It’s an end of an era with the reveal that the upcoming 14th issue of Star Trek Explorer will be the final one, arriving in December. Rebranded as Explorer in 2021, the official Star Trek magazine has kept the franchise on newsstands for three decades.
Explorer’s end
Titan Magazines has revealed Star Trek Explorer #14, which announces on its cover that it is the “final issue.” TrekMovie has confirmed that this is Titan’s final Star Trek magazine and not the prelude to another rebrand. The official blurb solicitation notes “It’s the final issue, but we’re going out with a bang!” Acknowledging the history of the magazine, the issue will “take a look back of at 30 years of the magazine at Titan Magazines, celebrating its coverage of the franchise and sharing some favorite memories from editors past and present!” Due on December 4th, the final issue includes exclusive interviews with William Shatner, John de Lancie, and Denise Crosby.
Final issue of Star Trek Explorer magazine
According to Titan, subscribers to the quarterly magazine are being contacted at the moment with options for how they want to deal with any remaining issues. They note if you are a subscriber, you will be contacted by email or mail, dependent on preferred contact methods, and “if they’ve not heard from us yet, they will very shortly.” Titan has also confirmed that while Star Trek Explorer is coming to an end, their Titan Books arm will continue to publish Star Trek books. They just released Star Trek: The Art of Glenn Hetrick’s Alchemy Studios (see TrekMovie review) and a spokesperson confirmed they have more Star Trek titles coming.
Star Trek Explorer actually has one more magazine release before things wrap up. Issue #13 arrives on October 30 and it features a new interview with Jonathan Frakes.
Penultimate issue of Star Trek Explorer magazine
The end of an era
Titan first began publishing the monthly Star Trek Magazine (the title before the 2021 Star Trek Explorer rebrand) in early 1995. At that time, it was the official magazine just for the UK. During the ’90s, there were several official Star Trek magazines around the world. Starting in the mid-90s in the USA, Star Trek Communicator (published by FANtastic Media and later Decipher) was sold on newsstands after originally being exclusive to members of the official Star Trek fan club. In 2006, after Decipher dropped the Trek license, Titan’s Star Trek Magazine became the official licensee in the USA. This came soon after the magazine had switched to a bimonthly release schedule.
Cover for first issue of Titan’s Star Trek magazine, released February 1995 in the UK
There has been an officially licensed Star Trek magazine in some form as far back as the 1982 starting with Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine, which later evolved into Star Trek Communicator. There were actually several official Star Trek magazines in the 1990s. In addition to different local licensed magazines in many countries around the world, there were also show-specific magazines for The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, published by Starlog. There have also been several special magazines issued over the decades, including one-off issues for most of the feature films.
Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek first wrote for Titan’s Star Trek Magazine for issue #4 and his “Fistful of Data” column has been a regular feature since 1997. He told TrekMovie he feels “bittersweet” over the end of Explorer. Nemecek knows a bit about magazines ending; he was a contributor and seven-year editor for Star Trek Communicator until its final issue. He doesn’t see the end of Explorer as a reflection on Star Trek necessarily, pointing to how the internet has impacted print media in recent years. “The biggest picture is the culture is shifting. It’s just the way we consume everything. I think it’s more about print media. It’s not unlike the official site versus TrekMovie and all the news sites that come along on the digital side. What is the role for the for the studio to license something versus all the other private media sites?”
Titan’s first issue of Star Trek magazine for the USA, from August 2006
While it’s true that there has been a decline in magazines in recent years—even Entertainment Weekly ceased publishing print issues in 2022—there are still a handful covering entertainment, including sci-fi and genre, such as SFX. There are also still a handful of licensed franchise magazines running. In fact, Titan still publishes the official Star Wars magazine and one for The Simpsons. There is also still an official Doctor Who magazine (Panini). As noted by Nemecek, there are some things magazines can provide that websites cannot, such as pullout posters and tech blueprints.
Titan may be wrapping up Star Trek Explorer, but it’s always possible some one else could decide to pick up the license and start publishing a new official Star Trek magazine. Nemecek holds out hope Trek could return to newsstands, quipping “vinyl records came back, so you never know.” In a Facebook post about the end of Explorer, Star Trek author and sometimes Star Trek Magazine contributor Dayton Ward said “I can’t help thinking it or something like it will come along at some appropriate point – perhaps in a format more in keeping with modern readership sensibilities and how we prefer to absorb our information and entertainment. Here’s hoping.”
Cover of the first issue of Star Trek Explorer, from 2022
Find more news on Star Trek merchandise.
I’ll never forget the cover of the Communicator with the Enterprise-D’s saucer burning through the atmosphere. Wish I could remember the name of the artist. It was a beautiful illustration… to a sad moment.
I just checked in with my old boss and buddy Dan Madsen: that artist is Tsuneo Sanda, who also does high end Star Wars art as well. — Larry
Thanks Larry!
I remember seeing the first issue of Communicator in my local comic store (in uk) and took me a while to figure out it was a continuation of The Official Fan Club magazine (which I loved and would buy occasionally) so I bought it .. I remember it had an article titled ‘Why Kill Kirk’.. so that was Trek VII Generations spoiled for me lol (STG wasn’t released until Feb 95 in UK) but id already been sort of spoiled by then when I flicked through the DC adaptation and briefly saw the final scenes of dying Kirk before I quickly slammed it shut (I was too young to not look at spoilers back then lol)
Not sure which issue it was, but I got a letter published in Communicator. I wrote it after seeing Generations and they published it. (Although, when I wrote the letter is was still called The Official Fan Club. It was published after the name change.)
I miss that fan club and those days. It was so much fun and simpler. I was torn on the Explorer magazine due to its price and the fact that most of the info was old by the time the magazine got published. Younger me would be so disappointed in today me for not buying every issue of that magazine.
(Also just rewatched Generations for funsies, and that saucer crash still holds up, amazing job ILM.)
It was a great run for Star Trek magazine.
Star Trek Magazines and books use to be the only reason I would go to bookstores when I was a young Star Trek fan back in the 90s. I’ve long stopped collecting print material of any kind, but I still remember the thrill of finding the new issues on the periodical stands. One of the few things I would spend money on. I’m surprised we still had Star Trek periodicals in publication, but I regret the loss of jobs that might come with this. Wishing everybody well!
Funny you should say that. I remember going to Barnes & Noble as a kid in the 90s and always heading straight to the Star Trek section. Oddly, I find it comforting to see Star Trek Magazine on the shelf to this day–even though I haven’t gotten a Star Trek related magazine since the early 90s (pre-Titan it seems). Still, I’m saddened to see Star Trek leave the shelves in any form.
I loved going to the Scifi/comic store on a Friday or Saturday throughout the late 80s/90s and checking out the new star trek magazines/comics, the latest TOFC magazine (bi monthly), Trek DC comics, TNG starlog/poster mags, and the usual Starlog, Starburst and Cinefantastique (with their frequent Trek epic double issues) .. Think the early 90s Trek VI/25th anniversary era was my height of it, could barely keep up with the massive amount of stuff: magazines/comics/novels/making ofs/compendiums/tech manuals/coffee table books, and all of it was so exciting.. Stuff like the starlog silver cover Trek 25th anniversary special, the starlog Trek VI magazine/DC delux comic, Cinefan’s 25 ann special/Trek VI issue, and the Cinefex issue, (plus there was same stuff for the other SF stuff I was getting into at the time like T2 etc) .. such happy times :) .. Then after Trek VI I tuned out of Trek and going in comic stores until one day i flicked through a Starburst in a newsagent and saw a pic of Shatner in ‘Star Trek VII’ and that fired me up to getting back into Trek and comic stores again (my first visit after so long I saw the new post TOFC ‘Comminicator’ magazine covering Generations and snapped it up) and I was back comic storing pretty much for rest of 90s obsessing over First Contact (although not DS9/Voy) and all the various SF movies coming out (and then in late 90s – the net..)
Now I can’t recall last time I went in a comic store or bought a Trek magazine (except the occasional IDW or retro stuff from ebay), actually i think I went in the one I used to go in the most for old times sake about 2 years ago maybe, but didn’t buy anything, I mean with the internet its like everyday is like going to the comic store and has been for past 20+ years (although not as thrilling as going into the comic store back in the day)
Magazines like this were a real big deal for me when I was a kid in the 70’s and 80’s. Hours would be spent poring over their pages, reading and rereading articles, imagining the illustrations in action. Truly a time when imagination could thrive. Here’s to great memories brought about by these great publications, and to yet another sad passing of an era.
I work in a library. We pulled the plug on magazines a few years ago. The bulk of our customers are 18-19 years old and just would never even look at magazines. I’m not even sure they know what magazines are.
And yet — Europeans tell me magazine culture is still a thing over there, so chalk up another one for Overworking Media Americans.
Not really, magazines are dying here as well. I don’t remember last time I bought a magazine, and when I was a kid I bought like 3 magazines and 2 comic books every week. Internet and smart phones killed them.
‘dr who’ monthly now 45 years old and counting
I’m thinking I’d be homeless or dead if sf/film mags didn’t exist since freelancing for them has been a significant income source over more than 3 decades now. Down to only one outlet since start of pandemic so freelance income is down 70% but still better than having to work nights at 711 after day job ends.
Then again, I’m not going to miss seeing less titan products around, given frequent and egregious errors in their books and mags.
So true…although some magazines are available in digital format through Apple news and other platforms. In general though the way we consume media has changed quite a bit from even a decade ago. I always got a such a thrill any time I saw Star Trek on the cover of anything growing up as that was a big way I got the news. Now with the internet I get my Star Trek news from social media and websites like everyone else. It’s sad but I do want to thank all of the people who put this magazine together through the years! Thanks for all the hard work!
Yes, we do still offer digital magazines through a Zinio-like service. But the print magazines were just collecting dust and taking up space.
My problem with magazines is the insane price for what isn’t selling. I’m not qualified to debate the economics of it on the publishing side, but literally nothing sells. It just sits on the rack for weeks, they are tossed out/recycled… and the next issues are up again.
It’s yet another example of how supply and demand doesn’t really exist except as an illusion in Grade 11 textbooks.
It’s a giant cyclical waste of natural resources. I am not able to comprehend across North America specifically in every drug store and book store how it’s viable to print so many copies at a price no one is buying at.
“Special edition magazines” are $15-$25. Cut that down by half and maybe they’d sell. And print and distribute half as much?
In the end it’s because everything in the magazine is for free on a webpage already weeks beforehand. And the teams that put these magazines together aren’t operating a volunteer service…. so here we are…
Most mags live and die on ad revenue, not subscriptions or newsstand buys. My one remaining client is a Mag funded by the camera Guild out of member dues, so ads aren’t as crucial … then again, I haven’t gotten a raise the whole time I’ve written for them … almost 25 years.
Thanks for the different perspective! One imagines though ad revenue would not be that high if they don’t think the readership would be that high? I feel like magazines being used for that purpose is dying out as the market for it dies out.
Well, ads related to movies are often the ‘for your consideration’ variety, so it can be more of a PR thing than a useful selling tool. I used to write for CINEFEX throughout the 1990s, and that mag was almost ad-free for its first 10 years … but it was always floundering financially. The publisher even took a loan from VFX guru Richard Edlund at one point to keep it going, and it really only became a success when they started taking ads, and it was only then they were able to get the magazine into some mainstream stores instead of just comic book stands and eclectic market spots. So far as I know, that model worked for nearly 30 years (the mag finally folded during the pandemic.)
Dead-tree media!
I used to be a subscriber to Star Trek Communicator in the 1990s, but never got this Explorer magazine. The Internet is all I need now for news on things I like. I heard about this website called trekmovie, I think it’s pretty good!
gosh i’ve still got the magazines from ~1996-2001 :O
Id imagine every self respecting trekkie over 40 has a few boxes of star trek magazines and comics from 80s-10s
I’m as guilty as the rest for abandoning most magazines in the last decade. Definitely picked up my fair share of Communicators and the odd Star Trek Magazine, though. It’s a shame this doesn’t switch to a digital-only format for subscribers, Doctor Who Magazine makes it work with that basically subsidizing the print editions. But everything ends, and they’ve had a fantastic run. It’s a privilege to be a fan of a phenomenon that inspires its own fun and informative journalism.
This and the star trek poster magazines were my obsession as a teenager. I had every issue of these magazines. Great times
You didn’t mention Star Trek: The Magazine, which ran in the early 2000’s, more of an “in-universe” publication.
Much better interviews and making of stuff in st the Mag as I recall, they had a dedicated and somewhat insular staff who seemed to really know what questions to ask.
I still have the first issue about most of the first fifty or so issues. It feels like yesterday they came out. Man, I’m getting old. This is quite sad, although I confess I haven’t bought in years, partly because I’m not the rabid Trekker I was as a teen and secondly…they just got so expensive. I did think about subscribing digitally a few years back but even digitally, the cost was extortionate.
still sad though. Sign of the times.
This is a tragedy. I HATE HATE HATE the mania for digital that our culture is gripped with. Physical media – be it paper books, paper magazines, CDs, DVDs – will always and ever be superior to digital things. Because they’re REAL. They’re tangible actual things that endure, unlike digital creations which are as ephemeral as daydreams. (They last about as long too.) As the article mentioned, vinyl is back (against all odds) so perhaps there’ll be a Star Trek magazine in the future. What a tragedy. LLAP.
Trees are tangible actual things that should be allowed to endure, too.
I have no problem with digital magazines because probably about 99.5% of magazines just get chucked out after they’ve been read anyway.
something that will eventually happen in the ST universe with people using PADDs and screens to read anything, unless you are a Samuel Cogley kind of person.
When it used to be called “Communicator, I had a favorite cover. They even made a limited run on a poster of it.
I used to read the original fan club magazine / Communicator religiously. But never made the jump to the Titan publication. Out of curiosity, I went to the Titan website to see if back issues are available, and it looks like nearly every issue in their long run is. https://www.pubservice.com/backissue/subbi.aspx?PC=SR&AN=&Zp=&PK= At 10 bucks each, you could get the (nearly) entire collection for about a thousand USD. I’ll probably pass.
I still have my copy of Star Trek magazine Issue 1 after all these years. I had it on subscription until about 2005. Used to pick it up from WHSmith here in the UK.