The Starlog Project: Starlog #32, March 1980: Designing Star Trek

Starlog's innovation shows its head again with the inclusion of a bonus 33-1/3 rpm flexible record of science-fiction sound effects (between pages 18 and 19), created by Kenneth Walker, the magazine's director of special projects. Hence the higher cover price; in fact, the regular cover price will jump 30 cents with the next issue.

Starlog #32
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

Yes, it's more Year of Trek, with a cover photo of Captain Kirk in front of V'ger, the only galactic planet-gobbling super-robot too stupid to wipe a bit of dirt off its nameplate and realize its full name is Voyager.

Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column takes on one of his favorite topics, the importance of having and pursuing one's dreams; Communications letters include Moonraker stunts, homemade Nostromo ships, Rocky Jones: Space Ranger, replies to an earlier letter writer's disdain for rock and disco music, and more; short entries in the Log Entries section include notes about Galaxina, merchandising The Black Hole, Gary Coleman guest stars on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and more.

David Houston interviews Star Trek illustrator Maurice Zuberano; Kenneth Walker writes this issue's SFX section, on "Sound Effects: The Electronic Age"; David Houston interviews designer Andy Probert about "The Lost Designs of Star Trek -- The Motion Picture" (with, as you'd expect, some great illustrations and set designs); David Houston shows how the tidal wave special effect was accomplished in Meteor; the Quest department premieres, in which Starlog publishes original amateur text and images by its readers, and this month it features Tracy Warren's designs for NASA exploration vehicles; David Houston interviews Buck Rogers in the 25th Century art director Paul Peters; Alan Brender interviews Trish Stewart from Salvage 1; Gerry Anderson's Space Report column has illustrations and details on the Mark IX Hawk ship; David Gerrold's Rumblings column explains "Starpool"; Walter Koenig's final chapter of his Chekov's Enterprise excerpt is published; Howard Zimmerman takes over the Visions column for the third installment of the look at artificial intelligence, "Robots, Androids and Cyborgs"; and then in his Lastword column Zimmerman provides "A Few Words About UFOs" from a skeptic's point of view.

"Now, don't get me wrong ... I'd love for these sightings to truly be starships bearing superior, enlightened beings. When I was a child I dream constantly (mostly in school) about just such an occurance. To this day I spend many summer evenings at the seashore, my back to the dunes, staring up at the night sky ... hoping. But really -- the odds against little green men from Alpha Centuri (or Zeta Reticuli) paying us a visit in a spaceship are infinitesimal."

--Howard Zimmerman, editor, Lastword: A Few Words About UFOs"

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