When it comes to epic sci-fi TV, any project from Ronald D. Moore is definitely worth a watch. The famed television writer and producer has won the hearts of many with his rebooted Battlestar Galactica, and just recently won more hearts with the Season 3 conclusion of Starz's Outlander, and he'll undoubtedly win more as EP and installment-writer of Amazon's upcoming series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams. Moore now has yet another genre drama heading to television, as Apple has given a straight-to-series order for an untitled space drama that envisions a world where the space race never ended.
The project, which was written and created by Moore, also comes from Fargo co-executive producers Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi. The series will be the third original scripted series that Apple has ordered under its recently formed worldwide video programming division. The division, which is currently run by former Sony TV presidents Jamie Erlicht & Zack Van Amburg, are two people whom Moore is familiar with as he worked on Outlander and several other projects with the two when they were at Sony.
Outside of a base-level description that comes via Deadline, it's hard to say exactly what Ronald D. Moore's new sci-fi drama will entail. Having said that, a world still heavily invested in space travel certainly sounds like an interesting backdrop for any series, let alone one from a guy like Moore. The real-world space race officially began in 1955, but its hard to say exactly when it ended. While some would say the race concluded in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, others would note that things definitively cooled down around the mid-70s between the United States and U.S.S.R.
In Ronald D. Moore's world where the space race never ended, it seems as though the United States and the former Soviet Union could still be in competition for the next great advancements in spacefaring, likely with other countries like China joining the fray. And hopefully showcasing privatized space-based organizations as well. Had NASA been able to continue driving forward human-led missions beyond the moon, there's no telling where space travel would be at today, or the technological impact it would have on modern society. For example, the Space Race brought about the development of memory foam, frozen dinners, and satellite television. It'll be cool to see how realistic this new drama will be; will there be some alt-history flair where future-tech evolution is concerned, or will all the societal impacts be the same?
With an early career that spanned across the Star Trek universe, Ronald D. Moore has a good track record for riveting fiction, so this new drama should get sci-fi lovers pumped whenever it lands on Apple in the distant-ish future. For a look at other upcoming programs on their way television new or returning, check out both our fall premiere guide and midseason premiere guide. Those wishing to see which shows were canceled in 2017 and get an explanation as to how or why it happened should visit our cancellation guide.
