What The Papers Said!

In the latest issue of Star Trek Magazine, Mark Phillips explains how old newspaper articles often got it wrong when trying to publicise a new show called Star Trek. Here's a taster...

In the 21st Century, fans of Star Trek – and indeed of most TV shows – are pretty spoiled. Want information about a character or actor? Turn to the internet, and you can usually find out precisely what you need to know within seconds, courtesy of search engines and dedicated sites such as StarTrek.com. But when Star Trek began in 1966, the idea of easy access to a "library computer" like that was as much science fiction as warp engines or the transporter. Newspapers and magazines were the main sources of information – and they didn't always get it right.

Mr. Spock's eyebrows would have raised over some of the outrageous mistakes made by 1960s newspaper writers, who frequently got their facts wrong about Star Trek. Many columnists had different ideas over when the series took place. The Los Angeles Times said, "Star Trek is a drama set 200 years from now." But syndicated writer Don Page claimed, "It is set several thousand years from now." Columnist Tom Weigel pinned it down to the year 2099, while The Cleveland Press said it was 2166, and TV Guide magazine stated the year as 2168. (To be fair, the first specific indication that the show was set in the 23rd Century came with the movies – the information prior to that was contradictory, to say the least.)

Mr. Spock particularly confused columnists. The L.A. Times referred to him as "Mr. Spook," for example. These things happen, especially if typos are involved. But some articles had trouble identifying where Spock was from. The Modesto Bee said he was a Martian, The Evening Independent labeled him "a Venusian,' and a 1968 New York Times blurb called him "a robot." One macabre analysis of Spock by UPI said he had no blood and he was a "bloodless Vulcan" (perhaps based on a mishearing of one of Dr. McCoy's many insults).

You can read the full article in Star Trek Magazine #39 (US numbering), on sale now.

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