The Starlog Project: Starlog #45, April 1981: Buck Rogers' Swan Song

Inflation strikes back, as the cover price goes up 25 cents. There's a special four-page heavy-paper "3-D module kit" insert in this issue, but the price increase remains next issue, while the insert does not. Also, as noted last issue, David Houston's Visions column is no more, and now he has also finally been taken off the list of columnists in the staff box.

Starlog #45
72 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

John P. Hogan, the inventor of the 3-D model kit in this issue, is actually making at least his third appearance in the magazine. His modular paper designs rated a Log Entries item years earlier, and a couple years earlier he reappeared in an item about a Starlog solar t-shirt he designed (which publisher Kerry O'Quinn modeled in a photo).

Kerry O'Quinn touts his company's various products in his From the Bridge column; Communications letters include definitions of science fiction, questions about Space: 1999, comments on space war, and more; Log Entries short news items include a first look at the King Arthur fantasy Excalibur, ChesleyBonestell's reaction to real pictures of Saturn, a Christian science-fiction story (The Namos Chronicles), the imprisonment of Russian SF author Oles Berknyk, and more.

Alan Brender interviews Thom Christopher, who plays the new Buck Rogers character Hawk in that show's second and final season; Bjo Trimble answers readers letters about Star Trek; David Gerrold makes the case that mankind has to get into space; James H. Burns previews Kingdom of the Dwarfs, a new book from David Wenzel; Samuel J. Maronie visits the set of John Carpenter's Escape from New York, one of the great low-budget SF films of the past few decades; Robert Greenberger previews Panic Offshore, a made-for-TV monster movie; the four-page paper 3-D model kit is introduced with a short article on creator John P. Hogan; there's also (on page 66) instructions for assembling the kit; Joseph Veverka completes his "Voyager View of Saturn" space science article; Robert Greenberger looks at the phenomenon of science-fiction art books; Alan Brender interviews writer/director Peter Hyams about his new film, Outland; Quest features the artwork of Benjie Small and the short-short fiction of Phil Yahnke; Ron Goulart's "SF in the Comics" series covers the science-fiction boom in the 1950s; David Hutchison's SFX section looks at the Flash Gordon movie's mattes; David Hirsch's In Syndication looks at how the Planet of the Apes was packaged; and Howard Zimmerman's Lastword column covers hopes for the space shuttle's inaugural launch.

"The Namos Chronicles is a filmstrip that has the makings of a science-fiction story. There's a planet, Namos, locked in battle against the evil Kaprians. There are spaceships and laser guns. Even alien monsters. What distinguishes Namos Chronicles from most other SF stories is that underneath the hardware are the parables of Jesus."

--Log Entries: "Scriptures in Space"

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

The Starlog Project: Starlog #39, October 1980: Improving Buck Rogers

In this fall TV season preview issue, we get a mixture of hope (for an improved Buck Rogers), great classic SF coverage, and an all-new knock-down, drag-out controversy. Fun! Also, the Starlog magazine family grows, with the model-making quarterly Fantasy Modeling, which would only last six issues but was a well-done publication nonetheless.

Starlog #39
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.25

Controversy and politics are on display this issue. Like the military draft? You won't like this issue's editorial. Like David Gerrold? Then you won't like the Fred Freiberger interview. Read on.

In his From the Bridge column, Kerry O'Quinn lets his libertarian flag fly by telling a parable about (and against) the draft, registration for which has just been approved by President Carter; letters to the editors in Communications range from criticism of O'Quinn's anti-censorship editorial, praise for the Harrison Ford interview two issues ago, speculation about who "the other" is to whom Yoda refers (one of the letter writers gets it right), and more; Log Entries short news items include controversy over whether Alien has actually recorded a profit or whether it's just more funny accounting by Hollywood studies, an auction of SF memorabilia (with the headline "Auctions Speak Louder than Words"), a visit by Starlog staffers to a space art exhibit at the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and more.

David Gerrold's Rumblings features some spirited letters from readers; Karen E. Wilson outlines some of the big changes planned for the new season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century -- a revamping that would take the show in a more Star Trekish direction; David Hirsch writes Gerry Anderson's Space Report, featuring the second part of "The Space: 1999 Writer's Guide"; Sam Maronie previews various PBS science series, including Carl Sagan's great Cosmos; Alan Brender reports on the plans to rescue Mork & Mindy from slumping ratings; Brender also covers the new season of The Incredible Hulk; C.M. Stevenson previews the new year in Saturday morning entertainment; Mike Conroy, James Buck and David Hirsch collaborate to cover British science-fiction offerings; an un-bylined one-page article focuses on Boris Vallejo's small-scale figurine models, feeding you into the full-page ad on the next page featuring the new Fantasy Modeling magazine, which just happens to have Boris' model on the cover of the premiere issue; Jonathan Eberhart's Interplanetary Excursions, Inc., uncovers Venus; Tom Corbett himself -- i.e., actor Frankie Thomas -- pens a retrospective of his 1950s'-era science fiction television program, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet; David Hirsch previews the 12 TV movies made from repackaged episodes of Battlestar Galactica, and he includes an episode guide to the movies; in the opening salvo of what would become a pretty nasty intra-Starlog and external controversy, Mike Clark and Bill Cotter produce the first part of their interview with controversial television producer Fred Freiberger (Star Trek, Space: 1999), who shares some strong criticism of a certain David Gerrold and his writing; David Hutchison's SFX section profiles "The Brothers Skotak: Roger Corman's New Model Makers"; David Houston's Visions continues looking at SF and fantasy film music, this time taking on Star Wars; and Howard Zimmerman shares some -- can it be true? -- cautiously optimistic thoughts on the future of SF television; and on that note, the issue -- and maybe the universe -- ends.

"[David Gerrold] condemned the people on the show [Star Trek] as not being professional because he claims they knew the show was going to be canceled as production started for the third year. This is an outright misstatement of fact. If you don't like what was up on the screen, it didn't have anything to do with cancellation."

--Fred Freiberger, producer, interviewed by Mike Clark and Bill Cotter: "An Interview with Fred Freiberger"

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

Cinefantastique: Not Crazy about New Buck Rogers Director

Event Horizon's Paul WS Anderson has managed to be named director of the big-screen reboot of the Buck Rogers franchise. Cinefantastique has a short item with some more details, though the writer of the piece is clearly unimpressed with Anderson's work.

I'm not a fan of Anderson's; Event Horizon was an overhyped snooze, for example. But the previous director on the movie, Frank Miller, would not have been my ideal, either. So maybe we'll let Anderson surprise us, though this is already shaping up to be one of those movie development hell stories that goes on so long, it's anybody's guess how it'll turn out. Kind of like the last time Buck Rogers made it to the big screen (and no, I don't think that turned out well).

On the other hand, on the other hand ... While Buck fans are waiting to see what Hollywood coughs up on the carpet when it finally completes the movie, it might be a good opportunity to hunt down a copy of Armageddon 2419 A.D. This slim book contains the first two prose novellas of Buck, and it's far different from anything Glen Larson served up in the campy late-70s/early-80s series. I was frankly stunned with how racist the book was; at the end, it essentially calls for the extermination of the Chinese. So I'm not suggesting that you should read it because it's a worthwhile book, but because it might shake you to the core and make you realize that, Hell, Larson might have actually improved Buck Rogers.

Of course, experienced SF fans will be spending the next year or two rocking back and forth in their chairs muttering, Please don't let it be like the Flash Gordon movie. Please don't let it be like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Please don't let it be like the Flash Gordon TV series ...

The Starlog Project: Starlog #28, November 1979: Stuck with Buck

Decades after this issue was published, longtime Starlog editor David McDonnell would commiserate about life back before cable TV brought us a surplus of science-fiction and fantasy television shows. Back in the late 1970s, SF fans felt compelled to support even weak shows such as Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. How else can we explain its featured spot on the cover of issue #28?

Starlog #28
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $1.95

It's another fall SF-TV preview, so prepare yourself for a reminder of just what genre television was like more than 30 years ago.

   

Just because Buck's on the cover, it doesn't mean that Starlog's going to treat the time-travelling hero with kid gloves. Though the behind-the-scenes contents page photo (David Houston snapped Gil Gerard getting a quick shave between scenes) is kind of a neat touch, publisher Kerry O'Quinn takes a mallet to Buck Rogers, mourning the jokey, campy aim of the new show and wishing that O'Quinn's friend Gil Gerard would be given the chance to play the character as a real hero. Letters in the Communications pages include a notice that Starlog will be publishing an Official Starlog Communications Handbook, which would become one of the magazine's unique reader-service products of its lifetime, as well as letters from France, Sweden and even the exotic land of North Carolina; Log Entries short items include the completion of filming of Beyond Westworld, the Starlog staff has a picnic, production news of Altered States, the cancellation of plans for an Atlas Shrugged mini series, and more.


David Houston previews the new Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV series from Glen Larson; Alan Brender visits the Universal Studios' Galactica amusement ride; David Gerrold explores "The Cracker Jack Theory of Storytelling"; Susan Sackett's Star Trek Report covers the wind-down of the movie's production; David Houston visits Don Post Studios, a famous mask maker; Samuel J. Maronie tells us how The New Adventures of Wonder Woman was done in by Diff'rent Strokes, and he provides an episode guide to the show's ABC and CBS seasons; Sam Maronie's back with an interview with The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno; Jonathan Eberhart -- though it's not listed as being his Interplanetary Excursions, Inc., column -- nonetheless visits "Venus: Veil by Veil"; Gerry Anderon gives the scoop on his Five Star Five movie; Alan Brender interviews Herb Jefferson Jr., who played Lt. Boomer in Battlestar Galactica; Al Taylor and David Hutchison profile Les Bowie, "The Father of British Special Effects" in the SFX section; David Houston's Visions column explores the origins of Buck Rogers (and thought he touches on it, I don't think he quite nails just how mind-bogglingly racist the first Buck Rogers stories were back in the early 20th century); and, finally, Howard Zimmerman's Lastword column talks about reader praise for his Alien comments and about dealing with mundane journalists who don't understand science fiction.

"The reason we will see a buffoon instead of a hero [in Buck Rogers] is really the subject for a longer article, but it has to do with the way television executives guess at what the public wants to see. In my opinion, the network people have an incredibly low and inaccurate opinion of their viewing audience. So, I will not only be disappointed this fall; I will also be insulted by implication."

--Kerry O'Quinn, publisher, From the Bridge: "Buck in the 20th Century"

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