Kendra Hunter

Fan
Name:	Kendra Hunter
Alias(es):
Type:	fan writer, vidder
Fandoms:	Star Trek and Starsky & Hutch
Communities:
Other:
URL:
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Kendra Hunter was an early Star Trek and Starsky & Hutch fan writer and vidder. She wrote gen fiction under this name and slash under another name, [A R].

She passed away in the summer of 2023 at the age of 72.

Comments About Slash

In March 1979, she published an article, Characterization Rape: An Examination of Fan Fiction in Trek #13, later reprinted in "The Best of Trek" #2, which has been cited in several academic studies on fan fiction as a dismissal of slash fiction:

A writer, either professional or amateur, must realize that she... is not omnipotent. She cannot force her characters to do as she pleases... The writer must have respect for her characters or those created by others that she is using, and have a full working knowledge of each before committing her words to paper.

In a 1996 letter to In the Belly of the Whale, the author addresses her 1979 essay:

As to my personal views, I am on record in the public forum, The Best of Trek #2 with an article entitled "Characterization Rape", in which I state clearly that I do not believe in a sexual relationship tionship between Kirk and Spock. That was a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far way, before my religious experience while on the road to Damascus. Actually, I was on a beach in Athens watching the calm waters of the Mediterranean while working on a Starsky and Hutch novel that I had my great revelation regarding the love between two men and how powerful it can be. Since that time, I have been involved in gay rights, worked in the adult entertainment industry, read volumes both fiction and non-fiction regarding the gay lifestyle, and have made many friends in the gay world. My horizons have been expanded and my life enriched by the experiences.

As a Vidder

In "Women, Star Trek, and the early development of fannish vidding" Francesca Coppa writes: "No one is sure who was the first person to make a vid using VCRs, though likely candidates include Trek fans Kendra Hunter and Diana Barbour, who were making Starsky and Hutch vids as early as 1980."

Among her early vids was a single scene from Starsky & Hutch that was timed to Bette Midler's "The Rose." The vid would later inspire the tradition of attendees singing the song at Zebracon, a gen and slash convention.

Even though the majority of her fanvids were made in the 1980s, Kendra continued to distribute them at cost to fellow fans well into the mid 1990s.

From her flyer in 1996:

"These are from 1980 and run about an hour and twenty minutes. At a con in the early 1980’s one of the tapes fell into the trash can which was serving as the ice bucket for our Champaign and there are some fuzzy spots from the water damage. Otherwise, the tapes have survived rather nicely.

From 1983 is “Making Love Out Of Nothing At All.” We keep threatening to do this one again but so far haven’t. We did this one twice and it’s in two places. One of the places loses the “Trek” scene from ST:TMP where Kirk is standing over Spock in Sickbay. No big loss as far as I’m concerned (I hated ST:TMP), but it was important at the time.

Also included are the “Starsky & Hutch” bloopers. If you have never seen them, they deserve a look. The copy is bad, the best original available is bad, but they are still worth watching."

As a Zine Publisher

• Credit List
• In the Belly of the Whale
• S and H
• Strange Justice

Notable Vids

• The Magnificent Seven, a Starsky & Hutch vid
• Kiss You All Over, a Starsky & Hutch vid
• The Rose, a Starsky & Hutch vid

A more complete list of her vids can be found at the Starsky & Hutch Early Songvids page. Some of these vids also appeared on The Magnificent Seven (Starsky & Hutch songtape) collection.

Several fans have attributed the Dune fanvid "The Leader, The Vision, What About Me?" - others have said that they only know that the vidder's initial are "KH"