Kirk and the Lightfleet

[Skipper]

Hello everyone. I don't know if this is the right forum, so if I'm wrong I kindly ask the moderators to move the post

Many years ago (more than 30) I read in an Italian Star Trek fanzine about a series of fanfiction published in American fanzines in which it was imagined that Kirk was kicked out of StarFleet and was hired by an association called "Lightfleet". I don't know why it stuck with me but obviously in the late 80's without the internet it was hard to find more about it.

Lately (I honestly don't know why) it has come back to my mind and I've started looking for some information on the internet, but I'd like to know if anyone has read these stories and if they could give me an opinion.

Thanks to anyone who can answer me!

 

[Steve Roby]

Have a look here: http://www.simegen.com/fandom/startrek/au4/

Alternative Universe 4 seemed to have a fairly high profile in 1970s Star Trek fandom, partly because Shirley Maiewski was a relatively big name fan. One of her stories was published in Star Trek: The New Voyages, an officially licenced book, but I don't think it has any Lightfleet/AU 4 connections. I've got the second volume of the fanzine in print but, like about half of my fanzine collection, I haven't read it yet.

 

[F. King Daniel]

For whatever it's worth, if you want to seek out more classic fanfic, search "star trek fanzine" on archive.org. Hundreds of old fanzines are scanned and archived, including most of the classics.

 

[publiusr]

I bet several fanzines have some fan designed ship drawing.

I hope someone compiles them in one volume.

 

[Steve Roby]

That’s not something I remember the average fanzine publishers caring about much at all. One possible exception might have been Randall Landers’s Orion Press zines, which were much more oriented towards a consistent continuing storyline with more military action than other, more character-based fanzines.

 

[publiusr]

That’s not something I remember the average fanzine publishers caring about much at all. One possible exception might have been Randall Landers’s Orion Press zines, which were much more oriented towards a consistent continuing storyline with more military action than other, more character-based fanzines.

There may be a forgotten jewel in the rough…perhaps long forgotten…

 

[Therin of Andor]

Alternative Universe 4 seemed to have a fairly high profile in 1970s Star Trek fandom, partly because Shirley Maiewski was a relatively big name fan. One of her stories was published in Star Trek: The New Voyages, an officially licenced book, but I don't think it has any Lightfleet/AU 4 connections. I've got the second volume of the fanzine in print but, like about half of my fanzine collection, I haven't read it yet.

Fanlore is a good archive/wiki for fanfic:
https://www.fanlore.org/wiki/Alternate_Universe_4
https://fanlore.org/wiki/Echerni:_The_Lightfleet_Letters

I've started looking for some information on the internet, but I'd like to know if anyone has read these stories and if they could give me an opinion.

There are also excerpts of reader reviews over the decades, on those wiki pages, including the opinion of James Doohan!

 

[F. King Daniel]

I've spent hours reading the fan letters from Interstat on fanlore. Trekkies haven't changed a bit
Highlights here.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I've spent hours reading the fan letters from Interstat on fanlore. Trekkies haven't changed a bit
Highlights here.

It’s TrekBBS in paper form! At least fandom is consistent, anyway!

Honestly don’t think I’ve ever heard the term “Trekfen” before…

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I'm unclear on the etymology, but "fen" was the plural of "fan" in sci-fi fandom. I'm sure I first encountered it in the Best of Trek books.

 

[Victoria]

I'm unclear on the etymology, but "fen" was the plural of "fan" in sci-fi fandom. I'm sure I first encountered it in the Best of Trek books.

Fan becomes Fen as in Man becomes Men.

 

[Christopher]

Fan becomes Fen as in Man becomes Men.

Yeah, and it was in use by the early 1950s. It was adopted in part to distinguish SF/fantasy fandom from sports fans, or so the etymologies claim.

 

[The Realist]

I read the "Alternate Universe 4" stories decades ago. I really liked them at the time, partly because of the connections to

Spoiler

"Assignment: Earth,"

one of my fave TOS episodes and a concept I always loved. I remember I also was a fan of one of the series' original characters (T'Ares Malon), and thought one of the contributors, Virginia Tilley, was among the better fanfic writers. That's about all I can recall after lo these many years.

 

[Steve Roby]

I've spent hours reading the fan letters from Interstat on fanlore. Trekkies haven't changed a bit

Oh, I'd like to think I have enough sense now not to get caught up in some the stuff I did back then.