The Babelian Council

The Babelian Council is a gen Star Trek: TOS anthology. There were to be six issues a year, but in the sixth issue, it was announced there'd be only three issues a year. 
The zine was originally produced by two fans who lived in Portland, OR and Woodland, WA, as part of a "Star Trek support club." One of the original editors dropped out, and from then on, it was produced in Portland only.
A sister zine was The T-Tauri Report, a "supplement to the B.C., it will include info to keep the S.T. fan informed between issues."
==About the Club and Zine==
 
==Issue 1==
The Babelian Council 1 is not dated but it has references that place it in 1972, possibly around August or September. While the pages are not numbered, there are about 8.
Most of the zine is handwritten. 
* Introduction by the editors about the zine and its purpose
* On the Letter Writing Campaign, excerpted from the May 1972 issue of Star-Borne
* addresses of PTB to write
* address and handwritten ad for what could be Lincoln Enterprises, though the company is not named
* handwritten flyer for The Star Trek Concordance
* handwritten flyer for Fantasy Films International Convention ("Do you remember the BIG Star Trek Convention in New York? It was quite a success - registering 3000 STAR TREK fans, and letting in quite a few others free after that. And you might have been just a little unhappy because it was so far away that you couldn't attend. Well, if you have a way to get to L.A. on Thanksgiving, we have good news for you.")
* Halloween: Star Trek Sytle
 
 
Image:babe1-1.jpg|from issue #1
Image:babe1-2.jpg|from issue #1
Image:babe1-3.jpg|from issue #1
Image:babe1-4.jpg|from issue #1
Image:babe1-5.jpg|from issue #1
Image:babe1-6.jpg|from issue #1
 
==Issue 2==
The Babelian Council 2 is not dated, though it appears to be spring 1973. It contains 6 pages.
* cartoon by Paula Nass
* The Hostage, part one, fiction by J.C. Goins
 
Image:babe2-1.jpg|from issue #2
Image:babe2-2.jpg|from issue #2
Image:babe2-3.jpg|from issue #2
==Issue 3==
The Babelian Council 3 is not dated (1973) and contains 4 pages. 
"What's in a Name?":
* Fan Questionnaire
* What's in a Name?, essay by Shelley Allan (about the use of the term "Trekkie") (reprinted in Hailing Frequency #3 in 1973)
* meta cartoon by Paula Nass reprinted in The Despatch
* wordsearch 
* The Hostage, part two, fiction by J.C. Goins
 
 
Image:babe3-1.jpg|from issue #3, fan questionnaire
Image:babe3-3.jpg|from issue #3, cartoon by Paula Nass
==Issue 4==
The Babelian Council 4 is undated (published in 1973) and contains 4 pages. This is the first issue that officially states that Allan and Nass are now the editors. 
* Leonard Nimoy's Portland Visit: September 30, 1972, an essay by Paula M. Nass
* a short update about the upcoming fall show: Star Trek Animated
 
* answers to the wordsearch in the last issue
* a short code using glyphs by Linda Martorelli
* The Hostage, part three, fiction by J.C. Goins 
* a short blurb that said Ruth Berman had read the last issue and had asked for permission to print the cartoon in issue #3 in Despatch ("I'd be happy to oblige!")
 
 Image:babe4-1.jpg|from issue #4, first page of the essay about Leonard Nimoy's presentation in Portland in 1972 
Image:babe4-4.jpg|from issue #4, the code which fans will need in the next issue! 
==Issue 5==
The Babelian Council 5 is not dated, but likely published in 1973. It contains 8 pages.
* a letter from Mort Werner of N.B.C. (dated August 9, 1973), and Nass' commentary about it regarding bringing a new series of "Star Trek" back to television 
* some addresses for fans to write (many newspapers, a television station, and the Federal Communications Commission)
* Is William Shatner Still Alive?, essay by Paula M. Nass (commentary about the new show Star Trek Animated, how Shatner's voice doesn't sound like him)
* illo, portrait of Mark Lenard, by Paula M. Nass 
* wordfind
* story in code, by Linda Martorelli
* zine info and short news
 
 
Image:babe5-1.jpg|from issue #5, artist is Paula M. Nass, subject is Mark Lenard
Image:babe5-2.jpg|from issue #5, letter from Mort Werner
Image:babe5-3.jpg|from issue #5, you'll need the key from issue #4 to read this story!
Image:babe5-4.jpg|from issue #5, article, "Is William Shatner Still Alive?"
Image:babe5-5.jpg|from issue #5, cartoon by Shelley Allan
==Reactions and Reviews: Issue 5==
==Issue 6==
The Babelian Council 6 was published in spring 1974 and contains 6 pages.
The editors say they have to reduce the number of issues printed a year (now three a year, rather than six) due to lack of submissions, and how much work this zine is to do when combined with school work. 
* zine news, chatter (1)
* SC1, poem by Avic (3)
* crossword puzzle by Noreen Foster (4)
* continued story in code by Linda Martorelli (6)
 
Image:babe6-1.jpg|from issue #6
Image:babe6-2.jpg|from issue #6
Image:babe6-2.jpg|from issue #6
File:Babe6-3.jpg|from issue #6
==Issue 7?==
The Babelian Council 7 (??) was published in 1975 and contains 15 pages. 
* one story, "Spock's Banana Joy Juice", no author credit given
* couple of puzzles
* information on writing to Paramount to return ST to the air 
* possibly? Variations In Green L. Stewart (also in Introduction to Star Trek Fanzines) 
==References==
Category:Star Trek TOS Gen and Het Anthology Zines
Category:1970s Zines