Command Center

Command Center is a gen Space: 1999 newsletter and letterzine for Main Mission Alpha, a fan club. 
Topics included: con reports, feuding between Star Trek and Space:1999 fans, how Space:1999 fit in with other science fiction being offered at the time, conflicts between fan clubs, some reviews of fan works, what it meant to be a fan, and various letter campaigns. 
This newsletter appears to be a successor to Main Mission Alpha.
Once a year, members also received Alpha Log along with their newsletter.
Many issues of "Command Center" have been scanned in here.
==Alphan Biographies==
One unique feature of these newsletters were the self-insertion, round-robin role-playing letters called "Alphan Biographies" which morphed into their own activity, a shared, metaphysical universe. While not early as robust and organized as ITOWverse, there are many similarities. Another sort-of related activity is Forever Knight Wars.
See Alphan Biographies for more.
==Oct/Nov 1976 Issue==
== Dec 1976 Issue ==
* contains a short story called "Christmas Spirit" 
* contains the Moonbase Alpha version of "The Night Before Christmas"
* other unknown content
==Jan/Feb 1977 Issue ==
==Mar/April 1977 Issue==
* news of the Fantastic Journey cancellation
==May/June 1977 Issue==
* a special Nick Tate birthday issue
* Space:1999 character bios
* Star Wars salute
* first letter column
==July/Aug 1977 Issue==
Command Center (v.2 n.8) was published in July/Aug 1977 and contains 10 pages. 
* contains an update about a zine, Avatar #5: 
* it is a Barbara Bain special
* August Party con report, see that page
* the TOTM was "what would you change about the show?"
==Sept/Oct 1977 Issue==
* Zienia Merton issue
* Star Trek America con reports
* book and episode reviews
==Nov/Dec 1977 Issue ==
* Space:1999 con news
* episode review of "Collision Course"
==Jan/Feb 1978 Issue==
Command Center was published in Jan/Feb 1978 and contains 8 pages. It was edited by Gail Paradis.
* this issue is dedicated to Martin Landau and contains a biography of him
* the new editor explains why some things are late in arrival: lack of her own typewriter, mail lost by the postal service, and a big blizzard
* Mary Bloemker gives an update on the club's typewriter fund -- they are half-way there and are planning a raffle, she thanks several fans for their donations
* there is a quiz compiled by fans
* there are several letters from fans talking about their favorite episodes and characters
* several fans write letters about how Space:1999 should be judged on its own merit, and should not be compared to Star Trek
* includes a fan's review of an episode
* "How Not to Get to New York City for a Star Trek Convention" by Mary Bloemker
* a fan writes of her lack of interest in some of the science in the show at the expense of what's interesting, citing a nitpick that the moon is always brightly lit no matter where it is is and what time it is: 
* there is a personal statement from Mary Hartery: 
==Mar/Apr 1978 Issue==
Command Center was published in March/April 1978 and contains 6 pages.
* the editor "introduces" the club's typewriter -- "Maya" is a Smith Coronet Cartridge 12 with the special feature of changeable ribbon cartridges. The club president has been able to pay the deposit -- "Only ten more payments to go and she's all ours!"
* this issue has an episode review of "Full Circle"
* this issue has a short quiz
* this issue has a short update from the Springfield Space:1999 fan club
* a fan writes: 
* a fan writes: 
* a fan writes: 
==May/June 1978 Issue==
Command Center was published in May/June 1978 and contains 8 pages. The front cover is by Rosie Badgett, the back cover by Kathi Higley.
* here is much about the Space:1999 convention in Columbus, Ohio that is just about to occur
* a fan reviews the "Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook"
* a fan reviews the tie-in book "Planets of Peril" 
* this issue has some info on the fan campaign for more Space:1999 commercial merchandise
* a fan wants to know why there is soil in the hydroponics lab
* a fan asks others what they think the new Star Trek movie will do to Space:1999 fandom
* some fans discuss a name change for the letter column of this zine; the current name is "The Forum"
* a fan reviews the episode "Ring Around the Moon"
* a fan reviews the music for the first season
* there is much crabbiness about the postal service
==July/Aug 1978 Issue==
Command Center was published in July/August 1978 and contains 12 pages.
==Sept/Oct 1978 Issue==
Command Center was published in Sept/Oct 1978 and contains 12 pages.
* this issue contains five con reports for SpaceCon
* a con report for Phantasmicon '78
* part two of a fan's review of season one's music
* a fan's review of the episode "End of Eternity"
* the first installment of the column: "Dear Psyche" by Jeff Barber
* the back cover features an illo of Martin Landau and Kermit The Frog, artist is Alice Newsome
==Nov/Dec 1978 Issue==
Command Center was published in Nov/Dec 1978 and contains 10 pages.
==Jan/Feb 1979 Issue==
Command Center was published in Jan/Feb 1979 and contains 10 pages.
* the editor apologizes for the lateness of this issue; it is printed in an area occupied by Harvard, Radcliffe and M.I.T. and those institutions' print jobs take priority
* there is a con report (with some focus on the Costume Call) for the Star Trek Expo Convention at the Statler Hilton ("the convention itself was unremarkable and at times downright tedious, but the company was marvelous..."), the August Party people put on "Snowcon" (which started off as a joke to bolster the flagging spirits of fans stranded due to the weather); includes info about the filk written by Roberta Rogow and Greg Baker for this con, and a borrowed projector to view movies, and James Doohan stopped by their room
* con reports for the Space:1999 con in Columbus, OH, one fan mentioned a dart board there with Fred Frieberger's photo at the center
* a con reprot for "The Fifth Annual Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy Convention," Nov 24-26, 1978 in L.A.
* an episode review for "A Matter of Life and Death"
* fiction: "An Alpha Christmas"
* Deb Walsh says that Moonbeam #5/6 will finally see print in late February as enough pre-orders have been received; she will print 200 copies, 150 copies of which have been spoken for
* there is a "Dear Psyche," the information and often tongue-in-cheek advice column
* there is discussion about a proposed Space:1999 movie called "Destination: Moonbase Alpha" in 1979, it was to be a "theatrical and TV version of the two-part episode "Bringers of Wonder," not an original movie."
==Mar/April 1979 Issue==
Command Center was published in Mar/April 1979 and contains 10 pages.
==May/June 1979 Issue==
Command Center was published in May/June 1979 and contains 8 pages.
* it is last newsletter before the Space:1999 con in Pittsburgh on July 27-29
* memory book contributions has been low, this issue contains some descriptions of layout and information about submissions
* "What to Bring to a Con" by Diana Winslow (practical tips)
* some fans have asked for the letter column to go back to a TOTM: so for next time: "Give a brief biography of yourself as if you were an Alpha living on the Moonbase. What section would you be in? Why did you decide to ask for assignment to Alpha in the first place? How did you get along with the senior officers?"
* fans bemoan the cancellation of Battlestar Galactica
* a fan says she thinks the feud between ST and Space:1999 fans is over; she's recently watched an episode of Star Trek and it she thought it wasn't too bad
* there is a long description of two fans' adventures: they'd gotten together to watch an episode of Space:1999 that hadn't been shown in two years, but the last fifteen minutes were cut to show a warm-up session by The Lakers basketball team. They complained to the television station by phone, and the following Monday, they drove to the station to complain in person. There they were able to talk to the programming director (who made sure they didn't get a ticket on their illegally parked car), and then were able to watch the whole episode together in a private conference room, in color and uncut. 
* episode review for "The Testament of Arkadia"
* there is a long personal statement by Deb Walsh apologizing for the lateness of her zines, saying she is gafiating for a while: 
==July/Aug 1979 Issue==
Command Center was published in July/Aug 1979 and contains 8 pages.
* Gail Paradis returns as the club's vice president
* the Memory Books had a disappointing turn-out, and presentation
* there is an open letter from Mare Fitzgerald (chairman of the 1979 Pittsburgh Space:1999 Convention) -- the con was a financial success plus they raised $5200 for charity, but did "the con do any good for fandom?" Other topics discussed: fannish apathy, disappointment over celebrity guests not showing, fans expecting people to do everything for them, the attendance numbers were down from last year, but the con was also lots of fun for some people
* there is a con report by Deb Walsh who "ranked it up there among my top four: August Party '76... T'Con '78, and Creation Con Feb '79
* here are some other con reports for SpaceCon
* some fans wrote in with their "Alphan Biographies"
* it is noted that, due to lack of submissions, the "Dear Psyche" column has not been in the last few issues
* "The Mail Bag" is a fictional account of the show's characters receiving and reading (print!) mail addressed to them
* a Space:1999 fan fund is proposed; Deb Walsh is offering a package of many of her fan publications in hopes of raising at least $30 for the fund
==Sept/Oct 1979 Issue==
Command Center was published in Sept/Oct 1979 and contains 8 pages.
==Nov/Dec 1979 Issue==
Command Center was published in Nov/Dec 1979 and contains 8 pages.
* the editor discusses the high cost of oil and how it affects the zine: ink costs 20% more, SASEs are now obligatory not optional...
* there is information about the Space:1999 Fan Fund
* there is a long description of three fans who take Nick Tate to Disneyland
* six letters in the letter column (which is called "Command Conference"), some taking a fan to task for comments in the last issue about fandom dedication, some letters describing fans' "Alpha Biographies" (which is a bit like role-playing)
* a short con report for "Dorcon '79" which took place in Pittsburgh
* a fan proposes "the first M*A*S*H fanzine" -- it was to be called "4077" -- it did not make it off the ground
* a quote quiz
==Jan/Feb 1980 Issue==
Command Center was published in Jan/Feb 1980 and contains 10 pages.
* there is an announcement regarding the newly-created "Space:1999 Fan Award. "Sponsored by the Space:1999 Fan Fund and all participating 1999 fan organizations, the Fan Awards are designed to give recognition to singular achievements in the cause of advancing Space:1999 fandom. The vote will be determined by the memberships of the participating organizations, and the winner of the 1980 Space:1999 Fan Award will announced at the 1980 SPACE Con." Nominees at the time were: Deb Walsh (zine editor and author), Matt Butts (zine editor), Phyl Proctor and Eileen Skidmore (presidents of the British Nick Tate Fan Club), Chuck Raue (zine editor and concom member), Mona Delitsky (zine editor and concom member), Steven Eramo (zine editor, artist and author), Diana Winslow (author), Kathi Lynn Higley (editor of a pen-pal listing -- The Lunar Bulletin Board, artist and poet), and Mary Hartery (fan club organizer, editor).
* this issue has a con report for "Sno-Con '80" (a con in NYC)
* there are many impassioned letters complaining about lack of fannish participation, blame for lack of enthusiasm, wishing all fans could afford to attend cons, pointing fingers and scolding for those pointed fingers, fans complaining of "doom cries" for Space:1999 fandom, pleas for less "petty accusations"...
* there are a number of "Alphan Biographies"
==Mar/April 1980 Issue==
Command Center was published in Mar/April 1980 and contains 9 pages.
* there is a report of the editors' trip to London in care of the British Nick Tate Fan Club
* the editors are disappointed in the lack of response to the quiz from the last issue but wonder if the mistake in the date's deadline threw folks off
* there is information about the upcoming annual con and the memory books for it
* letters include one by a fan that repeats an oft-heard complaint/observation: why is it that a tiny minority of fans "do all the work" for the rest of fandom, i.e. concoms, edit/write/draw for zines, run fan clubs...
* there are a number of "Alphan biographies"
* some fans complain about the slump in the fandom, but as one points out, she hasn't been able to see an episode on television since 1977 and that makes it hard to keep up her enthusiasm
* a fan says she is glad to be with the nicest fans (Space:1999) in the world, rather than with Star Trek fans were there is a "screwy element that simply makes being involved a tiresome, nerve-wracking experience, which is the main reason I fled their ranks -- I'm crazy, but not that crazy!."
* a fan writes that she is thrilled to have been nominated for the Fan Fund, and she apologizes for her "bellicose" and over-wrought, scolding letters of the past
* there is a con report for SpaceCon
==May/June 1980 Issue==
Command Center was published in May/June 1980 and contains 12 pages.
* the editor wants to make sure fans don't get two cons that year mixed up -- there is one called The Space:1999 Convention: 1980 (August, New York City), the other is SpaceCon (July, Columbus, OH)
* there was enough money raised by the Fan Fund to send two fans to the Columbus con: Phy Proctor and Eileen Skidmore (from the UK, co-presidents of the British Nick Tate Fan Club) 
* there is a con report for Mos' Eastly Con, see that page 
* there is a continuation of the con report for the 1979 Pittsburgh Space:1999 Convention that was published in the last issue
* a fan has short story using episode titles
* a fan reviews Alpha Log #4, see that page
* fans include some "Alphan biographies"
* a fan tells of her experience at a con: 
==July/Aug 1980 Issue==
Command Center was published in July/Aug 1980 and contains 12 pages.
* the cost of the newsletter has become too expensive: the editor has decided rather than raising the price, that the Alpha Log fiction, art, and poetry zine that used to be included once a year to fan club members would now be a separate purchase; this would mean only fan club members who *really* wanted it would purchase it (no more printing and sending zines to fans who did not feel strongly), and that fans who were not members of the club could purchase the zine; this means that for $5 a year, fan club members would receive two membership photos, one membership card, and six bi-monthly newsletters (this one).
* again, contributions to the memory books to be given to the show's actors have been "the pits" and these books will be discontinued
* two short reviews of the movies "Destination Moonbase Alpha" (two stars) and "Alien Attack" (four stars) -- they are each a re-filming of two of the show's original episodes
* one of the fan letters is about how she wrote some letters to the television complaining about the show's cancellation, subscribed "to all the fan clubs and fan publications and sat back and said, "Well, I'm doing my part." But when I realized that I wasn't..." and says she needs to be a more active fan
* there are many more fans' "Alphan bios," some of them use elements from other fan bios and become even more of a role-playing activity
* there is much fannish discussion about what makes a "true fan," a BNF, and what constitutes fan activity and loyalty
* a fan writes that he thinks the "1999 Fan Award" is "an awful idea" and while not intended to be a popularity contest will be viewed and used as one
* a fan comments on a letter in a previous issue, one which discussed the tensions between SF and media fans: 
==Sept/Oct 1980 Issue==
Command Center was published in Sept/Oct 1980 and contains 14 pages.
* there is more role playing via the "Alphan biography"letters, mixing it up with the show's characters with the fans' personae -- the whole thing has now taken on a life of their own
* there are comments regarding the "feud" over "who's a true Space:199 fan and who is not"
* a fan writes that the "heroines and heroes" he most admires are Lucille Ball, Danny Kaye, Ruth Buzzi,.. Melanie Safka, Barry Manilow, Ann Murry, Barbra Streisand, Back, Beethoven, Clementi, Mozart, and Haydn
* a fan prods others to "do more for fandom": 
* a Canadian fan writes: 
* there is an open letter from The Space:1999 Society announcing its disbandment due to to a drastic falling off of fan support, increasing costs of conventions and other activities:
* a fan writes a letter complaining of fandom tensions, statements about what official fannish fandom should be focusing on, what he believed emphasis on egos, his anger over fan clubs' focus, and the shoddy fandom treatment the show UFO is receiving by BNFs in their publications: 
==Nov/Dec 1980 Issue==
Command Center was published in Nov/Dec 1980 and contains 14 pages.
* many fans write letters complaining of a critical letter in the last issue; they take him to task for his comments regarding zine contents and con focus and that BNFs are abusing their powers: one line of many ("Good gravy, Don, who put the electric eel in your B.V.D.'s anyway?" and "You're not the only one who sees great praise delivered to something uninteresting and no praise given to something of vital interest to you. I daresay that's a common feeling amongst SF fans.") The fan who wrote the "offending" letter also includes a long letter apologizing for being over-wrought, for errors, for counting on the postal service to deliver a replacement letter in time
* a fan writes: 
* a fan writes: 
==Jan/Feb 1981 Issue==
Command Center was published in Jan/Feb 1981 and contains 18 pages. This issue was typed on a brand-new typewriter called "ORAC," which was purchased with a loan from a bank.
* this year's winner of the Fan Fund is Kathi Lynn Higley; now the club has to raise the money for the plane ticket
* many fans list their favorite science fiction books
* there are many Alphan biographies/role-playing/self-insertion letters, and they can be really hard to determine from the "real" letters
* this issue has an article by Carsten Andresen about the show's special effects 
* regarding organization and identity: 
* a fan writes: 
==Mar/Apr 1981 Issue==
Command Center was published in Mar/Apr 1981.
 
==May/June 1981 Issue==
Command Center was published in May/June 1981 and contains 10 pages.
* the newsletter is having financial troubles, and the editor who has asked for feedback on how to solve it (raising dues, etc) has asked for a sample vote from half of the members and has only heard from fifteen fans -- not enough information; she had to hold back six or seven letters for a later issue because she can't afford the postage to include them in this issue; she also asks fans to edit their letters and make them shorter as this makes it possible to have a bigger variety of fans to have their materials printed. As it stands now "The newsletter will stay monthly, five pages (ten sides) long, and the yearly membership fee will remain $5.00 domestic, $9.50 overseas."
* a fan has "seen one episode of the British series called Blake's 7, and I am hooked."
* more financial difficulties: 
* the "creative bios" (both the "straight Alpha" bios and the "twisted bios") take up most of the space in this issue, and it is a gradual change that has been happening for a while; a fan in the last issue complained about how this felt "stale" and this fan responded: 
==July/Aug 1981 Issue==
Command Center was published in July/Aug 1981 and contains 10 pages.
* the editor explains that she is "hanging up her typewriter," resigning as president of the fan club, and that the next issue of "Command Center" will be the last newsletter The Fan Fun and Alpha Log Journal will remain active. : 
==Sept/Oct 1981 Issue==
Command Center was published in Sept/Oct 1981. It was the last issue.
==References==
Category:Space:1999 Zines
Category:Club Zines
Category:1970s ZinesCategory:1980s Zines