Ronald D. Moore to Receive the 2024 Outstanding Television Writer Award at the Austin Film Festival

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Photo of Ronald D. Moore Courtesy of Dennys IIic/Austin Film Festival.

Ask any science fiction fan what they think of Ronald D. Moore, and their eyes will light up. Simply because Mister Moore is a beloved writer in that arena, courtesy of what he’s done for the genre over the past few decades. After all, Ronald was responsible for fleshing out the Klingon Mythos in Star Trek: The Next Generation, along with writing some of its most memorable episodes, and co-writing one of the most popular Trek films out there in First Contact, and the accolades on his long and winding resume do not end there.
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After all, Ronald brought sci-fi into the 21st Century with his work in creating the acclaimed Battlestar Galactica reboot, and he continues to take the genre to bold new heights courtesy of his work on For All Mankind and Outlander. So, it should come as no surprise that earlier today, the Austin Film Festival announced that Ronald is going to be honored with the 2024 Outstanding Television Writer Award at this year’s Austin Film Festival, in addition to having his illustrious career spotlighted via several panels at the festival, and well… this is just wonderful news. For Mister Moore really is a pioneer in the industry and his work has inspired so many and well, to offer this honor the respect it deserves, here are all the details regarding this announcement, courtesy of the Austin Film Festival.

‘AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL (AFF) announced today Ronald D. Moore will receive the 2024 Outstanding Television Writer Award, celebrating his impactful contributions to the landscape of television through celebrated sci-fi shows including For All Mankind, Outlander, and Battlestar Galactica.  
At AFF’s Writers Conference, happening October 24th – 27th, Moore’s career will be highlighted on two panels: “A Conversation with Ronald D. Moore”, a discussion about his career and body of work, and “Script to Screen: Battlestar Galactica”, an analysis of the seminal miniseries from concept to completion, complete with clips from the series.    

Deeply rooted in the sci-fi genre, Moore got his start in the entertainment business on the writing staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation. During his tenure there, he wrote or co-wrote 27 episodes, including the two-hour series finale All Good Things, for which he won a Hugo Award in 1994. That same year, Moore was honored with an Emmy® Award nomination and was eventually promoted to Producer. In 1994, Moore joined the writing staff of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as Supervising Producer and was elevated to Co-Executive Producer the following year. Moore spent five seasons on the series until the end of its successful run in 1999. Moore also served briefly as Executive Consultant on the USA cable series Good vs. Evil before joining the staff of Roswell as Executive Producer. After two seasons in that post, he took over the reins as Showrunner from creator Jason Katims in its final year. In the fall of 2002, Moore was named Showrunner and Executive Producer of HBO’s critically acclaimed one-hour drama Carnivàle.  

In 2003, Moore created the re-imagined series, Battlestar Galactica, and served as Showrunner/Executive Producer of the series, which ran for four seasons.  Battlestar Galactica was honored with a prestigious Peabody® Award and twice as an official selection of the AFI (American Film Institute) top television programs for 2005 and 2006.  In 2006, Moore was nominated for an Emmy® Award for Best Writing in a Dramatic Series, and in 2008, he won an Emmy® for the Battlestar Galactica webisodes. In 2008, Moore co-wrote the pilot to the spin-off series Caprica, a drama set 58 years before the events of Battlestar Galactica. He served as Executive Producer for the run of the series. In 2010, Moore’s production company, Tall Ship Productions, signed an overall deal with Sony Television to develop and produce television series. Under the Tall Ship banner, Moore is currently producing the Golden Globes®-nominated series Outlander for Starz and For All Mankind for Apple TV+, and previously served as Executive Producer on the Amazon/Channel 4 anthology series, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams, as well as the SyFy original series, Helix.  

After a decade with Sony Television, Tall Ship Productions inked an overall deal with Disney’s 20th Television in 2020, where Ron is currently developing new television projects. Moore is a native of Chowchilla, California and attended Cornell University, where he studied political science. He lives in New York with his wife, Terry. He has three children – Robin, Roxy and Jonathan. 

Austin Film Festival’s Writers Conference, happening October 24th – 27th, will again present over 150 panels on the art, craft, and business of storytelling, featuring a slate of prominent industry professionals working in film, television, and new media, including previously announced recipient of the 2024 Polly Platt Award for Producing Kathleen Kennedy. 

ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL & WRITERS CONFERENCE Entering its thirty-first year, Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft and business of writers and filmmakers and recognizing their contributions to film, television, theater, and new media. AFF champions the work of aspiring and established storytellers by providing unique cultural events and services, enhancing public awareness and participation, and encouraging dynamic and long-lasting community partnerships. This project is supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of The City of Austin Economic Development Department and Texas Commission on the Arts. The 31st Annual Austin Film Festival will take place October 24 – 31, 2024. All attendees and events are based on permitting schedules and are subject to change and/or cancellation without notice. Badges and passes are available for purchase online at www.austinfilmfestival.com or by phone at 1-800-310-FEST. 

ABOUT THE OUTSTANDING TELEVISION WRITER AWARD 
Introduced in 2000, the Outstanding Television Writer Award highlights the artistic achievements and contributions of television creators and their importance in shaping the landscape of serialized storytelling. Past award recipients include Damon Lindelof (2023), Michael Schur (2021), Keenen Ivory Wayans (2017), Marta Kauffman (2016), Norman Lear (2015), and David Chase (2000).’

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