Memory Alpha (Star Trek: TOS zine published in Alaska)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Memory Alpha (first issue), Memory (second issue) |
| Publisher: | |
| Editor(s): | Allan Evans, Doug Gregory and Kelly McClure |
| Date(s): | 1976 |
| Series?: | |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Memory Alpha is a Star Trek: TOS zine of fiction and articles. It was published out of Fairbanks, Alaska, and created by some of the contributors of Logically Star Trek.
There were two issues, both published in 1976.
The first issue was called "Memory Alpha," and the second issue was called simply "Memory."
From the First Issue's Editorial
Welcome to issue one of Logically Star Tr -no wait- I forgot. This is Memory Alpha, a Fairbanks based fanzine. Fine, you say, what's a fairbanks? You dummy, its a place in Alaska. Where's Alaska? Oh come on!Actually, a lot of the staff from good ol' Logically decided it was time to opt for creative control and when we couldn't get enough, decided it might be a good idea to try one on their own. Who were they? Allan Evans, Doug Gregory, and Kelly McClure.
One of the main reasons for the break away was that we wanted to see more analysis and that kind'a stuff in the zine. We felt it would make the mag more adult. If you don't think so -drop dead- oops. I mean use our business return to tell us what kind of article writing you would like to see. For that reason you'll find a lot of that kind of stuff.
The Unpublished Third Issue: Change of Content, and Payment for Fanworks
The third issue, which was never published, was described in issue #2. One change was that there would be no more Star Trek fanworks. "As we wish not to encounter copyright conflicts, we will not be printing Star Trek fiction anymore." It is unknown what made these fans have such a change in mind regarding Star Trek fiction; it may have been due to their decision to offer payment for materials (1 to 6 cents a word) in their third issue.
Issue 1
Memory Alpha 1 was published in 1976 and contains 40 pages.
From the editorial:
... we have Analysis of Space: 1999 Analysis of Blish and Foster and Analysis of UFO Phenomenon, of which are by respectively A. Evans, E. Gregory, and K. McClure.
Then in the Star Trek story department there is an archetype Star Trek adventure story by A. Evans. Gets around doesn't he? I hopefully (at this writing) will have finished draft three of my story "Choice" which falls under the same category. We've got a couple of quick science-fiction added to by Allan. We have all kinds of neat stuff to keep you occupied. Next issue we have definetly a roll you own type article [sic] on how to build your own working communicator. Neat, huh? Most of the other articles are not set yet, since we are awaiting your response to this one. Please fill out the business reply in the back and fill it in. It would sure help us please you, after all you're the one paying for this stuff.
Anyway we would like to thank you, the reader, for buying this publication and proving that, yes, the average reader is a perceptive individual. Our only hope is that it is rational enough. From all of us, LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!!!
- Tiger by the Tail, fiction by Allan Evans (3)
- Comparison of Blish and Foster, article by Doug Gregory (12)
- Computer Game ("The following dialogue is the result of a program on a Nova computer used at the University of Alaska. All dialogue is that of the computer's. Only the orders given to the computer are those of Kelly McClure, the sucker who recently had a bout with that computer.") (14)
- Star Wreck!!, or "The Night Before Deadline," poem by M. Hureaux (Introduction: "Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Star Ship Exitpize, its five year mission to establish a decent plot, find a new writer, and get up the guts to say "No more!" to Gene Roddenberry!" (20)
- Analysis of Space:1999, article by Allan Evans (21)
- Choice, fiction by Kelly McClure (21)
- Hypothesis, fiction by Allan Evans (29)
- Warp Drive Theory, article by Doug Gregory and Kelly McClure (31)
- Analysis of UFO Phenomenom, article by Kelly McClure (32)
- a survey for this zine's readers, asking what they liked and didn't liked (38)
interior from issue #1, a fiction page
interior from issue #1, first page of fan survey
interior from issue #1, second page of fan survey, shows the other side of the prepaid survey card which means fans were expected to CUT this off their zine and send it in the mail...
interior from issue #1, last page saying they had no LoCs, plus has a prepaid card to respond to the zine editor
Issue 2
Memory 2 was published in September 1976 and contains 40 pages. It has one unflattering article about Star Trek fans, and one Star Trek story; the rest of the content is non-Trek.
The editor says the title change represents some "soul searching."
MEMORY, between the time of the first and second issue, changed its outlook on speculative fiction in general and Star Trek in particular. The reader will find still another archetypal... ST by me, but he will also find several good stories by my fellow editors Kelly McClure and Doug Gregory, and one by our friend Pat Moore that have nothing to do with Star Trek at all. You see, between issues we took a look at what we were doing here, in print, on paper, and came to the conclusion that we were ignoring speculative fiction, good speculative fiction. Star Trek was/is good, the best sf show on the air, and possible the best show period, but all three editors of MEMORY were reading and writing sf before Star Trek was any more than an idea in Gene Roddenberry's head. Somewhere the train should and could meet... We hope you are pleased.
The editor also says that future issues will pay fans for future content, though this salary appears hard to pin down. The change in policy regarding Star Trek fiction and copyright (see below)and the proposed third issue may have been due to payment for fanworks. In the end, there was no third issue:
The staff of MEMORY is rather smug to announce that we will be paying 6 cents a word for original sf fiction, fact articles, poetry, reports of sf events, cons, festivals, movies and the like....Once you have submitted, and we have accepted the piece, a price between 1 cent and 6 cents will be negotiated. No drastic changes will be made in plot or theme without the author's permission... FUTURE SHOCK (TO RECOIN A PHRASE). Our "deal" with the kind people at Xerox, who let us use their 4500 copy machine for a reduced rate, has run out, and so, lucky reader, MEMORY will be going [to] slick professional paper and printing in the third issue. Unfortunately, to cover the cost of this, our size will drop and our price will go up. Another sad tale of Alaskan economic reality impacting hard against literary creativity. NEXT ISSUE: You can look forward to an article on some of the space wargames on the market, a report on Viking, part two of "Winds of Space" and much, much more (the latter of which is a common editorial cop-out. We won't know the complete list of works until two weeks before press run. As we wish not to encounter copyright conflicts, we will not be printing Star Trek fiction anymore. We will accept general purpose ST (con, movie reports, etc.) however.
- The Window, fiction by Kelly McClure (3)
- The Unmaking of 201: A Space Odyssey, article by Patrick A. Moore (sort-of meta fiction) (5)
- The Coming, fiction by Douglas Gregory and Kelly McClure (8)
- The Winds of Space, fiction by Kelly McClure (12)
- Requisition, fiction by Douglas Gregory (16)
- Star Trek Fandom: A Brief Analysis by Kelly McClure (An unflattering article that starts with: "The unenlightened observer may view Star Trek fandom as just one mass of writhing, pulsating, squealing idol worshipers, teenagers and insane adults, but after exposure to and/or association with groups of fans, these misconceptions fall away What then, in general, if that is possible, is the average Star Trek fan? Upon empirical analysis ue find that there are at least four kinds of Star frek fans each distinctly different from the other, and, indeed, in some cases diametrically opposed. Following is a delineation of the four common types." The author says the four types are "Parasite," "Outcast," "Idealist," and "I Like Your Body" fans.) (19)
- The Heretic, fiction by Douglas Gregory (20)
- Through the Gates, fiction by Kelly McClure (25)
- Captain McCoy, U.S.S. Enterprise, fiction by Allen Evans (27)
- Stellar Radiation, article by Kelly McClure (36)
inside issue #2
inside issue #2
inside issue #2
inside issue #2
