By Captain Pyke | April 7, 2013 - 11:30 pm

If you're like me, Starlog Magazine has a very special place in your heart. Outside of Star Trek Communicator, Starlog was the one way to find out all the current info regarding Star Trek, Star Wars, and any other scifi television series or movie. This was pre-internet days we're talking about. Unfortunately, Starlog ceased operations in April of 2009, but its memory lives on in the form of 20 years of issues being available through The Internet Archive.

Started in 1976 by Kerry O'Quinn and Norman Jacobs, Starlog was the touchstone for many fans and, in fact, helped spawn the first official Star Trek fan club. Life After Trek guest, who we call the godfather of fandom, Dan Madsen launched his Star Trek fan club from the ads of Starlog.

Dan explains; "I decided to start a fan club... I placed a little tiny ad in Starlog Magazine back in the classifieds... I think I got maybe five, ten, maybe 15 members in my fan club called Star Trek: The Motion Picture Fan Club." Eventually that would evolve into the first official licensed Star Trek fan club and Star Trek Communicator magazine.

Not only was Star Trek often a major player in Starlog's monthly content, it actually graced the very first cover:

I gotta say, it's a virtual treasure trove of everything scifi from 1976 to 1996. Just to give you an idea, here's an article from the March, 1977 edition that features a conversation with Gene Roddenberry.

If you're looking to do a deep dive into the history of Star Trek fandom, check out the full list of Star Log Magazine editions over at The Internet Archive.

Hat tip to Rick Poston for sending us the info.