Hailing Frequencies Open: Creating Connections with Fan Letters
Update: As of December 2019, Google is discontinuing operation of Google Fusion Tables, but geocoding will break as early as August 2019. Google Fusion Tables was the original format of this exhibit, as described below. However, in order to ensure the continued operation of this exhibit, the Author has chosen to migrate the Map to Google My Maps, and the spreadsheet to a Google Sheet. Though these are two separate Google applications, using them in tandem creates a result that is quite similar to the original Google Fusion Tables exhibit. Perhaps this exhibit of the Star Trek fan community can also serve as an example of what a discontinued google service was capable of.
(JG, 7/31/2019)
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Intro:
This spatial study is an attempt to demonstrate how Star Trek fanzines connected the fandom. The dataset used is derived from fanletters sent in to two Star Trek fanzines: Spockanalia (issues #1-5) and T-Negative (issues #1-35). The purpose of this study is to emphasize how fanzines helped create a highly connected fandom in the pre-internet era, and also to form a body of primary source documents for further scholarly inquiry.
Despite fanzines predating the Trekkies, it was within Star Trek fandom that the concept of a fanzine thrived and gained traction beyond the insular science fiction fandom of the time. In a time before the internet and social media, fanzines allowed for the sharing of art and ideas across countries, oceans, and timezones. Thanks to fanzines, fans could share ideas across a far wider range than telephones or letters could handle.
Of even greater importance is that fanzines were not simply regular publications containing art, stories, and articles; they were also a means of communication between fans on a large scale. Through fanzines, fans could engage with other fans on more than a 1:1 ratio and over long distances. Any fan that read the fanzines, or sent in articles and stories effectively participated in interactions with other fans, but it is through the fanletters that fans most directly engaged with other members of the fandom.
Trekkies sent in fanletters to zines for just about any reason, be it to share a new credit for a Star Trek actor or ask a question, to advertise their own fanzine or share a story. Most often, however, fanletters were used to critique and discuss the art, articles, stories, and ideas published by other fans in these fanzines. It was quite common for a fanletter to critique an article, or counter with a new theory, and then have the article’s author respond in a later fanzine. This back-and-forth discourse was public and other fans could even chime in with their own thoughts through their own fanletters.
Fanzines were all about open communication and contribution; the sharing of one’s ideas and creative endeavors. The dialogues within these fanzines helped the Star Trek fandom develop and increase in sophistication over the course of a decade after the end of Star Trek: The Original Series. Fanzines helped keep fans engaged and passionate about the series, even if there were no other local fans or conventions to attend, and kept the discourse about various topics in the fandom active for years.
Though two fanzines are but an infinitesimal view of the body of Star Trek fanzines as a whole, Spockanalia and T-Negative are nevertheless two of the most influential fanzines published during the early years of Star Trek fandom, and thus are appropriate foci for this spatial study.
(Fanletter Chart, made in Google Fusion Tables. Exported to Google Sheet on 7/31/2019)
(Feature Map, made in Google Fusion Tables. Click bullets to see info. Hold Map to drag.
Exported to Google My Maps 7/31/2019)
(Screenshot of Heat Map, made in Google Fusion Tables. )
Map Methodology & Analysis:
This spatial study was created utilizing two applications: Microsoft Excel and Google Fusion Tables. The base data set of Year, Fanzine, Fanzine Issue, Letter Author, Author Location, and Letter Content was compiled in an Excel spreadsheet and then uploaded into a Google Fusion Table. Google Fusion Table is an experimental application which allows users to gather data, compile it into a table, and then visualize it both with individual cards and maps. This was selected as the application of choice for this exhibit due to its simple versatility, and the ability to display information both as a spreadsheet, and as multiple maps. Maps were created based on the addresses provided with the fan letters. There are two possible explanations for why fans wanted their personal addresses published: one was so other fans could write them letters directly, to carry on their own discussions. A second explanation is so Trekkies could ascertain if there were other fans in their general area.
From this data two fusion maps were created, a feature map showing all 243 points of data, and a heatmap, indicating where the greatest density of contributing fans were located. The feature map can be searched with filters for year, fanzine, fanzine volume, Letter Author, and Location. To encourage exploration, the fan letters are provided in their entirety, so visitors can read and trace discussions between writers, interests, and trends across time and great distances.
While it is possible to explore the maps without guidance, there are various methodologies employed which are worth discussing, to better understand the data presented.
First, it should be noted that not every fanzine issue had fanletters. Many early fanzines were devoid of them, as well as T-Negative #26. It is overall a very short fanzine issue, and fanletters were potentially omitted in order to speed up publication. Visitors may also notice pen markings within the fan letters connected to the map, and certainly within the fanzines located in the Archive section of the website. These markings are in the hand of the original owner of these fanzines, who wished to make note of fan letters relevant to her interests.
Next is the matter of selective uniformity, to ensure a more functional map. In most cases, celebrities and show writers for Star Trek did not include their address when sending letters to fanzines. These were no doubt omitted by the editors to protect their privacy. In these cases, the location given for the letters is Desilu Studios in Hollywood, California. This is the production studio that made Star Trek, and the cast received countless fan letters of their own at this location.
For reasons of their own, other letter writers sometimes did not provide their own addresses. In earlier fanzine issues it is possible the editors chose to not publish the addresses, but then changed their practices later. It also could have been an opt-in program, in which a letter writer asked for their address to be published or not. In some cases, individuals whose addresses were not published in earlier zines later did have their addresses published. In these cases, the published location is used for all letters written by that individual. This choice was made to best ensure a location to associate with these letters and individuals. This practice is also useful to tracking name changes. For example, Connie Reich did not have a listed address, but Connie Faddis did. With a little research, it was uncovered that Connie Reich and Connie Faddis are the same person. In some cases she even used the name Connie Reich Faddis for her writing.
There are however, individuals who never published their address, no matter how many letters they sent. For a missing location the author chose to use “???” when listing a location. Google Fusion Table uses geocoding to set geographic locations on the map. When “???” is used, the geocode sets this location as a small island called Bairiki, which is part of the country of Kiribati in the Pacific. As this island is part of a nation, the author felt it would skew the accuracy of the presented data. As such, a nonlocation was chosen to geographically represent these mystery addresses. The chosen location is Null Island. Null Island is off the west coast of Africa, and is itself a misnomer. There is no Null Island in truth. The name was given to the geographic location 0 latitude and 0 longitude (0,0), where the Prime Meridian and Equator intersect. All that exists at this geographic location is a weather buoy. The name Null Island is itself a bit of a joke, but nonetheless the location is assigned in databases such as this one to more easily find and fix them. As there is no alternative location based on the fanzines at hand, Null Island is where the fan letters bearing no addresses are represented.
Null Island Buoy. Credit to Graham Curran, 29 January 2017 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Null_Island_2017.jpg )
Null Island Location. Credit to Eric Limer, 7 July 2016. (https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/a21722/null-island-sure-is-popular-for-a-place-that-doesnt-really-exist/ )
Findings:
The letters and maps can be used to discern more about the lives of the fans who wrote in to the fanzines. Some fans wrote fanletters to be published in almost every zine, sometimes even sending in multiple letters. Fans could get married and change their names, or move to a new home. Sarah Thompson of Lexington, Kentucky was a fan particularly curious about Mr. Sulu’s ancestry. It was known he was portrayed as predominantly Japanese, but Sulu is not a Japanese name. In another letter, Sarah wrote from Tokyo, Japan. Though the letter from Tokyo is not about Mr. Sulu’s ancestry, it does indicate that she was interested in Japan beyond curiosity about Mr. Sulu. Maybe she was interested in the culture, or travelled there for school or business. There is no answer, but it does indicate more about her life and interests.
Another unique example is the case of Pat Gildersleeve of Lincoln, Nebraska. Pat wrote many fan letters to T-Negative, but had one idiosyncrasy present in all but one of their letters: the abbreviation for Nebraska. The official abbreviations for all 50 U.S. states were made in 1963. Only one changed however, Nebraska. Originally, Nebraska’s abbreviation was “NB,” however this was changed in 1969 to “NE” so as to not be confused with the abbreviation for New Brunswick, Canada. Though the earliest letter written by Pat Gildersleeve is from 1973, they use the “NB” abbreviation for all but their final letter from 1979. Initially it was considered that they were writing from New Brunswick, but a search of their address revealed it to indeed be from Nebraska. This poses the question of why Pat did not use the official state abbreviation, even though the change had taken place long before they sent any letters to T-Negative. Vickie Kirlin of Omaha, Nebraska also sent in a letter in 1973, but she used the official “NE” abbreviation. Did Pat disagree with the abbreviation change, or just not care? Did others Nebraskans disagree with the abbreviation change? Unfortunately the letters sent to T-Negative provide no answer, but they do pose an interesting question which could lead to further research, even beyond the limitations of Star Trek.
These fan letters clearly indicate the high level of participation within the Star Trek Fandom during the late 1960s to mid-1970s. The heatmap in particular reveals the areas in which participating fans were concentrated, specifically in the Los Angeles area of California, and around New York City. This is likely due to these two areas being highly populated, but also were important locations for Star Trek. The series was filmed in Hollywood, and NBC headquarters were located in New York City. It seems reasonable that these two locations would therefore have higher concentrations of highly engaged fans. The lack of fan letters from other areas could have several explanations. The most likely is that Star Trek may not have had much of a fanbase in these areas, especially if Star Trek was not shown on local networks after its syndication. Even though these fanletters indicated a high level of participation, these fanzines only date to 1979, which is very early in the existence of Star Trek Fandom.
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These letters provide a means of academic inquiry directly into the lives of individual fans. It encourages a researcher to look beyond the generalizing label of “fan” or “Trekkie” to explore exactly what these individuals were interested in. The fan letters can be used to dispel stereotypical perceptions, and humanize the fans as multifaceted individuals with varied interests and also concerns with regards to the beloved television series.
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Perhaps because Star Trek depicts a utopian future, certain fans were eager to discuss the fictional future in relation to their present. The fanzines provided a safe space for women to discuss gender stereotypes in media, and debate improvements. Though Star Trek presented a highly diverse main cast, women were often not nearly as diverse in their on-screen portrayal. Both the limited characterization of female characters and the highly impractical mini-skirt uniforms for female Star Fleet members were subject to criticism and debate across many fan letters. These letters indicate that these women, possibly as a result of the popularity of the Feminist Movement of the 1960s and 1970s, were beginning to question the societal expectations of women, and how those expectations should be addressed in a futuristic setting. It is also reflective of the high percentage of female contributors to the fanzines. As these were female-dominated spaces, women were likely more comfortable with discussing gender-related issues within their pages than they would be if it were male-dominated.
Credits:
Spockanalia was created by Debra and Devra Langsam and Sherna Comerford. T-Negative was created by Ruth Berman. All contents within these fanzines belong to their respective owners.