Halkan Council

Title:	Halkan Council
Publisher:	Shirley Huang & Sandy Yingling
Editor(s):
Type:	fanzine, letterzine
Date(s):	1974-1977
Series?:
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
Other:
External Links:	[1]
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Halkan Council is a Star Trek: TOS letterzine and was published by two high school students who were also members of a local science fiction club. It is considered by some to be the first letterzine in fandom. It sponsored the first Star Trek Fan Fund, and started the Fan Q awards.

Some of the early discussions about K/S and slash took place in the letterzine. Excerpts from a few issues can be found in the fanzine Legacy and are posted online here.[2]. Additional contents that are listed below are from Boldly Writing. Note that there are date and content discrepancies among the various sources cited.

cover of an unknown issue

Halkan Council 1 was published Dec 1974.

Halkan Council 2 was published Jan 1975.

Connie Faddis contributed a letter on the hostility of some science fiction fans toward Star Trek fans,and also on the inability of Star Trek fanzines or fan writers to win Hugos. As a solution, she proposed the idea of having Star Trek awards of excellence.
A letter from Rebecca Baggett in which she "asked rhetorically why Star Trek fans waste their time on fanzines when there are more important issues in the world." (Boldly Writing, pg 21).

An issue was published in March, 1975.

A letter from Karen Flanery "was one of a handful of voices predicting the demise of Star Trek or Star Trek fandom: "Star Trek is done," she said. "It was glorious, but it is over." (Ibid)

An issue was published in April, 1975.

A letter from Sharon Ferraro stated: "Even with the movie...[Star Trek] will slow down and die. Maybe not for a number of years, but we won't be introducing our grandchildren to it." (Ibid)

Halkan Council 6 was published in May 1975.

Karen Fleming discussed whether "it would be a good idea to have children living aboard starships," and concluded, "children would add nothing to the ship's economy. They would be excess baggage—or, worse, they would be a drain on the ship's efficiency."
Karen Fleming also wondered "whether fans lived up to IDIC ("Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations")." (Ibid)

Halkan Council 7 was published in June 1975.

Gennie Summers's letter: "...it would be interesting to see a sequel to the episode "Space Seed," and speculated, "Perhaps after all the struggles and hardships, Khan and his people and descendants would learn some things about the value of life, and become less arrogant and easier to get along with." (Ibid).

An issue was published in August 1975.

Sharon Ferraro continued the discussion regarding Khan and his descendants. She also announced that she would host SeKWester*Con in Kalamazoo, Michigan with a membership cap of 200. No actors, only fan discussions. It was the first convention by fans for fans and set the pattern for many fan conventions.
Barbara Letson wondered if "there's a demand for ST novels anymore?"
Diane Steiner "responded to the critics of Spock Enslaved!, taking the stand that many writers take against their critics—namely, that if one did not enjoy the story, it meant that the critic did not properly understand it. In particular, she wanted critics to know that the most important thing about her story was the relationship between Kirk and Spock." (Ibid).

An issue was published in September 1975.

Joan Marie Verba and Paula Smith debated the biological possibility (or impossibility) of Spock's existence. They continued the debate in person at the next convention.

An issue was published in October 1975

This issue reported on "Gene Roddenberry's phone call to the August Party convention, and it had a remarkably accurate summary of the plot of Star Trek: The Motion Picture." The August Party convention was held in Maryland in the 1970s. It always featured a long-distance call with Gene Roddenberry, and the information would then be passed along to the rest of fandom. (Ibid).

Halkan Council 12 was published in November 1975.

It contains one of the earliest uses of the term "Kirk/Spock." [3]
The editors report their circulation had reached 150. (Boldly Writing, pg 21).

Halkan Council 13 was published in December 1975.

In a LoC Gerry Downes stated: Re: the possible homosexual involvement in the Kirk/Spock relationship…one of the nicest things in ST was its portrayal of a love relationship between two men without implying that they were gay. Make no mistake about it, friends, these two men love each other, and also make no mistake, their feelings do not find expression in sex." [4]

Halkan Council 14 was published in Jan 1976.

Signe Landon submitted a letter "in which she stated, "I've reached the conclusion that there is a mental bond between Kirk and Spock." (Boldly Writing), pg 30).

Halkan Council 15 was published in February 1976.

Fern Marder took issue with Signe Landon's January letter asking that "if there was a mind link between Kirk and Spock, why did Spock assume Kirk was dead in the episodes "Amok Time" and "Tholian Web."
There was discussions about the rise of professionally-run conventions, which were drawing attention from the fan-run conventions, and, in some areas, even competing with them by scheduling....on the same weekend." (Ibid).

Halkan Council 17 was published in April 1976.

Connie Faddis asked how much editing was appropriate for submissions to a letterzine.
Charles Spano, one of the authors of the Star Trek pro novel Spock: Messiah! submitted a letter. "He was the first author of a Star Trek pro novel to have a letter published in a letterzine." (Ibid).

Halkan Council 18 was published in May 1976 and contains 18 pages.

Halkan Council 19 was published in June 1976.

The editors announced that they had graduated from high school and that they would be going to college in different states. "They were confident that they would be able to continue to put out Halkan Council despite the separation." (Ibid).

Halkan Council 20/21 was published in Aug 1976.

Boldly Writing notes: "The K/S debate was fully joined. Gerry Downes had switched from denying that Kirk and Spock had a sexual relationship to writing a story that depicted them in one. Beverly Clark, in opposition, stated that "There is no evidence that they have anything but a friendship, albeit a very deep one." (Ibid); also see here.
Mary Lee Cascio commented on the similarity between science fiction novel, All the Gods of Eisernon by Simon Lang to Star Trek.
Susan Sackett of Gene Roddenberry's office thanked the letterzine for them sending copies.
Leslie Fish advertised for her filksong tape Folksongs for Folks Who Ain't Even Been Born Yet. (Boldly Writing, page 31).

Halkan Council 23 was published in Jan 1977.

The editors announced, "Halkan now has 300 subscribers and we have decided not to accept any more."
Boldly Writing reports that "The K/S debate continued; some fans expressed doubts applicable to both K/S and K&S, (Sharon Ferraro); others commented on the debate (Paula Smith and Jean Lorrah ("Has anyone noticed that some of the quarrels in fandom are getting out of hand, people not speaking to each other, etc.?")." (Boldly Writing, page 36).

An issue was published in April 1977

Connie Faddis's story "Caduceus," which appeared in Furaha 4 was reviewed. Other fanzines "reviewed or announced included Alpha Continuum, IDIC 4, Pegasus, Off the Beaten Trek, R&R 1, The Sehlat's Roar, Sol Plus 3, Diamonds and Rust, Contact 4, and Scuttlebutt." (Ibid).

Halkan Council 27 was published in in September 1977. However, Boldly Writing reports that the final issue was published in June of 1977. (Ibid).

cover of issue #8, Connie Faddis	cover of issue #9	cover of issue #10, Gennie Summers	cover of issue #11, L. Heller
cover of issue #12	cover of issue #13	cover of issue #14, L. Heller	cover of issue #17
cover of issue #18	cover of issue #19