Final Frontier (Star Trek: TOS newszine)

Zine
Title:	Final Frontier
Publisher:	Galaxy News Service out of New York
Editor(s):	Allan Asherman
Type:
Date(s):	1976
Frequency:	monthly
Medium:	print
Size:	letter sized
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Final Frontier is a gen Star Trek: TOS zine of contemporary news.

Subscription costs were six/$6 or twelve/$10. There were only four issues published.

In March 1976, Paula Smith heralded this publication as proof that Star Trek fans and fandom were being taken more seriously in the mainstream world. She wrote:

We're official, gang! Not really, but the recent incredible proliferation of ST professionally produced items, seems to point in that direction. There is now an official-type newsletter, THE FINAL FRONTIER. They want $10/year, and that's for a monthly, too. Then there's New Voyages, only the beginning, in the opinion of the editors [of Menagerie].

Issue 1

Final Frontier 1 was published in March 1976 and contains 8 pages.

front page of issue #1

This issue is "dated" as "Stardate 0317.6", which should be read as "03/1/76". The newsletter switches to a more "standard" Stardate scheme with issue #2 (under which this issue would have been dated 'Stardate 7603.01'). Asherman's editorial calls this "the first professionally produced STAR TREK newsletter", and includes a brief biography of him and his involvement with Star Trek, and with D.C. comics.

Issue 2

Final Frontier 2 was published in April 1976 and contains 8 pages.

cover vol 1, issue #2

• (date is listed as "Stardate 7604.03")
• Editorial
• Local Star Trek Fans Plan To "Roast" Gene Roddenberry at the 1976 Star Trek convention at the Statler hotel in New York
• Letters from subscribers
• Reprint of the original TV guide review of Star Trek
• Leonard Nimoy's first alien role in "Zombies of the Stratosphere"
• Discovery of Rare Network Brochure Exposes Attempt To "Exorcise" Mr Spock
• See That City? Well It's Really A Painting
• New Electronic Star Trek toys
• William Shatner Prefers Quality Sci-Fi Roles
• Dinky Toy Enterprise Due Here Soon
• Unknown Heroes of Star Trek
• First retraction and apology
• Let The Buyer Beware department (complaints from buyers)
• Star Trek convention calendar
• New Science Fiction Soundtrack Released

Issue 3

Final Frontier 3 was published in May 1976. It is 8 1/2 x 11 and contains 8 pages. It was published with the 3-hole punches so it could be kept in a binder.

front page of issue #3

• Contemporary news about Star Trek merchandising
• Short article about anti-Star trek comments made by Harlan Ellison at a Star trek convention
• Article about William Shatner and how he stopped smoking
• Leonard Nimoy as Sherlock Holmes
• Star Trek Special FX article
• Article on the planned but never-made ASSIGNMENT EARTH television series
• other unknown content

Issue 4

cover of issue #4, note the snarky introduction to Harlan Ellison's letter to the editor on the front page

Final Frontier 4 was published in October 1976 (date is listed as "Stardate 7610.26"). It is 8 1/2 x 11 and contains 8 pages. It was published with the 3-hole punches so it could be kept in a binder.

• Editorial
• Harlan Ellison Speaks (Harlan responds to the previous article in issue #3 which stated he made anti-Star Trek remarks at a convention and demands a retraction. He also states that he believes that the editors of the Final Frontier will most likely bury his follow-up comments on the back page. He still maintains that Star Trek is losing fan interest and that all the major Star Trek conventions have failed in both quality and attendance. He also points out that his own interest in Star Trek is 'peripheral' and his attendance at Star Trek conventions is 'wholly and solely predicated on how much they pay me to speak.' His letter is printed prominently on the front page, and the editor's counter-rebuttal is buried on page 6.)
• Editor's Reply To Harlan Ellison's Comments
• Leanord Nimoy Replacing Rod Serling's Voice?
• Star Trek Feature Film Confirmed
• The Star Trek Film's A Fact But What Can We Expect?
• NY TV Station To Feature Prime Time Double Dose of Trek
• Can You Spot The Starship Doctor In This Photo?
• New Star Trek Picture Card Set Out Soon
• A Vulcan Wabbit?
• Monster Times magazine catalog
• Unknown Heroes of Star Trek
• Fandom's Females Form Convention Security Corps! (article discussing Patches Dionne's formation of The Athenian Outcasts to provide general convention security)
• Star Trek convention calendar

Reactions and Reviews

For the first pro-pubbed newszine, Final Frontier isn't bad! It is all offset on heavy stock paper. So far, issues #1 and #2 have both been eight pages in length, crammed full of news, articles, and photos. Each issue has some up-to-the-minute news items, some short articles of interest (mostly production problems and actors' previous roles), the 'Let the Buyer Beware' department, an editorial, and a ST calendar -- with very few conventions listed, but with a larger-than-average amount of info on the cons they do list. The news items are very interesting, and most of them were to me. Final Frontier plugs new products, and then reviews how good or BAD they are. Almost every article has an accompanying photo, and many have more than one. The editor is Allan Asherman, and he himself is a Star Trek fan and seems to be on the fans' side. He puts much effort into his publication and it shows. The format is much like a newspaper, typeset with columns, bold headlines, etc. The newszine seems expensive when look at the price, but after getting it in the mail, it is worth the price. In issue #2, Allan Asherman mentions 'discounts' to Star Trek club members; he did express which clubs, or how he planned to prove membership, but you might write him and see if you can get a discount on a subscription... It contains no ads.

I've gotten three issues of my six issue sub to Final Frontier so far, and I can't say I'm as impressed as [name omitted] was. My last issue was May, it came out in June, was dated May 23, and I've gotten nothing yet. I have a feeling that the zine either didn't sell, or Al Asherman couldn't keep it up. This was obvious from the first. His chatty style of writing seems to have been a way of stretching out the little substance he had to put in the zine... WIth the tiny type to fill up eight pages, and no regular features, like a review column or lettercol, Asherman must resort to large photos an padded writing to fill up the zine. It can't last...

THE FINAL FRONTIER, a monthly newsletter of Star Trek news. I have recieved only two issues of the newsletter on my six issue subscription, dated March and April,and I don't know if the publication is still solvent or not. The two did received were slickly produced and featured a rambling, informal and slightly disorganised style of writing under the hand of editor Allan Asherman. The newsletter gives info on ST toys and merchandising, as well as news on the future of ST itself , and related trivia.

This is a professional 'zine, but it may have folded by now -- I haven't seen a copy at the newsstands for quite some time.

The emphasis is on editorials, news updates, behind the scenes facts, researched data, trivia, activities of the stars, interviews. THE FINAL FRONTIER reads much like a newspaper, and I think it is tremendously high-priced.