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.

Senate Passes Finance Regulation Bill

I know you don't come to this blog to get political news, so feel free to ignore this if you're not interested in the global economy. But I think the Senate did a very exciting thing today by passing sweeping financial regulation legislation. It still has to be reconciled with a House version of the bill, but in a few weeks, we could be having significant adult supervision once again of our financial transactions.

On this blog, I have occasionally dipped my toes into such areas, and I've been contemplating whether the world was waiting with baited breath for my comments on the European efforts to re-regulate financial instruments. (In brief: I think Germany has the right idea, though I'm not sure why they did the shock announcement on a ban on "naked short selling" -- which might sound weird, but when you hear the full explanation of what it is, you realize it's even weirder and you can't figure out why the hell it's legal in most places.)

So, I was taken aback this evening when I checked the news online and there was a big report about the Senate bill passage. I didn't know they would do it so quickly. But I'm very happy they did.

I'm no socialist. I'm certainly not anti-business. I have spent most of my professional life as a journalist covering commercial real estate finance markets, so I knew all about credit default swaps before you ever learned that they had caused your retirement savings to dwindle to nothing. But my view of successful market capitalism is much like German Chancellor Angela Merkel's and her finance minister, Wolfgang Schäuble's: The best option we have for making people's lives better, but it needs to be run transparently and orderly.

The Dow Jones has dropped hundreds of points the past couple days in response to the German actions (and, supposedly, if you read the financial press, because the markets are worried about "Greek contagion," but the same financial press a couple months ago was saying that the markets had already priced in the possibility of a Greek default on its debts, so who the heck is running the markets? Thirteen-year-old girls?). I wonder what they'll do tomorrow, Friday, in response to the U.S. Senate's actions. Granted, they have a better chance of buying off U.S. legislators than they do German Bundestag members. But they've got to understand that the foundation that's being laid is not anti-business, and once they understand the rules, they'll be better off -- as will be their customers.

Congratulations, Senators.

Star Gobbles up a Planet, Hubble Finds

Source: Hubblesite.org
If you think you're having a bad day, it's nothing like the bad 10 million years this orbiting guy's having.

I'll let NASA explain: "This is an artist's concept of the exoplanet WASP-12b. The planet is only 2 million miles from its sunlike parent star — a fraction of Earth's distance from the Sun. Gravitational tidal forces from the star stretch the planet into an egg shape. The planet is so hot that it has puffed up to the point where its outer atmosphere spills onto the star. An accretion bridge streams toward the star and material is smeared into a swirling disk. The planet may be completely devoured by the star in 10 million years. The planet is too far away for the Hubble Space Telescope to photograph, but this interpretation is based in part on analysis of Hubble spectroscopic and photometric data."

In related news, KFC has announced plans to begin serving exoplanets to its customers on earth.

Image credit: NASA, ESA, and G. Bacon (STScI); science credit: NASA, ESA, and C. Haswell (The Open University, UK).

The Starlog Project: Starlog #100, November 1985: The Importance of Being 100

Just think of all of the science-fiction media magazines that never published 100 issues: Fantastic Films (didn't even get halfway there), Questar, SF Movieland, Star Blasters, Science Fiction Illustrated, Sci Fi TV, Sci Fi Teen, The Monster Times, and more. How many can you name? The point is that it's difficult to keep a magazine afloat for a decade or more, so Starlog's 100th issue was quite an achievement.

Three big players in genre entertainment bought ads in this issue congratulating the magazine for its milestone issue: Lucasfilm, Warner Bros., and Amblin Entertainment.

Why am I listing all these things? Because this is a biggie list issue. The theme is "The 100 Most Important People in Science Fiction," who are featured in short writeups in a loooong article that sprawls throughout much of the issue. I won't reprint the list of names here, because, well, I'm too lazy. But suffice to say it includes many of the people you would expect to be on such a list of genre notables (Isaac Asimov, Frank Frazetta, Harlan Ellison, George Lucas, etc.), as well as some less well-known choices that might have surprised some readers (Olaf Stapledon, A. Merritt). This list would continue in the magazine's 200th and 300th issues, so pretty much anyone you though should have been on this 100 list gets onto the list sooner or later. I think my cat is number 293.

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

In Starlog spinoff news, the sixth edition of The Best of Starlog is out, including new and previously published articles.

But back to issue #100. This special 100-page magazine includes extra color pages, as well as interviews with some of the biggest names in the field. And as much as it is a celebration, the magazine does not shy away from controversy, especially with publisher Kerry O'Quinn's interview with Gene Roddenberry, which includes quite a bit of religious criticism. They do something else that's not controversial but is rather cool: The issue includes separate short articles by each of McDonnell's predecessors as editor, David Houston (who gives some interesting background on the magazine's early years) and Howard Zimmerman.

The rundown: For the first time ever, co-publisher Norman Jacobs pens an editorial. The From the Bridge column is broken into two parts, with O'Quinn writing part and then Jacobs writing part. Jacobs tells us what most of us suspected; he's the business person running the Starlog empire (somebody's got to negotiate with printers and distributors). Meanwhile, O'Quinn talks about the magazine's growth and shares a barrage of quotes from readers (including one that, I think, was mine: "If there is any magazine on the market that constantly offers inspiration and positive values, it is Starlog" -- which is attributed to "John" in "Wisconsin," both of which I was, and it sounds very much like something I'd have written back then; I know, I know – that, and a dollar, will get me a cup of coffee). There is no letters page this issue, and Future Life, Fan Network, and Videolog also take the month off. But Log Entries is here! So short news items include Chris Henderson on a number of new genre books from Charles Shffield, Richard A. Lupoff, and others, and David McDonnell's roundup of news bits includes word on a Heavy Metal movie sequel (to be called -- but never made -- Heavy Metal's Burning Chrome), a sequel to The Ewok Adventure, and much more.

In the Other Voices guest column, Starlog's founding editor, David Houston, relates the tale of Starlog's inspiration and creation (including this insight, from an explanation of when Houston joined the company: "Kerry and Norman ... enjoy, and succeed at, the process of publishing: define a market, discover how to answer a need, locate effective suppliers, find and hire the right personnel, keep costs low, give it a best effort; and it doesn't make much difference what the subject matter might be. Evidently. They've come out with everything from astrology to wrestling."); "The 100 Most Important People in Science Fiction/Fantasy" kicks off with John W. Campbell Jr., and ends many, many pages later with Willis H. O'Brien; Kerry O'Quinn interviews Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry about life, the universe, and everything -- but mostly about religion; Mike Clark interviews Lost in Space creator Irwin Allen; Steve Swires interviews stop-motion effects magician Ray Harryhausen; Lee Goldberg interviews George Lucas; it's time-travel time: back in issue #92, Steve Swires interviewed John Carpenter in the first part of a two-part profile, and this issue -- eight months later -- part two of that interview is published; Swires also interviews Leonard Nimoy about Star Trek IV; Lee Goldberg interviews writer Harlan Ellison (who gets even more biting in part two of this interview, published next issue); Robert Greenberger interviews actress Nichelle Nichols; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier profile writer Richard Matheson; Steve Swires finishes his two-part interview with Peter Cushing (the first part ran in #96); Howard Zimmerman writes a guest Lastword column, in which he looks at the ways science fiction media have evolved in the past decade; and David McDonnell's Liner Notes column gives some background on this anniversary issue.

"I always liked the bizarre. I suppose that was part of my Germanic background. Fantasy films always attracted me. I can remember my parents taking me to see The Lost World and Metropolis when I was very young. My love for science fiction and fantasy led me to join the Science Fiction League in Los Angeles, where I first met Ray Bradbury and Forrest J. Ackerman. We all had similar interests. We dreamt about space platforms, and going to the Moon and Mars. That was in the 1930s, so most 'normal' people thought we were off our rockers."

–Ray Harryhausen, filmmaker, interviewed by Steve Swires: "Ray Harryhausen: The Man Who Can Work Miracles"

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 Chris Alexander Era at Fangoria

The editor is gone, long live the editor.

It's not got quite the ring of the king's death, but you get the point. When an editor leaves a publication, especially if that editor has been there a long time, it's a momentous event. It can be an exciting time for readers, as they wonder what will change. Will their favorite parts of the publication be ruined? Will their most disliked parts of the magazine be remedied? Will the changes be refreshing?

Some magazines barely change when there's an editor. For you old-timers, do you really remember a change in Omni or Future Life when their editors switched? Of course not. And until recently, Playboy's editors (called editorial directors, because Hugh Hefner really calls the editorial shots) were somewhat commoditized. But for many periodicals, a new editor is an opportunity to take a fresh look at things. Sometimes that means things that were hallowed for good reasons are given short shrift; other times things that were ignored or given short shrift finally get their due. That's just life.

Earlier this winter, Tony Timpone gave up the reigns of Fangoria magazine, the horror film bible. Timpone joined the Starlog Group (then known as O'Quinn Studios) family as a contributor, first as a freelancer, then as a junior staffer. When first Bob Martin and then David Everitt left their Fangorian editor's desks in the mid-1980s, Starlog editor David McDonnell temporarily took over editing Fangoria while a young Timpone was brought up to speed. (Or so goes the lore.) Timpone then assumed command, after a bit more than a year of McDonnell's leadership, and remained there for about a quarter century.

In this past decade, Fangoria ran into a rough patch, not unlike that faced by many periodicals publishers. At its height, Starlog Group published dozens of magazines a year. As of 2000, it was publishing about a dozen (let's see if I can remember them all: Starlog, Fangoria, Comics Scene 2000, Teen Girl Power, Black Elegance, Belle, Wrestling All-Stars, TV Wrestlers, Wrestling Scene, Fight Game, Sci-Fi Teen, Sci-Fi TV, and probably some more (there were a number of wrestling titles I don't remember nor do I care to). Then the financial rug was pulled out from under the company, and it was sold to Creative Group, with only Starlog and Fangoria ultimately surviving. A few years later, Creative Group itself went belly-up, and the two magazines were bought by former Creative Group executive Tom DeFeo. And there you are, up to the present.

I started this blog post by noting that sometimes a change of editors doesn't make much difference, but that does not seem to be the case here. Alexander has been putting his stamp on the publication, and he promises to keep changing as he goes. His initial moves appear to be focused on moving away from a frantic coverage of every possible major film of the day (though Fango still covers them), and more toward a wide-ranging coverage of the horror – for lack of a better word – lifestyle. Music. Classics. Monsters. Exploitation films. Games. We can probably expect that mix to change over time, as Alexander gets his editor's feet underneath him and as the horror film and TV worlds evolve. But for now, it's a nice change, especially if it results in one less article about some tortured-teens movie.

Like most readers, I like some and don't like some of what he's doing. (I would, for example, dearly love to see the magazine redesigned; it's about 15 years behind schedule for a visual revamp.) But I am pleased to see he's confident enough to make changes, so that makes me, as a reader, confident enough to sit back and see what he continues to do with his new baby.

We're also seeing a lot of Alexander in the current issue (number 294); his byline (solely or shared) is on about seven feature articles (depending on how you define some of the articles), not counting departments. That's a lot of Alexander in one magazine, but it's not unprecedented. As former editor Robert "Uncle Bob" Martin has written elsewhere, he and his co-editor David Everitt were writing practically the entire magazine back in the early 1980s. Sooner or later, Alexander might crack, and police will find him on the top of a high-rise with a dangerous weapon. But for now, this über-hands-on approach will also help him really establish his mark on the magazine.

Fango itself will continue to change, of course. Fangoria #294 is the first one I can think of that includes an ad (a one-third pager) for adult videos; even Playboy doesn't advertise X-rated products, so Fangoria's powers that be have obviously chosen to go in a direction never before visited by this magazine, as far as I know. But when times are tough, as they are in almost every business these days, it's hard to say no to almost any ad.

I'm sure some readers, who grew up with Timpone's Fangoria, will be sad to see him go. Others are probably eager for a change. I have no horse in this race. I only tangentially met Timpone; I was being given a tour of the Starlog Group offices in 1999 by a former publisher, when he engaged Timpone in an animated discussion about David Cronenberg's latest film. (Always being more a Starlogger than a Fangorian, I was more excited about seeing all the cool space art paintings on the wall and seeing Starlog editor David McDonnell's office. Sorry, Fango Faithful.) And I have never met Chris Alexander. (I mean, we're best buds on Facebook, but by that measure, I'm pals with Barack Obama, too. Me and 8 million other people.)

However, I am currently a magazine editor and have served in various editorial positions at publications for more than two decades. So I kind of instinctively sympathize with -- and envy -- anyone who gets the chance to sit in the editor's chair of a publication. Especially if that publication focuses on horror, fantasy, or science fiction. How much more fun can life be? My web site sports the following quote from German politician (and future post-war chancellor) Konrad Adenauer in 1917: "There is nothing better that life can offer than to allow a person to expend himself fully with all the strength of his mind and soul and to devote his entire being to creative activity."

If you love and enjoy genre entertainment, what better thing in life is there than editing a leading magazine that covers these topics?

The Starlog Project: Starlog #99, October 1985: Party Like It's #99

Star Wars is back on the cover of Starlog this issue, for about the 98th time out of 99 issues. Okay, that's an exaggeration, obviously; I'm sure Star Trek was on the cover 104 times out of the first 99 issues. So there must be some parallel universe double-counting going on. (About that latter franchise: Just wait a couple years until Next Generation starts, and we'll see Trek-galore  – did I just coin a phrase? trakalore? trekglore?) This time, the occasion is a new interview with Anthony Daniels, the ever-present C-3PO from all six Wars films.

Starlog #99
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

The big news is not that big this issue. It's that this is the last double-digit magazine in the Starlog series. Yep, with next issue, the mag hits ol' number 100. And they've started celebrating early, plugging that special issue with two small ads within #99, in addition to the next-month box on the last page. "Watch for the Solid Gold cover!" we're told in the ads. Okay, we will. Oh, and by the way, the subscription ad informs us that sister magazine Fangoria is now published nine times annually, up from eight.

The rundown: Kerry O'Quinn's From the Bridge column recounts what he learned from his vacation in the U.K. and France; Communications letters include feedback on A View to a Kill and Lifeforce, praise for recent interviewees Peter Cushing, James Doohan, Rutger Hauer, and Jonathan Harris, and more; Log Entries short news items include Chris Henderson's brief chat with writer Damon Knight, David McDonnell's Medialog roundup, Henderson's Booklog roundup, and more.

Adam Pirani profiles actor Ian Holm about Brazil and Alien; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Terry Hayes, Mad Max writer and producer; the Fan Network pages include fan club and convention listings, Daniel Dickholtz (his first appearance in Starlog, I believe) on a New York convention appearance by Leonard Nimoy, and a "Fan Notebook" of short bits; Brian Lowry interviews actor Anthony Daniels; David Hutchison's Videolog column debuts with a look at efforts to restore classics, such as Metropolis, and there's a sidebar by Lee Goldberg noting some science-fiction TV series that did not sell (such as Generation: "The father is an inventor, his brother is a 'sports gladiator,' his wife is the host of a futuristic TV talkshow, his parents are worried about the continuation of human values and his kids are attractive."); William Rabkin profiles Amazing Stories' Mick Garris (who once was a contributing writer to Starlog, among other publications); Lee Goldberg previews the revival of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV series; Edward Gross interviews Don Jakoby, writer of Lifeforce and Blue Thunder (about which he explains his dissatisfaction); Goldberg (again) previews The Twilight Zone TV revival; Brian Lowry interviews screenwriter Eric Luke (Explorers); Goldberg was a very busy man this month – he also profiles director Bob Zemeckis about Back to the Future; Bruce Gordon and David Mumford continue their look at Disney's Tomorrowland, in the Future Life section; Adam Pirani interviews Bond impressario Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli; Will Murray visits the set of Remo: The First Adventure; David Gerrold's column asks "Is There a Household Robot in Your Future?"; and editor David McDonnell uses his Liner Notes page to share some nice thoughts about various folks, including a touching note about Albert Broccoli.

"Someone at NBC thought it would be dynamite to revive the series [Alfred Hitchcock Presents], considering the renewed interest in Hitch as a filmmaker. I was extremely nervous about remaking the work of a man now dead."

–Christopher Crowe, producer, interviewed by Lee Goldberg: "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"

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 #98, September 1985: The Perils of Science at Home

In 1985, there were a lot of genre films somewhat related to a theme: My Science Project, Weird Science, Explorers, and Real Genius. Young people get caught up with science gone awry, things blow up, things (more or less) end happily. What was it about the mid-80s that made this a theme, instead of space opera or adventure?

Starlog #98
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: $2.95

In the minor-design-items-of-note this issue: The contents page has featured multiple photos for a couple years, but none of the photos were full-color. (They tended to be tinted different colors; a cost-saving measure, I assume.) This issue, the contents page pictures are all in full color. In Starlog staffing news, Eddie Berganza, who had been an editorial assistant, is now listed in the staffbox as the assistant editor of the magazine. Oh, and the fourth edition of the Starlog Poster Magazine is out, so clear some wall space in your room.

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn comments on an SF fan with physical ailments who withdrew from the world; Communications letters include a reader accusing Starlog of not helping women and minorities in the genre (the editors' response is even longer than the reader's letter), multiple comments on the film Ladyhawke, praise for Kim Howard Johnson's Monty Python articles, appreciation for the new Future Life section, and more; Log Entries this issue is a mere two and one-thirds pages, but it still includes a big Medialog report by David McDonnell with updates on all kinds of genre media, Bob Schreiber on new Mars Attacks trading cards, and David Hutchison with a roundup of video news (including the promise that next issue Videolog would spin off into its own column).

Robert Greenberger interviews actress Jennifer Beals, but not about being a "flashdancing maniac," rather for co-starring with Sting in The Bride; writer Norman Spinrad explores "Jack Barron vs. The Black Tower" (about plans to adapt his Bug Jack Baron for the screen) in the Other Voices guest column; Brian Lowry visits the set of My Science Project; the Fan Network pages include info on an animation gathering, an announcement of the new edition of the Fandom Directory, and Eddie Berganza on Harrison Ford's performance at Cannes; Lee Goldberg profiles Mr. Teen Wolf/Marty McFly himself, Michael J. Fox; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Starlog favorite Joe Dante, director of Explorers and Gremlins; Patrick Daniel O'Neill talks with director Martha Coolidge of Real Genius; Anthony Timpone provides a brief interview with Anthony Michael Hall of Weird Science; Dennis Fischer profiles actor Ernie Hudson about Ghostbusters and Spacehunter; Adam Pirani interviews actress Tanya Roberts (Sheena, A View to a Kill); Ian Spelling interviews Cocoon star Tahnee Welch (this is the first article by Spelling, who would become one of the magazine's most prolific contributors over the next couple decades); Kim Howard Johnson interviews Welch's costar Steve Guttenberg; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview two of the young stars of The Goonies, Jeff. B. Cohen and Corey Feldman; the Lofficiers also interview Australian director George Miller, he of Mad Max fame; Brian Lowry visits the set of Warning Sign; in the Future Life section, Bruce Gordon and David Mumford explore Disneyland's Tomorrowland; and David McDonnell wraps it up in his Liner Notes, in which he echoes my comments about the interesting number of teens-in-Sf/fantasy storylines at this time (honest, I didn't peek at his editorial before I started writing this thing).

"I want to be a comedian/actor all my life. But, I know it's not a real stable business. One day, you're hot, one day, you're not. So, I think what I would do is go to college and get a degree in brain surgery, because I have really good manual dexterity. No, no, I was thinking of being something like a brain surgeon, but that's too gross for me, so I'll probably be a dentist instead. But I do have really good manual dexterity."

–Jeff B. Cohen, actor, interviewed by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier: "Gooning Around with Jeff. B. Cohen and Corey Feldman"

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

Put Carol Burnett on SNL

Yes, a campaign worth supporting. I've signed up for the Facebook page supporting her. For those of you who didn't grow up watching The Carol Burnett Show every Saturday night, first of all, poor you. But second, here's a taste of what you missed:

"Went With the Wind" from The Carol Burnett Show (Part of 2) - watch more funny videos

The Starlog Project: Starlog #97, August 1985: The New Regime

The David McDonnell Era begins at Starlog, as he takes the captain's chair following the departure of long-time editor Howard Zimmerman. Carr D'Angelo assumes McDonnell's old post as managing editor. The magazine hires a new senior staffer, too: Robert M. Sacks is the new production director.

Starlog also releases its newest special publication: Science Fiction Trivia, a digest-sized one-shot magazine stuffed with more than 1,300 questions from the magazine's staff. In the not-too-distant future, Starlog would team up with a book publisher to release an expanded edition of the trivia book in paperback format.

Starlog #97
76 pages (including covers)
Cover price: #2.95

A little design note: The Starlog logo on the cover is given a 3-D look, which it would largely retain in one form or another for the rest of its life. Also, the Next Month box no longer takes up half of the final page; it is now reduced to a small box on the bottom of that page, which now features an expanded editor's column.

The rundown: In his From the Bridge column, publisher Kerry O'Quinn writes a belated farewell note to Howard Zimmerman; Communications letters include lots of 2010 feedback, fanciful ideas of the next Star Trek film, and more; short news items in Log Entries include David McDonnell on upcoming science-fiction television shows, Carr D'Angelo on a Star Trek comic book written by Walter Koenig, McDonnell with a roundup of genre news, and more.

Adam Pirani interviews Christopher Walker, who discusses his roles in The Dead Zone, Brainstorm, and A View to a Kill; Kim Howard Johnson interviews Ron Howard, director of Splash and Cocoon; the Fan Network section includes a Ghostbusters fan club, a contest to win a canister of The Stuff from the movie The Stuff, reader queries (such as "I ... would like to know what a person has to do to become an animator with Don Bluth Studios"), and more; Brian Lowry interviews actor Paul Smith, who discusses his roles in Dune and Red Sonja; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier interview Mad Max himself, Mel Gibson; the Lofficiers also profile young actor Barret Oliver (The Neverending Story, D.A.R.Y.L., Cocoon); Disney historian David R. Smith celebrates the 30th anniversary of Disneyland (this is the article to get if you want to see a photo of Ronald Reagan co-hosting the live broadcast of the opening day ceremonies); there's a two-page photo preview of Fright Night; Lee Goldberg continues his interview with Goonies director Richard Donner; Goldberg also previews the new Robert Zemeckis film Back to the Future and discusses all of the changes in the story and casting from the initial plans; Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficer interview the young stars of Explorers: Ethan Hawke, River Phoenix, Jason Presson, and Amanda Peterson; Marc Weinberg talks with Steve Railsback, who plays a vampire killer in Lifeforce; in the Future Life section, Scott Zachek interviews America's first female astronaut, Sally Ride, and Mark Shannon contributes a short item on the X-29 super-jet; Brian Lowry explores the animation in Disney's The Black Cauldron; Patrick Daniel O'Neill interviews actor Scott Glenn (The Right Stuff, Silverado); David Gerrold says goodbye to his friend, the late legend Ted Sturgeon; and David McDonnell wraps it all up in his first Liner Notes column, in which he introduces himself and gives background on some of the interviews in this issue.

"I really wanted to be a rock star because I play guitar and I sing with my sister. But, as it went along, I started getting into commercials and acting. I got a part in Seven Brides just by auditioning and I liked it a lot. I really like acting because you can create a character. You can make someone who has never existed before. That's neat."

–River Phoenix, actor, interviewed by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier: "Joe Dante's Explorers"

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 Final Flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis

Photo above courtesy NASA/Kenny Allen. Photo below: NASA.

I was only in my early teens when the space shuttles first began to fly in 1980, but I remember that it was a matter of considerable accomplishment. NASA had lost some vigor and popularity in the lean years following the abandonment of our moon program. But the shuttle was an indication that the United States (and mankind) still had the appetite for space adventure, and it was also a step ahead: It was the first reusable spaceship.

The shuttle fleet never lived up to its early promise, alas. We never approached the number of flights each year that were bandied about. Critics have complained that there was a leaner and lighter approach that should have been used to take people into space. And I don't recall vacationing on the moon, do you? Also, of course, there's no real space station on the other end.

Oh, there's a space station, all right. And in its final voyage this week, the shuttle Atlantis docked at the International Space Station. But it's not a space station that any of us who have been hoping for space settlement for decades would admit to. We're not there, and the thing's only inhabited whenever a country has the bucks to spare to shoot some astronauts (or cosmonauts) at the orbiting tin can.

This week we're seeing the final flight of the Atlantis. (Geeky moment aside: Today I listened to the audiobook recording of the SyFy-era Battlestar Galactica, which begins with the old Galactica battlestar about to be decommissioned -- which was delayed by a little thing like the destruction of the colonies. You do not know me at all if you don't think I'm at least entertaining the idea in the back of my head of being forced to live in an about-to-be-decommissioned space shuttle after Earth is destroyed by Cylons.) (Yes, I know that doesn't make this blog post any more respectable, but what can you do?)

This is the final flight of the Atlantis, and the other two shuttles have their final flights coming up. This is an end of an era. Private enterprise can, and should, take over, no doubt. But it is worth noting that the American government won't be in the lead.

The future in space looks increasingly like it'll be written in Chinese. Nothing against the Chinese (well, except for their awful authoritarian government), but I'd rather fly on Virgin Galactic. At least I know it'll be ready and working when the Cylons attack.