Nimoyan Dispatch

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Zine
Title: Nimoyan Dispatch
Publisher: Regina Marvinny
Organizer(s):
Author(s):
Cover Artist(s):
Illustrator(s):
Type:
Date(s): October 1971
Topic:
Medium: print
Frequency:
Fandom: Star Trek: TOS
Rating(s):
Warning(s):
Language: English
External Links:
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Nimoyan Dispatch was a Star Trek: TOS fan club newsletter by Regina Marvinny.

It was published every three months by a fan club called Nimoyan Federation which began in April 1971. The club also published Tricorder Readings (which was called a journal in the fall, and an annual in the spring).

After chiding at the many rules of LNAF, the club dropped its affiliation with that organization in December 1972. The newsletter kept its old name and its old publishing schedule, but it no longer accepted any Mission Impossible fiction as the focus was now purely Star Trek, not on Leonard Nimoy.

While the newsletter retained its name, the club then became STREK.

Entwined with "Tricorder Readings"

Both of this club's publications, "Tricorder Readings" and "Nimoyan Dispatch," are entwined.

In July 1972, the Dispatch Membership Book described the club's publication schedule: "Approximately every three months we will issue a 40-50pp journal. Every fifth issue will be a 70-80pp annual."

In Isotope #3, there is more information: "We have six annual publications: 4 "Nimoyan Dispatch" newsletters, and our Winter Journal and Summer Annual - titled "Tricorder Readings."" NOTE, "winter" appears to be the same as "fall."

The July 1972 Handbook: "A Mini Look at Strekdom!" and "A Maxi Look at Your Club!"

Regina Marvinny created a 10-page handbook which was planned to be updated every year. It, however, may be the only issue published.

from the July 1972 handbook
This 'Handbook' is a club service, presented for the edification of our members. Price is 25¢ to nonmembers, and members having joined after July 1, 1972. This combination fandom and club intro was written and compiled by the 'Federation' President, who has completely gronked her frizzbit.

  • Star Trek Fandom: What is It!
  • What is a Fanzine?
  • What is a Fan Club?
  • Purpose of Strekdom (aka Star Trek fandom)
  • How Does One Get Involved in Fandom?
  • Fanzines (listing)
  • Clubs (listing)
  • Star Trek Pro Books and Merch (listing)
  • And Now, About Your Club *Nimoyan Federation*
    • Club History
    • Production Schedule and Submission of Material
    • Club Services
    • How Can I Be a Member of Service to the Club?

October 1971 (Journal)

This was the first issue and was Tricorder Readings #1.

December 1971 (Journal)

This was Tricorder Readings #2.

February 1972 (Newsletter)

front cover of the February 1972 issue
from the February 1972 issue, a con report by Ginie Reynolds for Star Trek Lives!

It contains 14 pages. It is labeled v.2 n.1.

The editor/president is Regina Marvinny, and the vice president is Joan Foley.

The contest announced in the "last issue" is still underway:

Can you think of a funny or outlandish costume that Paris would have to wear? Paris has been asked to impersonate many different people [in Mission Impossible ], but sometimes the IMF expects a little too much from our dauntless agent. What's YOUR idea? ? Write it up in a story or poem...

This issue includes Impossible Histories:

Really, it is not so difficult to write Impossible Histories - simply take an historical event that you've heard of and put the IMF on the losing side. The ones given below I dreamed up by simply calling to mind an historical character. Each one of these is centered around a person rather than an event. But it can work either away. So get busy, all u you Federabobbles!! If you loved history, you're all set. If you hated history, just think, now you can rewrite it to your heart's content!

  • Greetings Fellow Federation Citizens (contest info, fan birthdays, encouragement to fans to write their local television stations and pester them for Nimoy content, plugs for merchandise) (1)
  • Of Right and Wrong, fiction by Linda H. Lawson (Star Trek: TOS) (3)
  • Members' Response to the December Tricorder Readings (39% rated it as excellent, 26% as very good, 25% as good, 3% as above average, 7% of fans hadn't "returned their acknowledgments") (4)
  • Questions to Dr. McCoy (one of them: "Q. Is it true that Spock sleeps with his eyes open? A. I don't know for sure if Spock sleeps with his eyes open. I've never slept with him and not about to!" and some commentary on "Jewish Vulcans") (4)
  • Impossible History, or...If At First You Don't Succeed, Call the Persuaders! (5)
  • Overheard in Passing (snippets of conversation people have hear that are Nimoy/Vulcan related) (5)
  • From the Members, includes a letter from L'Shaya Salkind (short primer about Yiddish and Hebrew, related to Nimoy in Fiddler on the Roof (6)
  • Clubs to Join (7)
  • And the Empath Wore Blue, long meta poem about the convention, Star Trek Lives!, by Ginie Reynolds (8)
  • Friends, Vulcans, Nimoyans! (if you're waiting for me to say, "Lend me your ears," don't hold your breath). Announcing a "Club Contest" ("All ya gotta do is come up with an imaginative, creative, humorous, original and dasterdly one-liner (Star Trek or Nimoyis) suitible for a graffiti wall (ex: hmm...well... um... "Spock has iron-poor blood" or "I have a one Trek mind!" --- well, I didn't say they were GREAT examples!") (9)
  • more encouragement to pester television stations (9)
  • a long con report by Regina Marvinny for Star Trek Lives!, see that page (10)
  • some ads and short descriptions for fanzines, including Double Exposure #3, Overload #1, NCC-1701, The Nest Egg and The Nimoy Nest, The Voyages #3, and Guardian of Forever (14)

April 1972 (Newsletter)

It was planned for late April, because the previous newsletter was so late.

It may be v.2 n.2.

July 1972 (Annual)

This was Tricorder Readings #3.

October 1972 (Journal)

This is Tricorder Readings #4.

December 1972 (Newsletter)

from the December 1972 issue

It contains 10 pages. It was planned to be out by December 1, but ended up being at the end of the month. The editor notes it is the last issue before the convention, Star Trek Lives!.

This club is dropping its affiliation with LNAF:

Because we are no longer affiliated with Nimoy's club, our old name of "Nimoyan Federation" has outlived its usefulness. Our new name is STREK, reflecting our club's purpose to provide you with the latest information on all STREK activities, and the best in Strek fiction. Our pub schedule remains the same, our zine title remains the same. We will still print any info on LN or the other ST stars as it becomes available. But we will no longer be printing any Mission:Impossible fiction. Only those M:I stories which were accepted before this change will be printed - as of now, only two remain. We hope that we have not offended anyone's feelings by our actions. If anyone really has such a strong reaction to the change, please write and give your thoughts. Memberships will be refunded to any unhappy member who wanted to join a strictly LN club. We are strictly a ST club now.

Jacqueline Lichtenberg drops one of her gems:

I think I can explain what happened with the .... foul up with GR and the ST pilot. What happened was that NBC, tongue-in-cheek, offered GR the option of doing a brand new ST pilot --- not a movie, just a pilot that would never have any other use except as a pilot. GR refused to do the pilot on the grounds that ST is already a proven commercial product. He counter-offered to do a theater or TV movie. Negotiations bogged down at this point.

  • the blooper list, reprinted from the previous issue, with additions and corrections
  • fan comments about "All Hailing Frequencies"
  • Poll Results (The decision to drop UNICEF as a charity has been confirmed, and in fact, there will be no club charity because very few people give money anyway. Also, the club has decided to drop their affiliation with LNAF as there are too many greedy and unfair rules, and not enough benefit to the club or club members.)
  • a letter from L.E. Wallace, Jr. asking members to support a Ballantine for-profit book called "Star Trek Fandom from Within" -- could this be a prototype of Star Trek Lives!?
  • letter from Jacqueline Lichtenberg offering her take on Gene Roddenberry and new Trek plans
  • a rumor of a Star Trek convention in Philadelphia in March 1973, sponsored by WKRS-TV
  • a plug for some David Gerrold books: "With a Finger in My I," The Man Who Folded Himself, "Space Skimmer," "Generation
  • a plug for the upcoming TV movie by Roddenberry, Genesis II
  • the "latest Blish bomb" is out: Star Trek #8
  • the semi-pro zine, Star Trek Monthly has been delayed, and possibly canceled, "Needless to say, we are all very disappointed."
  • a plug for the newly-formed Star Trek Welcommittee
  • Smatter O'Facts (will Star Trek be revived, write your letters)
  • some zine cancellations, delays, and submission requests
  • Survival at the ST Con or Slumming at the Commodore and Coming Out in One Piece!, a list and primer by Marlene Mannella about attending Star Trek Lives! (how to hide things from the maids, how to sneak in food, plan on only 4 hours of sleep a night, some tips for not getting things stolen...)

April 1973 (Newsletter)