1987 Cracked Star Trek IV Spoof

From the July 1987, issue #228 of Cracked magazine, comes this spoof on "The Voyage Home," published significantly later than when the movie came out, which was in December of 1986. The cover is rendered by Severin (who passed away recently) but the inside art is by Bill Wray, whose style takes humorous caricature over into plain grotesquery. First, the cover, then the spoof.

Bonus: from the same issue, a page of Trek Hurry Ups...

Bonus: a publicity still of Bones in makeup from "The Deadly Years." He was only slightly more crotchety in this episode.

A rare costume test photo for the un-made "Star Trek 7: The Search For A Retirement Home."

"Shatner: Then And Now" 1977 Article

From issue #3 of the "All About Star Trek Fan Clubs" magazine, published in June 1977, comes this loose filmography that features some photos of Bill from his various appearances. The feature runs out of steam quickly, as the last two pages switch to a nonsensical "biorhythms" article that takes up space (we'd learn more from a chart on his bathroom habits), but has some good photos from his "Barbary Coast" stint.

The cover art (scanned, as is everything on this site, from my own copy) is about the best the magazine ever featured, in my opinion.

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"Submerged in Star Trek:" 1986 ST 4 Article

This time we look at an article from issue #111 of Starlog, published October 1986, that spotlights the production of "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home."

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Below, from the same issue, a short writeup about the rumors surrounding a TV revival of Star Trek, which we now know was the beginning of "The Next Generation."

And lastly, from the back cover of the same issue, this ad for classic Mego Trek action figures...

As an aside, I probably would have collected these action figures had I been living in normal circumstances; but regular readers know of my repressive step-dad, for whom my Star Trek love was a continual irritant. He held it up as an example of my supposed immaturity (although he knew nothing about it), supposing anything not realistic like his westerns to be childish. So I hid the books and such that I bought, and avoided buying anything aimed at younger fans, for fear of giving him more ammunition to use in his war against me.

Nimoy Looks Back at Star Trek 3

From issue #106 of Starlog, published May, 1986, we find this look back at "The Search For Spock" with a critique of the film in retrospect by director Leonard Nimoy.

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Below: from the same issue, a photo of Nimoy from page 74, the last page of the magazine with a regular feature called "Liner Notes."

Bonus: from the same issue, an ad for the upcoming 20th Anniversary convention. Hard to believe we have passed the 45th anniversary already. And sad to see how many of the stars are no longer with us.

Alexander Courage: The Music of Trek

From the pages of Starlog #107, published June 1986, comes this article on Star Trek's first composer, Alexander Courage. Courage set the tone for the series as other great composers contributed their talent, and left his indelible mark on it from beginning to end.

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Over the years Courage's memory (or other people)may have substituted the phrase "Venus Dance" for what was originally "Vina's Dance," but the title still fits as she could have been a green goddess of love. The article mentions Neil Norman's efforts at getting some of the original series music released on LP, for which I, and many other fans, were eternally grateful. This music deserves to be heard on its own, unedited for timing and such. It's truly some of the best music written for television, and remains memorable today!

Gene's Walk Of Fame Star

From issue #104 of the venerable Starlog magazine, published in March of 1986, comes this page on the ceremony to present Gene with his star on the Hollywood "Walk Of Fame."

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Bonus: Below, an absolutely stunning photo of Nichelle, testing makeup and hairstyle. A classic beauty, and a rare photo that I was thrilled to find online at http://www.trekcore.com/.

Nimoy On Tour-1976

From August 1976, issue #4 of the "All About Star Trek Fan Clubs Magazine," a fun fan publication that found national distribution, comes this interview with Leonard Nimoy with some candid photos taken as he spoke at a college in New Jersey in February of that year. Note the wild scarf he is wearing! First, the cover...

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Also from the same issue comes this two-page spread of photos snapped during the fondly-remembered New York Star Trek '76 Con, taken January 1976.

Bonus: Seldom-seen series of photos of Nimoy in Spock makeup.

Now, if you were one of the creators of this magazine, or a contributor, please don't be offended by my labeling of it as "amateurish." This simply means as opposed to professional, but it is obviously a labor of love by fans, and for that it is enjoyable. If anyone feels I have wronged someone by this impartial observation, feel free to comment. If I didn't think the content was worth reproducing here, I wouldn't do it. On the contrary, it offers a view of the show and its cast and creators that the more professional magazines may not have had... and an excitement. So more power to them for getting the opportunity to connect with fans like us across the country! It might not have been as slick as Starlog and other contemporary publications, but what it lacked in style it made up for in enthusiasm for the subject matter.