Diane Marchant

Diane Marchant (31 December 1939 - 5 April 2006) was an influential and beloved Star Trek fan author, artist and activist, and was a co-founder and overseas representative of the Star Trek Welcommittee (STW). Joan Marie Verba refers to Diane as a "behind the scenes" fan and a "mainstay of Australian Star Trek fandom".Joan Marie Verba, Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan and Zine History, 1967 - 1987, (second edition) FTL Publications, 2003, p. 19.
Diane began watching Star Trek in 1967 and quickly became heavily involved in fandom.Diane Marchant biography in "Special Guests" section of the Trekcon 3 Booklet, transcribed by Anna Hepworth, at History of SF website Her introduction to Star Trek came out of a bad time in life,Geoff Allshorn, "Austrek - The Legacy Continues", in The Captain's Log #356, January 2024, p. 5. but tapped into Star Trek's utopian vision for the future, and directly led to her helping found the STW:
Many fans dedicated their zines to Marchant."Diane Marchant, and to all those lovers of Star Trek who feel that they are different from their friends and neighbors, and who feel lonely and isolated. May the love of all Trekkers reach out and comfort you." – The Stargazer"[I thank] Diane Marchant: Who has been holding her breath waiting for this book to come out. Who filled my head with wonderful praise and a few gentle criticisms. (Hope you haven't turned blue yet, It's been a long time in coming.) Also thanks for the drawings which where inspired by the first draft. Especially Spock by the ocean." – The Bond"To the memories of the great James Doohan and fan friend Diane Marchant." – Millennium #3"To Sondra Marshak and Dynie Marchant for believing in "Snowflakes"... and me. " – ...A Handful of Snowflakes and Other Trek Tales"These Are The Voyages" is dedicated with love and affection to:
GENE RODDENBERRY, who created the world of Star Trek, DIANE MARCHANT, who created the family of Aussie Star Trek fandom, and JESUS CHRIST, who created the entire Universe." – These Are the Voyages (Star Trek: TOS zine by Geoff Allshorn) Leslie Fish called her "The Fandom Queen of Oz" in the dedication to Outrider, and Geoff Allshorn suggested she was the creator of the Australian Star Trek family in his dedication within These Are The Voyages; he later referred to her as "the mother figure of Star Trek fandom in Australia." by Geoff Allshorn Diane later spoke of the Star Trek community in terms of family when she paid tribute to Gene Roddenberry in the Roddcon Program booklet:Marchant was an early member of Down Under Space Kooks (which later morphed into STAC and Astrex), joining that club in 1970. "NEW MEMBERS SINCE THE NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER: Adele Carlisle (New Zealand) and Diane Marchant (Victoria) This brings the present membership to 29." -- Terran Times #3 Chandler Award winner Edwina Harvey recalls how Diane helped her and a friend make contact with that club in their early days of fandom:
Diane attended the 1975 Star Trek Lives! convention (and maybe others in the 1970s in New York) where she escorted Gene and Majel Roddenberry to a room party. She also attended Aussiecon 1 (the first Australian Worldcon in 1975) where she held a room party showing Star Trek blooper reels. 
She became a prolific artist and author, particularly of fiction relating to Spock and Christine Chapel, (reflecting her personal favourite episode, Plato's Stepchildren, which features a romantic/sexual liaison between them).Geoff Allshorn, 'A Kiss Is Not Just A Kiss', Humanist blog, 1 August 2021. She sometimes signed artwork as "DSM" which also revisited her occasional signature (which she used in some correspondence) of "Diane S.T. Marchant", which included her middle initials (for 'Suzette Therese') and possibly alluded to Star Trek. 
She is well-known for having written the first published slash K/S story, "A Fragment Out of Time" in Grup #3 (1974) "Another friend, Diane Marchant, unwittingly started slash fiction, ie erotic m/m stories, called slash because it started with Kirk/Spock. She wrote something erotic on the end of a letter to someone big in Trek fandom, as a joke, and next thing she knew it had been published and everyone was doing their own stories about what Kirk and Spock get up to behind the scenes; while people take it very seriously these days, Diane’s preferred pairing was Spock and Nurse Chapel. She has passed away, so no chance to ask her now how she feels. It has moved on to many fandoms, but in those days all we had was Star Trek, and only the original series." -- comments by Sue Bursztynski: Joan Marie Verba, Boldly Writing: A Trekker Fan and Zine History, 1967 - 1987, (second edition) FTL Publications, 2003, p. 19., and its meta defense, "Pandora's Box... Again" in Grup #4 (1975).Joan Marie Verba, ibid, pp. 22 & 24. For years afterwards, ironically, she was somewhat reluctant to speak about this achievement.Geoff Allshorn, It's Life, Jim, But Not As We Know It, Bent Street #4.1, 24 July 2020, reprinted on Humanist Blog, 29 March 2023.
 
Originally becoming the overseas representative of the STW for the entire world outside of the USA, Marchant helped fans in many countries develop networks and fan groups - including Finland, UK, Germany, Japan, Turkey etc.quoted in Eric Scott, "Carry on Trekking!" in TV Times, 8 July 1978, p. 36 Then as each nation developed its own Trek community, she progressively withdrew her services and remained exclusively as STW representative for Australia only. In Australia, she answered copious numbers of letters sent to her by fans from all over the country, putting them in touch with each other or their local club. Her volunteer work in the STW was summarised in a biographical piece for the Trekcon 3 con booklet in 1987:
 
She also assisted the founding of the Star Trek fan club, Austrek, in Melbourne, Australia, often attending meetings where she presented the latest Star Trek news by reading from letters sent to her by her pen pals, Gene and Majel Roddenberry. She was a volunteer or Guest of Honour at many fan run conventions, including at Trekcons 1, 2 and 3 in 1978, 1980 and 1987 respectively; and at the first AussieTrek in 1979.
Diane spread the message about Star Trek widely: she was an original organizer of the Bob Johnson's Star Trek Marathons; and as a primary teacher, she was not averse to using Star Trek as an educational aid: 
In 1982, Gene Roddenberry sent an audio letter to Diane, which can be heard here on the Scotpress website.
After possibly 25 years of voluntary fan service, Diane resigned from the Star Trek Welcommittee in early 1994,The Captain's Log #200, March 1994. after the death of Gene Roddenberry and before the VIACOM crackdown. She dedicated herself instead to running a "Welcoming Committee" at her local church, and she kept in touch with a few of her fannish friends.
Marchant died on 5th April 2006.Sue Bursztynski at A Fannish Funeral - vale Diane Marchant!, 17 April 2006.Sue Bursztynski, Letter of Comment, Peregrine Nations Vol. 5 No. 4, January 2006, p. 4. Geoff Allshorn gave a eulogy on behalf of Star Trek fans at her funeral.
In 2023, Austrek established the Allshorn/Marchant award for dedicated service to the club. In response to this award, it was noted:
==Diane Looking Back, and Forward==
In 1991, on Star Trek's 25th anniversary, Marchant commented: 
==Interviews==
See Interview Excerpts.
* An Interview with Diane Marchant (1990)
* Legacy Interview with Diane Marchant (2006)
==List of Published Fanworks==
===Fiction and Art===
* A Pet Pad Frolic, cartoon as Marchant in The Nimoyan #1 (1970)
* cartoon as Marchant in Spock's Scribes (December 1971)
* cartoon, illustrated puzzle as Marchant in Spockulations #1 (1972)
* art as Marchant in Bags End Gazette (Summer 1972)
* "A Private Little War," illo as Dynie in Spockulations #2 January 1972)
* A Verse-A Rhyme-A Poem-A Game, poem/game as Marchant in The Nimoyan #2 (1972)
* A Fragment Out of Time, fiction and art as Marchant in Grup #3 (1974) 
* Solitude, poem as Marchant in Beyond Antares #2 (1975)
* Meditation -- Something Private, poem as Marchant in Beyond Antares #1 (1975)
* Reflections, poem as Marchant in Beyond Antares #2 (1975)
* That Which Struggled Deep Within, poem as Marchant in Beyond Antares #2 (1975)
* art as Marchant in Beta Niobe Revisited (1976)
* art as Marchant in Grup #5 (1976)
* art as Marchant in The Sensuous Vulcan (1977)
* McCoy's Brief Impressions of Vulcan, poem as Marchant in Beyond Antares #5 (1977)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #5 (1977)
* Fragments, fiction as Anonymous (the first eight segments) (1977-1978)
* art as Marchant in Star Daze #1 (1978)
* James Doohan International Club Newsletter (art in April 1977 and October 1978)
* Kirk, poem and art as Anonymous Spock #13 (1978)
* With Tongue in Cheek, fiction as Kert Rats and D.C.R. Spock #8 (1978)
* A Legend in Dream-time, fiction as Kert Rats in Spock #11 (1978)
* ? as Marchant in James Doohan International Club Newsletter (October 1978)
* A Place Out of Time, fiction as Kert Rats, art as Marchant Spock #14 (1979)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #12 (1980)
* art as Marchant in The Bond (1980)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #18/19 (1982)
* When Logic Fails, fiction as Kert Rats ("Challenge -- to be continued by you, the readers.") Spock #27 (1982)
* Triad, used the pseud "Suzette Therese," with Elwyn Conway (1985)
===Non-Fiction===
* recipes in The Trekker Cookbook (1997)
* Pandora's Box... Again, essay as Marchant in Grup #4 (1975)
* Concerning Spock, essay as Marchant in Beyond Antares #1 (1975)
* Analysis of Nurse Christine Chapel, essay as Marchant in Beyond Antares #1 (1975)
* screenshots from the blooper reel with humorous captions, as Kert Rats in Sub-Space #4 (1975)
* cartoon and graffiti wall as Kert Rats in Sub-Space #2 (1974)
 
* con report James Doohan International Club Newsletter (1975)
* article as Marchant in Menagerie #10 (1976)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #4 (1977)
* poem as Marchant in Beyond Antares #5/6 (1977)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #7 (1978)
* review of the zine To See Thee Smile, in Spock #16/17 (1979)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #12 (1980)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #15 (1980)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #18/19 (1982)
* Snippets from Kangaland, a regular column as Marchant (chatty descriptions of Nimoy mentioned in Australian media), printed in Renaissance #1, #2, #4 (1983)
* comment Roddcon (comments in the program book) (1983)
* art as Marchant in Beyond Antares #23 (1984)
* The Captain's Log #171, essay (1991)
===Convention Guest of Honor===
* AussieTrek (fan guest of honor) (1979)
* TrekCon #1 (1978), #2 (1980), #3 (1987) (fan guest of honor)
==Fan Club Activities==
* Star Trek Welcommittee
* Down Under Space Kooks
* Austrek
==Photos==
* Marchant was mentioned in an issue of TV Times, which called her "Australia’s number one fan of the show." This article includes a photo. photo (July 1978) 
* a photo of Marchant at Sol III is in G.H.T. Journal #15 (1987)
==Tuckerized==
Marchant was Tuckerized in several stories. Some examples: "The Pendulum" by Rebecca Ross in Obsc'zine #4: "Lt. Kelly Marchant helps Spock through a surprise attack of pon farr while on landing party."
==Sample Art==
===1971===
Image:spockulations1-2.jpg|from Spockulations #1 
file:Nimoyan2back.jpg|portrait of Nimoy's family from The Nimoyan #2 (sun damaged wear visible)
File:Scribesdec1971-1.jpg|from Spock's Scribes December 1971 issue
===1972===
File:Spockulations 2-13.jpg|from Spockulations #2, "A Private Little War"
=== 1973 ===
File:Grup2inside5.jpg |From Grup #2: February 1973 issue. Spock/Chapel 
===1974===
Image:fragout-1.jpg |from Grup #3: “Shut up…we’re by no means setting a precedent.”. This drawing appeared at the bottom of Diane Marchant's two-page Kirk/Spock story A Fragment Out of Time (1974) (1974) 
File:Fragout-2.jpg|from Grup #3: "Impossible?.... No Jim. I warned you about messing with aliens,.... especially Vulcans." This drawing appeared at the bottom of Diane Marchant's two-page Kirk/Spock story A Fragment Out of Time (1974)
===1975===
 Image:marchant1.jpg|an undated original illo of Spock drawn by Diane, accompanied by handwritten poetry later titled "Reflections" and printed in Beyond Antares #2 
 Image:marchant2.jpg|undated, the handwritten poetry by Diane that accompanies her illo of Spock: He is my leader... My captain.....The mirror of my human half. I know and appreciate his worth. We compliment each other. There is strength in our unity!... We both understand.... What best remain unspoken. This is later printed in Beyond Antares #2 with the title "Reflections" (1975)
Image:beyondant2poem1.jpg| "Reflections" from Beyond Antares #2 (1975)
Image:beyondant2poem3.jpg| the rough draft of "Solitude", later printed in Beyond Antares #2 
Image:beyondant2poem2.jpg| undated original work Image:beyondant2poem3.jpg| the rough draft of "Solitude", later printed in Beyond Antares #2 
Image:beyondant2poem2.jpg| undated original work 
Image:beyondant2poem4.jpg| "Solitude" from Beyond Antares #2 (1975)
Image:marchantoriginal-4.jpg|undated original work, rough draft of "That Which Struggled Deep Within", later printed in Beyond Antares #2 
Image:beyondant2poem5.jpg| "That Which Struggled Deep Within" from Beyond Antares #2 (1975)
File:grup4art3.jpg|from Grup #4
File:grup4art7.jpg|from Grup #4
File:marchantoriginal-1.jpg|undated original work, likely 1975
File:marchantoriginal-2.jpg|undated original work, likely 1975, possibly became part of the essay Concerning Spock or Pandora's Box... Again
File:marchantoriginal-3.jpg|undated original work, likely 1975
===1976===
File:Betanioberevisited-6.jpg|from the story "Fire and Ice" in Beta Niobe Revisited: When the glacier crushed the roof upon the mother cradling her newborn daughter, he had returned to the twittering scanners and dismissed Zarabeth's face from his mind -- she was 5000 years away and quite dead. Within the depths of those brown silk eyes, the deaths were recorded and hidden away. His heart cried. (1976)
===1977===
File:Sens-23.jpg|from The Sensuous Vulcan
File:Beyondantaresfour.jpg|from Beyond Antares #4
File:Diane Marchant artwork Spock -6-7 Oct-Dec1977.png|Uhura cover illustration from Spock #6&7 
The poem, "Nova," by Barbara Richley which accompanies Marchant's illo in "The Sensuous Vulcan":
===1978===
File:Grup6-9.jpg|from Grup #6
File:Beyondantaresseven.jpg|from Beyond Antares #7
===1979===
File:Spock14-4.jpg|from Spock #14
===1980===
Image:beyondantares12austrexmarchant.jpg|from Beyond Antares #12 (1980)
File:Thebond-7.jpg|from The Bond (1980) 
File:Thebond-8.jpg|from The Bond (1980) 
File:Thebond-9.jpg|from The Bond (1980) 
===1982===
 
File:Nomealternative2-2-3.jpg |from Nome v.2 n.2 (1982)
Image:Beyondantares1819austrexmarchant.jpg|from Beyond Antares #18/19 (1982) 
Image:Beyondantares1819austrexmarchant-1.jpg|from Beyond Antares #18/19 (1982) 
===1984===
Image:Beyondantares23art1.jpg|from Beyond Antares #23 (1984) 
==Interview Excerpts==
===1990===
See An Interview with Diane Marchant in The Captain's Log #150 (1990). An excerpt: 
===2007===
See Legacy Interview with Diane Marchant, published in 2007 as part of the K/S Legacy Project and in 2010 online here. An excerpt: 
==Fan Comments==
===2006===
===2007===
===2015===
===2018===
===2020===
{{Quotation|
Diane (1939 – 2006) was a long-time fan who personally knew Gene Roddenberry (the creator of Star Trek), and in many ways she became the mother figure of Star Trek fandom in Australia. She helped to found an international fan organisation called the Star Trek Welcommittee, and for many years was its overseas and/or Australian representative. In the days before the Internet, mobile phones or social media, she connected fans to support/friendship networks and local clubs, including my own fledgling effort at the time. Her informal Friday night home gatherings became a tradition for many fans. Diane dabbled in fan fiction (published in paper fanzines, not online), sometimes using the pen name of Kert Rats (or ‘Star Trek‘ backwards), and she helped to make fanfic history. Today would have been her birthday. Happy birthday, my friend. May your ideals live long and prosper. <ref name="GA">
==Additional Reading==
* by Tansy Rayner Roberts (2015)
* by Kaila Hale-Stern (2018)
* Life, But Not As We Know It: Star Trek, fan culture, and the Queering of Starfleet Command, by Geoff Allshorn (2020) 
==References==
Category:Deceased
Category:Fanartists
Category:Fanwriters
Category:Fan Club Organizers
Category:2006 Deaths