Moore on “Virtuality”

Ronald D. Moore of “Battlestar Galactica” fame has been announced as a writer and producer for Fox’s upcoming back-door pilot, “Virtuality.” The two-hour special will be produced by Universal, however NBC passed on the concept, considered “too sci-fi” for the network. The plot involves the 12-member crew of Phaeton, Earth’s first starship, which is equipped with a virtual reality system to keep the crew’s minds occupied during its 10-year journey. A bug in the system creates a problem resulting in the general theme of the series, which explores the nature of reality. Moore brought with him BSG writer and producer Michael Taylor.

I’m both excited and concerned about this one. Ron Moore’s going to come off the success of a series about a group of humans on a space ship to a network reviled among fandom for cancelling a series about a group of humans on a space ship. The producers sound confident, and if NBC doesn’t want to do sci-fi after the drop in viewers “Heroes” experienced in the second season, not to mention the “Bionic Woman” debacle, then I hope Fox can be patient enough to let this sci-fi series draw a following.