Starfleet Marines have rarely appeared in any of the incarnations of Star Trek, although Gene Roddenberry once suggested that, in the original Star Trek series, the Enterprise carried a platoon of Marines. The earliest known instances of Starfleet Marines canonically appearing were in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (the Starfleet officers accompanying Kirk and company to Nimbus III have since been said to be Marines) and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, with the appearance of Colonel West (who was based on a real Marine - Oliver North).

MACOs - Military Assault Command Operations (Operatives) appeared during the last two seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise, however they were not as yet part of Starfleet.

Starfleet marines later appeared in many episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (they wear one-piece black uniforms), mostly in episodes dealing with the Dominion War.