Moore Sci-Fi at NBC U – ‘Galactica’ producer inks 2-year deal

HOLLYWOOD — “Battlestar Galactica” exec producer Ronald D. Moore has inked a rich overall pact with NBC Universal Television Studio, reupping for another two years.

Deal calls for Moore, who exec produced the first season of HBO’s “Carnivale” before joining “Battlestar,” to create and develop series, with an emphasis on sci-fi-themed projects.

He’s already set up the NBC fantasy skein “Pen and the Sword” and “Warehouse 13,” a quirky one-hour for Sci Fi Channel. Moore also will continue to steer “Battlestar,” which kicks off the second half of season two Jan. 6.

Producer-scribe said he’s never considered himself a sci-fi writer, but having penned numerous episodes for three series in the “Star Trek” franchise, he’s come to embrace the genre.

“It’s something I’ve become known for, but the stories I tell are character-driven narratives,” Moore said. “I’m especially happy to see that ‘Battlestar’ has gotten recognition from critics. I’ve always believed in the show.”

NUTS prexy Angela Bromstad said it was imperative to keep Moore inhouse. His “prolific work is recognized throughout the industry for its wit and creativity.”

“Pen and the Sword” revolves around a young man at a temp agency who comes to realize the building he works in is a portal to a sort of medieval alternate reality. Show will follow the man as he slides between worlds, trying to unravel the connection between the two — i.e., verbal spats between colleagues in one dimension are sword fights in the other.

“It’s definitely something different for a broadcast network,” Moore said. “At its heart, ‘Pen and the Sword’ is really the story of this guy and his late father, who was somehow involved in the office.”

For Sci Fi, Moore will oversee “Warehouse 13” from writer Brent Mote. Project concerns a pair of government officials banished to a storage facility in North Dakota where they spend their days cataloguing artifacts and other odds and ends collected by the government over the years. Unbeknownst to them, every item has a backstory, pulling them into fantastic and supernatural quests each week.

“It’s ‘Northern Exposure’-esque and more comedic than anything else I’ve seen on Sci Fi,” Moore said. “What interested me was that it was a fun concept anchored by real characters.”

Moore is best known for his work on “Star Trek” skeins “Deep Space Nine,” “The Next Generation” and “Voyager.” He wrote and exec produced the “Battlestar Galactica” miniseries that spun off the weekly skein and also worked on “Good vs. Evil” and USA’s “Touching Evil.”

Moore is credited with the story for “Mission: Impossible II” and the screenplay for “Star Trek: First Contact.”

Source: Variety, Written By: Denise Martin