Wilson Cruz, Ethan Peck, Melissa Navia and Jesse James Keitel in New York City. (Photo by Dawn Ennis)
It’s been more than a week since Paramount headquarters in Times Square and its studios in Los Angeles were targeted by hundreds of Trekkies, as well as the stars, producers and writers at the center of their Star Trek universe, all in support of striking actors and writers.
What most reports about that day failed to note was that the “United We Trek” demonstrations on both coasts were organized by LGBTQ+ union members.
Queer actors Wilson Cruz and Melissa Navia and out trans actor Jesse James Keitel joined actor Ethan Peck and showrunner Akiva Goldsman on the picket line in New York City.
Out gay actors George Takei and Jonathan Del Arco joined LeVar Burton, Robert Picardo and others in Los Angeles. They marched and chanted alongside fans, many wearing Star Trek costumes, who showed up in support of the strike.
What brought these fans, actors and writers together was that Sept. 8 was the day that Paramount celebrated the 57th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek on NBC in 1966.
And the man who brought them all together was Del Arco, who created the “United We Trek” demonstration in coordination with actors John Billingsley, SAG/AFTRA Vice President Michelle Hurd and Natalia Castellanos.
It was Del Arco’s idea to ask fans to join the picket line, and with help from queer members of the Writers Guild of America, East, fans showed up in droves in Manhattan as well, many of them LGBTQ+.
“The fans are amazing,” said Melissa Navia, who plays Lt. Erica Ortegas on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it probably forever, but these fans are the best,” Navia told the Blade.
It has been close to a month since the Hollywood studios held negotiations with the Writers Guild of America, and according to Variety, both sides are scheduled to resume talks next week for the first time since Aug. 18.
Deadline reports SAG/AFTRA leaders, who haven’t met with studio heads since July, are accusing the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”
But the chants outside Paramount on Sept. 8 had a more sci-fi vibe: “Live Long and Prosper, We Want a Fair Offer,” and “Paramount, let’s engage! We demand a fair wage!”
“Being here with my fellow writers, my fellow actors and our fans who are reminding us why we do what we do and why the stories that we tell matter so much is everything,” said Navia.
The strike by the Writers Guild is now in its 136th day, and SAG/AFTRA members started walking picket lines 63 days ago. That has added up to almost five months without a paycheck for writers, and more than two months for actors.
“This strike has been hard for a lot of people and our spirits can get low,” actor Wilson Cruz told the Blade. “But I come here to the picket line as many times I can, because this is where you see why we’re fighting and who we’re fighting for. So, yes, this is incredible to be here with all of these Trek people, actors, writers and fans. This is what it’s all about.”
Actors Bob Odenkirk of Better Call Saul and Michael Emerson of Evil, Person of Interest and Lost also joined the “United We Trek” picket in New York, as did members of IATSE, a woman dressed as Princess Leia of Star Wars, and a trio of Star Trek novelists, Keith R.A. DeCandido, David Mack and Michael Jan Friedman.
Although it’s been a long strike, writer, director and TV producer Charles Randolph Wright told the Blade he hasn’t given up.
“We keep hoping, that’s all we can do,” he said. “What’s so great about this, this is all the unions helping each other. That’s the only way we will win.”
Editor’s Note: Dawn Ennis is a member of the Writers Guild of America, East and a retired member of SAG/AFTRA.
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