‘Starlog’ Magazine Returns with First Cover in 17 Years

The last time there was a new edition of Starlog magazine, J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek was still weeks away from hitting theaters, Robert Downey Jr. was just scratching the surface of Tony Stark’s potential on the set of Iron Man 2, and George Lucas was still years away from selling Lucasfilm to Disney.

In other words, it’s been a minute.

But 17 years after publishing its final issue in April 2009, Starlog is back with a new edition, which arrives Nov. 13.

The magazine launched in 1976 and gained a fanbase for being one of the few places to get reliable news and interviews about geek culture. It launched with a cover focusing on Star Trek, one of its key areas of expertise, but the magazine’s editors and writers also pioneered coverage of Star Wars. (The new issue chronicles some of the rumors it put out a year before the movie opened). In all, Starlog published 374 issues and more than 25,000 pages.

The new iteration will publish one issue a year under editor in chief Annalee Newitz, a founding editor of io9. In addition to the film and TV-focused features Starlog was known for, the new Starlog will also delve into futurism, as the cover from Gabriel Yeganyan highlights. The opening story of issue No. 1 looks at the viability of humans farming crops on planets outside of Earth, for example.

“Science fiction and fantasy give us a sandbox to reimagine our world, and Starlog is your
invitation to play along,” said Newitz in a statement. “We’re honoring the fannish legacy of the original
magazine and bringing it into the future with hopeful, awe-inspiring, and scientifically grounded
explorations of where humanity could go next.”

The revival was announced earlier this year, and includes a podcast hosted by Jordan Hoffman, a veteran journalist who has contributed to The Hollywood Reporter, as well as its weekly Lodestar newsletter. Fangoria Holdings, which also owns Fangoria and Gorezone, is behind the revival.

“During its original 33-year run, STARLOG documented science fiction as it evolved across film,
television, books, technology, and culture,” said Ansley. “Fifty years after the magazine first launched, the line between science fiction and the real world has become increasingly difficult to separate. That makes this an especially interesting time to bring STARLOG back. Technology may change, but the most compelling questions have always been about people: how we live, what we create, and what kind of future we want to build.”