Orbit 30

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This article is about the zine. For other uses, see Orbit.
Zine
Title: Orbit 30
Publisher:
Editor(s): D. DaBinett
Date(s): 1979-1981
Series?:
Medium: print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Star Trek: TOS
Language: English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Orbit 30 is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology edited by D. DaBinett and published in England.

From the editorial in the first issue:

This a Star Trek General Zine which I hope will cater for most tastes, and while we do have a definite Kirk, Spock and McCoy bias we have only two Editorial no-no's (a) NO Mary Sues, unless they are an absolute necessity as part of the story line and (b) no deaths of main characters - there are so many zines now that cater for this morbid taste, that I don't honestly feel we need another one (it also costs me a fortune in paper hankies!).

Regarding the Title

From the editorial in the second issue:

It means quite simply that we are in Orbit 300 years in the future, one being the first edition, two the second, etc! (to be honest I did think it was obvious... just shows, sometimes you have to dot the i's and cross the t's.)

Reactions and Reviews: The First Three Issues

A series with average stories. Three stood out as good: Fireflies of Agande by Simone Mason in #303 which is an adventure set after Journey to Babel. In #304, No Humans Served is an A/U story where Spock is the Captain and humans an inferior species. To Live with the Consequences by Meg Wright in #305 deals with what would have happened after Amok Time if T'Pau had failed to persuade Starfleet. [1]

Issue 1

cover of issue #1
from issue #1, illo by D. DaBinett

Orbit 301 was published in September 1979 and contains 73 pages. Cover and illustrations by D. DaBinett.

  • Editorial (2)
  • The Buccaneer by D. DuBois (Christine Chapel finished tending the Captain's wounds. "What monster did this to him?" she asked the Doctor. The Vulcan looked straight at her. "I am the monster, nurse.") (3)
  • The Islands by Anne Kydd (Kirk was not stupid, even now he was keeping out of the Vulcan's way, trying to avoid the crushing arms, even in his fury his instincts reminding him constantly that this was Spock, and no way could he beat the Vulcan in hand to hand fighting.) (18)
  • Zine News and Reviews (33)
  • Too Many Doctors! by D. DuBois (With a shock the Doctor suddenly became aware of Spock's fingers on his face, and tugged his head away quickly, not looking at him. //Surely, he wasn't trying to...? Hell, he always asked permission first, didn't he?// McCoy was no longer absolutely sure....Spock intended to get his answers, one way or another.) (34)
  • One Monumental Mistake by C. Cooper ("He was presented with the facts, Doctor, logically he had no alternative but to accept them, and act accordingly." Spock's voice thickened slightly, the only sign of emotion he had so far shown, "I am temporarily relieved of duty.") (48)
  • Rule Two by D. DuBois (He cursed himself yet again for his stupidity. He'd set the scoutmobile down, his blasted curiosity again. Sulu had said it would finish him one day, and it looked like the prophecy was about to come true.) (67)
  • First Impressions by D. DuBois (The Ambassador was tired. Why had they decided on him? Surely there was someone else? He cut the thought off quickly and sighed, he was after all the obvious choice.) (72)

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

  • The Buccaneer / Icrans, negotiating for Federation membership, test Kirk, Spock and McCoy by erasing Spock's memory, makingim the sadistic captain of a pirate ship, and "allowing" Spock and McCoy to try to retrieve him. Spock flogs and keel-hauls Kirk; McCoy forces a mind-meld to bring him to himself, whereupon they are miraculously returned to Enterprise but Spock has to engage another meld with Kirk to save him.
  • The Islands / The unfulfilled spirit of a stranded spacefarer incites Kirk, Spock and McCoy to fisticuffs for possession of her. Spock wins, satisfies her and puts her ghost to rest.
  • Too Many Doctors! / Kirk, Spock & McCoy are stranded on a planet where none of their gizmos work and attacked by natives. A wounded McCoy tries to hide his own danger to help Kirk carry Spock across the desert, where they find Klingons. Scott figures out how to beat the mechanical trouble, rescues the party and puts paid to the Klingons.
  • One Monumental Mistake / Kirk is hypnotized by a new science officer into believing Spock to be engaging in treachery. McCoy gets Scott to use intraship beaming so that the bridge crew can all conspire to find who set it all up (business interests wanting to undermine the Organian peace for a nice profitable war), and they retrieve Kirk by mind-meld. Again.
  • Rule Two / Most interesting of this zine, but makes one a bit queasy. Crewmember stranded in desert breaks the rules of survival training : 1. Stay with the equipment - which sank into sand and 2. Don't eat anything not tested - s/he eats cacti - which turn out to be the young of the inhabitants. Ooh, ick.
  • First Impressions / Devil-like "ambassador" contemplating his new assignment to Earth. [2]

Issue 2

cover 302
inside page from issue #2, illo by the editor

Orbit 302 was published in November 1979 (reprinted in March 1980) and contains 79 pages.

The editor writes: "There are no typing errors in this zine, only lapses into Klingonese!"

  • Editorial (2)
  • A Challenge Accepted by Anne Kydd (3)
  • The Orion Incident by Doreen DuBois (22)
  • A Break in Routine by Doreen DuBois (51)
  • Zine News (51)
  • A Primitive Emotion by C. Cooper, (52)
  • Hogmanay by D. DuBois (65)


Issue 3

cover 303, first printing
cover of 303, second printing

Orbit 303 was published in May 1980 and contains 86 pages.


Issue 4

Orbit 304 was published in 1981 and contains 68 pages. Illustrations by Virginia Lee, Fiona Graves and JON.

  • Editorial (2)
cover 304
interior art by Fiona Graves
  • Through a Glass Darkly by Vivien Young (7)
  • Che Sará Sará by Karen Hayden (13)
  • The Decision by Karen Hayden (14)
  • Teleological Time by Karen Hayden (15)
  • Love Lost in Paradise by Karen Hayden (16)
  • To Chart Our Course by Keith Smith (17)
  • A Priceless Commodity by Karen Hayde (26)
  • Family Matters by Vivien Young (27)
  • Home Is ... Where The Heart Is by C.L. Cooper (28)
  • The Final Step by Ann Flegg (37)
  • Freedom Thanks to Friendship by Karen Hayden (38)
  • No Humans Served by D.C. DuBois (39)
  • Fleet News (66)
  • Circle. Defences. I Wonder? by Ann Flegg (67)
  • Zine News (68)

Issue 5

cover 305

Orbit 305 was published in December 1981 and contains 81 pages, Illos by JON, and Maria Johnson.

The editorial in this zine is discussed in Communicator #5.

  • Editorial (2)
  • Filigree Fingers of the Cosmos by Karen Hayden (3)
  • Three Simple Words by Anne Kydd (5)
  • Serendipity Smell by Barbara Wrigh (10)
  • Just Like Me by D. DuBois (13)
  • To Know Thyself by C.L. Cooper (17)
  • Murphy's Law! by Karen Humphries (26)
  • A Time To Part by D. DuBois (44)
  • A New Beginning by Just 'K' (55)
  • A Time Spent Amok by Karen Hayden (56)
  • To Live With the Consequences! by Meg Wright (57)
  • Dream of Reality by Karen Heyden (80)
  • Kindred Spirits by Karen Hayden (81)
  • interior sample from issue #5, Maria Johnson

    interior sample from issue #5, Maria Johnson

  • interior sample from issue #5, Maria Johnson

    interior sample from issue #5, Maria Johnson

  • interior sample from issue #5, JON

    interior sample from issue #5, JON

References

  1. ^ from Enterprise Originals #11
  2. ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
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