Up Bubble

Zine
Title:	Up Bubble
Publisher:	Kathy Agel
Editor(s):
Type:
Date(s):	1988-1991
Frequency:	quarterly
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Language:	English
External Links:
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Up Bubble is a gen Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea letterzine. There are at least nine issues, each running about 30 pages of articles, letters and assorted things related to the show. It was published quarterly. The June 1990 issue of Southern Enclave has an ad for issue #7.

Robert Dowdell wrote a letter of comment that was printed in issue #3. Fans made the assumption (and perhaps rightly so) that Dowdell was a regular reader of the letterzine; several fans addressed him directly in the fourth issue.

See similar publications at List of Letterzines.

Contents

1990 flyer, printed in Below the Surface #3, click to read

Regular features include:

• Convention Calendar
• Off the Scrambler
• Vignettes from Voyage
• Running Critical
• The Writer's Corner
• Ship's Manifest (locates latest fiction, along with show merchandise)
• cast updates and news
• trivia and games

Issue 4

Up Bubble 4 was published in February 1989 and contains 36 pages.

cover of issue #4

Several fans address Robert Dowdell (the actor who portrayed Chip) directly in their letters, as he'd written a letter of comment in the previous issue.

Some topics discussed in the letters: adherence to canon in fanfiction, the simplistic characterization of the show, would fans want to see more women on the show (no), policing what other fans write, letterwars in other fandoms, and smarm.

• a review of a for-profit book about submarines
• Writer's Block, article by Kathy Agel
• fan birthdays and wedding anniversaries
• Voyage Trivia Questions: Ships and Submarines by Barbara Oriti
• Messing About in the Water, or -- Life and Death Aboard Seaview, essay by Sue Trent
• Non-Essential Credits compiled by Doug Diamond (stuntmen, production illustrators, pyrotechnics, voice overs)
• The Model Miniatures, article by Diane Kachmar
• a short con report for the Thanksgiving 1988 Creation Con where Tony Perkins (Psycho), Paul Darrow (Blake's 7), Tom Savini (make-up artist), Robert Chavez and Philip Akin (War of the Worlds), Gates McFadden (Star Trek: TNG), and may other guests
• a review by Judy Moritmore of the tie-in novel, "City Under the Sea" by Paul W. Fairman, 1965 ("This is a simply awful book! The plot stinks, the characterisation is non-existent and out of character for the series, and if I'd submitted it to an editor, the red pen would have run out before I reached Chapter Two. All of which just goes to prove that fans are far more critical than professional book outlets — which we all knew anyway, right? Regarding the plot, it might just about fit into fourth season VOYAGE, but the description of the sub is first season, before the Network really got their destructive little paws on the series. [...] This book reminds me of the very worst type of 'pulp' science fiction, and if it weren't for the VOYAGE name, I wouldn't bother to give it shelf space. But then, of course, the publishers know that, don't they? If something will sell because it has a name attached, then why bother making it worth buying? Their profit is assured. Maybe if more people complained louder, things might improve. And porcines might take to the air...")

Issue 4: Excerpts from Letters

A letter from Bob Dowdell! Wow! I'm impressed. It's always nice to get the actors involved.

Thank you, Robert Dowdell, for taking the time and trouble to write your own LoC. It was a very pleasant surprise! I'm glad (and I'm sure I'm not the only one) that you enjoy UP BUBBLE. Now, I apologize for my cheek (nothing ventured, nothing gained, and all that!), but tell us, what's your opinion of Chip Morton? And why did he always wear his tie when nobody else wore theirs? Not that I belong to the 'We Hate the Tie' club I'm just curious (nosy, really, but curious sounds better...).

I realize that we all have our own ideas as to how we would like to develop the series. The biggest gripe I can remember is that everyone complained about the underdevelopment of the characters (particularly after STAR TREK came on the scene and VOYAGE was compared to it). Still, Mister Morton has been largely neglected by most fan writers. I'm sure Kathy will correct that oversight, though. True, Diane writes some good stories, but so do a lot of other people. I especially liked your first story One Sumner's Day. It was very good and fresh, and right along the lines of the adventure stories we have needed for so long. On the other hand, your Contingency Plan seemed to be an imitation of Diane's style of writing. According to 'Eleven Days to Zero', there was no indecision on Crane's part at this point of the story. He had already accepted command of Seaview, and quite pleased he was to get it, too. So in that instance, the story didn't follow the previously established facts. However, you have a wonderful feel for all the characters. How, Diane is Diane, and you are you. Please don't try to copy Diane, or anyone else, for that matter. Come on, you've got the talent. Write us some more of your own style stories. I for one, would love to read them!

BRAVO, Helen! you are not on anyone's hate list. However, you did miss a couple of things. How about piling so many physical and mental quirks and foibles on VOYAGE'S characters that they become emotional cripples. If they really had had all that stuff wrong with them (the emotional problems that have been written into the characters in some of the [fan] stories), they never would have gotten into the Navy as enlisted men, let alone have attended the Naval Academy. I know there is a tendency to look at many of the episodes and say "I can do better than that!" In some instances, that is more than possible. But to actually do a complete reconstruction job? If you liked the show for what it was in the first place, why tear down and throw out all the things that made it special to you? Doesn't make any sense to me at all. I've been a real nag about this.

[When writing my fanfiction, I] try to be as faithful to the series as possible, but a lot depends on which editor I'm writing for, and the kind of story I'm trying to tell. Sometimes the show is simply no help at all. [... ] Helen, I had no idea my stories irritated you so. I have gotten so little negative feedback that when I do, it surprises me. I would love to base my stories on the show, but every time I try to go to the show for information and/or background, it just isn't there. And I have watched all 110 episodes, plus the original color pilot. VOYAGE was a TV show, and as such had artificial restraints — such as a manufactured climax every fifteen minutes, budget restraints, and continuity problems.

The hard reality of publishing is that if I did write my stories in slavish imitation of the show, I probably would not have been accepted for publication in any mainstream media fanzine. The stories would have been rejected for lack of plot, lack of continuity, and contradictory characterizations. Zine editors have standards and very definite likes and dislikes, and the easiest way to get published is to give a zine editor exactly what she or he wants. [...] I brought VOYAGE more into the mainstream of fan fiction in order to give us a better name. Most of the editors I submitted stories to had never heard of the show, or had dim memories of monsters. I will not write monster stories, so that knocks out about 60 percent of the aired episodes for research purposes. I am proud that many of these editors now have a better grasp of the show through my stories and don't think it is quite as dopey any more.

I will not be hamstrung in my writing, so that I have to slavishly follow what aired with its 1960s mores and script limitations. I am going to write 1990s values into my VOYAGE stories, and round out the characters, giving them full lives — not 60s TV limbo lives, where they exist only to battle monsters. If you don't like my fiction, I respect your right to not read it, but please don't dictate to me what I can and cannot write. I feel VOYAGE fiction has been helped by my writing. If that be egotist, so be it.

I know that if you hold the show up to minute examination, all the flaws are readily apparent. I think it is much better if we just try to enjoy the show for what it was — a Sixties TV show that the producers didn't want to spend a lot of money on, and be grateful that they hired actors who could do so well with the material. If you want to add realism to your stories, fine. Go to the nearest government documents depository, i.e., most college libraries, and look up all the wonderful Naval documents published by the Department of Defense. There are some actual Naval training manuals in there. I tried, but could not follow, the one on nuclear submarine propulsion systems...

I would like to address something. I really feel that we should respect [Isabell K's] right not to like Chief Sharkey. After all, it is only her opinion, and she is certainly entitled to that. On the other hand, I found [Julieann W's] defense of Sharkey to be very illuminating. I think we have room for both viewpoints and should respect everyone's right to comment, even if we don't agree with it. For heaven's sake, it's only a TV show!

As for Lee and Chip being roommates, it's in the book, so I used it, figuring it was history developed by Irwin Allen, and therefore 'bible'. which brings me to the canon. I'm not saying you have to write stories according to 'canon', but some of the writers like to use elements of the series, but they don't have the episodes on tape, so they don't know all the background. My idea for the canon would be to make a list of all the pertinent facts, i.e.. Nelson has a sister named Edith, etc., and write it all down, and then let the writers then pick and choose whatever they want, if they want it at all. Some people do want it, therefore I think it should be done. I know you don't need it.

Yes, to be truthful, much of VOYAGE fiction is not exactly...uh...the best zine stories I've ever read. Some of it really was horrendous and a few stories have been true treasures.

I've been informed (hi, Robert!) that there is no writer's Guide on VOYAGE. That leaves a heck of a lot of leeway towards writing and developing the characters in a variety of directions. This is especially so since the characters were not well-rounded and well-developed on the show. There is so much room for creativity. For sake, though, please make it logical, explained, or at least not overdone. At best they should be a natural outgrowth of what we saw on the show. A personality trait developed a bit further, for example, or perhaps suppressed. Something which harks back to the series, does not conflict, and can be logically explained within the context of the series. That's what I consider acceptable changes.

I don't know where Isabell got the idea that I was trying to be a) dictatorial, or b) edit someone else's letter. This would be a little difficult as the letterzine is typed at one of the world and I live at the other. I was not trying to be dictatorial, but was merely pointing out that occasionally and in some fandoms, contentiousness can lead to splits in the fandom and all kinds of personal attacks. I just didn't want that to occur in this fandom, particularly as I've been in it for the last twenty-odd (some would say very odd) years. If Isabell thought it was a personal attack (whilst in the same letter I deplored same), then I am sorry. I apologize for the way in which my words might have been misconstrued (if they were badly put then I'm sorry), but not for the message behind them, which is one to which I hold. You have obviously not been party to the other fandoms of which I spoke, else you would know that when I spoke of 'arguments ruining them for me', I was referring to all-out bloody (very bloody) war!

I've also seen it happen. A good friend was the editor of the STAR WARS letterzine SCOUNDREL. I say 'was', because she allowed the zine to fold due to the animosity and acrimony between two of the zine's contributors — animosity and acrimony that did, in fact, escalate into all-out war and drew quite a few of the zine's regular contributors into the fray. One of the aforementioned contributors - who shall remain nameless - has gone on to make trouble for a STAR TREK letterzine, and has also wrought mischief on countless hapless STAR WARS writers — including myself and quite a few more well-known writers in that fandom — with tactless reviews that somehow manage to make it into print. At any rate, I hope that type of 'interaction' won't afflict our fandom. And I doubt it will — Editor: Kathy Agel

Friendships were broken, bonds disintegrated and libelous things were said. It wasn't pretty. I wasn't referring to mere arguments or discussions here. God knows we need some liveliness in fandom, and arguments (so long as they don't end in all-out warfare) and discussions keep that liveliness alive and kicking.

I wasn't asking you to stop saying what you think, neither was I trying to force my opinions on anyone else. I thought this was a forum for expressing one's opinions, or am I laboring under false delusions here? Neither am I going to (as you put it) 'take my bat and ball home' if someone else's opinions don't agree with mine. I'm not small-minded (and before anyone out there takes offence, I'm not accusing anyone else of being small-minded either!). As to my labeling you contentious and nasty — well, obviously I didn't word my letter very well, else you would have known that I was not doing that at all. As I say, if my words gave offence, then I apologise, but the thought and emotions behind them were pure, even if the way in which they were put was misconstruable. So I'm really sorry, okay?

Regarding Kathy's writer's guide, I'd say the first thing to do is actually if writing media fiction, is watch the show! And not just watch it, but dissect it, note down all the facts as supplied (difficult with a series as long as VOYAGE, particularly for us folks not fortunate enough to have the episodes on video, forced to rely on audio copies only, and get to know the characters as they were portrayed. Secondly, if introducing new characters, get to know those characters too, even if the background is irrelevant and never used in the actual story. If you don't, they just end up like cardboard cut-outs, all little mirror images of one another (and usually yourself!). I started writing media-related fiction when I was eleven, and what I used to produce in those days goes beyond embarrassing to downright awful, but starting that early did give me time to actually develop — a process, I have to tell you, that I think is still continuing. I personally think I'm a hack best suited to the one-hour action/adventure format. I'll certainly never write a critically acclaimed novel! The second thing to do is research anything you're writing. I'm lazy on the subject of researching Naval technicality, and tend to avoid the subject as much as possible, concentrating on characterisation; but if you're writing a story set somewhere, then at the very least check it out on a map and in a gazetteer. All too often a story had been spoilt for me an obvious, and avoidable, error in location. If at all possible, set a story in a location you know, or which is at least well-documented. This sn't always possible (says she, who just finished a one-hundred-page-plus epic set in Antarctica!) with often a couple of days' reading in the public library would have been the salvation of some fan fiction! And try to avoid my own most common fault, that of feeding the research back to the reader piecemeal ("I had to look it up, they're jolly well going to get the result!") apart from the consideration of the story, it's amazing how one's miscellaneous knowledge increases as a result. This of course means that some considerable time may go by before a word is actually put onto paper, but believe me, the end result benefits from preparation. miscellaneous knowledge increases as a result.

I agree that it's unfortunate that none of the subsidiary characters (including poor Chip!) were never really given any kind of substantiation in the series; however, that was the prevailing Network attitude at that time. We have to credit STAR TREK as being the first a/a series that really dared to get inside the characters' minds. Prior to that, the attitude of the Networks was that everyone should stick to the very stringent rules and regulations; they were afraid to experiment for fear of upsetting their ratings figures, and hence their sponsors. We've been fortunate in that we've almost all (apologies to young readers here) lived through a time of immense social change and are now living in countries individuality is prized rather than ostracised. It certainly isn't the fault of the production people on Voyage (or other shows dating from/before its time) that 'fleshing out' was avoided; that's simply the way things were. Thankfully, things have changed, and certainly if VOYAGE were made now, I'd look for the ST. ELSEWHERE/HILL STREET BLUES attitude to characterisation, rather than the 'we have two stars, nobody else matters' school.

I have a love/hate relationship with the show (I think like many of you!). Obviously, I like the show. I like science fiction, I'm a long-time media fan, I'm fascinated by the ocean (I can sit and watch it for hours...), I like the characters (Yes, Chip is my favorite. Who else?) and I'm fond of Seaview (she's a beautiful ship)... But... I have to keep reminding myself that this is s show from the mid-60s, it's over twenty years old. Character development wasn't considered important (is it now?) and scientific knowledge (especially oceanic) definitely was not what it is today. Some of the episodes were quite good, but many as so bad. They're so stupid, so improbable! Giant jellyfish, mummies, lobstermen, werewolves (twice!), Lee giving [the character] Cally (BLAKE'S 7) a run for her money in being taken over by hostile consciousnesses, and everybody's apparent favorite, the leprechaun. But...I like the show. A lot.

Thank goodness for fandom and the resurgence that VOYAGE fandom is enjoying. Besides new friends to share your addictions with, it means zines and new stories. And that means that the characters and plots have a fair chance of getting the development and treatment they deserve.... There seems to be a bit of argument/discussion of how true to the show to be. Well, that depends on how you feel with what you've been given to work with. We've got plenty of plots to create/follow. After all, the ocean is the (other) final frontier. But what do we really know about the characters? We have a feel for their personalities, we know a little of their backgrounds (real small-small), but it's not enough. The joy of fandom and story writing is that you can flesh out a character, make him more real, make him human (I say 'him' because most — virtually all — fannish characters are male). You've got to go beyond what is presented in the series. What else can you do? Writing is creating and creating inherently means new. Of course each writer will treat the characters differently and of course you may or may not like it. That's life. (Help! I'm caught on a philosophical soap box!)

It's weird how a badly written, amusingly produced Sci-Fi series could be so completely involving.

I started watching Voyage back in 1964...first episode. That January (gee, that's 25 years ago this month), I saw the article in TV GUIDE stating that the show would be coming out in the fall, and that David Hedison had been signed to be in it along with Richard Basehart. That settled it. I watched for it carefully so I wouldn't miss an episode. However, at the time, my parents and I were living in Sebring, Florida, and we didn't get an ABC station. Every Monday night, father would go outside and turn the antenna for me so I could get VOYAGE from the ABC station in Orlando. Snowy though it sometimes was, I managed to watch it, write it down in story form, and put it in a notebook. Thank you for letting me know that I was not alone! There were times there, I know, everyone thought I must be crazy. I kept up the practice even after we had moved to this area and I had gone to work. By then, though, I had the help of an audio recorder. Bless whoever it was who invented the VCR!

HEY, WASN'T THAT A VOYAGE EPISODE? Have you ever sat down with some popcorn and a soda to watch a submarine adventure movie and then realized that you've already seen it before as an episode of VOYAGE? I have. Just change the names to suit the fancy of the writers and/or producers. I have chosen a few of my favorite movies — yours too, I hope — and the episode it resembles. So here we go, and if you don't agree with me, let me know. I just love input, and isn't that what this letterzine is for, anyway?

Sorry, we disagree on the subject of female crew members. The US Navy had volumes on the subject. Just because Seaview is a privately-owned sub doesn't mean the problem of a coed crew lessens; if anything, it worsens. Nelson is just too smart to get knee-deep in that kind of trouble.

Hear! Hear! Regular female crewmembers aboard Seaview should be ejected from the nearest torpedo tube! Sexual tension, eh? *heh, heh*

The subject of women and VOYAGE seems to be under discussion quite a lot, so I thought I'd add my tenpence worth. So far as the idea of having female crewmembers goes — no way! One of the reasons VOYAGE became my favorite show was because it was never 'soppy' — a bit silly as times, I admit, but never soppy. I don't remember women ever getting in the way and messing up the action the way they did in some other programmes. Besides, I agree with Cindy Rancourt on this point. It was the personalities of the male characters and the development of their relationships within their closed and dangerous environment that I was interested in and still am! That's not to say women have to be omitted completely — they're perfectly acceptable as ’guest-stars', but not as regular essential members of the crew. I've no objections either to the presence of women in VOYAGE ’universes' as a whole, nor to the development of the characters away from Seaview, along with their wives and families. It makes them far more interesting and more rounded. I can hardly wait for the next part of Kathy A's "universe" to drop through my letter box. I'm as hooked on her stories as I am on chocolate!

I quite agree with you about [the character] Katie. She is one of the few female characters in VOYAGE who had some backbone (indeed, she is one of the few female characters in VOYAGE who had anything specific to do apart from sit around, looking attractive). From her exchange with Lee over the vidcom I suspect that there is a relationship there (one of friendship, because they are both strong characters, and probably couldn't ever be romantically involved). It's a shame that we weren't allowed to see more of her (character-wise, at least), because she is obviously one of the more Important people at the Institute. I wonder where Admiral Nelson poached her from?

Any good wallows? I'm an absolute wallow addict. Just ask Kitty. And I'm dying for a good 'let's-trash-poor-Lee' story. I've only read a couple of them.

After mucho years, I've gotten some episodes of VOYAGE [to watch] and...liked them! "Why was she so surprised?" you ask, puzzled. "Hasn't she been discussing things with us for months now?" True, I have, but my memories of anything but those few eps of the first season I was fortunate enough to catch last year are exceptionally hazy; the only clear things are the silly episodes, the leprechaun and such. What I just received is a pretty representative cross-section of the show and I was very pleasantly surprised. And shocked to find good eps scattered even among the final seasons! Holy cow! Why did I not remember them? Look at 'Day of Evil'. My goodness, we even got a bonk! A bonk on a pre-STARSKY AND HUTCH show?

[...]

I'm curious as to what other fandoms are you all interested in. And are you hard-line fans (reading/writing/collecting zines, attending attending cons, belonging to clubs, etc.) or just into VOYAGE? What other genres do you enjoy? I know a couple of you are into other fandoms -- Kathy A. is big in STAR WARS and Kitty is in about anything smarmy. I'm into a lot which I'll go into another time, but my current passion is STARSKY AND HUTCH. What about you all?

I'm with you on leaving women off Seaview! While it might not have been such a problem to stick in a few extra wall panels to create female quarters on board, I'm adverse to the addition of an element which would tend to detract from the smarm. Which is, as anyone who knows me will point out, the only type of fanfic I'm really interested in reading. Mary Sues totally barf me out (like, to the max!).

Speaking of writing, I gotta skip right to you, Kitty Woldow. 'Smarm Central', eh? (snicker). Hope you know that you're one of my heroes when it comes to writing.... Yep. You and Lucy Carr, who doesn't know me from Adam... "if these people can write pure, unadulterated, angsty, dyed-in-the-wool smarm — and not even blush over it — so can I! Got that flyer for your LETHAL WEAPON zine, which naturally makes me pull out the zine itself for another smarm 'fix'. I read until I OD'd and then started again.

[Upon rewatching the show], I did notice all over again what undoubtedly made the series so addictive both back then and now. Even before the word smarm was applied to it, I knew what I liked, and it was there. Not overtly, but the subtle language of looks and easy touches between Basehart and Hedison made the friendship between Nelson and Crane obvious beyond whatever silliness the storyline had them doing. Male bonding alert! That would explain why the Captain and the Admiral are my favorite characters, with the more outgoing Nelson my pick for top favorite. And I have a new appreciation for Sharkey. His hair is too short and he yelled at the crew a lot, but when they lost divers or it looked like the Admiral really was a goner this time, he showed some genuine pain about it. He cared about his crew.

Many STAR TREK or DR. WHO fans seem to ask the same question — "Why VOYAGE? Why do you enjoy that show?" Simple — VOYAGE deals with the exploits of science on our own planet. There's so much to be explored under the seas. Our planet is two-thirds water, after all. There are so many uncharted areas, not to mention the extreme depths. Who wouldn't find the exploration of a modern day submarine fascinating? VOYAGE was the first - of the TV science fiction shows to deal with such and so far, with maybe the exception of 'V', the only series.

You find it strange that this show should have such a staunch following over in Britain. Actually, we've (the bunch of us who write for the letterzine, anyway, and some who don't because they're too busy doing other things and planning marriage, etc.) been fans of the series since it was first shown over here (which wasn't that long after it was screened in the States — a matter of weeks, I think), so we've been around for a long time, only not very vocal apart from amongst ourselves. We've celebrated VOYAGE'S anniversaries, the characters' birthdays, the actors' birthdays and anything and everything we could celebrate. Sometimes it got rather silly, but it's been enjoyable this far and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't continue that way for a long, long time. Until other fandoms appeared, and fans began writing across the Atlantic, we had no idea that a real fandom existed for VOYAGE, and believe me, I for one am glad that it did because I've made many new and valuable friends through it. It's an obsession that's very close to my heart — after so many years, the characters of VOYAGE are more like friends than fictional characters, and although we have many different perceptions of them, they do remain, in essence, the same for all of us — and it's wonderful to be able to share it with so many like-minded people.

As to VOYAGE fiction — well, I haven't actually written a serious story about this series for years. I've been too active in other fandoms and I have my own newsletter to run, which is published bi-monthly (except for the present one, which slipped into quarterly without any of the members noticing. Sneaky, that). I would love to write some more VOYAGE fiction, but I am not at all sure that I have any more in me. I've already made some (rather rash) premises to write at least three stories for someone else in another fandom, and I'm not at all sure how long this is going to take. If, however, I can come up with a plot, I'd be delighted to do something for a VOYAGE zine, because it is, after all, my first love. Judy's fiction is worth reading, however, and I should know, because I've read much of it!

I was very interested to read that Richard Basehart said he didn't like submarines and would never set foot on one. Can't say I blame him. Submarines might fascinate me but I find it hard to believe that people really go under the sea in them. I'd always be checking for leaks.... I once thought he spent most of his time on one! Ah yes, when I first saw VOYAGE, I spent a lot of time trying to work out how it was filmed. As I thought that it was a) live, and b) British, I had, for several weeks, the mental image of a group of actors cruising beneath the waters of the English Channel (or, alternatively, up and down the River Thames) every Thursday afternoon! Honest! I was surprised and disappointed when my Mother set me right.

I agree with you about VOYAGE being unable to return without the original cast. Different actors playing the same characters just wouldn't be the same. Besides, I'm hardly ready for a new series — I haven't watched half of the original one yet! Let's be honest here...I do envy those who have the first season on tape.

We visited Disneyland (I'm a sucker for STAR TOURS) and this year decided to attempt the submarine ride. "If one of them's called Seaview," I told Jackie, "I'm not going!" None of them were, thankfully. After the inevitable queue, we boarded the vessel (they're all bright yellow, incidentally, which probably means Lee Crane had something to do with them...) and settled into our seats. Lines cast ashore, off we went, with me giggling uncontrollably at the 'Dive! Dive!' instruction on the tape... Actually, the ride is typical Disneyland; OK if you're ten years old, but otherwise a little simplistic. I suspect the sets, in particular the giant octopus and the plastic mermaids, are Irwin Allen cast-offs, and protested (until Jackie gagged me) loudly that there was no sonar (actually, we had a whole three pips under the 'North Pole'. Lord only knows how they were finding their way around the rest of the time...). Definitely not one to take a member of the Seaview crew along on, but a bit of a laugh for a fan!

Issue 7

Up Bubble 7 was published in February 1990 and contains 36 pages.

From the editor: "Letter guidelines: no profanity or no personal attacks will be tolerated in any letter. Voice your opinions, but do it in a nice way. There are no length restrictions on letters of comment or on articles... Contributors will have their subscription extended by one issue for each article accepted or publication. Qualifying contributions must have a minimum length of one single spaced typed page or two pages of double spaced type; letters of comment do not count towards this requirement. UP BUBBLE will always be in need of articles, so submitting essays how-to tips for 'Writer's Corner', essays for "Nobody Asked Me, But...", or miscellaneous articles is an excellent way of extending your subscription." "

• Top Secret, the first of a new column by Debbie Oriti (topic is the hardware and gadgets used in the show)
• Nobody Asked Me, the first of a new column by Linda Capple (the topic is speculation on what the show might be like if it were being remade "today" - which in this case was 1990)
• The Women of Voyage - A Personal Perspective, essay by Bob Perry (a look at the women of the show)
• The Voyage Trading Cards -- An Overview of Numbers 1-11, overview of trading cards by Dan Snowball
• Vignettes from Voyage - You Monster! We're Trapped!, essay by Sue Trent (about the ever-present monsters on the show)
• Voyage Trivia Questions: Aliens and Monsters by Barbara Oriti
• con reports for Mostly Eastly Con III by Cindy Rancourt and Kathy Agel
• Off the Scrambler, info about books and zines, compiled by Kathryn Agel
• Writer's Corner: Original Characters, essay by Kathy Agel
• an insert to this issue: a survey by Lee Falcon about "what is your favorite in hurt/comfort in tv" - "STAR TREK, RAT PATROL, VOYAGE, (MIAMI VICE, BLAKE'S 7, FANTASTIC JOURNEY - you name it. Write down your list by show, episode(s), and character(s) "afflicted"

Issue 7: Excerpts from Letters

I suppose I do love a good wallow, although that tern was unfamiliar to me in a story/show context until all you VOYAGE fans started using it. The simple rule is that anything that can go wrong should go wrong before Seaview can dock again.

Okay, yes, I'll admit it! I'm a hurt-comfort addict. I never tire of a good Crane or Morton bonk. Right, Cindy? Oh, I just loved 'Depth Sonde', in BELOW THE SURFACE #2. Angst, gimme angst!

A little question here. Why so hard on Helen? She was only stating her opinion (same as the rest of us), and I know of what she speaks. I don't think she was trying to infer that we should only stick to certain topics, just that we should try to steer clear of certain potential 'hot potatoes' which light damage the fandom in some way. Some of us have loved VOYAGE for a very long time (and I'm not trying to infer that we love it more than those who have loved it for a lesser period, just that our love for it has had more chance to nature into a kind of symbiotic thing...oh well, I'm sure you know what I mean), and we have grown kind of possessive of it. I for one do not wish to see arguments, petty remarks and nastiness creep in and insidiously destroy what we have built up (separately) over the past twenty-five years.

I think I lost myself with my argument about why women weren't — or should I say shouldn't — be allowed to serve full-tine on Seaview. Whilst it is still a perfectly valid argument up to a point, (that being about the quartering of the women — as I understand it, only the officers had separate accommodation, and even then I think that was also on rotation, aside from maybe the Admiral, the Captain, and the Exec, and you don't have two of then — and any guest cabins would be that— guest cabins, to be more to the point, possibly cabins temporarily vacated by a sub officer who was doubling up somewhere else) I lost myself somewhere in the argument about war. I think my brain went on vacation at that point, as I forgot al the work done by the underground movements during wars (many of whom were women), the fact that there are women in armies and women in the Air Force and women in the Navy (my own character was a naval officer, for heaven's sake, and what's more, she was in Intelligence, which is something I obviously don't possess right now), not to mention all the top jobs done by women, and the fact that our own PM is a woman (I think), for goodness sake! Oh well... maybe one day I'll learn to think before opening my mouth.

Are you sure you really wanted to say that? If men are more willing to go off to war then women it probably is because the women have more sense! Seriously, I agree totally with Kathy -- commitment is the key. A woman who believes in a cause (whether patriotism, politics, or family) will fight, die and kill with at least as much willingness (and possibly more ruthlessness) than any man. The male of the species (any species) is generally the more aggressive and more willing to fight (for territory, mates, or sheer bravado) within the species, but it is often the female who hunts and kills to feed the young — and the female who will defend those young to the death. I will now jump off the soapbox to let someone else have a turn.

Something you said with which I can't agree is Tracy in 'The Death Ship'. Not making goo-goo eyes at Lee? If that girl had been any more obvious she could have found work as a siren! In a story of mine she finally went over the edge when she learnt that Lee was married. It was very sad, but she deserved it. There was no reason for her to he so Mary Sueish, nor so clinging. God, talk about vines... She irritates the heck outta me as well.

Hmmm... women on Seaview? Nope, sorry. I mean, not as regular crew, anyway. But as scientists on special missions, or on research, okay. After all, that's how Chip met my character Delphine. I just can't see 'Operation Petticoat' here.

About the relationship between Nelson and Crane -- when I first started watching VOYAGE, I thought of their relationship as father-and-son; but as I continued to watch, and as I grew older, I thought it more mentor-to-pupil, with a deep-seated friendship. Crane has the utmost respect for Nelson, and has definitely earned it from him, too!

I thought I was the only one who made soundtracks for my stories! I find New Age the best for that and for writing, especially Kitaro and Vangellis. It even seems to help when I fall into a writer's slump.

Issue 8

Up Bubble 8 was published in October 1990 and contains 46 pages.

cover of issue #8

• Vignettes from Voyage: A Critical Look at the Reactor, and On Being Trapped, article by Sue Trent
• Nobody Asked Me, But...: Monster Lib, essay by Linda Chapple
• Nobody Asked Me Either, But: The Monster from Outer Space, essay by Susan Corbell
• Top Secret: Submarine Detection, article by Debbie Oriti
• Voyage Trivia Questions by Barbara Oriti
• The Voyage Trading Cards- Part Two: An Overview of Numbers 12-22, article by Dan Snowball
• a photo of Kathy Agel standing next to Linda Sneed's decorated door at MediaWest*Con #10

Issue 8: Excerpts from Letters

"Wallow' is a term which has been around almost as long as VOYAGE fandom (that is, 20-30 years)! I first became familiar with it way back in the 70s when I became involved in TREK fandom ('til I outgrew TREK, or it moved away from the nice safe place it used to be into something horrid) , and then encountered it in BATTLESTAR GALACTICA fandom, where it helped me write stories in that context (there's nothing we like better than doing horrible things to our heroes, making them suffer and having best friend/whatever worry about them, or go through anguish/him/herself on their behalf. Hurt/comfort (which is what a wallow is) is the mainstay of fandom -- and long may it reign! Some of my best moments have been watching a show/film which contains h/c (Also known smarm, among other terms), or reading a zine containing same...

I am so glad you included females in the hurt/comfort mix. I've long maintained

that hurt/comfort is not restricted to male characters. A man can experience anguish over a woman partner's pain as easily as he could over another man, and vice-versa. Perhaps some fans feel that hurt/comfort has more impact when it centers on two sien because in our culture, Men are expected to hide their feelings. Personally, the impact I feel when reading a wallow depends upon the

author's skill, not on the sexes "involved)

The first time I saw VOYAGE was the summer of 1974. They played' for about three months on a small syndicated station here. At first I was upset because they replaced STAR TREK but it was still something to watch after school. Gradually, I got really into it. The only people I knew who watched it were two ten-year-old boys on my camp bus. And that I discovered by accident. I was so disappointed when they took it off. My parents bought a VCR and I was able to get tapes from a friend about ten years later I was listening to audio tapes (the few that I had, over and over). Another station brought it back on the air and that was on at three in the morning. He had a VCR but it didn't get that station unless you were

there to put it on in person. So once a week I got up at three in the morning to set the tape so I could watch VOYAGE.

I have seen some of Troughton's "lost" episodes" ('The Invasion', for example) through the kindness of other friends and collectors. Do they still broadcast the series * older episodes in England? I agree with you that the older ones are easily the best. Jon Pertwee is by favorite Docto>r also — he's the way I would picture a Time Lord to be — intelligent, superior, charming, dynamic. Especially dynamic. Have you ever met Jon? Meeting him is meeting the Doctor! Such a darling! I've met all the Doctors except Hartnell, of

course, and liked them all except Tom Baker. But then, I suppose this is another story. What did you think of Sylvester's last season?

I don't think I agree with you about Crane's type of woman being too shy to approach him. Sheesh! The guy didn't strike me as the type to go for the wallflower at all! She would be a lof of fun, probably subtly sexual and extremely self-possessed. Or why not Tracy? I guess I simply wasn't willing to accept the ^goo-goo' eyes term, but I figure, why not? The guy's good looking, amusing, intelligent...heck, why shouldn't she make a play for him as long as it didn't affect her job? Which, I might add, a "come-hither' look wouldn't have. Goodness, I'd've had the dude In a dark corner, too! I disagree with you about her being "Mary Sueish". Quite frankly, I don't see how she could have been a Mary Sue — the definition doesn't apply in this context. And besides. Crane obviously didn't mind a whole heck of a lot — he enjoyed her

attentions and the chick had good legs. Go for it, say I!

You asked why the females who came on board wore short skirts and tight clothing. Holy cats! 125 men aboard — many of them middling to gorgeous — and you want they should wear overalls?

Maybe — if they expect to be taken seriously. Skirts and tight clothing are appropriate for an office environment, but are the height of impracticality on board a submarine - - all those ladders I Maybe you like someone looking up your skirt while you're climbing one, but I don't know of too many other women who would — as well as a distraction.

Being attractive has nothing to do with whether or not one can do a job. I remember saying something to the effect that "everyone knows an attractive woman can't be intelligent, too..." at a

Starsky and Hutch con once. The two other attractive women in the room and I exchanged mildly bitter smiles — it's a common problem faced in the so-called 'man's environment'. I see no reason why those women would wish to wear something unattractive. Heck, my skirt would've been the least of my concerns. And I do mean the least! (heh, heh)

As for your question regarding the clothing worn by any woman on board the sub. One answer is that a man wrote the script and a man was in charge of the show. Another is that she was giving the crews a treat!

Write one story with female officers on Seaview and I will hunt you down and kill you.

Just a tip between friends.

he reason no one likes to label themselves as a women's libber is that they're usually a bunch of looney-tunes. I had to work with one for six endless months and I nearly ended up throttling her! They give women a bad name with their sexist claptrap (do you have that word over there [in the United States]? It means drivel). I think what many of us who didn't get around to answering in time — was trying to get across was that we believe whole heatedly in being equal but we also recognise that we're different and don't hold to some of the more equal philosophies that get spouted by our supposed female representatives.

That may have been true at one time, but there are so few radical feminists around these days it's no longer necessary. But that wasn't my point. I was trying to say that if it walks like a duck, and it talks like a duck, it sure ain't a cow. So why not just come out and admit it?

On the subject of

paperback art addiction, you should be so lucky as to be addicted to books with submersibles on the cover. Do you have any idea of how many books are out there with either a wolf, a full moon, or claws on the cover? I see a werewolf book, my fingers start twitching, my wallet feels about two bills heavier than it really should be, and my palms start twitching like Captain Kirk's when a new, unmolested yeoman wiggles across his bridge. What's the number of Bookaholics Anonymous? Never mind, it's a such a sweet addition.

I've made several attempts to respond to [H W's] comments in Issue #5 but have consistently failed to keep a civil typewriter under my fingertips so I'll say nothing beyond two points which I feel I have to make. In the first place, I was always under the impression that it was the role of the letterzine editor to monitor discussions and put an end to them once they've gone on too long. Kathy is the acknowledged controller of UP BUBBLE and it is for Kathy to say what we do or do not discuss. We gave her that right when we subscribed. If Kathy turns around and says "that's enough' of such-and-such a topic, then I'll accept her instruction and move on. As a fellow subscriber, however, you do not have the right to dictate to me what I can or cannot discuss. Kindly desist from attempting to do so.

And now it's

the editor's turn. The First

Amendment guarantees our right of self-

expression, and I'm not about to abridge that freedom here. This zine was started to promote the free exchange of information between VOYAGE fans, and I will not restrict the right of the subscribers to carry on a VOYAGE-related-discussion. I will, however, edit out any rough language and/or personal attacks, but that policy is clearly stated in the colophon. I also reserve the right to restrict any non- V0YAGE discussions. This is a VOYAGE

zine, after all.

Saying things like [Doctor Who is] a British show so what we say goes' is an awfully dangerous precedent to set. There are a hell of a lot more American shows loved by fandom then there are British, so if we're

going to start setting up that kind of system it's we who are going to suffer through it.

The music that works best for me, I suppose. depends on the story or illo I'm working on, or rather, stumpted on. If I'm beating my head against the bulkhead, trying to puzzle out a VOYAGE illo, I relax with AC/DC or Alice Cooper (strange? perhaps, but you'll admit that a good Flying Sub crash would be heightened by something off Cooper's "Raise Your Fist and Yell") If a Trek illo is my current bear, I veg out with Weird Al Yankovic. Anything else usually a good session of Skinny Puppy and/or Mott the

Hoople does it for me. In extreme cases, I can always depend on Marillion, especially "Fugazi." Or "Misplaced Childhood." I don't know if "soothing" or "relaxing" is quite the right word for it, but it works for me.

Issue 9

Up Bubble 9 was published in October 1991 and contains 34 pages.

This issue contains nine letters of comment.

From the editor:

Well, it's been a year, but we're back, and better-looking than ever. This issue has been produced using Microsoft Word for Windows and my new LaserJet printer, ITs part of an ongoing experiment, and future issues will undoubtedly see more changes in the design. As to why this issue is so late.... [personal health problems, several other fans offered to help with this letterzine as well as Below the Surface #4 and Remote Control...]

• Richard Basehart - A Biography by Patricia Ames
• Richard Basehart - A Filmography by Patricia Ames
• "For Whom the Bell Tolls," essay by Sue Trent (topic is the non-human inhabitants of the ocean in the show)
• a review of the Blake Edward's movie, "Skin Deep," by Judy Mortimore
• A Thought on Submarines, essay by Robert von Hamman
• The 26 Years After Affair, a lengthy description by Jessica Spencer Morton of a fan get-together in Santa Barbara, California (it is also sort of RPFy/cosplay as some fans were the characters from the show)
• The Voyage Trading Cards - An Overview of Numbers 23 Through 33 by Dan Snowball

Issue 9: Excerpts from Letters

Your comments support my long-time held view that female crew on Seaview are simply impossible - the only place you can be trained is in the US Navy, and the US Navy does not train women to operate submarines...except in my Universe of course.

As for the 'skirts on a submarine' (but wouldn't Seaview look a little silly wearing a skirt?) discussion - I must agree with Kathy on this. Have you ever actually tried climbing up one of those ladders in a tight skirt? Difficult - very, very difficult. Anyway, no woman could be taken seriously in such an outfit, not to mention the stilettos they all insist on wearing (unless you really want your heels ripped to shreds by all those grilles). I would say the most sensible wear for a woman on a submarine would be a pair of overalls and sneakers. And what is this about not looking sexy in overalls (that was what was inferred)? Quite apart from the fact that if you were aboard Seaview you would be there to do a job, not to act as a hooker, you are labouring under a delusion if you think that overalls cannot look sexy on a woman (unless the woman did not look sexy in the first place). A tight belt, open collar, hair nicely down and a little make up - you would attract more attention for a longer period of time than if you were garbed in something blatant. Sometimes it's better to be subtle!

Coveralls make a woman look ugly? Tell Sigourney Weaver that! As for women's lib -- who wants to be equal? We've always been superior anyway... haven't we, girls?!

I was merely responding to comments (from both you and Helen) which were both aired in this letterzine, so I don't really see why i should have mentioned them to you only in a personal letter. They were, after all, first aired in the letterzine. However, if i have caused offence, then I apologise. That was never my intent. That's twice I've upset someone in this letterzine. I can see that I'm going to have to temper my opinions/comments from now on. I'm going to try very hard now not to alienate anyone else...

[Creation Con: New York City: Thanksgiving 1990]: Jonathan Frid was a guest, Forrey Ackerman [sic], Isaac Asimov, DeForest Kelley and - ready for this? - Mark Goddard from Lost in Space! Frid was boring, Kelley charmed us all, I've been a fan of Asimov for years, but when Mark Goddard took the stage three grown women vanished instantly and it was three pseudo-sixteen year olds who jumped up and down in and out of their seats screeching "Omigod! Omigod! He's gorgeous! Omigod!" Yep, [we] went bye-bye for a while but we're feeling much better now!

No, I didn't read the article (Fantastic Films #29, June 1982) re the network's culpability for the murder of BG (although that doesn't surprise me - It was ABC, wasn't It? Or was it? Yes, I was right. I just checked. They also murdered another of my favourite series, HARDCASTLE & McCORMICK, because they though MacGYVER was better. Yes, well, I have my own opinions on that, none of which are printable...

No, England is not like CORONATION STREET (thank heavens). It is also not like EASTENDERS. Maybe little teensy bits of it are, but we here in Yorkshire bear no resemblance to either. Shame you don't get any of our good shows (not that there have been that many in the past few years - we have a distinct shortage of good writers, and a severe shortage of TV stations who will have the courage of their convictions).

You can picture it, can't you? The problem is, [Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea] is. Rubbish, I mean. So why am I obsessed by this programme? It can't be simple nostalgia. Many of the programmes I watched as teenager (have been recently. I watch with enjoyment and/or amusement; occasionally with total astonishment as I remember why I watched them in the first place. A few are taped to keep while the majority disappear back into the mists of memory. None of them involve and obsess me to the extent that 'Voyage' still does.

Even as a teenager 'Voyage' was special. I eagerly awaited the next episodes of 'Dr Who' or 'Star Trek or 'Man from UNCLE' - but the prospect of missing an episode did not plunge me into a depression. For none of these shows would I have provoked a gigantic family row by refusing a holiday with relatives just because it would have meant missing an episode.

Later, at University, I blew my grant not on riotous living but on the train from home every other weekend so that I could watch "Voyage' (cutting an important lecture to make sure that I didn't miss the opening credits). Alternate Fridays I sat in the hall daydreaming about the episode I was missing instead of concentrating on the intricacies of of p and n orbitals and their relevance to atomic structure.

Twenty years later (not having seen an episode in all that time), why did I sell my treasured Star Trek zine collection to buy a VCR just so that I could watch borrowed umpteenth generation copies? What is a (hopefully) mature and responsible adult doing obsessed by an old television programme?

Special effects were often laughable and the scripts were worse. So why? Why do I beg, borrow and blackmail to increase my collection? Why this programme? I don't know.

None of Allen's other shows hooked me this way. Despite a basic similarity in format (close knit band of goodies fight off the baddies while trying to survive in a hostile environment), somehow "Voyage' managed to transcend the failing of the rest The later scripts especially often made little sense, and even the regular writers could never be accused of consistency over even the most basic details. Their abuse of science makes me wince and the medical mistreatment offered to our poor, long suffering heroes tempts me to shout "He's dead. Admiral," whenever the Doctor appears. And yet, it has something special. Something to justify this obsession and devotion throughout all those long years of believing I was the only one to even remember "Voyage.'

The only explanation I can come up with is the actors. With their art they gave "Voyage" a life of its own. Working within the limitations of the scripts they still managed to make their characters into real people the viewers could care about. When Hedison walks out of the Control Room after ordering he destruction of the Flying Sub in Terror!" (aka Revenge of the Amaryllis), you can believe he is a man who has just ordered the death of his best friend. Sitting alone in his cabin, Basehart has you believing in werewolves in 'Brand of the Beast". With the lift of an eyebrow Dowdell conveys all the disbelieving resignation of a rational man faced with yet another example of the world's lunacy. By some magic and sheer professionalism they manage to make the viewer accept each episodes monster no matter how many times it has stalked the corridors of Seaview.

In conclusion - I haven't one. Despite trying hard I can't think of one solid, rational reason why I am so hooked on this show. Why do I spend what little free time I have in writing (badly) about it?

Why do I blow my hard-earned cash on almost anything to do with the show? Can you help? Can anyone out there tell me why?

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