The Halkan Council/Issues 20-27

Issues 01-10 · Issues 11-19 · Issues 20-27

Issue 20/21 (August 1976)

cover of issue #20-21, a scratchboard work by Signe Landon

art from issue #20/21, a fan by Phil Foglio

art from issue #20/21, by Gee Moaven

art from issue #20/21, by John Alexander

art from issue #20/21, a sehlat by Elizabeth Marshall

art from issue #20/21, by Marty Siegrist

art from issue #20/21, a fan by Phil Foglio

a fan activity announced for The Clipper Trade Ship

art from issue #20/21, a Gorn by John Boggs

The Halkan Council 20/21 was published in Aug 1976. The editors are skipping a month as respones were coming in a little more slowly: "Hopefully, putting out this double issue will get all of us -- eds and contributors -- back on some sort of rhythmic schedule."

• art is by Signe Landon, John Alexander, John Boggs, R. Ciccarelli, Phil Foglio, Elizabeth Marshall, Gee Moaven, Marty Siegrist, Gennie Summers, Larraine Tutihasi
• the editors say that the letterzine was:

  ... the proud recipient of the 1976 Best Fanzine Award from Star Trek Again!, Lawrence Fury, director. We also received a very realistic trophy of 'The Captain's Log, Stardate 7606.07' --real log, real styrofoam, real sparkles! We extend our grateful thanks to all the folks in Sandpoint ID for the honor.

• the editors, both high school students, are in a bind:

  Both of us will be having a tough time keeping up with the new 'adult' fanfic, we're not 18 yet! Shirley hits the landmark of gruphood in August, with Sandy following in early Setpember -- will SOMEBODY tell us about Warped Space #20 and Gerry Downes Alternative? (As anyone will tell you, we're very mature for our *ages... ahem, coff*).

• The letterzine's editors say they will be attending college in the fall.
• includes a page of fabulous photos taken at Se*KWester*Con, including one of Connie Faddis and Joan Verba, who in this picture, look remarkably similar. Connie holds a homemade sign that says, "I am not Joan Verba." Shirley Huang took this photo, along with about twenty others that were published in this issue.
• Gerry Downes writes:

  This is in response to 1) Jean L.’s question (HC #17) why is it that women write about close relationships between men instead of women, 2) Nancy K.’s question what if Spock went into pon farr and no one was near but Jim Kirk (HC #17), and 3) Lisa W.’s question (HC #18) what if ‘Amok Time’ and ‘Turnabout Intruder’ occurred simultaneously…. Spock is vulnerable in pon farr, but he is intensely masculine at this time. And Jim Kirk is a dynamic male figure all the time. Does this make for an unresolvable conflict? There are a lot of underground stories circulating right now (even in Alaska I’ve seen some!) attempting to deal with this question. They usually involve a near-rape situation for Jim Kirk and his either forgiving Spock and forgetting about it, or his wanting to continue the relationship…. In ‘Turnabout Intruder,’ Jim’s identity is transferred to a female body. Yet at no time does Spock step out of his supportive subordinate role. He is used to relating to Jim as a male figure, and he continues to do so even in this situation. In speculating about pon farr in this connection, the question Lisa W. is really asking is 'is it necessary for Jim to be female for Spock to want him?' and I believe the answer to this is NO. Spock already loves Jim and switching roles wasn’t necessary for this to develop…. In our explorations of these two characters we have allowed them to grow beyond what we saw on television. An author always puts himself into his work, yet if we project our sex-role stereotypes onto these two men, we are not seeing the situation as Kirk and Spock would handle it, but as twentieth-century females would handle it. Perhaps we ought to speculate along these lines with a bit more care and try to understand how Jim and Spock really feel instead of simply putting ourselves inside them....I'm doing a zine on the subject myself (Alternative: The Epilog to Orion) and I know other people have plans along the same lines. Anyone who wants to get in touch with me on the subject is welcome to write.

• Beverly Clark, in opposition, stated that:

  To say that every Friendship is consciously and explicitly homosexual would be too obviously false; the wiseacres take refuge in the less palpable charge that it is really—unconsciously, cryptically, in some Pickwickian sense—homosexual. And this, though it cannot be proved, can never of course be refuted… The very lack of evidence is thus treated as evidence: the absence of smoke proves that the fire is very carefully hidden. Yes—if it exists at all. But we must first prove its existence…Those who cannot conceive Friendship as a substantive love but only as a disguise or elaboration of Eros betray the fact that they have never had a Friend... I should say that I am not opposed to the speculation on possible homosexuality within Kirk and Spock’s relationship, just that it’s sheer speculation, because there is no evidence that they have anything but a friendship, albeit a very deep one...

• fan explains the origins of some fannish Vulcan words:

  Lash dorad v'succa' was made up by Lee Smoire and I [Joyce Yasner] way back in 1967, when we were playing around with the idea of a Vulcan language. 'Pastakla Vesla' was adapted by Mickie Malkin, with who I was then corresponding. Lee and I also came up with 'traycha pastak' which means 'much peace,' and the variation 'pastak v'do'oro lash.' There is a lot more to the language but Lee [who has moved] has the dictionary and all the pronounciations and spellings.... I gave up pursuing the language when, in 1968, I took a linguistics course in colleges and learned how a language really works. Kraith people please take note: the Mother Tongue, as it predates all other efforts, will not convert readily to sememes and other Kraithish perversions so please don't strain yourselves... or it.

• a writer and zined comments on zine costs:

  As far as I know, no fans overcharge substantially for a zine. I myself 'round out' [to the nearest 25 cents] the charges because making change at cons (I don't sell at a table, I sell 'out of arm') drives me up a wall. Now, I don't think it's unethical for a zine to make a SMALL profit -- for instance, to pay for a huskster table at cons, to cover the costs of free contributor's copies, and the dozens of miscellaneous items that go into producing a zine, but aren't part of the actual printing cost. Such things might include presstype-lettering, typewriter rental, typing and layout supplies, long-distance last-minute phone calls to distributors, etc...postage is a tricky thing, too. A lot of times, the editor hasn't finished doing the layout yet and isn't quite sure how much the zine and the envelope together will weigh, yet you folks want to know what the issue will cost. The editor must try to estimate... and it's safer to overestimate by an ounce or two. That may mean that the editor could end up making a slight 'profit' ... I suppose, in strict honestly, that the editor should return postage to the consumers. I think if if exceeded 15 cents or so, I myself would do that.

• the author of a story in Rigel #2 responds to a reviewer who "gave away the ending," explaining that reviewing different types of stories requires different tactics: mysteries are different than romance stories: "In a mystery, a reviewer is perfectly justified in saying whether the ending works or not, but if the reviewer feels that the story is worth reading, it is a courtesy to the potential reader not to reveal the actual ending... In a story which is not a mystery, the ending of a story is not as vital to the total enjoyment."
• Devra Langsam replies to an earlier fan's desire for some stories to be reprinted in zines:

  Reprints -- there are already a couple of reprint zines. Danielle Dabbs did an Introduction to Fanzines a couple of years ago, and T-K Graphics has done Vulcan Reflections, which are articles reprinted from my zine Spockanalia... However, there are a number of problems with this, aside from the obvious of who's going to choose [the content]. 1) It is B-O-R-I-N-G to reprint things... 2) it is sometimes extremely difficult to locate the original authors/artists and editors, in order to get the necessary permission. People not only move, and marry, but they also drop out of fandom 3) I had kind of hoped that the pro publishers would pick up some of the better stories, but their taste does not seem too great 4) Who is the sucker who will take on this monster job?

• a fan weighs in on slash, in the first real rant of the letterzine:

  I am disgusted and dismayed by the interpretation of the Kirk/Spock relationship as homosexual. To me, THAT is evidence of a cynicism and narrow mindedness that grips too many people these days... Damn it! There are so many different levels and types of love that to say that love is only expressed when sex (of any sort) is involved is to do an enormous disservice to the potentiality of the human spirit! What Kirk and Spock appear to have, in my mind, is exactly the sort of an open relationship that I HOPE is becoming increasingly possible for homo sapiens as he reaches toward a greater maturity as a species by discarding his old prejudices as the useless, imprisoning poppycock they so clearly are!

• a fan writes:

  Regarding the oblique debate that has been floating around among some of us since Warped Space printed "To Need a Friend" -- let's get the silly thing out in the open. I sincerely doubt if there is or could be a sexual relationship between any of the Kirk/Spock/McCoy trilogy. Considering McCoy's old-fashioned gentleman's morals, Kirk's compulsive pursuit of women, AND Spock's disinclination for physical relationships, it seem rather unlikely to me. The only of the three I could possibly imagine in that sort of relationship would be Kirk -- and only if his vigorous interest in the opposite sex was a cover-up (even to himself) of interest in other men. But in either case, I doubt if it would be Spock... Kirk almost always uses sex as a power game... Kirk's personality so far has caused him to insist on the dominant position in his sexual liaisons... I can't see him becoming involved in a situation where he might have to turn command over to his 'wife.'.. And [responding to an earlier fan's comment in another issue] if 'Amok Time' and 'Turnabout Intruder' had occurred simultaneously -- by which I take to mean, what if Spock went into pon farr during the turnabout -- I supposed Kirk would do whatever necessary to save Spock's life. I also think he -- and Spock -- would have an incredible tangle of emotional tangles to sort out. It would keep McCoy occupied for months.

• a writer defends the use of modern slang/profanity:

  When Sarek says 'damn' in the swimming scene in Night of the Twin Moons, that may not be the precise English expletive he uses -- whatever the word, it is the one used by speakers of English in the ST universe under circumstances where you or I would say 'damn.

• fan complains about Alan Dean Foster's "Log Seven," and explains why she continues to buy pro novels even though she doesn't like them:

  So why buy them, you ask? Because I would be criminally ignorant if I didn't; they ARE a topic within fandom. Here's where the pro publishers have us; they may not like what they are doing to OUR favorite topic, but we have to buy what they spew, er, produce. I manage to avoid most of the commercial crap like toys... I can't seem to do it with the fiction, not if I want to be able to discuss it intelligently.

• a fan discusses birth control aboard the Enterprise
• fan sticks up for the Klingons, saying that the writers needed an obvious bad guy, and that maybe they weren't that awful all the time.:

  Let's stop treating them like poor misunderstood delinquents, or horrible bad mean guys, and try to make some more intelligent guesses as to how they tick.

• a zined takes on two earlier letters in issue #19 that complain about the high price of zines. She writes extensively of the cost and byzantine rules imposed by the U.S. Postal service, as well as:

  Finances are a problem for a zine publisher, but socking all the extra costs onto them is one way to guarantee that fanzines go rapidly extinct. I produced the first issue of Kraith Collected for just over $350 in 1972. That figure included everything, cost of paper, typewriter, layout, non-photo-blue pencils, EVERYTHING. The cost of producing volume five of Kraith Collected is running over $800, including everything. If I had never done anything but pay myself back for the producing of one issue, where, of where, pray tell me, [name omitted], do you expect the extra $450 to come from? Trees? Surely not my pockets. I haven't even paid myself back fro the original $350 yet! Kraith can't afford it. Why shouldn't 450 readers each contribute a dollar to the continued running of a fanzine? (Actually, the figures are closer to 1500 readers each contributing about 30 cents, since I didn't' leap directly from volume one to volume five.) And I'm expected to keep all the back issues in print, too. The fact that Kraith still only costs $3.25 I consider a triumph of economy, since my costs have more than doubled in the past four years.

• Susan Sackett writes a letter. Its entirety:

  Thank you for the copies of The Halkan Council. I have looked them over, and especially the letter that Kitty Canterbury wrote, and enjoyed it very much. She said some nice things about me. I'm not sure where she got the impression that we don't receive fanzines in our office, but we've got quite a few. In fact, I have a whole filing cabinet full of them. Most of them Gene just has time to glance at since he is so busy. Good luck with your future issue. I'm sure they will be something to look forward to.

• Jean Lorrah includes a long article on "The Vulcan Character in Night of the Twin Moons," later reprinted in NTM Collected #1.
• Mary Lee Cascio commented on the similarity between science fiction novel, All the Gods of Eisernon by Simon Lang to Star Trek. It includes a starship captain named Riker and his half-human science officer named Marik.
• The Star Trek Fan Fund nominations are in and the letterzine includes their names, short bios and who nominated them. The line-up: Mary Louise Dodge, Gerry Downes, Connie Faddis, Fern Marder and Eileen Roy
• notable fanworks listed for sale: Folksongs for Folks Who Ain't Even Been Born Yet, Alternative: The Epilog to Orion ("a new mature-theme zine from Gerry Downes. A different kind of love story for Starship Captain James T. Kirk and his first officer, Mr. Spock. You must state you are over 18 on your order.")
• a review of Warped Space #17, see that page
• a review of Final Frontier, see that page
• a review of Archives Log (March/April 1976), see that page
• a review of Berengaria #7, see that page
• a review of The Goddess Uhura, see that page
• a review of Stardate Unknown, see that page
• a review of The Climb, see that page
• a review of Neutral Zone Outpost #1, see that page

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 20/21

The most impressive thing about this issue is the looks. Along with an absolutely dynamite scratchboard illo of the Mirror, Mirror Spock by Signe Landon, a new layout with transfer lettering and other graphic aids, two beautiful cartoon drawings of the Halkan eds by Phil Foglio (and many other piece of art as well) and a center fold of pictures from SeKWester*Con.

Connie Faddis, Joan Verba and Carol Lynn take on the problems of fanzines and reviewing. There is a lengthy discussion of the Vulcan character by Jean Lorrah and defense by others on the K/Sp homosexual idea. Devra Langsam also touches briefly but importantly on zine reprinting. Jim Meadows has some very perceptive ideas on Klingons and the end of the issue is filled with 8 reviews, the usual general info and a ballot for the First Star Trek Fan Fund. Orie of the best issues yet. Recommended.

Issue 22 (September 1976)

cover of issue #22, John Alexander

explanation of issue #22's cover by the artist

The Halkan 22 was published in September 1976 and contains 24 pages. This issue states it was published by "War Su-Op Press."

• art by John Alexander, Dennis Drew and Kathi Lynn Higley
• a fan disagrees with the generally positive review of Final Frontier in the previous issue
• a fan says she always thought the food on the Enterprise was injected with contraceptives that affected both men and women, and that Kirk had been away from the ship long enough to get his wife, Miramanee, pregnant
• a fan wants to see more of the relationship between Spock and McCoy
• there is much discussion about "Women's Lib"

• a fan comments:

  ... One of the faults I find with some fanfiction is the emphasis on sex -- a sort of clinical morbidity about how aliens conduct their sex life. The details of reproduction, the positive GLOATING about pon farr for instance, the unnecessary explicit details of the love-making. I sometimes suspect some our twentieth century females are indulging themselves in a bit of ladylike pornography -- working themselves up to tumescent glow by imagining what it must be like to get screwed by a Vulcan, or a Klingon, or a Romulan. So far, nobody that r've run across seems much intrigued about the love-life of a Medusan but probably someone will think of something.

• a fan wants to see more depth of relationship:

  ...I think that a large number of writers in fandom lately are underestimating the power of friendship which lies between McCoy and Spock - too often I see writers pitting them in some argument and bickering like a couple of grade schoolers. I just wish that these same writers would tune in to their sensitivity channels a bit more often and see the depth of friendship (yes! and even love) which is there in the exchanges between McCoy and Spock . Frankly, that area has not been explored enough in my opinion . Always we have the duo team of Kirk-Spock. with McCoy in the background. And yet, can't we please get it through our heads that each of the three is more complex than most of us say in our stories?

• regarding established characterizations and possibility:

  It's frustrating to see (ALWAYS) a trilogy in which the author(s) split up the three basic sides as Kirk = a blend of logic (from Spock) and emotion (from McCoy). No one person is such a clear-cut example of characteristics! I don't believe it's fair to try and assign these things to people in a television show, either. I personally feel robbed when I sit down to write a story and upon reading the completed story find that I've copped out once more and used the above-mentioned formula. It no longer becomes challenging as an author (or a reader) to confine oneself to established formulas. Certainly, we must use Roddenberry's basic character-schemes as our foundations for story plots, but we should not let ourselves become lazy and build stereotypical plots around equally stereotypical characters.

• regarding Alan Dean Foster's books:

  About Foster's novelizations of the animated. Well, in Log 1, I think you have to give him credit for trying very hard to make one of the most ridiculous ST episodes halfway tolerable. I think he needed a novel length book to do it, though I'm really unsure as to whether I want to praise him for that effort, or scream at him for using what is basically a cop-out ending. (I mean, don't we have enough energy people working in illusion and all already? We've got the Melkotians, the Organians, Korob and Sylvia, the Talosians etc.! Enough is enough. It's all too easy to say I "well, we didn't understand it because it was all a big illusion created by Them, and They just happen to be energy beings who are as far above us as we are above the amoeba.") However, I do think Foster is doing a much better job on a creative level than Blish did. He's done more with a lot less. Though I have found several times he seems to get out of character, I find the Logs more readable and enjoyable than Blish's efforts. Log 8 is now out, and this one, which is again one episode converted a novel, is not too good - he adapted "Eye of the Beholder," which was an enjoyable episode , and added on a lot of stuff unneeded, and also inaccurate - he has a life form, intelligent too, and claims it is the first one found by the Federation . WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE HORTA? I mean, that was silicon , and intelligent , and to me, it was a lot interesting an episode - better done, too, dramawise, than Foster's ideas.

• a fan comments on Women's Lib and a fan's previous letter:

  Ms . Dodge, I think, has a few misconceptions about Women's Lib (#20/21, p8). First and foremost I don't believe Women's Lib is for total DOMINATION of men. I feel that it is for EQUALITY between men and women . Second, Women's Lib was the momentum behind gaining this equality. Now that some of it has been achieved Women Libbers are not so obvious as before. The point has been made and they are not really needed. So, in that sense, the ST revival would not be slanted toward Lib. Two hundred years from now women will, hopefully, be equal to men. And, hopefully Roddenberry will portray the 23rd century this way. Her example of "Spock's Brain" was poorly chosen. As we all know, Roddenberry had little to do with the third year and I don't feel he had anything to do with that episode. If he did, I don't think he will ever admit it. "Turnabout Intruder" however, was an insult to women everywhere. If a woman is capable of being a captain then she should be!

• more on Alan Dean Foster:

  I like Alan Dean of the already too short (1/2 hour) episodes : I mean , look at what Blish did. He hacked and shortened the live episodes down to mere synopses of what was shown on television. As for Log 7, Foster adapted the episode very skillfully, extending it 1/3 of a book to 1/2 of a book. I feel the original portion of Log 7 was rather plot-less. A pretty bad story this time. If Foster can write ST as well as he can write original sf, if tries, then we'll have some good reading ahead.

• more about women and Star Trek:

  The reason we can expect Trek's second incarnation to be more feminist is because it was originally supposed to be that way - witness Number One. It was just that the social framework to which it was presented was unable to accept a strong woman (naturally - made many people uncomfortable) and that forced Roddenberry to change that part of the format.

• Leslie Fish was glad to finally see fans discuss The Premise:

  I'm delighted that at long last somebody has opened discussion on the question of whether or not Kirk and Spock could be lovers. I was hoping to see an 23rd century cross-species courting customs and social psychology as It applies to shy Vulcan adolescents (which is precisely what Spock is in "Amok Time" we saw him become sexually capable for the first time ever). Instead what do we get? Aside from Gerry Downes, most respondees insist - either politely or angrily - that they'd never do it unless forced to , that even considering the possibility is insulting, and no-no-no-our-Captain-isn't-Queer. Oh horse-pucky: Can't people understand that we're discussing a couple of educated people in a tolerant, cosmopolitan society of three centuries from now? We are not discussing a society, like ours , which is only recently coming out of a psychological Dark Age in which all pleasure was considered suspect if not sinful, and all sexuality an easy road to Hell. We are discussing a society whose psychological knowledge is so advanced that there's only one small madhouse in the entire galaxy, and only one prison planet. 23rd century Federation society is certainly not going to be saddled with superstitions that are considered passe even now. It will not believe that social role is inherent in anything but social upbringing; it will certainly not believe that any psychological traits are automatically ·'masculine" or "feminine." (Of course, there I s the possibility of some prejudice against women in command positions , at least in some parts of Starfleet Command - as hinted in "Turnabout Intruder" - but that could be an anomalous peculiarity of Starfleet's; the Navy has always been the most conservative branch of the armed forces.) A mature society would certainly not believe that there is anything "unnatural" about relationships. Let 's get that straight right now: THERE IS NOTHING UNNATURAL ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY. It is common throughout the natural world. [much snipped] Most human societies have accepted homosexuality as harmless or beneficial, and thought no more about it. Our society is unique in believing that it is "unnatural," or automatically makes one fall into a behavioral role , or precludes affairs with the opposite sex or is evidence of a mental disease. Even the AMA knows better these days; certainly everybody would know better in the future. If you want to know who the "perverts" are, look in the mirror. To get back to Kirk and Spock, the question is not "could they be lovers?" but "why not?" It's obvious that they love each other and Kirk is a very physical person - whatever he feels, he has to act it out with his body sooner or later - he can't lie very well for very long before his actions give him away. Neither would Kirk's none-too-strict adherence to Starfleet regulations restrain- him, the ultraconservative Navy has been rife with homosexuality for centuries, and has long since come to accept that fact. There would be no more official condemnation of same-sex affairs than of regular "fraternizing with the crew."So the only roadblock to such an affair would be Spock's personality. Spock does love his Captain dearly, probably has the Vulcan equivalent of an adolescent "crush " - but he does have fierce taboos against even recognizing emotion, much less acting upon it, and he's horribly afraid of his own sexuality. How to get through these problems could be the basis of many an interesting story . There's the easy answer of pon farr crisis of course; Kirk would do whatever is necessary, and in the following after-glow he might be able to convince Spock that it's "logical" to accept love. But what other answers could there be? How else could they get across the barrier? A mind-meld that reveals more than Kirk intended to tell , perhaps? Some amazingly logical argument? Some deus ex machina planet with natural aphrodisiacs in the air or water? Endless possibilities ! So let's see some.

• a fan compares Kirk/Spock to Alexander the Great and his lover, points out that Spock as a lover doesn't make Spock passive, that Kirk only has relationships with other strong people:

  Gerry Downes made some good points in her letter about Kirk and his relationships ((#20/21, pp4-5)). They do not necessarily apply only to Kirk/Spock, either. Particularly her point about Spock's subordinate position, and Jan Rigby's comment that Kirk is always in the dominant position in his sexual liaisons ((pp-12)), are interesting if taken together. True, Kirk insists on the dominant part in everything, friendship and love as well as career; this is not unprecedented, nor is it impossible for such a man to find a lasting relationship. Take the case of Alexander, which is an excellent parallel. Alexander the Great was also a dynamic leader, who settled for nothing less than the top position, yet he managed to maintain for nearly twenty years a love relationship - with Hephaistion, one of his chief generals. The parallel is so good because the similarity between Speck and Kirk is sc apparent, Spock is a man content to remain in his present position! Hephaistion was also a capable, intelligent man who preferred to remain subordinate to Alexander - as Iong as he could be near Alexander. Yet he was not passive or "feminine" any more than Spock is. As Jerry points out, Spock is as masculine and strong as Kirk is. it is reflected in different ways, part temperamental, part cultural. And if you look at the relationships Kirk has had with women, you will notice that the serious affairs have always been with strong women. I suspect that Kirk is not capable of an involvement with a woman he does not respect, and he does not respect weakness, lack of ambition, or any other traditionally "feminine" quality -look at his attitudes towards cultures which display these traits. Yet Kirk's relationships have been unsuccessful because eventually his drive for dominance comes into conflict with the ambition of the woman with whom he is involved, who is herself a pretty strong person. Having grown up in the same culture as Kirk, as a rule, her drives are in the same directions; she is not content to remain in the secondary place to which Kirk almost has to assign her, due to his own nature, and he is certainly not about to take second place to her. Kirk's not too good at compromising when his self is in question. So they split. In some ways Spock is the perfect substitute; or perhaps that is a bad word, and displays my 20th century prejudices. Spock is a good choice, and I think it is because he is a Vulcan that he is such a good choice. ..'ere he human he would be subject, as a strong man, to the same types of drives that Kirk is, and probably be in conflict with him. He is not. He is strong encugh for Kirk to relate to him as an equal (I don't think the question is one of masculinity or feminity so much as of strength and weakness: the matter of gender only arises because of the traditional association of particular traits with particular sexes)i yet his strength is different enough that it will not conflict with Kirk's strength, and Kirk is probably aware of this. He is willing to allow Kirk the dominant position without in any way feeling threatened or inferior; Kirk does not have to worry about Spock wanting to be dominant in the relationship. I don't think the matter of Kirk allowing his "wife" to take command of his ship would arise, because I don't think that Kirk would regard Spock in that way (assuming that "wife" implies "feminine" implies "weak"); Spock is perhaps the only person who could assume a separate but equal ro£e with Kirk. Or as Alexander put it, speaking of Hephaistion, "He too is Alexander." However, I think that Jan Rigby is right in that the situation would not arise permanently, as I think I said before; she is also right in that did it arise temporarily, McCoy would be busy playing psychiatrist for a long, long time.

• a fan, Connie Faddis, is unhappy with the state of current for-profit cons:

  The final panel of theAugust Party was a catch-all of BNFs ((Big Name Fans)), and included Joan Winston, Stu Hellinger, Jacqueline Lichtenberg, and several other folks. A fascinating idea was brought up, and received the noisy approval of the audience. When the ST actors are being paid thousands of dollars to make appearances at Trek conventions, and the audience have paid $20 each to see the actors, it seems inappropriate for that audience to have to listen to the actors advertise their latest series, books, recordings, etc. It is outrageous to have to pay good money for a commercial! What people want to see at a Trek con, which has amazingly, never been done, is to see the actors ply their trade: they want to see them act. Is that so much to ask? I doubt that anything complex would be necessary; a short skit with several of the actors, in "T costumes, would bring down the house. In fact, the stars may feel much more at home doing: what they do best than having to stand in front of a sea of demanding faces and "be wonderful." Several of the stars have done a little of their "thing.'" Nichelle Kichols can be relied upon to sing "Beyond Antares"; James Doohan also sings his song from "The Lorelei Signal," and usually will demonstrate his Scottish accent, at least. The audience response has always been appreciative. After all, fen come to the cons to, in some small way, step into Star Trek, partake of the ST universe. If that weren't so, why would they stand in lines to get to watch an episode that they've seen on their tv screens a dozen times? Why would they go to the fuss and bother (or expense) to make or buy their own uniforms to run around in? They want to see Star Trek on the stage, just as much as to see "celebrities." One factor mentioned in the declining market for ST conventions is the "sameness" of them - the stars usually give the same speeches, the same "commercials." A Trek con that could offer a ST skit, acted by the original cast (provided the idea could be okayed by Paramount - and when has Paramount ever turned down the possibility of free advertisement for the ST film? Or a small "piece of the action," if necessary?), would pump life back into the faltering market for Trek cons. If some new appeal is not initiated soon, we will see the end of the "really big shew" - not a loss in some ways, true; but a very sad loss in others.

• a review of Alternative: The Epilog to Orion, see that page
• a review of Spectrum #26, see that page
• a review of the humor book, Keep on Trekkin'
• a review of Ambrov Zeor! #1, see that page
• a review of Folk Songs For Folk Who Ain't Even Been Yet, see that page
• a review of Contact #2, see that page

art from issue #22, art by Kathi Lynn Higley

art from issue #22, by Kathi Lynn Higley

art from issue #22, Dennis Drew

Issue 23 (January 1977)

The Halkan Council 23 was published in Jan 1977 and contains 24 pages. This issue states it was published by "War Su-Op Press."

cover of issue #23, Heather Firth

inside art from issue #23, John Alexander

inside art from issue #23, Amy Falkowitz

inside art from issue #23, Sandy Yingling

• The editors announced:

  Halkan now has 300 subscribers and we have decided not to accept any more. Since with colleges we have had little time to spend, we would prefer to work less on bookkeeping aspects and more on actual Halkaning... In any case, you can see things are changing, not entirely because we wish it so; it's an exploratory mish-mosh at this point, but we have given it a great deal of thought.

• the editors announce the winner of the Star Trek Fan Fund. It is Gerry Downes. She said she has plans to attend SeKWester*Con Too. The Fan Fund raised $700. There were 69 voting ballots and an assortment of things for sale. Total results were published in the letterzine.
• the editors apologize for the delay in publishing; they'd started college and found things challenging:

  Cross country editing presents its own unique problems...We hope to return to some sort of schedule, say, an ish every two months, but will make now promises after our too lengthy delay in getting this issue out.

• Sharon Ferraro wrote:

  Personally, I feel a little sad that so many of the finer up-and-coming Trek writers are spending their time writing Kirk/Spock love stories. This introverted navel-diving, besides being very hard to present believably, seems like a cop-out. Instead of expanding outward, dealing with the inevitable fact that the warm, efficient crew of the Enterprise MUST eventually break up and be presented with new, even more exciting and challenges, here are the writers cementing the Captain and first officer together with Super-Glue. Some even include McCoy. To be honest, I find ill-written or smug porn boring and repulsive and this is not the point I object to. Sexologists and psychologists, to a certain degree, believe that all humans are basically bisexual and that Kirk or Spock might try out a homosexual relationship is not impossible. But with the care Kirk takes to avoid becoming sexually involved -- on a lasting level -- with any junior officers, he would never jeopardize the ship by becoming that deeply involved in an affair with Spock. The pon farr theory is plausible, but a continuing relationship? Nope! I'd like to see more writers turning outward to other adventures and new assignments. There is a whole universe out there that needs to be explored. Go to it!

• a zine editor is upset about high zine presses, especially when they are 1.5 to double-spaced:

  Please editors -- single space with a fresh ribbon and clean type... Unfortunately, and ironically, I suppose, I suspect I am at least partially responsible for the high prices of zines -- especially first issues. The Zine How-to booklet I did for STW unintentionally stressed offset. That was the medium I was most familiar with. But a nice clean mimeo zine is cheaper and can be just as delightful when done with care -- like Pegasus and The Sehlat's Roar.

• fan wonders why she is a fan:

  Why were we so passionately, and in some cases, immediately attracted to ST when millions of other viewers weren't? How many people besides me were hooked on one viewing? Do fen had some sort of personality trait in common that was touched by an element of ST? Anybody a psychologist and wants to do a study of ST fen?

• a fan writes:

  Perhaps this is as it should be: whether Way of Life or Goddam Hobby, trekdom is still not the universe. To get specific, I refer to the latest brouhaha, the 'Kirk/Spock homo --' er, excuse me, 'Relationship.' Now really people. The two assholes (take the word as you will) may well be screwing each other blind; or their mothers, or the admiral, or Chekov -- I don't know, and I don't care. This whole rot has degenerated... into exchanges of 'they do, too!' and 'they ain't, neither!' Because the pair are fictional characters, it would seem that the proper way to slug it out is through fiction. WRITE the bloody tales of them fucking, or not, as your personal Muse decrees. If your vision is wrong, you'll only be laughed out of court. If right, your argument convinces more strongly thru fiction, for it works at the gut level as well. If people then say, 'enuf with the stupp stories, awready,' then shut up. If they want more, they'll let you know.

• a fan has wants to know how she can get her zine reviewed, as she can't get anyone to comment on it.

  How do you go about attracting reviewers?... What motivates them to choose a zine review? My zine has only been reviewed in one place, a semi-pro SF journal. Even though I've sent out copies, no ST editor has touched it. Why, why, why?

• a writer complains that:

  it's easy to get your story properly illustrated if you're Connie Faddis, Leslie Fish or Amy Falkowitz, but suppose you're [names self] and can't draw anything but doodles?

• a fan says that lots of public libraries are having ST Days, showing convention slides, having an art show and guest speakers about science. She says that the libraries have a lot of circulating Star Trek records and books and would like to know if any libraries have fanzines.
• a fan wants other ST fans to get involved in politics and make a difference in world decisions:

  It sometimes seems that most of those holding political power in this country are too concerned with the present... I ask myself if they ever consider that the future is already upon us; the year 2000 is a psychological cut-off date for the future, and most of us will still be alive... We need something that will wake the general public and our elected officials to that fact.

• Beverly Clark wrote:

  I disagree with Leslie Fish's comment (HC #22, p. 12) that the 23rd century has to be more open and accepting of homosexuality and other alternatives than the 20th century is. I certainly hope that it will be so, but I can play Devil's Advocate and think of some reasons why it may not be. Obviously the dominant Terran culture, for good or ill, is the Western one, and Terra apparently dominates the Federation, and Western culture in general has disapproved of homosexuality. Old taboos die hard. Also in Western culture there is a tendency for the moral climate to alternate between Victorianism and openness -- the cloistered 19th century followed the more free-wheeling 18th century, which in turn came after the puritanical latter half of the 17th century, etc. If the progression continues to be reasonably open, at least in terms of past centuries, the 23rd century ought to be closed up again. The other factor that might work to create a more conservative sexual climate is one consequence of the future history of ST's time -- specifically, the drastic reduction in the Earth's population that supposedly occurred in the Eugenics Wars. Theoretically and intellectually, this might be a good thing for the Earth, emotionally, I imagine it would engender a great regard for children and child-bearing -- racial survival instincts threatened, or something -- and a corresponding horror of sexual activity that does not result in children, indeed takes the participants out of the child-bearing population. When reason and emotion conflict in humans, in general it is emotion that wins, or probably would be if racial survival were (thought to be) at stake.

• a review of Alpha Continuum, see that page
• a review of Delta Triad #3, see that page
• a review of IDIC #4, see that page
• a review of Off the Beaten Trek, see that page
• a review of Pegasus, see that page
• a review of R & R, the adult issue, see that page
• a review of Sehlat's Roar #2, see that page
• a review of Sol Plus #3, see that page
• a review of the pro book Spock, Messiah!, see that page
• a lengthy section/bulletin board of available zines
• an announcement that Equicon '77 has been canceled

Issue 24 (JApril 1977)

The Halkan Council 24 was published in April 1977 and contains 20 pages. This issue states it was published by "War Su-Op Press."

cover of issue #24, Richard Ciccarelli

interior art from issue #24, portrait of two special fans by Joni Wagner

• the editors remind folks that they are no longer accepting subscriptions: "Please don't recommend us through letters or in zines... We have quite a backlog already of people waiting for one of you to gafiate or expire."
• the editors say they didn't get a very many LoCs responding to the last ish.:

  Hopefully more of you will be able to contribute something to the next issue -- we need material. We're especially surprised a the dearth of zine reviews; there have been a pile of zines published lately, but no one rushed to our aid.

• the editors congratulate a fan for being the "first subscriber to figure out what 'Wor-Su Op Press' means." There is no further elaboration regarding this in-joke.
• a fan disagrees with another's earlier "ethnocentric" assertion that Terran culture is the dominating one in the Federation:

  We saw only a tiny part of the Federation, and very little of Starfleet, too... And, why do all characters in fanfic sound like they come from Ourtown, USA? I would like to see more non-Americans in fanfic -- after all, the vast majority of the world's population lives outside US borders. And there are a lot of non-humans out in the Federation, too!

• fan writes about another's previous letter, one that bemoans new writers who concentrate on K/S fiction:

  She may find it sad that the finer new writers are concentrating on the Kirk/Spock relationship and its variations, especially the more extreme ones, but that does not mean that the theme is not a worthwhile one to explore, nor that people shouldn't write those stories if compelled to do so... NOBODY in fandom -- not [fan's name], not me, not anybody -- has the right to dictate what is written by other fans, or even say that certain types of stories or themes should or should not be used. The farthest such dicta can reasonably extend is to the editorial policy of a given polity of a given fanzine, and even then one would hope for exceptions of for exceptionally well-written story...

• a fan plugs Michael Goodwin's book Who Was That Monolith I Saw You With?, and encourages fans to ask their newspapers to buy his new comic strip

interior art from issue #24, Connie Faddis, a variation of the cover of Interphase #1

interior art from issue #24, Signe Landon

interior art from issue #24, Kathi Lynn Higley

• a fan writes that she is not sure why some zines get reviewed and some don't. She says she got some reviews by sending her zine, Night of the Twin Moons for free to some folks, but some other reviews were done by people who'd paid for them. Also: "I hate to be ASKED to review a zine, for if it's really bad, I don't like to say so publicly. I think private letters are the way to help inexperienced writers and editors bring their quality up -- not a public mud-slinging so they'll never try again."
• a fan artist responds to another's complaint that:

  fanzine art never seems to be quite what the author had in mind... My best illos have invariable been for stories of my own creation (very few of which have actually been written down). My biggest problems come when I'm trying to illo another person's work. For that reason, I don't do much outside illoing at all. The safest thing I've found for me to do is stick to the heads of stock characters, ie Kirk, Spock, McCoy.

• a fan wants to know why "all of fandom apparently assume that Spock's 'inner eyelid' (his words) is a nictating membrane?"
• there is a very lengthy explanation of copyright
• a review of Furaha #4, see that page
• a review of Fantasia #1, see that page
• a review of The Capture Coloring Book, see that page
• a review of The Other Side of Paradise #2, see that page
• a review of Masiform D #5, see that page
• a review of The Castaways, see that page
• art by Richard Ciccarelli (cover), Joni Wagner, Connie Faddis, Signe Landon, Kathi Lynn Higley and Cheree Cargill

Issue 25 (June 1977)

The Halkan Council 25 was published in June 1977 and contains 20 pages. This issue states it was published by "War Su-Op Press."

inside art from issue #25, Kathi Lynn Higley

inside art from issue #25, Cheree Cargill

inside art from issue #25, John Alexander

inside art from issue #25, Cheryl Frashure

inside art from issue #25, Mike Chichellli

• the editors ask if folks would be interested in buying Halkan Council t-shirts with the Mirror Universe image of Spock by Signe Landon on the front of issue #20/21
• the editors say there is some money left over from the first Star Trek Fan Fund and want to use it as seed money for future fan funds: "We are looking for some resourceful, dependable, honest, dutiful and SWIFT fan to take over the actual proceedings next year -- to run the balloting, voting, counting, announcement letters, etc. Volunteers?"
• the contents of the Dunsel Box auctioned for the Star Trek Fan Fund are revealed. There were con programs, some zines, film clips, postcards and a multitude of miscellaneous items
• a fan comments on the current offerings on TV:

  Is it possible that ST, with all its faults, is the best science fiction we are ever going to get on commercial television? Nothing since has come close to matching it, and later attempts seem to repeat all of its faults without ever coming close to capturing the qualities that made it memorable. It doesn't auger too well for the ST movie, which seems to have gotten hopelessly bogged down somewhere. I doubt that Paramount is capable of producing a move which will satisfy the fans. Not that our expectations are so unreasonable, but the executives in the entertainment business just haven't any idea why we liked the show, and aren't about to ask the right people to find out...

• a fan writes:

  ... for a show that brags on its treatment of women, ST fandom seems to be doing an about-face. Why is it that seemingly bright, intelligent women turn out to be teeny boppers who want nothing more than to sleep with and/or marry and have lots of babies by the crewmen on the Big E? Ah, yes, this sounds like a typical Mary Sue story and everyone is supposed to hate them anyway, right? Of course, right. But all Mary Sue stories aside, there are still a lot of flakey 23rd century women in ST fanfic... Women [in the 23rd century] are going to be a lot more independent and strong-willed than today... Give them [the female characters] a chance to be people.

• a fan, Jean Lorrah, writes:

  ... Has anyone noticed that some of the quarrels within fandom are getting a little out of hand, people not speaking with each other, etc... Let's stop and thing a little... Fandom is the way of life that feeds our... fantasy life. Unlike most fantasies, this is one in which we can share with others, and get feedback. That's wonderful. Let's not spoil it by acting as if the fact that someone has a different fantasy from ours will destroy our fantasies, or even worse, that it will somehow spill over and affect our real lives. It won't. It can't. It is precisely because Star Trek isn't real that it is OURS. We can make it do exactly what we want to. Some of our fantasies are mainstream; they agree with many other people's fantasies and, if written down, become very popular in fandom. Some of them appeal to very few, but still have every right to be shared with those few. No one has the right to tell you what to dream. You don't have the right to force your dreams on anyone else... No one is forced to read stories about characters he doesn't like, or involving kinds of activities he does not wish to read about. And while we should all encourage writers to improve their style until they are writing their best, no one has the right to censor another writer's subject matter. There are an infinite number of Star Trek universes; at least several will be comfortable for any given person, and he has no need to enter the others. Let's... rejoice in our differences, and enjoy what we have in common.

• a fan comments:

  I should like to say a few words about some of the criticism of fan writers and zines being aired in a few of the 'private' letterzines. First, let me state that I do not receive any of these zines. However, I do have a friend who had been kind enough to let me see those copies she had received. What I have read in these criticisms seems to me to border on the schizophrenic. Let me explain: The very lifeblood of active Trekdom is the fanzine and thing that makes any zine work is its contributors. but from some of the criticism being thrown at the zines and writers it would seem, if we are to take these people seriously, that we are wasting our time and that of our readers. They would have us think that unless we can write at the caliber of Connie Faddis or turn out a zine as well-done as hers, we should just send our Smith-Coronas back to the factory... [She responds to some reviews she's read]: What I've seen in the letterzine is not really good criticism, it's cutesy remarks aimed at raising its author's ego at the expense of others... Saying someone has the linguistic ability of Donald Duck may be funny, but it hardly tells anything to the writer at whom it was directed... making the comment that the paper used in a specific zine would be more profitably been used in toilet tissue hardly tells the potential reader what is wrong is that zine... Another odd thing I notices in this letterzine [The Halkan Council] was that one author damned Delta Triad for having 'packaging' that promised more than she though the zine delivered, while another author in the same issue commended that 'packaging.' That made those criticisms sound like 'you're damned if you do, and damned if you don't... To close, let me just remind those at whom this letter is directed: If you can't say something nice about someone -- at least speak in generalities.

• a fan writes about the naming of the space shuttle and says: "I'm forced to wonder just how civilian NASA is anyway? Do we (Trekfandom) want to be closely identified with a quasi-military organization?"
• a fan tries to make sense of the canon Star Trek timeline
• there is a long letter talking about Fair Use, copyright and fanzines:

  [Fanzines aren't likely to be sued] for two reasons: we have no money to pay damages, and none of them wants that kind of bad publicity... The publishers could argue that they were contributing to the popularity of ST, and so the copyright holders are likely to make MORE money! That is the reason fandom has nothing to fear. There is no question that we kept Star Trek alive. Without fandom, and fanzines, the holders of ST copyrights would not now be making a penny from them. Even an obscene or otherwise offensive fanzine has such a small circulation that no one could claim that it was causing people to turn against ST in droves, thus causing damages.

• fan writes:

  I just plowed through Universes in Science Fiction, or at least as much of it as my poor non-scientist's brain could absorb. It's a helluva work, and represents a tremendous amount of time and effort on the part of Carol Walske, Anji Valenza, et al. BUT -- I am vaguely upset by the assumption that when one person has put all that effort into a Star-Trek oriented civilization, that person then owns it. I have no quarrel with the gals and guys who create their OWN universes (like Anji's 'Kaillaieu'). What bugs me is when someone takes over a portion of the ST universe, stakes a claim on it, and says in effect: 'This is the way it is, forever, do not try to contradict me.' Is Carol Walske's the only vision of the Klingon Empire to be accepted by fandom? Are Jackie Lichtenberg's the only Vulcans? Does Anne Elizabeth Zeek have the sole claim to the Romulans? The stories which these ladies have written are valid and readable -- but is this the ONLY interpretation? In my opinion -- and this is going to start a major letterwar -- the true, sole, and ONLY person who can judge what is and is not so in the Star Trek Universe is the man who made it, Gene Roddenberry. He gave explicit instructions, via the scripts and the ST writers' handbook as to how his characters should be treated. Some of the minor characters were left with sketchy outlines, but the main characters and Federation civilizations were made very clear. Perhaps we are getting too far away from the original intentions of the ST characters and the Universe when we 'improve' or re-interpret. I suggest that either we use some of that well-known Federation tolerance for other peoples' ideas, and admit that there may be more than one way to account for the doings of a gropy of beings, or that we re-read the scripts and the Writers' Guide more closely. Or else, quit playing 'Let's Pretend,' and admit that we're writing straight science fiction, and make up some new names for our characters...

• there is an announcement for Salt Con, October 15-15, 1977, in Salt Lake City, UT. Guests: Robert Heinlein, Alan Dean Foster, Jerry Pournelle, Michael Goodwin and Susan Sackett
• Devra Langsam writes that she is "hunting up Lois McMaster, the originator of the Free Enterprise concept; last seen seven years ago in Delaware, OH."
• a new Gene Roddenberry movie, Spectre is unfavorably reviewed
• a review of Scuttlebutt #1, see that page
• a review of Comloc #1, see that page
• a review of Never and Always, see that page
• a review of Delta Triad Supplement #1, see that page
• a review of R & R #3, see that page
• art by John Alexander (cover), Cheryl Frashure, Cheree Cargill, Mike Chichelli, and Kathi Lynn Higley

Issue 26/27 (September 1977)

The Halkan Council 26/27 was published in September 1, 1977 and contains 36 pages. It was the final issue. This issue states it was published by "War Su-Op Press."

cover by Connie Faddis, also in Alpha Continuum

interior art from issue #26/27, Amy Falkowitz

interior art from isseu #26/27, Amy Falkowitz

interior art from isseu #26/27, Cheree Cargill

interior art from isseu #26/27, Cheryl Frashure

interior art from isseu #26/27, Gee Moven

• from the editors:

  This is the last issue of HC we will be publishing; when something as fun as Star Trek fandom becomes more work than pleasure, we know it’s time to quit… Please spread the word that we are closing up shop; we will probably not have the time to answer inquires from a lot of potential new subscribers, and we wouldn’t want them to get a bad view of fandom if we didn’t answer them… We would like to thank all of you, our subscribers, for keeping so busy for so long!

• there's a page of wonderful photos of fans from SeKWester*Con Too, though the identification key is all messed up
• a fan writes:

  Has anyone noticed that… very few ST stories are what might described as SF? Most seem to deal with ‘human’ themes – people trying to cope with problems of one kind or another. Those authors who are really skilled at such stuff turn out damn fine stories, stories that are strong enough to live without an SF element: those who aren’t subject us to Mary Sue-type stories. Since most ST stories don’t have a lot of SF in them, why are some better than other? The answer, I think, lies in the fact that the good stories are based solidly on emotionally valid characters. There’s nothing wrong with writing a Mary Sue story per se – a Mary Sue story is basically one in which a character based strongly on the author winds up on the Big E – the problem is these stories have no credibility. In order to be in Starfleet and on a starship, you have to have a skill you can sell, most probably had some kind of scientific knowledge. If the author of a Mary Sue story is going to come up with a character who has the requisite knowledge, she’s going to have to know enough about the field in question to have her character function believably at it. That’s not to say that some crackjack Mary Sue skilled in genetic engineering has to bore the hell out us creating the latest version of Kahn [sic?], but if her author knows the kind of work that goes into genetic engineering, chances are her Mary Sue won’t be such a flying jackass being wonderful at it. She’ll be up to her eyeballs working in a lab, not fauching after the big three. What I’m saying boils down to what people who are presumptuous enough to preach at authors have been saying for years: WRITE ABOUT WHAT YOU KNOW! Know on an emotional as well as factual level. It’s not necessary to be Larry Niven to write a good ST story. A story can be good simply because it’s emotionally valid. The latest example of such a story is Connie Faddis’ ‘A Lesson in Perspective’ in Warped Space #20. Connie extrapolates on what effect being confined to Janice Lester’s body would have on someone as caught up in being male as Kirk. The story [works] because Connie got inside Kirk’s head. All action should grow out of a character’s personality or psyche… If you want to write a ‘Kirk and Spock are gay’ story, then you’re going to have to get inside one of their heads and make it work. – and pon farr’s a cop-out, since every single male Vulcan goes through pon farr, and you’re not writing about every single male Vulcan, are you? You’re writing about Spock, and won’t be able to get away with cheating your readers by having recourse to that ploy.

• the editor of the zine Implosion writes that her zine is a:

  private venture, there has never been any charge for it. I cover all the costs myself, tho some IMPers have been kind enough to contribute stamps, mailing labels, things like that, to the common cause. Becoz it IS a private venture, it has been within my rights to restrict readership in any way I desire – and that has been primarily on an economic basis – I can’t afford to send it to everyone, so I don’t.

• a zine editor notes:

  Publishing a fanzine without a copyright notice is sheer folly, thickheadedness of the purest sort. Publishing a zine without the notice puts the entire contents in the public domain; anyone who feels like it can reprint it without permission and totally legally. And once it has been published without the notice, it cannot be copyrighted in the second printing. The right to copyright is permanently lost.

• a fan says that at SeKWester*Con Too:

  ... anyone who had anything going on in their room simply left the door open. Thus, people could wander up and down… and find something to interest them. Some examples: at the T'Kuhtian Press suite we were collating Warped Space #25 and distributing Fanzine Review Zine #2 and Obsc'zine #1 to eager buyers. In the Kraith room, Carol Lynn was distributing Kraith Collected #5… she nearly got mobbed when she got it… [She also notes that there was a theft at the art auction] 'Connie Faddis’ nude Kirk was stolen right off the wall!

• a fan writes:

  On the question of fanzine reviewing, it is true that some of the reviews have been simply ill-tempered, in my opinion. Some also seem to be written more to show how cutting and cleaver the reviewer can be, than as an attempt to evaluate. I don't know what's to be done about this, except to try to bind of the wounds.

• a fan says that there is a difference "in standards," that to some, writing is a craft, an art. To others it is a hobby and that "a rigorous review" of some writing is unfair
• a fan responds to an earlier letter, saying she doesn't think: "ST fandom is doing an about-face toward stories about dependent women too busy getting love, sex and babies to carry out any other functions. There've always been such stories, but I don't think there are more now than there have been. And love, sex, and babies, in themselves, are certainly important enough functions to demand a certain amount of fiction devoted exclusively to them."
• the editor of the zine Implosion comments on a letter is an earlier issue of The Halkan Council:

  ... IMP is a soap box, a forum for those involved to express their opinions. One can only assume that [name of fan]'s cheap shot about schizophrenia was prompted by the fact that the comments within IMP often diverge with other comments therein. This is obviously because the various comments come not only from myself but also from the various readers and they are not always properly credited, something else someone who reads the issues would be aware of... Such a thing is often seen within the confines of HC and evidently she has either ignored that fact or overlooked it... [the fans's name] is probably referring primarily to an article by Paula Smith talking about zine quality... Whether or not I back Paula's ideas is not the issue -- what IS important is that she has the right to express them...

• a fan remembers when Star Trek about:

  the joy of seeing human beings portrayed with courage and nobility for a change... Star Trek hasn't changed, when did you? When did you decide it was more exciting to show Kirk and Spock abandoning all sense of duty and honor to indulge in an adolescent homosexual affair? When did Dr. McCoy change from a decent man into one who would violate his own daughter? Take a good look at the list of zines in Scuttlebutt -- most of them sounds like the inventory of an 'adult' bookstore! It's no longer cute, or merely risque; it's passed every border of decency and good taste, 'til one is ashamed of being associated with 'Fandom.'... Don't start protesting 'I've got a right to write what I please!' or I'm not breaking any law,' or 'IDIC'... The right to write also includes the responsibility to your audience, and what is legal is not always ethical. It is certainly NOT ethical to borrow someone else's creations and return them covered with slime!... The spectacle of SeKWester*Con, which was dominated by sophomoric porn-pushers, was a warning of what we are in store for this year, as all the zines vie to outdo each other in degrading the original characters with sexual perversions. The most unforgivable offense is that no warning is given to buyers. Even 'adult' used to mean only a little more normal sex. How many fans of the real Star Trek are turned off fandom in revulsion, to find a coyly advertised 'Kirk/Spock Relationship' is actually a homosexual zine... Just asking for money back or destroying the offending zine doesn't wipe out memory of outrage -- how do you clean the muck off the image you've cherished? ...These offensive zines must be clearly marked 'porn/pervert'... and kept under the counter, for those sick and sorry individuals who need this sort of thing.

• Gerry Downes writes of her experience at SeKWester*Con Too. Among other things, she observed that:

  There are a lot of unhappy people in Trek. You can see it in their eyes. They're running from something, or they're running to something, and they're not quite sure they like the person they're traveling with, which is themselves. Not everyone was this way, of course, and those who were varied a great deal in the degree to which they seemed to feel this, but it was there, and I saw it. Many, many people were seeking reinforcement and approval from outside themselves, instead of having it inside where it really counts... I notice all this because I have these same feelings sometimes, too. We all do, sometimes. I just hope we can all give each other enough room, enough SPACE to grow and learn in, so that we don't get those feelings quite so often anymore.

• there is a lengthy con report of SeKWester*Con Too by Gerry Downes
• the editors say that the fan fun raised for the Star Trek Fan Fund was $700, and broke down the recipient's expenses: the airfare was $470.83 and the hotel was $44.38.
• a review of Eel-Bird Bander's Bulletin #1, see that page
• a review of T-Negative #32/33, see that page
• a review of Universe Beyond #2, see that page
• a review of Menagerie #11, see that page
• a review of Beta Niobe Revisited, see that page
• the editors list many, many zines they are auctioning off