I am always fascinated by 1970s fandom. Star Trek would have been forgotten after 1969 if dedicated fans had not kept it alive and, simply through the force of not giving up, finally persuaded Paramount to mount a new show and then The Motion Picture. 

I am also interested because the fan experience itself was different back then. I wrote about the far more personal celebrity encounters at early conventions over on my Toronto Star Trek ’76 site, and today’s post is about a smaller, quirkier difference.

1970s cons were apparently okay with cartoon nudity, at gatherings we would now classify as family events.

I own the program book for the Vul-Con II convention, held in New Orleans in the spring of 1975. I bought this many years ago because it is signed by Nichelle Nichols, Bjo Trimble and David Gerrold.

The program offered attendees a centrefold of Spock looking at a centrefold. I am here to share Star Trek collectible history, not pass judgement, and this nudity is certainly of a very gentle nature, but it is notable for what it says about how 1970s mores contrast to current norms. Many convention-goers would complain about this today.

Others would be more offended by the illogic of Spock looking at a naked woman who is not his, and by that Vulcan woman even posing for the photo, than they are by the nudity itself. And that’s another reason to love this fan community.

Postscript

I believe the Vulcan centrefold was drawn by artist Danny Frolich.