Also see update below regarding "Strike Swag."

Many haven't called Star Trek "home" in years — and the only two that do have a connection now don't actually "live there," either.

But the famous Paramount gates where so many Starfleet missions have been launched were the only "logical" place to meet Monday, December 10, when striking Writers Guild of America (WGA) members called out the faithful for "Star Trek Day" on the picket lines.

It's the latest thing in writer support as the strike drags on: fan-powered aid and the appeal of franchises — networked via the Internet as never before — are being used to marshal support and gain exposure for picketing writers. So far, horror fans and the faithful for Battlestar Galactica and Joss Whedon's Buffy and Firefly series have all put together theme days for the picket lines. Monday — with dozens of writers, hundreds of actors and crew, and millions of fans to draw from — it was time for the granddaddy franchise of them all to call the "family" home in a giant show of support.

"Not that I wasn't expecting a great turnout, but this definitely exceeded our expectations,? said Cynthia Greenburg, a WGA strike captain for Paramount, giving an early turnout estimate of nearly 400. "I couldn't believe how many people showed up, and it wasn't just one section of people — not just fans, or just actors; it was everybody in this wonderful family. Not only were they there to honor Star Trek and the years and years of hard work all the people have put into of these monumental films and series, but to support the writers, too.?

And a family affair it was — or was it more like a class reunion? All incarnations of Gene Roddenberry's universe were represented — from Harlan Ellison and David Gerrold on the Original Series to Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci on the upcoming "Star Trek" movie, and dozens in between. With no Star Trek series now in production, all former writers have moved on, of course, including showrunners like Galactica's Ron Moore and CSI's Naren Shankar (donning his old TNG crew jacket) — all testifying to the personal pull of their onetime homebase.

Colleagues got caught up, famous faces and names drew media coverage (like George Takei, Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig ... who brought a box o' bagels!), and a few fans even got lucky enough to meet their faves — but all in the spirit of the labor issue at hand, of course. The order of the day for everyone was walking the picket lines, and the issues of new media and Internet residuals — not to mention labor solidarity from the many Screen Actors Guild members, Teamsters and the IATSE union technical fields on hand — was passionately discussed before the hordes of media, including our own STARTREK.COM cameras.

The WGA was well into the day's special spirit too, of course, providing early picketers with buttons that read "AMPTP: Highly Illogical," commenting on the studio/producers group with which the WGA is negotiating. Strikers could also don a special T-shirt for the day bearing an apropos quote from Spock, as any fan of Star Trek II can quote: "Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." It was all the more apropos because the author of those words, writer/director Nicholas Meyer, was right there on Monday's picket line as well.

UPDATE 12.12.2007. A very limited supply of 200 authentic "Star Trek Day" WGA T-shirts, as worn by the picketers outside Paramount Monday (see at left), are now available for supportive fans—with all profts to be donated to the WGA Union Solidarity Fund to help entertainment industry workers affected by the strike. The union-made, union-printed 100% cotton "T" joins other official WGA strikewear available in support of the writers' cause exclusively at the Writers Strike Swag site strikeswag.com.

Also at the Strike Swag site, check out the announcement of a comedy show at UCLA on Friday, December 14, involving Sarah Silverman ("Rain Robinson"), that will also benefit the WGA Union Solidarity Fund.

"Picket line" is only a term, at best, as the ever-thickening knot of writers and their supporters made more of a flattened oval in the few dozen yards available at the Melrose entrance area. Union strike vets policed the crowd for safety, blocked vehicles trying to run red lights into the line, and otherwise bellowed for the good of the strikers. Vaughn "Admiral Forrest" Armstrong and the Enterprise Blues Band stopped by for an hour to entertain the pickets, and then moved on to the other gates around the Paramount lot where other groups of picketers were making their point. Through it all, the supportive honks and waves — even cheers from the open-air Hollywood tour buses — was nonstop (as you'll hear in our many intrerview videos, at left!).

Far from being a stunt event, Monday's celebrities and hoopla were a godsend for the Paramount site's regular day-in-and-day-out strikers. "It really matters when those icons come out to the picket lines — they have no idea of the groundswell of excitement,? Greenburg noted. "It really meant a lot for those who walk the line here every day; it really helps to encourage them and give them a pat on the back until we get that contract.?

Greenburg noted another faction of fans drawn to the day as well — other WGA members. "We had other writers who normally walk elsewhere and were not in the Trek family, and THEY wanted to come, meet some of their heroes,? she said. "Rob Gordon, a co-writer of Galaxy Quest, could not wait to meet George Takei!?

The turnout of Trek alumni was pretty amazing, and we want to recognize all the writers, actors, production crew and other family members who came to support the causes of the WGA. So we have listed on page 2 everyone we encountered at the picket line ... starting with the writers, of course!

And remember, check back again for more video coverage from Trek Day of the WGA strike!

Fans interested in the various support campaigns and programs to back the WGA's effort can check out the guild's United Hollywood site, as well as the fans4writers.com site mentioned by Ron D. Moore.

Please note that the opinions expressed herein and in the video segments are strictly those of the participants.

Page 2: Complete list of Star Trek-related attendees