Excalibur (Star Trek: TOS zine published in the 1970s and 80s)

See also Excalibur (disambiguation).

Zine
Title:	Excalibur
Publisher:	Star Trek Mail Association Press
Editor(s):	Shirley Lambard
Date(s):	1978-1984
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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Excalibur is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology with ten issues. It contains fiction, art and poetry, and was published in Essex, England.

The first two issues are titled "USS Excalibur."

Issue 1

Excalibur 1 was published in 1978 and contains 64 pages.

front cover of issue #1

• Damn Indians by Shirley Lambard (7 pages) (McCoy, Scotty, Sulu and young Yeoman Paula Yelrish accompany Captain Kirk on a landing party to form a treaty betueen the natives of the planet and the Federation. They are met by a hostile group and in the battle Kirk is wounded. The story tells of McCoy's efforts, aided by his friends, to care for Kirk until the Enterprise can come to their rescue.)
• McCoy by Jackie A. Clarke (11 pages) (McCoy joins the Enterprise and finds his young Captain puzzling and annoying: 'A young upstart'. Time and shared experiences lead to the cementing of their friendship.)
• other unknown content

Issue 2

Excalibur 2 was published in 1978 and contains about 80 pages. It has the subtitle, "Death of the Phoenix." "To Mrs. Clarke for use of the dining room and feeding us. Without whose help we could not have boldly done what we have never boldly done before!"

front cover of issue #2

• Cover by Steven Goddard
• Metting Excalibur by Lynn Campion
• Heaven Forbid! by Shirley and Susan Goddard (1)
• art by Jackie A. Clarke (8a)
• art by Lynn Campion (16a)
• Excalibur Mindbender by Shirley Lambard (33)
• A Problem Solved by Jackie A. Clarke (34)
• The Choice by Gladys Oliver (47)
• Word Search by Lynn Campion (48)
• New World by Lynn Campion (It is 14 months since McCoy left Yonada and nou the Enterprise is approaching New Fabrini and a reunion with Natira.) (49)
• art by Lynn Campion (50a)
• Will He Find You Again by Gladys Oliver (51)
• S.O.S. by Paula Greener (52)
• Inferno! by Gladys Oliver (55)
• art by Lynn Campion (64a)
• answers to the Mindbender (66)

Issue 3

Excalibur 3 was published in 1978 and contains about 80 pages.

• 

  cover of issue #3

Issue 4

Excalibur 4 was published in 1980 and contains about 80 pages.

• 

  cover of issue #5

Issue 5

Excalibur 5 was published in 1980 and contains about 60 pages.

cover of issue #5

inside page from issue #5

• Journey's End by Gladys Oliver (1) (We share McCoy's thoughts as he looks back on his life following the V'Ger mission and we share a conversation uith Spock as the two men re-establish their friendship.)
• Untitled Poem by Theresa Evans (3)
• I Just Want to Be Human by Theresa Evans (4)
• Untitled Poem by Dawn Smith (7)
• Prejudice by Julie Maggs (8)
• Cloud on a Summer's Day by Linda Wuyts (20)
• The Enemy Within, poem by Jayne Turner (23)
• Word Game by Wendy Holt (24)
• McCoy's Secret by Barbara Chegwidden (McCoy keeps a secret that leads his staff and friends to believe that he is neglecting his duties to pursue a romantic interest. The object of his desire is a woman newly assigned to the Enterprise and young enough to be his daughter.) (25)
• Threads Fall, poem by Susan Goddard (41)
• Now and Beyond by Linda Wuyts (42)
• Dream, poem by Susan Goddard (45)
• Pawns of Love by Gladys Oliver (46)
• James, poem by C.V. Saint (48)
• The Starlord and the Wanderer, poem by Gladys Oliver (50)
• Love, poem by Theresa Evans (51)
• Starship Enterprise: Stardate 8092.11 by Barbara Chegwidden (52)
• Don't Let the Earth Get in Your Eyes by Marion Patten (54)
• The Enterprise, poem by Lesley Arrowsmith (59)
• illustrations by Terry Rogers and Wendy Holt

Issue 6

Excalibur 6 was published in November 1980 and contains about 60 pages. The illos are by Donna Foster and Wendy Holt. The cover is by Sue Buchanan and J.A. Clarke.

cover of issue #6, Sue Buchanan and J.A. Clarke

inside page from issue #6

• The Recurring Factor by Marion Patten (The crew travels back in time through an anomaly, discovers 1960s television and meets Gene Roddenberry in his office – he mistakes them for his actors.) (1)
• Alone Again, Naturally (poem) by Barbara Chegwidden (10)
• Spock's Memories (poem) by Gladys Oliver (10)
• What Price the Stars by Gladys Oliver (11)
• Be Careful (poem) by Theresa Evans (14)
• The Logical Conclusion by Marion Patten (17)
• Madness (poem) by Theresa Evans (17)
• Merry Christmas by J.A. Clarke (18)
• Kirk (poem) by Julie Maggs (27)
• Logic in a Pig's Eye by Marion Patten (28)
• Tribute to Star Trek by Julie Maggs (29)
• Crossword by Donna Foster (30)
• To Thine Ownself Be True by Marion Patten (31)
• My Love (poem) by Theresa Evans (32)
• Wordsearch by Wendy Holt (33)
• No Man is an Island by Marion Patten (34)
• If Minds Were All by Theresa Evans (56)
• DId We? by Gladys Oliver (56)
• A Fed in Bed with a Buzzing Head by A.J. Booth (57)
• Enterprise for the Common Man by A.J. Booth (57)
• Where No Man Has Gone by Linda Wuyts (58)
• Answers to the Crossword by Donna Foster (59)

Issue 7

Excalibur 7 was published in April 1981 and contains about 60 pages. The interior illos are by Gladys Oliver.

front cover of issue #7, Martin D. Pay

• editorial (ii)
• Communicant, poem by Karen Hayden (ii)
• Shore Leave by Julie Maggs (1)
• The Enterprise, poem by Susan Goddard (15)
• Waiting for Chekov by Lesley Arrowsmith (16)
• The Greeting, poem by Gladys Oliver (16)
• Colonades & Cabbages by Marion Patten (17)
• Continuity Prose by Gary Robertson (19)
• The Klingon Creed by Ann Smith (21)
• Crossword Puzzle by Donna Foster (22)
• Vulcan Dawn by Gladys Oliver (23)
• That Once Foolish Nurse, poem by Gladys Oliver (59)

Issue 8

Excalibur 8 was published in September 1981 and contains about 60 pages. The art is by T. Rogers, Martin D. Pay, and Shirley P. Lambard.

front cover of issue #8, Martin D. Pay

inside page sample

• Editorial (ii)
• Journey's End by Barbara Chewwidden (1)
• Remember the Future, poem by Karen Hayden (10)
• Put Not Your Trust by Julie Maggs (11)
• Winter Challenge by Lesley Arrowsmith (20)
• The Test by Karen Hayden (28)
• Nearly, poem by Gladys Oliver (36)
• The Reason Why James T. Kirk Has A Double Bed in His Cabin by Barbara Chegwidden (37)
• Confession, poem by Ann Smith (39)
• The Z'Neban Affair by Marion Patten (40)
• Trinary, poem by Karen Hayden (59)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

As an editor myself, I usually make a point of not reviewing other zines. However, I feel I do want to make several comments on this one.

The first story, 'Journey's End' by Barbara Chegwidden, picks up Jackie Grover, a character first developed by Jackie Clarke. The zine's editor, Martin Pay, says of this story - "I was never happy with the concept of Lt. Cmdr. Grover, and I was equally unhappy at the prospect of leaving the character in limbo"; Barbara therefore picked it up. The story, mostly in first person narrative and told by Lt. Cmdr. Grover, starts with her being confined to quarters for 'putting the ship in jeopardy' by taking an unauthorised swim while on a survey, continues through an affair between her and the Captain, to her being left in command' of a ship found floating, its crew dead, to that ship being, attacked again, fill this is told in a crisp, interesting style. The narrative ends with "I felt a sharp pain in my head, everything went black, and I knew no more".

The action then transfers to the Enterprise, with Kirk and McCoy standing over Grover's dead body.

I always understood that one of the basic rules of writing is that a story told in first person narrative cannot end with the death of that character, and for that reason I find this story completely unbelievable. I feel that the editor should have noticed this point, and asked for it to be amended.. There are ways round the problem to transfer to third person before the fatal action takes place being the most obvious.

'Put Not Tour Trust' by Julie Maggs involves Scotty going on shore leave and agreeing to help a girl who wants to escape from her 'master'. It's a nicely handled and developed story, 'Winter Challenge' by Lesley Arrowsmith is - for me - the second weak story in the zine. It is a straight retelling of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' from the Arthurian saga, and, as such, I felt was lacking in originality. A well-known story can he retold in a way that makes certain basic alterations that disguise the original to some extent; this did not, and it's unfortunate, for Lesley's writing style is fluent and interesting.

'The Test' by Karen Hayden is an early draft of the version printed by STAG in Log Entries 32. Karen tells me she now think this draft is the better version, more forceful than the further developed and longer story that I printed in Log Entries and on the whole, I tend to agree with her. This version is written in a crisper style, the narrative more objective

'The Reason Why James T. Kirk Has A Double Bed in His Cabin' by Barbara Chegwidden is a "humorous piece of writing which, for me, is slightly too laboured to be funny. Humour is a very personal thing; I can well understand many people finding it hilar ious, even though I did not.

'The Z'K'eban Affair' by Marion Patten. Spock is in the brig, accused of rape and murder; the evidence is clear and absolute. Kirk refuses to believe him guilty and with Scotty's help returns the Enterprise to Z'Neban so that he can investigate, and finds himself and McCoy captured by an old acquaintance; McCoy is also to be framed, and Kirk made a slave. But Scotty decides he needs some help to handle the situation, and releases Spock.

For me, the best stories in the zine were 'Put Not Your Trust' and 'The Z'Neban Affair', with 'The Test' coming close behind; the poorest, 'Journey's End', for the reason given above. All in all, I would call this a zine to provide an enjoyable read.

Issue 9

Excalibur 9 was published in April 1982 and contains about 60 pages.

cover of issue #9, by Linda Wuyts

• Editorial by Martin O'Day
• The Uninvited by Linda Wuyts (1)
• Nothing, poem by Gladys Oliver (13)
• A Rainy Day in Deva by Lesley Arrowsmith (14)
• Soliloquy, poem by Linda Wuyts (19)
• Divergence by Gary Robertson (20)
• Illogical, poem by Gary Robertson (29)
• Word Search by Donna Foster (30)
• Feminine Touch by Julie Maggs (31)
• The Spell that Binds, poem by Gladys Oliver (41)
• Blind Chance by Janis Bowers (42)
• I Enterprise, poem by Gladys Oliver (47)
• The Death by Gladys Oliver (48)
• Spock Speaks, poem by Gladys Oliver (49)
• The King is Dead, Long Live the King by Marion Patton (50)
• art by Paul Carey, Geminus, and Linda Wuyts (front cover)

Issue 10

Excalibur 10 was published in 1982 and contains about 60 pages.

• 

  cover of issue #10, Sue Buchanan and J.A. Clarke

Issue 11

• 

  cover of issue #11

Issue 12

• 

  cover of issue #12