Sci-Fi TV Arises: The Starlog Project, Starlog #201, April 1994

Starlog called this a special "Robots Issue," but it's really a special TV issue, and a good reminder from a point in history when SF TV was really establishing itself in a very big way. In early 1994, science fiction series are beginning to flourish on the small screen, especially in the syndicated market but also in the network world, where Chris Carter's The X-Files is starting its groundbreaking run.

A few months before The X-Files premiered, I was able to see the first episode thanks to a friend of mine who worked at a large advertising agency. She got a preview cassette of a different new TV show, which was what we really wanted to see; The X-Files was also included as an afterthought. I don't even remember what the other show was or if it lasted long before cancellation. But after we watched The X-Files premiere episode, we both looked at each other with surprise and said, "That was really good." And we were correct. It was.

We should note that on the upper left-hand corner of the cover, right above the "SPECIAL ROBOTS ISSUE" headline, is a photo of Star Wars' C3PO, who isn't featured in the issue. Oopski.

Starlog #201
84 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $4.95

The last two pages of this issue reprise a humorous if odd thing from issue #191: Fake trading cards of Starlog correspondents. This issue features Tom Weaver, Ian Spelling, George Kochell, Lynne Stephens, and Michael Wolff, who, when asked about "what he wants to be when he grows up," replies, "The dim face spotted at the end of a dream. Why? Because the shadows are blessed and there's treasure in a secret." Okay.

The rundown: Richard Eden, the newest actor to be RoboCop, graces the cover, while the contents page features Robert Llewelyn as Red Dwarf's Kryten. David McDonnell's Medialog rounds up the news bits, including the tidbit that RoboCop's Paul Verhoeven "may end up directing Starship Troopers," which of course happens and results in a film that in my humble opinion is far better than RoboCop. In his Gamelog column, Michael McAvennie reviews Absolute Entertainment's Star Trek: The Next Generation and others, including GURPS War Against the Chtorr, based on author (and former Starlog columnist) David Gerrold's well-received series of novels. And the Communications section ranges from a letter that almost single-handedly previews the entire SF TV landscape, to a complaint about the Sci-Fi Channel's hacking-up of genre series, as well as the final installment of cartoonist Mike Fisher's Creature Profile, this one featuring Dr. Cyclops. (In his end-of-the-book editorial column, editor McDonnell reveals that genre expert Tom Weaver provided some assistance during the 40-issue run of this comic feature.)

CBS/Fox Video unleashes some more Doctor Who episodes, according to David Hutchison's Videolog. A brand new column debuts from an old Starlog hand: former editorial staffer David Hirsch returns to the fold with Audiolog, reporting on records and CDs from SF media. Among Hirsch's many accomplishments during his years at the magazine was editing the Space Report column, which was written by producer Gerry Anderson (Space: 1999, Thunderbirds), so it's either very fitting or a case of astonishing coincidence that right next to Hirsch's inaugural column is an ad for a science fiction convention featuring Gerry Anderson. The Booklog department includes reviews of The Voyage, The Positronic Man, Under the Eye of God, The Fabulist, Nevernever, The Stalk, Brother to Shadows, Orion and the Conqueror, The Disinherited, The Woods Out Back, Firedance, The Broken God, The Outcast, Martin the Warrior, The Armageddon Inheritance, Eternal Light, The Legend of Nightfall, and Nimbus. The Fan Network pages include Marc Bernardin's listing of fan organizations, some comics, and the usual convention calendar. And former publisher Kerry O'Quinn uses his From the Bridge column to talk about NASA's attempts to regain its lost luster by creating a space station.

In another of his speculative genre overview articles (that's a category, right?), Michael Wolff sticks to the "Robots Issue" theme by looking at robotic characters in SF film and TV; illustrations are by George Kochell. One of the most famous television robots, the aptly named Robot from Lost in Space, was brought to life by actor Bob May, who tells interviewer Tom Weaver, "There was one requirement I had to meet in order to play the Robot: The outfit was almost completely built, so therefore I had to fit into it—there was no way around that!" And one of the most famous cyborgs (well, they're part robot) from television was the young Borg Hugh from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Pat Jankiewicz chats with Jonathan Del Arco, the actor who brought Hugh to life on the show as a guest star, having been unsuccessful in his screen test to portray Wesley Crusher.

Cover boy Richard Eden tells Peter Bloch-Hansen about his new gig bringing RoboCop to TV life every week. The British TV series Red Dwarf is updated in a report by Joe Nazzaro. Ian Spelling does the same for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine by talking with Siddig El Fadil. The magazine goes further back in time with a profile by Joe Nazzaro of Colin Baker, one of the 3 million British actors who portrayed Doctor Who. Tom Weaver's second article this issue is a Q&A with Kathleen Crowley, who starred in Target Earth, Curse of the Undead, Flame Barrier, and other films. Kyle Counts checks in with producer Chris Carter, who unveils his new Fox TV series The X-Files. And in his Liner Notes column, editor David McDonnell says goodbye to exiting managing editor Maureen McTigue, who's heading over to DC Comics and who was featured in the previous set of Starlog contributor trading cards. Circle of life.

"I have not read a tremendous amount of science fiction. … I wouldn't call myself a science fiction fan; when I go to the library, I don't gravitate toward the SF section. I was never a huge Star Trek fan. But I'm interested in certain types of science fiction, what people oftentimes call science fact. I prefer books that don't talk about a world in the future but rather that take human situations and play with them in a fictionalized, scientific way."
–Chris Carter, X-Files producer, interviewed by Kyle Counts, "Scientific American" 

For more, click on Starlog Project below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent site.

Another Century: The Starlog Project, Starlog 200, March 1994

Even though publishing 200 editions of a magazine is a huge achievement, it just doesn’t have the same celebratory sense of accomplishment as publishing the first 100. It’s not rational, really; magazine publishing has always been a risky business, so the longer you can keep going, the bigger the achievement.

Nonetheless, Starlog probably didn’t help itself with this special 100-page issue by basically repeating the formula of issue 100: The core of the magazine is made up of short profiles of the “200 most important people” in science fiction and fantasy. Not a bad idea, but after issue 100, not an original one, either. (It's a formula the magazine would repeat in issue #300.) The 200 referenced in that name actually refers to brief recaps of those first 100 people, then longer (though still short) profiles of VIPs 101-200.

Starlog #200
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $6.95

So what happened in the years since the company published Starlog 100? Quite a lot, really. The United States went from having basically three commercial broadcast networks plus public television and a smattering of cable to having four commercial networks plus public, lots of cable (including a science-fiction channel all to itself), burgeoning numbers of independent stations, and an expanding international market. All of that means there was greater demand for content, or, in the words of Hollywood money people, “product.” As a result, Starlog and other SF mags had a lot more genre programs (and movies) to write about.

Starlog itself had changed quite a bit over those 100 issues, though not as much as it had from issue 1 through 100. By March 1994, Starlog was still the core of a multi-title magazine publishing company, but many of those sister titles had changed. The page count of Starlog was higher, the cover price higher, the paper quality better, and many of the names on the masthead different – most significantly, arguably, was the departure from the company of co-founder Kerry O’Quinn, who had sold his share of the business and taken on a consultant's role.

The mid-1980s, when Starlog 100 was published, was a time when people weren’t sure where the economy was going. Things were still on an upswing from the brutal early 1980s recession, and that decade saw constant changes and uncertainty. But by the mid-1990s, when #200 was published, Starlog was in the middle of a solid decade of very low inflation (so no constant cover price increases every year or two) and apparently strong circulation and readership.

The rundown: The cover is a shiny standout that probably caught eyes on the newsstand, so in that sense, it might be a success. But as a well-designed cover, it just doesn’t make it; the Starlog logo is hard to see, the photos at the bottom of the cover aren’t the people listed right above the photos who are interviewed inside; and the background really serves no purpose other than to catch the eye – it’s not as if it’s a science-fictiony design. It’s just shiny. As for the contents page, it’s actually kind of cool: a large Frank Frazetta Barsoom painting sprawls over one full page and edges onto the next.

David McDonnell kicks off the celebratory section with an introduction to the 200 most etc., etc., etc. First we get the brief overviews of the first 100 folks; then begins the many, many pages devoted to the second 100 people, which fills up much of the remainder of the magazine, interspersed with a few normal articles (about which more in a moment).

There are some obvious choices on the 100 new additions to this list, of course, but the real pleasure of going through the profiles is finding people about whom you know nothing; never heard of them. For example, before you read the following name, August W. Derleth, had you ever heard of him? Before re-examining this issue, neither had I. But I was pleased to find that he came from my former home state of Wisconsin and was something of a pioneering editor, publisher, and writer. So I immediately began looking for his work and for information about him online. Philip Wylie, Arch Oboler, and John P. Fulton are other names on the list that might have sparked an interest among other readers. Taken together, this list can help enrich your appreciation of the history and breadth of science fiction and fantasy.

There can be an endless but sometimes fun game played with the list of the genre’s most important people. Who deserved to be on the list but was left off? I would add Starlog’s own former columnist David Gerrold, for one. Or you can go negative and ask who was on the list but shouldn’t be.

Such lists are inherently subjective, of course, but if they’re done well, they can burnish the publication’s authority. One of Starlog’s assets through much of its life was its assumed role as a standard-bearer of establishment SF; it helped define important topics, trends, and people. So, even with my basic skepticism about featuring a big list for a second time in Starlog’s every-100-issues tradition, the editors and writers have acquitted themselves well.

In other content this issue, Kerry O’Quinn uses his From the Bridge column to recount a speech he gave to a Mexican university, where he found a lot of Starlog readers. Stan Nicholls interviews longtime Starlog favorite Arthur C. Clarke, who discusses his latest novel, The Hammer of God, and some of his other works, including the Rama books. Bill Warren profiles filmmaker Joe Dante, who talks at length about the craze for remakes (and big-screen reinventions of old TV shows). And Kim Howard Johnson talks with director Terry Gilliam about films – live action and animated.

Marc Shapiro checks in with producer Gale Anne Hurd about Penal Colony, though she also discusses her work on Aliens and the Terminator series. James Mitchell contributes his first Starlog article, an interview with filmmaker Tim Burton; they discuss Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cabin Boy, and his upcoming Ed Wood, among other projects. Stan Nicholls talks with writer/editor/science-evangelist Ben Bova. And another first-time contributor, J. Stephen Bolhafner, interviews author William Gibson, who talks all things cyberpunk (including his experiences with and about Billy Idol).

“[L]ife was almost wiped out on our planet many times in the past, most recently 65 million years ago, give or take a week. The current thinking is that a large meteor or comet hit the Earth, causing an ecological catastrophe–the dinosaurs and three-quarters of all other species on land, sea and air were destroyed. Now, there are lots of craters on Mars, including one so big it’s not called a crater, it’s the Plain of helos. It’s 1,000 kilometers across. If something that large hit Mars, it might very well have destroyed any life there by blowing away the atmosphere. Whatever it was sent out a shock wave so powerful that it liquified the rock as it went through. Imagine sitting down to tea when THAT happened!”
–Ben Bova, interviewed by Stan Nicholls: “The Promise of Space”

For more, click on Starlog Internet Archive Project below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent site.

Buy Me on eBay ... Apparently

I actually rather enjoy finding eBay sellers who use my Starlog Project (aka the Starlog Internet Archive Project) as their descriptive text for issues of Starlog they're listing for sale. I'm pleased that the Starlog Project basically has become the go-to source for information on back issues of the late Starlog magazine.

The only annoying thing is that some of the sellers don't give credit to me or link to the Project. So I was pleased to stumble across this seller, who links prominently to my blog series. Thank you. (Then again, s/he accidentally listed the item for sale as being "Starlog Internet Archive Project: Starlog #9, October 1977: Logan's Run Spotli" which is being a little too literal and not literal enough. Thanks for the link; but people, of course, won't be buying the Starlog Internet Archive; they'll just be buying that issue of the magazine s/he has for sale.  But whatever.)

And buy it you should (said Yoda). Hey, $1.99 and free shipping? It's a deal.

Sincerely Flattered

I was wondering how long it would take for this to happen. My chronicling of each issue of Starlog magazine in my Starlog Project has become the standard resource for people describing issues of that late great science-fiction film/tv/books magazine or looking for which issue included what article. That was my intention.

The latest proof of this status is the listing I stumbled across this morning on eBay's Austrian site, in which someone named "spaceranger2000" listed a copy of Starlog #10 from 1977, and to describe the issue's contents, Herr/Frau/Fraulein (your guess is as good as mine) Spaceranger2000 uses my Starlog Project writeup.

Frankly, I'm rather pleased. I would have preferred attribution, natürlich, but my road to worldwide fame and fortune isn't necessarily a fast highway.

Well, it's not quite imitation; it's really just re-use. But nonetheless I'm flattered.

Read more: The Starlog Project's permanent site, the Starlog Project on my blog, and my similar project with Starlog's short-lived sister magazine Future Life.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #134, September 1988: Rabbit Redux

For the second issue in a row, Starlog gives over its cover to the animation/live-action phenomenon Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This time, the titular bunny shares the cover with director Bob Zemeckis, one of only a handful of times that a non-fictional person is on the cover.

On the company’s merchandising side, it publishes four magazines for the very non-science-fiction Sylvester Stallone film Rambo III: a poster book, a poster magazine, a movie magazine, and a theater program.

Starlog #134
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.50

This issue also keeps the fires burning in the controversy over the exit of Denise Crosby from her role as security chief Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation. My how time flies: It was just issue #130 when Crosby told the magazine she didn’t think her character was going to be killed off, and now she’s back telling the magazine about how her character was killed off. But don’t worry – her character returns many times, so often that I assume she never even bothered to clear out her dressing room.

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, Kerry O’Quinn tells the story of a teenage Dutch boy who’s a science-fiction fan (Once there was a Dutch boy, his name was ... oh, wait, wrong song); after a few letters about Starman, the remainder of the Communications section is taken up with reader comments about the controversy du jour: Tasha Yar’s death and exit from Star Trek: The Next Generation; and wait – there’s more Star Trek leavingness: David McDonnell reports in his Medialog section that Gates McFadden’s Dr. Beverly Crusher character will not return for the show’s second season.

Newly minted Canadian correspondent Peter Bloch-Hansen profiles Kenneth Johnson, the V veteran behind Short Circuit 2: More Input; the Fan Network pages include David Hutchison on the Film Forum's second annual SF and fantasy festival, and more; Eric Niderost goes behind the scenes of the Cyndi Lauper/Jeff Goldblum film Vibes; Marc Shapiro profiles comedians Rick Overton (a Starlog pal from years back) and Kevin Pollak about their role as the wee men of Willow; Kim Howard Johnson uncovers the “Curse of The Blob,” focusing on the remake of the B-movie; Marc Shapiro checks in with actress Denise Crosby for her Next Generation exit interview, in which she tells the magazine that she and Gene Roddenberry had a pleasant parting of the ways.

Patrick Daniel O’Neill profiles seventh Doctor Who actor Sylvester McCoy about the program’s upcoming 25th anniversary and criticism the show has received; Adam Pirani interviews Who Framed Roger Rabbit director Bob Zemeckis; in part two of Michael Vance’s interview with C.J. Cherryh, the SF author defines science fiction story-building; Outer Heat has finally been renamed AlienNation, and Carr D’Angelo profiles star James Caan, who also talks about his stint playing Rollerball; Scott Lobdell interviews Big director Penny Marshall and manages to get her to talk about Laverne and Shirley; David Hutchison’s Videolog reports the newest genre video releases (he themes them in terms of "distant tales," but it’s really just a roundup of videos); Kyle Counts previews Nightfall, the planned film adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s classic short story; Marian Sue Uram previews Moontrap, the new film starring veteran Walter Koenig and newcomer Bruce Campbell; Patrick Daniel O’Neill interviews actress Joanne Whalley about her role as Sorsha in Willow; and David McDonnell’s Liner Notes responds to fears that Starlog “jumped the gun” with its cover to issue #130 by teasing readers about a possible exit from Next Generation by Denise Crosby and whether the magazine misled readers (answer is no to both – magazine lead-time is a tough master).

“Gene [Roddenberry] ... knew the dramatic impact would be tremendous because no regular character in the Star Trek series had ever been permanently killed [except David Marcus]. He really felt it would blow people’s minds. ... The script really went against the grain. I think people were expecting a last minute battle with Tasha going out with all phasers blazing. The intent was to make Tasha’s death more horrifying by having it appear sudden and indiscriminate.”

–Denise Crosby, actress, interviewed by Marc Shapiro: “Denise Crosby: Farewell to The Next Generation”

To read previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #114, January 1987: Bigtime Trek

They had a drinking game in the Starlog offices back in the mid-1980s. Every time anyone proposed publishing an article about any aspect whatsoever about Star Trek, they all took a swig of whatever was closest. Unfortunately, they got a little hooked on the booze, and the result is an avalanche of Trek coverage.

Okay, clearly I made that up. (But if it were true, it would explain the recent Howard the Duck cover.) Meanwhile, feel free to drink – responsibly! – every time you see another Trek article listed in these writeups.

Starlog #114
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

Animation legend Chuck Jones and science legend Arthur C. Clarke chime in this issue with letters to the editor. Any issue that features those can't be half-bad.

The rundown: Spock's image takes the lead position this month, featured on the cover (and the whole man is featured in an interview inside). Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column cites the Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations ethos of Star Trek (drink!) to support his call for a new understanding of tolerance and enjoyment of people's differences (though, to be fair, let's remember that Trek is one of the most conservative shows around when it comes to featuring gay characters); in the Communications pages, Chuck Jones thanks the magazine for a recent article about him in #108, Arthur C. Clarke claims some credit for predicting live media coverage of the moon landing, tons of readers respond to Ben Bova's recent guest column (in #106) on stellar war and peace, a reader actually follows up on his complaint that Starlog doesn't cover Rambo (quit while you're behind, sir), and more; Medialog features David McDonnell's genre news roundup (printed on a streaky black-and-white page that is nearly unreadable, though I can just barely make out that plans are afoot for a new version of the My Favorite Martian TV series), plus there's news about a new Star Trek series (you know what to do) called Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Eric Niderost visits the San Francisco set of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Brian Lowry talks to Tom Patchett, writer/producer of TV's weird ALF series; the Fan Network section includes photos from a dress-up screening of The Fly, a note about a symposium being led by Industrial Light and Magic wizards, a Looney Tunes/Star Trek cartoon, and more; Brian Lowry interviews actor Robert Hays, star of the new spinoff TV series, Starman; Mike Clark talks with actor Guy Williams about his time in Lost in Space and Zorro; Daniel Dickholtz pens the Comcis Scene pages, looking at Watchmen; David Hutchison's Videolog covers the latest video releases, such as Legend; John Sayers profiles animator Don Bluth (American Tail); Lee Goldberg talks with director Peter Hunt (Hyper Sapien); Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Leonard Nimoy about directing and acting in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (bottoms up!); Chris Henderson's Booklog covers the latest print releases, such as Vonda N. McIntyre's Enterprise: The First Adventure; Edward Gross interviews Marc Daniels, director of TV episodes such as "Mirror, Mirror" from the original Star Trek; William Rabkin talks with Michael Ritchie about directing The Golden Child; Roger Anker interviews writer William F. Nolan about his mentor Ray Bradbury, Logan's Run, and more; Brian Lowry chats with actor Paul Reiser about his role in Aliens; Dan Scapperotti, veteran of competitor Cinefantastique, joins the Starlog contributors' cadre with "Memories of Fu Manchu"; Jean Airey and Laurie Haldeman interview actor Gareth Thomas about Blake's 7; and David McDonnell's Liner Notes gets all Christmasy on us.

"One thing we've tried to express with Watchmen is the investigation of the superhero. We've tried to work out how a real superhero would live and function in a realistic world, what he would be like psychologically, what sort of things would really motivate him. We've also tried to examine how the presence of a superhero would alter that world in terms of technology, politics, what people think and so on."

–Alan Moore, writer, interviewed by Daniel Dickholtz: Comics Scene: "Man & Overman"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #113, December 1986: Shopping for Horrors

As I noted in issue #112's writeup, I ended my Starlog strike after that issue and resumed being a regular reader (addict?) with this issue, #113. That was probably the real moment in my life when I decided I didn't care if "science-fiction fan" was a permanent and healthy part of my identity.

On the merchandising side (aka, the Buy O'Quinn and Jacobs a New Yacht side), this issue includes an ad by the magazine for its newest commercial service: a 50-cent-per-call phone service that features a message from a different Trek crew member (such as Uhura) giving you updates on the new film, Star Trek: The Voyage Home.

Starlog #113
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

In most of its earlier years, Starlog printed its required postal statement of ownership and circulation in one of its end-of-the-year issues, such as December. But we've seen the publishers starting to move it into the new year, and by the 1990s, they'd be printing it as late as the March issue. Writing as someone who has had to fill out and print those forms in magazines to satisfy the post office, I can only say that either the rules for timely printing of the form were different back then, or their local post office was more indulgent (aka, looser on the enforcement) than the postal folks with whom I've dealt. So, no postal statement this issue.

The rundown: The cover photo features comedians Rick Moranis and John Candy, stars of the remake Little Shop of Horrors; in his From the Bridge editorial, publisher Kerry O'Quinn criticizes parents who seek to censor textbooks that don't match up with their religious beliefs; Communications letters include director Tobe Hooper (responding to an article in #107 about writing credits), Howard Cruse (praising a recent cartoon by Phil Foglio), reactions to Highlander and Labyrinth, and more; Medialog includes Carr D'Angelo's check-in with Robert Downtown Englund, Jean Airey on new Doctor Who companion Melanie Bush (played by Bonnie Langford), Patrick Daniel O'Neill with more Who news (who knew?), and David McDonnell's roundup of genre news items (such as Orson Scott Card winning the Nebula award for Ender's Game).

Brian Lowry previews the new TV series Starman, the spinoff starring Robert Hays from the film of the same name; Jessie Horsting (author of Starlog's newest book, Stephen King at the Movies), goes behind the scenes of The Wizard, starring David Rappaport; William Rabkin talks with Alan Brennert, executive story consultant on the new Twilight Zone TV series; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview the legendary writer Robert Bloch, who talks Star Trek; the Lofficiers keep up the Trek coverage with an interview with James Doohan, who talks about Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; but wait, there's more Trek: in two one-page articles, Anthony Timpone profiles Trek guest star John Hoyt (the ship's doctor in the series first pilot), and Frank Garcia profiles Sean Kenney (the immobilized Captain Pike in "The Menagerie"); Adam Pirani previews Little Shop of Horrors; Jim George and Fred Szebin provide a retrospective of the computers-amok film Colossus: The Forbin Project; Brian Lowry interviews Sondra Locke about her latest directing job, Ratboy (with a sidebar by William Rabkin chatting with effects wizard Rick Baker); Marc Shapiro talks to actress Sharon Stone about King Solomon's Mines and Allan Quatermain & the Lost City of Gold; Fan Network includes the announcement of the Cinemagic's eighth annual short-film awards, Chris Fletcher on his hew Trek fanzine (The Alternative Warp), answers to reader queries (such as, "Has there been any word released on the third book in David Gerrold's War Against the Chtorr series?"), and more; Will Murray explores the sequel, King Kong Lives!; the Comics Scene section includes Daniel Dickholtz on the Comet Man comic, and David Hutchison's obituary for Floyd Gottfredson; Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews author Gordon Dickson; Chris Henderson's Booklog covers the latest print releases; Ron Miller pens a two-page obituary to space artist Chesley Bonestell; David Hutchison's Videolog highlights the latest video releases; the Future Life page includes Rich Kolker on the Enterprise test shuttle ending up at the National Air and Space Museum, Douglas Barton on new techniques for creating better steel, and Rich Kolker on the latest visit to Mars; and in a nice coda to O'Quinn's editorial, editor David McDonnell uses his Liner Notes column to explain how religious pressure groups helped kill sister magazine Hard Rock. This was the Reagan era, after all – Moral Majority flexing its power.

"I remember there was a scene I just hated. I went to a sneak preview and stole about 30 opinion cards and wrote down that they should cut this terrible, sloppy, sentimental scene. Two weeks later, Stanley Chase called me into his office and he had all these cards in front of him. He said, 'You wrote all these, didn't you?' I said, 'Yes, I did.' They finally cut the scene."

–James Bridges, screenwriter, interviewed by Jim George and Fred Szebin: "Colossus: The Forbin Project: An Overlooked Classic"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #112, November 1986: Star Trek Birthday Overdose

This issue is one that I can not think about without remembering a specific time and place. I was in my first semester at university, and my attention was elsewhere. I decided I wasn't interested as much as I had been in science fiction (I was reading The New Republic more than Starlog), so after issue #111, I stopped reading Starlog.

That lasted one whole month, and then I decided I missed it and began reading (and subscribing) again. But it makes Starlog #112 the only issue I ever missed buying (or receiving in the mail) in the 30 years that I read the publication. Luckily, I quickly got #112 as a back issue, because it's a great issue. It's almost completely devoted to Star Trek, on the occasion of that franchise's 20th anniversary. Starlog had even thrown a special 20th anniversary convention to celebrate the occasion, and it sounds like it was a highlight for all involved.

Starlog #112
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

Some production notes: The 100-page issue includes lots of color, though all color pages in the magazine (not including the covers) are printed on non-glossy paper stock. But the color is still very crisp, clear, and bright; in addition, the black-and-white pages are heavier and whiter than normal. This issue also is printed with a perfect (aka squarebound, or glued) binding, instead of the usual staples, for the first time in years.

The rundown: A classic-Trek photo of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy graces the cover. Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column recounts the highlights of the magazine's convention, which was called (with a rather unwieldy title) Creation Conventions presents Starlog Salutes Star Trek; Communications letters include still more people angry at Gene Roddenberry's criticism of Christianity in his interview in #100, some thoughts on the Trek movie franchise, an anti-Trek complaint, and more; Medialog features David McDonnell's roundup of genre news (such as the announcement of a Mel Brooks SF satire to be called Spaceballs – originally titled Planet Moron); Fan Network stretches over six pages with an extensive listing of fan clubs, reader queries answered (such as, "Will you ever reprint the Star Trek episode guide from Starlog #1?"), Gigi Porter on location with Star Trek IV's crew; Richard Gilbert on the current (in 1986) whereabouts of the Star Trek Galileo shuttlecraft, Carr D'Angelo on an Enterprise-themed motorcycle that has to be seen to be believed, and more.

Former columnist David Gerrold pens a special essay on "What Star Trek Means to Me"; novelist Howard Weinstein writes the Other Voices guest column on "If You Think It's a Long Way to Tipperary, Try Following a Starship for 20 Years..."; Allan Asherman explores myths and Trek; in the Comics Scene section, Daniel Dickholtz looks at new Trek comics; an unbylined article features Gene Roddenberry's words from the Starlog Trek convention; D.C. Fontana's comments from a panel discussion at the convention get two pages; Edward Gross interviews Trek writer/director John Meredyth Lucas ("The Changeling," "Enterprise Incident"); in a "Writers of Star Trek" section, Gross also profiles Gilbert Ralston and Art Wallace; Carr D'Angelo reports on the Starlog convention itself in a six-page article, complete with lots of photos of speakers and attendees; Dan Madsen interviews actor William Shatner; convention appearances by Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley get a couple pages each; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview James Doohan; John Adcox interviews George Takei; Nichelle Nichols' audience question-and-answer session is transcribed; Walter Koenig tells the convention crowd about his desire to take Chekov to Disneyland; Majel Barrett talks about how she got the part of Nurse Chapel; in a "Guests of Trek" section, Frank Garcia profiles Bruce Hyde (Lt. Riley) and Craig Huxley (Kirk's nephew), and Garcia and Mark Phillips profile Lee Bergere (Abraham Lincoln); Robert Greenberger uncovers the world of Star Trek novels; and Charles Washburn writes about his behind-the-scenes experiences as an assistant director for the Star Trek TV series.

In a non-Trek article, Alan Howard explains the special effects behind the film Flight of the Navigator; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview the great French comics artist Moebius (real name, Jean Giraud); John L. Flynn explores the world of science-fiction fan costumes; David Hutchison notes the latest genre video releases in Videolog; and in Liner Notes, editor David McDonnell recounts the many connections between Starlog and its partial namesake, Star Trek.

"Working with [Alejandro] Jodorowsky was a very intense collaborative process. We met every morning at eight, and worked until the evening. Jodorowsky was molding my personality. The first time he asked me to redo something, I was astounded! Nobody had ever questioned what I was doing before. But he always had a reason. It was never gratuitous. The whole creative process became like an initiation. It's because of this situation that I don't consider Dune a failure. For me, it was a success because I left the production a richer man."

–Jean Giraud, comics legend, interviewed by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier: "Jean 'Moebius' Giraud: Stripping the LIght Fantastic"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #111, October 1986: Howard the Duck

Howard the Duck might have made a good comic book, I dunno. Never read it. Howard the Duck might have been a promising idea to make into a movie, too, but it quickly became a punchline among movie fans and industry pros, rather than a hit. Howard the Duck might also have been a good idea for a Starlog cover feature, I dunno. Maybe it sold copies on the newsstands. Or maybe the magazine's editors and designers today shake their heads with disbelief, swearing they'll never again drink whatever they drank before they made this decision.

It's probably no coincidence that Starlog did not publish an official licensed movie magazine for Howie the duckster.

Starlog #111
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: 29.5

Hey, they've printed the Aliens licensed movie magazines ad on a color page this time, and frankly it's readable – and makes me want to order them. Oh, wait, I already own them.

The rundown: Duck on the cover, and it's not Daffy. 'nuff said. Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column talks about "Saw 2" (back when Saw meant Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2); Communications letters include comments on everything from religion (in which we get a reminder that Starlog has many readers who believe in God), to ST–TMP star Stephen Collins to R2D2, and more; Medialog includes Daniel Dickholtz chatting with actress Brooke Shields on Brenda Starr, and David McDonnell's roundup of genre media news (such as the possibility of a new Star Trek TV series).

Brian Lowry previews the animated The Real Ghostbusters; David Hutchison notes the new video releases in Videolog; Brian Lowry talks with Don Messick, voice actor; Fan Network includes a short article on fanzines and a sidebar listing nearly two dozen of them, answers to reader queries (such as, "How can I start an authorized fan club?"), and more; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier explore "The Life and Times of Howard the Duck"; Future Life includes Rich Kolker on HOTOL (a giant radio-controlled plane), Douglas Barton on the science-fiction-come-true of the Chunnell (the Channel Tunnel), an item on a planned NASA astronaut memorial, and David Hutchison on laser-and-multimedia shows; Edward Gross profiles Chris Columbus (The Goonies, Gremlins, Young Sherlock Holmes, Galaxy High); Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews actor Nicholas Courtney, Doctor Who co-star the Brigadier; Chris Henderson provides a Booklog roundup of the new print releases; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier spend a day on the set of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; Adam Pirani profiles special effects ace Brian Johnson; David Hutchison explains how The Boy Who Could Fly could fly (with a sidebar by Daniel Dickholtz on actress Lucy Deakins); Adam Pirani profiles special effects duo George Gibbs and Richard Conway (Brazil, Labyrinth, Monty Python's The Meaning of Life); Irv Sufkin interviews filmmaker Marshall Brickman (The Manhattan Project); William Rabkin interviews author Martin Caidin; Brian Lowry speaks with actress Sarah Douglas (Superman II, Solarbabies, Conan the Destroyer); and David McDonnell talks special effects in his Liner Notes column.

"The secret to understanding the future is understanding it in the small ways. If you went to a world with three moons, you might be stunned at first, but after three weeks, you wouldn't look up. It's the small things, the things we can't predict, that change social and cultural structure so much."

–Martin Caidin, author, interviewed by William Rabkin: "Martin Caidin: Better Living Through Science Fiction"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #110, September 1986: Still Innovating

The inside front cover ad promotes a brand-new book from Starlog and Signet, Stephen King at the Movies. The 112-page, 7-3/4" x 10-3/4" trade paperback was written by Jessie Horsting, a genre journalist who had previously been a contributor to Starlog's late competitor, Fantastic Films. The book also contains an essay by Harlan Ellison (reprinted from elsewhere, if I recall) on adapting King to the screen, and it was designed by co-publisher Norman Jacobs. A rather nifty book, all in all, and only for $9.95.

Starlog #110
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

This issue also features the first in-house ad for Starlog's two official licensed movie publications from the film Aliens. Unfortunately, it's printed on some black-and-white pages that are too dark, so any text that is inside a shaded box is nearly unreadable. But you can still get the point: An official "movie book" – which, again if I recall correctly, was designed by former Starlog art director and celebrated comics artist Howard Cruse – and an official movie magazine (the difference is in the packaging, some posters, and the pricing). These two publications became quite the collectors' items, very difficult to find many years later. After haunting eBay for many years, I finally snagged them, but only after I passed up many sellers who had priced each publication at something like $29.95.

The rundown: The cover photo features director David Cronenberg with his Fly open. In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn highlights some fans who made professions out of their favorite genres; letters in the Communications pages include an NBC News correspondent who corrects some details of Kerry O'Quinn's hurricane editorial from #103, feedback on Enemy Mine and Brazil, some praise for Starlog in general and Harlan Ellison in particular, and more; Medialog includes Adam Pirani's chat with special effects ace Brian Johnson, plus David McDonnell's roundup of genre news (such as, ABC has taken a pass on the series based on David Bowie's The Man Who Fell to Earth film).

Adam Pirani interviews director James Cameron about Aliens; the Fan Network pages include answers to reader queries (such as, "Could you tell me what Night of the Comet's Kelli Maroney is up to?"), plus short items on Grace Lee Whitney, fan organizations that work to improve the world, thoughts on celebrating the anniversary of Star Trek, and more; speaking of Trek, Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home director Leonard Nimoy; Mike Glyer gives the history and trivia behind the Hugo awards; in a major team-up, Lee Goldberg, David Hutchison, and David McDonnell interview author Ray Bradbury; David Hutchison also pens his usual Videolog column previewing the new releases, and Carr D'Angelo adds a chat with Jewel of the Nile director Lewis Teague; Brian Lowry previews The Boy Who Could Fly; writer David A. Kyle remembers First Fandom in the Other Voices guest column; Anthony Timpone interviews The Fly star Geena Davis (and Timpone includes a sidebar chat about the movie with director – and coverboy – David Cronenberg); Patrick Daniel O'Neill notes the 25th anniversary of the Fantastic Four in a Comics Scene column; William Rabkin previews Howard the Duck; Lee Goldberg talks with filmmaker Bob Gale (Back to the Future); Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier explore Short Circuit, and they interview actor Steve Guttenberg in a sidebar; William Rabkin interviews William Dear (Amazing Stories' mummy episode); in the Future Life section, Douglas Borton reports on Voyager 2's Uranus flyby, and he explains Swedish doctor Bjorn Nordenstrom's electric ideas for fighting cancer, Rich Kolker looks at space-grown plants, and John McMurphy notes that "Atomic Clocks Replace Greenwich Time"; Lee Goldberg chats with actress Kim Catrall (while, in a sidebar, Daniel Dickholtz profiles actor Dennis Dun); Chris Henderson's booklog previews the new print releases (such as Michael Ende's Momo); and David McDonnell wraps it all up in his Liner Notes column talking copy editing, a new edition of Starlog's Science Fiction Trivia book, and more.

"[At the 1975 North American Science Fiction Convention, Larry] Niven was going up in a hotel elevator carrying the Hugo he had won for 'The Hole Man' which friends had just delivered to him from Melbourne [where, at a different convention, the Hugos had been awarded]. Two teenaged boys popped into the elevator next to him, and recognized the award but not the owner. 'Gee, mister, where did you get the Hugo?" one asked. Hardly hesitating, Niven explained, 'I got it from Harlan [Ellison]. He's quitting science fiction, and giving away his awards. I think he still has a couple left.' The two excited kids jumped off the elevator at the next floor and went pounding away down the hall in search of Ellison. Niven hopes they found him."

–Mike Glyer, writer, "No Trivial Pursuit: The Hugo Awards"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #109, August 1986: Sigourney Weaver Battles Aliens Again

Sigourney Weaver's Ripley returns to center stage this issue with James Cameron's Alien sequel, Aliens. This was arguably the biggest movie of this time period, and it would feature heavily in Starlog's coverage for quite a few issues. (That was helped, possibly, by the magazine publishing two official Aliens magazines. They certainly had the access and the materials.)

There's also a movie advertisement on the inside front cover for Solarbabies, which was not going to be the biggest movie of this time period. The most significant thing about it is that the ad lists its executive producer as being none other than Mel Brooks.

Starlog #109
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

On page 51 of this issue is one of those things that makes editors and publishers grind their teeth and pull out their hair. No, it's not the picture of Michael Jackson saluting; that's another matter. It's the half-page of blank space below it. Complete white. One can only assume that an advertisement or a half-page article dropped off the page somewhere along in production. In the editing process? Art directing? Production? Proofing? Processing and printing?

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, Kerry O'Quinn gets political again by ruminating on political liberty and the Statue of Liberty; Communications letters include more on the controversy surrounding Gene Roddenberry's interview in issue #100 (in which he went off on religion), favorable reaction to the Roddy McDowell interview in #101, and more; and Medialog includes David McDonnell's roundup of genre news (such as John Malkovich being cast to play an android in Making Mr. Right), an unbylined item on a possible Greatest American Hero revival, and Lee Goldberg on a Mission: Impossible movie.

Steve Swires quizzes John Carpenter about his latest movie, Big Trouble in Little China; Ian Spelling (already becoming something of the Star Trek specialist he would one day be) interviews actor George Takei; Fan Network includes Daniel Dickholtz on the question of whether Star Wars fandom is dead, queries from readers (such as, "Who played the succession of younger Spocks in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock?"), and more; Kim Howard Johnson profiles Melanie Griffith about her role in Cherry 2000; the legendary writer L. Sprague de Camp writes about "Silent Specters, Spiders & Sauropods" in the Other Voices guest column; William Rabkin profiles actress Ally Sheedy about Short Circuit (plus a sidebar in which she talks about her role in WarGames); Lee Goldberg interviews actor Tom Skerritt, who talks The Dead Zone, SpaceCamp, and Alien; Adam Pirani interviews Skerritt's former co-star, Sigourney Weaver, who is reviving her Ripley character in Aliens; David Hutchison's Videolog chronicles anime videos plus other new releases; Edward Gross talks with Superman IV writers Larry Konner and Mark Rosenthal; Adam Pirani completes his two-part talk with Labyrinth creator Jim Henson (this is your chance to see David Bowie in a fright wig); the Future Life pages include Scott Zachek with more space camp details, Rich Kolker on a computerized look at the Statue of Liberty, and a completely blank half-page of nothingness (maybe a statement on the meaninglessness of life, or – more in keeping with Starlog's be-creative outlook on life – perhaps an invitation to readers to create their own article?); Lee Goldberg goes behind the scenes of Wes Craven's Deadly Friend; William Rabkin explores The Flight of the Navigator; Brian Lowry talks to the people behind Solarbabies; Lee Goldberg goes on location with the film Hyper Sapien; Chris Henderson rounds up the new print releases in Booklog; and David McDonnell gives some behind-the-scenes magazine news in his LIner Notes column.

"[Robert E.] Howard got his ideas of Roman orgies, oriental palaces, and medieval castles from the lavish sets that enhanced the movies of the '20s. He particularly admired The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923, Universal), which he says he saw several times. it featured Lon Chaney, Sr., in fearsome makeup as Quasimodo, and a great battle with Parisian proletarians whacking armored knights with sledge hammers."

–L. Sprague de Camp, writer, Other Voices: "Silent Specters, Spiders & Sauropods"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #108, July 1986: Short Circuit vs. R2D2

The anniversary cover design is tweaked this issue; no longer is it a white background with boxed photos; some of the photos are still there – though more as homage than main effect – but there's a large image taking up the lion's share of the cover real estate: Number Five, the robot star of Short Circuit. The cover text labels him (it) "America's favorite robot." Hmm, I would think that honor would go to Kenny Baker's R2D2, also featured in this issue. But maybe Artoo doesn't qualify because he's not really American; from a galaxy quite a ways away, as I now recall.

This is the final anniversary special issue in this format, though even this format has changed considerably in the past couple years. The special all-color, extra-pages section no longer has all of the genre annual wrap-ups and reviews. Also, half of those extra added color pages are printed on non-glossy paper stock; they're still full color (and they look just fine), but non-glossy paper is naturally cheaper than the glossy stock.

Starlog #108
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

A picture's worth a thousand words, goes the old saying. The math on that calculation is probably debatable, but I'm reminded of it when looking at this issue's front cover and doing a quick count of all of the text. I count 104 words on the cover (including the logo and pricing info).

The rundown: The issue kicks off with the Communications letters section, filled with people praising and/or second-guessing the staff on its choice of the 100 most important people in science fiction from the magazine's 100th issue; Kerry' O'Quinn's anniversary From the Bridge editorial recounts the magazine's challenges and triumphs in its first decade of existence; the magazine announces a big 10th anniversary contest with a two-page spread; in the Medialog section, David McDonnell rounds up all of the latest genre news (including Sam J. Jones – formerly Flash Gordon – being slated to star in The Spirit), C.B. Hackworth on a new start to the Superman franchise, and a film fantasy calendar listing; the Fan Network includes the convention calendar and Anthony Timpone answering reader queries (such as, "Do you know how I can obtain one of those infamous V dolls?").

Mike Clark interviews actor David Hedison, who talks the original The Fly and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; Steve Swires interviews actor Rod Taylor (The Time Machine, Twilight Zone, The Birds); Adam Pirani interviews Kenny Baker, who portrays R2D2 in the Star Wars films; Lee Goldberg interviews Kurt Russell (Big Trouble in Little China, Escape from New York); Adam Pirani talks with actor Michael Biehn about Aliens and The Terminator; Lee Goldberg profiles Martin Landau (Space: 1999, Star Trek, Meteor); cartoonist Phil Foglio provides a two-page comic, "From Book to Film: A Guide for Authors"; David Hutchison covers a documentary on the fantasy films of George Pal; Ian Spelling talks with Gene Roddenberry (along with a sidebar in which he interviews Roddenberry's wife, Majel Barrett Roddenberry); Brian Lowry chats with Chuck Jones; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Short Circuit director John Badham; Lee Goldberg profiles Tobe Hooper (Invaders from Mars); in an article that would be something of a landmark for the magazine, Bruce Gordon explores the implications of Back to the Future: "The Other Marty McFly?"; David Hutchison previews The Great Mouse Detective; Patrick Daniel O'Neill profiles actress Jennifer Connelly (Labyrinth); actress Greta Blackburn writes about her experience portraying Lorraine on V; in the Future Life section, Rich Kolker and Tom Chafin relate their experiences at NASA's Space Camp; coincidentally, Terry Pace previews the film Space Camp; David Hutchison mentions the new video releases in his Videolog column; Chris Henderson rounds up the latest book releases in Booklog; and David McDonnell's Liner Notes recounts some of the science-fiction and fantasy creators profiled in this issue.

"I walked in the office, and Jim [Cameron] was sitting there; ... he had a pen in his hand, and paper all over the place, with notes that he had written, and he was writing away. He said, 'Hi, Mike!' and just kept writing, and I said, 'How you doing, Jim, I came in to see the–' 'Yeah, yeah, the trailer's right over there,' and I asked, 'Jim, what are you doing?' He said, 'I've got to get this treatment of Aliens' – or the first draft, it was something like that – 'done by lunchtime,' and he was eating these cheese snacks – 'I don't have time for lunch,' and he was just hauling ass! This was the day after we finished The Terminator...."

–Michael Biehn, actor, interviewed by Adam Pirani: "Michael Biehn: Futuristic Hero"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #107, June 1986: Tom Cruise in Legend, Top Gun

Tom Cruise dressed as a sprite! Ray Bradbury in shorts! Don Ameche in swimming trunks!

Those are just some of the sights to see in this issue of Starlog.

Starlog #107
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

Okay, I never saw Ridley Scott's film Legend, so I don't know if Tom Cruise is actually a sprite or just some male forest nymph or something. But it's interesting that this issue highlights him in two roles, as Jack O' the Green from Legend and as a fighter pilot in Top Gun. It's kind of like a time-travel check-in on Cruise's career, when he was transitioning from dancing in his underwear in Risky Business to headlining tough-guy action roles.

The rundown: The cover photo is from Jim Henson's Labyrinth movie. Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column shares some convention thoughts; the entire Communications section is taken up with letters responding to Harlan Ellison's comments in his two-part interview back in #100-101; Medialog includes David McDonnell's roundup of genre news (including a planned ABC TV series based on the 1976 David Bowie film The Man Who Fell to Earth – see Starlog #1), Edward Gross talks to Pierce Brosnan about playing James Bond, and Gross also chats with He-Man himself, Dolph Lundgren.

Adam Pirani quizzes producer Gale Anne Hurd about Aliens and The Terminator; the Future Life section includes Douglas Borton on meddling with genes to fight diseases, and Borton (again) on an idea by Freeman Dyson for a micro-spaceship; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficer profile composer Alexander Courage (Star Trek); the Fan Network section includes info on Buckaroo Banzai fan activities, Max Rottersman on a phone hotline about SF industry happenings, and more; Kim Howard Johnson interviews actor Don Ameche about Cocoon and Trading Places; Adam Pirani interviews Ridley Scott, who discusses Blade Runner and Legend; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview actor Tom Cruise about Legend, with a sidebar by Anthony Timpone on Cruise's other film, Top Gun; David Hutchison lists the new genre video releases in his Videolog column; in a Comics Scene page, Daniel Dickholtz previews a new comic book, Captain Confederacy; Dennis Freeland interviews Jim Henson on Labyrinth (with a sidebar by Daniel Dickholtz talking with actress Jennifer Connelly); novelist Lawrence Watt-Evans explains his six laws of fantasy, writing this month's Other Voices guest column; Lee Goldberg talks to the screenwriters of Invaders from Mars; William Rabkin talks with writer Tom Benedek about Winter's Tale and Cocoon; Bill Feret interviews writer Jean M. Auel about Clan of the Cave Bear; Lee Goldberg interviews writer W.D. Richter (Buckaroo Banzai, Big Trouble in Little China); Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier talk with writer/director David Engelbach about America 3000 and a never-made sequel to The Day the Earth Stood Still; William Rabkin talks with Highlander screenwriter Greg Widen; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Doctor Who veteran Terrance Dicks; Booklog includes Thomas Arndt chatting with author Terry Brooks about his Shannara series and and Landover tales, plus obituaries for Judy-Lynn Del Rey and Frank Herbert; and editor David McDonnell wraps it all up in his Liner Notes with a few words about writers (and that photo of Bradbury in tennis shorts).

"I've never actually been asked to play James Bond. And the next question is, 'Would I like to play James Bond?' I suppose I would like to have a crack at it. It hasn't been a lifetime ambition to play James Bond, but I wish they would make up their minds one way or the other by offering it to me or giving it to someone else. Not a day goes by now without people saying, 'You're going to make a great James Bond.' But no one has ever come to me and said, 'Pierce, my dear boy, we would like you to play Jimmy Bond.' That may knock the rumor on the head, but I've been saying that now for quite a while and the rumor is still around."
–Pierce Brosnan, Medialog interview by Edward Gross: "Brosnan on Bond"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #106, May 1986: Big Trouble in Little China

John Carpenter's film Big Trouble in Little China, which takes the cover spot this issue, is a very 1980s film. Fake characters, over-the-top action and acting, farcical premise. It's a film that should have been fun, but was instead forgettable. Carpenter's track record is long and impressive, but it includes a number of these utterly useless films (sorry for the strong opinions) among the many gems. On the other hand, this is probably the only issue of Starlog that features a Buddha on the cover.

In his column, editor David McDonnell notes that sister magazine Fangoria (which he is temporarily editing) is increasing its frequency from nine to ten issues annually, and the Starlog Scrapbooks, Poster Magazines, and Best of publications are being rebranded under a Starlog Presents label.

Starlog #106
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

This issue sees an actual mention of Mobile Suit Gundam. Groundbreaking. Probably never to be repeated. Alas.

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn talks about hope as the first step toward success; Communications letters include a proposal for a museum that would house science-fiction spaceship models, plus a ton of comments on many aspects of Star Trek; Medialog items include Carr D'Angelo with a promo for the Starlog conventions, Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier chatting up NBC Entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff (who talks Amazing Stories), and David McDonnell rounding up all of the genre multimedia news (including the upcoming Evil Dead sequel).

Adam Pirani previews Aliens, the sequel to the great Alien; Lee Goldberg interviews actress Louise Fletcher about her role in Invaders from Mars; the Fan Network pages include a note from Leonard Nimoy assistant Kirk Thatcher, Anthony Timpone's answers to reader queries (including, "What is the status of Ray Harryhausen's Force of the Trojans?"), a call for more fan club listings, and more; William Rabkin profiles actor Tim Curry (Legend, The Rocky Horror Picture Show); the Future Life section includes Chris Henderson on Kerry Mark Joels' book The Mars One Crew Manual, Douglas Borton on designs for the next generation of automobiles, and Daniel Dickholtz on the Star Trek game The Kobayashi Alternative; Lee Goldberg previews Big Trouble in Little China; Kim Howard Johnson chats with former Monty Python member Terry Jones, screenwriter of Labyrinth; Patrick Daniel O'Neill profiles Blake's Seven's Terry Nation; Kim Howard Johnson visits the location shoot for Cherry 2000; Ben Bova, writer and former editor of Omni and Analog, pens the Other Voices guest column, in which he discusses space-based defensive technology; Robert Greenberger interviews The Postman's David Brin; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier explain the animated War of the Rock Lords; Lee Goldberg interviews writer Rockne S. O'Bannon; Steve Swires talks with director Leonard Nimoy about Star Trek III: The Search for Spock; Adam Pirani interviews Highlander actor Clancy Brown; in the conclusion of his two-part examination of Japanimation, Fred Patten includes Mobile Suit Gundam, TranZor Z, Robotech, Fist of the Big Dipper, and others; in Booklog, Kathleen Gooch talks to author James P. Hogan, and Chris Henderson rounds up the latest book releases; David Hutchison rounds up the latest genre video releases in Videolog; and editor David McDonnell wraps it all up in his Liner Notes column with some notes about doings in the Starlog family of publications.

"I would trade a million copy bestseller to be able to write a paper on mathematical physics that only a hundred people would appreciate and would stun Steven Weinberg in Cambridge. One of the most wonderful things about our culture is that people can be physics groupies. ... My brother had only two science and math courses in his entire college career and he's a ferocious science groupie – he subscribes to Scientific American and he's always calling me up with questions."

David Brin, author, interviewed by Robert Greenberger: "David Brin: Dispatches for The Postman"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #102, January 1986: Enemy Mine, Frenemy Mine

Six degrees of separation: The movie featured on the cover of this edition is Enemy Mine. The novelization of the movie was written by David Gerrold (with Barry B. Longyear). Oh, wait, that's just one or two degrees of separation. Science fiction's a small world.

This month, Starlog publishes its annual postal statement of ownership and circulation. The total paid circulation for the issue closest to the statement's filing deadline is listed as 217,435 (up strongly from last year's 190,699), including the number of paid subscriptions of 12,945 (down from 13,408 last time).

Starlog #102
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

In his Linter Notes column in upcoming issue #104, editor David McDonnell will explain the genesis of this issue's alien cover. Apparently the editors, publishers, and art director were in agreement about putting Enemy Mine on the cover, but they disagreed about whether to feature the alien photo (Louis Gossett Jr. as alien Jeriba) or the clean-cut human photo (Dennis Quaid as Davidge). Which is more science fictiony? Well, aliens, natürlich, so the Gossett lizard-man photo went to the cover. In his #104 column, McDonnell displays both covers. I think the Quaid one would have been nice, too, but that might just be because Dennis Quaid is easy on the eyes. But no one asked me.

The rundown: Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column relates the publisher's experience playing the live-action game PHOTON; Communications letters include a plea to cover Silverado, an English special effects supervisor who takes umbrage at comments about his countrymen, corrections to Starlog's trivia book, and more; Medialog includes McDonnell's headline-news roundup of genre developments (such as Tim Burton being signed on as the new director of the Batman movie), plus Edward Gross talks with The Fly writer Charles Pogue.

Mike Clark goes behind the scenes to preview Irwin Allen's Alice in Wonderland; David Bianculli reports on a press conference with Steven Spielberg, who comments on his Amazing Stories TV series; the Fan Network pages include answers to readers' questions (such as, "Where can I write Supergirl's Helen Slater?") compiled by Anthony Timpone, plus a Fan Notebook collection of news bits (such as a report on a concert by The Replicants), a Star Trek IV contest, and more; Ben Landman interviews former Doctor Who Peter Davison; Booklog features Chris Henderson's overview of new releases (including Harlan Ellison's An Edge in My Voice, which includes columns he wrote for Starlog's departed sister magazine Future Life – another couple degrees of separation connected with this issue) and Michael Vance's chat with writer Stephen R. Donaldson; William Rabkin visits the Munich, Germany, set of Enemy Mine; Robert Greenberger interviews Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy creator Douglas Adams; William Rabkin previews Clue, the movie version of the board game; Steve Swires interviews actress Mary Woronov; Lee Goldberg interviews Kirstie Alley ("She isn't Saavik. I am."); Kim Howard Johnson dissects the problems Terry Gilliam had with the studio working on his Brazil film; David Hutchison lists new genre video releases in Videolog; Will Murray talks with Remo: The First Adventure director Guy Hamilton; Anthony Timpone interviews actor/producer Michael Douglas about The Jewel of the Nile; Lee Goldberg talks with director Jeannot Szwarc about his Santa Claus; Karen E. Bender profiles actors Nicholas Rowe and Alan Cox about Young Sherlock Holmes; Brian Lowry interviews Bugs Bunny voice magician Mel Blanc (with a sidebar by Anthony Timpone: "Friz Freleng on Mel Blanc"); and editor David McDonnell wraps it all up in his Liner Notes column with an announcement that he will be succeeding the departed Fangoria editors Bob Martin and David Everitt as "interim" editor of that mag, plus he shares the tale of his first meeting with Mel Blanc.

"They offered me less money than they did for Star Trek II, so I figured they weren't very interested in me for Saavik. ... I thought [new Saavik Robin Curtis] was at a real disadvantage playing a role someone else established, especially with Star Trek, which has an enormous following. I think she did a fine job. I have no problem with what she was doing except that, when I saw the film, I said, 'She isn't Saavik. I am.'"

–Kirstie Alley, interviewed by Lee Goldberg: "Kirstie Alley: 'She isn't Saavik. I am.'"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.

A Pause to Reflect on the First 100 Issues of Starlog

After chronicling every issue of Starlog magazine's first 100 issues, I wanted to pause to reflect on this thing I call The Starlog Project (which can be found here and here). 

As a result of this effort, I've heard from many people about their memories of the magazine, questions about an article, or just a pat on the back. Barely a day goes by that I don't hear from a former Starlog writer, editor, or reader. I'm grateful for that. 

I started the Starlot Project after I noticed how much feedback I continue to get from an earlier, similar compendium I had done of Starlog's short-lived sister magazine, Future Life, a science/science-fiction hybrid published from 1978 through 1981. There, too, I hear from former writers, Disney employees looking for more information about a series of articles, college students researching a topic covered in the magazine, and just plain old fans and readers.

So I decided to embark on a version of it featuring Starlog, the long-lived (but recently deceased) science-fiction media magazine, and I began it earlier this year. (In a nice kind of payback, The Starlog Project inspired me to go back and update and expand the Future Life compendium, and I'm about two-thirds of the way through with that revamp.)

Frankly, I reached Starlog issue #100 far faster than I expected. My assumption going into this was that I would write up a few issues a week, but that I'd also go through dry spells where I was just sick of the magazine and wouldn't write anything for a month. Instead, I've probably averaged about an issue a day. I might yet have dry spells during my coverage of the remaining 274 issues, but I've learned a few things along the way that have kept up my interest and enthusiasm.

First, the magazine meant and still means a lot to people. Especially back in the late 1970s and the 1980s, when there were fewer genre films and television programs being produced, and before the internet transformed magazines from timely news organs into feature article organs (not a bad change, actually, though many magazines still fail to notice the shift), Starlog was it for the interested SF fan. I don't mean that it was the only source, but I do think that it was the best, and certainly the most successful. It was likely the place that most SF fans first learned about Harlan Ellison, The Brother from Another Planet, the King Kong remake, Ayn Rand, Boris Vallejo, the implications of Back to the Future, and much more.

Second, we readers were spoiled. From following what former Starlog company employees have posted elsewhere, it seems pretty clear that the company was arguably a creative hotspot but inarguably a home to very poorly paid staffers. So the regular turnover of all but a few editors and art staff is not a surprise. But their time in the Starlog trenches is still appreciated by us, the spoiled many.

Third, each "era" of the magazine is different and has something new to interest me. Whether it's the fun of watching the magazine's first year of frantically trying to keep up with its own breakneck pace of growth, or it's the second and third years' maturity in design and coverage, or the adaptations to rising inflation in the next year, or the dearth of new big films to cover in another year, or the addition of new staff or the return to growth or the many controversies that broke out or ... it's always something.

I've noted in this project that I'm a professional magazine (and internet) editor, and I don't note that as a way of trying to give my words more weight. I doubt anyone's impressed. But I do let people know that because it affects how I view Starlog; it means I'm not only looking back at it as an SF follower, but also as someone who's interested in why and how the company so successfully exploited its market, made mistakes, survived when so many competitors died unmourned deaths, and retains so much affection and interest today. Certainly my interest in Future Life and Starlog is affected by my hopes of creating a new magazine at some point that can serve the need those magazines did – though I think I'll pay my staff better than did Norman Jacobs and Kerry O'Quinn. (Each generation does learn something from the previous generation!)

There. That's more than enough words spent on this reflection. I'll get started on the second 100 issues in a day or so. But now you know a bit more about why I'm doing this. Enjoy.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #96, July 1985: Howard Zimmerman Exits

Starlog's ninth anniversary celebration is the occasion editor Howard Zimmerman chooses to announce his departure from the magazine he has edited for 90 issues. Zimmerman will be replaced by the managing editor, David McDonnell, who would stay with the title for nearly 300 more issues before it finally closed its doors in 2009. Zimmerman moves over to Byron Preiss Visual Publications, and, after Preiss' death in 2005, would create his own firm. Zimmerman also authored a number of books on dinosaurs.

Starlog also announces its lineup of new licensed film magazines: Rambo: First Blood Part II, A View to a Kill, and Explorers.

Starlog #96
100 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.95

The magazine celebrates with its usual 100-page birthday issue, but it's a different package than in recent years. There's still the addition of an extended full-color section, but with the exception of a roundup/review article of the year in genre media, the extra pages are mostly taken up with more of the same type of articles you find in the magazine every month. That's a trend that would continue.

The rundown: The cover is once again (and for the final time) the magazine's patented boxed-photo layout against a white background. Kerry O'Quinn pens his usual anniversary editorial, asking "Where are the heroes?"; Communications letters include praise for the magazine, reaction to David Prowse's complaints about how he's treated in the Star Wars films, a call for an all-science-fiction cable channel (what a concept), and more; Log Entries short news items include David McDonnell's Medialog (a wrapup of pretty much everything going on in the SF media world, in short blurb form), David Hutchison on Erik Luke's plans for a Jetsons movie, Will Murrayon a Destroyer film, Patrick Daniel O'Neill updates the Doctor Who hiatus, and more.

Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview singer/actress Tina Turner about her role as Auntie Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome; Jim George profiles Al Lorimer, special effects coordinator on The Man with One Red Shoe; Adam Pirani interviews actor David Rappaport (Time Bandits, The Bride); Fan Network includes reports from the Starlog convention in Boston, more on the Doctor Who hiatus, and more; Robert Greenberger, Chris Henderson and Carr D'Angelo review the year in television, books, and comics; two pages are devoted to photos from Return to Oz; Lee Goldberg interviews Bond actor Roger Moore; Dennis Fischer interviews Lifeforce director Tobe Hooper; Robert Greenberger interviews Red Sonja's Brigitte Nielsen; David Hutchison previews Disney's The Black Cauldron; Kim Howard Johnson interviews Cocoon producers Richard and Lili Zanuck; William Rabkin interviews Harvey Bernhard, producer of The Goonies; novelist Mike McQuay writes about "Apples to Oranges" in the Other Voices guest column slot; Steve Swires interviews actor Peter Cushing, Grand Moff Tarkin himself; and speaking of Star Wars, David Hutchison's seventh (of seven) article investigating the special effects of Return of the Jedi looks at the use of matte paintings; Jerry Ahern explains how you can dress like Indiana Jones (complete with suggested retail stores); in the Future Life section, John Clayton describes the Hubble Telescope, due to be deployed the following year, plus there's short news, including Mark Shannon on a documentary about the microchip, Max Rottersman on the Keck telescope, and more; Mike Clark interviews Jonathan Harris, who portrayed Dr. Smith in TV's Lost in Space; Brian Lowry interviews Woody Woodpecker's Walter Lantz; Kim Howard Johnson interviews Python John Cleese; and, for the final time, Howard Zimmerman wraps it all up in his Lastword column, saying goodbye to the magazine he helped build into a success.

"The Goonies is the most magical picture I've ever worked on. ... It's every kid's secret dream – to find pirate treasure. It will appeal to kids as well as to everyone who remembers how they felt when they were kids. Certainly, The Goonies will be in the top five all-time biggest grossing motion pictures."

–Harvey Bernhard, producer, interviewed by William Rabkin: "Harvey Bernhard, Keeper of The Goonies"

To view previous Starlog issue descriptions, click on "Starlog Internet Archive Project" in the keywords below or visit the Starlog Project's permanent home.