Outlander brings together Diana Gabaldon romance readers and fans of Battlestar Galactica

WHAT do romance readers and fans of Battlestar Galactica have in common? Outlander. Plus there’s something for the GoT junkies too.

TWO distinct lines of fandom intersect in the new $90 million time travel romance series Outlander.

On one side there are ardent readers of Diana Gabaldon’s novels, which have sold about 27 million copies worldwide.

Sam Heughan and Caitriona Balfe star in Outlander. Picture: Getty

Then there are the rabid fans of executive producer Ronald D. Moore, the creative mind behind Battlestar Galactica and Helix and the author of many standout Star Trek episodes.

Sam Heughan, who plays young highlander Jamie Fraser, is among the latter.

“I was having dinner with Ron and we were talking about one world and the European Union and about how we should all work together, and I realised the way I thought was because I’d been watching too much Star Trek when I was younger,” he laughs.

“He’s influenced the way I think.”

But Outlander couldn’t be further away from hard sci-fi.

It begins in 1940s Scotland where female doctor Claire (Caitriona Balfe) is trying to reconnect with her husband (Tobias Menzies).

She falls back through time to 1743 and is forced to marry Jamie for protection. But the evil English villain is a dead ringer for her 1940s husband.

There’s also plenty of sex and violence to keep the Game of Thrones crowd happy.

Author Diana Gabaldon was delighted when Sam Heughan was cast in the TV series. Picture: Supplied

“It isn’t just one thing — it’s an action adventure, there’s the historical side, there’s a romance … but you’ll find as the show continues it gets darker and more twisted,” he says.

Heughan spent an unfruitful pilot season in LA last year before returning to London where he was called to audition.

Gabaldon tweeted how “UTTERLY delighted” she was by Heughan’s casting, which is impressive considering how protective she is of her work.

Executive producer Ronald D. Moore and author Diana Gabaldon at an Outlander event in New York. Picture: AP

Heughan then watched the long search for the female lead.

“It was evident when Caitriona walked in the room ... There was definite chemistry between us.”

■ Outlander, SoHo, Thursday, 8.30pm