Prydonian Renegades

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Fan Club
Name:	Prydonian Renegades
Dates:
Founder(s):
Leadership:	Jean Airey
Country based in:	Ohio, United States
Focus:	Doctor Who
External Links:
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Prydonian Renegades was a Doctor Who fan club that was founded and led by Jean Airey.

Con Hosts

• Panopticon West 1983

Publications

• The Blue Guardian
• Zeta Minor
• The Doctor and the Enterprise

Fan Comments

When Desiree and I joined the local Doctor Who fan club in 1982 we had no idea what wwere getting into. The club was called the Prydonian Renegades and was headed up by a middle-aged professional woman named Jean. Jean was an enigma to me. She was older, had a strong career, was married and had children. But she drooled over Tom Baker like no one else ever did or could, I imagine. It was hilarious to watch her as we sat and viewed old Tom Baker episodes. Since my taste in men has altered drastically since then, it's difficult now for me to imagine why she lusted after him so, but she did. She sat, rapt, clutching the arm of her chair as we watched the Doctor battle Cybermen and elude the Daleks. She particularly enjoyed scenes where the Doctor was tied up. I found this embarrassing. At the time I thought women didn't openly show appreciation for such erotic fancies.

[...]

Shortly after our return [from Panopticon West 1982], the Renegades began making plans to bid on holding Panopticon 1983 in Columbus. After winning the bid, we began holding regular planning meetings during which individual tasks were distributed among the club members. I was put in charge of organizing and operating the pre-registration and convention registration activities.

Planning and organizing a convention takes time, talent and effort. Although I remember our meetings and the steps that we took to bring Panopticon West 1984 to life, what I remember most are the people involved and the many lessons I learned about fan politics and relationships. Although science fiction fans may appear unusual to the "mundane," deep down they are just like everyone else.

Somewhere between planning and the actual event itself, a deep and silent war began to rage between the older members and the younger ones. Desiree and I, after years of watching this war and at times becoming involved, devised a secret phrase that we used to classify members of both sides. The Prydonian Renegades, we decided, were victims of the dreaded disease ESI or "Exaggerated Self-Importance."

Several battles erupted. The most devastating was the one that waged on and on and on through Panopticon 1984 and several conventions beyond. Each Doctor Who convention must, to be successful, arrange for at least two guests from England to attend and participate in panels and autograph signings. Although it's great to get together with other fans and party, buy stuff, dress up and watch videos, the bottom line was that people wanted to meet celebrities and the more celebrities the better. Autograph books burned in anticipation of those sacred scribblings. Fans dreamed of meeting their favorite Doctor Who Doctors or companions by accident while buying a can of Diet Coke or eating in the hotel restaurant. Convention officials had to supply the guests but also assign certain staff members the duty of keeping track of them, shuttling them around and keeping them amused.

What happened, of course, is that those chosen few that were selected to keep guests company during their stay in Columbus enjoyed their duties just a little too much. Staffers swelled with obvious pride whenever they ushered a guest into a crowded room. Staff security guards appeared too eager to keep the fans away from their charges. Soon, the sight of walkie talkies pressed urgently to lips was coupled with the whispers of "gimme a break." Other staff members with less glamorous jobs began to resent this behavior. Friction began to erode away at friendships and camaraderie slackened miserably.