The Star Trek magazine

[ronny]

I've never gotten any of the Star Trek magazines before issue 13, I always assumed it was all adds, puff pieces on the movie which I don't want to read about until I see it and interviews with the actors, until I read somewhere that KRAD was writing an article defending season 3 so I thought I would check it out. I was very surprised to find half a dozen articles by Star Trek writers that post here. I'm assuming this is not news to a lot of people here.

I'm just wondering if that's par for the course and I've just been missing out or that's an unusual issue. Will future issues have a lot of articles by the writers of the books?

 

[KRAD]

^ You've been missing out. For, like, over a year....

 

[PaulSimpson]

^ You've been missing out. For, like, over a year....

Yes, the lunatics took over the asylum about issue 5...

Seriously, commissioned writers for the next three issues who are also Trek novelists include: KRAD, Terri Osborne, Dayton Ward & Kevin Dilmore, Dave Mack, David McIntee, James Swallow, Michael Jan Friedman, Bob Greenberger, Jill Sherwin, Robert Jeschonek, Christopher L. Bennett, Michael A. Martin, Kirsten Beyer, with loads of others having contributed in the past, or in discussions to partake in future.

Of course, when the movie hits, there'll be more on that than there is at present - but I am hoping that even then, book fans will find some nice Easter eggs within the issues.

Back issues are of course available...

Paul Simpson
Editor, Star Trek Magazine

 

[Steve Roby]

I'm just wondering if that's par for the course and I've just been missing out or that's an unusual issue.

You've been missing out. I used to get really frustrated with the old Star Trek Communicator magazine, and for its last few years saw buying it as a fannish responsibility rather than something to look forward to. There was the content-free Rick Berman news update, the snarky and frequently wrong column by Richard Arnold, the endless pages reporting on the current activities of every star, guest star, recurring actor, and extra who'd ever been on any incarnation of Star Trek, too many "I'd never know that racism/sexism/violence/whatever is bad if not for the important moral lessons Star Trek taught me" editorials and fan articles, etc.

The current Star Trek magazine, on the other hand, is something I look forward to. Paul has said that part of the reason there's so much focus on the Star Trek books is that there's no filmed Trek to focus on, and I assume that the coming movie will increasingly dominate the magazine's pages, but still, there's never been a Trek magazine that treats the novels and their writers with the kind of coverage and the kind of respect this one gives them.

 

[Dayton Ward]

^ I'm obviously pretty biased, but I rather enjoyed the stuff I got to co-write with Kevin for the old Communicator. The articles we did on time travel, war, and "canon" in particular were fun to write, mostly because of the awesome material Kevin scored while interviewing the various writers on the shows.

That said, I could've done without the pages of "updates" on Red Shirt #5/etc., and I hated the Richard Arnold column. I enjoyed working with Dan Madsen and Larry Nemecek, but things started to go downhill for me when Dan was removed from the picture and Decipher took over (and promptly dropped the ball). The fact that they ended up dicking writers out of money doesn't endear them to me, either (Decipher, not Dan and Larry, who are two of the nicest casts you'll ever meet.)

At its heart, the STC was always a fan-club newsletter first and foremost, just given slick makeovers as years went on, so I never judged it on its ability to deliver timely "news." Besides, there's no such thing as "timely" and "news" when you have to run everything past Paramount (now CBS), and do so months ahead of projected publication. That's why I like the current magazine's focus on features, interviews, and so on...material that doesn't automaticaly have a freshness date attached to it.

Just my 2 quatloos.

 

[Lonemagpie]

That said, I could've done without the pages of "updates" on Red Shirt #5/etc., and I hated the Richard Arnold column. I enjoyed working with Dan Madsen and Larry Nemecek, but things started to go downhill for me when Dan was removed from the picture and Decipher took over (and promptly dropped the ball). The fact that they ended up dicking writers out of money doesn't endear them to me, either (Decipher, not Dan and Larry, who are two of the nicest casts you'll ever meet.)

Hm, strange, I never got done out of any from the Communicator...

I don't miss the Arnold column or the vapid Berman news stuff etc, but I did enjoy doing the analytical articles and retrospectives that I got to do.

 

[BryanSorensen]

I used to get Star Trek: The Magazine when it was still available...I got a bunch of their back issues. I liked the artwork they would do on whatever featured ship or crew they had. Showing all the bridges and different sections of our favorite starships and space stations. Its a shame it ended when it did

 

[James Swallow]

^ You've been missing out. For, like, over a year....

A year? Heh. Rookies...

I started out as a media journo before I got into prose writing, and over the years, there's been over a dozen different Star Trek magazines among my regular gigs as writer and editor. I started writing for the publication that is now Star Trek Magazine waaay back in issue #29 (I'm talking about the UK numbering here) and I'm still doing the odd piece now and then 111 issues later. It's been an important part of my writing career and I'm pleased it's still going strong.

 

[KRAD]

^ I said over a year, and specifically for having flipping great wodges of Trek prose stylists contributing.

As it happens, my first piece was in 2005, so I'm still a rookie by your standards.

 

[Dayton Ward]

^ I'm pretty sure the only one who can give him a run for his money is Kevin D.

 

[TerriO]

Will future issues have a lot of articles by the writers of the books?

I hope so!

*says the person who needs to take a final pass at the next article for Paul realdamnsoon*


This whole Trek phenomenon. I like writing about it.

 

[PaulSimpson]

*says the person who needs to take a final pass at the next article for Paul realdamnsoon*

I'm waiting

 

[Ktrek]

Ronnie - I have collected Star Trek magazines since the early 90's and I think the current magazine is one of the best to come along. The only magazine I put above it would be the now defunct Star Trek: The Magazine, which was absolutely top class. It ended its run too soon in my opinion. I do find that I read the current magazine from cover to cover though, even if I know some of the facts from the Internet, and I guess that would be a good thing as it means I enjoy reading it.

Kevin

 

[BrotherBenny]

I tore through the latest issue in two days and WOW!!

I'm gonna buy two copies of ST101, one for my collection and one for my friend who wonders why the hell I like this universe.

 

[PaulSimpson]

I tore through the latest issue in two days and WOW!!

I'm gonna buy two copies of ST101, one for my collection and one for my friend who wonders why the hell I like this universe.

It was just a shame we didn't have room to reprint some of the material - I promise you, you'll never look at Star Trek quite the same way again!

 

[BrotherBenny]

I tore through the latest issue in two days and WOW!!

I'm gonna buy two copies of ST101, one for my collection and one for my friend who wonders why the hell I like this universe.

It was just a shame we didn't have room to reprint some of the material - I promise you, you'll never look at Star Trek quite the same way again!

Are you going to print some of the material in a later issue to complement something else?? And I like the new additions BTW.

 

[Super Grover]

I used to subscribe to the communicator for a number of years. I always enjoyed it. Should have checked out the Star Trek Magazine more, but it was just more magazines than I needed. I'll give this new one a shot.

 

[PaulSimpson]

I tore through the latest issue in two days and WOW!!

I'm gonna buy two copies of ST101, one for my collection and one for my friend who wonders why the hell I like this universe.

It was just a shame we didn't have room to reprint some of the material - I promise you, you'll never look at Star Trek quite the same way again!

Are you going to print some of the material in a later issue to complement something else?? And I like the new additions BTW.

I meant pages from Star Trek 101 itself - which everyone will be able to get soon (if it's not out yet!)

P

 

[startrekfiero]

there's never been a Trek magazine that treats the novels and their writers with the kind of coverage and the kind of respect this one gives them.

Though not a novel, my new "Star Trek The Collectibles" book is due out within a few weeks.

Paul, is there anyway of getting some detailed info or maybe even an interview with me about this book in time for the next magazine issue?
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tpI4wLSIL._SS500_.jpg
ISBN-10: 0-89689-637-4
I believe that my publisher Krause has set it up to have an add of some sort on the book in the Star Trek magazine, but maybe we could get more than just that into the next issue.
BTW: Here is a pic of me enjoying the latest issue of the Star Trek Magazine:

Yeah I know, I am your typical Trekkie and memorabilia collector

Steve

 

[BrotherBenny]

Okay, surely you've pimped the book in enough threads and moved into trolling???

Mods?