By Rudie Obias | 7 years ago

Science fiction TV icon Ronald D. Moore is busy with two new TV shows coming in 2014. The first is a romance sci-fi genre hybrid set in 18th Century Scotland called Outlander, while the other is a sci-fi thriller set in the icy cold of the Arctic called Helix. The latter is quickly coming together for 2014, as it recently cast another sci-fi icon, in the person of Jeri Ryan, for a multi-episode story arc.

According to TV By The Numbers, the Star Trek: Voyager veteran Ryan will join the cast of Helix. She will play the beautiful and charismatic Constance Sutton, the Chief Operating Officer of Ilaria Corporation, owner of Arctic Biosystems, the research facility where the series takes place. Her character is a powerful woman, used to getting what she wants, and is described as both “charming and savvy.”

Ryan is best known to sci-fi fans for playing Seven of Nine on Voyager. She won numerous awards for the role, including a Saturn Award for Best Actress on Television. She also played Kate Murphy on Body of Proof for ABC, and has appeared on Warehouse 13, The O.C., and Boston Legal, among others.

We know that Ryan will join the cast in a multi-episode story arc, so at this point it’s unclear if her character will eventually become a series regular. She joins a cast that features Billy Campbell, who plays Dr. Alan Farragut, leader of the Centers for Disease Control outbreak field team, as well as Kyra Zagorsky, Mark Ghanimé, Jordan Hayes, Meegwun Fairbrother, Catherine Lemieux, and Neil Napier.

Helix follows a group of CDC scientists stationed at a secret laboratory in a remote area of the Arctic. Sent to investigate a possible global outbreak, they soon discover something mysterious and terrifying just beneath the icy surface. The series has been compared to John Carpenter’s The Thing for its creepy atmosphere, mystery, and snow bound setting.

A few days ago, we got a first look at the series with the actors in white HazMat suits. Production is well underway, and the show will most likely debut on the SyFy Channel at the beginning of next year. The network has been releasing brief, yet creepy, viral videos that point to the series’ central mystery, a black goop that has the ability to kill.

Meanwhile, Moore is also busy prepping Outlander for the premium cable network Starz. The genre hybrid recently kicked off its own production. Moore tweeted images from the shoot including a picture of him with a killer sword and the clapboard for the first scene.

“Day One and the battle is joined. We fight to do justice to the material & the fans. We'll return w/ our targes or on them.” – @RonDMoore — Outlander (@Outlander_STARZ) October 7, 2013

Picture says it all folks. We're officially in production and it feels… good. pic.twitter.com/qqLmJZho6z — Ronald D. Moore (@RonDMoore) October 7, 2013

Outlander follows the war between two Scottish Clans and the love affair between a chivalrous Scottish warrior named Jamie Fraser and a World War II-era combat nurse named Claire Randall, who is mysteriously sent back in time to the year 1743.

Helix and Outlander are going to two completely different audiences, but with Moore’s name attached, hopefully they will both be successful. Honestly, it feels like Outlander has a better chance for success considering the current trends in TV, and the fact that it’s based on a best-selling book series.