Enterprise Incidents (UK Star Trek: TOS zine)

Zine
Title:	Enterprise Incidents
Publisher:	STAG & ScoTpress
Editor(s):	Sheila Clark, Valerie Piacentini
Date(s):	1975-1995
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:	ScoTpress
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Enterprise Incidents is a gen Star Trek: TOS fanzine from the UK published by ScoTpress.

It ran for 12 issues. Each issue highlighted stories by the same writer.

Some Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1, 2, 4, 5

These four issues, a great collection of interludes in the loves of Spock, Kirk and McCoy. The best feature the 'learning process' that each must undertake to became friends - 'Echo' & 'Trust' from #2, 'Mission's End' and 'Return to ShiKahr' from #4. They explore the building bricks of Kirk and Spock's friendship. Oven now there are aspects unknown to themselves that surface unexpectedly.

'Duty Demands' the ultimate test - if you fail your chance of being a Starship Captain is zilch, go back to square one. 'Embarcation Leave' - and encounter in curious circumstances. Enterprise Incidents #5 feature Lorraine Godison's stories with a sombre theme - friendship demands but good & bad. The choices given to McCoy is your life or... He chooses and is damned by his friend. Later Jerry's own friends/henchmen catch up for revenge but this does not eventuate.

I preferred the first selection as they are more varied in content and character. But the need for McCoy stories-orientated stories is emphasised by issue #5. But I do wish they could have been happier for McCoy, he certainly deserves some.

General Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1 and 2

Six fanzines of potential interest to the enquiring mind have come my way over the past month, so a quick review of each seems to be the fairest way of dealing with then all [see "City" for a list of the other five zines].

STAG's 'ENTERPRISE INCIDENTS' and 'Log Entries' are two all-fiction zines whose very readable contents are let down by the quality of duplication, which in places is difficult to read.

Beth Hallan's illustrations for 'ENTERPRISE INCIDENTS' are striking, making vigorous use of the contrasts inherent in her medium. The stories are mainly Kirk/Spock/McCoy oriented and biased towards internalised relationships rather than action-adventure a la Roddenberry, though there is one, 'Perchance to Dream, whose sheer physical nastiness is put across so powerfully that my attempts to illustrate it kept me awake for a week thereafter! Both zines are available from Beth Hallam [address redacted].

Issue 1

ScoTpress 1977 cover of issue #1, Micheal Cleaver

STAG 1975 cover of issue #1

Enterprise Incidents 1 was originally by published by STAG in 1975 (46 pages) and reprinted by ScoTpress in 1977 (58 pages). It contains 8 stories by Sheila Clark. Art by Helen McCarthy and Beth Hallam.

• The Fires of Lorn (3)
• Operation: Annihilate - An Interlude (9)
• Cruelty Is a Way of Life (10)
• Why (17)
• When Friends Fall Out (19)
• Recant and Die (27)
• The Haggis (36)
• Prejudice (38)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

• The Fires of Lorn / McCoy, new to the Enterprise, is cold and sullen, too wrapped up in misery from his recent divorce to allow new friendships. On a landing party, the doctor is captured by witch doctors during a power struggle. Kirk manages to rescue him from burning at the stake, which seems to thaw him a bit. Interesting character situation, but unconvincing plot and the writing is middling.
• Operation: Annihilate - An Interlude / McCoy agonizes over having blinded Spock, until they both realize he's healing. Again, a good grasp of the characters.
• Cruelty Is a Way of Life / On a planet where scientists are killed by mobs if they are caught outside a reservation, Kirk, Spock and McCoy are captured by a scientist and tortured for access to the Enterprise. H/C with not much plot to carry it. The worst of the torture - blinding Spock - turns out to be a bluff.
• Why / T'Pring soliloquy elaborating on her choice.
• When Friends Fall Out / A mysterious rift develops between Spock and McCoy, with McCoy becoming publicly abusive. Spock declares himself to be at fault, but also unable to apologize. It turns out they both just happen to have weird infections; McCoy has a parasite that affected his emotional balance, and once it is removed he manages to save Spock from certain death of the fatal "mental debility." Interesting set-up, but the writing needed work.
• Recant and Die / On a priest-ridden planet, Spock escapes a mob with help from dissidents, but Kirk and McCoy are captured and sentenced to burn alive as familiars of a devil. A dissident manages to get to them with Spock's communicator as the flames reach them, and others manage to turn the mob against the priests and their Klingon "angels." Again, points for an interesting premise, but the writing feels like a draft.
• The Haggis / Scotty waxes eloquent about the habits and habitats of the wild haggis.
• Prejudice / Joanna McCoy, now a nurse, is aboard the Enterprise for a few weeks, but takes a dislike to both Kirk and Spock. Jim is so disturbed by his apparent abandonment by both his friends that he has a physical collapse, not helped when he finds he is being looked after by Joanna, not McCoy. Meanwhile, McCoy and Spock end up captured on a planet and forced to endure a survival test. They get stuck in a swamp, and are rescued by Kirk and Joanna, who become friends. Pretty smarmy; Jo is a completely flat character, and Kirk's reaction is a bit ridiculous.

Issue 2

cover of issue #2

Enterprise Incidents 2 was published by STAG in 1976 and later reprinted by Scotpress. It contains stories and poetry by Sheila Clark and artwork by Michael Cleaver, Sandy Sapatka & Judy Miller. It is 59 pages long.

"When Sheila Clark entered the TerraCon '77 writing contest, the last thing she expected was to win four awards. But she did. 'Enterprise Incidents' 2 collects her winning stories and others, all in one zine."

• Duty Demands... - Duty demands much of Starfleet personnel. (1)
• Vulcan Wedding (poem) (3)
• Embarcation Leave - Kirk's last day of leave before joining the Enterprise.
• Thoughts on Shore Leave (poem) (8)
• Meditation (poem) (9) (contest winner)
• Echo - A Vulcan scientist assigned temporarily to the Enterprise refuses to acknowledge Spock's existence. (10) (contest winner)
• Thanks - Spock beams back to the Enterprise wearing a grass skirt and a string of beads, carrying a flower and a wooden trumpet. (23)
• Devil's Spawn, The - The Enterprise visits lost a colony that is ruled by religion. (26)
• Enterprise Lament (poem) (38)
• Love (poem) (39) (contest winner)
• Trust The Kirks of two universes change places. (40) (contest winner)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

Duty Demands' concerns a tortured James Kirk who must not tell military secrets to the enemy. It seems like a stock story until the ending. The twist ending puts the story in a different category. "Embarcation Leave' is a story of newly-appointed Captain Kirk as he considers his new crew and becomes acquainted with his Vulcan officer. 'Echo' explores Vulcan prejudice, embodied in Sepek, who considers Spock a mongrel. The two Vulcans are in close proximity while on board the Enterprise, and Sepek's attitude gets to Kirk and McCoy. It takes a life and death crisis to force Sepek to understand Spock, and the resolution of the problem is well-handled. 'Thanks' is mainly a Spock story as he discovers the customs of an unusual people on a new world. Touches of humor make this story absolutely delightful. In 'The Devil's Spawn,' Kirk and a landing party beam down into a puritanical religious society which believes in witches. They have left Spock on the ship as his very appearance would get them into trouble, not realizing that they've overlooked a trait within another landing party member which gets them into even worse trouble. In 'Trust,' Kirk finds a machine which he accidently activates and he is sent into an alternate universe. He must masquerade as himself, little realizing that his alternate is a self-centered s.o.b. concerned only with his own image, trusting no one, and ready to run like hell before risking his life for a crewman. The plot thickens as the other Kirk learns of his alternate self, and once the two Kirks return to their own universes, this distrusting Kirk must learn to work with his crew, with the help of McCoy and Spock. This issue of 'Enterprise Incidents' was quite enjoyable and gives an insight into Sheila Clark. SHe is an author with many interesting ideas, and is able to convey those ideas well. I expect to see a great deal of her in the future... she is rapidly improving on the natural talent she already possess. This is a well-recommended zine from the STAG

Issue 3

cover of issue #3

Enterprise Incidents 3 was published by Scotpress in February 1981 and contains 52 pages. Stories and poetry by Lorraine Goodison. Artwork by Roo and Virginia Lee Smith.

• Prison Planet (3)
• Night (poem) (23)
• Mailbag Blues (24)
• Starship Destiny (poem) (31)
• Mission to a Contrary Planet (32)

Issue 4

cover issue #4

Enterprise Incidents 4 was published in December 1981 and contains 52 pages. Stories and poetry by Lorraine Goodison. Artwork by Roo and Virginia Lee Smith

• A Matter of Life (1)
• Poem (15)
• Mission's End (16)
• To be a King (poem) (19)
• Return to ShiKahr (20)
• Night-time Comprehension (22)
• Waiting (24)
• Robot's Destiny (25)

Issue 5

cover of issue #5

Enterprise Incidents 5 was published in August 1984 and contains 58 pages. Stories and artwork by Lorraine Goodison.

• Echoes of Past And Furture (3)
• The Time of Renrwal Lorraine Goodison (20)

Issue 6

cover of issue #6

Enterprise Incidents 6 was published in February 1986 and contains 123 pages.

The stories are by Jennifer Guttridge.

From the editorial:

The name of Jennifer Guttridge is well-known to fandom because of her inclusion in Star Trek Lives and her stories in New Voyages (The Winged Dreamers and In the Maze). However, it's been a long time since any of her stories appeared in zine form - and even when they did, most of them were printed in America. Indeed, Jennifer has been out of contact with fandom for some years now.

Some months ago we contacted her and asked for permission to print some of her stories. We were delighted when she agreed, and especially so when we discovered that - although they were written fully ten years ago - six of the stories we asked her about were unprinted.

Three of these stories are printed here, along with Evil Is..., which was first printed in Log Entries 12 and has been out of print for several years. The other three unpublished stories will appear in Enterprise Incidents 7, planned for May.

• The Red Velvet Lady (3)
• Evil Is… (44)
• The Red Carpet Treatment (69)
• The Secret of the Black Planet (93)

Reactions and Reviews; Issue 6

123pp, offset(?). Four stories contained withing, well-written and enjoyable reading. "The Red Velvet Lady" - and interesting story on an alien planet with plenty of action - Klingons - need I say more? "Evil Is" - Kirk's life is threatened by one of his own crewmembers - but who? "The Red Carpet Treatment" - Kirk is accused of murder - but found badly injured afterwards. Spock tried to prove Kirk's innocence, but is held hostage, by the Planet's Officials, against Kirk's surrender. "The Secret of the Black Planet" - The Enterprise is searching far the missing spacecraft USS Anon and its crew - instead they find the Black Planet. Kirk, Spock & McCoy beam down and find themselves adversaries to a strange alien creature.

Issue 7

cover of issue #7

Enterprise Incidents 7 was published in April 1986 and contains 122 pages. All stories by Jennifer Guttridge.

From the editorial:

As with the last issue, three of the stories are appearing for the first time, while one has been printed before - The Huntress first appeared in Tricorder Readings 3 (in America). Tricorder Readings has not been available for many years and I doubt if many copies ever found their way to Britain .

• Countenance of a Dark Angel (3)
• The Huntress (42)
• The People Stealers (64)
• The Desert Star (98)

Reactions and Reviews; Issue 7

See reactions and review for The Huntress.

[zine]: 122pp, offset. "Countenance of Dark Angel" - this story exists solely for the purpose of the writer's sense of the macabre - it's lacking any story or taste. "People Stealers" - The Enterprise and crew once again face the unknown dangers of space and strange aliens. "The Huntress" - an interesting story. "The Desert Star" - senseless violence runs amok on the Enterprise and unless a way can be found to take the ship away from excessive radiation, the entire crew will soon succumb to it. Four stories, good value, and well written.

[zine]: These four tales come from the dark side -from Spock lost to 'The People Stealers'. For all particpants, the encounters leave unpleasant memories. "The Huntress" is best, with the hope that Holli'a people can break free of the despotism of Biel Fienn. "The Desert Star" - a thrust of light ever eager to consume more knowledge which almost consumes the Enterprise. 'The People Stealers' take colonists to repopulate their planet. 'Countenance of a Dark Angel' where Spock is lost and hunted in a medieval style world. Where the Church rules but is just as corrupt as 'The Family' is snow white. Of all the stories, "The Huntress' is the best offering, having interesting characters and a believable situation. I did not enjoy these nearly as must as I should have. The editors have placed too much depression together in one zine and this is a pity as Jennifer writes well and places the characters in situations possibly encountered on their voyages.

Issue 8

cover of issue #8

Enterprise Incidents 8 was published in March 1987 and contains 123 pages. Stories by Sheila Clark.

• Abduction - Kirk fails to return from shore leave on Argelius. (3)
• Falcon Incident - A starship on her maiden voyage is totally disabled by an explosion. (13)
• Tortuga - Vessels have been disappearing in the space between spiral arms. The Enterprise is sent to investigate the disappearances. (23)
• Strangers at the Gate - The transporter malfunctions, leaving Kirk and Spock semi-stranded on the planet they have been investigating. While they wait to be picked up, they investigate further.(56)
• Philanthropy - An Ambassador misunderstands the relationship between Spock and McCoy. Meanwhile, there is an unusual problem on a planet they are sent to investigate. (66)
• If I Forget You - A colony world is having financial problems. Kirk is sent to investigate (79)
• Journey From Babel - The Enterprise has dropped off the diplomats on Babel... but the events of the journey there have repercussions. (110)
• City - a Conclusion - What happened after Edith Keeler's death? (121)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 8

According to the introduction, the stories in this zine are based on some of Sheila's very early efforts: she has done some re-writing and expansion of them, to good effect. The zine contains eight varied and highly entertaining stories, all of the high standard that I have come to expect from Sheila's work.

There are two stories that I particularly like. The first is Philanthropy, which has a visiting ambassador deciding that Spock and McCoy's arguments are evidence that they can't work together, so he tries to have McCoy transferred off the Enterprise. Kirk, Spock and McCoy all try to persuade him that they are perfectly happy as they are, thank you very much, all to no avail...

The other is If I Forget You, which is about a well-established colony whose economy is collapsing; the Enterprise is sent to investigate. Spock and two security guards go to check out the colony's titanium storage area and disappear, so Kirk sends men to look for them. The two guards are found dead, but there is no sign of Spock. On his way back to talk to the colony's Governor, Kirk is knocked unconscious and kidnapped. He awakens to find Spock with him; unfortunately for him, Spock has lost his memory and has no recollection of Kirk or anything connecting with the Enterprise. He has also been told that Kirk is a spy, and that it will be no loss if he dies... This is yet another of the zines in my collection that I got second-hand: you can really pick up some great bargains that way. This is one of my favorite zines, and I would award it 9/10.

Issue 9

cover of issue #9

Enterprise Incidents 9 was published in April 1990 and contains 97 pages. Stories by Sandy Catchick.

• Caesar of the Stars (1)
• A New Beginning (13)
• Undercover Operation (35)
• Traitor in Our Midst (61)

Issue 10

cover off issue #10

Enterprise Incidents 10 was published in July 1990 and contains 103 pages. Stories by Sandy Catchick.

• Freedom (1)
• Endurance (19)
• First Steps (47)
• Sickbay (77)

Issue 11

cover of issue #11

Enterprise Incidents 11 was published in May 1994 and contains 100 pages. Stories by Jay Stevensen

• The Dark Inside (3) (A powerful telepathic entity plays cat and mouse with the crew of the Enterprise. Kirk, Spock and McCoy must face their deepest fears and have complete trust in one another.)
• Classroom (83) (Kirk and Spock humor an alien teacher and then discover the lesson is not what they expected.)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 11

Enterprise incidents 11 contains two excellent stories by Jay Stevensen about the original crew. Both stories are structured like episodes and end with the type of epilogue which characterises Original Trek.

The first story is The Dark Inside, the title referring to the hidden fears and insecurities which are characteristic of Human-link and of half-Human Vulcans. The Enterprise enters orbit around the planet Cerus Alpha to investigate certain interesting readings. The resident alien has the power to project illusions, and the ship becomes trapped because the crew cannot trust their actions. The alien force feeds on emotion -human beings provide a satisfying diet. The story explores the Kirk/Spock/ McCoy relationship. The characters are accurately caught; though the story examines Spock's hidden emotional life, the Vulcan is never out of character; his relationship with McCoy is just right; and Jay's portrayal or" Kirk examines the character more thoroughly than anything i have read for a long time. To give more detail about the story would spoil if for readers.

The second story. Classroom, is shorter and more light-hearted, though with a touch of underlying menace, a sense that something really nasty is going to happen any minute... Essentially, Spock and Kirk are forced to go back to school on an alien planet - but the topic of the lesson is a little unexpected. The duo are forced to take part or they will be punished with the rather sinister and probably fatal "Reprimand One' Again the story explores relationships. There are some really runny moments, for example when Kirk and Spock are told their ratings on trie 'Bala" scale o! intelligence; Spock is "only a Bala scale three hundred and sixty". Under the humour, the tension is maintained by the threat.

This zine is vastly better than any of the 'professional' novels. Something else I really enjoyed - Jay's aliens, and I would like to see more of the race hinted at in Classroom. There is something in these stories for everyone (I forgot to menrion the cameo appearance by the Klingons in The Dark Inside). The zine is one to buy, keep and reread - my advice is to get a copy before stocks run out!

Issue 12

cover of issue #12

Enterprise Incidents 12 was published in May 1995 and contains 87 pages. It contains one novel by Rosemarie Heaton, called "Legacy."

Summary: a series of errors by Spock shakes Kirk's confidence in his First Officer.

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 12

This is a full-length story set in the aftermath of Gary Mitchell's death. There is an epilogue which gives clues to the story's resolution - I didn't realise its significance until halfway through; the story proper starts with an accident apparently caused by Spock's carelessness. A series of further errors shakes Kirk's faith in his First Officer, and seems to be destroying the relationship between the two officers, turning their developing friendship to suspicion and animosity. I have to say that a this point in the story I wanted to shake Kirk for doubting Spock, but of course Kirk does not know his Vulcan so very well at this point in the canon. I will not reveal the plot any further; I didn't guess what was going on for some time, which is a credit to the way that Rosemary has worked the narrative. In the end, of course, everything works out, and Rosemary provides a rationale for the first mental link between Kirk and Spock - a subject of recent discussion in the Postbag. [letters section in IDIC]

At first I was becoming really fed up with James T Kirk when he kept having a go at poor old Spock; obviously they were not as close as Kirk thought, and it all seemed to centre round Gary Mitchell. Thev didn't seem to know much about the planet or what was going to happen when they got there. Eventually I discovered that it was Spock that Gary was after; Kirk and Spock get together again after various problems, but Kirk then realises that he has a lot more to learn from Spock. I really enjoyed this story - eventually! - and couldn't put it down, I hope Rosemarie is going to do some more stories. Incidentally, I like the small 'book' size of ScoTpress's zines.