The Unseen Observer
| Zine | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The Unseen Observer |
| Publisher: | Karen Blocher |
| Editor(s): | |
| Type: | |
| Date(s): | early 1991 |
| Frequency: | |
| Medium: | |
| Fandom: | Quantum Leap |
| Language: | English |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The Unseen Observer is a Quantum Leap newsletter. There were two issues before it became The Hologram.
It was an offshoot of The Observer, though unofficial itself, honored Don Bellasario's request that it contain no fan fiction nor mention of fan fiction. In response, the editor of that newsletter created "The Unseen Observer," an underground offshoot that focused on zine reviews.
The Connection to "The Hologram"
There were only two issues of "The Unseen Observer." Rather than merging with The Observer, the third issue became The Hologram.
From the Hologram #3:
Welcome to the first issue of The Hologram. Yes, I know it says #3 below on the footer but that's because the first two issues of this publication were called The Unseen Observer, and we're carried on numbering from there. The change was made to avoid confusion with the newsletter The Observer, and because people seem to like this name better.
About
From the first issue:
Nothing I've read to date can touch the work of Don Bellisario, or the best work of his talented staff. On the other hand, much of the fan fiction is substantially better than what I've seen of the licensed U.K. Quantum Leap novels. The fanfic writers have come up with some amazing ideas, as well as obvious ideas that demanded doing, and turned them into mostly well-executed stories. Best of all, these stories give me much the same feeling I get when I watch the "real thing" for the first or second time.
The following listing is for virtually every QL fiction zine we know about so far. We are publishing the in formation in this format instead of elsewhere for a very simple reason: we want to get the word out on these publications without getting any of them in legal trouble. Even though Star Trek fan fiction has flourished for years, even though Beauty & The Beast fan fiction is abundant and relatively unmolested, and even though many of these QL titles have previously been mentioned in zines which regularly cross Don Bellisario's desk, still there is reason to believe that legal action could be taken against the authors and publishers of fan fiction. The reason for this is similar to Don Bellisario's reason for not reading unsolicited scripts: "We get sued a lot."
While it's true that the tv series Quantum Leap is never going to have an episode in which Sam leaps into Vincent or Indiana Jones, some plot situation could arise in fan fiction which might also happen in the series, possibly leading the fan writer to suspect their idea has been "stolen." We as fans doubt that would ever happen, but Universal doesn't know that, at least without disclaimers promising never to sue Universal no matter what they do, plus sealed files and who knows what else. Rumor has it that one fanzine has received a cease and desist order, although it isn't clear to us whether this order came from Universal or some other production company.
The idea here, therefore, is to let the fans know what's out there without alienating Universal (by promoting quasi-legal material in a high-visibility newsletter) or drawing their unfavorable attention toward unauthorized fiction about a property they own. So we'd appreciate it if you'd keep "The Unseen Observer" somewhat under wraps. We'd prefer Universal not even know about it, okay? And Universal, if you do see this, we hope you will take the attitude Paramount has taken all these years with Star Trek fiction, and not shut down the fan fiction publishers. These people are promoting the series, not looking for someone to sue. They know that Universal isn't going to "steal" their ideas. They know that the producers aren't even allowed to look at fan fiction, and that most ideas turn up on Quantum Leap sooner or later without any larceny involved.
So please, Universal. Let sleeping zine editors lie, or in this case. Leap.
Issue 1
The Unseen Observer 1 was published in spring 1991 and contains 6 pages. It has the subtitle: "The Confidential Newsletter of Fans Who Care."
It includes a lengthy explanation by Karen Blocher titled "Introduction: Why This Exists."
This issue contains a list of all Quantum Leap fiction zines known, as well as upcoming zines and some submission requests, as well as reviews:
- A Matter of Time #1
- Power Star (unknown issue)
- Quantum Jones
- Quantum Mechanics
- Two Doctors in Time
Issue 2
The Unseen Observer 2 was published in summer 1991 and contains 5 pages. It has the subtitle: "The Confidential Newsletter for fans of QL Fanzines."
From the editor:
The response to The Unseen Observer has been greater than we anticipated. People have sent in their own reviews of various zines, flyers and ads for zines and other merchandise not yet listed, and generally indicated they'd like The Unseen to continue. Well, we hadn't planned on doing that, especially since we can't really afford to put out a free 6-8 page newsletter every quarter in addition to our other activities. But if you want it, we'll keep this up as long as new stuff keeps coming out to list and review. We ask, however, that those of you who want to continue to receive The Unseen Observer help us defray the cost of it by sending $2.00 to the usual address for the next two issues. Meanwhile, we will still take reviews, ads, flyers, and especially review copies for The Unseen Observer #3.
Zines reviewed were: