Virtuality, which airs tonight on Fox, was supposed to be Battlestar Galactica producer Ron Moore's next big sci-fi series. But something went wrong along the way: Instead of becoming a high-profile Fox sci-fi series in the mold of The X-Files or even Fringe, Virtuality is airing tonight as a two-hour movie with little hope of continuing on.

Typically, that's the sort of thing that happens when a show just turns out terrible — so it's a little odd that Fox is showing us any part of it. Maybe they're hoping for a big viewer turnout to convince them to make a series after all? Then again, that's not too likely on a Friday in the Summer.

It's a shame, because the premise sounds like it could be intriguing. A dozen astronauts are living aboard Earth's first starship, which is about to embark on a long mission that could be crucial to the future of the planet. In order to keep them from boredom along the way, the ship is equipped with state-of-the-art virtual reality modules, which allow the astronauts to essentially become anyone they want to be. One's a war hero, one's a rock star; the only limit is imagination. There's a problem, though: How can the crew members tell what's real?

That issue is compounded by another: the expedition is also being filmed as a reality series, adding an additional level of scrutiny and Truman Show-esque confusion.

Will this two-hour movie version of Virtuality convince someone to pick it up and make it a series? Or will the story end here? And either way, will you be watching? To check out a couple of clips, just read more.

Photo courtesy of Fox