Star Trek Stars Want You On The Picket Line
We’re only a few days away from September 8, recognized among the proud members of the nerd community as Star Trek Day. This year, however, we’re limited to re-runs and streaming, given the ongoing WAG and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which effectively put a pause on all production work. Furthermore, Star Trek actors, such as John Billingsley and Johnatan Del Arco, are calling fans to join them on the picket lines for a Star Trek strike.
Stars from throughout the history of Star Trek have sent out a call for everyone involved in the franchise, and fans, to join them on the picket lines.
According to TrekMovie.com, actors John Billingsley (Dr. Phox, Enterprise), Jonathan Del Arco (Hugh, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard), Natalia Castellanos, and Michelle Hurd (Raffi, Star Trek: Picard) sent a letter out to supporters, calling all writers, actors, crew members, craftspeople, and fans to join them outside the gates of Paramount on Star Trek Day. The idea behind the Star Trek strike is to remind the studio executives who really own the franchise whose values center on anti-exploitation and inclusivity. And what better day to do so than on Star Trek Day?
For those who want to join the Star Trek strike, actor John Billingsley asks them to avoid using the name of the show or any of its characters and items.
While the letter primarily addresses the creatives behind the Star Trek franchise, Billingsley and Del Arco are welcoming fans to the picket line. This is actually quite an interesting turn of events, as Paramount is getting ready to go on with the Star Trek Day celebrations, which celebrates Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future in which everyone’s treated equally while also trying to deny actors, writers, and other creatives, their fair share of the profits generated by their own work. This way, fans can join the Star Trek strike and help the actors and creatives get fair treatment.
What’s most interesting in this whole thing is that fans once again have the opportunity to save Star Trek, just like they did in the 1960s, so why not include the same crowd that has supported the show through various forms of media for more than 60 years now? It’s actually a brilliant idea. For those who want to join the Star Trek strike, actor John Billingsley asks them to avoid using the name of the show or any of its characters and items. Bringing a homemade sign that shows support for SAG or WGA is encouraged.
While we typically abstain from making political statements of any kind, we’re firm believers that everyone should be paid for their work. One of the main points of contention between the strike participants and massive Hollywood machinery is shielding actors and creatives from emerging technologies, such as AI-driven CGI and content streaming. We previously discussed Disney’s practice of making digital copies of actors’ likenesses without their approval, and while it’s not directly connected to the Star Trek strike, it’s still an industry problem.
What’s most interesting in this whole thing is that fans once again have the opportunity to save Star Trek, just like they did in the 1960s, so why not include the same crowd that has supported the show through various forms of media for more than 60 years now?
Perhaps the bigger issue is the fact that many streamers profit from on-demand content without paying residuals to actors, writers, directors, and other creative contributors when their work is reused or rebroadcasted (streamed). Regardless of whether you’re participating in a Star Trek strike with some of Star Trek’s greatest, you can still show support for the SAG-AFTRA Foundation by means of donations aimed at helping striking workers and their families.
