The Starlog Project: Starlog #56, March 1982: Triffids and SFX Secrets

I said there'd be a big change this year (1982) at Starlog, and here it is. Previously, Starlog had carried about a 50-50 mix of coated (glossy) pages that could show full-color images and uncoated pages for just black-and-white. With this issue, Starlog replaces about half of its color pages with more black-and-white ones, presumably to contain costs. A year ago, the magazine's cover price had risen from $2.25 to $2.50, but a $2.75 cover price would be awkward (not unheard of, but awkward and unusual nonetheless). Whether it was an attempt to hold on until they could make the eventual leap to a $2.95 price, or if costs were just rising too fast, or if it was due to some reason altogether different, I don't know. But the reduction in color was noticeable. Oddly, this was the first issue I received as a new subscriber; I ludicrously entertained the thought -- very, very briefly, mind you; I wasn't simpleminded -- that subscribers received this lesser version of the magazine, and somehow newsstand buyers were still getting the normal Starlog in all its multi-colored glory. But a couple minutes later, I wised up and accepted the economic facts of life. On the other hand, this issue sees the first in a series of two-page posters in the magazine, a feature kicked off with a shot from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Starlog #56
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

Despite the presence of fewer color pages, it was still the same Starlog. Still the same writers and editors and artists covering movies and TV and authors. But alas, this issue comes up weak for a different reason: there just weren't strong articles. The cover story was a collection of short "special effects secrets" about 10 movies, but a good rule of thumb for magazine readers is that articles based on lists are often a crutch for editors. They are usually easier to prepare than those that require research and interviews. Oh well, it was an excuse to put Darth Vader on the cover.

Kerry O'Quinn checks in with his pal Chesley Bonestell in his From the Bridge column; Communications letters include followups to David Gerrold's column on ending world hunger, a note from Leonard Nimoy disputing reports that he had asked for Spock to be killed off in the Star Trek sequel, views of The Greatest American Hero, and more; short news in Log Entries includes a report that Isaac Asimov's Foundation stories have been optioned for the big screen, news that Sheena, Queen of the Jungle was getting ready to invade multiplexes, a roundup of cable TV SF programs, and more.

Bill Pearson and David Hirsch report on a new BBC production of The Day of the Triffids; Sam J. Maronie provides a retrospective of Zardoz, a Sean Connery-starring film from 1974 that sounds tailor-made for Mystery Science Theater 3000; David Gerrold brings back his quote-meister Solomon Short, only to kill him off; James H. Burns interviews Ken McMillan about Hearbeeps; Bjo Trimble recounts being part of a roomful of extras (along with David Gerrold and former Starlog columnist Susan Sackett, among others) on Star Trek -- The Motion Picture; an unbylined article profiles the art of painter Steven Vincent Johnson; the centerfold is filled with the "Starlog Science Fiction Classic #1" poster of 2001: A Space Odyssey; David Hutchison and David Everitt spill the beans on short special effects secrets from Forbidden Planet, The Time Machine, This Island Earth, War of the Worlds, The Thing, The Empire Strikes Back, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Invisible Man, The Black Hole, and Things to Come; James H. Burns interviews Ken Shapiro, the director of the Chevy Chase comedy Modern Problems; Sam J. Maronie and Scott Davis pen a two-page retrospective of the original Day of the Triffids; part three of James Van Hise's Star Trek bloopers article features both classic Trek and The Motion Picture era; Ron Miller's Futures Past column looks at Jules Verne's works; and Howard Zimmerman wraps it up in his Lastword column by asking readers to "Leave Nimoy Alone" about the whole killing-off-Spock thing.

"The oatmeal was whipped up on a Friday and set aside so that the effects crew would be able to shoot the scene first thing on Monday. What Warren and Chang failed to take into consideration was the weather. Over the weekend, the temperature soared and the oatmeal consequently fermented."

--David Hutchison and David Everett, writers, "Effects Secrets from 10 Classic SF Films: The Time Machine"

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

Redesign at Badger Herald Web Site

My old paper at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, The Badger Herald, has redesigned its web site and it looks very good.

If that's not enough to draw you there, the editors have posted their annual April Fool's issue.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #55, February 1982: Blade Runner, Time Bandits and Quest for Fire

It's extra-treat time again, as Starlog for the third (and final) time includes a bind-in record with an issue of the magazine. This time, one side of the vinyl 33-1/2 rpm record features excerpts from the Starlog Records LP First Men in the Moon, and the other side features excerpts from an upcoming (and, I think, the final) Starlog Records LP, The Avengers. Also this issue, the magazine's former space art advisor, Ron Miller, joins its lineup of columnists. Meanwhile, do you like all the color in the magazine? Enjoy it ... while it lasts.

Starlog #55
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $3.50

Time Bandits, the great Terry Gilliam film is a ... what? Dark fantasy? Science Fiction? Historical romance? Whatever. It's one of his finest, and it's got pride-of-place on the cover and contents page this issue.

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, Kerry O'Quinn has a response to people who worry about violence in science-fiction media; Communications letters include a library that is subscribing to Starlog, praise for Lawrence Kasdan and Harrison Ford, pleas for Spock's life, descriptions of Starlog staffers' lunches, and more; short news items in Log Entries include a preview of the muppetastick Dark Crystal, publication of a book on Scrooge McDuck, CBS bought rights to Star Wars: A New Hope -- but couldn't get The Empire Strikes Back, rumors about Star Trek II (called at this point "The Uncharted Continent"), plans for a Universal theme park in Florida, and more.

Part two of James Van Hise's look at the Star Trek bloopers reel takes up a page; an unbylined page has info about the music on the bound-in record; James Van Hise interviews Philip K. Dick about Blade Runner; David Gerrold discusses writer's block in his Soaring column; Ed Naha returns to Starlog's pages with a look at the new Quest for Fire movie (Naha's been keeping mostly to Future Life for the past couple years, so one might surmise that this article was originally intended for that magazine, which had just ceased publication); the winners of the Starlog fifth anniversary contest are listed; Bjo Trimble keeps up the pressure by urging support for the space program in her Fan Scene column; Kerry O'Quinn and David Everett interview studio executive Alan Ladd, Jr., who talks Alien, Star Wars, and Blade Runner; Don McGregor finishes his two-part interview with The Greatest American Hero's Robert Culp; a three-page feature showcases color photos from Time Bandits; David Hirsch interviews UFO's Ed Bishop; David Hutchison goes on location with Doug Trumbull to talk about his movie Brainstorm; Ron Miller's Futures Past column debuts, with a look at Hugo Gernsback's 1911 SF novel Ralph 124C41+; the science-fiction paintings of Stephen Schwartz are featured in Quest; and in Lastword, Howard Zimmerman belatedly presents his third-annual Zimmerman Awards (which, among other things, awards That's Incredible the "most mind-boggling weekly SF-TV series" prize).

"I asked for a copy of the latest screenplay [for Blade Runner] and they sent it over last week. This is the February '81 version by David Peoples. Now there's no problem. Now I can quite sincerely say that I am terribly enthusiastic and it won't be just the special effects because there will be a coherent storyline. There's an excellent storyline. Peoples did a terrific job."

--Philip K. Dick, author, interviewed by James Van Hise: "Philip K. Dick on Blade Runner"

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 #54, January 1982: Comin' at You in 3-D

Starlog #54 might have been produced in the middle of the worst recession since the Great Depression (only to be outdone, of course, by the recent and ongoing economic crisis), but that doesn't mean Starlog's going to stop thinking big. The magazine announces plans for a feature film -- no, not the one it announced a couple years previously. That, as publisher O'Quinn explains, died a miserable death, the tale of which would probably be fascinating to hear. This new movie -- also ultimately unrealized -- is announced in this issue. And never heard from again. Oh, and they've finally renamed Comics World as Comics Scene, though it's still published by Comics World Corp. and would be for its entire run.

Starlog #54
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

Starlog looooooves 3-D. In its past six years, it has published several articles on the technique, and would eventually produce a photo guidebook trade paperback on the topic. This issue, 3-D takes the cover spot (with a painting by Walter Velez), and is also represented inside with several articles and lots of photos. Readers were told last month to order their free (with a self-addressed stamped envelope) pair of 3-D glasses, an offer repeated in this issue.

The rundown: Kerry O'Quinn tells readers that the recent survey he took (results of which appear in the Communications section) will help him inform Hollywood big-wigs about what types of movies fans actually want, and that he'll also use the survey feedback to launch the magazine's own movie; Communications letters include a cartoon by Don Goodman starring Howard Zimmerman, feedback on the William Shatner interview, praise for Bjo Trimble's recent columns, results of the SF Movie Survey (59 percent say lavish costumes and special makeup "sometimes" are essential to enjoying a movie), and more; Log Entries short news items include a preview of SF feature films for 1982 (Dark Crystal, Battletruck, E.T. and Me -- as it's called -- etc.), a computer SF adventure game created by author Michael Berlyn, a call for more support for the space program's exploration of other planets in our star system, Star Wars: A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back are auctioned for television, fans (over-)react to news that Spock will die in the new Star Trek film, some tantalizing news about Disney's upcoming Tron, and more.

Don McGregor interviews Robert Culp about his role in The Greatest American Hero and why he was reluctant to return to television series work after I Spy; Robert Greenberger interviews Connie Selleca, another Greatest American Hero star and the wife of Buck Rogers star Gil Gerard; Bjo Trimble explains "filk-singing" in Fan Scene; Steve Swires interviews Leslie Nielsen about Forbidden Planet and The Creature Wasn't Nice; David Everett, the Fangoria co-editor, writes "3-D: The Second Coming," which explains the different 3-D processes used in films; the centerfold describes three ways to view 3-D photos without using glasses -- something I was never able to accomplish, despite practically memorizing the descriptions and trying for quite some time; there's a page of red-blue 3-D photos; John Rupkalvis writes about the 3-D images of Mars sent back by the Viking lander; James H. Burns provides an episode guide to the first season of editor Howard Zimmerman's new favorite show, The Greatest American Hero; Steve Aubrey writes "Scale Control in Stereo Photography" (how-to information for photographers); four more pages of 3-D photos, including lots of behind-the-scenes Hollywood pix, a couple Starlog office photos, and an original cartoon by Howard Cruse; James H. Burns' conclusion of his two-part interview with producer Juanita Bartlett explores her non-Greatest American Hero work, including Gene Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes and Genesis II; James Van Hise gives us a look at the famous Star Trek blooper reel; David Gerrold uses his Soaring column to talk with Terry Gilliam about Time Bandits; David Hutchison looks at the special effects of Raiders of the Lost Ark (including Toht's melting head, shown in full color); Quest features Jan L. Margut's Star Trek Christmas poem; and Howard Zimmerman gets all moody during an airplane flight in Lastword.

"I am personally going to use this [reader survey] information in launching (TA-DAA!!!) Starlog's first major motion picture for theatrical release. ... Just to make certain that there is no confusion, this upcoming movie is not the Intergalactic Picture Show that was advertised over a year ago. Sad to say, that project died a miseable death in lawyers' offices and will never make it to the screen. So much for harsh and expensive lessons."

--Kerry O'Quinn, publisher, From the Bridge: "Here's What you Want ..."

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

The Starlog Project: Starlog #53, December 1981: Andy Kaufman & Heartbeeps

The biggest change this month is a staffbox change: Cheh Nam Low is no longer art director; his place is taken by Steven J. Plunkett. Trivia time: Cheh N. Low previously art directed Gallery magazine in the mid-1970s; Gallery was a Playboy pretender. After Starlog, Low would go on to eventually head up his own publishing company. Also: Comics World magazine, advertised two issues ago for the charter subscription price of $9.99 a year, is now listed in the subscription ad as costing $11.98, and they're still calling it the "special charter subscription rate."

And the magazine prints its postal statement of ownership and circulation this issue: The paid circulation for the issue closest to the statement's filing deadline is listed as 108,970 (down nearly a third from the previous year), including the number of paid subscriptions of 18,550 (down very slightly from last time).

Starlog #53
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

Heartbeeps was a quirky little film starring Taxi's Andy Kaufman and Bernadette Peters. I've only seen short clips of it, and it was quickly forgotten by pretty much everyone. But I do remember that my best friend in junior high school was excited to buy this issue, because he was a big Peters fan, so he was probably one of the seven people who paid to see the movie. Thus, it was probably not a great cover story choice for a magazine relying heavily on newsstand sales.

The rundown: Kerry O'Quinn turns over his From the Bridge column to a reader, who relates his troubled childhood and how his interest in science fiction saved him; Communications letters include feedback on the Heavy Metal movie, reaction to O'Quinn's "imagine there's no god" editorial, an open letter to George Lucas, and more; short news items in Log Entries include a preview of the cave-man film Quest for Fire, a gallery in New Jersey that showcased SF and fantasy paintings, the Rocky Horror Picture Show sequel Shock Treatment, news that Nicholas Meyer has been selected to direct Star Trek II, a box office report on the summer genre films, and more.

Jeff Szalay examines the special effects of the robot-comedy Heartbeeps (including a sidebar profile of SFX artist Jamie Shourt); in her Fan Scene column, Bjo Trimble writes about Special Friends, a family effort to provide support at the Special Olympics; James Van Hise profiles Gene Winfield and his custom prop design work for Blade Runner and other films; in the first part of James H. Burns' interview with Greatest American Hero co-executive producer Juanita Bartlett, the Hollywood veteran discusses the decision-making behind the quirky series; Jeff Szalay interviews the great Ray Bradbury about The Martian Chronicles TV adaptation and other works; Joseph Veverka explores "The Tenth Planet" in a space science article; Suzanne Weyn interviews fantasy artist Jill Bauman; David Gerrold tackles world hunger in his Soaring column; Steve Swires interviews Patrick MacNee about Avengers and The Creature Wasn't Nice; David Hutchison explores the go-motion techniques used in the new film Dragonslayer; Jeff Pollizzotto's science-fiction models are featured in Quest; and Howard Zimmerman's Lastword column talks up some more recent books.

"But is there a real tenth planet out beyond the orbit of Pluto? Peculiarities in the motion of Uranus led to the successful search for Neptune, and, in turn, peculiarities in the motion of Neptune motivated the search for Pluto. But it now turns out that Pluto is much too tiny to affect the motion of any of its neighbors in any significant way. So if there really are peculiarities in the motions of Neptune and Uranus, and the presence of Pluto can't explain them, are there perhaps planets beyond?"

--Dr. Joseph Veverka, scientist and writer, "The Tenth Planet"

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

The Starlog Project: Starlog #52, November 1981: Blade Runner Comes into Focus

In merchandising news this month, on page 65 of this issue, you can order your very own Starlog baseball cap (or separately you can order the Starlog iron-on patch). That's right, no new magazines, no new books or film ventures. A cap; a nice but not ground-shaking new development. Much like this issue itself: good SF movie/TV/art coverage, but it isn't going to knock your socks off. Still, because Blade Runner takes center stage for the first time, I've always considered this issue to be a special one nonetheless. And I never did get to order a Starlog cap.

Starlog #52
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

The cover features the long-anticipated Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner, adapted from Philip K. Dick's story Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. It's great to see it get such prominent placement, but it's a shame that -- for a movie that featured such astounding visuals -- the cover photo is rather grainy and out of focus.

Now, the rundown: Kerry O'Quinn revisits some recent science-fiction conventions in his From the Bridge column; in the Communications pages, letters include comments on militarized space, David Gerrold's column about drug abuse, Escape from New York, and more -- most noteworthy is Harlan Ellison's letter taking to task Sean Connery for his treatment (in issue #50) of a film journalist who dared to question the quality of Outland; in Log Entries, short news items include a sneak peek at Swamp Thing, a report on the making of the Hubble Space Telescope, a preview of National Public Radio's fall lineup, a peek at the sitcom Mr. Merlin (whose young co-star Zach -- Clark Brandon -- looks a heck of a lot like the star of The Powers of Matthew Star, Peter Barton), veteran writer Sam Peeples is rewriting the script for the Star Trek sequel, Isaac Asimov announces a sequel to his Foundation series and Arthur C. Clarke announces a sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, and more.

James Van Hise takes us behind the scenes and on the set of Blade Runner; David Gerrold's Soaring column explains some of his philosophical ideas behind story structure; Alan Spencer interviews Heartbeeps director Allan Arkush; Susan Adamo reports on the release of Distant Stars, an illustrated collection of stories by Samuel R. Delany; Samuel J. Maronie interviews Peter Barton, the hero of The Powers of Matthew Star; James H. Burns interviews Julian Glover (from The Empire Strikes Back, For Your Eyes Only, and Space: 1999); Mark Mutchnik visits New York's Museum of The Surreal & Fantastique (and the article is illustrated with a couple big H.R. Giger paintings); in part two of Steve Swires' interview with William Shatner ("I Am Kirk"), the actor swipes at Harlan Ellison for the latter's critical review of Star Trek -- The Motion Picture: "We don't seem to be that far apart. I don't quite agree with his adjectives, though. They're a little strong, but then so is Harlan Ellison -- he's little and he's strong"; Swires also previews the comedy The Creature Wasn't Nice; Helen Sargeant pens a short story about weird goings-on at the Starlog offices in the Quest pages, which also includes some Barry Jones model-making and comic strips by Ken and Paul Montgomery; David Hutchison's SFX section looks at the work of special effects animator Peter Kuran (Dragonslayer, The Empire Strikes Back, Galaxina); and Howard Zimmerman ends the issue with a look at the changing face of science-fiction television.

"Returning to the tube is ABC's Greatest American Hero, now joined by CBS' Mr. Merlin (a comedy) and The Powers of Matthew Star on NBC. ... [T]hese three shows point to another trend in the making. Ralph, Matthew and Merlin all have powers that are activiated by thought -- the powers of the mind. It seems as though TV is forecasting an end to the investigation of outer space in favor of exploring inner space. If these three shows prove successful, we may see shows featuring psychic cops, telekinetic gurus and the Jean Dixon Predicts hour."

--Howard Zimmerman, editor, Lastword

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

Does This Remind Anyone Else of Obama Dealing with the GOP?

Clip from the early 1980's science-fiction comedy The Creature Wasn't Nice. "It's playing, having fun ..."

The Starlog Project: Starlog #51, October 1981: They're Still Calling It "Revenge" of the Jedi

Sooner or later, George Lucas changes his mind and decides that Jedi don't go in for lowly things like revenge, so he changes the final Star Wars film title to Return of the Jedi, but as of this issue (in 1981, that is), it's still Revenge of the Jedi. On the Starlog company front, this issue also features the first mention of an exciting new publication (one of my favorites) from the company, Comics Scene (advertised on page 17 for just $9.99 for six bimonthly issues -- buy now!).

Starlog #51
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

A cool issue. It's not often that a screenwriter gets a cover story in Starlog, or any magazine, for that matter. But Lawrence Kasdan in 1981 was the hottest screenwriter in Hollywood, having penned the screenplays for Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Empire Strikes Back -- both smash hits -- and directing Body Heat. So, even though this issue featured such giant names as Gene Roddenberry, William Shatner, and Ray Harryhausen, it's the nerdy writer who gets his mug on the cover. Now that's the revenge of the nerds.

Kerry O'Quinn uses his From the Bridge column to solicit reader input on what kinds of science fiction films they like; Communications letters give feedback on Superman II, responses to Alan Brennert's behind-the-scenes article about his work on Buck Rogers, criticism of Arthur C. Clarke's pro-evolution comments in his fifth anniversary letter, and more; Log Entries includes short news items on a museum exhibit devoted to the work of Walt Disney, a different exhibit showcasing the work of space artist Bob McCall, an announcement of the upcoming launch of Comics World (soon to be renamed Comics Scene, but we probably can't blame that on the Fantastic Films folks, a la Fantastica/Fangoria), NASA news, Ross Martin's obituary, Caroline Munro's 'Last Horror Film,' and more.

The feature stories are kicked off with part one of Steve Swire's interview with William Shatner, "The Once and Future Kirk"; Howard T. Brody gives an update on an upcoming Batman movie (that would have involved Adam West); David Gerrold renames his column again, this time changing from Rumblings to Soaring, and he talks about other, more personal transformations; Don McGregor got the plum job of interviewing the great Ray Harryhausen, who talks about his career and Clash of the Titans; Bjo Trimble's Fan Scene talks up "The Ultimate Fanzine"; Susan Adamo interviews Alan Bean, a former astronaut who paints spacescapes; Jeff Szalay interviews Gene Roddenberry, who's in a bit of a purgatory after the middlin' response to Star Trek -- The Motion Picture, and is being kept at arms length by the producers of Star Trek II (the article includes a sidebar by Szalay in which he recalls getting the Enterprise model ready for display in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.); in another very rare foray into publishing fiction, Philip K. Dick's "Return Match" is reprinted, with illustrations by Walter Velez; Sam Maronie interviews Jerry Goldsmith, who wrote the film scores to such films as Alien, Star Trek -- The Motion Picture, and Planet of the Apes; James H. Burns interviews Raiders and Empire scripter Lawrence Kasdan; Quest publishes some extra-terrestrial art by John D. Sanders; and Howard Zimmerman gives mini reviews of Superman II, The Great Muppet Caper, and Escape from New York (not so hot on Supe, liked the other two) in his Lastword column.

"[Lawrence] Kasdan is working from a 'very rough first draft' script that George Lucas wrote. His screenplay is also being influenced by a week-long meeting he had with Lucas and Jedi's director, Richard Marquand (Eye of the Needle, Legacy) in San Francisco. 'Revenge of the Jedi's basic thrust is to wrap up the trilogy's story,' explains Kasdan. 'You can assume that Jedi's structure will be like that of Star Wars and Empire: cutting back and forth.'"

--James H. Burns, writer, "Lawrence Kasdan: Part 2: From Scripting The Empire Strikes Back to Writing and Directing Body Heat"

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

My Prediction for the Shortest-Living Magazine Today

In the backward former Soviet state of Belarus, some gay activists have just launched a gay magazine called, Gay: Good as You.

Now, Belarus isn't the Czech Republic or Eastern Germany. It's not even Russia or Poland. And the country has prevented the magazine from being registered, which means it can't print more than a couple hundred copies. (So you have to download a digital version here.)

Though the cover makes it look like the magazine's a skin publication, most of the pages are filled with text. I don't read Russian or whatever the language is, but I can tell text from photos, and text predominates.

You might as well download a copy now and read it, if you read Russian (or whatever it is). Because there's a high probability this publication won't last very long.

Wish them well.

The Starlog Project: Starlog #50, September 1981: It's Boba Fett Time

Putting Boba Fett on the cover of the magazine was probably a genius move. I wasn't aware until this issue came along that Fett -- who was, after all, a secondary character in The Empire Strikes Back -- had a fan base. But I bet his fan base grew even bigger because of this issue of Starlog. I don't know individual sales figures for issues of Starlog, but I'd be surprised if this issue didn't sell well, both on the newsstand and in back issue sales for years to come. In ancillary Starlog news this month, volume two of The Best of Starlog is released. But, hey, if you've been reading my Starlog Project all this time, then you already know everything that's reprinted in that special edition. In the staffbox, we see that Starlog has finally hired a circulation director, Richard Browne.

Starlog #50
68 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.50

My "Year of Empire" slogan was supposed to have ended an issue or two ago, but this issue of Starlog wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the Star Wars sequel. We get interviews with the movie's screenwriter, creator/producer, and one of its breakout actors.

The rundown: Kerry O'Quinn uses his From the Bridge column to give feedback on two very different movies: a re-release of Fantasia (positive) and Ralph Bakshi's new American Pop (negative); letters in the Communications pages praise Harrison Ford, rate Outland and Raiders of the Lost Ark, cast more light on actor Wilfred Hyde-White (from letter-writer and producer Richard Gordon -- by the way, brother to Fangoria columnist Alex Gordon), congratulate columnist David Gerrold, and more; Log Entries short news items include a sneak peek at the Andy Kaufman- and Bernadette Peters-starring Heartbeeps, first word on Looker, preview of The Powers of David Star (soon to be renamed The Powers of Matthew Star), report on the Superman II premiere, news of An American Werewolf in London, the Starlog staff visits the new Manhattan SF bookstore Forbidden Planet, and more.

Alan Brender pens the cover story, an interview with Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch, who describes the before/during/after of appearing in The Empire Strikes Back; David Gerrold's Rumblings column has a debate with his own mind about the ways some people make use of their membership in the world of science-fiction fandom; Robert Greenberger describes "The Heavy Metal Story, or The Trials & Tribulations of Bringing Printed Fantasies to Life on Screen" (including a sidebar discussing the music in the film); in her Fan Scene column, Bjo Trimble gives tips for appearing in a science-fiction convention's masquerade contest; James H. Burns interviews Lawrence Kasden about his two recent screenplays, for The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark, in part one of a two-part interview; David Hirsch's In Syndication column recounts Hirsch's involvement in ITC Entertainment's Super Space Theatre packaging of telefilms; David Hutchison interviews Steven Spielberg about making Raiders of the Lost Ark; Andrew Mayfair covers a Sean Connery press conference where the actor talks about his work in Outland (and incurs the criticism of Harlan Ellison, as we'll see in a couple issues); David Hirsch recounts the Six Doctors Who; the final chapter of Kerry O'Quinn's interview trilogy with George Lucas is entitled, "The Revenge of the Box Office"; Robert Greenberger interviews actor Ray Walston, who discusses Mind Warp, Popeye, My Favorite Martian, and The Incredible Hulk; part three of Starlog's Fifth Anniversary Contest requires contestants to write a movie scene that could be used for a computer game; and Howard Zimmerman wraps it all up with a Lastword column roundup of recent movies (he liked Outland and Raiders of the Lost Ark).

"Question: Did you have trouble with the banality of the dialogue?

Sean Connery: No, I don't think it was that banal. But ... how banal?

Q: It seemed that every line was a cliche.

SC: But -- if you really think that, then ... how much do you get paid?

Q: A lot.

SC: No, how much?

Q: I don't think that's a fair question in front of my colleagues.

SC: All right, I see. If you think that's banal, then you obviously presume you can write better so why don't you write the screenplays and you can make a fortune.

Q: Yes, that's right.

SC: Have you tried to write one?

Q: Yes.

SC: Have you sold any?

Q: There's one that someone is interested in.

SC: One? Well, I hope they don't think it's too banal, otherwise you might be in trouble."
--Journalist and Sean Connery question-and-answer during press conference, by Andrew Mayfair: "Sean Connery Meets the Press"

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