In Triplicate

Zine
Title:	In Triplicate
Publisher:	Mkashef Enterprises
Editor(s):	Alayne Gelfand
Date(s):	1985
Series?:
Medium:	print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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front cover by Vel Jaeger

back cover by Vel Jaeger

In Triplicate is a slash 90-page zine featuring the rather rare Kirk/Spock/McCoy slash threesome. It was published in 1985 by Mkashef Enterprises and has art by Vel Jaeger.

Submission Request

A post-SFS story in 3 parts (all in one zine) dealing with relationship between Kirk, Spock & McCoy. What if the Fal-Tor-Pan wasn't competely successful? What if the link between Spock & McCoy remained partially active? What if K&S were Just discovering their feelings for one another? Written by Natasha Solten & Dovya Blacque. K/S/Mc!! (Yes, there is a physical relationship between all 3 of them...but there is a very logical reason for it! If the idea bothers you, give this story a chance, it may change your mind about McCoy!

Summaries

Media Monitor describes it as "A post-Star Trek III novella. A story told in three parts... dealing with the possibility of what could happen if the fal tor pan wasn't completely successful and left Spock and McCoy linked but didn't diminish Spock's feelings for Kirk."

The McCoy List says: "After McCoy returns Spock's katra, he and Spock feel uncomfortably alone. In seeking to fill the void, a physical relationship develops between them, a tender, caring relationship that is still incomplete until Kirk is included."

Comments by the Editor: 1987

I suppose it would be somewhat redundant for me to say that I think that K/S/Mc is more than acceptable. In fact, IN TRIPLICATE seemed like such a logical progression from ST III that it would have been difficult, if not impossible, not to write it (and I'm fairly sure my co-author, Natasha Solten feels the same way). It was an idea that grabbed us separately months before we ever sat down to discuss the idea let alone the novella. I find it extremely telling that IN TRIPLICATE is, without question, MKASHEF Enterprises' best selling zine to date! That includes the sales of 7 issues of AS I DO THEE. DATAZINE, who sells MKASHEF Enterprises' items at conventions in the East, also tells me that IN TRIPLICATE disappears off the table almost immediately, before nearly all other zines they carry, gen or K/S. To me, this indicates that there is a very large interest in the premise of K/S/Mc.

If LOCs are any indication of what people think of K/S/Mc, then I would have to say that 8 out of 10 people who order from MKASHEF not only accept K/S/Mc, but actively like it, at least in the form it took in IN TRIPLICATE. I've received more LOCs on IN TRIPLICATE than any other zine, and almost without exception, each LOC has asked when the sequel will be out (a subject I won't address at the moment!). It has received rave reviews from K/S readers as well as from people who don't regularly read K/S (to my utter shock). I have only received a handful of LOCs telling me they couldn't quite get to the relationship. Of course, this raises the question of whether it's the theme or the story itself that people seem to like so much, but, to my thinking, they would have to be accepting of the K/S/Mc theme to even consider the novella let alone rave about it.

Throughout the time since IN TRIPLICATE has been in print, I've run into one consistent comment; a lot of people can't seem to get past thinking of DeForest Kelley as McCoy. I've been asked repeatedly about this and my answer is always the same: when I'm writing McCoy (or Kirk or Spock for that matter), I do not see the actor. I no more write a McCoy who looks like De Kelley than write a Kirk who looks like William Shatner or a Spook who looks like Leonard Nimoy. Personally, I can't get to Shatner and Nimoy doing the things I write Kirk and Spook doing! — let alone adding De Kelley to the fray. I think it's a key point to accepting, and eventually enjoying, K/S/Mc that the actors and the characters he kept separate in one's mind.

While writing IN TRIPLICATE, the McCoy I pictured (and I think 'Tasha would agree with me) was the same age as Kirk and Spock, and in his own way, just as attractive. From the correspondence I've received, I've had to say that one of the biggest stumbling blocks for some people as far as K/S/Mc goes is the picture of De Kelley in their minds. I'd ask anyone who is considering giving K/S/Mc a try, that they try not to see the actor, but the character who is as deserving a being as Kirk and Spock...and as needy of love and tenderness, affection and attention. After all, as an acquaintance of mine said, "It's only fuckin' fantasy!" No matter how seriously you take your K/S (and I take mine pretty seriously), it's important to remember that it is only a possibility, only a fantasy, an extrapolation of STAR TREK. I'm not saying K/S/Mc is the 'wave of the future' or the only reality K/S can move into. What I am saying is that K/S/Mc is as valid as K/S.

Aside from all that, K/S/Mc or K/S/-fill-in-the-blank is an aside, a diversion from K/S. It's an experiment in stretching not only for the reader and writer, but for the characters as well. I'm not a believer in the theory that humans (or humanoids for that matter) are meant to be monogamous, nor do I feel that loving one person precludes loving another just as much, if perhaps in a different way. The possessiveness of many K/S stories (and the possessiveness of the fans) is something I feel is completely against IDIC and against the natures of the characters of Kirk and Spock. Both men are very compassionate beings. I don't believe that they would have any difficulty whatsoever in sharing their love with someone else they both love as well. So, I see no reason for us, as writers & readers, to have a problem with the premise.

And it's continuing in the form of SHADES OF GREY #2 which is very large and mostly K/S/Mc. I doubt seriously if K/S/Mc will ever take the place of K/S (and I wouldn't want it to!), but I do see a trend toward the acceptance of an expansion of the 'traditional' K/S situation, something I'm very glad to see.

Comments by the Editor: 2014

After Star Trek III, I had a ménage idea. This is where the whole ménage cast thing came from. And I thought, "Well, you know, McCoy had his katra, and Spock's not really himself, and what would happen if?" If McCoy still had part of Spock in him and it was gonna stay that way. Yet, Kirk and Spock had been attracted to each other, but they hadn't done anything yet. So I'm sitting around my friend's house one day and we're talking story ideas, and Natasha Solten says, "Y'know, I do have this little story I wrote right after I saw the movie, and I'm really embarrassed." It took me, like, hours to get it out of her. And she gave it to me and I expanded on it, and it became the very small zine called In Triplicate. Which is actually the best-selling thing I've ever done....

There were some people who went, "Not for me." Just no. Not for me. Especially, they couldn't sexualize McCoy. A lot of people saw him as a father figure and they couldn't step away from that, and I heard that a lot. And, "There're too many McCoy stories in this issue. Ohh, I don't know." Y'know? "McCoy is just—" But I had seen DeForest Kelley on Bonanza, and all these Westerns when I was really young, and he was so good-looking when he was young, so I was just in love with him. So McCoy was a natural sidebar for me.

From the Zine's Editorial

I have tried to warn the reader about the nature of this story on the flyer, making sure that each read: "K/S/Mc!" What else could that possibly mean but that McCoy is somehow involved in a relationship which is usually restricted to "K/S"? So, you've been warned. Please send me no letters telling me what monsters we all are...we already know!... The 'Riters wrote IN TRIPLICATE for many reasons, but one of the foremost reasons was to show that no matter what happens between The Big Three, no matter the changes in their lives, they remain Kirk, Spock and McCoy. And it was The 'Riters intention to depict a relationship that epitomizes the concept of "IDIC". I think they have been very successful at both.

Contents

• Aftershocks by Alexis Fegan Black (poem) 5
• Interdepartment Memo by Anonymous 8
• Against Solitude by Natasha Solten & Dovya Blacque 9
• Acceptance by Dovya Blaque (poem) 45
• Between Fire and Ice by Natasha Solten & Dovya Blaque 47
• Illuminating the Silence by Natasha Solten & Dovya Blaque 65
• Mutual Benefit by Natasha Solten (poem) 89

Sample Interior Pages

• 

  Vel Jaeger

• 
• 

  Vel Jaeger

• 

  inside back cover

Reactions and Reviews

Unknown Date

"Against Solitude": The Enterprise crew are confined to Luna 2 Space Station while awaiting Starfleet's decision about what to do with them all. McCoy and Spock seek one another out to heal the still-raw wounds of their separation in fal-tor-pan, though Spock is in love with Kirk. After a variety beautifully-written confrontations and angst, they settle into a comfortable threesome.

"Between Fire and Ice": Starfleet decides to send our crew back into space, with Kirk as Admiral of the Fleet, Spock as captain of the flagship, Enterprise 2, and McCoy in charge of all Fleet sickbays, but also conveniently stationed on the flagship. Spock is suffering lapses which are helped by McCoy's presence, and becomes apprehensive when the doctor is called away for 3 weeks to Sulu's ship, the Paris Rising.

"Illuminating the Silence": McCoy's absence is prolonged by the necessity to respond to a plague outbreak, with ramifications for Spock's mental well-being. Wonderful writing, with lots of snappy dialogue that keeps the threesome seeming quite natural.

"In Triplicate", published by Asidozines, is a Post-Fal-Tor-Pan story starting with S/Mc and developing into K/S/Mc

The premise is that Spock just needs the link he has with McCoy to ground himself and to support him information he no longer has, and this leads to a very close connection. But there is also Spock's love to Kirk, and so the threesome evolves, not without problems, but also without major angst.

In effect, it's kind of a reverse setting to the story Choices, where Bones is pulled into the K/S relationship: whereas in "In Triplicate" it's Kirk who's joining in where S/Mc already have something established.

As often McCoy stands a little bit aside emotionally (he puts himself a little bit aside in his typical habit) as Kirk joins in but it works out. Hard to explain - for those who read T'Thrill's series, it's comparable to there. As the story proceeds, it becomes clearer just how important he has become to Spock.

I found the novel (consisting of three parts, all in all 75 pages) very much to be in canon and character - at least my notion of their characters, and quite inspiring and balanced. There is little art but some nice shots in it, one blooper picture with Spock smiling at McCoy. It's a simple copy of a manuscript printed in the old age of computing with Courier and Script type fonts, so it's not really worth the money for the making. But concerning the content I am really happy. I really, really like this zine, and like it even better the more I read it. It has a nice, soft tone, very lovingly.

A must-have for K/S/Mc fans, in my opinion!

1992

This post-Fal Tor Pan novella is the one that caused fans to think in terms of K/S/Mc as a genre. It is unusual in starting with a pair bonding between Spock and McCoy arising from incomplete separation of their katras. Kirk is the odd man out who later becomes integrated in their relationship. The tale of how this comes about is a fascinating one. I was also glad to see that there is some space devoted to McCoy's medical practice, and how he feels about it.

1985

This three part novella goes a long way toward beating the typical K/S traps -- how many times can the innocence of the first encounters be twisted into another tale? 'In Triplicate' does not insult the characters, or the readers, with innocence. Instead, these authors deal with self-discovers of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy head one -- and with honesty. 'Against the Solitude' -- deals with McCoy's discovery that he is forever linked with Spock, and that, in certain ways, he will be Spock's keeper for all time. While these prospects are not viewed with reluctance, McCoy wonders how he can help Spock deal with Jim Kirk? From his own link, McCoy feels the intensities of Spock's thoughts toward Kirk, and Kirk's toward Spock. Will Jim understand and accept the new realities that bind McCoy together? 'Between Fire and Ice' -- The men regain Enterprise 2 and prepare to embark on new adventures. Then they learn McCoy is to be reassigned, temporarily, to another ship. Will the bonds between them hold over time and distance? Kirk worries about this; he is not convinced that Spock's precarious hold on health will endure a separation from McCoy -- even a short one. 'Illuminating the Silence' -- Kirk and Spock find McCoy exhausted from the intense research necessary to fight the epidemic on Denton Colony 7. However, McCoy's return has become essential to Spock's well-being. Only McCoy can reinforces Spock's mental battle for stability and health. Watching his two friends, Kirk becomes certain that he must do whatever he can to assure that they will never become separated again. The question is how? It becomes a question for a lifetime... 'In Triplicate' has its moments of physical interludes for all the K/S readers who enjoy graphic descriptions, but there's a much deeper story here, a story of love between two humans and a Vulcan that has profound meaning for those readers who need to understand interpersonal relationships. While there are a few tweist in the accepted ST universe, the essences of the characters are reasonable true to form, especially the big three. Unfortunately, there is not enough of the other ST characters worthy of mention, but their presence is well-implied throughout the story. Since the action in this story is K/S/Mc, all the adventure readers may be disappointed, so be advised and chose another story... The art , poetry, and commentaries add a great deal to make this an enjoyable zine.

1986

I rejoice... in the lovely and lyrical IN TRIPLICATE by Natasha Solten and Dovya Blacque. Its only flaw is that it's too short. The true K/S/Mc fan would want it to go on and on. The triad concept is inspired by TSFS, beginning with a Spock/McCoy bonding as a result of McCoy bearing Spock's katra before the Fal-Tor-Pan. Although Kirk and Spock's primary love and commitment remain to each other, Spock is very dependent on McCoy as a consequence of the good Doctor's having held Spock's katra. I was very moved by a scene toward the end where Spock tells Kirk how much he needs McCoy and Kirk responds with a confession of his own dependence on Spock. Of Spock's "death" Kirk says: "I couldn't understand how this body continued to breathe without you." This is the ultimate statement of the beloved as a requirement of the lover's existence. K/S/Mc is about all three being mutually dependent on one another. Apart they are three lonely men in unbearable pain. Together they are strong.

In Triplicate is a very nice K/S zine. I use the word 'nice' because I just can't get excited about another overly romantic and predictable K/S and now M zine.

The IT story is based on the idea that after the fal tor pan, Spock and McCoy are inexorably united in a symbiotic mental state: each knows what the other is thinking, feeling, and of course, needing. After returning to the Enterprise, Spock and McCoy find themselves physically drawn to each other and soon consummate their relationship before finally also drawing Kirk into a symbiotic triangle. Throughout the story, Spock suffers from emotional distress and memory lapses whenever McCoy is not in close proximity. That McCoy leaves Spock and Kirk for three weeks (SF related) is the major crisis. The quality of IT is generally very good, the layout tasteful, and the type font extremely easy to read. Though there are a lot of misspelled words, they are not all that distracting. The zine. also contains several poems, the best "Aftershocks" by Alexis Fegan Black is an excellent synthesis of the emotional essence of the story, a poem whose tone I wish the writers could have sustained. Obviously, there is a large demand for K/S zines of this homogenized variety since there are so many in fandom. I sense that this could have been a much more powerful piece as the K/S/M premise is logically based in STIII, but frankly we've all read this zine a thousand times before. Nothing new happens. The Big Three are either out of character (Spock initiates the physical contact with McCoy like an old pro) or boring, and the sex has no passion (I've never seen three people talk so much while doing it) as if even the characters know they are doomed to repeat the same sentiments and activities from the last and next 100 K/S zines. Perhaps someone's heart wasn't really into the piece at all since the editorial practically apologizes for the K/S/M premise by cautioning that we must keep IDIC in mind as we read it.

However, if IT isn't my cup of tea, it still may be yours. It is an inoffensive zine that breaks no new ground, but probably won't offend you either.

I'm always very dissatisfied with stories that leave McCoy out. The relationship is definately a triad. Even if you don't accept McCoy as a potential lover for Kirk and/or Spock he is a part of that relationship as a very close intimate friend whose positive or negative feedback to Kirk and Spocks relationship would surely influence if not their physical relationship then their attitudes toward their relationship. I had mixed feelings about In Triplicate and the whole menage premise. I don't honestly see McCoy sexually involved with K or S, not the way I "believe" in the K/S premise. But if he was, the plot in In Triplicate gives the best possible reasons for it.

2018

I remember when "In Triplicate" came out (a novella by Dovya Blaque that brought McCoy into the fold and included, as I recall, a great deal of reassuring the readers that *in no way* was McCoy displacing either Kirk or Spock, that K and S would be okay and totally solid, etc.--and she said she still got a lot of flack for it.