Naked Singularity

Zine
Title:	Naked Singularity
Publisher:	Empyrean Publications
Editor(s):	Pam Trippel
Date(s):	January 1984
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

front cover by TACS. Some art reviewers have particularly liked the tousled look of Spock's hair.

back cover by TACS

Naked Singularity is a slash Star Trek: TOS 221-page anthology edited by Pam Trippel. The covers are by TACS. It has interior art by The Southern Cross, TACS, Maureen B., Nan Lewis, Caren Parnes, Andrea Kunz, ERIC, and Gennie Summers.

A Proposed Split

This zine was originally meant to be published in two issues, one slash and one explicit het zine.

From a publisher's announcement in Datazine #28:

What happens when strategy goes awry?? You wind up with two zines. The K/S section of Naked Singularity grew SO LARGE that we were forced to split the EXPLICIT 'Hetero' ADULT section off and a new zine was born.

The het zine was to be called "Fore 'n' Aft" and was scheduled to be published in fall of 1983, something that didn't happen.

Contents of Naked Singularity

Summaries below are by Gilda F.

• What Are Friends For? by Deverly Helm (Humor: While in jail after Kirk accidently desecrates a sacred urn, Spock goes into pon farr. Prequel: Discovery.) (1)
• Kiwi Fruit, poem by B.L. Barr (8)
• Tears that We Shed in the Dark by Alayne Gelfand (Kirk and Spock are marooned for over a year by a shuttle crash, and during that time they become lovers and bond but are unsure of going back to Starfleet after their rescue.) (also in Charisma #8) (9)
• How Can You Ask?, poem by Dre'Lanzer (34)
• A Matter Of Law by Vivian Gates (Unrelated Vulcan story.) (35)
• Companion, poem by Meg Fine (46)
• Into Your Heart, poem by Patt (47)
• Shoreleave, poem by Patt (47)
• Gaming by C.J. McNally (While hiking on shoreleave, Kirk and Spock take shelter in a small shack when it starts to rain and pass the time playing 20 questions.) (48)
• T'Pring, poem by Emily Ross (51)
• Will You Chart The Stars Without Me? by Kirk (A/U: A young Spock meets Jim Kirk who works on the ranch Spock is visiting, but the love they discover is fated not to be until death brings them back together.) (53)
• Interludes Pass by Dre'Lanzer (an AU) (74)
• Bitter Wine: A Soliloquy, poem by Meg Fine (79)
• Entwined, poem by TACS (80)
• Windjammer by Tere Ann Roderick (Spock books passage for himself and Kirk on a sailing ship as a birthday present for his captain, unaware that it is a gays-only cruise.) (81)
• Illogical Limericks by Gene S. Delapenia (97)
• Waiting, poem by Patt (98)
• Touching, poem by Patt (98)

• Masquerade by Megan Carter (After forcing Spock to take shoreleave on the Caretakerʼs planet, Kirk goes down and, posing as an android, makes advances to Spock that he is delighted to find reciprocated.) (99)
• Illogical Limericks by Gene S. Delapenia (113)
• Position Impossible by Nicole Silver (Spock responds to Kirk after being slipped an aphrodisiac, but then has to convince Kirk that he felt that way before given the drug. In this story, Spock (like all Vulcan males) has two penises. One is the primary organ, and one is a secondary smaller one. The story oddly, doesn't really discuss or utilize this during the sex act, but it gets used as a punch line in a joke at the end. For other examples of creative Vulcan dicks, see Vulcan Genitalia.) (114)
• Dreams I Never Knew I Had, poem by Cynthia Drake (122)
• Miracles, poem by Meg Fine (123)
• Alien by Dark Morgan (Kirk waits for McCoy to pick him up from a conference, knowing that Spock will be there after a three months absence but not knowing how to recapture his bondmateʼs love.) (124)
• untitled poem by B.L. Barr (146)
• Boredom by Sharon F (Kirk goes to the science lab hoping Spock will relieve his boredom, and finds a perfect tool to make sure he does.) (147)
• Fantasies, poem by Sharon F. (147)
• Serendipity by Lucille Carey (K/S/Uhura) (153)
• untitled poem by Gene S. Delepenia (169)
• On the Cusp, poem by Emily Ross (170)
• Mutual Benefit by The Undiscovered Country and Cassandra Smythe (M/U: "Excerpt from the novel of the same name." [This refers to an explicit K/S novel by Cassandra Smythe and The Undiscovered Country. Art was to be by TACS. It was to be "Mirror story of intrigue and precarious cooperation planned for winter of 1985." -- from Datazine #32. See: Command Decision]. This novel was never completed. See Universal Translator #23 for more information.) (171)
• Two Out Of Three by A.T. Bush (Kirk makes a wager with a wrestling partner, unaware of what it is heʼs wagering until Spock advises him through their bond.) (181)
• Lines to a Vulcan: A Sonnet Sequence by Flora Poste (192)
• A Little Romance by Cassandra Smythe (M/U: After killing his science officer, Kirk acquires a Vulcan he plans to train and hopefully trust.) (193)
• For Some Diseases, poem by Flora Poste (220)
• Tribble, Tribble, Who's Got the Tribble (221)

Sample Interior Gallery

• 

  TACS, Spock eating a kiwi fruit. A very explicit variation of this illo was printed a few months later in California K/S #1.

• 

  Maureen B.

• 

  ERIC

• 

  Andrea Kunz

• 

  TACS

• 

  TACS

• 

  TACS

• 

  TACS

• 

  Caren Parnes

• 

  Gennie Summers

• 

  uncredited

• 

  Nan Lewis

• 

  TACS

• 

  The Southern Cross

Reactions and Reviews

See reactions and reviews for Alien.

See reactions and reviews for A Little Romance.

See reactions and reviews for Windjammer.

See reactions and reviews for Will You Chart the Stars with Me?.

1983:

[zine]:

This is a first class zine--a positive zine without the usual rape, misery and torture associated with K/S zines. This zine contains an entertaining collection of first time stories. The art and poetry is generally superb. This is a beautiful zine, created with great skill, and is not only eye appealing but thought-provoking and heart tugging as well.

WHAT ARE FRIENDS FOR is a parody that works--Trek humor at its very best. Helm's light touch with dialogue is a delight. A great mix of humor and lust.

TEARS THAT WE SHED IN THE DARK is a romantic selection, with good characterizations. A pleasant-story of the development of the Kirk/Spock relationship.

A MATTER OF LAW is a story that will disappoint a purists. For me, it is an unusual, loving story that does not include Kirk and Spock. The new characters are compelling and I enjoyed this well written story.

GAMING is a delightful short story of a rainy afternoon interlude. Fun.

MASQUERADE is a subtle, humorous look at K/S stories and pokes fun at the cliches. Great relief. When you begin to take K/S too seriously!

POSITION IMPOSSIBLE is another funny story with a unique solution of the old problem--how to get rid of an eager Lieutenant who is trying to seduce Spock. As Kirk puts it, to resolution was too weird, even for him.

BOREDOM is Kirk's answer to a boring duty shift-- Regulaton 69 is a lifesaver.

SERENDIPITY is a unique story that centers on Spock and Uhura. Beautiful, emotional, well-crafted.

MUTUAL BENEFIT is the prologue from the promised novel. My only complaint is that it is too short -- I wanted more. Tersely written and intriguing--one of the best.

TWO OUT OF THREE is entertaining--an early-navy rivalry story with a twisted, light-hearted look at Kirk in a self-created predicament.

A LITTLE ROMANCE is easily my favorite. This Alternate Mirror story is fascinating, finely-crafted and a gem, without the usual brutality. The plot and characterizations are well-developed--unusually so for a K/S story. The adventure, plot stands on its own, without the, sex--which is confined to the close of the story.

The poetry is unusually good in this zine; with Flora Poste's Sonnet standing out. Works by Fine, Barr, Taylor, and Drake made a strong contribution to the overall impression of this zine. The artwork by the Southern Cross was magnificent nd I enjoyed the illos by Lewis, TACS-- particularly the cover, Gruber and Parnes.

This is one of the very best K/S zine I have read in recent months. With over 220 pages of fine print, it provides many entertaining hours of reading.

1984:

[zine]:

The first thing I noticed about NS is that, from the first ad in UT, it didn't take three years to get it. Usually a speedy publication denotes a noticeable sacrifice of quality; not so in this case. (Pamela and Andrea how did you do that?) With every thing that has happened to these editors in the past few months, I find that miraculous. For openers, the TACS cover is magnificent. And inside... well, NS contains several Southern Cross illos. If you have not yet been privileged to feast yours eyes on a SC illo ANY SC illo, I feel for you. Southern Cross is the best artist to hit fandom since Pat Stall and then some.

This is a nice fat zine 220 pages of reduced typeface small, but not microscopic. The fifteen stories include the necessary Devery Helm story "What are Friends For?" her usual delightful nonsense; a very good story by Alayne Gelfand, "Tears That We Shed in the Dark"; "Windjammer," by Tere Ann Roderick, has a delightful ending- other attractions. "Position Impossible," by Nicole Silver, shows signs of following in the tradition Devery Helm has established. Emily Ross' poetry, as usual, is impressive but, the masterpiece in this zine is "Lines to a Vulcan: A Sonnet Sequence" by Flora Poste two pages of pure, lyrical beauty. However, one of the pieces included "A Matter of Law" seemed to me to belong elsewhere.

I read K/S zines because I am enchanted with the Kirk/Spock mystique I am not particularly interested in reaching about characters I have never heard of. But for the most part, the stories are good ones, well-written, well-edited (very few typos here). The quality of the illos is several points above the average zine, and the layout and format are very well done. There are also several excellent new ideas incorporated into NS. The Table of Contents underlines the story titles, so that they are easily separated from the poetry (I usually have to do this by hand), and the last page of the zine is a questionnaire aimed at improvement of the next issue. Great idea, girls. You done good!

1984:

I wanted to like this zine, the first from these editors(Empyrean Publications). I know they've worked hard and encountered numerous production problems which delayed the zine's appearance. I also wanted it to be good, because $17.00. (US) - without postage - is a lot of money, even in these days of rising prices.

The zine consists of 222 pages, is nicely laid out, and has an attractive front cover by TACS. I like the clarity of the table of contents: story titles are underlined, poetry titles are not, and artists are listed with the stories, not in a separate section. Many of the illustrations are backed by a blank page, a definite plus in a zine with fine artwork.

There are 15 stories and vignettes, two of which I will deal with now as they are incomplete. The others, I will identify only by author, to save space, 'Alien' is 21 pages, 2 chapters of a novelette. We are told that it will be continued, but not when, or where. 'Mutual Benefit' is a 10-page except from a novel, scheduled for publication next winter.

Since the major cost of a zine is governed by its page count, these 31 pages, plus the page of zine ads, could have been omitted, leaving a 190 page zine which would have been less bulky to read, and less expensive to mail.

What Are Friends For? by Devery Helm; This is a cleverly-written, caustic satire, the result, I suspect, of the author's having read too many bad K/S stories.

Tears that We Shed in the Dark by Alyne Gelfand; Kirk & Spock, marooned on an alien planet, settle down, quite contentedly, to vegetate. The author forgot Kirk's "man was not meant for paradise", and does not attempt to justify Kirk's loss of drive & Spock's loss of curiosity.

A Matter Of Law by Vivian Gates: This involves neither Kirk nor Spock, so is out of place in this zine, however, it is one of the 2 stories that I enjoyed. I would have preferred more background for the Vulcan, Sorar, to justify his behaviour, but this was a nicely-written and refreshing interlude.

Gaming by C.J. McNally: A gentle vignette about the consequences of playing "20 Questions."

Will You Chart The Stars Without Me? by Kirk: A teenaged Kirk & Spock meet at a dude ranch. This Spock, who wouldn't have survived the Kahs-wan, has a horse named T'Pring; He rescues and becomes infatuated with a golden youth named Jim. In a book of romances for pre-teens this might be acceptable. After the first 6 pages, I skimmed the rest, unable to tolerate such nonsense. Doesn't this author listen to how boys talk?

Interludes Pass by Dre'Lancer: Kirk and Spock learn that their friendship has deepened, despite their failure to achieve lasting satisfaction from sexual intimacy. Nicely thought out, and several good points are raised.

Windjammer by Tere Ann Roderick: Spock books a cruise on a sailing ship as a special birthday gift for Kirk. This Spock is indecisive, insecure, and his thought patterns bear no resemblance to what one would expect from a Vulcan trained in logic and science. This Kirk spends most of the story allowing his emotions to dictate his actions. He even lets a total stranger paw and fondle hint in a bar!!

Masquerade by Megan Carter: Spock is forced by McCoy to spend 4 days on the Shore Leave Planet. Kirk shows up, Spock thinks he's an android and 'takes liberties' that he would not have done with the real man. Predictably, back on the ship; Spock's embarrassed, Kirk admits his deception, they make love several times - in detail - and live happily ever after.

Position Impossible by Nicole Silver: One of the female crew members slips anaphrodisiac into Spock's tea, planning to reap "the benefits". Instead, Kirk does so. I enjoyed this author's Kirk and Spock; their dialogue was humorous and in character. She writes as if she has really listened to the way they speak.

Boredom by Fetter: Kirk demands that Spock alleviate the captain's boredom in "the usual manner." This is on inoffensive interlude, but I believe Kirk blackmails Spock for the wrong reason.

Serendipity by Carey: What might happen if Uhura, by some mischance, didn't return from the Mirror Universe with the rest of the group? This is a K/S/U story. I like and recognize Uhura. Kirk is not one who could have earned the Vulcan's loyalty. Poor Spock, befuddled by Pon Farr, struggles to retain the last shreds of his integrity.

Two Out Of Three by A.T. Bush: While the Enterprise is carrying a group of space marines, Kirk is challenged in the gym by their commander. After winning the encounter, the 2 men exchange confidences and later Kirk & Spock end up in bed.

A Little Romance by Smythe: In this alternate universe, Kirk commandeers a youthful, half-Vulcan named Spock. Kirk has said: "I want one who excels in the sciences - someone I can control - who will be completely dependent on me". That's what he got.

Since poetry seems to he a matter of taste, and mine is not well-developed, I will not presume to pass judgment on any in this zine.

In conclusion, I regret that I cannot recommend this zine.

1985:

[zine]: This is a first class zine—a positive zine without the usual rape, misery and torture associated with K/S zines. This zine contains an entertaining collection of first time stories. The art and poetry is generally superb. This is a beautiful zine, created with great skill, and is not only eye-appealing but thought-provoking and heart-tugging as well. "What Are Friends For" is a parody that works—Trek humor at its very best. Helm's light touch with dialogue is a delight. A great mix of humor and lust. "Tears That We Shed In The Dark" is a romantic selection, with good characterizations. A pleasant story of the development of the K/S relationship. "A Hatter Of Law" is a story that will disappoint purists. For me it is an unusual, moving story that does not include Kirk and Spock. The new characters are compelling and I enjoyed this well written story. "Gaming" is a delightful short story of a rainy afternoon interlude. Fun. "Masquerade" is a subtle, humorous look at K/S stories and pokes fun at the cliches. Great relief when you begin to take K/S too seriously! "Position Impossible" is another funny story with a unique solution of the old problem—how to get rid of an eager Lieutenant who is trying to seduce Spock. As Kirk puts it, the resolution was too weird, even for him. "Boredom" is Kirk's answer to a boring duty shift—Regulation 69 is a lifesaver! "Serendipity" is a unique story that centers on Spock and Uhura. Beautiful, emotional, well-crafted. "Mutual Benefit" is the prologue from the promised novel. My only complaint is that it was too short—I wanted more. Tersely written and intriguing—one of the best. "Two Out Of Three" is entertaining—an army-navy rivalry story with a twist. Light-hearted look at Kirk in a self-created predicament. "A Little Romance" is easily my favorite. This Alternate Mirror story is fascinating, finely-crafted and a gem, without the usual brutality. The plot and characterizations are well-developed—unusually so for a K/S story. The adventure plot stands on its own, without the sex—which is confined to the close of the story. The poetry is unusually good in this zine with Flora Poste's "Sonnett" standing out. Works by Fine, Barr, Taylor and Drake made a strong contribution to the overall impression of this zine. The artwork by the Southern Cross was magnificent and I enjoyed the illos by Lewis, TACS—particularly the cover, Gruber and Parnes. This is one of the very best K/S zines I have read in recent months. With over 220 pages of fine print, it provides many entertaining hours of reading.

1985:

[zine]:

This zine is beautifully put together, and very readable. There are some great stories here. Unfortunately, some of these stories weren't about Kirk and Spock. Sure, they used those names, but I know my boys, they don't do those things, and they especially don't say those things. But, this is a big zine with something in it for everyone. The problem is in deciding "Is there enough of MY type of story to make it worth buying."

The Highlights: Interludes Pass and Seredipity have nothing in common except the great skill with which they were written, and the sadness each story leaves behind. Beautiful. Masquerade, Position Impossible, and Two out of Three are fun. Great examples of K/S humor. Even when the premise is a bit unlikely, they are written well enough to allow you to suspend your disbelief and just enjoy.

Alien is unrelieved gloom. It's not badly written, but you'd have to be depressed to enjoy it, and if you were depressed when you started the story, you'd be suicidal when you finished. Plus, the last line is the deadly, To be continued...

The excerpt from Mutual Benefit was great. I can't wait til the novel comes out. I just wish the selection had been longer.

Tears That We Shed in the Dark is a ship wreck story and starts off very similar to the first part of Della's Outland series in NAKED TIMES. The first half of the story before they are rescued is very weak, but the sex is nice, and it ends well.

The reviewer in NTS #4 didn't like A Matter of Law because it didn't have Kirk or Spock. It is a good story, and where else you could get this sort of story printed, but in a K/S zine? I feel an occasional Star Trek universe story without K or S is fine.

What are Friends For? is pointless. The author couldn't make up her mind whether she was writing a parody or not, and kept changing her mind.

Will You Chart the Stars with Me? is another offender. Jim is a 13 year old hired hand at the dude ranch that 18 year old Spock is to spend 10 days on before returning to Vulcan. Within 5 min. of meeting Jim, Spock has said, "do not be afraid, I would give my life before hurting you." Within an hour, "I have fallen in love with you. I make no apologies for my boldness." After a sappy 12 page teenage romance, Spock learns that he can never see or speak to Jim again. They spend the rest of their lives thinking of each other, and finally die without ever having loved anyone else!! This isn't even close to the Kirk and Spock I know.

Windjammer was awful. Another case of being unable to decide if you are writing a parody or not. The story doesn't even have internal consistancy! (The story does have a nice illo.)

There is some gorgeous art, but it seems that every picture that Spock was particularly well drawn in, Kirk looked wrong and vice versa. There is a lot of poetry in this issue, and it varies as widely as the stories. The zine is interesting, but I feel it needs a stronger editorial personality.