Voyager (Star Trek zine)

Zine
Title:	Voyager
Publisher:	Bristol Star Fleet Registry
Editor(s):	Rod Summers, Dave Uppington, Pete Wilson
Type:
Date(s):	December 1982 to 1996
Frequency:
Medium:	print
Fandom:	Star Trek
Language:	English
External Links:
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Voayger was published by the Bristol Starfleet Registry (later British Science Fiction Review). There are 38 (at least) issues and one special edition.

The zine started out as a club newsletter (the editors referred to it as a n/l in an early issue), but it later morphed into something with a much broader scope.

When the increasing costs of its increasing slicker production made it impossible to continue its quarterly publication, it dropped to three times a year.

In 1990, the editors also decided to produce a much more casual, and cheaper, newsletter to fill the gaps. This publication was called Stargazer.

The Slide to a Sort-Of Official Status

This zine is an example of a fan work that began as a purely amateur work and became very slick. It, however, remained not-for-profit.

In about 1992, the number of copies printed had more than quadrupled, the covers were glossy, the number of honorary club members had jumped from a handful to more than thirty, and the club stopped publishing fiction zines and advertising old issues of their zines. The zine also acquired a full-team of production assistants and writers and had an increasing amount of official photos, interviews, and materials from TPTB.

A note on the table of contents states that it was an "international non-profit making fan club for fans of the Star Trek series and films."

A 1995 Description from the Editor

From the 1995 Nexus program book:

Home video was in its infancy, the original series hadn't been shown on TV for ages - so we had no episodes to show - but we could get together for a drink. We established a monthly routine of meeting at a floating pub, the Lochiel, off Bristol city centre. Membership grew. When we had about 50 members, we decided to print a newsletter. I volunteered to edit it, Dave's employers had a print shop - it was fate.

Voyager 1 was published in December 1982. I was originally going to call the magazine "Voyages", but when I came to lettraset the cover, I had run out of 'S', so I improvised and Voyager was born. It had a vaguely Star Trek ring to it: the probe in The Motion Picture had been called Voyager 6, and I thought we might survive long enough to reach that number.

With membership climbing towards three figures, we decided to book a dealers table at SOL III, the May 1983 Star Trek convention in Birmingham. By that time we had printed two newsletters, and had produced our first story zine, The Restitution of Spock. New members would receive four magazines per year and a forum in which to express their news and views.

[...]

We made a point of attending as many Star Trek conventions as we could, putting ourselves visibly in the dealers room. Membership grew and the magazine evolved.

We made many new friends, among them Allister Gourlay, a talented Glaswegian graphic designer, who agreed to layout our covers and print the magazine. We began to put colour on the Voyager covers, printed more artwork, and occasionally photographs. At that time, this made us unique among British clubs: no one else ran illustrations of any kind, and the difference made us stand out from the competition.

Membership grew. It became feasible to print full process colour on the covers, and therefore we could present colour photographs to our members. Voyager 18 heralded Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home with three previously unseen stills, and Voyager 19 became our first 'wrap-round' cover, with stills from Star Trek's first pilot, The Cage.

However, life was not without its down-side: costs started to spiral. We had to increase our fees or sink. Reluctantly, we raised our dues to £5 and, even more reluctantly, reduced the package to three Voyagers per annum.

Issue 1

Voyager 1 was published in December 1982.

Issue 2

Voyager 2 was published in June 1983.

Issue 3

Voyager 3 was published in September 1983.

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  cover of issue #3

Issue 4

Voyager 4 was published in December 1983.

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  cover of issue #4

Issue 5

Voyager 5 was published in March 1984 and contains 24 pages.

front cover of issue #5, Rod Summers

back cover of issue #5, Maggie Symon

From the article, "In Character,":

I recently had the misfortune to purchase the authorised biography of William Shatner by the enfants terribles of Trekdom: Marshak and Culbreath. I felt even more uncomfortable when I read it -- but I DID read it, every single excruciating word. Right down to the end. I swear. This book should have been subtitled, 'An Ego-Trip by M & C.' (Why don't they ever work separately? Are they artistic Siamese twins?) My Stand (in case you haven't already guessed it): I've read the three ST novels by these two Persons (don't let sex confuse the issue) and I approached this 'straight' work with trepidation: surely it couldn't be as BAD as their fiction? Well, it was. It was worse. It was... Appalling... These two Persons clearly have a repressed fantasy life which they are doing their best to work out of their systems -- all over the innocent public.

[...]

Culbreath and Marshak are a couple of Janice Lesters... They dislike their own femininity, can see no advantage to it, deny the possibilities it presents, are not prepared to enjoy what they cannot change...

[...]

M & C have embraced the cause of 'emotional openness... God save us from their version of it. Only children of very few years have no control over their feelings and the expression of them...

• the club has two honorary members: James Doohan and Walter Koenig
• contributors are Patricia Thompson, Trina Howard, Julie MacNaughton, Charlotte Allery, and "your power-mad Committee" plus art by John Carrigan, Elaine Thomson, Maggie Symon, Mark Whitfield, and Rod Summers
• the editor calls Voyager "THE zine for your stories and artwork"
• another editor explains the membership card colors and rank
• the next five club meetings are announced; they are upstairs in a pub's private room; an episode will be shown at each, and "we'll also be working on the forthcoming BSFR film, now retitled "The Fortunes of War"
• this issue has a poem called "BSFR -- The Committee and the Club" by Dave Uppington
• BSFR Events That Never Quite Made It!
• Club News -- fan club names and descriptions
• In Character (article) by Patricia Thompson (Examines Marshak and Culbreath's characterizations in their fiction, females, males and emotion, and should men should cry. The article discusses the weakness and failures of Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Saavik. Thompson also asserts that she'd be "quite happy to see ST go on for ever -- EVEN IF IT MEANT REPLACING SOME OF THE O-L-D FAITHFULS WITH NEW ACTORS," something she feels is a heretical statement in the fandom.)
• convention news
• test results for some fans who have completed a quiz -- 10 fans passed and were "promoted" in rank and 10 fans failed, keeping their old rank
• Mutiny on the Enterprise, a Roasting by Trina Howard is a review of the latest Timescape book by Bob Vardeman
• a section called "Data Retrieval" that compiles Star Trek news from February
• BSFR: The TASAS Attack: The Bristol Megabash -- December 1983, a report by Jule MacNaugton on the one-day (and night) Star Trek gathering at a pub and a fan's home; there was much episode viewing, drinking, and hijinks
• there is a copy of the letter sent by the BBC to a fan regarding the Four Banned Star Trek Episodes, see below

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  from issue #5, poem about the zine's contributors by Dave Uppington

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  from issue #5, art by John Carrigan

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  from issue #5, art by Rod Summers

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  from issue #5, letter from the BBC about The Four Banned Star Trek Episodes

Issue 6

Voyager 6 was published in June 1984.

Issue 7

Voyager 7 was published in September 1984 and contains 46 pages.

front cover of issue #7, Rod Summers

back cover of issue #7, an ad

• contributors to this issue: Paul Rowe, John Carrigan, Lynne Sheppard, Paul Alty, Sue Williams, Elaine Oldham, Lynn Cooke, Deborah DeSantis, Patricia Thompson, Steve Farthing, Rosemary Senior, Mark Whitfield, and "your insalubrious Committee"; art by Allistair Gourlay, Mark Whitfield, Rod Summers
• the next four meeting dates are announced; they were to take place at the usual pub
• this issue has a review by Paul Rowe of "The Search for Spock"
• Can You Wish Upon a Star Trek: A Special Report by John Carrigan (a fan, after he'd befriended David Gerrold at the last convention, recounts his trip to California to see the movie, meet the stars, and see the Star Trek set.)
• this issue has a con report of Space Trek, see that page
• there are several LoCs relating to this zine itself
• a fan comments in a lengthy manner on the trilogy that begins with The Restitution of Spock; the author comments as well, see that page
• this issue has the 1984 financial report for the BSFR club, see that page
• there are short reviews of the Star Trek movies, The New Frontier, and The Search for Spock
• this issue has test results for fans hoping to raise in rank
• there is a transcript of a late night Radio 2 programme called "Starsound" which was broadcast on Thursday, August 9th, 1984: "It was only thanks to a rushed phone call from a friend of ours... that your intrepid committee were able to get the cassette player working in time."
• there is a con report for Galileo Con, see that page
• the section called "Data Retrieval" has Star Trek news for June, July, and August
• "B.S.F.R. Face the Press" is several transcripts on BBC Bristol:

  In the past couple of months B.S.F.R. has been getting quite a lot of publicity in Bristol and the South West; the return of STAR TREK to our T.V. and Cinema screens sent a host of reporters out 'looking for an angle'. Now ... any publicity is good publicity, but sometimes we were trying to make the best of a bad job: some interviewers ideas of STAR TREK stopped at zap guns and pointed ears.

• there is a page-long explanation of the BSFR fan film that some fans were creating; the goal was to start shooting summer 1985, use the winter for special effects shooting, music and post-production and a release in 1986; initially the movie was to be funded by raffles and donations but was it was later decided to use all profits from the zine The Silken Thread That Binds Us; the film was meant to be of high-quality and to be shown at conventions and club meetings and would have a 1:1 scale:

  [The film] started as a story story, "Confrontation," by Rod Summers. This dealt with the break out of Kang and his crew from a Federation Maximum Security Installation, the 'Enterprise's routine visit to this out-post and the subsequent capture and ransom of Kirk and his landing party. Kang's demands were simple -- Kirk's life for the 'Enterprise' and safe passage to the Klingon Empire. This story was taken and vastly expanded by Rosemary Senior. Retitled 'The Fortunes of War,' it is now a fully structured shooting script. The Klingon's motives have become more devious; the 'Enterprise's' predicament more perilous... This will be a big, bold project. We wouldn't have started it if we didn't think it could work. We intend this film to be the best amateur ST film ever made.

• there are con announcements, a review of the new Star Trek role-playing game, a poem about the Enterprise's destruction in the movie called "Obituary," a poem called "The Continuing Trials and Tribulations of a Trekker" by Dave Uppington, photos from Galileo Con, some clippings, and some official publicity photos

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  Allistair Gourlay

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  Rod Summers

Issue 8

Voyager 8 was published in December 1984.

Issue 9

Voyager 9 was published in March 1985 and had a print run of 130 copies.

Issue 10

Voyager 10 was published in June 1985 and contains 52 pages. There were 200 copies printed.

cover of issue #10

table of contents for issue #10

• this issue has card covers on both the front and back, and the type is reduced by 75%
• one of the editors mentions that Sol III was quite successful in terms of finances, and this has put the club back on track with money; he also mentions the BSFR Film Fund which was proceeds from The Silken Thread That Binds Us for the club's fan film
• this issue included a flyer about the movie club members were creating; it included a detailed questionnaire about practical things fans could do to help
• there is a con report (including many photos, including some of Gorn masks for sale, the three BSFR publishers in various poses, and a giant bust of Spock that won an award in the art show) for Sol III, see that page
• includes a transcript of an interview with Mark Lenard, includes a photo of the actor holding a teddy bear
• includes an article called "History in Star Trek" (The Study of History is Bunk (Henry Ford) Contested by Trina Howard, Illustrated by Mark Whitfield
• this issue has a review of the pro book by Jean Lorrah, "The Vulcan Academy Murders"
• contributors to this issue: Jennie Watkins, Jan Burton, Noreen Durkin, Brian Longstaff, Denise Watkins, Wanda Ewart, Brenda Kelsey, John Carringan, Paul Puddy, Jacqueline Comben, Rosemary Irving, Stephen Farthing, Trina Howard, Mark Whitfield, Rosemary Senior, Patricia Thompson, Alan Senior and "your inventive Committee"

Sort of Issue 11, Sort of Issue 12

Voyager 11/Voyager 13 was published in Autumn 1985 and contains 62 pages. There were 225 copies printed.

cover of issue #12

You must have asked yourself by now, 'I thought this was supposed to be Voyager 11. Have I missed an issue? Well ... no you haven't. Truth be told, between you, me, Allister and his printer, some confusion arose and 11 became 12 on the cover. It's too expensive to correct (and it is a lovely cover apart from that) so we're going to go along with it and the next issue, due out for Christmas, will be Vovager 13. Confused ...? You're not the only one!

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  table of contents for issue #11/#12

Issue 13

Voyager 13 was published in Winter 1985 and contains 46 pages. There were 225 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #13

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  table of contents for issue #13

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  the pin-up from issue #13, Janice Rand

Issue 14

Voyager 14 was published in Spring 1986 and contains 64 pages. There were 250 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #14

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  table of contents for issue #14

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  table of contents for issue #14

Issue 15

Voyager 15 contains 72 pages.

Issue 16

Voyager 16 was published in Autumn 1986 and contains 85 pages. There were 300 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #16

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  table of contents for issue #16

Issue 17

Voyager 17 was published in January 1987 and contains 54 pages. There were 300 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #17

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  table of contents for issue #17

Issue 18

Voyager 18 contains 48 pages.

Issue 19

Voyager 19 was published in Summer 1987 and contains 48 pages. There were 400 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #19

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  table of contents for issue #19

Issue 20

Voyager 20 was published in Spring 1988 and contains 58 pages. There were 450 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #20

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  table of contents for issue #20

Issue 21

BSFR Newsletter 21 was published in Summer 1988 and contains 60 pages. There were 450 copies printed.

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  front cover of issue #21

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  table of contents of issue #21

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  back cover of issue #21

• Communications (editorials and meeting information) (2)
• Rod's News Round-Up (5)
• BSF Merchandise (18)
• Letters to the Editor (20)
• Star Trek Clubs and Groups (27)
• Patrick Stewart "Guest talk from UFP Con 1988, with illustrations and photos" (28)
• The Restaurant Enterprise "Another of Bill Shatner's comedy sketches from Saturday Night Live (42)
• Trading Post (46)
• Nichelle Nichols "Guest talk from MidCon 1987 with illustrations and photos (48)
• Convention announcements (55)
• Patrick Stewart interview from the Wogan show (56)
• To Boldly Go, fiction by Mark Naisbitt (58)
• art by Mark Whitfield, Gary Moran, Anthony Smith, Rod Summers

Issue 22

Voyager 22 was published in Winter 1988 and contains 66 pages. There were 500 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #22

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  table of contents for issue #22

Issue 23

Voyager 23 was published in Summer 1989 and contains 46 pages. There were 500 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #23

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  table of contents for issue #23

Issue 24

Voyager 24 was published in Winter 1989 and contains 58 pages. There were 500 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #24

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  table of contents for issue #24

Issue 25

Voyager 25 was published in Summer 1990 and contains 62 pages. There were 450 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #25

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  table of contents for issue #25

Issue 26

Voyager 26 was published in Winter 1990 and contains 70 pages. There were 500 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #26

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  table of contents for issue #26

Issue 28

Voyager 28 was published in Winter 1991 and contains 66 pages. There were 500 copies printed.

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  cover of issue #28

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  table of contents for issue #28

Issue 31

Voyager 31 was published in Summer 1993 and contains 54 pages. There were 1000 copies printed. The number of honorary members has jumped from a handful to about 25.

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  cover of issue #31

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  table of contents for issue #31

Issue 34

Voyager 34 was published December 1994 and contains 60 pages. There were 1100 copies printed. The number of honorary members has jumped to about 30.

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  cover of issue #34

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  table of contents for issue #34

Issue 37

Voyager 37 was published Summer 1996 and contains 72 pages.

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  cover of issue #37

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  table of contents for issue #37

Issue 38

Voyager 38 was published Autumn 1996 and contains 75 pages.

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  cover of issue #38

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  table of contents for issue #38

Best of Issue

The Best of Voyager was published in August 1986 and is 72 pages long.

It contains material from the first six issues.

cover of "Best of Issue"

From the flyer:

It is with considerable pride that we present to you this, the BEST OF VOYAGER. VOYAGER is the quarterly magazine of BSFR, the Bristol Star Fleet Registry, and in the four years that we have been running the club, we have seen it grow into one of the major British Star Trek clubs. The material contained herein was originally presented to BSFR members between Christmas 1982 and Summer 1984. Since that time our membership has trebled and it seems to be the perfect time to prepare this collection for you. Some of you will already own some, or indeed all, of the issues concerned. We hope that you will still find the work interesting and refreshing. We have completely re-set the work and have included a large number of brand new photos. Whether you're new to BSFR, or a friend of long standing, we strongly urge you to put the TV off, put the kettle on, and take the time to get acquainted. We think you'll find that it's worth it!