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The grim reality that will exist as a result of the impending Writers Guild of America strike is beginning to unfold this weekend as we begin to see reports that have much anticipated projects being put “on hold” (translation: canceled) and others being cut short. One project in particular was the upcoming NBC spin-off “Heroes: Origins”. The Hollywood Reporter said this week that “Origins” was being put on hold by NBC, mostly out of fear for the writer’s strike. They also speculated that lackluster ratings for the still young second season of the flagship show could have contributed as well, forcing NBC head Ben Silverman to pull it from the Spring lineup.

So after chalking up “Origins” as a strike victim, the news that “Heroes” itself is going to be adversely affected by the strike is simply compounding the issue. TV Guide reported Friday that show writers are prepping an alternate, early season finale that will run if the strike cuts the season short. Originally, the episode was only supposed to close out the current “Generations” story arc, but could serve as the end to the entire second season if an 11th hour solution to the WGA strike doesn’t come along. Should the strike be averted (say your nightly prayers, kids), the alternate footage would not run and the show would continue on as planned, with a short break in the spring and a second story arc to finish out the second season, leaving the alternate ending as nothing more than a faint memory of potential pain and suffering for “Heroes” fans and a solid addition to the second season’s DVD release.

Of course, we will all have our fingers crossed in hopes that bringing in a Federal Mediator will get this strike cleared up before it ever happens, but at this point it doesn’t look good.