Battlestar Galactica mastermind and general science fiction genius Ronald D. Moore has had another project in the works for a while now called Virtuality. Moore sold the property to Fox as a movie-length pilot for a new series, but since then, it’s been unsure whether it would actually become a full TV series, or if it would just be a TV movie. At the moment, it appears Fox wants to see the movie and how it does first and then decide on the show’s fate. This is not good as the movie’s premise is built specifically for a TV series, meaning this movie will merely set the series up, and many, many…if not all answers will remain mysteries unless a show is ordered. It’s hard to believe that any station — including Fox — would think twice about whether to order a new Ronald D. Moore show or not, but this appears to be the case here.
Virtuality tells the story of twelve astronauts who embark on one of the most important space missions of all-time — a decade-long task to find a habitable planet after it is discovered that Earth will no longer be able to support human life in one hundred years. To help pass this absurd amount of time, the ship (called the Phaeton) is equipped with a powerful virtual reality system that helps the crew to go off into virtual worlds, stay entertained, and most important of all: avoid going completely insane. After they reach the point-of-no-return, the crew realizes that the virtual reality system has some sort of virus that is really messing with the ship and making it incredibly difficult for them to do their jobs. Essentially, the virtual system that was instituted to help ten years pass and ensure a completed mission with little to no psychological stress is now causing mass hysteria. To make matters even worse, the entire crew and mission are being recorded 24/7 as a reality TV show that is airing back on Earth to document the progress of this most-important mission.
If you’re someone who can handle watching a long preview, click on over to enjoy the twelve-minute clip from Cinema Blend.
Virtuality is set to air June 26 at 8PM EST on Fox. Watch it and support Ronald D. Moore!
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[Source: via io9]
An absolutely BLATANT rip-off of Joe Haldeman’s “Old Twentieth”. Mr. Haldeman has said he won’t pursue legal action apparently so maybe an agreement was reached but this appears to be plagiarism at it’s worst.