Starlog Internet Archive Project: Starlog #9, October 1977: Logan's Run's Spotlight

The short-lived Logan's Run gets a short-lived time in the spotlight with the cover story of Starlog #9. In the staffbox, we get the first appearance -- as a production assistant -- of David Hirsch. Writer Sam Maronie makes his first appearance in the magazine. This issue also sees the continued cross-media merchandising of Starlog's growing brand; the inside front cover is devoted to an ad for an original LP soundtrack album produced by the magazine, Rocketship X-M. And late-1970s inflation begins to kick in as the cover price is upped by 25 cents.

Starlog #9
80 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $1.75

Starlog reaches a new high in page-count with this 80-page issue, which is its first issue devoted to the SF-TV season. On an arcane design note, the magazine has finally ditched the above-the-logo cover line of "Fantastic color photos!" It seems that after eight issues, someone finally decided that that was too-valuable real estate to use for such a non-specific plug. More arcana: This is the first issue in which the "next issue" information includes specific information about articles, rather than just an on-sale date. Interestingly, the article info and the on-sale date are in separate boxes on different pages. Alas, progress is slow.

Kerry O'Quinn uses his From the Bridge editorial to attack prejudice and bigotry, citing the Vulcan creed from Star Trek of "infinite diversity in infinite combinations." Letters in the Communications section cover Catherine Schell's past, an attack on Keely Freas, Star Wars nit-picking, and more. Log Entries includes short items on an ABC Star Wars making-of documentary, animated Flash Gordon, an obituary for Wernher von Braun, an update on the Superman movie, and more (including a photo of Carrie Fisher reading Starlog #7). David Houston interviews Patrick Duffy, the Man from Atlantis. Ed Naha interviews Gerry Anderson, the start of a long-running association between the magazine and Anderson; Naha and Sam Maronie interview Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter; Jim Burns provides an update on the SF programs aimed at young viewers; Houston interviews Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts on the Logan's Run TV series; Houston also interviews William Shatner, back for his second appearance in Starlog in two years; Susan Sackett's Star Trek Report updates the Trek movie; David Smith reports on the SF-TV of the 1950s, including Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and Rocky Jones, Space Ranger; Houston's back with another interview, this time with Fantastic Journey's Jared Martin; an episode guide covers the complete Fantastic Journey; Houston -- again -- writes this issue's SFX department, focusing on Magicam technology; David Gerrold uses his column to promote blood donation (and Robert Heinlein); Howard Zimmerman and Ed Naha call Star Wars "the best thing to happen to science fiction since Asimov first propounded the 'Three Laws of Robotics,'" and provide background on the movie and its story; and the Visions column covers science fiction ideas about television -- before television.

"One of the fans sent me a copy of Starlog recently, the one with the articles on UFO and Space: 1999. It's a very good magazine and I'm very grateful it exists. It's a great help to the fans who are widely scattered across the States. It unites them, informs them. There is a very real need for a magazine like Starlog. If I didn't believe that, I wouldn't be sitting here now, talking."

--Gerry Anderson, interviewed by Ed Naha, "Gerry Anderson: The Master of Space"

To view previous Starlog Archive issues, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below.