Movies - TV
The Frustrating Star Trek Problems That Inspired Battlestar Galactica
By DEVIN MEENAN
Ron Moore
No Trekkie alive lists "TNG" Season 1 as their favorite. Season 2 improved things, but was a mess behind the scenes when head writer Michael Piller recruited Ron Moore.
Moore became one of the show's most prolific writers and was always skilled at bringing the series down to earth. After "TNG" concluded, he moved "Deep Space Nine."
Deep Space Nine
"DS9" used long-form storytelling and focused on the build-up to the Federation's war with the Dominion. The cold war went hot from Season 5 until the end.
After "DS9" wrapped, Moore briefly joined the staff of "Star Trek: Voyager." However, as Moore discovered, this series was a step backward compared to "DS9."
Voyager
As the third "Star Trek" show in a decade, “Voyager” needed a hook to stand out from its peers, so the titular ship was stranded in the far reaches of the Delta Quadrant.
With a revolving door of showrunners, "Voyager" became: "TNG" -lite. The turnover reflected a show struggling to carve out an identity and non-conducive creativity.
Moore On Voyager
Needless to say, Moore didn't last long on "Voyager." His breaking point was when he sought creative input on a character and was told to do whatever he wanted.
Moore departed from "Voyager" in weeks with only 2 episode credits. Leaving the show ended his 10-year run as a writer on "Star Trek."
21st Century Reboot
One of Moore's post-”Trek" gigs was the comedy series "Good vs Evil." There, he met David Eick, who became his partner in rebooting "Battlestar Galactica."
The pair stripped down the series, removing the original’s goofiness while amplifying the melodrama. This changed the conflict from humans vs invaders to parents vs children.