The Mirage (Star Trek: TOS zine)
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Mirage |
| Publisher: | Beverly Volker and Nancy Kippax |
| Editor: | April Valentine, Susan Dorsey, Leslie Fish and Pat Stall |
| Author(s): | Michelle Arvizu |
| Cover Artist(s): | |
| Illustrator(s): | Leslie Fish |
| Date(s): | November 1976 |
| Medium: | |
| Genre: | gen |
| Fandom: | Star Trek: TOS |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Contact Presents: The Mirage is a gen Star Trek: TOS 85-page novel by Michelle Arvizu.
It was published by Beverly Volker and Nancy Kippax. The editors were April Valentine, Susan Dorsey, Leslie Fish and Pat Stall.
The art is by Leslie Fish. It includes two poems by Pete Kaup.
The fanzine was a special stand-alone fanzine published by the editors of the Contact fanzine series.
Summary: "The novel is about an aging Kirk and Spock with intense friendship."
Artwork is uploaded to Fanlore with the permission of the fanzine publisher as well as the artist.
Its K/S Content
From the zine itself:
We wish to acknowledge special thanks to Jacqueline Lichtenberg for her recommendation of this story. It was because of this that the initial "contact" with Michele was made that resulted in the joint effort you have before you.
We would also like to thank Vicki Kirlin for her kindness and cooperation in releasing the manuscript to us, when it had been originally submitted to BERENGARIA.
The story of "The Mirage" is compelling, and an all too realistic approach to the future for Kirk and Spock -- At least, it is one author's interpretation of it. The decision to publish the novella, despite some rather negative reactions to doing so, was made, not so much on whether or not we as publisher's agreed personally with the author's interpretation, but rather, whether we felt it was a valid interpretation of one facet of the Kirk/Spock relationship. Has the author developed her plot, defined her choices, presented a well-written theory? We feel she has.
CONTACT is dedicated to exploring all aspects of the K/S relationship and various fan-authors' interpretation of them, albeit, they may not reflect our own.
"The Mirage" is presented by itself because of it [content] and because we felt that its nature was too intense, its emotional impact too profound, to be included in a regular issue along with other relationship stories. Also, it is in direct conflict of our own interpretation of the future for Kirk and Spock in our PHASE II series and we felt that it one would tend to cancel out the other.
It is not necessary for you to "like" THE MIRAGE, as it is indeed a disturbing and haunting story of what could be but we hope you will accept it for what it is was intended to be -- the author's proposal of a possible future none of us like to think about.
Republished and Toned Down
The story was reprinted as the third part of Berengaria #10 with different art.
The author of "Mirage" (Michele Arvizu) and original editors of "Mirage" (April Valentine, Susan Dorsey, Leslie Fish and Pat Stall, and were fans of a much more intense Kirk-Spock relationship than the editors of "Berengaria." The original version of "The Mirage" by Michele Arvizu skated too close to slash, something the editors of "Berengaria" were very much against. The editorial in that zine said the story was "somewhat edited, but still retains the flavor of the original."
See reactions and reviews for this revised story: The Mirage.
Contents
- Publishers' Page (ii)
- The Mirage, fiction (1)
- Watchdog, poem (83)
- Cheer to the Echo (85)
Sample Interior
Reactions and Reviews
The comments below are for the original zine story. For comments on the revised story in Berengaria, see The Mirage.
Unknown Date
The aged Kirk is dying of a degenerative disease. Spock, unable to accept Kirk's death and against McCoy's vehement opposition, persuades the admiral to accompany him to facilities on a distant planet where his brain can be transplanted into an android "Ambrobody." Interesting situations and arguments ensue; both characters are overemotional here for my own taste. Leslie Fish's darkly monumental illustrations are an excellent complement to the emotional intensity of the tale. [1]
1977
Basically, this was a pretty lousy execution of a pretty good idea. It is Sometime in the Future and Kirk, about to kick the bucket from old age, is given a chance at an android body through Spock's machinations. Arvizu covers the canonical bases of Mudd's Planet (plague wiped out the androids there), Sargon & Co., and so forth; Kirk's reactions to his new host body, if incredibly simplistic, at least rings true. And the dozen illos by Leslie Fish are very good, each a delight of composition and feeling. Unfortunately, Arvizu is an inept writer. Her characterizations are taken from somewhere in the first season... She has other problems with her style, such as never using one correct word when ten wrong ones will do, and, after showing action in a scene thru dialog and description, taking four paragraphs to explain again exactly what had just happened in the scene. Her people are curiously lifeless, flat, as if they had learned nothing over the... many years. To deal with a man's confrontation with death, possible immortality, and the question of 'what is man?' requires rather more depth of character and a wider range of responses than Arvizu has allowed her people. Contrary to her Kirk's expectation, the highest goal of a man is not necessarily running the good ship Enterprise for 30 years. These people react childishly, and it is not the childishness of senility alone. They have never been adults. At nearly $4, printed on 60# stock, double-spaced paragraphing, and unreduced pica type, this is one of the most ridiculously expensive zines. Not recommended. [2]
This zine merits a special review, as it is the hands down winner of the 'It Might Have Been Award for 1976. Begins with a superb idea, that of Spock's desperate concern for Kirk as he is dying of the degenerative diseases of old age, and the ingenius solution arrived at: transfer of his brain to an android body which replicates in every way the strong, handsome form of a young Kirk. So what happens to this really great sf idea, with its boundless opportunities for stories and spin-off stories, ad infinitum? Kirk nobly and absolutely unbelievably refuses the body and the reader is bludgeoned back into heavy psychological drama and the ever-present, good old dependable overworked and overused mind meld, while Kirk's life slips away. [3]
This is an extremely boring novel. The plot is an old one, the characters are cardboard and unrealistic. [4]
References
- ^ Halliday’s Star Trek Zinedex (TOS) - Title Index, Archived version
- ^ from Paula Smith in Implosion #3
- ^ from Fanzine Review 'Zine #2 (1977)
- ^ from Fanzine Review 'Zine #2 (1977)