ST Alpha - "WGA rules are that every show has to produce two "freelance" episodes per season, ostensibly to give new writers a chance to break in" (Reading a Post)

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In response to "there was one show that took unsolicited scripts, what was it called?.....oh yeah, Star Trek" by crash davis

WGA rules are that every show has to produce two "freelance" episodes per season, ostensibly to give new writers a chance to break in

Posted by chuckles (aka chris) Jul 16 '10, 15:24

Star Trek was pretty much the only series that would actually accept and read unsolicited spec scripts to meet their quota. Jane Espenson got her first break that way.

In practice, shows now use those two slots to give the staff's writer's assistant or PA (or even sometimes anyone on the crew who might have come up with a great episode) their chance to get a credit -- and become WGA eligible -- before promoting them to staff writer

Responses:

I didn't know that, interesting. -- nm - crash davis Jul 16, 15:29 3
- i wish i had been trying to break in while TNG was on the air. i would have given Riker a horrible, ignoble death -- nm - chuckles Jul 16, 15:39 2
  - autoerotic asphyxiation accident on Risa -- nm - Beryllium Jul 16, 15:44 1
    - more like Klingon battle rape -- nm - chuckles Jul 16, 15:44

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WGA rules are that every show has to produce two "freelance" episodes per season, ostensibly to give new writers a chance to break in

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