WGA Strike: Sci Fi Channel Day at NBC Studios

Photos courtesy of Stephen Grossman

By Juliana Weiss

Sci Fi Channel Day had a great turnout by the fans. Here’s a photo recap of the day’s events for those of you who missed it.

Pink Raygun and the Pink Hat Brigade, a group of female science fiction writers who picket together. The group began wearing the pink hats in order to spot one another on the line.

(L) “People are all optimistic that there’s gonna be a deal very soon,” said writer Melody Fox (Flash Gordon). “It’s been a long time that we’ve been out now. We feel very badly for the crew and for the economics of the town. But we had to wait until there was a deal on the table that we could bear. This is our future, this is our lives, this is our livelihood, and whether it’s decided this week, next week, or with the actors in June, that’s probably going to be a deal that we’re going to be living with for the next 10 or 20 years, because it’ll be setting a precedent. We’re willing to wait until it’s a deal that we feel is viable and fair.”

(R) Gillian Horvath (right) is a consulting producer on the Sci Fi Channel’s Flash Gordon. Read more about Gillian Horvath’s role on the show.

Brigade members showing off their new Pink Raygun tees. “I think it’s actually a great thing that this happened to the artistic community,” said SAG member Karen Knotts (right). “I think that a paradigm shift occurred where actors and writers got reunited and realized the collaborative element of our work, how important that is…and I think there’s gonna be a change, a fundamental change.”

Writer Jane Espenson, whose credits include Battlestar Galactica, Buffy, Firefly, and Gilmore Girls. Read more about Jane Espenson.

Showrunners like Joss Whedon (Buffy, Firefly) and Ron Moore (Battlestar Galactica) walked the lines with the fans. “You know, it’s all behind closed doors, what’s happening, but apparently there’s actual negotiation happening,” said Joss Whedon. “I think [the strike] is going about as well as something this painful — and avoidable — can.”

(L) Actress Pat Crawford Brown, whose long list of credits include Buffy, Gilmore Girls, and Desperate Housewives.

(R) Ed Quinn (Nathan Stark on Eureka).

(L) Michael Muhney (Sheriff Don Lamb on Veronica Mars) with his new baby, Ella Michael.

(R) “[The strike] is long. It’s long and everyone’s really ready for it to come to a happy close,” said Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh on Battlestar Galactica). “Because the writers really do want to get something that makes all of this worth it. They’re not gonna settle for something to make this all for nothing.”

Battlestar Galactica cast and crew: Mark Verheiden (Co-Executive Producer), Kate Vernon, Michael Trucco (Samuel Anders), Ron Moore, Bradley Thompson (Supervising Producer), and Michael Taylor (Co-Executive Producer).

(L) “[The strike] is gonna go as long as it has to go. I’m optimistic that the companies have come to their senses and put a fair deal on the table, but if they haven’t, we’re gonna continue to strike. So my message to them is: Don’t fuck with us,” said Richard Jeffries, writer-director of Living Hell, a feature film which will air on the Sci Fi channel February 23^rd at 9 pm.

(R) Jamie Paglia (creator of Eureka) and Joss Whedon.

Fans were out in force showing their support for the shows they love.

(L) Paglia addressed the fans. “The fact is, on either side of this negotiation, the producers or us, none of us have a job without all of you. So thanks for your support, and hopefully — a little reserved optimism — we’ll get this wrapped up soon, and we can get back to writing stories for you.”

(R) Joss Whedon and Jamie Paglia.

“I’m not hopeful. I think hope is for the people in the room. The rest of us, hope is dangerous,” explained Joss Whedon. “It makes people not show up on the lines. It makes people not try as hard to find new ways of creating content. It makes people give in just a little bit. And, uh, I think I’ll go with rage until it’s time for it all to be over, and then we’ll all get back to work.”

Joss Whedon sporting a Pink Raygun shirt.

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