The Android's Dudgeon: The Starlog Project: Starlog #171, October 1991

Brent Spiner’s not a fan of talking to reporters. Some actors love to give interviews, others don't; that's their right.

Capturing big-name (or even just significant) interviews in genre magazines is something of an art. There are press conferences at which the interview subject might appear, there are one-on-one interviews arranged by studio press relations departments, there are Q&As with several journalists present, there are direct appeals to an actor/director/writer/whatever from a journalist that sometimes are accepted, and sometimes the publication has its own strings to pull to get an interview (such as the publisher is friends with a director, or the editor used to go to school with an actor).

But one of the most tried-and-true methods of securing an interview is for a journalist to meet (planned or “accidentally”) the subject at a science-fiction convention. A number of professional genre journalists began that way; they got the interview, then pitched it to magazines until one of them bought it.

This issue, the cover story is a twist on that method. Marc Shapiro, a veteran contributor to the magazine’s pages, lucks into a whopping seven-minute interview with Star Trek: The Next Generation star Brent Spiner, who was trying to avoid a crush of other media professionals following a Trek press conference. “When the actor who plays Data had an escape route blocked by a phalanx of television cameras and inquiring minds, he agreed to answer a few questions for Starlog while literally on the run,” writes Shapiro. And thus a photo-heavy and text-light cover story is born.

Starlog #171
84 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $4.95

This month, for the first time, Starlog rolls out its new ad featuring its licensed movie magazine for Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.

A more important debut this issue is Booklog, a multi-page department featuring short reviews of new print releases. I was glad the magazine launched this section, because books are often overlooked by fans of television and film, and Starlog stuck with this column from this issue all the way until the magazine uttered its final “Phasers on stun!” in early 2009.

The rundown: Brent Spiner looks a little caught-in-the-headlights on the cover; but he’s in a more relaxed pose on the contents page. This issue, the letters section is pushed back deeper into the magazine, and instead we lead off with David McDonnell’s Medialog column, where we learn that rumors of Starlog, Fangoria, and Cinemagic programs airing on the new Sci Fi Network are unfounded, though after the rumors surfaced, the two sides did begin “actually discussing this possibility, but no contracts have been signed or commitments given.” This would never come to be; Sci Fi never had a Starlog TV special or series, and that was probably another big missed opportunity on Starlog’s part. It reminds me of National Lampoon having a chance to create a TV sketch comedy series in the 1970s when the magazine was at the height of its popularity, but its leaders passed on the opportunity; instead, NBC came up with a little show called Saturday Night Live. Perhaps you’ve heard of it?

David Hutchison’s Videolog column announces that eight Battlestar Galactica episodes are being released for $14.98 apiece; Communications letters feature readers commenting on everything from Star Trek to Doctor Who to Philip K. Dick, with one letter-writer beginning her letter thusly: “Starlog #167 was a great issue, and I didn’t even mind seeing Hulk Hogan on the cover” – high praise, indeed, plus Mike Fisher’s Creature profile features Mothra; the Fan Network pages include Lia Pelosi’s fan club directory plus the convention calendar (including something called “Eroticon Six” in Kent, UK); Booklog reviews The Worm Ouroboros, Nothing Sacred, The Hereafter Gang, and Smart Dragons, Foolish Elves; and Kerry O’Quinn’s From the Bridge column tells the tale of a young man who overcame a horrendous upbringing.

Marc Shapiro corners Star Trek’s Data, Brent Spiner, for a short interview in the cover story; the Bill & Ted movies have spawned an animated TV series, a live-action series (proposed, at least), and now, as Kim Howard Johnson reports, comics; T.W. Knowles II interviews author Fred Saberhagen, who discusses his books The Empire of the East, Berserker Kill, and others; Marc Shapiro visits the set of John Carpenter’s new film, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, which stars Chevy Chase and Daryl Hannah; Kim Howard Johnson talks with director Terry Gilliam about The Fisher King (with a sidebar on the director’s postmortem comments on The Adventures of Baron Munchausen); and Marc Shapiro interviews James Cameron and William Wisher about their writing chores on Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Bill Florence chats with writer George F. Slavin about his original Star Trek episode “The Mark of Gideon”; in part two of Mark Phillips’ look at Irwin Allen’s The Time Tunnel, we learn about the eight-hour story conferences for the series; David McDonnell reports (with photos by Lynne Stephens) again on the Seatrek cruise for fans and professionals from Star Trek, including Gene Roddenberry this (last) time; and in his Liner Notes column, McDonnell says goodbye to managing editor Dan Dickholtz and hello to the Booklog column.

“We never saw Irwin as a genius of any sort, and we never consulted with him about a script. He would scribble comments for rewrites in the margins. We crossed him on small issues that weren’t worth a damn, and always lost. In one show [“Collector’s Item,” Land of the Giants], the end scene had a house blown to smithereens and we asked that the housekeeper be shown getting away from the explosion. As a character, she had done nothing which required her obliteration. Her death wasn’t necessary. We wrote in the housekeeper’s escape and Irwin crossed it out. We wrote it in again and once again, he crossed it out. This went on until the filming when, of course, the housekeeper was demolished with the house. [Robert’s wife and writing partner] Wanda and I were against gratuitous killings, and we explained that to Irwin, but it was his show and we were not to forget it!”
Robert Duncan, writer, interviewed by Mark Phillips: “Time & Time Tunnel Again”

To see more, click on Starlog Internet Archive Project below or visit The Starlog Project’s permanent home.

Bill & Ted's Bogus Sequel: The Starlog Project – Starlog #170, September 1991

Bill and Ted return to the big screen with Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, the sequel to the 1989 quirky surprise hit Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. The sequel was originally called Bill & Ted Go to Hell, but that title was apparently too much for the timid souls who run the film studio, so it was changed to the new bogus Bogus title.

As for the film itself ... well, when was the last time you popped it into the DVD player and watched it all the way through? Within the last 15 years? Ever?

That tells you all you need to know.

Starlog #170
84 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $4.95

Odd classified ad of the month: "THE ZOMBIE ARMY – The world's first Zombie Combat Rock Music Video Contest! 'Two thumbs OFF!' BIG SHOUT MAGAZINE. The U.S. ARMY battles Zombies head to dead! YOU could win a real Zombie Army surplus Jeep used in the movie! $28. check or MO to ..." Wonder if they got any entries.

The rundown: Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves pose with Bill Sadler (as Death) on the cover; meanwhile, because you can never get enough Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger is featured on the contents page; Communications letters include a reader complaining about science-fiction conventions and the state of genre films, another pleading to resurrect Battlestar Galactica, and more, plus Mike Fischer's creature profile is the cyborg you can't get enough of, the Terminator; and David McDonnell's Medialog column notes that not only is there a Bill & Ted animated series, but Fox is launching a live-action Bill & Ted series, proving that you can, in fact, get enough of Bill & Ted.

Michael Wolff and illustrator George Kochell examine time travel in science fiction; Bruce Gordon returns with another popular examination of the implications of the Back to the Future movies with "The Other Marty McFly Rides West"; the Fan Network pages include David Hutchison's announcement of New York's Fifth Annual Summer Festival of Fantasy, Horror & Science Fiction (which was programmed in part by Starlog contributor Tom Weaver), Lia Pelosi's fan club and publications directory, plus the convention calendar; David Hutchison's Videolog column announces a string of new releases of old Outer Limits, Amazing Stories, and Twilight Zone episodes; Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column explains why heaven is in space; Bill Warren pens the cover story, talking with Bill & Ted stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves; and Marc Shapiro manages to interview a multi-tasking Terminator 2 director James Cameron.

Will Murray visits the set of Free-Jack, the movie that dares to bring together Mick Jagger and Emilio Estevez; Bill Wilson previews the Back to the Future ride at Universal Studios Florida; Edward Gross looks at the Quantum Leap comics; Marc Shapiro profiles actor Robert Patrick, who portrays the T-1000, the Terminator so advanced it can speak English without an accent; Edward Gross examines the original plans for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, which involved traveling back in time ... to meet Eddie Murphy (oh, and Spock had a baby with Saavik); Larry S. Barbee contributes his first article to the magazine, a look at "Shada," the only Doctor Who production to have been begun but left unfinished (due to a strike by the BBC's technical workers); in part one of a multi-part article, Mark Phillips provides "A Brief History of The Time Tunnel"; and in his Liner Notes column, editor David McDonnell goes time-tripping.

"One of the things we had in our earlier drafts [for Star Trek IV] that they took out was what happened when they first went through time. Instead of that horrible time sequence that looks like Russian science fiction, we had them using the slingshot effect around Jupiter and Mars. Also, when they first appeared in the 20th century, they were in a fog, and as they lowered, the monitors picked up all of this cheering and applause. As they come out of the fog, they find themselves over a Super Bowl game and everyone thinks it's a halftime show. Then, they cloak and disappear."

–Peter Krikes, writer, interviewed by Edward Gross: "The First Voyage Home"

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

The Starlog Project: Starlog #169, August 1991: Arnold’s Back to Back

Starlog knows how to spot ‘em, sometimes. Sensing that Terminator 2: Judgment Day would be a big hit, the editors put T2 on the cover of the August issue, just as it was on the cover of the July issue. It even features the same character from the same movie, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. (If the movie can be T2, can we just call Arnold’s character T? I suppose so, though then people might start calling him Mr. T, which would just be disastrous.)

Starlog also has a horse in this race. This issue it announces that it’s publishing the official T2 licensed movie magazine. $4.95, all color and 68 pages (if I remember correctly). I’m just guessing that it will make a ton of money for the company.

Few people thought the studio would recoup the then-record $100 million cost of producing the film, but of course T2 went on to become a smash hit and just the latest in a long line of James Cameron near-death career experiences.

Starlog #169
84 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $4.95

Interesting, this: This issue’s cover price is $4.95, the same as the previous issue, which was the extra-pages anniversary edition. Is it a permanent cover price hike? No, but oddly several issues will carry this new cover price, after which the cover price will drop back down to $4.50 and the page count will drop again from 84 to 80. Why the price spike? Was it a trial to see if readers were willing to page $5 for a copy of the magazine? Was it an attempt to get some greater lucre from the summer film-going season? Who knows?

The rundown: The Schwarzemeister’s on the cover, again; meanwhile, Doctor Who’s Sophie Aldred is featured on the contents page; in the Communications section, Star Trek Research Consultant Richard Arnold responds to previous letters on Star Trek, a reader responds to Richard Arnold’s letter (no, not this one, but rather Arnold’s letter in Starlog #161), and other readers comment on Star Trek games, scripts, and more, thus giving Mr. Arnold a reason to write a third letter, if he's up to it, plus Mike Fisher’s Creature Profile comic features Them!; in his Medialog column, David McDonnell notes that the previously announced Starlog: The Science Fiction Universe television project is “on hold”; in his Videolog column, David Hutchison announces Woody Allen’s Alice, Edward Scissorhands, and other genre releases; and the Fan Network pages include Lia Pelosi’s directory of fan clubs and publications, plus the convention calendar.

The great writer Roald Dahl is interviewed by Tom Soter, and he discusses working on two adaptations of Ian Fleming works: You Only Live Twice and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (and he has some pretty tough words for Sean Connery, who he thinks got too full of himself when he decided to walk away from the Bond role: “He was a very foolish fellow to get bored by Bond because it made him. ... I don’t think Sean behaved very well on this film. ... No, I don’t think Sean Connery’s a complicated creature at all. he’s an absolutely straightforward, rather dull Scotsman.”); in a two-page Tribute section, Marc Shapiro writes actor Kevin Peter Hall’s obituary, Kim Howard Johnson does the honors for James Bond titles designer Maurice Binder, and Ian Spelling remembers writer and lyricist Howard Ashman (The Little Mermaid); and Kerry O’Quinn’s From the Bridge relates his injury and surgery after crashing his motorcycle (which he discussed pre-crash in #167).

Marc Shapiro interviews Terminator 2: Judgment Day actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who admits that "acting out the action stuff and the ballsy parts was not a difficult thing for me to do. The most difficult scenes were the ones where I had to respond to questions or rattle off dialogue and come across as believable as a machine”; Bill Warren talks with veteran actor Alan Arkin, who discusses The Rocketeer, as well as The Seven-Percent Solution, The Return of Captain Invincible, and other films; Warren also visits the set of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey; Kyle Counts checks in with screenwriter Joe Gannon about Solar Crisis, a film he wrote but that was then drastically rewritten by others; David Hirsch profiles composer Gerald Fried about his work on the original Star Trek TV series; John B. McLay examines new original Doctor Who novels; in “Tenctonese Funnies,” Edward Gross previews the new comic books based on the canceled Alien Nation television series; Peter Weller exits the metal copsuit and is replaced by actor Robert Burke for RoboCop 3, the set of which Kim Howard Johnson visits; and David McDonnell’s Liner Notes column touts various new releases from the wonderful world of Starlog magazines, including the aforementioned Terminator 2: Judgement Day Official Movie Magazine, which includes designs and production illustrations “you may not see published anywhere else. Truly amazing!”

“When I first heard the primary notion that some part of the movie [Solar Crisis] would take place inside the Sun, my heart sank. I love science fiction, but I love science fiction that’s based on degrees of reality, even if that reality is warped in some way. My first feeling was that this [plotline] was so implausible, you could never really bring the audience with you, as it were. But then, as I thought about it, I realized it was implausible, but not impossible. In that distinction, I found I could believe in the story.”

–Joe Gannon, screenwriter, interviewed by Kyle Counts: “Flare-Up”

To see more, click on Starlog Internet Archive Project below or visit The Starlog Project’s permanent home.

Harlan Ellison Video Comments on The Terminator Legal Problems

While researching the next edition of my Starlog Project (an issue-by-issue compendium of the legendary magazine), I discovered this (at times odd) video telling writer Harlan Ellison's side of the story about the brouhaha over the story origins of James Cameron's The Terminator.