Star Trek Lives! (convention)/1975

Star Trek Lives! (convention) · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976

Star Trek Lives! 1975 was held February 14-17, 1975 at the Commodore Hotel in New York City.

cover of the 1975 program book

After three cons, The Committee went to work on their fourth effort without profits from the previous show to bolster them. Instead, members used their personal resources to get things rolling until membership fees arrived. Everyone from the executives on down to the helpers worked for little beyond pizza, soda, and camaraderie. By then, those helpers grew to include future publishing professionals Claire Eddy, Patrick Daniel O’Neill, and Diane Duane.

Following the 1974 show, Schuster had a falling out with The Committee and decided to run his own show in New York, one month before the usual convention. The bad blood was the talk of fandom as people wrote to the growing number of fanzines, taking sides. Schuster’s The International Star Trek Convention ran January 10–12, 1975, at the Statler Hilton with The Committee’s Star Trek Convention following February 14–17, 1975, once more at the Commodore. Schuster scooped his former partners by signing Shatner to make his first convention appearance even though the star had already signed to appear in February. In the end, both did good business, but the good will engendered by The Committee’s efforts won out in the end. The Roddenberrys returned to the convention as did Gerrold and Takei, along with first-timer William Ware Theiss, who of course brought along some of his costumes. A surprise guest was “Assignment: Earth” guest star Robert Lansing, who demonstrated to me he was quite adept at doing magic coin tricks despite being inebriated in the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, that was the year the show was besieged with fans using counterfeit tickets, which crowded the show floor and confounded The Committee. It was here that Roddenberry told the fans that a feature film was on Paramount’s schedule and he was optimistic this would actually happen.

After Shatner’s appearance at the February show, Committee member Thom Anderson was asked the difference between Shatner and Nimoy’s interaction with the fans. Anderson explained that while the audience wanted a piece of Shatner, and there was a sexually charged atmosphere, they treated Nimoy more like an appearance by the Pope. Everyone hung on his every word in hushed silence.

Guests of Honor

• Gene Roddenberry
• Majel Barrett
• William Shatner
• George Takei
• William Ware Theiss
• Robert Lansing
• David Gerrold
• Jeff Maynard
• Isaac Asimov
• Hal Clement

Con Staff

• Devra Michele Langsam, Chairperson & Co-coordinator ("Official Yeller and Whip-Cracker")
• Dana L.F. Anderson, Advance Registration, Fanzine & Fan Club List Compiler, Costume Call Director, Printing Layout & Design
• Wendy Lindboe, Art Show Co-Director, Graphical Design
• Elyse S. Rosenstein, Program Director, Progress Report, Guest Liaison, Trivia Contest, Advertising & Telephone Information
• Steven J. Rosenstein, Director of Operations & Proceedings, Printing & Logistics, Techical Assistance & Construction
• Louise Sachter, Art Show Co-Director
• Barbara Wenk, Personnel Director (Helpers)
• Joan Winston, Director of Press & Publicity, Film & Television Liaison, Program Book Editor
• Joyce Yasner, Recording Secretary, General Records Keeper, At-the-Door Registration Director
• Thom Anderson, Treasurer ("General Mouth")
• Stuart Grossman, Dealer's Room Organization, Television Advertising
• Stuart C. Hellinger, Hotel Liaison, Security Co-coordinator ("Former Bull Horn Operator")
• Ben Yalow, Official Convention Photographer, Documentation & Resources, Technical Assistance

A Filk!

A 1975 filk, "Battle Hymn of the 1975 ST Con" in Tetrumbriant #7, by "A Cast of Thousands" :

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the ending of The Con.

They were tramping out the carpet when the movies were not on.

They were pushing back the walls

the guests had rested hands upon.

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Chorus:

Glory, Glory Roddenberry!

Glory, Glory Roddenberry!

Glory, Glory Roddenberry!

Praise GhuG, they are all Gone!!

They were lurking in the corridors

where Gene and Majel lived,

Our security arrangements were as leaky as a sieve,

Room numbers Committee didn't know

Trekkies would gladly give!

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Chorus 3X.

Bill Shatner, owes his life,

to fen who's names he'll never know.

They are placing their fragile bodies,

where Trekkies want to go.

And all are deeply thankful

Leonard Nimoy did not show!

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Chorus 3X.

Our Guests were wont to wander,

where Helpers fear to go.

Dear George once tried to roam around

and thought no one would know.

We picked up what was left of him

and put him in the show.

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Chorus 3X.

Ike Asimov made speeches where he told

all he did know.

Jeff Maynard set up for six days,

to put on his Light Show!

Robert Lansing gave us extra work,

he knows where he can go!

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Chorus 3X.

There wasn't much of Destiny,

her costume didn't show!

The Vulcan Hooker, Patia

matched her blow for blow!

But the Helpers didn't notice --

they were busy clearing rows!

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

[snipped]

Chorus 3X.

Bob Lansing, Gene and Majel were all

drinking in the suite.

The Committee and Assistants are all nursing blistered feet.

We'll discuss our plans for next year's con

BUT, NOT BEFORE WE EAT!!!!!

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Chorus 3X.

David Gerrold brought some fur with him,

A Tribble it was called.

Dick Hoagland gave us speeches on

the Space Program, now stalled.

And Bill Theiss showed us costumes

which we all thought would fall.

Praise GhuG, they are all gone!

Badges, Flyers, and Other Ephemera

The entire program book has been scanned here, ^{Archived version}.

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  flyer

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  first side of a 1975 flyer

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  second side of a 1975 flyer

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  a flyer for the 1975 Star Trek at the Commodore Hotel

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  1975 flyer printed in Probe #1

Programming

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  pages from the 1975 Pocket Program Guide. Click to read.

Progress Reports

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

• 

  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

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  from an undated, 20-page progress report

Articles and Further Reading

• 

  from the Des Moines Register February 2, 1975

• 

  This newspaper article, detailing Al Schuster's removal of funds from the convention bank account, was printed on the back of the 1975 Committee Con program guide. Click to read.

Con Reports

the first page of James Van Hise' con report in Trek

Both cons were quite successful, but in my opinion, "The Star Trek Convention" outdid Al Schuster's "International Star Trek Convention" considerably. There were many things that were different between the two cons, but two things prevailed over both; the overcrowded conditions and the appearance of Issac Asimov, Hal Clement, Jeff Maynard (The Andromeda Light Show), and William Shatner. This con, held at the Americana Hotel featured an extra large dealers room, a separate film room, and an art show (which was only fair). This con will long be remembered because it was the first appearance of William Shatner at any ST con. He was answering (or trying to) the questions of anxious fans on Sat. and Sun. The big dissapointment was the fact that he said he wouldn't sign, any autographs. Other guests included; Harlon Ellison, Jimmy Doohan, and Walter Koenig. Other highlights were the costume ball, crew reunion, and a short version of the blooper reel.

Convention Log, Stardate 7502.13- I arrived at the Commodore Hotel a day early, in order to help setup the table I would be running. When I arrived there, with two other members of the Boston ST Assn., Shirley Maiewski came running up to us, telling us that the hotel had recently installed a new computer system that had erased half of the hotel confirmations. Our minds reeled. Fortunately, ours were not among those erased. Later that evening, I got the table set up, and was Immediately Impressed with the smoothness with which the Dealer's Room was being run.

Convention Log, Stardate 7502. H. Opening Day, officially. The moment of truth had arrived. The highlight, for me was the fan panel. There on the dias were Devra Langsam, Shirley Maiewski, Margaret Basta, and Joyce Yasner, STWers, our Shirley handled herself like a pro, even though she later confessed to me that she was scared stiff. For those of you who don't know her, Shirley is one of the sweetest, kindest ladies you could ever meet. So bearing that in mind, and Shirley forgive me, but I have to say it, during the question and answer period, I swear that she blushed when someone mentioned Grup.

Convention Log, Stardate 7502.15. The first program I tern I saw on Saturday was Hal Clement with the "Peeling of the Apple." Hal's speech was marvelous as always, and he explained away some of the scientific inaccuracies of "The Apple" episode. Then came Gene Roddenberry, and the hall was full. Everyone in STW expected him to make the announcement of a contract with Paramount, but Gene just said that the movie is listed In the stockholder's report for 1976. This is, indeed, a major step, but it seems that we were a little premature in our expectations. He said that negotiations are proceeding smoothly, and that paramount had told him that all the major hurdles were behind them. I did not hear another panel that day, unfortunately, as I had really wanted to hear Bill Shatner speak. Those who did told me that he was very entertaining and delightful to hear. That night, also, the parties started, and off we went, gallivanting around the hotel from one joyous occasion to another.

Convention Log, Stardate 7502.16. Today was the day that Isaac Asimov gave his annual talk about himself. But Isaac can talk and captivate an audience, so that- even the most mundane things are enjoyable. I did not have a chance to see anything that day, with the exception of the Costume Ball, but everyone told me that the panels and the rest were wonderful. The Costume Ball was the usual madness that pervades a convention once a year. There seemed to be quite a few more tribbles than last year. Some of the costumes were remarkably good, and even a few skits were good. But most bordered on fair to poor. Perhaps I'm just not an enthusiastic costume ball attendee. Later that night, I had the best time of my life. Diane Marchant, who is our STWer in Australia, and I, along with others, had spotted Majel Roddenberry outside the hotel's restaurant. Since we were attending a party that evening and Diane knew Majel, we decided that it could do no harm to invite her. Surprise!

She said yes! She was to judge the costume ball, so we arranged to see her later. We were walking on air. Majel came to our party, and as an added bonus, Robert Lansing came! After a short time, Majel called for her husband, guess who, to come, and Gene joined us as well. That was one of the most enjoyable evenings I've ever spent.

Most conventions have art shows, but like everything else at this con, this art show was larger than any I'd ever seen. There were a couple hundred pieces of art literally crammed into what would have otherwise been a good sized room. Most of it was only of about average quality, although there were some marvelous exceptions. There was a six foot long model of the Enterprise [see photo of this model in the scanned zine article] as well as a painting which was about seven feet tall by seven feet high of the Enterprise crew standing in the transporter room. It was very good and it was impossible to guess how it could have been transported without being damaged. [see photo of this painting in the scanned zine article] There were also paintings and drawings of virtually anything connected with Star Trek imaginable. One of the more striking displays was a set of paintings done in a mosaic style using just small squares of color for contrast, no lines, and what was amazing was that the paintings were perfect likenesses of the characters portrayed.

[...]

The guests all gave individual talks as well as appearing on the main panel. David Gerrold gave several talks and helped out the convention in other ways as well. Even before I saw David Gerrold at the convention I'd heard of his reputation for being egotistical. After listening to his discussions of writing and succeeding as a professional writer, I realized that he had to have a larger than average ego in order for him to have succeed as he has. The most important piece of advice he gave is "If you can possibly be discouraged, then don't be a writer, because you'll never make it." Thus it's not surprising to me that he's not meek and mild mannered, and that when somebody heckled him from the balcony behind him that he acted as if he wanted t climb up the wall and pull the guy over the railing. He also pointed out that his lack of good humor at that moment was also a combination of his tape recorder having been stolen at the con, and of two helpers who always stopped him when they saw him to check his badge, as if he wasn't recognizable to them after the first day (This was the last day.)

1975 saw us with a new Chairperson, Devra Langsam, and a return to the Commodore. The guest roster was a goodie with a lot of people making return visits like the Roddenberrys, David Gerrold, George Takei, Isaac Asimov, Hal Clement, and a special guest (blare of trumpets, please!) William Shatner. This was a crowded con, too. Crowded when it shouldn't have been, because we discovered that there were counterfeit tickets being sold by some unscrupulous kids in cahoots with an equally dishonest printer. So we closed registration with a count of 6,800 when it was clear to all that there were at least 8,000 people in attendance.

After finding my 8 year old self in possession of a homemade Star Trek uniform tunic with a houndstooth pattern on the material.... I knew the only way to go from there was up. I desperately wanted to look like my heroes from television and the only reliable resource at my disposal was the dealers’ room at the annual New York City Star Trek Convention. My family attended that con in ’75 but I cannot remember if there were uniforms available for sale. If there were, they must have been prohibitively expensive because I definitely recall not coming home with one! Fortunately, I did bag my second complete set of U.S.S. Enterprise insignia patches with a view toward getting one of them sewn on another shirt. [Read the entire series of convention memories at the source].

The Star Trek Convention, held at the Commodore Hotel February 14-17 was, by comparison, well worth attending. This convention was organized by a group of people who left Al Shuster's organization last year, headed by Devra Langstrom. Special guests included - Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett, William Shatner, George Takei, William Ware Theiss, Robert Lansing, David Gerrold, Jeff Maynard, Isaac Asimov, and Hal Clement. From the start, this convention was more neatly run than Schuster's. There was less crowding, especially in the dealers' rooms and art rooms, although this convention, too, had a habit of scheduling only one interesting activity at a time. Again, there was no way to see the major guests, except on stage, along with 8,000 other fans (I happened to run into William Shatner outside the convention in New York, but he was unfortunately too busy to talk). The highlight of this convention was Gene Roddenberry's talk, and the panel discussion between Roddenberry Shatner, Barrett, Takei, Asimov, Gerrold, and Lansing... In closing, The Star Trek Convention stood out as a worthwhile experience, when compared to the 4th International Convention, but neither of them can compare to the excellence of Equicon 74.

At the 1975 New York ST Con, we had a con suite party that lasted 12 hours! Honest! It started when the con closed at 6:00 pm and I got home at about 8:00 am the next morning. At this party was a filk composed the famous filksong 'Battle Hymn of the Convention'.

I spent 11 hours a day in the dealers' room, boycotted the films, jostled the art room a bit and snuck around like a nlnja trying to scare up George or David- or the good Or. A. No such luck. Maybe I should mention the thrilling ride on the NYC subways and being urged by a Hare Krishnanik to trade in my old model diety on a still older model. Had some great Chinese burritos at the Peking Palace across from the Americana, however. We were alone in the place and after we ate the manager sent over 3 glasses of plum wine on the house. Spent unGhodly hours discussing everything from opera to Spock's fertility (or lack of it). Explained at least 50 times what a fanzine was and made up some fun filksongs about the wonders of Trekcons at the dead-dog party in the con suite.

Any attempt to describe the 1975 ST Con boggles my mind ... I keep getting involved in a vigorous imaginary argument with whomever decided to hold it at the Hotel Commodore! The hotel is really horrendous; the service was poor, prices outrageous (I heard reports of several ripoffs), and the staff just couldn't seem to take a ST con in stride! (Look, I KNOW we're a strain on tho nerves, but ... ) Hope they wise up and move back to the Americana next year, I had a single room of Lilliputian proportions - you walk in and fall over the bed! (maybe it was designed for Harlan Ellison!)

In spite of the hassles with staff and leek of space, there were many pleasant features. The three dealers' rooms were just great; lots of tempting merchandise (No, Leonard Nimoy was not on sale), and much variety. Many major fanzines were on sale, as well as film cilps, photos, posters, tapes, albums, etc. I didn't get around to visiting the art room until Sunday, but they had some beautiful work on display, including a huge painting of a popular poster showing the ST crew on the transporter platform, several cuddly stuffed sehlats, some nicely detailed communicators and phaser, and a FANTASTIC large model of the Enterprise. Perhaps the best feature in the Art Room, however, was cool air! (Unavailable in any other rooms!) Heat was one of the major problems throughout the convention; several people, including David Gerrold, became ill during the costume call due to extreme heat. (I heard someone say it was "hot as Vulcan", and it was!)

The film schedule was accurate for one day, then deteriorated to an ad-lib situation. I was disgusted with the small film room; of the total crowd present, about one-fourth would pile in at 11 am or so when the room opened, and then the doors were closed to the rest of the people for the rest of the day! The films themselves were fine: Balance of Terror, Trouble With Tribbles, Enterprise Incident, City at the Edge of Forever (FINALLY got to see the end!), Mirror Mirror, where No Man Has Gone Before, and Devil in the Dark, along with the Cage and Gene Roddenberry's beautiful blooper reel! (The blooper was complete and gut-wrenching as usual!)

I was in the lobby when George Takei passed through on Saturday; he was actually being propelled along by an eager wave of fans. He looked beautiful, and was beaming (ouch!) like a Cheshire cat, and disturbed in the least by the pressing crowd. He signed autographs for a few minutes and endured an onslaught of popping flashcubes before the gofers herded him into the dealers' rooms where he sat at one of the tables to sign more autographs. Those who made it in (the guards wouldn't let any more people in after George passed through) were put through an elaborate hassle of lining up in twos; the fruit of which was, by the time we ware all nicely in line, George had to leave!

I didn't get to hear all of Gene's main speech: the one time I made it into the ballroom (guards limiting people again) I wound up sitting against the back hall under a speaker. I did hear him announce that the ST film IS on Paramount's 1975 shooting schedule, and stockholders have been informed, Next step is the mini-series; Gene said that if the movie goes over well, NBC may go for the series ... start praying!

My seat was equally bad when Bill Shatner spoke, but he sounded a lot more relaxed than he was at the January con. Now he's a SEASONED congoee! His puns were as atrocious- as usual!

One of the nicest features of the con was a costume demonstration by Bill Theiss. He answered questions from the audience, and replicas of six ST costumes were modeled, much to the delight of all present. They were Sarek's dress uniform, Droxine's gown from Cloudminders. Sybo's from Wolf in the Fold, the Romulan Commander's from Enterprise Incident, Miranda Jones' from Is There In Truth To Beauty?, and Carolyn Palamas' from Who Mourns for Adonais?

The costume call and related activities (prejudging, photo session, etc.) took almost five hours! From 8 till 9 pm, a complicated system was in operation for those who wished to photograph the contestants. Two areas were set up in the East Ballroom (adjacent to the Main Ballroom where the contest itself was held): one for flash photos and one for non-flash. The contestants passed before the judges for prejudging, then to each of the photo areas. (It was reported that over 200 people entered the competition!) The costume call itself was hold at 9:30 or so, and proved to be quite a strain on the judges who eventually grew tired and overheated (David Gerrold, Majel Roddenberry, Hal Clement, Robert Lansing, and Bill Theiss were celebrity judges.) The skit category was vexing; my personal group is that all the people who enter as dancers CAN'T DANCE! The audience cheered the loudest when it was announced that the skit category was OVER! An exception was one pair of tribbles that entered the skit category. When they first came on stage, everyone grumbled to the general tun of "Oh no, not another tribble!" but these tribbles broke into a little routine of shuffling and dancing that was as funny as all hell and brought the house down! They didn't win, but it was a cute act nonetheless.

Showstoppers included a guy dressed in thigh-high black platform sole boots and a rather skimpy costume of questionable fashion, and a girl wearing practically nothing under an elaborate transparent gown (the audience and photographers went wild, and so did the judges!)

I was disappointed in the choices of Most Beautiful ST. A lovely cape and caftan costume called "Vulcan on Pilgrimage, from the Kraith series" was my personal favorite, and I didn't think that the [eventual] winner was as beautiful. The prize was for Most Beautiful COSTUME, not the body wearing it! I did learn that the Kraith costume lost by only one vote.

So much for the ST Con, '75. It was a lot of fun (although quite a strain on the ol' pocketbook!) and all I want to add is: thanks to Gene, Majel, Hal, Bill S. Bill T., George, David, and Robert for making it great!

So, this time we rented an Avis station wagon and crammed ten people into it and left at midnight and started to lose our luggage before even getting off the campus and had to stop every ten miles or so from then on until daybreak to tighten our luggage bindings until we got some rubber straps from a friendly gas station and drove and drove and drove (and rode and rode and rode) for some 20 hours or so until we at last reached the Big Bad City and drove and drove and drove (and rode and rode and rode) and finally reached the Hot L Commodore and stood in line for what seemed like hours to get the room keys (essential, you know) and took all our luggage to our respective rooms and wanted to collapse but being too excited and besides dealers were supposed to go on down and get set up, which we did and wandered around interestedly ... and thus passed the first Night ...

On the second day, which was the opening day of the con, we scattered widely and I womanned the booth and David Gerrold passed by some three times before I managed to get my T-shirt autographed (not the one I was wearing!) and met some old friends and some correspondents previously unmet and made new friends (and probably a few enemies) and tried to save my money and ESPECIALLY met Karen Klinck, who assured me that her name does have a "c" in it and would I please not spell it "Klink" anymore, so I won't, and there was a lot more but I can't find the schedule now so ...

On the third day it was party night and we partied ('nuff said?) and I think It was the day we rode down from the guest floor in the elevator with David Gerrold and I invited him to Ourcon more later) and reunited ourselves with Sharon Ferraro and Paula A. Smith and saw Robert Lansing (*sigh*) ...

On the fourth day pandemonium ensued and I saw all the panels and guest talks because I grabbed a seat in the third row right by the podium and didn't budge for lsaac's talk and Bill Shatner's talk and.. and we actually went out to eat! (Food? What's that?)

On the fifth day George couldn't be found all morning so I left a note for him inviting him to Ourcon and stuck my head around the corner of the guest suite when I heard Robert Lansing's incomparable voice (gark, shrink, sigh) and invited him to Ourcon and he signed my T-shirt (not the one I was wearing) and oh, yes, the day before (the fourth day) I got to briefly talk to Majel Barrett Roddenberry and was much impressed and thought she would make a good starshlp captain ... we finally and reluctantly began our preparations to leave (gawp) when it became patently obvious that Leonard Nimoy wouldn't show up and we almost left Mark behind because we couldn't find him and we was in the film room...

And on the sixth day we pulled into East Lansing (uk) and Candee and I early enrolled and I had to take mv two midterms and somehow everyone found out we were back and wanted know EVERYTHING.

... AND ON THE SEVENTH DAY, WE RESTED!

And I discovered, to my horror, that seemed to have left my entire duplicate film clip collection at the Hot L Commodore, which won't admit having them and so now I'm trading poor until I order a new batch from Lincoln Enterprises ... SNARF!)

ST Con: Once More into the Breech, Dear Friends by Joel Davis

I arrived Thursday at the Commodore Hotel a day early. When I got there, Shirley Maiewski came running up to us, telling us that the hotel's recently installed computer system had erased half the hotel's confirmations. Ours, thankfully, were not among those erased. Later that evening, I got our Boston ST Association table set up, and was immediately impressed with the smoothness with which the Dealer's Room was being run. Stu Grossman did a great job, and it led me to believe that this would be a well-run convention. I was wrong.

Friday the moment of truth had arrived. As I sat in the Dealer's Room all day, I became more and more impressed with the ease with which the dealers' problems were handled. With less competent people at the reins, an. one of these could have become a major catastrophe. The highlight of the day, for me, was the fan panel. There on the dais, all sitting together, were Devra Langsam, Shirley Maiewski, Margaret Basta, Joyce Yasner, and Jacqueline Lichtenberg. The first program I say Saturday was Hal Clement with the "Peeling of the Apple." Hal's speech was magnificent, as always, as he explained away some of the scientific inaccuracies of the Apple episode. Then came Gene Roddenberry, and the hall was full. Everyone in STW expected him to make the announcement of a contract with Paramount, but Gene just said that the movie is listed in the stockholders report for 1976. This is, indeed, a major step, but it seems that we were a little premature in our expectations. He said that negotiations are proceeding smoothly, and that Paramount had told him that all the major hurdles were behind them. I did not hear another panel all day, unfortunately, as had really wanted to hear Bill Shatner speak. Those who did, told me that he was very entertaining and delightful to hear. That night the parties started, and off we went, gallivanting around the hotel from one to another. It made up for the monotony of sitting behind the table in the Dealer's Room.

Sunday was the day Isaac Asimov gave his annual talk about himself. But Isaac can talk and captivate an audience, that even the most mundane things are enjoyable. The costume ball was the usual madness that pervades a convention once a year. There seemed to be quite a few more tribbles than last year. Some of the costumes were remarkably good, and even a few skits were good.

But most bordered on fair to poor. Perhaps I'm just not an enthusiastic costume ball attendee. Later that night, Diane Marchant, who is STW in Australia, and I and others had spotted Majel Roddenberry outside the hotel's restaurant. We invited her to the party , and surprisingly, she said yes. We arranged for me to escort her from the costume ball, and said we'd see her later. Unfortunately, when it came time to get her, I ran into trouble with security, who said that she couldn't go, even though she had said she would. They told me it was not up to her; she couldn't take the risk. To their way of think, I'm sure they meant to do right, but I still think they should have let her do what she wanted, when she wanted. Finally, Diane persuaded security to escort Majel to our party, and as a bonus, Robert Lansing came. After a short time, Majel called for her husband, and Gene joined us as well.

In summation, the Dealer's Room was well-run, the art show was run incompetently, and I know more than one person who had some work ripped off. There were good points and bad points. But isn't that just like any con?

A note from one of the editors (ps). For all that THE ST Con this year had half the attendance of last year, I had a better time last year. The security was paranoid, and it spread to the rest of the crowd. As Elizabeth Pearse put it, this was not a happy con. There were too many, too obvious attempts to recoup, or at least not drop any more, cash, and it showed especially in the art and dealers' departments. Still the committee tried mightily.

For many girls, the high point of the 1975 Star Trek Convention (the February con in NYC) came the last day when Isaac Asimov was signing autographs in room 104. It seems that a lot of the girls left with more than just autographs -- well, let me put it this way. Chris Doherty gleefully reports that when Asimov kissed the editor of 2-5YM, she said, "You're nice." Proving that a) Isaac Asimov is a dirty old man and b) that that editor does not respond well under pressure.

But for the rest of the time our days and minds were entirely occupied by Star Trek. Here is an idea of how each day went:

In the morning, say 8:00, we'd be up to get dressed. After grabbing a doughnut at Grand Central, we would ride the elevators to the Ballroom, be turned away (the Ballroom opened at ten), and go down to the lobby to haunt the entrance to the dealers' rooms. Finally we would get in, set up our third of a table, and go browsing, leaving Hadwin, usually, to mind the store.

In the dealers' rooms (there were three) you could buy almost anything fan-oriented, from "I Love Ringo" buttons from 1964 to James Bond to old movie stills, only some of them s-f. There were also thousands of comic books and second hand s-f books and magazines. But for all that there was no lack of ST merchandise: posters, a thousand different buttons, pictures from practically every episode, slides, tapes, blueprints, models, quadrotritioale. Saurian brandy bottles, diplomas from Starfleet Academy, tee shirts, models, sweatshirts, dolls, working communicators, ears, pent with appropriate ST mottos, necklaces, bumper stickers, tribbles, books, and zines, zines, zines...

But that wasn't all we were there for, either. After an hour or two we'd go hack up to the ballroom. There they had guests whose presence emptied dealers' rooms and caused 8,000 to risk heat exhaustion! Gene Roddenberry (with Majel), Bill Shatner, George Takei, Robert Lansing, Isaac Asimov, Hal Clement, Bill Theis, David Gerrold...

David Gerrold was highly visible throughout, signing autographs, auctioning helmets from Planet Earth, emceeing whatever was going on at the time. He was cheered a lot, and booed almost as much (the only reason being, as far as I can tell, that he is just too available to gain the respect of some fans). And oh, yes. He asked to auction my original copy of the interview printed in the June 2-5YM issue and I never saw it again...

Roddenberry said that we had "the next best thing" to a contract for the ST movie. All of the problems are ironed out, the original cast has been asked to keep September open, and Paramount has already announced the ST movie to its stockholders.

And Bill Shatner — as it turns out, his problem is not vanity or anything like that, but a fear of crowds. But we were good, so he was good — didn't make a fool of himself at all. My favorite memory of him was when he and George Takei were kidding each other about George's fencing practice for "The Naked Time." George claimed that Bill kept getting in his way. Bill replied, "Yeah, but every time the director said 'cut,' George did!"...Sorry I mentioned it.

And if all this wasn't enough, there wore the films every night, For some reason they never knew what they were going to show next, but we were seldom disappointed — except when we discovered that "A Piece of The Action" or "City" had just been shown in the other room. Even so, we saw nearly everything: "The Cage," a real joy in its pre-Menagerie entirety; the "blooper reel, spliced so well where it must have hroken that only those who had seen pirated copies knew the difference; "City;" "Mirror, Mirror;" "Devil in the Dark;" "The Practical Joker;" "More Tribbles, More Troubles," Planet Earth, and the pilot of The Night Stalker which was surprisingly popular. And each night, the films would begin with the Andromeda Light Show, with its slides and sound tracks from other cons, Appolo launches, certain episodes, the stars, etc. I would like to say "fascinating," but I guess "interesting" will suffice.

Watching the Light Show, the blooper reel, or an episode with thousands of fans is a memorable experience. Instead of huddling alone in front of a twelve inch black aud-white screen, we sat watching it in color on a big movie screen with a crowd of people who appreciated the show as much as we did. And the fans fed on each other's enthusiasm, cheering when a name appeared on the screen, booing the Klingons. And whenever Bones said, "I'm a doctor, not a...' thousands cheered, laughed, and applauded.

At one point, someone asked David Gerrold how many tribbles the trader pulled from under the counter, David said, "All of them." His guess was twelve. The fan said fourteen. When "Tribbles" was shown and we came to that scene, I very quietly started counting. "One." My roommate then said, not so quietly, "Two!" fifty people said, "Three." Five thousand said,"Four!" and soon. It was fourteen.

Along about 2:30, the last film would end and we would try to sleep, only to get up at 8:00 the next day...

Meals? I don't know about the others, but for three days, I lived on cheese pizza from Grand Central Station, at 50 cents a slice.

Another year past, another year gone, and February is on us again. With it comes the annual established Star Trek Convention, this year’s was the fourth. This year the regular group had split with one of their members, who held his own con in January. But that didn’t prevent the February con from drawing over 9000 people, many of whom had gone to the other one, too.

The highlight of the con came Saturday morning when Gene Roddenberry announced to a mass of people that the stockholders of Paramount Pictures had been informed in their 1975 newsletter that a motion picture version of Star Trek was on the agenda. Mr. Roddenberry also said that he had been given a more-or-less free hand with the budget. There was a minor amount of pandemonium for a minute or so as this pronouncement sank in.

The con opened on Friday New York City’s Commodore Hotel. In one side ballroom they ran films continuously: ST episodes; “Genesis II,” “Planet Earth,” and the Blooper reel. The last is what everyone really comes to see . .. and it’s worth it! But each year it keeps getting smaller. This time it ran at least eleven minutes less than last. And if three or more fans get together they can tell exactly what was cut. The film room was in operation all day Saturday, except for about three hours that evening when Costume Call went through, all day Sunday, and Monday until the Convention ended. The “Andromeda Light Show” was back: a conglomeration of ST and colored lights. Isaac Asimov was there, and Hal Clement. And, of course, David Gerrold. The guests were Gene Roddenberry and his wife Majel Barrett; William Theiss, the show’s costume designer; William Shatner, and George Takei. All were very nice, most going out of their way to be help.

William Shatner’s first rap session with the con-goers was'. . . memorable. He was slightly upset because his jacket had been wired for sound and was somewhat uncomfortable. He proceeded to remove it, and immediately a male voice bellowed from the audience, “Take it all off!” '

Shatner replied, “It doesn’t take much persuasion!”

Then came Isaac Asimov, SF’s “Dirty Old Man,” He walked out on stage and a female yelled, “Hey Isaac, we love your bustline!” Asimov yelled back, “Here, take a better look!” and pulled his shirt open, turning in a slow circle to allow everyone to get a picture.

I won’t criticize the entire Con, that would be about the same as taking on the entire Creation. I wouldn’t care to worry about 9000 + people and guest stars and people in the wrong places and hotel regulations and all the other million and one details that are involved. But there are a few gripes:

1. The Way The Press Was Treated, not well at all. I quote here from the official program booklet: “The Press Room is set up so that the Major Media will have the first three rows.’’ This was later made the first five rows, and I have yet to see, or hear of one story, even one mention of the Con in any major media, be it newspaper, magazine, TV or radio. And the major media took full advantage of it;

2. Flashcubes: they weren’t allowed, and the light was not such that they wouldn’t be needed. Furthermore, we weren’t informed of this until we got there, so we had no way of making alternate plans;

3. The Costume Call was extremely disorganized;

4. David Gerrold’s conduct during the Costume Call. I don’t care whether it’s an act or not, after he shakes his hotel key after a female who isn’t wearing much of anything and she wins in a category she does not belong in (ie., she was misrepresenting her costume, being in Star Trek World when it had nothing to do with that) it looks bad.

Other than the fact that the Helpers were rude to everyone in sight, it was a great time.

Costume call was fun, even if it was disorganized. One little boy came in a dress uniform kilt. Someone else came in a Promise Margarine box to the recorded strains of “Promise . . (Too bad Shatner wasn’t there to see that.) There were two sets from Planet of the Apes, and three groups of belly dancers. One boy had a beautiful reproduction of the “Mirror, Mirror” Spock, and no one can figure out why he didn’t win Most Authentic in the ST World. As the group in back, who had been keeping score on who’d actually win, said, (or rather, bellowed) “You Blew It!” to the announcer onstage and indirectly to the judges.

One of the best parts of any con is the dealers’ room — in this case, all three of them. This year was even more fun: the fanzines were there. Now a fanzine is a true labor of love. If the editors are lucky they’ll break even. More often they lose money. Yet they print a second issue, and a third, whenever they have the money. Sometimes the artwork is horrendous and the stories juvenile, if that good. These things exist because to the ST fans (Trekkie is becoming a nasty word) that world is a much better one and they’d like to strive toward it. So they write in volumes. Some have been running since before the show went off the air.

Come Monday afternoon, everyone is saying sorrowful goodbyes, exchanging addresses that are promptly lost, trying to joke and already looking back wistfully at the fun we had.

Or until there’s more money. There are other ST cons, somewhere. We’ll get there somehow. If I don’t see you there, I’ll write. Try the other one in another place. Till next year.

Reaction to the Fourth International Star Trek Convention held last month in New York City was varied, and had much to do with whether one had attended a Star

Trek convention previously. Those expecting to have a good time had little trouble finding it, while others who dropped in with a jaundiced eye saw things much more critically.

A reporter for The New Yorker seems to well represent attendees in the former category. A portion of his column, which appeared in the January 27th issue, is reprinted below:

"The fourth annual International Star Trek Convention, at the Americana on January 10th, 11th, and 12th, really was incredible. This tribute to TV's best science-fiction show...really packed them in... We looked in on Saturday afternoon. Three crew members of the star ship Enterprise - Capt. Kirk, Chief Engineer Scott, and Lt. Chekov — were holding a press conference in the Princess Ballroom, along with Hal Clement, the painter and sci-fi author, and the professionally precocious Mason Reese, the eight-year-old red-headed boy who makes TV commercials. Mason Reese had a Phaser (ray gun) in one hand and a communicator in the other. The questions were about why the show had been cancelled. Nobody really knew.'

[...]

Downstairs, there were a whole lot of people, as well as things for sale. On the way down, as a girl in a fur bikini passed us, a cardboard phaser bearing the legend 'STAR TREK LIVES!' hit us on the head. There were 'Star Trek' film clips, key chains, phasers, jigsaw puzzles, medals, T-shirts, uniforms; T-shirts that if you scratched them smelled like Southern Comfort; wooden nickels, comic books, and paperbacks; a 1975 Beatles Calendar; and Vulcan ears."

However, Gail Abend's report which follows reflects the reaction of many who have attended a number of conventions:

It seems as the years go on, the more children we see at Star Trek conventions. Naturally, the kids have every right to attend a con for their favorite show, or in some cases their parent's favorite show, but they have a tendency of late to monopolize the situation. At one session, host Heash asked for a show of hands from those new to the convention. Not only was this a convention of kids, but a convention of neofans, for more than half the audience raised their hands. The TV Guide was in part responsible for this, since it advertised the con in its NY Teletype column.

Although I missed the first day of the convention, Saturday and Sunday were pretty much the same. Even Walter Koenig admitted that the same things were being rehashed countless times. If people weren't listening to a familiar speech, they could wander around the barn like hucksters' room. Very little was being offered. Two, maybe three clubs were represented and many rip-off artists had a field day. The only scientific or science-fiction aspects of the convention were fascinating lectures from Doctor John Boardman and Hal Clement. Organization seemed one thing the con lacked. The lines were long, despite the relatively low attendance (ranging from 5000 to 9000 people). The Helpers, those fans who volunteered to assist the convention staff, were seldom around when one needed them. If you asked one of these blue ribboned persons for information as to the location of in-hotel restaurants or where was a certain con room, you would in most cases receive a shrug of the shoulder or a plain "I dunno." Perhaps they could not read the sign that they wore so proudly on their chests.

The costume call was a disaster. There were no instructions for the contestants as to where to go, or at what time... The schedule read 7 o'clock, so naturally, people began lining outside the hall at six o'clock. Rather than let ting people enter the hall, leisurely, the con staff forced people to wait outside, crowded together, sweating, until the doors would open. There we're no roped off aisles, or predesignated areas of the floor for sitting which resulted in the helpers herding people like cattle. Al Schuster once, or twice, threatened the crowd that the show would not go on if the aisles were not formed instantly. At approximately 8 o'clock the event began. After the first contestant presented her self to the audience she remained waiting for the moderator to call number two. Five minutes went by as the moderator stood dumbfounded seemingly puzzled as to the next step. With exasperation in his voice, he called to the other contestants in the back of the hall to move to the front. Five people had to return to the stage so that late comer judge, William Shatner, could see them. In all approximately forty costumes we're displayed. Neofandom was sure evidenced here as at least a fourth of the contestants must have been thinking, "No one will come as Capt. James T. Kirk." Our favorite Kirk was a four-year-old boy who recited the preamble to every Star Trek episode,"Space, the Final Frontier..." At the judges' table, on stage, William Shatner had to stifle fits of laughter. He commented that he would often sound like that some mornings. A few almost nudes who were a little too fleshy for their costumes, a poorly constructed Horta, an ingenious communicator, a little Spock and little Scott, an Orion slave girl, a Klingon, Spock's left ear (actually it was his right) and some original costumes helped round off the Kirks and other Star Fleet personnel. Since there were no categories, the judging could hardly be called fair or accurate. Can you really compare Carolyn Palamas to a Horta?

Naturally, 'William Shatner was the main attraction of this convention. He spoke twice during the weekend, as well as judging the costume call. Soft spoken and ten pounds lighter than Captain Kirk, the animated Mr. Shatner did indeed keep the crowd spellbound. He handled the many questions with cleverness and style. He was kind and unsarcastic. A gentleness flowed from him to his audience like an enveloping cloud. The people were excited, but Bill Shatner quieted them and soothed them with his soft voice. The Shatner humor showed through with answers to such questions as: "Where are the bathrooms on the Enterprise?" (the crowd roared) Shatner answered: "You know that big chair I used to sit on...?" (more laughter). Honesty also showed through when he described the photon torpedoes as cannons and received gasps from the audience. "Well, it's been a long time..." he answered. Shatner grinned openly when asked about the Promise margarine commercial. He mentioned frequently how nervous he felt with such a large crowd, but that he deeply appreciated them coming and that he also felt that Star Trek was one high point of his life. Mr. Shatner came across, this his first time at a Star Trek convention, as a very gentle man...a very clever man. He was refreshing.

The familiar atmosphere was not there. Most of the "old timers" did not attend. Children, some who were infants when ST was originally broadcast, scattered about the hotel. It seemed a sign that Star Trek is not like the Phoenix, who became reborn from the ashes of its destruction. The same subjects are worn threadbare. It's good to see that the old friendships are still there, but the new ones seem tenuous. Perhaps it just means that the conventions need some facelifting, that they must reduce their membership to face recognizing crowds.

Or perhaps it does mean that although a Star Trek movie is in the works, according to Walter Koenig, Star Trek has been reduced to posters, pictures, slides and buttons and the people are growing up, getting older and moving on. At least, at this convention, the warmth that we knew was gone. One night, I passed two children in the hotel lobby fighting with tribbles in their hands instead of toy guns.