Lifestar (Star Trek: TOS zine)
You may be looking for the Star Wars zine, Lifestar.
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Lifestar |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Shirley Herndon & Diana Jenkins |
| Date(s): | 1984 - 1987 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Size: | |
| Genre: | |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Lifestar is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology of fiction. It was edited by Diana Jenkins and Shirley Herndon.
This is a sister zine to Likely Impossibilities.
Issue 1
Lifestar 1 was published in 1984 and is 158 pages long. The cover is by Carlotta Vaughan, and the interior art is by Ellisa M. Schob.
The story's authors are all from Texas and Arkansas.
- In The Twentieth Century by Shirley Herndon (1)
- In the Beginning, poem by Shirley Herndon (2)
- Leila by Shirley Herndon and Diana Jenkins (3)
- Couplet, poem by Shirley Herndon (9)
- The Friend Within by Shirley Herndon and Diana Jenkins (What happens when the Mirror Universe's Captain Kirk is split into his two halves?) (10)
- Heaven's Tear, poem by Carolyn Rogers (20)
- Currents Of Time by Shirley Herndon (How does Captain Kirk repair the damage done when a young woman accidently alters the past, and the changes affect Spock's life?) (21)
- Backwash by Shirley Herndon (65)
- Ode to Fan Writers, poem by Shirley Herndon (75)
- Edith by Shirley Herndon and Diana Jenkins (Who was Edith, really?) (76)
- untitled poem by Shirley Herndon (78)
- Dream House by B.J. Mikita (79)
- A Letter from Home, folksong by Cindy Goodman and Jan Riddling (101)
- Shore Leave by Diana Jenkins (102)
- A Matter Of Privacy by Diana Jenkins (How does the Enterprise evacuate an endangered planet whose culture forbids the asking of questions?) (105)
- Zarabeth by Shirley Herndon (152)
- The Final Truth by Carolyn Rogers (156)
interior art from issue #1
interior art from issue #1
interior art from issue #1
interior art from issue #1
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1
LIFESTAR is a fanzine with several stories. Two in particular are long and well-written. For the earlier story, "Currents in Time," one has to get through the first four pages in order to enjoy the rest. In those first four pages, a woman is accidentally propelled back in time in her one-person ship, and knowingly lands on Earth in the 1950's while ill. I found this behavior irresponsible. The author could have set up the same situation for the rest of the story had the character been propelled back in time and the ship crash-landed before the character knew she was in the past.As I indicated, after that, the story is quite good. Action shifts to the ENTERPRISE, where Kirk senses subliminally that something has changed; something is not right (he and Spock were with the Guardian when the past was changed, which is why they were unaffected). Kirk's investigation of what went wrong and his efforts to set things right are well-crafted, and make a good deal of sense. I am including in "Currents of Time" the next story in the fanzine called "Backwash" in which McCoy completes the corrections that need to be made. There is no reason to separate this story from the larger one, especially since it is dependent on the first. It would have been better to call this part 2 of the earlier story, or label it as an epilogue. (Both stories by Shirley Herndon.) "A Matter of Privacy" by Diana Jenkins is also very good, beginning on the first page. A colony of aliens from a destroyed planet signals for help when some of its people become ill; the ENTERPRISE responds. The author sets up the pattern of behavior among the colony's inhabitants very well; understanding this pattern is one of the keys to the plot resolution. The author does a good job in creating the characters and making the pieces fit together properly. Adding to the story are the illustrations by Ellisa M. Schab, which are excellent.
The other stories in this volume include "Leila," an alternate universe "This Side of Paradlae"; "The Friend Within," which is "The Enemy Within" in the "Mirror, Mirror" universe; "Dream House," a slick Mary Sue story; "Sdlth," an epilogue to "City on the Edge of Forever"; and "In the Twentieth Century," a meeting of playmates. I think, though, that the strength of this volume is in the two longer stories, which I recommend. [1]
Issue 2
Lifestar 2 was published in 1986 and is 102 pages long. It contains a single story, "Exodus," by Shirley Herndon and Diana Jenkins and is a sequel to the movie, "The Search for Spock." It is illustrated by Tom Howard.
Summary: "In the aftermath of fal tor pan, Spock and McCoy struggle to understand their new relationship. Kirk and company follow renegade Klingons to a remote planet to save Carol Marcus and the planet's colonists." [2]
Another summary: "Carol Markus [sic] has been abducted by Klingons and Kirk has taken his crew, with the exception of McCoy, to attempt her rescue. McCoy has remained on Vulcan to help with Spock's recovery, a process that brings them very close." [3]
interior art from issue #2
interior art from issue #2
interior art from issue #2
interior art from issue #2
Issue 3
Lifestar 3 was published in January 1987 and contains 170 pages.
The art is by Tom Howard, Shellie Whild, Fiona Graves, Brian Worthington, Sue Hudson, Kathleen Walks in Rain, Perry Wright, Mary Caldwell, David Marks, Nancy A. Miller, David Bratton, and Betsy Fisher.
Summary: "Romance and adventure, insights into an intriguing alien culture. 'Rescue Missions': Spock and a fellow telepath lead the four-armed natives of Denebola III in a fight against the Klingons. Story by Anne Burns, art by Fiona Graves. LifeStar #3 contains short stories and an art gallery amounting to 20 pages in all." [4]
There are two entries generated from the contest held at Space Trek IV, St. Louis, 1986. The prize-winner, "You Left What On Board?" was read on stage by con guests, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley.
- Journal of UFO Sightings: 1986, non-fiction by Shirley Herndon (1)
- Epilogue by Tom Howard (5)
- First Encounter of the Close Kind, poem by Betsy Fisher (28)
- A Mother's Legacy by Sue Wilson (30)
- Just Another Typical Voyage by David Marks (35)
- Joanna's Song by Nancy E. Bagnasco (54)
- Michael's Messenger by Kathleen Walks in Rain ("A spunky young girl aids the crew in finding their contact in a Klingon-invaded world.") (64)
- Rescue Missions by Anne Burns ("Spock and Zyanya, a fellow telepath, are stranded and make a life for themselves among the natives as war with the Klingons prevents the return of the Enterprise.") (77)
- Sailor's Luck, poem by Betsy Fisher (130)
- You Left WHAT on Board, script form, contest winner by Cheryl Hendry (132)
- Rescue Party by Sue Hudson (137)
- Interval by Gloria DeLeon and Sue Wilson (144)
- Let's Do the Time Warp Again, script form, contest entry by Tom Howard (Describes the mass confusion which overwhelms the Enterprise as it hits a time storm.) (150)
- The Last Farewell by Betsy Fisher ("The last medical log of Leonard McCoy. Injured and waiting for death, McCoy records the events that led to the destruction of the Enterprise and the deaths of Kirk and Spock.") (156)
- Dragonbreath by Matt Billie (160)
- Bio Pages by Tom Howard (165)
from issue #3, Tom Howard
from issue #3, Tom Howard
from issue #3, Tom Howard
from issue #3, Mary Caldwell
from issue #3, Brian Worthington
from issue #3, Kathleen Walks in Rain
from issue #3, Fiona Graves
from issue #3, Fiona Graves
from issue #3, Fiona Graves
from issue #3, Tom Howard
from issue #3, Sue Hudson
from issue #3, Nancy A. Miller
from issue #3, Fiona Graves
from issue #3, Tom Howard, portrays the zine's contributors
Reactions and Reviews: Issue 3
With each new edition of Lifestar... she keeps getting better and better. Some of the new improvements include: bold titles, expanded art, expanded bio pages, and most important, even better stories! Some of the highlights include 'Joanna's Song,' another in a Joanna McCoy series, 'Michael's Messanger,' a nice Sulu-centered story, 'Epilogue,' what happens after Lifestar II and deals with a Klingon's wrath. Also worth speaking about are: 'You Left WHAT on Board?' and 'Journal of UFO Sightings: 1986.' The longest story in this edition is going to either thrill you or make you throw yourself into a transporter set for the bridge of a Klingon Battlestation. For me, it was great. The writing was so good, it overshadows some of the plot lines. The attention to detail is what I loved. Ms. Burns can really get everyone's thoughts together and display them. The art, to put it mildly, is out of this world. Everything inside is great, and I could find very little to gripe about. This is one of those very few times that quality and quantity come together and work. And work, it does. There is some art by Tom Howard, Shellie Whild, and around a dozen other veterans and new blood. The best art of this zine has got to be by Fiona Graves. she has prepared for us some art of the 'dude with the ears' that will knock you out. This along with art of David and Saavik, Kirk and Spock, a Droseran, and others make the zine more than worth buying... If you want to laugh, look, cry, love, have adventure or action, then this zine has your name written all over it... The zine is great, and only a Romulan spy could pass this deal up. [5]