Star Trek Action Group (newsletter)/Issues 121-141
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Issues 001-020 · Issues 021-040 · Issues 041-060 · Issues 061-080 · Issues 081-100 · Issues 101-120 · Issues 121-141
Issue 121
Star Trek Action Group 121 was published in January 1996 and contains 60 pages.
- there is an announcement that the president of G.H.T. is changing after thirteen years
- there is more on what is "real Trek": A lot of new fans to Star Trek are fans of TNG and DS9 and some seem to be of the opinion that Classic Trek is not really Star Trek. The two camps look to be drifting apart, which is a shame because it is all part of the same universe. When Star Trek started it did not have all the high-tech stuff of today but it had a magic all of its own that held us to our TV sets every week. When it finished, it was us fans that helped to keep it alive; without us there would be no TNG or DS9. Star Trek is all one big family, handed down from one generation to the next, with room for all; remember IDIC!
- there is more about The Viacom Crackdown: Their proposed action is insane! Why don't they leave the humble and modest D.I.Y. Star Trek fan clubs alone? These clubs only want to share ideas and experiences, all for the love of Star Trek. Paramount gets enough money from the episodes and merchandise. They're nothing but a bunch of hypocrites who didn't want Star Trek in the first place!
- another comment: I also want to comment on this bullying of the fan clubs and cons by Paramount referred to in newsletter 119. I cannot tell you how outraged this made me. How greedy and ungrateful can they be? If it wasn't for all us fans doing our bit over the years they wouldn't have all the billions of dollars Star Trek has made for them. The fans make no money and do it for the love of it. I think the fans should do an organised boycott in response, of Paramount's movies, Star Trek programmes and related items to make our feelings known to them. It's just warp ten greed on Paramount's part and is sickening.
- a fan writes: I would like to add my thoughts on this new move by Paramount. It seems to me that it is just another way for the fat cats of this world to get a few more dollars out of us. I agree with [N L] (newsletter 119) that a lot of what goes on in fandom comes from us, the fans, which stems from earlier times when Paramount did not really want Star Trek and it was kept alive by its loyal fans with their home produced merchandise and zines. But look now at the new fans and the sudden explosion of merchandise produced for them by Paramount under the clever ploy that this or that is very collectable; I find it disgusting that they can and do rip off loyal supporters. I know that to some it may sound cynical but a lot of us have to work hard for our cash; we just want to be treated fairly and not taken for a ride. Our clubs and cons are run by fans who put in a lot of time and effort for no personal gain; Paramount should let us keep what is ours.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 122
Star Trek Action Group 122 was published in August 1996 and contains 64 pages.
- one fan writes to say she is very disappointed that a ST con in Cardiff was canceled due to lack of interest, as she was was knitting a jumper especially for the occasion; she says perhaps they should have advertised more; her husband is a taxi driver and for all his driving around, has never seen a poster or anything advertising it
- another fan is bored and feeling left out: I have to disagree with Alison when she says that fan run conventions are not boring and don't have an image problem, and that fans are not sad people. British Star Trek Conventions are boring, but then if you've been to as many as I have they do become the same. However, very little can be done about it because if any of the main parts of a convention were changed somebody would want to know why this or that traditional element was missing. So for me, British Cons will remain boring. I think fan-run cons have an image problem and we, as fans, are our own worst enemy; we complain about the wally image of a Trekkie in uniform but if you need publicity for an event, the papers want a Trekkie in uniform. I think there are some lonely, never mind sad, people at British Star Trek Conventions. Alison may go to conventions to "meet friends and party," but if she thinks that everybody is having a good time then she is out of touch. I still think British Star Trek Conventions are run by a clique. These people may not be part of the convention committee but they do have influence over the committee and a say in how the convention is run. This makes the business meeting a waste of time. All the attendees do at the business meeting is vote for the committee and the venue. They don't vote for the people the committee hire to help them run the con, and these helpers can be the same ones at every con.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 123
Star Trek Action Group 123 was published in October 1996 and contains 72 pages.
- Ann Clifton is now the librarian for the STAG Lending Library
- the editors announce that two long-running fan clubs, IDIC and Beyond Antares, have ceased operation
- a fan comments on the merchandising of ST fandom: Some long-standing fans have, I am sure, become somewhat jaundiced by the constant milking of the Star Trek cow by its copyright holders who are attempting to wring yet more money out of the fans whilst trying to take away a lot of the fans' enjoyment in the process (if they go ahead with plans to stop unlicensed clubs and conventions).
- another fan comments on the "staleness" of ST fandom: I have to agree with [A Z] that there has been a lot of staleness in Trek lately. I hoped Voyager would be a shot in the arm but thought the pilot pretty average and haven't bothered to buy any tapes, as I did with DS9, because I keep hearing negative things. Well, when it finally reaches the BBC I'll watch it but, right now, Babylon 5 has the excitement and involvement for me that Trek used to have. Still, I enjoy Classic Trek and like quite a lot of TNG and DS9, so I hope it will improve... Re conventions: I used to attend a lot in the late 70s to mid 80s but have only been to one full weekend in the past five years. There are a number of reasons. I can't really afford it. My job is very demanding and doesn't leave a lot of leisure time, and there are many other things to do. Other people who I used to meet up with stopped going and I found it difficult to break into cliques and find people willing to befriend someone on their own. The features I enjoyed such as the fashion show (where groups acted out short dramas, often in marvellous costumes) were scrapped. The one I went to a few years back, and one-day ones I went to last year, show that most people want to sit watching videos, not that I condemn this as I did a fair bit myself. I blame the BBC for the fact that so many fans have no other way to see the various new series. There does seem, due to the mass merchandising of Paramount maybe, much more of a consumer mentality. I'm told zines are far less popular. I guess people don't feel the same need to create their own Trek with so much commercially available but it's a shame, especially when so much of the official stuff lacks originality.
- there is a con report for Concorde, see that page
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 124
Star Trek Action Group 124 was published in June 1997 and contains 55 pages.
- the editor has a new computer, and she asks other fans that, if they can, to send material to her on 3 1/3 inch floppies
- a fan comments: How refreshing it was to read [M M's] letter in newsletter 123. Isn't this what Star Trek is all about? For me it is a hobby, and generally people have hobbies because they enjoy doing the things they do. I too have been a Star Trek fan from the beginning. I remember rushing my homework so my mother would let me watch Star Trek (in black and white!). I will never get bored with it. I only wish our world was like it is in the Star Trek universe; what a wonderful place it would be to live. I'm sure a lot of fans had reservations about TNG, DS9 and Voyager but I found each of them grew on me and I think they are all superb. Okay, so every episode of every series is not excellent in everybody's opinion. The writers etc. cannot please everyone all the time, and what a boring old world it would be if we all liked the same things.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 125
Star Trek Action Group 125 was published in June 1997 and contains 68 pages.
- there is a con report for Wolf 359, see that page
- this issue contains a very long, very interesting article called "Race: The Final Frontier." It is by Bob Morales and reprinted from "VIBE," February 1997
- a fan jokes and chides the newsletter's editor: "As for the new look, I'm glad STAG has entered the 1990s via a string of old PC failures."
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 126
Star Trek Action Group 126 was published in September 1997 and contains 68 pages.
- the editor comments: Changing times and the sudden influx of fans caused a new type of fandom to evolve. Gone are the days when we had to pester the BBC into showing the original series on television; today all four series can be seen on terrestrial TV. Gone are the days when the only record we had of an episode was a home-made audio recording; today fans can record the picture too! Gone are the days of small, friendly conventions with their grainy film shows where the episode would stop almost mid-sentence when the film spool needed changing, and the dealers' room would be filled with zines and home-made goodies. Today's fans can buy an amazing array of Trek merchandise from their high street shops. In a way, it's too easy to be a fan now and, unfortunately, so many so-called fans lack the staying power. This is evidenced by the fact that membership numbers have fallen drastically since TNG finished showing in this country (something I predicted some years ago despite the fact that I didn't know that there would be further Trek series to come). Also there is too much competition now from professional magazines and the internet; a fan run club is no longer the only source of information as it was ten or fifteen years ago. However, the remaining members are the ones who are the true fans and I hope they will go on supporting STAG and other fan-run clubs for many years to come. Yes, you've guessed; I'm just feeling a bit nostalgic for the good old days of fandom. I think I have a split personality when it comes to Trek; part of me loves and appreciates anything Trek, while the other part remains very much the Classic Trek fan.
- there is a con report for Terok Nor, see that page
- there is a con report for the Babylon 5 convention, The Alliance Convention, see that page
- a fan tells of his trip to "Page's Bar" in London where half the clientele wears Star Trek uniforms and on Saturday night they showed Star Trek: DS9 videos
- this issue has a real throwback, a zine review; it is of Star Born, see that page
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 127
Star Trek Action Group 127 was published in February 1998 and contains 52 pages.
- the editor announces that one of her assistants, Asif Zabbar, has moved on and will no longer be helping
- a fan comments on fandom today: Yes, it does seem very easy to be a fan now; merchandise is available very easily on the high street. I am sure many of today's new and younger fans would be surprised at the lengths we used to go to in the 'old days' to get our hands on merchandise. I can remember buying almost an armful of Star Trek paperbacks at the first con I attended because I hadn't seen them anywhere else, but now they are available in most bookstores. But don't you think this takes some of the excitement and pleasure out of being a fan? What a feeling of achievement we used to feel, spotting something in an auction that we had, for ages, been searching for, and then how we prayed the price would not go beyond our reach! Nowadays there is also competition from other science fiction shows, such as The X-Files and Babylon 5. Not that this is a bad thing; at last people are waking up and realising how many science fiction fans there are in the world! I just hope it doesn't go into overkill... Despite there being numerous professional magazines available with news and views of Star Trek, they do not give the same friendly feeling as the fan-run clubs, which are run for love rather than for profit. I was firstly, and will always remain, a Classic Trek fan, but i think you do an excellent job giving all the series coverage in the newsletters, trying to put in articles for all the fans. Long may you continue to do so.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 128
Star Trek Action Group 128 was published in June 1998 and contains 55 pages.
- the editor has to raise subscription costs and explains: Unfortunately, we are having to increase our membership fee with immediate effect. I'm sure you're all aware that when TNG arrived on our screens, club membership numbers soared, allowing us to continue for some time without a price rise. However, most of these new fans have now abandoned ship; neither DS9 nor Voyager seem to generate the same amount of interest as TNG did, and since the series finished, numbers have fallen steadily and continue to do so. I think the Internet is partly to blame. As more people obtain access to it they are deserting printed newsletters for on-line publications. Perhaps this is what the future holds but, personally, like a certain starship captain, I prefer to read a book or newsletter in printed form rather than stare at a computer screen. Of course, printed books also carry the advantage of portability; you can't access the Internet while travelling to work by bus or train (yet), but you can pass the time with a newsletter or a good book. Actually, I don't know where people find the time to surf the net; for me at least, there is always something more important that needs doing, and the only chance I get to read for pleasure is while travelling or while waiting for something to happen, so printed matter is ideal.
- the newsletter includes this fan legal issue: 1998 Fan-written Star Trek Book is the Target of $22 Million Lawsuit":
[1]Reversing a 30 year practice, Paramount Pictures has sued Star Trek fan Samuel Ramer and his publishing company in federal court in New York for writing an unauthorised book about the world of Star Trek fandom. Ramer is the author of "The Joy of Trek: How to Enhance Your Relationship with a Star Trek Fan". Thirty-four year old Ramer, a self-proclaimed loyal "Trekster" since the age of 6, dedicated the book to his wife and intended it as a humorous guide to help "non-fans' like her understand the fierce devotion fans hold for Star Trek in all its incarnations. Paramount, represented by the Manhattan law firm of Richards & O'Neil, argues that the book violates the copyrights of 220 Star Trek episodes, and is seeking civil damages in the amount of $22 million, as well as an order banning sales of the book. At the outset, lawyers for Ramer and his publishing company have raised a number of compelling arguments in defence of the book. Most notably, they illustrate how for 30 years Paramount tolerated and even encouraged fans to engage in technically unauthorised activities in order to maintain interest and enthusiasm for the then-struggling franchise. They point to over 100 unauthorised books, including the famous Star Trek Concordance by Bjo Trimble. Trimble, who was instrumental in the letter-writing campaigns to save the original series from extinction, wrote the beloved Concordance as a comprehensive encyclopedia and episode guide. Had Paramount adopted the same stance with Trimble as it has done with Ramer, Star Trek would have been an obscure footnote in entertainment history, rather than the unparalleled success that It has become today. Sadly, with Gene Roddenberry gone and Paramount swallowed up by monolithic Viacom Corporation, appreciation and respect for fans has given way to litigation and disdain, as Viacom continues its misguided campaign to eliminate interactive fan participation in the Star Trek universe. The On-line Freedom Federation expresses its full support for Samuel Ramer and his publisher, and will continue to post updates on the case. Meanwhile, OFF supporters are encouraged to write to Viacom with their concerns. As always, be polite and articulate in order to be taken seriously. Editor's comment: On 5th June, U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti found in favour of Paramount and issued an injunction halting further distribution of the book. The author, Samuel Ramer, is hoping the appeal court will overturn this ruling. - this issue has an essay by B. Juste called "Star Trek Lives... But Should We Pull the Plug." This is an excerpt: Perhaps you recall the day NBC cancelled the original Star Trek series back in the 1960s. Maybe you felt a certain twinge, from brief annoyance to complete despair, or anything in-between. But then came a book called Star Trek Lives! by Jacqueline Lichtenberg, Sondra Marshak and Joan Winston, which spoke of the death and resurrection of the series in great detail. Star Trek Lives also spoke of the Star Trek conventions of the 1970s. With these conventions, the ghost of your favourite series had been brought back to life as if by magic. You might remember with fondness the sense of discovery and elation that went hand-in-hand with seeing that other people, just like you, were producing original Star Trek artwork, costumes, and fiction. But that was decades ago. Have you been to a recent Star Trek convention that was not an exercise in futility? As for general science fiction cons, have you seen any that had good Star Trek programming? You might recall the Golden Age of fanzines, too, when there were literally hundreds of self-published tomes on every Star Trek subject imaginable, costing a mere buck or two each. But now, in part because everyone seems to be rushing to switch to on-line publishing (which, incidentally, does not serve everyone, whereas the mail does), you are lucky to find a few zines still in print. Many of these cost near the $20 mark. How many zines at this price can a fan reasonably buy? Moreover, has the quality of current zines deteriorated? Certainly they look better — no more fuzzy mimeo or smelly ditto — but (with a few exceptions) has the craftsmanship of what is inside plummeted? Are there too many stories endlessly rehashing and recasting the same old TV plotlines? Grinding out the same old pedestrian romances? Has that which made the pro novels (again, with exceptions) so unreadable invaded fanzines? Fan fiction should be able to tackle subjects officially off-limits to the sanctioned novels. And I don't mean simply 'slash' — what about a life-changing event for a character, or a different take on the official Star Trek canon? Has Star Trek fandom degenerated into a mob of passive consumers lapping up commercially-made action figures? Buying dreary novels ground out by a conglomerate desperate to squeeze the final drops of milk from its cash cow? What's happened to the individual writers, artists, costumers?... is everyone off surfrig the internet, chained like zombies to a radioactive square of electrons? Alone, yet wth the illusion of community? Sounds positively Talosian. And if you feel this neo-Luddite attitude conflicts with Star Trek's futuristic setting, it really doesn't. Star Trek was always about people, not technology, and that's what made it unique. What also made it unique was that people took it into their own hands and actuaty made things. They painted, sewed, glued, wrote. Excitement, creativity, indwdual devotion to excellence... Where has it gone? Has the joy of Beginner's Mind long since vanished? All living things grow, change, and die. Is it time to turn our backs, however sadly and fondly, on an increasingly decadent venture and make up our own individual fantasy worlds? Is it time to pull the plug on Star Trek? You tell me.
- there is a reprinted notice regarding Stargazer Productions and its liquidation
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 129
Star Trek Action Group 129 was published in September/October 1998 and contains 58 pages.
- this issue has a review of the zine, Bondbrothers, see that page
- fans continue to discuss why fandom seems to be on the "decline": I was interested in your remarks in your editorial about the declining numbers in Star Trek club fandom. While i agree that the internet has a part to play in this, I also think the plethora of professionally published, glossy magazines devoted either to Star Trek itself or to media science-fiction in general, is probably more to blame. Traditional fandom as we know it was created to fill a need and a gap, hence the creativity: the fanzines, the fan newsletters, the fan-run conventions, the fan-made costumes and models, the fan fiction. Information had to be scratched up out of anywhere and everywhere... Fifteen or twenty years ago who would have thought that you could go into your local newsagent and pick up one of several magazines devoted to science-fiction television or films? Now you are embarrassed for choice. There's Starlog, Starburst, TV Zone, Cult TV, SFX, Cinefantastique and Cult Times to name the most common, many of which were once only available by direct subscription or in speciality bookshops. Others didn't even exist then. Nearly every issue of these has at least one article on one of the various Trek incarnations, accompanied by lavish colour illustrations. The news columns carry the latest news on ST as well as on other shows So, many people feel no need to seek out and join a fan club; it would probably never really occur to them. This is equally true of fan fiction. Not only are there several streams of novels based on the various Treks but they've moved into what were once purely fannish preserves: adventures of other crews and ships in the Trek universe (shades of the old US zine Menagerie) and 'non-fiction' books of what is really fannish speculation (the Star Trek Chronology, for instance). Another thought is that not only does the fan have so much to chose from, s/he has to find time to read it all. And not only Trek stuff. Gone are the days when there was only Star Trek, Dr. Who, Star Wars and Blake's 7 in the media science-fiction department. The passing two decades has brought us Babylon 5, V, Alien Nation, Space: Above and Beyond, Red Dwarf, Hitch-Hikers' Guide to the Galaxy, Stargate SG-1, Sliders, Battlestar Galactica, X-Files, Millennium etc., and in a related field, Xena and Hercules. The law of probability is that many Trek fans will also be fans of one or more of these, too. The upshot is that the fannish dollar (or pound) can only go so far. For many, just deciding which to buy between the various professional publications that feed their need for information, photos and 'further adventures' is enough. There is no need to 'do-it-yourself. On the other hand, I believe there is, and always will be, the kind of fan for whom this is not enough. This fan is not content to sit back and passively consume pre-digested thoughts and opinions. S/he wants to communicate with fellow fans and discuss aspects of the various series, find out what other like-minded people think. This type will join fan clubs for that and, no doubt, will join internet discussion groups, too. Howeiier, this type of fan is always in the minority.
- at least one fan loves this new thing called the internet: It was interesting to read about your views on the internet. I recently decided to give it a go at Oldham Library. I was researching material on Pete Duel and Alias Smith and Jones. I just typed in the words and the net browser came up with a number of 'hits' it had found. I gained access to material I'd never seen before. I found it to be a tremendous help. And the fact that you can print the material on the screen means you have instant access to it. Most of the websites for TV shows are American and I feel they've adapted to the internet in a more creative way than we have. There's no reason why the fanzine and website can't exist side by side. Each can advertise the other. The American lady who runs the Alias Smith and Jones website also produces numerous printed fanzines. They compliment each other perfectly.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 130
Star Trek Action Group 130 was published in February 1999 and contains 68 pages.
- the editor responds to a suggestion to publish the newsletter online; she has no internet at home, and she doesn't have time to maintain a website
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 131
Star Trek Action Group 131 was published in May 1999 and contains 64 pages.
- fan comments on the "decline" of fandom: To respond to the editorial, yes it's a shame that old style fandom is in decline and it is interesting to see that many new fans left after TNG finished since I recall some people predicting this when they joined. I was interested in the two articles on fandom by [B J] and [J E]. When I attended cons in the 70s, a prominent feature was the fashion shows where groups of fans acted out scenes, dressed in marvellous costumes. That was in addition to the fancy dress parade. When I went to one a few years ago after a long gap, it was wall to wall video programming with a fancy dress parade that was hard to even see, fenced off into a corner and squeezed between video showings and the disco. The enormous production of zines has dried to a trickle. Of course, now we have the official novels packing out bookshop shelves so I guess the drive to continue the all too short original series was satisfied and fan fiction didn't seem necessary any more. I don't blame the Internet — this trend began when new Trek series started to appear.
- a fan would like to see more "adult" material in aired Trek: I would put a case for a more adult orientated Trek series. A few expletives thrown around. A touch of tasteful nudity. A sort of HBO to the stars. Roddenberrys humanistic vision has always been too idealistic. Experience of life teaches you that people dont interact that way for prolonged periods of time. There is always conflict and disagreement. DS9 has acknowledged the flaws in human nature, perhaps more than any other Trek show. It displays, despite its many faults, a maturity and grit lacking in the juvenile Voyager. For the new millennium we need a new Star Trek that breaks free of its self imposed constraints. Gene Roddenberry's adoption of Humanism as the way to the future has always been questionable. Humanism is a naive philosophy that should have died in the Nazi concentration camps. Humans are imperfect and always will be. We are often slaves to our instincts, no matter how hard we try to make them socially acceptable. It's time to grow up and rethink the enduring Star Trek philosophy that has forced the franchise into a straitjacket.
- a fan comments about the suggestion that the newsletter be published on online: I don't think that is appropriate. Some things are not suitable for the Internet and STAG publications should remain on paper and posted through one's letterbox.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 132
Star Trek Action Group 132 was published in July 1999 and contains 60 pages.
- there is an ad for Boldly Writing
- there is a review for Prince of Vulcan, see that page
- a fan comments that "it is the malady of the newer fans that they are brought up with TV and video and may of them cannot create Trek for themselves."
Issue 133
Star Trek Action Group 133 was published in November 1999 and contains 52 pages.
- the editor is not online, and she asks for fans to send her stuff they find on the Internet and sent them to her via floppy disks
- there is a long con report for World Con/Aussie Con 3
- * there is a con report for Continuum, see that page
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 134
Star Trek Action Group 134 is undated, was published in 2000 and contains 54 pages.
- the editor write that the "production of fanzines (in the sense of story-zines) has almost ceased in the USA..."
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 135
Star Trek Action Group 135 is undated, published in 2000, and contains 54 pages.
- there is an announcement that the BSFR has ceased
- the STAG Lending Library librarian, Ann Clifton, has resigned and the library is looking for another leader; the editor notes that the usage of the library has declined in the last few years
- a long-time fan and fan club president has this to say about convention notification and the Internet: I can't think why con organisers don't inform you, and other newsletter editors, about their up-and-coming conventions. Don't they want fans nation-wide and abroad to participate in the enjoyment? Or do they just advertise through the Internet, a facility that some fans don't have access to? I found out about a con in Manchester in May by accident a few weeks ago and there is a con in Scotland in the summer that I know nothing about. You mention neither of them in the newsletter so you can't have been told about them. For those of us who can only afford one or two cons a year it's nice to know what is on offer before we make a choice. Many of the actors now have their own Web Site so fans with the necessary know-how and facilities can pick up the latest news on them. The rest of us rely on the good old fan club newsletters, but I fear that type of fan-clubbing is on the way out. It's a pity... I'm old-fashioned and prefer the fan contact and get-together attitude that we've enjoyed for so many years. Sitting alone in front of a computer sifting around for information on Trek and its actors has an isolated atmosphere about it. There's no one to chat to and mull over the latest news with over a cup of tea or coffee. Typing out a few words to someone you don't really know doesn't sound the same to me, although I grant you that you don't know everyone at a con but you can chat to them and the personal touch is there.
- a fan comments on SuperNova, the 47th British Star Trek convention's Business Meeting, and by default, the 50th convention, one that appears to never have happened: At my request, Vivienne has sent me a copy of the minutes from the SuperNova Convention Business Meeting. They highlight not only the ineptitude of the committee in running a business meeting, but also their immaturity and lack of seriousness in their approach to the task. Quite frankly, the minutes are not worth reprinting here According to Vivienne, the meeting was not held as it should have been as stated in the rules. Also, a suggested amendment to the rules, which she had sent to the committee in writing some months earlier, was not listed and therefore could not be debated. The committee had apparently decided that, in their opinion, the suggestion would be too expensive to implement and therefore didn't need debating. As you can imagine, this caused quite an uproar. I no longer attend the major conventions (for a number of reasons) so perhaps it's not my place to say this. However, it seems to me that the business meeting and rules need overhauling. Perhaps the business meeting could be taken out of the hands of individual committees and become the job of an elected fan or group of fans who would oversee everything pertaining to the business meeting at the two major conventions each year. I hope that one of our members who reads this will have been on a convention committee at some time and be able to comment. Perhaps other members would like to comment too. While on the subject of conventions, and in case anyone hoping to attend hasn't heard, the Five Oh convention in August has been cancelled.
- this issue has a con report for a Trek Cruise that was on the Mediterranean
- this issue has a con report for AD 2000, see that page
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 136
Star Trek Action Group 136 was published in October/November 2000 and contains 60 pages.
- the STAG Lending Library is closing due to lack of use and interest; the zines and books will be sold at the The Leonard Nimoy Convention: I know there is little demand for Trek zines now so I intend to sell them at rock-bottom prices."
- a fan is concerned: "It was rather worrying to see the comments about business meetings at conventions. I'm starting to feel like the Voice of Ancient History, but I remember the first business meetings and the reasons they were started — there were too many cons being run too close to each other without any coordination. Also there was a professional company that wanted to run cons in the UK and this was perceived as a threat to the fan-run cons, where the cost of attendance was kept as low as possible with as much going on as possible. A professional event did not allow for any fan-run things like the fancy dress, art shows, etc., but treated fans purely as consumers to be shepherded around and got to spend as much money as possible. So we organised. We sorted out a system of two 'Official' cons a year (though Paramount soon stopped us calling them official), and the cons had to be bid for and voted for. Democratic accountability and ail that. So we had organisers concentrating their efforts on the best possible cons at intervals that meant no organiser would lose money on a failed con and fans could attend good events without being too far out of pocket. It worked very well through the 80s and everyone benefited. I hope it doesn't fall apart because newcomers to con organising don't know or appreciate the history of what went on before.
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 137
Star Trek Action Group 137 was published in February 2001 and contains 80 pages.
- this issue has a lot of reprinted articles and reviews, but only four fairly meager letters, most of those commenting on Robert Beltrane's controversial (and most felt ungrateful) comments in recent interviews
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 138
Star Trek Action Group 138 was published in June 2001 and contains 71 pages.
- the editor is both overwhelmed, and getting weary: here is so much information available on the Internet now that it is extremely difficult to decide what to include in the newsletter, not to mention time-consuming just to sift through it all. As often is the case, this newsletter was far too long - and I'd only included the items I felt were really of interest - that I've had to save over a third of the articles for the next issue. There's nothing among them that will date, or be any less relevant in a few months time. Of course, time to devote to STAG is something I've never had in abundance, and this recently led me to investigate the possibility of passing the job of editor onto someone else. Unfortunately, this didn't work out but, having considered the possibility, I'm more open to the idea of 'retiring' now. It's not that I want to - indeed, I would hope to remain involved with STAG in some capacity. I feel it's unfair to you, our members, for me to continue as editor knowing that the time constraints are not going to improve. But what I can do about this, I don't know. If any of you have any ideas, or are genuinely interested in taking on the challenge, please let me know.
- there is an ad for a zine called Dracus
- there are only two Locs in this issue: one is mostly a quoted article about a con, and the other stating a rather half-hearted interest in the new ST show on the horizon, Enterprise
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 139
Star Trek Action Group 139 was published in October 2001 and contains 68 pages.
- for its content, see the table of contents image
Issue 140
Star Trek Action Group 140 was published in February 2002 and contains 48 pages.
- fans comment on the new show, Enterprise: they say it's pretty good, think the music is weak, and that the dog is cute
- for other content, see the table of contents image
Issue 141
Star Trek Action Group 141 was published in October 2002 and contains 60 pages.
- while the editor talks about the "next newsletter," it is possible this was the last one
- for other content, see the table of contents image
References
- ^ The book was published in the UK in 1997 with a slightly different title.