Moore's work on shows such as "Roswell" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation" has made him one of the most prolific writers in science fiction television.

"I sort of fell into sci-fi. I read a few of the classics -- Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein -- but I was not a heavy sci-fi reader. I was always a writer growing up. But nobody from Chowchilla had become a writer. Then I thought I wanted to be a lawyer," Moore says.

He went to Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., to study political science. Moore realized that he wanted to be more like fictional attorney Perry Mason than a lawyer burdened with real-world demands. Moore left Cornell his senior year and moved to Los Angeles, planning to become a writer. He slept on the floor of a friend's house while he looked for work. In 1989, Moore sold his first script. "My big break in the business was when I sold my first script to 'Next Generation.' I spent 10 years with 'Star Trek.' " Moore says of working on "Next Generation" and then "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Moore wrote or co-wrote 27 episodes of "Next Generation." He won science fiction's highest honor, a Hugo Award, for his script for the "Next Generation" series finale in 1994.

Moore spent five seasons as a producer on "Deep Space Nine." He was an executive consultant on the short-lived Sci Fi channel series "Good vs. Evil" before joining "Roswell" as executive producer. Also, he co-wrote the feature film "Star Trek: First Contact" in 1996.

A constant of Moore's writing is strong female characters. He wrote for Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) on "Next Generation." Female characters Maj. Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Chief Science Officer Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) were equals among the men on "Deep Space Nine."

And one of the three main aliens on "Roswell" was a strong female, Isabel, played by Katherine Heigl. She says that one of Moore's writing strengths was his ability to understand and write for women. She points to an episode of "Roswell" that played off the television series "Bewitched" as an example. Moore wrote the episode that focused almost exclusively on Heigl's character.

"It was a very scary episode for me because I was trying to take on another actress' mannerisms and make it believable," Heigl says to television critics. "Ron was so supportive of me. It was great of him that he had enough faith in me to write that episode.

"He is a great person and a fascinating writer. I love to see whatever he does next."

The father of two remains busy with assorted television projects. But he has found time to deal with another important part of his past. Along with childhood friend Chris Hobson, Moore is making a documentary about the Chowchilla High School marching band. The pair will continue collecting interviews in early 2004 with anyone who was in the high school band from the mid-1960s through 1983.