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"Starlog" to cease print publication

A

Admiral Buzzkill

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Admiral
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I guess it doesn't matter much, now. But in 1977-1980, "Starlog" magazine was just about the only reliable source of information for a lot of us, cutting through the rumors about what was going on with the Star Trek revival - first the Kaufman movie, then the "Phase II" series, then ST:TMP, then the removal of Roddenberry and his replacement by (horrors!) that guy who did "The Six Million Dollar Man" - somebody named Bennett...

Seriously, over time I figured out exactly what day of the month the local "Drug Fair" would shelve the next issue, and calculated from other available information just how far in advance of publication the 'zine's editorial deadline was - anything you read in "Starlog" was six weeks old, and that was pretty damned fresh and up-to-date. The first pictures of the new Enterprise sets, the new exterior design of the ship, the first rumbles of trouble with the effects on the film and possible release-date issues...found all that out in "Starlog."

In 1981 I discovered "Variety" and then it didn't matter so much. But damn...everything changes and nothing lasts forever.
 
Starship Polaris said:
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I guess it doesn't matter much, now. But in 1977-1980, "Starlog" magazine was just about the only reliable source of information for a lot of us, cutting through the rumors about what was going on with the Star Trek revival - first the Kaufman movie, then the "Phase II" series, then ST:TMP, then the removal of Roddenberry and his replacement by (horrors!) that guy who did "The Six Million Dollar Man" - somebody named Bennett...

Seriously, over time I figured out exactly what day of the month the local "Drug Fair" would shelve the next issue, and calculated from other available information just how far in advance of publication the 'zine's editorial deadline was - anything you read in "Starlog" was six weeks old, and that was pretty damned fresh and up-to-date. The first pictures of the new Enterprise sets, the new exterior design of the ship, the first rumbles of trouble with the effects on the film and possible release-date issues...found all that out in "Starlog."

In 1981 I discovered "Variety" and then it didn't matter so much. But damn...everything changes and nothing lasts forever.
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Wow..I remember all of THAT. stewie....sad day indeed..

Rob
 
WHOAH!!!!!

I guess this probably wouldn't mean much to the kids these days, if they even know what "Starlog" is, but this is SHOCKING news to me!

But then, I guess this was inevitable, what with the 'net giving info AS IT HAPPENS, rather than from three months ago.


Still......feels weird. It's like "Starlog" should have ALWAYS been around.
 
A sad day indeed. Can't even remember a time without Starlog.

Anyone know how sister publication FANGORIA is doing?
 
Very sad news!

Starlog was where I got my Trek news in the 1980's. I remember it was quite complicated to order it; there was no internet then and no easy way to transfer money from my little North European country to the US, but somehow I managed. I wonder where the old issues are, probably in my parents' basement or something..
 
Extremely sad indeed. Unfortunately, that's where the traditional of print journalism is headed. While the Internet is far more voluminous and up to date, there's just so much noise related to sci-fi entertainment (probably 95% of it bogus) that it's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. When someone was published in Starlog, you knew there was solid reporting behind it. You see something on AICN or one of these other sites, and it could just be some BS emailed in by an anonymous guy in his basement.
 
I remember with great fondness David Hutchison's three part series on the opening of the then Epcot Centre. I raced into my high school library and asked for the magazine(new issues kept behind the desk on a shelf on display)and poured over the articles. I LOVED those articles, especially since they were written in a "the future is HERE and we will soon have our flying cars!!!!" type of way.


Wonderful memories!
 
Well, bummer.

I fondly remember the early issues of that magazine with their episode guides for various series and lots of background info I hadn't seen on so many classic films. I remember it being the first place i had seen anything about a new movie coming soon called Star Wars, and how interesting it looked. I was in high school when Starlog first appeared, and that was it as far as news and info in the world of science fiction. Another piece of my youth disappears. *sigh*
 
Whoa. I can't say I'm surprised, though. Like the OP said, at one time it was my ONLY source for scifi/fantasy news and information, but these days....WOW. It is so over-priced for such a thin magazine, and by the time it comes to print, all the information is at least a few weeks out of date. In the age of the internet, it just can not survive.

A pity, but the truth. Still, I have fond memories of how excited I was to get a copy. It made me feel connected to all the other geeks in the world.
 
To be honest I never really got much out of Starlog to begin with. Even 20 years ago, it always came across as just a shill for the movie studios, with no viewpoint or personality of it's own.

I'd usually just flip through for the little cartoons. :D
 
Well, in 1977 I wasn't looking for a viewpoint - just news. Press releases from the studios, or shilling for them, would have been welcome as long as they contained information. It's probably impossible to describe just how little information was available about upcoming sf/fantasy movies or how they were made in those days. There was always plenty of rumor in fandom about what was going on ("Well, I know a girl in Los Angeles who belongs to this Trek club that did a fanzine interview with George Takei, and she says that the movie is dead") with Trek, but trustworthy information? Not much.
 
Great, first Anime Insider and now this. Why are my fave genre magazines getting put out so close together?
 
I used to read the hell out of Starlog, like I mean I'd get an issue an read every bit of newsprint on it, eventually reading those weird ads in the back, and all the little notices and cartoons and whatever, and then read 'em again. In those days I'd daydream about projects that you were given just enough information about in the previews (and be inevitably disappointed with how they'd turn out :lol:). However, I suspect for some of you with fond memories, you might not have actually bought an issue in quite some time.

Funny seeing Trek on the cover of #1, I wouldn't be surprised if a picture of a reborn Trek was on the cover of their final issue.
 
Read every issue cover-to-cover from about 78-82, then, as the OP noted, I moved on to other magazines, other concerns in life. Not sure if I miss the mag or am just being nostalgic for being 14-18 years of age.

Sir Rhosis
 
Sad news indeed.. Back in the dau there simply was no other source for a lot of genre stuff.

Although they were the source of my first-ever spoiler anger... they covered the leaked TMP script and gave V'ger's identity, which I read with realizing it -- not imagining they'd print something like that -- and was REALLY pissed for a long time. My friends swore me to secrecy and I didn't get to see when I would have figured it out. :mad:

...but they'll still be missed.
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