STNG: Explorer

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You may be looking for the slash Stargate SG-1 zine Stargate:Explorer or the Stargate SG-1 gen zine Stargate: Explorer.

Zine
Title: STNG: Explorer
Publisher: Tribal Press
Editor(s): Lisa Wilcox
Date(s):
Series?:
Medium: print zine
Size:
Genre:
Fandom: Star Trek: TNG
Language: English
External Links:
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cover of issue #1
flyer for issue: #1: "Share the holidays with the crew of the Enterprise! Commander Riker disappears! Santa visits the ship! Mysterious joker is loose. Will Wesley get the girl? Data finds a "pet.""
cover of issue #2

STNG: Explorer is a gen Star Trek: TNG anthology edited by Lisa Wilcox. The art is by Lisa Wilcox and Melody Rondeau.

The zine was intended to be a classroom aide.

Issue 1

STNG: Explorer 1 is subtitled, "Holidays." It was published in 1989, contains 52 pages and 5 stories.

  • Play of Hearts
  • Joker's Wild
  • Beau
  • two other unknown stories

Reactions and Reviews: Issue 1

STNG:Explorer Holidays is a small zine with a big heart, and an interesting history. It is my understanding the stories contained herein where (and are) being used in a classroom situation as learning tools. The stories are straightforward and fairly uncomplicated. Simple solutions are offered to complex problems, but everyone learns something of value and all stories are upbeat and positive. No characters get bashed and despite their occasional differences, everyone has a pleasant time. This zine is not for everyone with its lack of sophistication, but I recommend it highly for younger Trek fans and us old fossils who just want to recall the days when zines were for FUN rather than profit or one-upmanship in the production department.

All the stories save one revolve around some Terran holiday, but the holiday merely sets the scene rather than dominating the storyline. There is also a delightful retelling of "The Night Before Christmas' with a genuinely surprising ending, and best of all, it avoids becoming syrupy.

In 'Play of Hearts" Wesley is presented in a very positive light as a kid. (the author certainly knows the species and has been a keen observer of same) Though it is largely Wesley's story, dealing with the pain of adolescent rejection, everyone helps out in one way or another, rallying to Wes's aid.

"Joker's Wild" took a well-worn chestnut of a plot in trying to teach Data about humor. He becomes the victim of numerous humiliating practical jokes and suffers for it. Data contemplates revenge, and suddenly the instigators find themselves casualties of particularly pointed pranks. Everyone begins to suspect everyone else of having engineered the shenanigans, but the ending does hold a starling turn which delighted

"Beau" was the longest story and my personal favorite. An insect-oid race the Enterprise contacts tells the Away Team to politely 'bug off' as they are not interested in joining the Federation. However, the team returns bearing an accidental tourist that Data decides to make a pet of, although he is not quite sure what all his new status as pet owner entails. The learning process Data and Beau experience will be a familiar one to any who have had the pleasure of living with a companion animal, and it ultimately becomes a question for them of just who is the pet? The story resolves itself nicely and with some insights into the importance of each individual.

The zine is nicely illustrated with full page pictures, most cribbed from.common publicity photos, but altered enough by the artist to reflect the events in the story and allowing them to function as more than simply portraits.

My only complaint with the zine is in the production department. It is beautifully laid out, printed with glorious clarity, but sadly, riddled with typos and each page is one-sided, which is fine for the illustrations, but an unnecessary waste for the text. Hopefully, next issue will see these minor problems ironed out. I look forward to a second issue and Lisa is welcoming submissions of story and art.[1]

Issue 2

STNG: Explorer 2 is subtitled, "Dark Adventures." It was published in 1991 and contains 152 pages. Contains the following stories:

  • Thank Wesley For Me by Lisa Wilcox
  • Watchful by M.K. Frye
  • Murder at Renfaire by M.K. Frye
  • By Any Other Name by M.K. Frye
  • A Dish Served Cold by Lisa Wilcox
  • Evil & Innocence by Melody Rondeau
  • Been There, Done That by M.K. Frye
  • Portrait: Number One by M.K. Frye
  • The Homing by Lisa Wilcox
  • Portrait: Picard by M.K. Frye
  • Mother of All by Lisa Wilcox, M.K. Frye, and Ted Wilcox
  • Beastly Dilemma by Melody Rondeau
  • Imprisoned by Melody Rondeau
  • Portrait: A Klingon by M.K. Frye

References

  1. ^ review by Melody Rondeau, from Data Entries #9