Ronald D. Moore is showrunning the "Battlestar Galactica" prequel series "Caprica," but that's not a job he intends to hold long-term.

The showrunner, who got his start with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," told The Chicago Tribune that he has been slowly handing over showrunner reins to Jane Espenson, a current writer on Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse," who is now attached to "Caprica."

"She's a great writer," Moore said. "And in the last season of 'Galactica,' I started handing over more and more responsibility to Jane on the production side and in post" production.

On top of that, Espenson basically was the showrunner when it came to her upcoming "Battlestar" movie "The Plan," which pretty much prepared her for the role of taking over the franchise from Moore.

"She did a great job and she stepped up, and I have a tremendous amount of faith in her."

Espenson and Moore have similar backgrounds. Both got their breaks through the Star Trek franchise, Moore by pitching an idea through an acquaintance on the show, and Espenson through the spec script submission program that had been instituted by then executive producer Michael Piller in 1989.

Espenson would write a "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode, but she really shot to fame with fans when she joined "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a role she would continue for five seasons. She would later write for "Angel" and "Firefly," two other Whedon projects, before joining the writing staff of "Battlestar Galactica."

"Caprica" is a prequel series to "Battlestar," taking place about a half century before the events portrayed in SciFi Channel's outgoing signature series. SciFi Channel has picked it up for a 20-episode first season, which is expected to debut in 2010.

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