K/S Collected

Zine
Title:	K/S Collected
Publisher:	Pon Farr Press
Editor(s):
Date(s):	1984
Series?:
Medium:	print
Size:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Star Trek: TOS
Language:	English
External Links:
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K/S Collected is a slash 78-page Star Trek: TOS anthology with the the subtitle, "A Collection of Short Stories by Alexis Fegan Black and Christopher Randolph."

It contains some screen shots or publicity shots from the show, but no art.

There appear to be two versions.

cover of version A

flyer

the title page from version A

cover of version B

title page from version B

from version B, first page of the lengthy editorial

from version B

from version B

from version B

From the Editorial

As most of you know, I have been absent from fandom for a long time, and am only now beginning to fill orders which have been waiting far too long. I do apologize once again for these problems, and hope that I can back on my feet sufficiently to rejoin the flow of fandom. Needless to say, I've missed it -- and I would like to thank all who sent letters of support and kindness during the rough times of the past years.

At any rate, having been an outsider for the past two years, I have had an opportunity to look "in" to K/S fandom from a slightly different vantage point... and I have a few ideas I'd like to pass along as nothing more than casual observations. Keep in mind that this is an editorial -- and that my personal opinions are nothing more than that: opinions.

When Gene Roddenberry created Star Trek, he didn't consciously (that we're aware of) include the K/S relationship as part of his universe. We (as writers, editors and publishers ) have merely taken a pre-existing universe (Star Trek), and expanded upon it to include the Kirk/Spock love relationship. So... considering that, it's my opinion that we have an obligation to at least uphold the spirit of what Star Trek was and is intended to be. If we're going to "borrow" the characters, don't we have the same obligation to treat those characters with the same gentleness and respect that they showed for each other on aired Trek and in the three movies? I am not saying that K/S shouldn't be written. Far from it. What I am saying is that, in my personal opinion, perhaps we should sometimes stop and ask ourselves a few questions. Such as: "Can I really see K & S making love in front of the Vulcan High Council just to prove that they are a compatible duo?" Somehow, that just doesn't hold up in realistic terms for me. Considering that the dignity of the characters was always stressed so strongly in aired Trek and the in the movies, I just can't see either one of them dropping their drawers and putting on a public exhibition for any reason. Their dignity and their respect for each other would forbid it.... and no amount of rationalization and/or justification on the part of the writers can change that. Calling it alternate universe is one avenue of escape -- but even that doesn't make it believable when the names Kirk and Spock are applied... [snipped]... As writers and editors, we have to be sure that it's in that realm... and not just a wistful fantasy. If we're going to call our characters "Kirk" and "Spock," we have an obligation to see that they act like Kirk and Spock. Just an opinion and an observation from one's who's been away from it awhile -- hopefully long enough to have a more objective viewpoint.

Another thing which I find disheartening is the amount of personal bickering which has been going on for years. Recently, it seems to be a battle which started shortly before Shore Leave Con, and apparently nothing more than one fan with "hurt feelings" based on a series of "rules of fandom etiquette" no seems to be able to find in print. I recently saw a flyer entitled Naked Doubles which made me want to laugh and cry at the same time. I wanted to laugh because of the unprofessional approach this fan took by lashing out at so many people who have never gone out of their way to deliberately hurt her as she's going out of her way to hurt them. In short, in my opinion, she views circumstances as personal attacks, and a lot of innocent fans have been hurt by her actions. The person who printed an distributed these flyers claims to be a professional writer and artist -- yet I would defy her to try that kind of childish stunt within professional circles. Not only would she be laughed out of the business, but she'd also have more lawsuits that she know what to do with. I found the flyer sad also -- because it demonstrated the bitterness that seems so prevalent in some small circles of fandom these days.... An extension of that attitude has also been prevalent in letter zines recently. If two people have personal problems between themselves, shouldn't those problems remain between them alone? Can people be so petty that the egoboost from seeing one's name in print outweighs the hurt feelings and damage done to someone else? For the record, I'm not referring to letters which are complaints about zines being late, etc. (such as my own, as we all know). What I'm referring to are letters which are personal attacks against other fans for personal reasons... This kind of thing doesn't belong in fandom -- and it certainly doesn't belong in print. Some fans apparently tell themselves that they can "get away with it" because it's on a small-scale "amateur" basis. And with that kind of attitude, those fans will remain forever "amateur." -- not just in their writing, but in their mentality as well. The Naked Doubles flyer is just one example of how the "amateur" rationalization seems to be running rampant. And if we can reconize this type of petty manipulation, we can certainly stop it.

Regarding Pseuds

From the zine:

...I am using a pseudonym for professional reasons. Unfortunately, not everyone is open-minded as K/S fans... and I personally don't find the idea of trying to defend K/S publicly very uplifting. K/S is as beautiful as possible as anyone is willing to acknowledge. And if the minds of others are already made up because of personal prejudice, no one stands much of a chance of altering that. It's frustrating to try, and not worth the elevated blood pressure any more than it's worth trying to tell a Bible-thumping preacher that we're all equal in the eyes of whatever god may exist. People see only what they want to see. I just feel very fortunate to be able to see a little more through the eyes of Star Trek and through the K/S relationship.

Contents

On the contents page: "K/S may not be reproduced in full or in part for any reason without the prior written consent of Pon Farr Press. Anyone caught copying this here zine will be persecuted beyond the limits of Human or Vulcan or even Klingon endurance. Gracias!"

Contents: (some summaries below are by Gilda F.)

• Back from the Grave (editorial) (2)
• In Early Shadows by Natasha Solten (5)
• Of Shadows and Silhouettes by Alexis Fagen Black (On an unknown planet, Spock finds himself with only vague memories of Kirk, but none of anything, or anyone, else.) (6)
• Daddy's Home by Alexis Fagen Black (A/U: Kirkʼs young son recounts his witnessing of his father rejoining his supposingly dead bondmate to his mother, Ariel Shaw.) (also in Plak Tow, a gen zine) (14)
• Vulcan Loyalty by Natasha Solten (18)
• Forever Autumn by Alexis Fegan Black (Kirk must force himself to leave Spockʼs replica on the shoreleave planet, having used it to try and usage his grief over his loverʼs death. Sequel: Yet Shall He Live.) (Forever Autumn was first printed in Starborne) (19)
• Nightmare Tames by Natasha Solten (24)
• Yet Shall He Live by Alexis Fegan Black (Kirk is convinced that what he thought was a mere replicant on the shoreleave planet is truly Spock and goes there to bring his lover home. Prequel: Forever Autumn) (also in Naked Times #3) (25)
• Trapped in Hell by Natasha Solten (32)
• But a Whimper by Christopher Randolph (The Enterprise destroyed, Kirk and Spock await death as they drift in the disabled shuttlecraft.) (also in Naked Times #2) (33)
• Winter's Past by Alayne Gelfand (36)
• Though This Be Madness by Alexis Fegan Black (Kirk is seduced by the M/U Spock, who is attempting to make him admit his desire for his own Spock. Sequel: A Question of Balance.) (reprinted from Naked Times #2) (37)
• Risking the Wind by Alayne Gelfand (50)
• Till Only the Stars Remain by Alexis Fegan Black (Kirk and Spock are sent back in time to Pre-reform Vulcan on a fact finding mission, but a year becomes four and they still have not been picked up.) (also in T'hy'la #3) (51)
• A Time to be Born by Alexis Fegan Black (Kirk and Spock go through Spockʼs pon farr while on shoreleave for a month in Iowa. Prequel: Til The Night Closes In. Sequel: Visions and Revisions.) (also in Companion #2) (61)
• Playing with Fire by Alled Navsih (78)

Reactions and Reviews

See reactions and reviews for A Time to be Born.

See reactions and reviews for But a Whimper.

See reactions and reviews for Forever Autumn.

See reactions and reviews for Of Shadows and Silhouettes.

See reactions and reviews for Daddy's Home.

See reactions and reviews for Yet Shall He Live.

See reactions and reviews for Though This Be Madness.

See reactions and reviews for Till Only the Stars Remain.

[zine]: I realize the usual format is to LOC each story in a zine on its own, but this anthology, reprinted from various earlier sources and compiled into this one zine, really must be viewed as a whole. Whether the author's intention or not, there is a through-line or rather an overall theme to this collection. I won't critique every story in it, only the ones I felt were important to the vision of the whole. But suffice to say, each and every one was wonderful and each story could stand on its own. But this way, it's a rich and full journey with K and S as we follow their pain and eventually death and rebirth, until their emergence to understanding their love.

Of Shadows and Silhouettes begins the reader's journey into a magical and romantic world of the Vulcan who has lost his memory and is stranded on a planet. His encounter with the mysterious "Silhouette" and the resulting memories make up a haunting and unusual story.

Then Daddy's Home is seen from the POV of Areel Shaw as she puts 7 year old Elias Kirk to bed. So poignant as Elias tells of "daddy" talking to the "devil". Wonderfully fulfilling in its heart-wrenching way, Kirk disappears with Spock as they stand together looking out the window onto the beach. We don't know if it's a dream, or if Kirk has died, or if K and S live on in immortality, but it really doesn't matter.

Beautifully drawn in total simplicity with dialogue such as this from Kirk's son: "The devil took daddy back out there, didn't he, mommy?' he asked, 'The devil took daddy back to the stars, somewhere where he won't ever come back.'"

Forever Autumn has Kirk on the shore leave planet confronted by Spock, or an android of the Vulcan, with whom Kirk tries to release his pain of loss. Spock tells him that: "'It will never end, for it is only beginning. You have shown me that love never dies - regardless of the personal hardships we must bear along the way.'"

In Yet Shall He Live Kirk tells McCoy about his experiences on that planet. Kirk believes Spock is still alive as an android. McCoy finds the argument impossible to believe, but Kirk goes back anyway. What a powerful and romantic scene as they finally meet and Spock places his fingers on Kirk's face. This kind of writing and story-telling just sweeps me up in its vision -1 love the portrayal of K and S as romantic heroes - destined to love each other and filled with the strength of their feelings.

Also, these early works certainly hold up over time - these are not dated stories that one shakes ones head at their lack of sophistication. They are wonderfully moving vignettes, pieced together to form a lovely collection, it's a dark vision, however, emotionally satisfying, but not ponderous or overwhelming. And then, in what I fully reveal, K and S have the chance to live for an eternity and have their love forever.

Though This Be Madness is an interesting twist on the letting go of control-something we usually identify with Spock, but here, it's K's turn to question his arousal at S's touch and to accept submission. P.D.S. (pretty damn sexy) as Spock - "the dark one" comes into Kirk's quarters and seduces him. But this seduction is also a power play in that Kirk is commanded to go along with it willingly or Spock will take him by force. Kirk's dilemma of pleasure and pain is clearly portrayed here. AFB shows us this aspect of sexuality as Kirk experiences it.

Mirror Spock. "the dark one" is called to our universe by our Spock's unconscious longings and desires for Kirk. So the Dark One comes here to show him the necessity of expressing the love - among other things...

There's a great scene between the Dark One and Spock who is held down while the other enters his mind to show him how to love Kirk. The mental discussion is exciting, fast-paced, insightful and quite true to character. Sometimes a long "talk" scene, especially a mental one between characters bogs down a story and goes nowhere. Not so here. This is such a powerful mirror Spock with so much to share with our Spock and the resulting discussion is a fascinating one. An example: Mirror Spock says: "'There comes a time when the line must be drawn between what is a conscious decision made from logic, and what is a pretension to self sacrifice made out of the fear to act.'" Wow! That really seems to pinpoint so much of Spock's problem. "Their lips brushed, a whisper-light sigh of merging flesh/ And "At last, when hunger turns to starvation, Spock pulled away, begging with his eyes to be taken..,to be completed. In the same story, we get to see both dominant and submissive pairings. First there is Mirror Spock, who takes command of Kirk. Then, there's Kirk who is the aggressive one with our Spock. But neither are weak - with their difficulties and obstacles, they remain strong characters.

Till Only The Stars Remain could easily have been a full-length novel as the plot concerns K and S stranded for 4 years on Vulcan in the past. It was to have been d brief mission, but the Enterprise never returned.

Spock is a warrior and Kirk is his slave- It's so romantic as Kirk looks out to the night sky and longs to be back on the Enterprise. Spock is more at home and at peace here because he has allowed the reality of his former life as first officer to slip away and the role of warrior to take over. He offers to give Kirk a "visionary meld" to allow him to believe for a night that he's back home. "'Please, Master/ he whispered, letting the fantasy breathe into reality, He was a foundling. Starship captain fallen from the skies, captured by this Vulcan of the dark lands."

Bittersweet as they both must iorget their own past and survive on Vulcan as they are. Kirk aches with loneliness and the need to return and Spock helps to take away the pain. 'Sad and haunting qualities as Spock helps Kirk say good-bye to his past reality. "It hurt him, too. To take away everything when he had little to offer in its place. To trade Vulcan love for the stars."

The whole collection was filled with images of death and rebirth, of mourning losses, yet understanding love. Truly a beautiful, romantic K/S zine, one that would be perfect for the budding K/Ser.