San Diego Comic Con started on a somber note for Trek fans, saying goodbye to a legend in fandom. Our host on the scene, Girafe, was able to attend this tribute.
John Trimble, known for spearheading the campaign to save Star Trek at the end of its second season with his wife Bjo, succumbed to cancer in April. Comic Con paid tribute to him with a panel reflecting on his impact on sci-fi fandom, with Bjo, their daughters Jenn Jumper, Lora Boehm and Kathryn Trimble, and son-in-law Jason Boehm on the panel.
John was married to Bjo for 64 years. He was fine having her take the spotlight, but was usually the idea man. Both Bjo and John printed newsletters on a giant printing press they had in their basement. They created fandom newsletters, including for a group of Renaissance Reenactors. It was with these newsletters that they figured out how to optimize mailing out such literature. This would come in handy after Bjo befriended Gene Roddenberry at WorldCon and when the Trimbles found out the show was being canceled, they said “Gosh, we ought to do something about that.” It was not until years later that it came out that they led the campaign. The campaign eventually led to Trek receiving a third season, then a movie, and proving it was a viable money maker. This directly contributed to sci-fi being seen as a viable genre. The campaign would also inspire future ones, such as with Firefly and even again in Trek with Star Trek: Prodigy.
John and Bjo were extremely involved in setting up early conventions and renaissance faires. This included helping create San Diego Comic Con itself. Both John and Bjo would receive the Inkpot Award for service to the science fiction community, Bjo at the first award ceremony in 1974 and John in 2016.
John and Bjo were a model of how a couple could be in fandom. They were supportive, fun and inclusive, feeling fandom should be a place of acceptance for everyone regardless of their differences.
Jason Boehm described John as someone who was always willing to get people to pitch in. Bjo gave sage advice based on her experiences with her husband, “Quit planning to some day do something. Get your people together and do it. You will never regret it.”
We’ll have more coverage from San Diego Comic Con as the weekend goes on. Look here and on our social media for updates.
