It was the pre-publicity for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (aka TMP) that made me into an avid ST fan, way back in December 1979. The nightly newspaper here in Sydney carried a week of facinating updates from the set by Aussie journalist, James Oram, who did interviews and observations during filming. It made me recall the animated Star Trek series (TAS), which played in colour reruns on "The Super Flying Fun Show" breakfast television, with Miss Marilyn!
I hadn't really seen much of the original live-action series (TOS). The clincher was an intriguing review of TMP made by a school friend at my 21st birthday party. He'd just been to the Australian gala premiere in Sydney - the old marble and retro-art deco Paramount Theatre had been populated by wacky fans in costume, who applauded all the opening credits and each actor's first scene - and it all really intrigued me. The movie didn't open for general release for another week
Meanwhile, I encountered the novelization in the local supermarket (read it in a weekend), bought the soundtrack with a birthday gift certificate, and finally went (by myself) to see the movie - and was blown away by it. I have since worked out that it had to be a daytime session on Christmas Eve, and I came home with second hand copies of several Blish and Foster adaptations of TOS and TAS episodes. (I recall showing my grandmother my already-expanding collection of Trek stuff on Christmas Day!) With TMP, I felt like I was on that starship; thanks to director Robert Wise, whose direction made the whole film so real to me. I needed to see the movie about four times before finally spotting the cool, new aliens I'd seen in the official program book, the LP's inner sleeve, and
Starlog and
Starburst magazines.
Later, discovering organised ST fandom via the monthly ANZAC House episode marathons, I was shocked that most diehard TOS fans hated the movie and called it "boring". For me, I was ready for the sequel
the next week, and how did I scream when I realised TMP was originally to have been "Star Trek: Phase II", a weekly TV show! Oh well, I spent the next few years reading ST novels, catching up on old TOS and TAS I hadn't seen and researching details on ST II.
In the 70s and 80s, Sydney- and Melbourne-based fans of "Star Trek" ("the original series") owed a lot to each other in keeping their fandom alive. Communal watching of episodes in USA was often reported from university dorms in the 60s, and Australians living in our two biggest capitals were able to tap into that phenomenon with Bob Johnston's "Star Trek" Marathons at ANZAC House, opposite our Hyde Park. Bob would send episodes down to the Melbourne fans to run monthly Marathons, too.
Seeing TOS
(six episodes, later five episodes plus a TAS ep.,) on the big screen at monthly gatherings was how
our original fans got their Star Trek fix - and how new fans, drawn into fandom by ST:TMP, caught up with what had gone before. The TV network holding the rights to TOS had sat on them after first-run, rather than repeat the episodes
(only about eight when colour TV debuted in 1975).
The marathons in the CBD offered a regular meeting place for fans, a place to buy the rarer merchandise and fanzines, and two intermissions where shy and gregarious fans alike could strike up a conversation with a new friend over a devon-and-cheese sandwich (later - toasted as jaffles!) and a paper cup of Coca-Cola. And know they would have at least an appreciation of Star Trek in common, if nothing else.
A few months before ST II arrived in cinemas, a rival TV network snapped up the rights to TOS... and fandom just got stronger. The marathons survived - barely - two venue moves after ANZAC House (and its theatrette) was demolished.
TMP is still my favourite ST movie (now equaled by the 2009 film), and perhaps my favourite movie of all time.
The Lights of Zetar by
Ian McLean, on Flickr
For the longest time, my elusive episode of the original series was "The Lights of Zetar". I'd heard it wasn't too good but written by Lamb Chop's puppeteer Mum, Shari Lewis(!).
Finally, it was advertised as airing on a Sunday afternoon in the 80s, when a group of diehard "Star Trek" fans were committed to dressing in Starfleet uniform to sell food at a "Doctor Who" function that was being filmed for a TV news segment. (The British TV journalist, Janet Street-Porter, was very impressed that I'd gone to the trouble of Andorian makeup in addition to my red Starfleet shirt.)
I set up the VCR and we ventured off for the big event. We finished much earlier than expected and I arrived home, with me still dressed as an Andorian - but with just minutes to spare before the episode began its broadcast. Since I was now home to watch (and tape it), I had to switch tapes to my commercials-free version, and line up the new tape at its proper place. A frantic few moments, which my parents thought was quite hilarious and quite unnecessary. Breathlessly, I collapsed into a chair just as the episode started.
Suddenly, a carload of unexpected relatives arrived: my brother, his wife, her parents, I think, and perhaps even my sister-in-law's sister!
My mother let them all in, and was asking who wanted tea and coffee, just as the camera on TV was panning the dead researchers of Memory Alpha - and there were
two dead Andorians lying on the floor! Now, I'd read the "Star Trek Concordance" many times, but Bjo Trimble had never mentioned there were Andorians in that episode! So I was getting quite excited and animated.
My relatives, who knew I was an avid fan, just stood there, shaking their heads sadly.
"We knew he liked 'Star Trek'," they said, "but we had no idea he got dressed up just to watch the episodes..."
