Ops flag.
Go and ask them about Eru IlĂșvatar and the Valar for me.
*I really want flags to do something with the underlying flag template, rather than simply use a logo on a single-color flag.*
Chevrons, fesses, pales, quarters/cantons: these are all charges that invoke symbolism yet stylize the flag just as much as any logo could.
Vexillology and heraldry follow many of the same basic rules for many of the same basic reasons.
Simple shapes and patterns do have many advantages. That's part of why they're used so often.
But that commonality can limit or prohibit their usage - make them inappropriate - because the recognition or history they carry might imply identities a flag wants to distance away from.
I liked the emblem of the XCOM Project, though that lent itself far more to uniform patches than flags.
One other aspect of the GDI flag that I appreciate is that small changes to the eagle change the design noticeably. The specialized sub-factions of the Steel Talons and Zone Operations Command have their own versions of the eagle, but their emblems are still close enough to the overall theme that they are clearly related parts of the organization.
Which makes sense, Xcom is an ad hoc joint operations structure, not a nation. It also tracks with how lots of Special forces just use their patch as a flag logo as well (like the US army rangers for example)
Steel Talons one is just the GDI flag of the second Tiberian War though, which is the superior design
@@cjstanky he's talking about C&C not xcom.
@@smc912 You don't seem to have read the whole comment. OP talked about thr XCOM Logo being on their flag and that they like it.
Hooray for more flags!
Hoora
I LOVE FLAGS
Hooray!
Starsector has some good flags, although they donât have too much inherent symbolism, but stuff like the hegemony having a similar flag to the domain, because they believe they are the direct legitimate successor to the domain after the collapse, but they are not identical because they are a military emergency government.
Similarly, the church of galactic redemption (luddics) have a cool flag and the extremist branch of the church the luddic path have a similar but more rugged and ragtag flag.
@@Lordmun445 The Persean League's flag symbolize the systems they have in the game
@@Lordmun445 You can add Hegemony to the "no predatory bird motif"
@@arsmariastarlight3567 yea but Iâd argue it works because itâs got the Phoenix motif of rising from the human domains ashes
@@Xyt_EliteMajor and the sindrian diktat flag probably represents the one star they own, the rising sun if you will but with added wings to show off their ascendancy
I absolutely love the Romulan Republic flag from STO. The two wings sweeping upwards like a phoenix, New Romulus suspended between them. It's perfect.
The German Naval Ensign I think is just a great Flag template and think the Monarcal Principality of Zeon going with a flag reminiscent of first Imperial Germany is good.
is not the imperial navy is the ww2 navy and they were chosen because it was insulting to the earth federation mainly anglo European elites
i personal lique the neo zeon simbol more
Not to mention that that isn't the only flag Zeon uses lol
I mean a nordic cross with a symbol in the crossing point isn't that outlandish. The fascist association comes more from the colors.
Upon meeting aliens for the first time, the humans of earth present them with a united nations flag.
Aliens: "You call this a flag? Where's your bird?"
Well now that you've talked about Gundam, it'd be awesome to get some episodes about the UC timeline.
Honestly the principality of zeon likely could have suceeded without Zabi incompetence hamstringing the movements superior position of morality. Without going full fascist spinning the federation as evil oppressors would have been a great step towards independence.
@@Colonel_Overkill And that's the point. Zeon has a bad habit of getting opportunistic supervillains as leaders who don't care about independence or Zeon's ideals, all they want is personal power and will burn down the world around them to get it.
@@Colonel_Overkill the third position is based the zabi's were aristocrat wannabes
Speaking of walking mechs, I hope templin will also cover the Battletech universe. Surprised they haven't considering how detailed it is.
@@Razgriz_01 a mailed fist over a diamond on a blue flag is the perfect recon flag even.....
The Horde flag will always be a great symbol for me. Its simple yet elegant, and its pieces somewhat do its own thing (like the races of the Horde), but are centered around one piece; it could represent either the Warchief, or resembling the Horde itself.
I think there was a side mission in the Frozen Throne bonus campaign where you build the first standard war banner of the Horde-not design it tho, Thrall and his Troll companions probably did that part.
Lordaeron Flag is far better, the L shape and the 3 daggers (Humans, Dwarves and High-elves and or/ the three virtues of the Holy Light, Repect, Tenacity and Compassion).
The sad part about the federation flag is that's not from it's decline. That design is first seen at a space station that was left for destroyed, so that flag is from it's height when it encompassed most of the milky way galaxy
Can I just say that The Combine from Half life has a great flag/ symbol.
And to be honest the other Half life symbols are pretty solid as well (Black mesa, Resistance, Aperture Science*)
The Resistance Lambda insignia is a perfect example of symbolic minimalism done right. It's a small symbol but very meaningful and powerful. I think there was a video that went into its deeper meaning if I remember correctly.
@@Gamerguy826 Yeah, it seems to be relating all the way back to the Lambda Complex from the Black Mesa Research Facility. The department that did the most to stop the Xenian invasion of Earth, even if they were unable to stop the Combine afterwards.
I love the Combine insignia, it's brutal and symbolic of their oppression of entire worlds.
*Even though Aperture Science was introduced in Portal first.
And even it fits with how Breen wants you to name them, the "Universal Union".
Zeon's naval-like flag might be reflected by the fact that they're a space colony state, they essentially live inside a floating space island surrounded by the void of space.
I think the flag of the Earth Alliance from Gundam Cosmic Era Timeline is a very good twist on the generic "Earth Faction" flag.
Its got the blue Earth and the wreath like the UN flag that audience know, but its even more "generic" as the blue Earth has no visible continents as to not favor any member. It also got the moon in the symbol next to the blue Earth to represent Luna.
But then it turns out the Alliance became the equivalent of Proncipality of Zeon when it comes to being mass murdering assholes. I guess its an interesting subvertion of the original Gundam, as now the Earth faction is the super-dicks and anyone with some sense eventually left them.
I always thought the Earth Alliance from the Cosmic Era was more along the lines of the Titans from Zeta Gundam.
@@mingchoi8369 Well there is no good direct analogy due to the difference between the two universe. One may argue that Titans is more like Phantom Pain but that too isnt a direct analogy due to the difference in what the 2 organization is meant for. I used Zeon simply because its flag appeared in the video.
I've never seen SEED so I just looked up the symbol and the first thing I noticed was that it has the same shape as the Zeon emblem, probably thanks to your post. That was a pretty clever design by the team if they meant to subtly invoke Zeon with the design.
6:16 GDI logo also works because NOD's logo is scorpion's tail. It's a predatory bird hunting its prey. It's like poetry, they rhyme.
And in the same way as the bird hunts the scorpion, the scorpion can sting the bird with it's venom.
I just like birds he go fastđ
Dune has some great bad flags. The Harkonnen represented themselves with a bull-headed griffon on a field of dark blue and orange with no meaningful contrast. The Atredies using stylish modern design fits them perfectly (what with the obsession with propaganda throughout the house), but youâre right. An intricate mess that required a team of dozens of artists years to make by hand fits that setting better.
Flags from homeworld, especially the Kushaan flag in Homeworld 1 and it's evolution in Homeworld 2's Hiigarn flag. So much symbolism around that flag exists in lore, to the point that when the Hiigarn exiles finally crash landed on kharak, the first city they built, Khar- toba had that same shape, that of a circle representing Hiigara, incompesd by anglic wings from its sole moon, the "angle moon". all three further incompesd by a larger circle representing the Hiigarn system's star. It's a simple design, with a simple blue and white color tone yet it conveys the entire story of Homeworld, the fight to return home, then the fight to protect said lost home.
To be Fair, The Eagle symbol has been mostly used by western nations for years. So, it's kind of hard to replace.
That makes its usage in sci fi sort of troubling honestly, basically saying that the world is united under the west, not that the entire world came together of its own violition
@@xenoplaguedoctor2912 Whatâs the Problem with the World being United under the West?
I have also an overdose about predatory birds ! Why every goddamn empires have an eagle ?! Can't we have something more unique ? A lion, a dragon, even a stylized sword can do the job ! Or if you REALLY want a "predatory" bird, why not an owl or a vulture ?
The only exceptions I tolerate is Imperium of Mankind, because he is a mix of all previous imperialistic cultures in human history. Usonia, cause at least we only have the head of the eagle. And Denis Villeneuve Dune's Atreides (sorry^^) cause it's an old book, and I find this eagle form appealing and original.
@@xenoplaguedoctor2912 that can be fine depending on the story. if you're going for 'came together of it's own violition', then yeah, it might be bad. but if it was one that was created by force or coercion, then it might work perfectly fine.
@@zackkilgore528 Depends on the context of your story. If you have a really multicultural society, like a federation of nations based on the common will of spatial exploration, it have more sense to have a more universal symbolism.
We're starting a monthly flag design contest! Tweet out your flag design to twitter.com/TemplinEdu and include the hashtag #TemplinFlag. The winner will have a physical version of their flag sent to them via our partners at Kaiser Cat Cinema and flagmaker-print.com
No way you gonna talk shit about Zeon's flag
Glory to the Flag
The reason Zeon copies so much of WW2 IJ and NG stuff is because, in canon, their leader was a huge fan of H*tler and his ideals.
Like, he was a massive H*tler fanboy.
Hence why Zeon did a lot of Wonderweapons and special, unique, often impractical designs.
I'm thinking of designing bird flags every months for the contest just to annoy Marc.
@@IansMentalOmega Degwin Zabi also at one point compare one of his son Gihren Zabi to Hitler in a following in footsteps way.
8:48 Given how historically in universe the Helghast were pushed off of Vekta and essentially forced to settle on Helghan after being persecuted into leaving the planet they first colonized I don't think they'd be asking themselves that.
Killzone franchise was great flipping who are good guys on it's head. Since Helghast were the good guys, well more good then who they were fighting.
@@domehammer Helghan belongs to the Helghast.
All hail Visari!
Hopefully this means we'll see more Gundam videos with the Templin Institue, oh my god, Gundam lore in the hands of this channel will be god tier
8:54 Fun fact: Euro Bills are not allowed to have any Landmarks, Historical Person or national symbol on them. For that reason: No part is more important then the whole.
The exception are:
- Coinage. 1 side can be something historical for the country minting them. But they mix so much, you are probably not going to find a single purse from only 1 nation.
- 0⏠Bills, which specifically exist for memorial or commemorative prints
What I find pretty funny is that the _"no landmarks on the Euro Bill"_ rule didn't account for one action, some Dutch designer started to design his bridges *after* the Euro Bill bridges.
Retroactively making all imaginary bridges on the Euro Bills _Dutch landmarks._
@Bionick Toa Nice claim. Any examples?
One thing I noticed about the Romulan flag is that the eagle has been stylized to look like it's been made from folded cloth, like there's an actual origami emblem somewhere that the flag is directly emulating because it became _the_ recognized symbol of the government.
Ok you better include the Banished Emblem, seal of the Universal Union (Combine from Half Life 2) and Imperium of Man flag on the good side because those are awesome flags!
Nah, not the banished. The emblem they use is just Chainbreaker from a top-down view, disregarding the fact the banished is a loose alliance of brute packs that barely tolerate each other, let alone the other species they fight along side with.
The only reason they were unified was because Escharum kept them in line under threat of death.
The Banished is much like the Great Heathen Army. A collection of clans that just happened to be large enough that instead of fighting each other, they looked towards the kingdoms of England for conquest
@@CMTechnica It aint just Brute packs lol its a large coalition of various species including Humans. The Banished is more successful and way more powerful than the pitiful dying Covenant Remnants being wiped out by the Swords of Sanghelios, UNSC, Banished, and Created. Nobody likes them lol
Especially considering the imminent freeing of the Endless, the Banished is about to get a whole lot stronger. The fact that the Banished symbol resembles the Endless Cylix image is very interesting
@@jakespacepiratee3740 um. Thats what he said
The Imperium's flag was on the best-of list in the 2017 video.
I've always viewed the Zeon emblem as an arrow bisecting an O'Neill cylinder orbital colony from a certain perspective with the arrow itself pointing aggressively towards Earth.
Anyways, space colonists in the Universal Century are a people without any extensive history of their own nor commonly rooted ancestry to form a strong nationalist identity, so the Zabi family dictatorship largely used 20th century European fascists imagery and practices for rapid nation-building. Deeply rooted victimhood narrative and the "struggle" against it, a twisted theory of spacenoid racial superiority, lots of ostentatious displays and images of strength and zealousness, and a persistent narrative of a corruption and contemptuousness aimed at their enemy -- it's a playbook they used to great effect and as an ideology would persists as the basis of conflict in some form for the next two decades.
So, yeah, Zeon cloaked themselves in Nazism because the Zabis were speed-running the whole jingoistic expansionist superpower gambit. Even the name Zeon was something they stole from the politician who led the nonviolent colonial sovereignty movement that the Zabis themselves secretly killed and then used to justify their power-grab to immense public support.
The non-military symbol of Zeon is much less fascist in nature. Take that flag and remove the black and white cross and you have the Thorn Rose of Zeon.
Quite...so, how goes the supplying arms to both the Federation and Zeon there, Anaheim?
@@DrForrester87 prior to One Year War, the Far Side of the Moon (the half that always look up and see Zeon cylinders) were already pro Zeon due to proximity. The 2nd largest city on the Moon Granada was a major manufacturing hub for Zeon military. After the war, those facilities were taken over by Anaheim who was based on the largest (and Earth facing) city of Van Braun. In 0083 the 4th Gundam Project MS was cancelled by Federation due to the space variant of GP01. What was suppose to be GP04 was finished with Zeonic esthetic and handed to Zeonic forces. During the 2nd Neo Zeon War (Char's war in 0003) all of the Neo Zeon's MS was made in Granada. Hell Char even arranged a leak of their psycommune technology to Van Braun side of Anaheim that was making Amuro's personal MS just so his fight with his old nemesis would be a fair one.
@@dyingearth I'm aware of how skeevy the Lunarians were.
The Brotherhood of Nod have equally amazing and meaningful emblem as with GDI. Their scorpion motif represents their modus operandi, belief and ideological doctrine throughout the Tiberium wars:
-For starters, the red and black color scheme is a classic color scheme of totalitarian, fascist regime, with the red-black tone evoking the feeling of overwhelming force of extreme ideological belief, which in this case, revering the tiberium as holy gift to humanity to transcend human evolution into higher level of lifeform, culminating on Nod's near-fanatical pursuit of human-tiberium hybrid, terraforming missile and tiberium mutants research. Their reverence of tiberium lifeform as superior species and the next logical step of human evolution is so extreme that in the first tiberium war, they're performing human experiment with tiberium mutation, in the second tiberium war they make world altering missile to terraform earth's life into tiberium-based lifeform, in the third tiberium war they straight-up injecting liquid tiberium on their troops and rigged the liquid tiberium bomb to summon the scrin, and during the final war, nearly all of their troops are tiberium-powered cyborgs
-Organization-wise, Nod tend to operate with command structure that's vastly different than modern military command. Their command structure are rife with archaic or biblical terms such as Inner circle, templar, confessor, cabal, mark of Kane, clerics, priests etc. all of these are qualities of totalitarian fanatical ideology which demands unquestioning absolute devotion and dedication of the lower-rank followers to the few elite members (not to mention their lack of moral ethics by performing cyborgization, unwilling tiberium experiment on humans, unrestrained AI research and treating lower rank member as more or less cannon fodder to hold the line before their elite member arrives and mop the floor)
-For nod followers, the scorpion is a symbol on how Nod operates throughout Tiberium wars, a representation of scorpion's combination of small size and relatively high destructive potential due to it's venomous tail. The scorpion which is little may be crushed by the bigger creatures but it can regardless sting them. Therefore the scorpion's tail represents the vengeance of the proletariat and the global poor, whom Nod wishes to be perceived as the champions of, against the wealthy elites such as the GDI. The scorpion is also a small creature, hardly noticeable until it stings, evoking the tactical doctrine of Nod in ambush, camouflage and hit-and-run tactics (which is appropriate, seeing how Nod existed as a guerilla organization comprised of disillusioned and untrained (but extremely devoted fanatics) masses from yellow zones)
-The scorpion motif itself allegedly based from the ancient tomb that traces Brotherhood's origin as "an ancient and secret society", with the tomb being decorated with statues of scorpions, along with the depiction of Cain killing Abel. Several of such motifs were also seen in Nod temples, seemingly lending credence to the Nod belief that Kane was, in fact, the Biblical Cain
-Interestingly, the temple of Nod, their central comman structure often seen in multiple games, is often built in a stylized architecture resembling encroaching scorpion, which usually also doubles as tactical nuclear missile silo, of which scorpions are known to be largely immune to radioactive fallout. Evoking a feeling that Nod would be the one who remain and rise from the ashes of their superweapon
My god, I love the Brotherhood of Nod. Hands down one of the best video game factions of all time.
Well said.
There's something about fictional flags and emblems that truly elevate a fictional reality into believability. They represent the talent and thoughtfulness of the people behind and within the world.
4:44 King Aragorn to Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin: "My friends. You bow to no one."
Interesting quote I guess
Iâd never seen the planets on the Romulan flag until you mentioned them.
Imperial flag from Warhammer 40:000 is great. Its a piece of red material with imperial aquila - two headed gold eagle. But symbolism about Aquila is really good. The Aquila most commonly has two heads looking into different directions, one said blinded to look at the past, one sighted to see to the future. The double-headed eagle also represents the union of the Mechanicum of Mars and the Emperor or between Mars and Terra. That union was the begining of the Imperium of Man.
To be fair, the predatory bird has been a symbol of power since the Bronze Age.
The Mongols Persians and Romans pretty much used it
Flags are such an obvious representation of the ideas of the group they belong to that it really just feels lazy when they're clearly an afterthought. You don't need a whole month-long design committee, just put fifteen actual minutes deciding WHY a flag works that way.
Yeah, basically think about what the nation or organization represents, what their origin and ideals are, and try to put that into meaningful colors and symbols. And the meaning of those colors and symbols obviously in context to the nation at hand.
For example, I don't think the white on the Canadian flag represents purity but rather snow. (Obviously I could be wrong, but snow seems to be much more meaningful given where the country is)
12:40 Chiss Ascendancy where Grand Admiral Thrawn hailed from before he joined the Empire as leader of its 7th Fleet.
11:56 To be fair, taking inspiration from WW2 era Germany was kind of the point in the making Zeon, and it's not just the flags. The Zaku II Kai B Type's head was molded after the Stahlhelm helmet. There is was also a compaction between the Zaku and the Zudah was similar to the compaction between the BF-109 and the HE-100 German fighter planes. Though, the thought of the WW2 Germany motif reaching to the point where Gihren Zabi gets compared to Adolf Hitle, by his father Degwin, is kind of funny.
You may have a point on the negative space though, at least on the flag you showed. I've seen others that are similar but with the symbol in the center.
It's not just from WW2 Germany that the Principality of Zeon draws upon for inspiration. Ideologically, they resemble an awful lot like Imperial Japan. For example, the Principality of Zeon proclaims it is fighting a war of independence for all those living in the Seven Sides space colonies, but the reality is that in the opening month of the war they openly slaughtered many of the space colonists they were "liberating". This line of thought is very similar to the Empire of Japan's East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere where they proclaimed that Asia should be free of foreign colonial rule, but the reality was that many Asian ethnic groups were killed all in name of "Asia for Asians."
The Romulans actually used to be called: ''those who march under the Raptor's wing'' when they separated themselves from the other Vulcans, who came to embrace logic around that time, and exiled their emotions. That is what the raptor bird means.
Great video as usual! I'm glad to see some Universal Century Gundam lore making its way into the channel. I think its such a great fit for the kind of content you produce. Tons of lore that offers great subjects for pretty much all your on going investigation series. Would love to see more!
by the way, I think the imperial flag from Legend of Galactic Heroes fits pretty well into how Atreides banner could've been
even though it's a bird(s) flag, the thing is stylized in an interesting way
Depends on which Empire. The Goldenbaum dynasty's version is an stylized eagle. After they were overthrown, replace with the Lion symbol of Lohengramm. On the other side, there's the very deliberate generic flag of Free Planet Alliance of golden pentagon in a field of tri color stripe.
Shout out to the flags and roundels of Strangereal from Ace Combat. I know Marc already mentioned the Osean Federation back in the first one, but all of them are simply fantastic flags. My favorite is that of the Republic of Emmeria
The best symbols are those which are recognizable, clear, and inspiring to those or what they represent
Don't know why, but I've always really enjoyed flags, I find them fascinating đ
Edit: you should do a video on the best fictional millitary uniforms
The ZAFT uniform from gundam seed always stuck out to me. Detailed enough to look good but simple enough to be practical.
SECONDED!
YES
Char Aznable, best uniform
One of the most interesting designs in my opinion is the Irken Empire's flag from Invader Zim. It's both parts menacing while also poking fun at how egotistical the Irken race is, but which ends up being more comical when it comes to those emblazoned on the Tallests' (yes their leaders are just taller than the others) flagship as it ends up looking more like a logo for a demented alien clown.
Can you do a faction video on the SCP Foundation? The SCP Foundation also known as Secure Contain Protect, or simply the Foundation is a top secret global government agency dedicated to protecting humanity and their own universe from anomalies that can be destructive or lead to human extinction. They contain these anomalies in hidden Sites all over the world, and even on the moon. They sometimes contain these anomalies in their original locations if transportation is impossible.
We did that back in April
@@TemplinInstitute True, but it was an April Fools Video.
The 32nd Century's Federation flag also replaces the 24th Century flag's laurel leaves with sharp, blade shaped designs. I know it's meant to look 'sleek', but to my eye it looks aggressive.
Everyone: Flag
Mark: Fleg
its everyone else who is wrong
@@TemplinInstitute I'll raise a FLEGon of ale to that.
Honorable mention is the COG flag of gears of war, I like it's minimalism while literally just having a gear around a blue sphere that makes me also think of a protective shell around the planet. That's just me.
You forgot, with the Romulans, that their design is not only a bit on the complex side, but it has WRITING at the top.
Also, the weird thing with flag-birds is that most aren't predatory, like Papua New Guinea, Guatemala, and Zimbabwe, with some using fictional species. What I would like to know is what kinds of creatures would make a good replacement for birds.
And not like California's bear...!
10:40 "We are House Atreides. There is no call we do not answer. There is no faith that we betray." - motto of the Atreides family
Their official motto is "Here I stand, here I remain" - which is what Leto chokes out as he tries to kill the Baron
As much as I love the Templin Institute, I do find it odd that they've done no investigations into Gundam's Universal Century (this feels like the first time content from it has been mentioned), it is probably one of the most influential sci-fi settings out there. While I understand that they're focused mostly on western media, it still seems odd to me. I at least would have expected something on the RX78-2 Gundam, seeing how ubiquitous it is even outside of Japan.
Awesome! Iâm so glad Gondor has made an appearance! One of my all time favourite flag designs.
Flags are great! I just watched the original recently, nice to see that you're remaking the video! :D
your videos are great btw
Edit: I love that you put in the flag of the Carja Sundom đ
The ZAFT flag from Gundam Seed is interesting. It eulogizes the nuclear attack on Junius 7 that was the inciting incident for ZAFT's founding.
SIEG ZEON !!! SIEG ZEON !!! Glory to the Principality, Glory to the Colonies and Glory to Zeon Zum Deikun !!! SIEG ZEON !!! SIEG ZEON !!!
Zeon did nothing wrong
GLORY TO THE PRINCIPALITY OF ZEON!!
SIEG ZEON!!
SIEG ZEON!!
SIEG ZEON!!
What about the Aquila for the Imperium of Man? Thatâs pretty cool.
They said this themselves back in the previous video on flags back in 2017. Is it suddenly no longer cool because it has a bird of prey on it?
They can make a plus 30 minute video about 40k symbols and iconografy...and that just for the imperium.
Orks have the best symbols.
That was in the previous video.
There are things other than 40k that they can talk about. Maybe they just wanted to focus on something else. Or perhaps "pretty cool" doesn't fit in a best and worst list.
The Imperium flag is supposed to be "generic" so it is a good use. The double headed eagle is one of the most ubiquitous symbols of empire and it has a bit of unique symbolism with the left eye being closed and blind to the past.
It is cool but I also have an overdose about predatory birds ! Why every goddamn empires have an eagle ?! Can't we have something more unique ? A lion, a dragon, even a stylized sword can do the job ! Or if you REALLY want a "predatory" bird, why not an owl or a vulture ?
The only exceptions I tolerate is, precisely, Imperium of Man, because he is a mix of all previous imperialistic cultures in human history. Usonia, cause at least we only have the head of the eagle. And Denis Villeneuve Dune's Atreides (sorry^^) cause it's an old book, and I find this eagle form appealing and original.
I would like to give an honourable mention to the Flag of the Dwendalian Empire from Critical Role's Wildemount. Their crest is that of a red owl, with two interlocking white tufts of wheat surrounded by a bold imperial crown. It is a very snazzy looking crest, and the owl doesn't seem to be used often when portraying a continent-spanning empire.
Considering the first video was what got me onto your channel, this is nice a update.
The 32nd century of federation flag does make some sense - if you see it as a symbol of perseverance.
"Look at everything we have lost, yet we still hold on."
In those centuries, perseverance in face of adversity was the highest virtue of the Federation.
11:36 Birds are just really that cool and badass, simple as.
100% agree with the anti-bird flag ranting. However, a rule I want added to the real world is NO MORE PLAIN TRICOLOUR FLAGS!
They are boring, unoriginal and so completely generic. I often get them confused too, because they also use the same colors as other countries just in different orders. Hell Chad and Romania have effectively the same flag!
Any color symbolism needs to be explained without familiarity, so put an emblem on them like India or Mexico did - I shouldn't have to double take whether I'm looking at the Netherlands or Russia because of the order the colors are in, I should see something unique right from the get go.
And yes, this extends to Bicolor flags too. Indonesia, Poland and Monaco spring to mind.
The Empire of Cheliax has a great flag...
I think the predatory bird of the Adrestian empire from Fire Emblem Three Houses is a great example of how to make something ordinary into extraordinary yet maintaining some identity behind the generic empire=red, gold, eagle; but in that loosing the simplicity although that gives it a sense oldness
Destiny 2 has some great flags and insignias
They really do, I could be wrong but to my uneducated eyes it looked like they drew a lot of inspiration of Native American art.
@@TemplinInstitute Destiny draws a lot of inspiration from Ancient Mythology, and naturally Halo, which does the same, so you would be right in that guess! Also hey why not do the Hive next? They have so much history over the years it would be awesome to see a video of them from you!
@@xvx_k1r1t0_xvxkillme7 I personally would be more of a fan of the eliksni, but hive can work too I guess.
@@inquisitorbenediktanders3142 The Eliksni have like 30 different Factions so it might be kind hard rounding them all up in a video.
@@jakespacepiratee3740 yeah fair enough.
When it comes to flag designs for sci-fi settings, a neat place to start is by looking at the municipal flags of Japan's various cities and towns. They have some really neat designs that use simple shapes to produce some very nice looking emblems.
The predatory bird comment was a wake up call for me. I like how menacing they look, but the art form has been overused and definitely need to think outside the box a bit.
I just love the GDI emblem... Tiberian Sun version is the one I like most...
I prefer the C&C 3 much better, they achieved a great redesign, while keeping all the elements of the original and tib-sun versions, making it look even more aggressive, while also making it more easily distinguishable, thanks to the 3 eagle feathers that extend just past the main circle, its a small change, but it increases the dynamism of the symbol and creates a unique, simple and memorable silhouette.
I always preferred the silver on blue version from C&C 3, but the others work really well too.
in the name of kane
There's one mistake. It's not Spartans copying US seal. It's US symbols copying Roman Empire.
If I were to redesign the Spartan Ops emblem, I would make a classical greek spartan helmet with a pair of downward pointing, crossed spears. Not only is this invocative of classical greece, it's also invocative of the emblem that's used for the legendary difficulty in the games.
10:16 "ATREIDES! ATREIDES! ATREIDES!"
Is it possible in the near future if you can please do a video on The Terran Confederacy from StarCraft? You guys did one on the Terran Dominion a few years ago but you never did a follow up on the regime that happened before it and Iâve been really hoping for the past few years you guys might get around to eventually go back and do one on the Terran Confederacy. Iâve been really curious to see your guyâs take on it.
This is blasphemy! You choose the flag of a global oppressor and called it one of the best⊠You have blinded yourself to the truth. Kane Lives In Death! đŠ
Great video đ Glad to see C&C in the list, but shame on you for choosing the wrong side. Keep it up guys đ
I'm surprised you guys haven't spoken about Disco Elysium. Its very fleshed out and has a unique world to explore. The world of Disco Elysium was BUILT for this channel.
I love your channel keep up the great stuff!!
The original video was the one that got hooked on this channel. Love this reprisal.
7:36 "Now this design should immediately tell you something..."
Me: Um, that the Helgast like to point in 3 directions at once?
"...fascism..."
Me: Oh.
I thought that was A good indicator lol its red and black and itâs evil that fits the criteria for a fascist flag of course are some exceptions but the majority the time these are fictional flags Iâm just trying to make Fascism look evil which it is I think theyâre just using a semi tactic when they villainize the communist which are probably far worse than fascist because communism killed 60 million people but I think patches and killed around 12 million people because keep in mind not all countries that were part of the axis were fascist they just wanted protection from Russia.
I might be wrong correct me if I am.
In my opinion, the Kelvin Timeline UFP flag is the best rendition of the flag in Star Trek. Love that it is a Blue emblem in a white field, it evokes pacifism. I also love the design of the laurel and the cog design in the middle, which reminisces of socialist symbology.
12:14- To add to more irony, Gihren was compared to Hitler by his father after finding out his plan to perform Eugenics after he took Earth.
When told to him as an insult, Gihren took it as a pride.
Ooh, a new Templin Institute vexillology video! It _has_ been a while~
The Predatory Bird image can work if used properly, like with GDI. (also that was the 2nd Tiberium War variant so that was kinda cool)
However I kinda do agree that the UNSC seems to reuse the bird quite a bit.
I don't mind House Atrades use of it. If not for the bird head it wouldn't even be a bird in flight. And considering the symbolism vs House Harkonen, its probably a significant contrast in "personality". One being a more benevelent symbol of hope, the other being outright hostile.
I wonder what you guys would think of the faction symbols from the Battletech universe. Would be something interesting to hear.
The 5 principles of flag design have so many exceptions that they practically don't matter. There are hundreds of examples of flags with letters and seals that look great, it's how you use them that matters. There are a lot of very bland flags that follow these "rules". They ultimately don't matter
To be fair, a bland flag is still preferable over a terrible one. Look at some American state or city flags and you'd wish they had a bland one instead.
They have to be unique and recognizable from afar. If they achieve that purpose, everything else is secondary.
Honestly I like flags with seals on them, so long as the seals are good.
ngl the Zeon flag thumbnail immediately got me clicking this video. Hope more love is given to J-SF series!
Loved the video @The Templin Institute! Can't wait for the next video man! As Someone who's thought up of a Flag for his own Faction in Space Engineers and Nation in Minecraft, This is pretty helpful. However, it has pretty much told me that I still have some work to do on it though, as it's unfortunately a Recolor of the Free French Flag from World War Two using the Colors of the Italian Flag and Cyan Blue for the Cross *Sighs* . Nonetheless, We at the Inpedendent Republic of Cadria shall persevere in trying to establish as Easy and Regonizable a Flag as Possible. The Main Universes that I'm familiar with are Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Andromeda, Babylon 5, Warhammer 40K, Lord of the Rings, and I do know of HALO, but that's about it. I came up with the Name "Independent Republic of Cadria" from watching some "Star Citizen" Lore about the Idris-class Frigate and wanted to invoke not only my Support for ArmA 3 Community Content Creator @Rimmy - Downunder Gaming and his Warhammer 40K Unit, The Cadian XXth (Not 20th in Roman numerals like it looks, which is a Testament to how many times they've been wiped out and Reformed since originally formed as the 86th), as well as My Italian Ancestry on my Father's side of the Family predominantly from Reggio Calabria. Even the Name might need some more work done to it as well.
Personally, I think the flag of the New Colonial Navy from Colony Wars (admittedly an old and kind of niche series of PS1 titles) is excellent. It symbolises their unification of the Sol system and their escape from it, whilst being simple and intelligible.
7:46 "bye monetization !" đ
Kind of reminds me when Mr. mustache man say goodbye to life when he put a magic cylinder shaped bean into his head.
I loved the Mitchell and Webb reference! As a newcomer, I am pleased to see that you are an Institute of culture
Templin videos were already high quality, but it seems like they just get better and better.
10:38 It's also the wrong colors, in the books House Atreides has a Black, Green, and Red color scheme.