Eternal Triangle

Zine
Title:	Eternal Triangle
Publisher:
Editor(s):	Sharon Gates, Mona Golden, Linda Lakin, and Phyllis Sutter (#1)
Date(s):	May 1981 - March 1983
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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Eternal Triangle is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology fanzine.

The title comes from something in canon: "... truly an eternal triangle." -- McCoy speaking to Spock, Kirk, Rayna, and Flint in the episode "Requiem for Methuselah."

There were three issues. A fourth was planned for 1986 , but it did not make it off the ground.

Issue 1

cover of issue #1, Ann Crouch

Eternal Triangle 1 was published in May 1981 and is 130 pages long.

It was edited by Sharon Gates, Mona Golden, Linda Lakin, and Phyllis Sutter.

The cover is by Ann Crouch.

• It Had to Happen by Mona Golden and Sharon Gates (7)
• Forfeit by Deborah Kelley (10)
• Home by Linda Lakin (14)
• Revelations by Linda Lakin (18)
• The Bar by Mona Golden (25)
• Viva la Vie by Deborah Kelley (28)
• Take Two Aspirin and ... by Linda Lakin (38)
• The Witching Hour by Linda Lakin (40)
• The Light by Arjamond Bishop (46)
• So, What Are We Going To Do? by Deborah Kelley (48)
• Logically Speaking by Sharon Gates & Mona golden (52)
• Lady by Phyllis Sutter (65)
• Another Parting by Sandra Randant (67)
• Sweet Solitude by Sandra Randant (69)
• I've Been Drafted by Sharon Gates (72)
• Mirror Mirror by Paro D. T'Kum (75)
• 'Tis the Season by Sharon Gates & Linda Lakin (81)
• Ship of Silence by Sharon Gates & Mona Golden (84)
• Reunion by Sharon Gates (Retelling of the ST:TMP scene of Scott taking Kirk on a shuttle ride to view the Enterprise.) (97)
• Stranded Again by Deborah Kelley (99)
• The Planet Enterprise by Sharon Gates (105)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

Some of the stories are a bit bland, but this is a lovingly produced zine, with some fine illos.

• It Had to Happen / McCoy's molecules really do get scattered all over the Galaxy by the transporter. Cute.
• Forfeit / Spock/McCoy dialogue revealing that Spock has been ill - and violent. Spock maneuvers McCoy into a wager that the doctor can't win, in order to gain his freedom from Sickbay.
• Home / Spock and McCoy comfort Kirk on news of his mother's death.
• Revelations / Spock seeks out McCoy for assistance in handling his new-found emotions after V'Ger. Good characterization and dialogue.
• The Bar / Vignette of an aged Kirk mooning over the lost Enterprise in a bar.
• Viva la Vie / McCoy and Kirk come to fetch Spock at his death. Pretty good version of a done-to-death scenario.
• Take Two Aspirin and ... / Spock/McCoy dialogue as McCoy tries to get samples from Spock in hopes of curing the common cold.
• The Witching Hour / Spock gets revenge for Halloween jibes by turning everybody green at the ship party.
• The Light / The aged Kirk dies, goes to the light and is received by Enterprise..... again.
• So, What Are We Going To Do? / Cute little dialog - Spock and unidentified Lieutenant have been left together in a room with a muddy floor and one narrow bed.
• Logically Speaking / McCoy picks up a stone that causes him and Spock each to talk like the other. Silly premise, fun story.
• Lady / Aged Kirk, mourning news of Enterprise's destruction, finds solace with a puppy. Fetch the insulin.
• Another Parting / Vignette of Spock & McCoy's parting - sweet & sour - at the end of the mission.
• Sweet Solitude / After the mission, McCoy is off alone doing research and regretting his angry parting with Kirk.
• I've Been Drafted / Nogura informs McCoy that he's been re-activated. Cute.
• Mirror Mirror / Pretty funny little parody. Everything is reversed: Spock is constantly in heat except for pon farr, the "time of resting"; Scotty is incompetent ("last planetfall we really fell); McCoy & Spock have each other's personalities and lines; Kirk tells Uhura he's frightened, etc.
• 'Tis the Season / The crew conspire to make sure Kirk gets plenty of Christmas cards. Saccharine.
• Ship of Silence / The entire crew is infected with a virus that makes them mute. They get along with sign language and complete their mission to welcome the Artans - who fortunately are telepaths - into the Federation. McCoy solves the case by getting a blood sample from a native of the planet where Kirk was originally infected. The mission was kind of extraneous, but the loss-of-speech premise was interesting.
• Reunion / Retelling of the ST:TMP scene of Scott taking Kirk on a shuttle ride to view the Enterprise.
• Stranded Again / Spock-McCoy dialogue, McCoy pecking at the question of Spock's two halves and his sex life.
• The Planet Enterprise / When the Enterprise is decommissioned, Kirk, Spock & McCoy set about buying it as a colony ship and apply for a colony planet near the Kzinti border. They call in Cogley for help against Fleet enemies who try to prevent them from retiring, and send out a call to all former Enterprise crew to join them.

I don't know why, but for some reason, I happened to get caught up in watching ETERNAL TRIANGLE ads as they wended their way from the Proposed to the Available zine sections of UT. ETERNAL TRIANGLE was definitely going to be a 'first zine' by untried authors/editors, and I thought that it was going to be a K/S zine. Neither of these characteristics induced me to order the zine. However, it was at MediaWest*Con, and in my best fan-at-con habit of not looking for particular zines, just plunking down $$$ and picking up zines, I picked up ETERNAL TRIANGLE. This time, that expensive little habit led to one of those proverbial gems. This is definitely not a K/S zine, and it's not your run-of-the-mill first issue , either. First of all, visually, the zine is gorgeous. The four editors, Sharon Gates, Mona Golden, Linda Lakin, and Phyllis Sutter, have used a 9x8" format with goldy-yellow and brown ink. The colors go together beautifully and were as much a joy to look at on the last page as on the first. The front cover, which I dare say was a commission piece, shows the 'Eternal Triangle' of the Big 3. The cover, and about a third of the interior illos, were done by Ann Crouch, who, in my opinion, has really blossomed as a Trek artist in the last year or so. The other illos are by editor Linda Lakin and Candy Randant. Linda tends to 'entire scenes', face, body, and background, in what I would call a very promising wry style. There is room for improvement in the bodies, especially the faces and hands, but she does have three dimensionality in her scenes (a particular pet peeve of mine). Linda also has a charcoal (?) portrait of McCoy which I feel shows excellent promise. Candy works in charcoal (?) with an emphasis on protraits. I feel that two of her three pieces are awkward, very stiff, and 'off just a bit in portraying the facial structure. However, her Kirk, although also 'off along the jaw-line, has very expressive eyes and that hint of a smile (this from a non-Kirk fan). So all in all, I think that Candy's work also shows great promise. I look forward to seeing both Linda and Candy develop. Most of the written content in the zine is by the editors. Sandra Randant, Deborah Kelley, and Arja-mond Bishop also contribute. As far as I am aware, all of the contributors are relatively new fan writers. I think that it is for this reason that the written contributions tend to be short. There are a number of short poems, none of which I found particularly moving. However, there is a haiku by Mona Golden that says it all for those of us who are addicted to reading anything, anywhere, but prefer zines. Several of the poems (and most of the tiles) were calligraphed by Lakin, who has a nice hand. Other poems were printed in that new Old German Gothic ball that IBM has made much of recently. I don't like it much to begin with and thought that it was a little overused here. There are four "dialogues," all of which I really enjoyed. Three of them, two by Kelley and one by Lakin, are hilarious conversations between Spock and McCoy on such topics as getting out of bed, the common cold, being a hybrid, and virginity. The fourth, by Kelley, is between Spock and an unidentified (female) lietenant entitled "So, what are we going to do?" when we're both very tired prisoners and there is only one narrow bed. All four are very good. Kelley, in particular, has a light, jocular style, and I look forward to seeing more of her work. The rest of the zine is filled with vignettes, short shorts, and part one of a longer story. Normally, I feel a little cheated with short pieces, but I didn't with ETERNAL TRIANGLE. Some of the shorts tell quickie, humorous stories: Halloween aboard the Enterprise is not Spock's cup of tea, but a cup of punch is another matter; "Space. The not-so-final frontier. These are the voyages of the A.S.S. Enterprise...."; how McCoy got drafted. Others are sensitive bits on various characters: Kirk on "Home" and the Enterprise as lady; Spock and McCoy on "Revelations" regarding personal relationships (one of the best post-V'ger stories I've read and re-read); Spock, after two centuries aboard the Enterprise; Scotty on "Reunion"s. "The Planet Enterprise" (part one), by Sharon Gates, takes place fifteen years after ST:TMP. The Romulans, Klingons, and Kzinti have been quiescent for years and "Starfleet is going through one of its budget-minded phases, so the Enterprise is finally being decommissioned. "None of this would happen if the Enterprise were MY ship," which gives Jim Kirk an idea. In the rest of part one, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, who "long ago ... had decided their fates were irrevocably laced together," reunite the old crew of the Enterprise and attempt to gain possession of the starship and colonize a new planet in the face of vehement opposition from an old enemy of Kirk's. The story is constructed episodically and moves more by narration than by dialogue, but the plot is tight and the characterizations okay. Most of the awkwardness in the narration and characterization seems to be due to the lack of dialogue, and as Sharon develops as a writer, these problems should disappear. I think that Sharon also has great potential, and I'm looking forward to part two. I heartily recommend ETERNAL TRIANGLE as a promising first issue of a new ST genzine and as an indication that the answer to that old saw, "Is ST fandom dying," is a resounding no.

Issue 2

Eternal Triangle 2 was published in March 1982 and is 233 pages long.

The cover is by Ann Crouch, and other art is by Sat Nam Kaur Keahey.

It was edited by Sharon Gates, Mona Golden, Linda Lakin, and Phyllis Sutter.

Many of copies of issue #3 were damaged by a flood in an editor's basement. New covers and backs were put on them, and they are legible, but wrinkled.

cover issue #2, Ann Crouch

• Planet Enterprise, part 2 by Sharon Gates
• A Sticky Subject
• List Them As Missing
• Survival by Jeanne Noga
• Pride of the Enterprise by Dianna Bird
• What Dreams are Made Of by Phyllis Sutter
• Enterprise Lost by Buck
• Enterprise Regained by Buck
• Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
• The Ivy and the Wall
• Dreamreapers by Blazej
• Compassion's Gift
• Only a Matter of Time
• In the Shadow of the Bat by Rozanne Rucano (Our spacey soap opera)
• art by Ann Crouch, Sat Nam Kaur Keahey
• other smaller unknown content

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 2

This is a difficult zine to review fairly, because it seems to be handicapped, by having four editors instead of the usual one or two. They each have contributions in it, which is not unheard of but Tigriffin also suspects they each accepted contributions from close friends when the wiser course would have been to return the lesser works, pleading bias by the other editors against an overfull zine. As the zine is 234 pages, it is a pity this bias does not exist. At any rate, Tigriffin fears this zine will not have a widespread appeal because of its rather inbred contents. Perhaps the best way to look at it is as a long, long letter from a very bright teenagner just discovering fandom who wants to tell you all her story ideas. If you happen to enjoy G-rated adventure and/or romance stories, this zine is for you. ‘A Sticky Subject’ – this piece is written in ‘trick’ format. It consists of pure dialogue between two characters who the reader must identify from the clues in their speech. This one is short and humorous, and succeeds as a finished piece of work. The others of this variety in the zine do not, although they would possibly have made interesting short stories treated in the traditional manner. ‘List Them As Missing’ – pleasant post-V’ger vignette. Thank goodness the writer had the sense not to make a full short story from it. ‘Survival’ – a get Kirk story. The writing shows promise, but there is a great deal of extraneous material, and quite a few minor plot threads are never woven into the fabric of the story. ‘In the Shadow of the Bat’ – a 14-page nomination of Wasted Space of the Year. It is divided into two sections and placed in two separate parts of the zine for reasons known only to the editors. This is nothing more than a rough draft/outline for a story, full of tense changes, inaccuracies of fact, misspellings, parenthetical comments, and confused references to other parts of itself. Tigriffin will forebear to comment on the plotline, as it is faintly possible it will someday actually be written up rather than outlines, and it might make a readable , though campish sort of a story. ‘Enterprise Lost’ and ‘Enterprise Regained’ – two pieces by the same writer, pre and post-ST:TMP. The first is a flashback-filed good-bye, the next a series of conversations between crewmembers who are catching each other up on what they’ve been doing the past few years. The backgrounds thus explored are logical and occasionally even interesting, but hte writer’s time would have been better spent using these ideas as part of an actual story. ‘Red Shirts’ – a filk song, which normally would pass unmentioned in Tigriffin’s review, as does most poetry. However, this one is excellently done, vastly amusing, and it scans. Best of Zine Award. ‘The Red Shirts’ – the story inspired by the song that precedes it is peculiar, but funny if you’re into black humor. ‘What Dreams are Made Of’ – this is a prime example of a story that fails because the writer daydreamed it instead of thinking about it. Most of the events go contrary to either the characterizations shown on the air, normal human psychology, or both. Also, the concept of a Starfleet which will not accept an otherwise qualified applicant because she limps… grates on the sensibilities. ‘Mirror, Mirror on the Wall’ – choice of title could have been better, as it implies the piece will have something to do with the Mirror universe, and it doesn’t. It is a short satirical bit, with a few cute lines, especially those making reference to the Movie. ‘The Pride of the Enterprise’ – a tale in which Captain Kirk beat up the man scheduled to fight for the ‘Pride of the Fleet’ title. Wholly unbelievable on every account. If humankind doesn’t shake the idea, soon, that bloody fistfights are an acceptable/admirable way to settle differences, we won’t have a star-going future. ‘The Ivy and the Wall’ – this story is superior to most in the zine, in that it takes full advantage of its basic strengths… and doesn’t let any of that strength be leached away by overwriting and other self-indulgencies. What happens to various crewmembers (Spock and McCoy here) when they reach extreme old age had been dealt with many times before, but the story does manage with an interesting new idea put forth, and does it well. ‘Dreamreapers’ – another example of a writer with an interesting new idea who tried to tell it in a shopworn context. Kirk and Spock submit to a race of psychic vampires in order to save the ship. The story falters because the writer seems tot be trying to focus on two themes at once. Stricter editing would have made this a very fine story, rather than only a fair one. ‘Compassion’s Gift’ – a Mary Sue fantasy, full of contradictions and unexplained plot details. For example, when the heroine first sees Spock in a carnival sideshow, he has a furry tail. This is never mentioned again… ‘Only a Matter of Time’ – Kirk gets picked up by Wojo and Dietrich from the 12th precinct. Some funny lines, but the characterizations start to stray when the author tries to make her genealogical connection between Dietrich and an Enterprise crewmember. ‘The Planet Enterprise, part 2’ -- Tigriffin frankly admits she did not read this story. Reading the synopsis to part one was quite enough. The idea of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy pooling their money to buy the Enterprise after it was decommissioned, then colonizing a planet, naming it after the ship, declaring it some sort of an Old Crew’s Home, has got to be one of the most ludicrous ideas ever. Skimming through the 79 pages, Tigriffin concluded that the story mainly concerns itself with marrying off all the characters… Overall contents: Fair at best. Art: Fair to excellent – somewhat sparse for a zine of this size. Repro: The blue ink in blue paper may bother some reader’s eyes. Other than that, good clean print job.

I have only read #2 of this series, but found the stories to be of a high standard, with one exception. This is a serialised Vampire tale, a theme which has been over-used in Star Trek and does nothing for me. Of the rest, 'Vast Dreams are made of by Phyllis Sutter is a delight for Scotty fans, telling of how he returns home for Shore Leave and reluctantly takes over the family farm, believing it to be his father's dying wish. The characterisation of Scotty is excellent and the story written with feeling. 'Planet Enterprise' by Sharon Gates Is, in this zlne, the second part of a serial, but it is easy to get Into without having read part 1. Here the Big Three have retired, bought the Enterprise for their own use and also bought a planet to colonise. They invite as many of their former colleagues as possible to live there and make a new world. We find out who married whom and what all our old friends have been up to in the intervening years. A real heart-warmer, up to the cliff-hanger end in preparation for part 3.

Issue 3

Eternal Triangle 3 was published in April 1983 with a copyright date of March 1983 (reprinted in February 1984) and is 262 pages long.

It was edited by Sharon Gates and Mona Golden.

The first printing may have been 150 copies. The second printing was 200 copies.

cover of issue #3, Ann Crouch

The art is by Vel Jaeger, Ann Crouch, Annette Taylor, and Gennie Summers. The borders by Caro Hedge, and the calligraphy is by Linda Lakin.

[The editorial]:

Dear Friends,

detail from issue #3, some initial jealousy, illo by Gennie Summers

Here it is, our last issue. True to our name, "Eternal Triangle" only planned on three issues . If things work out right, there may someday be another issue of E.T., (by the way, we had those initials first) but as of right now this will be the final issue for a while. (What are we going to do with all our free time?)

And, as I promised, "Planet Enterprise" is finished. (Thank God! Mona) I've had a lot of pressure (and a few death threats) from my fellow fans to get it done this issue. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It's truly been a labor of love. At times the story has virtually written itself. I'd like to write more of it -- let me know if anyone out there is interested in reading it.

For this issue we are the sole editors. Linda and Phyllis decided to devote all their energies to Space Trek II. (We hope to see you all there in June.) We parted amiably and are all still great friends. There would probably not have been an E.T. at all if not for the four of us together to begin with .

As you can see, we grew in size again. We just kept getting submissions we couldn't pass up. It's been such a lot of fun working with all our contributors. There's no more talented (and prolific) bunch around than Star Trek writers and artists.

So, we say good-bye. Live long and prosper. Peace and long life.

• Another Sticky Subject by Linda Lakin (4)
• Resting, poem by Patricia Demetri (5)
• Kismet by Shirley Buck (An alternate ending to 'City' with a twist.) (6)
• Spock's Triangle by Marlene Schmierbach (24)
• Lute Player, poem by Patricia Demetri (27)
• A Very Patient Woman by Diane Miskiewicz (28)
• U.N.C.L.E./Trek by Sharon Gates (35)
• Meld, poem by Patricia Demetri (61)
• Sauce for the Goose, poem by Melissa Lee (62)
• The Trade by Deborah Kelley (64)
• Darkness by Linda Lakin (68)
• Farewells, poem by Harriett Carmen (69)
• 20/20 by Debbie Gilbert (Discover how Kirk found out he was allergic to Retinax.) (70)
• Mister Mailman, Bring Me a Zine, filk by by Gennie Summers (85)
• I Feel Young, poem by Debbie Gilbert (86)
• An End to Childhood, poem by Deborah Kelley (87)
• Echo of a Memory by Sue Keenan (After McCoy is forbidden to ever return to Vulcan or face execution, he finds he must, to save a life.) (crossover with Man from UNCLE) (91)
• Shadows, poem by Pam Boure (109)
• Phase the Man Down, filk by Gennie Summers (110)
• Respect by Deborah Kelley (111)
• Repayment to a Planet by Sharon Gates and Mona Golden (116)
• Taker Out, Mr. Saavik by Melissa Lee (129)
• Choices to Make, Paths to Follow by Deborah Kelley (131)
• A Matter of Pride by Jean Ann Hodge (148)
• Beginning, poem by Patricia Demetri (150)
• Ending, poem by Pam Boure (150)
• An Exchange of Cultures by Deborah Kelley (152)
• Why?, poem by Pam Boure (155)
• No-Win Situation by Renee Hoskin and Becky Cope (156)
• Remember by Melissa Lee (183) (originally printed in Communications Console (newsletter)Communications Console Sep/Oct 1982)
• Fate, poem by Deborah Kelley (184)
• A Lass Called Siiri by Sheila Sullivan (185)
• Thoughts, poem by Patrica Demetri (200)
• Gone with the (Solar) Wind by Linda Lakin and Sandra Randant (201)
• A Friend in Need, poem by Debbie Gilbert (202)
• A Parting of Souls, poem by Debbie Gilbert (203)
• Planet Enterprise, part three by Sharon Gates (205)

• 

  from issue #3, Gennie Summers

• 

  from issue #3, Annette Taylor

• 

  from issue #3, Vel Jaeger

• 

  from issue #3, Ann Crouch

• 

  from issue #3, Vel Jaeger

• 

  from issue #3, Gennie Summers

• 

  from issue #3, Ann Crouch

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3

...ETERNAL TRIANGLE has remained static over time. The same "cookbook" spiral binding, same cover illustration,, same haphazard format. Only the color of the paper changes. The poetry and the artwork are as atrocious as ever; the quality of writing is generally abysmal. Yet each, issue has had its redeeming points, and there are always a couple of items that are true gems.

The merits of the latest issue include "Kismet", an alternate-universe "City on the Edge of Forever" tale which comes up with some interesting complications.

"20/20" has no lasting literary merit, but it maintains a more consistently readable level of writing than does most of the other work.

In "Echo of a Memory", McCoy risks the death penalty when he beams down to Vulcan to save Spock's life. Noble theme, but shaky premise: I find it hard to believe that T'Pau would vindictively forbid McCoy ever to set foot on Vulcan.

Another story, "Choices to Make, Paths to Follow", depicts Vulcans as bigots to whom the very young Spock must prove his intellectual ability in order to gain acceptance.

By far the zine's best story is "No-Win Solution", which is post-Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan. Kirk feels responsible for Spock's death, and he attempts to erase his mistake by traveling through the Guardian, but if he succeeds, he may also erase his new-found and rewarding relationship with his son David.

For those who are into soap-operas, #3 also features the conclusion of "Planet Enterprise ". Our heroes face one crisis after another, but solutions are easily arrived at, and they all get married, have babies, and live happily ever after. (Pardon me while I gag.) As someone who shall remain nameless in Allies has said, "ETERNAL TRIANGLE is a zine to read when you don't feel like thinking." I agree; for harmless, but enjoyable fluff, this is the zine to get.

[...]

For all of you who are turned off by blatant K/S and explicit sex, and who would like a good, clean, all-around enjoyable fanzine, any or all of the three described above would make fine additions to your zine library.