I was looking for a link about how the writers’ strike is going to affect BSG (because most people seem to talk only about the repercussions on Heroes and Lost), and found this interview where Ronald D. Moore not only handles that question (answer: it probably won’t change a great deal for us) but also gives the clearest, most concise explanation of the strike I’ve seen so far — and he’s all the better placed to talk about it as the BSG “webisodes” from last year are the most prominent example of what they’re fighting about.

‘Oooh, webisodes! What does that mean?’ It was all very new stuff. And it was very eye opening, because the studio’s position was ‘Oh, we’re not going to pay anybody to do this. You have to do this, because you work on the show. And we’re not going to pay you to write it. We’re not going to pay the director, and we’re not going to pay the actors.’

Considering the very fascinating system the U.S. majors have designed for (not) paying its authors and performers (whether for TV, movies or music), it’s really amazing that they manage to produce such a hegemonous culture.