Star Trek Action Group (newsletter)/Issues 001-020

Issues 001-020 · Issues 021-040 · Issues 041-060 · Issues 061-080 · Issues 081-100 · Issues 101-120 · Issues 121-141

Issue 1

Star Trek Action Group 01 was published in April 1973 and contains 3 pages.

front cover of issue #1

• the enthusiastic opening paragraph:

  Hi everyone! Welcome to the STREK CON FOR BRITAIN ACTION GROUP! We are delighted to have you join us, and we are hopeful that by your enthusiasm we will soon be holding the first ever all STAR TREK convention ever held in Britain; No one is going to give us a convention ... it won't fall into our laps like manna from heaven! We've all got to work hard, and show everyone what we can do because we're Trekkies, and Trekkies are the best people in the world! And we can all have a ball whilst we're working hard, huh? There'll be plenty of competitions and prizes. And if you have any bright ideas, please let us know. YOU are the important people. In addition to the newsletters, we are planning a quarterly magazine. Called BETA NIOBE, it will feature STAR TREK stories, and lots more. And we'll have many Trekkie items for sale from time to time at knock down prices, including photos. A great club? Yeah! A great goal to aim for? Yeah! Read on, all you lovely, Trekkies!

• there is a raffle for the L.P. stereo record "The Touch of Leonard Nimoy"
• there is a poem called "Scatty, Scotty" by Jenny Elson (first published in J.D.I.F.C.)
• this issue has a trivia contest, some writing pens for sale
• the editors ask for some LoCs

Issue 2

Star Trek Action Group 02 was published in June/July 1973 and contains 7 pages. Jenny Elson mentions that this newsletter was "on time."

front cover of issue #2

• The editor writes of the club's zine:

  BETA NIOBE, the Action Group's own Zine, will be ready within the next two weeks. Please order yours now. Price 25 pence plus 5p. for postage. REMEMBER, all money received from the sale of this zine will go towards our very own CONVENTION. (Which is what we're in the business for after all!) Included in Beta Niobe No. 1 will be; "When Evening Comes," a beautiful little story by Heather Lennon about Spock as a boy, "The Ceremony" by Jenny Elson concerning Spock's bonding to T'Pring, "The Initiation," the first in a series about a nosy nurse aboard the Enterprise who has the habit of getting mixed up in other people's affairs, "The Snowflower,"... In case you ever wondered what happened to Zarabeth after Spock left her in the ice age, then the "Snowflower" will tell you! Yeah! Lots more, too, plus art work by your hard-working, exam taking vice president, Heather Lennon. O.K. So buy Beta Niobe No. 1, and see for yourself. You're gonna like it, folks!

• Elson mentions that her dog ate a copy of Grup #1 ("fortunately not the centre fold"), several letters of comment, and "a Jim Doohan journal"
• the editor mentions she has gone "...to see 'Catlow" AGAIN! Why DID the lights have to go out at the crucial moment in the film?" -- she refers to Leonard Nimoy's bathtub nude scene
• this issue has a long letter from David Gerrold ("Greetings and salutations, from myself, D.C. Fontana, and from the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself") which implores fans to support two things: watch the new animated Trek series -- ("This is NOT a kiddie show") and to write letters to Paramount about producing a Star Trek movie. Some excerpts:

  Paramount doesn't care about STAR TREK, they care about money... convince them that STAR TREK will make money for them as A MOVIE..." and "Paramount knows that fans exist... they don't realise how many of them there are. This is your last chance to show them. If you would be willing to see stories about other spaceships or a different crew, tell them... if Paramount thinks that it's only Mr Spock or Captain Kirk you're interested in, they might not be willing to make a movie as they would be if they thought it was the whole STAR TREK concept. Write to them today. Remember, STAR TREK is a special kind of show. It's the only show in history that has been kept alive by it's [sic] fans. Now's the time to ressurect [sic] it.

• the editor of the newsletter encouraged fans to write letters to Paramount "once a week, a month, anything you can afford! And if you can't afford the 7 1/2 pence for the airmail stamp, then write to us, and we'll fork it out of our postal fund."
• there is an article by Ian Ridpath called "Space Probe That Could Signal the Greatest Discovery Ever Made" which was "based on an article in the "Leicester Mercury"
• a pitch for a trip:

  GRAB YOURSELF AN EXPERIENCE YOU WILL NEVER FORGET! Come with us to the 1974 International STAR TREK CONVENTION in New York, U.S.A. 4-5 lovely days of Trekkie, Trekkie and more Trekkie! Maybe you'll meet some of the stars...or the Great Bird of the Galaxy...or Dorothy Fontana. Perhaps you'd like to pick up an authentic Tribble or just meet your U.S. pen-pals. Whatever your reason for wanting to go, you just have to agree that it's worth thinking about, huh? Sorry folks, here comes the crunch. It's expensive...the wrong side of £100! But if any of you are interested,and can persuade husbands/dads/mums/boyfriends etc to fork out the loot...

• plans are afoot for the first British Star Trek Convention:

  Action Group officers are pleased ???? to report (Yes,the question marks ARE supposed to be there!) that we now have enough funds to hire the local church hall for a Trekkie Con!... But don't mock. Rome was once a village! STAR TREK was once just a thought inside the head of Gene Roddenberry. Thing is, those villagers got working and built an Empire, and Gene... well, look what HE did!... My husband suggested the Duke of Bedford's place... So now, we've got the church hall! Tomorrow, who knows?... Not that we've got anything against Church Halls... great places for Scout Shows... or even stately homes, come to that. It's just that we want to aim for somewhere in between those two extremes. Anyway, think of the disadvantages of both. Great draughty places, and not exactly ideal for the first ALL STAR TREK CONVENTION IN GREAT BRITAIN!... This is only our eighth week in production. Already we've got a theoretical church-hall. So watch out, Duke of Bedford, we've got our eyes on your Country Estate!

• the editors encourage fans to contact local radio shows and talk up Star Trek:

  Make it interesting, so that people will want to know more. Explain the concept of Peace and Brotherhood, and the friendship you personally have found within the Trekkie movement. Don't dwell too much on your favourite star, but on STAR TREK as a whole. New Trekkies are just dying to be found. Many don't know about the movement, but would love to.

• there is a long essay called "Spartiate Spock" by Jenny Elson about the possibility that "Vulcan culture influenced the growth of Sparta in ancient Greece"

Issue 3

Star Trek Action Group 03 was undated, though it was published in August 1973. It contains 10 pages.

front cover of issue #3

• the editor announces that the club has forty-three members
• the fund for the Church Hall is growing well, the editor says that rental will "run to two loos" but that the club has raised £40 in three months.
• Elson mentions the zine Beta Niobe and the "generous comments" she has received about it, which means that as of the printing of this issue of the newsletter, the zine has been out a while, she also mentions that the second issue will be out by Christmas
• a fan, John Hind, writes an essay called "A Profile on the worst STAR TREK episode ever made" in which he discusses "Let that Be Your Last Battlefield"
• a fan, Janet Quarton, writes a summary of this same episode, "Let that Be Your Last Battlefield"
• Janet Quarton provides the dialogue of the "destruct sequence"
• Jenny Elson writes a character study called The Inter-Relationships of Enterprise Crew Members in which she analyzes Kirk-Spock, Kirk-McCoy, McCoy-Kirk, Spock-Kirk, a second installment is in the next issue. This essay includes some light discusson of The Premise almost two full years before Diane Marchant said essentially the same thing in the response to her story, A Fragment Out of Time and the essay Pandora's Box... Again.
• there is an ad for The Voyages, and a Star Trek crossword puzzle by Rosemary Chivers
• there is a long essay by Heather Lennon called "And Now to Continue Our Search for the Truth! Have the Vulcans Visited Earth?"
• there is an essay by Jenny Elson called "Was Sickbay a Blooper?" in which she discusses the implausibility of the Enterprise's medical facilities

Issue 4

Star Trek Action Group 04 was published in 1973 (November?). The editor mentions two clues as to the month: one is that she and co-editor, Lennon, "AT LAST met in October" and that the newsletter is late.

flyer for the Mini-Con, click to read

front cover of issue #4

• of the visit between Elson and Lennon:

  We discussed many plans for the club and the two conventions, including our own award scheme, called "Nova Awards" (with thanks to Helen McCarthy for suggesting it, and designing the awards) and a "Shore Leave" fancy-dress party. We also discussed finances... ugh! As many of you now know, there is a possibility that JAMES DOOHAN will be coming to our main convention, and although we can't release many of the details of that yet, it is obvious that we now really do have an incentive to get those funds climbing upwards. The Mini-Con [the one in the Church Hall] will help, but we also require a sustained effort throughout the year. If every member contributed, some way (legal) just £3, we would really be doing very well.

• this issue has an essay by Marrianne Jielesch called "Star Trek in Germany" which is about the German-dubbed episodes
• a fan, Chris Jones, writes an episode review for "The Paradise Syndrome"
• Jenny Elson writes an article called "It's the Difference that Counts" about the Enterprise's lack of diversity: "...the Enterprise is not a ship full of international specialists, as it should be if the concept were adhered to. Rather, it is an American ship with a few other nationals and aliens thrown in to create an illusion... a very fragile illusion, too. Where are the Europeans, the Africans, the Indians and Jews... "
• Jenny Elson includes the second part of The Inter-Relationships of Enterprise Crew Members, which discusses Kirk/Scott, Scott/Kirk [no, not that way], McCoy/Scott, Scott/McCoy, McCoy/Spock, Spock/McCoy. See fan comments at this essay's page.
• there are two short LoCs which comment on two articles, the one about sickbay and the one about Spartans being influenced by Vulcans
• this issue has an interview with an actor named Donald Burton (Warship) which was conducted by Pat Jenkins
• there is a flyer for the Trek Mini-Con

Issue 5

Star Trek Action Group 05 was published in January 1974 and has 11 pages. The editor apologizes for this issue's lateness.

1973 club finances, illustrating the scale of operation

front cover of issue #5

• the editor is excited for the Mini-Con, saying that two fans (?) named have been busy practicing "cutting sandwiches" for the last one and a half years so the buffet will probably be good, and that "The Vicar says he might pop in too... now there is a treat worth waiting for."
• the editor says she, Terry, and another fan named Margaret B are going to ISTCon in New York in February
• Jenny complains of the BeeB's banning of three Star Trek episodes and encourages fans to write letters in protest: "Be polite, but FIRM."
• an essay by Jenny Elson, "Watch Your Language," discusses the American English spoken in Star Trek
• there is an article by Jenny Elson called "Have a Laugh, Read the Star Trek Annuals" in which she complains of all the errors in it
• more fans comment on the "Spock-loves-Kirk" essay, see those comments at The Inter-Relationships of Enterprise Crew Members
• some fans comment on the article about the "American Enterprise":
  • "That American chauvanism makes Kirk the prig he is... when you really study him, completely colourless. Like so many "All American boys," who nearly all look as if they have been manufactured instead of born. Straight off the assembly line!"
  • "At last! Someone has said the very thing I dislike most about Star Trek... the idea that the world will be just another American colony."
• this issue has a list of auction items for sale to benefit the STAG fan club
• fans are encouraged to write letters to the BeeB to bring back Star Trek re-runs

Issue 6

Star Trek Action Group 06 was published in March 1974 and contains 9 pages.

front cover of issue #6

• almost the entire newsletter is made up of a con report for the Star Trek con in New York in February 1974; the editor writes at length about the panels and meeting the stars
• registrations for the first UK Star Trek con in September are now open; there was a two-week advance registration for members of STAG, and after that it would be open to everyone. There was to be no registrations at the door, so fans are advised to act early

Issue 7

Star Trek Action Group 07 was published in May 1974 and contains 8 pages.

front cover of issue #7

• this issue has a con report for The 1974 British Star Trek Minicon, see that page
• this issue has a letter from DeForest Kelley, thanking British fans for being "luvs"
• this issue includes the partial transcript of the tape DeForest Kelley made at the Star Trek Convention in New York at the Americana Hotel; in it he offers his small con report and mentions the "made-to-scale dummy" of Spock made by TACS, "the art show contained some of the finest work by young talented people I've ever seen"... Kelley mostly mentions observations about who was there and when they appeared.
• the editor says that William Shatner has promised a voice tape for the convention in September
• this issue has the transcript ("or as much of it as I was able to get down on paper") of the speech Leonard Nimoy gave at the convention in February in New York City
• there is an announcement that the second issue of Beta Niobe #2 is out

Issue 8

Star Trek Action Group 08 was published in July 1974 and contains 8 pages.

1974 financial report

front cover of issue #8

• fans comment about previous discussions about Star Trek being "too American": "I think it's charming the way the Americans pronounce their words, I could listen to them all day," and "What if [Kirk] does speak with an American accent? No-one pretends he comes from England, he IS American."
• there is more discussion about the "relationship article" and K/S, see The Inter-Relationships of Enterprise Crew Members
• several fans comment about having a favorite character:

  I find it hard to believe that there are readers who have to be reminded that there is more to Star Trek than Spock and Leonard Nimoy. We all have our favourites. Different characters are bound to attract separate followings, but it is all in good fun. The Spock build up was caused by the publicity media, not by the programme which never set out to make Spock more important than any of the others. This was the first thing which struck me when I first watched Star Trek. I expected him to be treated apart, but instead he was no more than a part of an efficient team. I am not directing this to the man in the street, but to the so-called Star Trek fans, who seem to think there is no more to Star Trek than their particular favourite.

• this episode has more transcription from the voice tape done by DeForest Kelley at the New York ST convention in 1974
• there is an essay by Lynne Bates called "My Favourite Star Trek Episode" (Amok Time)
• "Spock's Brain" is a section on quotes from the show, compiled by Jane Sayle
• a fan writes that he has sound tapes (reel-to-reel and cassette) of Star Trek episodes for sale
• this issue has a spotlight article on James Doohan International Fan Club
• Confrontation, a short piece of "dialogue between Spock's human half and Vulcan half" by Dawn Del Vecchio
• a fan reports on the latest STAG Coffee Evening arranged for members who live in the Leicester area:

  Don't reckon my Mum knew what she was letting herself in for when she agreed to the meeting taking place at her house, but she soon found out! We had a great time... all thirteen of us, crammed into Mum's lounge, watching slides, listening to tapes, thumbing through fanzines, talking, and talking, and talking and... well, you know how it is when a bunch of Star Trek fans get together...

Issue 9

Star Trek Action Group 09 was published in September 1974 and contains 8 pages.

front cover of issue #9

• this issue has some last minute con reminders
• this issue has an article called "Star Trek in Germany" by Marianne Tielesch; it addresses two things: why do children find Spock so compelling (because he is so good at things and because he can control his emotions) and why have only half of the episodes been shown in Germany? -- the latter is answered by ZDF editor Dr. Willi Kowalk: "Unfortunately, no more episodes were suitable for television. The others were too American."
• a fan points out that William Shatner is Canadian, not American
• this issue has a short review of the animated series by Floss Del Vecchio:

  As far as the stories go, they are not entirely up to par with the original. A few resemble former episodes, and some take the crew to planets they have already visited. There is some kind of new monster every week. There are exceptions, however, and the 22 minutes of air time severely limits the story." She also points out that the Starfleet uniforms are the same, except that the men's trousers are grey instead of black and that the planet scenes are marvelous but the latter is due to the fact it's easier and cheaper to draw them than to build a soundset.

• this issue has a new series, "The Inter-Relationships of Enterprise Crew Members: Crew Characterizations" by Jenny Elson -- this one is on Montgomery Scott
• Save the Star Trek Cast is a plea to fans to let Gene Roddenberry et al that they want the Star Trek film to have all of the same actors in it:

  We are afraid that if Paramount brings back the show without the original cast, the show will fail, and we will lose it forever. Help us to show that Star Trek is not just an adventure about a spaceship, but that the crew of the Enterprise and the actors who made them live are an inseparable part of the magic that is Star Trek.

• this issue has a short story by Margaret Bertram called "Star Trek... Gone Mad" in which she uses many Star Trek episode titles
• this issue has a very short thank you letter from Dorothy Fontana thanking the STAG club for a book
• this issue has a message from Gene Roddenberry about the blooper reel:

  I understand the dilemma of fans in England who might otherwise never get a chance to see the Blooper reel, and therefore, I will make it available to you. I am delighted we are finally in touch. Good luck with the convention.

Issue 10

Star Trek Action Group 10 was published in 1974 (November?) and contains 8 pages.

front cover of issue #10

• the co-editor reports on some of the social activities the convention committee shared with the Guests of Honor after the convention
• the club's cast: Jenny Elson (president), Marion Kennedy (vice president), Johanna Butler (vice president), Terry Elson (treasurer), Janet Quarton (membership secretary), Jenny Harding (publication secretary), Karen Gilmurray (fanzine secretary) and Helen McCarthy (art secretary)
• there are a number of short con reports (many commenting on George Takei's moves on the disco floor to "Kung Fu Fighting") for the first Star Trek con in the UK, see that page
• there is an announcement that the second STAG Mini-Con will be held March 22, 1975 at the Leicester Centre Hotel
• there is thought of starting a Star Trek Library: "Based on an idea by Helen, we are thinking of planning a library, where as many zines and Star Trek books as possible will be on loan for members.... just let us know if it would be worth considering such a scheme."
• there is an announcement that a George Takei fan club was staring, one called Hosato

Issue 11

Star Trek Action Group 11 was published in December/January 1974/1975 and contains 8 pages.

front page of issue #11

• "The Guardian of Forever" (an essay about the discrepancies in the time portal in the episodes "City on the Edge of Forever" and "Yesteryear") by Sheila Clark
• "A Day I Will Never Forget" by Janice Pitkethley (a report on a July 1973 trip she took to visit her pen pal in Massachusetts, where they visited and had lunch with Leonard Nimoy's parents, went to Nimoy's play [Camelot], and got to visit him backstage.)
• "Illustrating Star Trek" by Helen McCarthy (an article about how to make drawings for the newsletter that will reproduce well and not be repetitive, as "some of the best drawings I've received are impossible to duplicate. The litho process we use now doesn't take kindly to smudged, faint pencil lines or wavy ball-point." And "I'm as fond of Spock's head as the rest of you, but a zine full of Spock's head gets slightly monotonous. Try originality.")
• "My Favorite Star Trek Episode... Errand of Mercy" by Jane Sayle
• there is a mention of Star Trek Lives!: "A NEW STAR TREK BOOK By Jacqueline Lichtenberg and Sondra Marshak and Joan Winston. As yet untitled! it has been purchased by BANTAM books and will be in their spring list of publications. This is the first book on various aspects of the Star Trek Phenomena."
• a fan writes of what she sees as Spock fannish backlash:

  Does everyone dislike Spock so much? Or do I have a persecution complex on his behalf? Everything Trekkie I read these days seems to be saying; "Don't send us anything to do with Spock!" Has he got Vulcanian measles? It's not the Spock [fans] who are inundating clubs with him, it's the people who think that's what Spock fans want! It's not true!

• a fan wants to know about the Enterprise crew and opinions on their personalities:

  Nearly all the major ST characters seem to be loners. Kirk in the loneliness of command; McCoy and Chapel victims of broken relationships; Spock, the half breed, and Scotty, who only loves his engines. Is this a healthy thing for a starship?

Issue 12

Star Trek Action Group 12 was published in 1975 (February or March?) and contains 8 pages.

front page of issue #12

• "The Theory Behind Star Trek: Phasers" by Robin Hill
• "'Star Trek Lives!'... But How Old Fashioned Is It?" by Avril Lansdell:

  My teenaged daughter is a dedicated "Trekker." She thinks she is living in the future, but I have just read "Visions of Yesterday" by Jeffery Richards and I am convinced that some of the moral attitudes of the Star Trek stories have their roots in the Victorian British imperialism to which USA has become the 20th century successor. In reality, Kirk, McCoy, Spock, Scotty and the crew of the Enterprise are only those eternal adventurers "Stalky and Co" brought up to date. The Enterprise officers even have their own version of the "Old School", referring reverently to "The Space Academy" from which they all graduated. As far as modern British literature goes, they are the complete antithesis of "Pinky" in "Brighton Rock" or "The Likely Lads" of London's swinging sixties.

• there is some fannish discussion about Star Trek characters and whether they are introverts and extroverts
• a male fan complains that other fans don't discuss Uhura much:

  No one ever seems to mention her at all. She is the only girl on the bridge full time, and apparently the only one to recognize the others as human beings. She will talk back to Kirk on occasion when she thinks he is being unfair... and she is the only one who Spock will fraternise with on occasions, with his harp for instance... Spock is aware that she loves her home in the same way that he loves his and... she is not obviously pursuing him. She is also the most beautiful girl on the Enterprise, and Spock definitely notices such things, even if he doesn't comment. She seems to be the only girl he seems to be at ease with. I particularly enjoy their conversation at the start of 'Man Trap' and I would like to know why they can't get together.

• a fan writes of the perceived Spock fannish backlash:

  And now to 'poor persecuted Spock.' Assuming that artistic and literary talent is evenly distributed then it would be logical to assume that the character with the largest following has the most said and done about him. Therefore, in all fairness, work should be published in strict proportion to subjects submitted, although artistic merit should be the final judge. I, a Spock fan, would rather see a zine full of good Kirk/McCoy pics and stories than a zine full of insults to Spock.

• a fan writes:

  HELP! I'm doing a life-sized nude of Spock for the con, and I desperately want as many pics of Spock/LN in various stages of undress as I can get my grubby little hands on. If you've anything you could sell, swap, or lend, write to me PERLEASSSE!

Issue 13

Star Trek Action Group 13 was published in 1975 (June?) and contains 8 pages.

an open letter from Gene Roddenberry

front page of issue #13

• from the editor:

  Firstly, welcome to our new members! We hope you will enjoy being in STAG. The club was 2 years old at the beginning of June, and from a small nucleus of 40 dedicated members, has grown to 400 ... yet another example of the fact that Star Trek Lives! Thanks to you all for supporting us for so long.

• this issue has a long open letter from Gene Roddenberry regarding progress on the movie
• an example of the sometimes "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" line between fans and creators that was a part of all Fan Campaigns:

  CAN YOU HELP GEORGE? George Takei has done SO much for STAR TREK. Now, we have a chance of helping him.The American best selling novel,"Fear of Flying" is being made into a movie, and George wants to play the part of Bennet Wing. Please write to Columbia, suggesting this to them. One letter from each of you will help influence their decision.

• this issue has a long question-and-answer section regarding the second British Star Trek Convention -- one question: "Q: I am only 14 years old. My mother says I can't go unless I have someone wIth me. Can you help? A. Mrs [name and address redacted] has kindly offered to act as escort from London. Please write to her, enclosing SAE."
• this issue has a report of several STAG members' trip to Los Angeles in which they were escorted around town by George Takei and then went to Equicon:

  Far from being a Star Trek Convention, it was mostly Science Fiction, which interested none of us... Our holiday was at an end, and despite Equicon, which we could have well done without except for the meeting with Jimmy, Walter and all our friends, we had the holiday of our lives... And you know what? We loved L.A. so much that next year we'll be back, but in September, so there'll be no Equicon to mar our satisfaction.

• a fan writes:

  I am getting a little tired by some of our attitudes lately... or am I imagining things? What kind of fans are we turning into? We believe in Peace & Brotherhood; some of us may have pillow-fantasies about the Star Trek characters, or the actors playing them, but do we play fair to the actors concerned? When Leonard Nimoy takes off his ears and goes home, he is, as someone once put it, a different person ... A human being with all our rights and privileges, including that of personal privacy. I do not feel that even the most devoted fan has a right to intrude on that, either physically like hugging him in the street, or mentally, by allowing him to be persecuted by strangers. If the actors share our dream, we are lucky but we are still strangers to them, however well we know the parts they play. Isn't it possible for us to accept the fact that they are not our slaves, but part owners of the Human Race, and treat them as we would any other human being? Or are we turning back on men, the old taunt of the sex-symbol, and making them objects of affection rather than our equals and our partners?

• "Vulcan Jargon Explained" by Robin Hill (a humorous essay about decoding the logical statements Spock makes)
• the editors point out that, while they "enjoy a little natter" on the phone with fans, they put in a full day's work and request that no one calls before 7:30 so that they can "eat, wash up, do the washing, feed the Pooh, and have a little read of the evening paper" first.

Issue 14

Star Trek Action Group 14 was published in October 1975 and contains 10 pages.

1975 financial report

front page of issue #14

• there is an announcement that Janet Quarton is the new president of STAG:

  Quite a few of you will have already heard that the STAG committee has been changed. After running STAG for two years, and organising two conventions, Jenny, Terry and the rest of the committee have earned a well-deserved rest. If it hadn't been for Jenny and Terry, we wouldn't have had the last two conventions, so we owe them a lot of thanks. However, Jenny isn't giving up altogether; along with Jo Butler, she is continuing to run Hosato.

• there will be no more life time memberships sold, as those were money losers; all previous life time memberships will be honored, however, but since these are 3/4 of all memberships, the club requests that these fans send in some stamps every year to help defray costs
• here are two letters, one by George Takei and one by Walter Koenig, both offering their apologies for not being able to attend the second British Star Trek convention
• there is a very short piece of fiction, one that fans are encouraged to use to write their own story for a story contest
• a fan would "like to form a group of local trekkies interested in acting out Star Trek stories to be recorded on Super 8 film to show at local meetings. There would also be an opportunity to look at transparencies, listen to tape cassettes, and discuss various aspects of Star Trek."
• "The New Film: Will It Be Just Another STAR Trek?" by Robin Hill (a humorous speculation of other famous actors in the Star Trek film and the wrongness of these characterizations) (This is reprinted in Inside Star Trek #13)
• the editor writes:

  I have an apology to make - or maybe I don't, I don't know for certain. Perhaps the people concerned wanted to remain anonymous; but there are quite a lot of items among the stories, articles and poems handed on to me by Jenny Harding that have no author's names on them - so if we print them, we'll be unable to give an acknowledgement of who wrote them... So if we print something you wrote, and your name's not on it - that's why. We don't have a record of it. If you let us know, though, once you see it printed, we'll acknowledge it in the next newsletter.

Issue 15

Star Trek Action Group 15 was published in December 1975 and contains 10 pages.

front page of issue #15

• the former editors thank those who'd been supportive over the last two years, and they wish the new editors the best of luck
• the BBC is once again messing with showing Star Trek reruns, and fans are urged to write in and complain
• the discussion topic is "if you had to choose one episode to leave out of a of a re-run line up, which one would it be and why?" -- one fan picks "Turnabout Intruder" because every time it's on she ends up in the hospital, one picks "Who Mourns for Adonais" as it's a love story and not Trek, one fan picks "The Children Shall Lead" as it's "pointless".
• "The 'Best' All Come Down to It in the End" by Janet Quarton (a description of Star Trek on the "Generation Game" which aired 22 November 1975)
• results of the story prompt from last issue: "There were only two entries for last month's competition, '"Disturbance" by C. Hall and "The Vulcan Experience" by Elizabeth Sharp. Both were very good, and after discussion with Janet that gained the GPO fully £1, we decided that "Disturbance" fitted the subject slightly better, and therefore wins the prize. The story will be published in Log Entries 2, which we hope to have out in February, and I hope to publish "The Vulcan Experience" as well at some future date."
• this month's story prompt is the title The Yeti's Footprint; the entries were later printed in a zine.
• the editor says that the club is NOT doing another major Star Trek con, someone else will have to pick up where they have left off -- they do know, however, that the Empathy Star Trek Club is planning a mini-con in Leeds in February
• the editors explain that it costs £30 to send out the newsletter every two months -- "That means that to keep the club ticking over we must have an income of £50 every two months. That is £300 per annum. Doing that we raise nothing towards publishing zines or organising cons or minicons." They ask that those who have lifetime memberships, offered when they had no idea of what the future was going to bring, to covert to an annual membership

Issue 16

Star Trek Action Group 16 was published in March 1976 and contains 12 pages.

front page of issue #16

• the art director, Helen McCarthy, resigns and mentions a rare problem, having more art than can be dealt with:

  It is with a great deal of regret that I have decided to resign my position as STAG'S Art Secretary. I have held the position for almost two years, but the pressure of other duties and interests has been steadily increasing over the past few months and now that I have taken on the editorship of the London group's new zine I find that if I am to have time for my own drawing and wrlting, something has to go! I considered very carefully whether or not STAG needed an art secretary as much as I need the time to finish my novel, and regretfully concluded that it didn't. Very few ST fanzines can afford to print much artwork; indeed, one of my hardest tasks has always been to tell people who have sent me lovely drawings, "We love it, but we can't print it.

• a fan writes a long essay comparing Star Trek to Space: 1999:

  As a Science Fiction fan (NOT a Star Trek fan - there is a difference} though Star Trek is tops on my 'favourite programmes' list) it makes my blood boil to see the potential Space 1999 has and the way the fools behind the programme are wasting this potential. When Gene Roddenberry conceived Star Trek, he had a great idea and it STAYED a great idea until they took it off the production schedule. But Space 1999 has come from a great idea to an extravagant waste of time.

• a fan contributes a con report for Empathy Mini-Con, one which focuses on the cow poop smell of the car some fans shared
• more input on the discussion topic from last issue on what was one's least favorite episode: "The Paradise Syndrome" ("You would be hard pressed to find a bigger load of 'professional' rubbish anywhere"), a fan votes for "Corbomite Manoeuver" ("as Kirk stamped out from McCoy's lab, McCoy on his own says, 'If I jumped every time a light came on around here, I'd be talking to myself."), a fan can't decide among "Mudd's Women," "Omega Glory," and "Children Shall Lead," a fan picks "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" ("she likes the special effects, the rest bores her to tears"), and a fan picks "Corbomite Maneouver" ("I can't stand it. Out of all the episodes, this one I really hate. I haven't even got a particular reason.")
• "In Support of the Animated Aliens" by Sheila Clark (article)
• fans are urged to write letters to the BBC to make the company show the four banned (in the UK) Star Trek episodes: Miri, Empath, Plato's Stepchildren, and Whom Gods Destroy:

  There are 400 of you receiving this newsletter. Think of the impact if the BBC received 400 letters within a week, all with the same appeal! Try to persuade your family and friends to write in too -- the more letters the better. Use plain envelopes with no slogans or stickers. We want them to look official so that they get opened and not just redirected to the Programme Correspondance section. Don't mention S.T.A.G. or any other club; we don't want to make it look like a conspiracy!

• a fan despises parts of a certain episode:

  There's one episode I feel was much improved by cutting, and that's 'Bread and Circuses', with the removal of the Kirk/Drusilla scene. I happen to think that Kirk's behaviour here is disgusting . He's lent a slave for the night, and with little hesitation and that all connected with the thought that it's a trick, he uses her without any attempt to find out how she feels about the whole thing. Certainly she's acting willing - but she's a well-trained slave, and for all she knows he's a dear friend of Claudius' and she could be whipped if she doesn't please him. Then he more or less thanks Claudius for his kind thought in the morning. Kirk in this episode is morally no better than Claudius - in fact he is worse, because Claudius doesn't know any better. It makes him a hyoocrite, too - his attitude when he's the one enslaved, in Gamesters of Triskelion and Plato's Stepchildren, is very different. Maybe he's only opposed to slavery for men. Now if it had been one of the others in his place - Spock, of course, would have dismissed her at once, and McCoy, I think, would have thought of her, have pitied the life she must lead - after all, not alI the guests she's lent out to would be as attractive as Kirk - would have talked to her instead of just making a grab. McCoy's male chauvinism is the nicer kind called chivalry - Kirk's is the 'sex object' variety. No wonder he brushed off their questions about what happened - he was, one hopes, ashamed of himself. Or maybe he's so conceited he simply assumed that of course she'd be willing. Yes, well, anyway - cutting out that scene can only be an improvement. Whenever I see it I wish Kirk would meet a girl, fall really in love with her, want to marry her and she'd find out somehow about Drusilla and refuse to have anything to do with him because of it.

• "Origins of the Vulcan Race" by Sheila Cornall ("a humorous look at their evolution")
• "Klingon Lament -- Lt. Klong, Starship Destruction" (poem) by Ann Wigmore

Issue 17

Star Trek Action Group 17 was published in April 1976 and contains 14 pages.

front page of issue #17

• Susan Sackett tells club members that the new movie will probably start filming in September
• the editors say they are going to send out a form to all life-time members, and if they don't turn it back in with an indication that they wish to keep receiving the newsletter, it will be no longer be sent to them; this is in response to the club's attempt to remain solvent; life-time members were also encouraged again to voluntarily become regular paying members
• about postage: "We've had to increase the dues to West Germany as it actually costs more to send newsletters airmail to West Germany then it does to Australia because you can't use printed paper rate."
• an age-old situation: the editors beg for more input from members -- most of the material, they say, seems to come from the same 10 or 15 people, and that surely the other 390 members have something to say
• this issue has an untitled essay by Kim Knight which discusses the sexual attraction, or lack thereof, that Spock has for some fans; she mentions the book Star Trek Lives! and its fourth chapter:

  This article was sparked off by the excellent new book "Star Trek Lives" by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Sondra Marshak and Joan Winston, and more particularly by Chapter 4 - The Spock Charisma Effect. It is one of the best accounts of Spock, and Spock's sexual attraction, that I have ever read, and yet for me it was somehow incomplete. I have seen many good articles on this subject, but I have never seen an article expressing the reasons for Spock's non-attraction which, after all, equally says something about the character. And I am sure that there must be many others who like me are not sexually turned on by Spock.... I agree with everything said about him in Chapter 4. His integrity, strength and uncompromising morality are virtues of which I'm well aware; his IDIC philosophy is dear to me; his love for Kirk is high on the list of his innumerable excellent qualities; and his sharp intellect is an attraction in itself. Undeniably he has that magic that we call charisma. Why then, whenever I think of Spock, do I feel a resigned sadness? Because for me, Spock is a tragic hero. When I think of Spock I think not of his strength but of his weakness and vulnerability. He may be an admirable man but the price he has paid is too high, and even more tragic, it is a needless price. One does not have to sacrifice emotion for logic, and I pity Spock's inability to express his feelings. In my short life, I have already found that men who are reticent and undemonstrative are difficult to cope with and are more likely to be emotionally "damaged" than those who openly express themselves... To many female fans, I agree, the prospect of succeeding with Spock where others have failed is a challenge. Caught up with this motive is the imaginary thrill of a savage attack. Normally both these motives would be true for me too, with a human male. But Spock is not human, he made his choice long before we met him. I'm in total agreement with Mrs. Barnes on this point. Even if Spock were in "tender mood," he has never learned the art of lovemaking. All right, he could learn, but how do you breaK down his reserve? Pon Farr? He was ready to kill Kirk - hardly a tender mood. No, even in a wild fantasy I cannot so totally disregard the logic of what Spock is. Wild mock savagery, behind which lies a tender regard for one's partner, is a very different thing from a true bestial savagery of a kind which blots out everything else.

• a fan reviews Star Trek: The New Voyages, see that page
• there are two poems in this issue, one called "Sonnet on Vulcan Biology"
• a fan responds to a fan's review of Space:1999 in an earlier issue: 'How I agree with [name redacted] and what he has to say about Space 1999. I liked the first two episodes but after getting more and more aggravated I'm not watching it now. And the shameless pilfering from S.T. stories doesn't help at all!"
• regarding cats and aliens: "I seem to be the only one who likes the animals in the crew of the animations. I don't know how I would react if I met Arex unexpectedly - I hope naturally! And meeting an English-speaking feline would fill me with delight, even if she were red - but then, I love cats!"
• a fan comments on the Star Trek Animated Series:

  After reading about Gene Roddenberry's problems with Mr. Spock, I find it rather amusing/surprising that two other aliens should be introduced into the series. (I must admit that I would like to see Lt. M'Ress in a live action version.) I think that, with the live action series the actors were able to pull up a not very good story and make it at least interesting, but with animations this, is not possible. This means that the stories have to be good to start with; however in 22 minutes this is going to be very difficult to maintain. It would be very interesting if someone would write "The Making of the Animated STAR TREK" so that the problems and difficulties met with in the production of the live action and animated versions could be compared... From talking to people who are not STAR TREK fans as such but do watch the programme (yes, such creatures do exist!) I gather that the response to the animations has not been as good as the response to the live action version. However since my survey (?) was carried out while I was working in an office and most of the people I asked were female it could merely be the absence of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and the rest of the cast in the flesh! One thing which surprised me, I had read the "Log One' book before I saw the episodes and I was pleased by the way Alan Dean Foster had kept to the programme. What did not please me was the introduction by the original writer of several pieces of equipment which wore not in the original series. (Like the Bridge Defence System and the Life Support Belts.)

Issue 18

Star Trek Action Group 18 was published in June 1976 and contains 18 pages.

front page of issue #18

• this issue reprints the letter the BBC sent out to fans in response to their letter campaign to have the four banned episodes that were banned in the UK shown. An excerpt:

  After very careful consideration a top level decision was made not to screen the episodes entitled "Empath", "Whom Gods Destroy", "Plato's Stepchildren" and "Miri", because they all dealt most unpleasantly with the already unpleasant subjects of madness, torture, sadism and disease. You will appreciate that account must be taken that out of Star Trek's large and enthusiastic following, many are juveniles, no matter what time of day the series is put into the programme schedules. A further look has been taken following the recent correspondence, but I am afraid it has been impossible to revise the opinion not to show these episodes.

• there is a reprint of an article from The Sun from 3 April 1976 called "The Little Band of Trekkers Make the BBC Toe Their Line" about the number of letters the BBC has received from Star Trek fan clubs in the UK -- the BBC estimate: 1300 letters since 1971, the fan clubs' estimate 3000-4000 letters since 1971; the article explains that the letter campaigns are asking for the four banned episodes to be shown, for the BBC to stop treating Star Trek like a children's show, and to air it at times when adults can watch (not over lunchtime); the article makes the usual bonehead sort of statement, however, and calls fans "odd"
• one fan writes that STAG members should ask that the BBC show the four banned episodes at the Television Theatre in London and charge admission; fans would get to see the eps, the BBC would make money, and it may be a way to keep the kids out
• several fans write in about humanoids, aliens, and the animated series
• a fan writes: "I would like to add my opinion to episodes liked least of all. Mine are "Mudd's Women" and "I, Mudd." I can see no good reason why such a person is allowed to exist or carry on his exploits in the Federation. Can anybody give a good reason to defend H. Mudd?"
• Susan Sackett says that the film is now supposed to start filming the end of October
• a fan writes in and wants to know if there are any other vegetarian (like Mr. Spock) fans out there. She wonders if the planet will become vegetarian by the year 2000. She says it is Star Trek that made her decide to not eat meat as it is a show that makes people think. Another fan comments that perhaps plants are also "intelligent" and is worried if this is so, what should she eat?
• this issue has a poem called "Truth" reprinted from Contact
• many fans write in about the essay by Kim Knight in the previous issue about the sexual attraction (or not) of Spock -- one response:

  One point I would like to raise -- a lot has been made of the idea that women are attracted to Spock simply because of the idea of a sexual challenge. Could it not be something less physically and more emotionally based? Many women need to feel secure, protected, approved of. Would it not give them the greatest security in the world to feel protected by the most competent, intelligent man they knew? Would they not be prepared to give everything in their power to gain his approval?

• a fan comments on some semantics as they relate to several stories:

  Note that I say "love," not "in love." There is a big difference. To me, love is a thing of the mind, with NO physical relationship involved; and I think the English language is tragically lacking a word to indicate an affectionate physical relationship. A perfect example for this is provided by the way that some readers have criticised two of the stories in Log Entries #2, "And the Greatest of These,' and 'Perchance to Dream,' as having homosexual implications. This was not the intention of either of the writers. In fact, however, the criticism served to prove a point that Margaret Bertram was making in 'And the Greatest...,' that many people WOULD misinterpret love and think -- erroneously -- that it meant sex.

• a fan, one of the editors of Contact writes to STAG that she, too, is bothered by what she feels some fans' inability to see the K/S in her zines the way in which she implies:

  As editors of a zine claiming to explore the Kirk/Spock relationship from all angles, we've been the recipient of a score of these scenario things, some graphic and some more metaphysical, but all very obvious. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, and for some reason it makes us very uncomfortable and upset to see our heroes treated in this manner. I mean, Bev and I aren't prudes, or Victorians, and bi-sexual activities might be fine... for some people. But not for Kirk und Spock! The relationship they had wasn't like that, and I agree with Sheila when she says there ought to be different words for 'love' and 'sex'. There are, but most people can't seem to separate the two. They hear that Kirk and Spock love each other (and they do, no question about it) and they automatically assume that they would be sleeping together, to consummate that love. They claim that sex would be a natural extension of such a profound love. Bull! To me, this kind of thinking is doing more harm than good. It's saying that two men cannot have a 'love' relationship, that they cannot be free to express their emotions, without it being tied up in conjugal rights. And that is not what ST intended to show. Just the opposite, I think its purpose was to demonstrate that two men of opposing races and cultures could form a unity and a bond which transcended those differences and made them one, in philosophy, emotional makeup and empathy.

• a fan writes in hopes of a pen pal, specifically "a girl" -- "The girls I know don't seem to be interested in Star Trek..."; he is 25, single, medium build and says he would make a good starship captain. He would also like to know if anyone has worked out the interior details of the Klingon battle cruiser
• a fan is putting together The Trekker Cookbook and asks for submissions
• a fan writes a con report for Equicon, see that page

Issue 19

Star Trek Action Group 19 was published in August 1976 and contains 34 pages.

front page of issue #19

• some of the radio progam, "Time Capsule," is in transcript here; it was narrated by William Shatner
• more information on the movie from Susan Sackett; the film was to start filming in November
• there is mention of the letter campaign to name the U.S. space shuttle, "Enterprise"
• as of this newsletter, Hosato appears to be on hiatus
• the next story contest's topic: write one where Kirk is injured but still must remain on duty
• there is a long letter by a fan who is tired of people comparing Star Trek and Space:1999 and thinks this newsletter is biased against the latter
• a fan writes:

  When I first saw '2001: A Space Odyssey,' it made me feel so old to realize that I definitely wouldn't be around when all those things came to pass, and my dreams of so many years would never eventuate. And when Star Trek happened just after the birth of my second child, I was practically climbing the walls, bowed down with that constant feeling of one-step-forward, two-steps-backwards, like swimming underwater -- never to surface. So Star Trek was like seeing the mirage in the desert become a reality, and at last I could, however vicariously, get into space.

• a fan writes about the separation between actor and character: "Whether you prefer Spock to Leonard Nimoy is a minute point, as Len is Spock is Len. I doubt if you can separate Leonard Nimoy from his portrayal too clearly, because he WAS Spock. The same with the other actors -- they WERE the parts they played, no one else could fill the roles they did."
• this issue has an Open Letter from a fan who went to India on a "business holiday" -- the letter was to be printed in case she didn't make it back alive and addressed why Star Trek's philosophy was so important; the fan made it back safely and requested that the letter be printed anyway
• this issue has an article by Theo Krik speculating on Spock's age and comes up with a conclusion of: who knows?
• there are some plans for creating cloth badges
• this issue has an article about "aging in space"
• this issue has a poem called "Dear Neofan" by J.D. which warns the new fan about trusting canon and fanon: it mentions fan fiction and Kraith
• this issue has a poem called "On Discovering Star Trek" by Gail
• this issue has a poem called "Command Decision" by Beverly Volker which is reprinted from Contact
• this issue has a poem called "It Was Better Left Unasked" by Sheila Cornall
• this issue has a poem called "End The" by R.H.
• this issue has a story called "Incident" by Sheila Clark (It is part of a longer story that was later printed in Log Entries)
• there are some fan-written "fictional" want ads from Star Fleet advertising for members of the Security Department
• there were four entries in the story competition announced previously: Sue Bradley, Joyce Deeming, Valerie Piacentini, and Helen Sneddon. Valerie was the winner and the story was printed in this issue of STAG: that story is "The Attack"

Issue 20

Star Trek Action Group 20 was published in October 1976 and contains 22 pages.

financial ledge from 1975-1976

front page of issue #20

• there is an announcement that the American space shuttle has been named "Enterprise": "The original name for the orbiter was 'Constitution,' but after a heavy letter-writing campaign from Star Trek fans, President Ford supported dubbing the craft 'Enterprise'."
• the editors write:

  ST fandom has had a lot of publicity during the year; isn't it odd that the media should suddenly get interested just about the time when ST has gone off our screens again -- and this time we reckon it's going to be rather more difficult to persuade the BBC that it's worth repeating, if only because of the complaints the general public has been making about repeats in general. All we can do is keep pushing the fact that even with three runs, many of us have not seen all the episodes - even those of us who have been watching since 1969 may not have seen all the episodes that were screened.

• a fan writes a fairly lengthy autobiographical paragraph and announces his new SF zine, "Astron":

  There was another facet to the debut of STAR TREK, No longer was I in a minority of one, afraid to admit my love for SF in case I was ridiculed. My personality as it is today was directly influenced by Science Fiction and STAR TREK. Gone were Irwin Allen's pathetic plastic aliens and stereotyped BEMs. Gone were shows where the underlying theme was 'Blast first, clear up the mess later.' Gene Roddenberry had brought maturity to TV Science Fiction... now I stand perched on the crossroads, about to change my role from simple consumer to actual producer. ASTR0N is my baby, just as STAR TREK was Gene Roddenberry's. For many years, one region of fandom has been sadly neglected - Science Fiction (as opposed to STAR TREK and comics, which both are the subject of many zines). With ASTRON, I hope to rectify that situation. A variety of subjects will be taken under its wings, ranging from SF to Rock. Lead articles for the first issue should be an exclusive interview with author Bob Shaw, reviews and the latest SF/Comic news, along with features on STAR TREK and the rock band Hawkwind. Future issues will include more of STAR TREK, along with a new SF series entitled THE STAR BORN. And, if the printing difficulties can be sorted out, maybe the debut of the 'Adam Skywolf strip. And after that? Who can really tell. Certainly not I...

• this issue has a filk (tune: "Country Roads" by John Denver) by April Valentine: "Almost heaven, silver starship, lovely lady, never-ending star-trip. Life is out there on a distant star, man's final frontier, never go too far. Enterprise, you are my home, on your bridge I belong. Lovely lady, silver starship, you are my home, Enterprise."
• a fan begs for sound tapes of Starsky & Hutch, as well as for any articles about the show: "Does anyone have any good recordings of the Starsky & Hutch series that they would be willing to re-record onto cassettes (or I can do the re-recording)?"
• a number of fans wrote in about vegetarianism: the editor printed three of these responses
• another fan writes in response to an earlier letter that posits plants are intelligent and says that is ridiculous; another fan responds, saying she has read "The Secret Life of Plants" and disagrees, saying plants have emotions and feelings
• there are three fan's comments regarding K/S -- the first one:

  The Kirk/Spock relationship tends to turn up in most ST fanzines. I think of Spock's love for Kirk as that of a close brother, but a love that he cannot show. The problem with the English language is that the word 'love' is associated with sex. Spock's love for Kirk is not homosexual, in the same way that a man's love for his brother is not... It's the Human part of Spock that forms the basis of the Kirk/Spock relationship. Without Kirk, most of Spock's character would remain submerged. Instead of being one of the most - if not the most - intriguing personalities in STAR TREK, Spock would be merely a flesh and blood extension of the ship's computers. We owe it all to Kirk. ...STAR TREK is LOVE. Spock's love for Kirk... Kirk's love for Spock, McCoy's deep affection for BOTH Spock and Kirk, Kirk's love for his ship... Love. It's what the world needs now. And tomorrow.

• the second one:

  I haven't read any of the fans' stories yet (but that's something I plan to remedy soon), so it was with true amazement that I saw in Nancy Kippax's letter, what some people are making of the Kirk/Spock relationship. (It's almost like defamation of character, isn't it?) I hope we can discourage these sort of stories, because the resulting lack of integrity would end up with characters and format nothing like the original Star Trek, and the mystique that attracted us all in the first place would cease to exist - as under the label of 'adult', they would weave into the relationship that which was not there, nor ever intended. I feel the love they meant between Star Trek's Kirk and Spock was more like respect and affection, with a deep rapport and concern between two unalike beings. men and women can be friends without being Gay. But unfortunately there seem to be some who have difficulty in being able to imagine such an alliance.

• the third one:

  With regard to... the ability of love to be an emotional and mental uplifting of the spirit without any sexual connections, I agree. I have one very dear close friend (female and married) with whom this is true. It is a rare and very special experience to have this type of link with a person of either sex, and is not to be besmirched by lesser intellects who are incapable of understanding such a bond. I love to see the close interaction between a smell group of men, such as Kirk, Spock and McCoy, with whom this link functions at its best. Too many people today try to cheapen anything good; perhaps because insecurity seems to disappear when the sufferer destroys someone else's peace of mind. I guess it's an indictment on the state of our world, which has so many unhappy people, and a great incentive to groups like ours to try and build on our common beliefs.

• this issue has a reprint of a newspaper article by William Shatner called "Why I Believe in UFOs"
• this issue has a fan's comment on the pro-book "Spock Messiah" -- she pronounces it better than the title would suggest, better than "Spock Must Die," better than Alan Dean Foster's Log books, but that it will be disappointment to Spock fans as that character is barely in it
• there is a con report for Bi-Centennial 10 Con that was in New York City, 3-6 September 1976
• there is a con report for the first TerraCon, see that page
• there are more pleas for more letters to be sent to the BBC to ask that the four banned episodes be shown in the UK
• the story competition brought in seven entries: Angela Carthy, Lesley Coles, Valerie Harrison, Gloria Mitchell, Robin Nelson, T.G.Z.C., and Sylvia Ward -- Valerie was the winner and her story was to appear in Log Entries #7; other stories would perhaps be in other issues of that zine
• there is a short fictional paragraph that readers must incorporate for the next story contest
• this issue has a poem, "In Defense of Mudd: Intergalactic Pirate" by Jill Cressey
• this issue has a short story told in dialogue called "Attack!" by Helen Sneddon
• this issue has a long piece of fiction called "Justification Debatable" by R.H.