Cultural Affairs
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Cultural Affairs |
| Publisher: | Dreamscape Productions, out of the UK distributed in the UK by Janet Ellicott, distributed in the US by Bill Hupe |
| Editor: | Penny Potter |
| Author(s): | Steve Nottingham |
| Cover Artist(s): | Gavin Ross |
| Illustrator(s): | no interior illos |
| Date(s): | 1996 |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | het |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Cultural Affairs is a Deep Space Nine 42-page novel by Steve Nottingham.
The pairing is Kira and an original male character named Maruna.
Introduction
Welcome to my first Deep Space Nine zine. I've been a fan of Star Trek since 'Day One', when the BBC first began screening the original series of Star Trek, and I've faithfully followed its various incarnations; the movies, Next Generation and now Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
In all honesty it took me a while to warm to DSN. Because of its very nature, set on the Station, it was more static than any previous version of Star Trek, and it lacked its predessors' [sic] optimistic and idealistic feel.
Also it took me some time to get used to the new characters and appreciate them. However, in the course of three seasons I've come to like DDS9 largely because of those differences and its darker, grittier approach. The main characters have also become increasingly interesting and well-portrayed during those three seasons. I particularly enjoy the show's main background; the whole Cardassian/Bajoran conflict and how it's shaped so many of the characters, particularly Kira. Supporting characters like Garak and Gul Dukat have also added much to the show.
Equally fascinating are the political intrigues on Bajor and the development of the relationship between Vedik Bareil and Kira, and I think it was definately [sic] a mistake to have killed Bareil off.
Although I like all of the regular characters, it's Jira [sic] who I find most interesting, so it'll probabaly [sic] come as no suprise [sic] to you that "Cultural Affairs" is very much a Kira story.
I realise that some fans may object to the story's main theme; a romance between Kira and a Cardassian named Maruna. Admittedly once such a relationship would have been impossible considering Kira's feelings toward Cardassians, but there have been several TV stories showing that Kira is becoming more open and tolerant toward Cardassians. Besides, agree or disagree with what happens in "Cultural Affairs", it was just too good a theme to ignore.
Also in this zine are two articles; the first focuses on O'Brein [sic], another of my favourite characters, and the second is reprinted from a past issue of Sci Fi Universe. "Deep and Confused" gives a fascinating insight into the development of the show with its comments and observations by DS9' s own creative team.
Finally a word of thanks to artist Gavin Ross for his excellent cover, in which he' s captured Kira so well. Gavin has done a lot of cover art for my various zines, and I'm very grateful to him for all of his hard work and enthusiasm. Congragulations [sic] to Gavin on becoming a full-time artist.
Chapters
- Introduction by Steve Nottingham (2)
- Cultural Affairs, fiction (3)
- Chief O'Brien: A Profile, article (27)
- Deep and Confused, article (33)
Sample Interior
title page of the profile
first page of the story, "Cultural Affairs"
first page of the article "Deep and Confused"
