Picture this: a thriller about a team of scientists from the Center for Disease Control who travel to a high-tech research facility in the Arctic to investigate a possible disease outbreak. Once there, the team finds themselves in a life-or-death struggle that will hold the key to the annihilation or salvation of mankind.

Sounds good, right? Well, that's what Syfy thought, too. The cable network announced on Thursday that it has given a straight-to-series order for Ron Moore's (Battlestar Galactica) new drama Helix. That's great news for fans who are looking forward to seeing the show, which has already bypassed the pilot stage and will air 13 episodes in its first season.  Hit the jump to find out more about the new series.

THR reports that Moore will helm the drama as executive producer, along with Lynda Obst (Contact), Steven Maeda (Lost) and Cameron Porsandeh, who also wrote the pilot. Casting and production are set to begin shortly and the network is apparently shooting for a debut later this year.

Here’s what Mark Stern, Syfy president of original content and co-head of original content at cable arm Universal Cable Productions, had to say about the project:

“With its well-drawn characters, taut drama and incredible production team, we couldn’t be more excited to see this intense thrill ride of a series come to life."

Some are comparing Helix to that other post-apocalyptic drama known as The Walking Dead, but seeing as there has been no mention of flesh-eating zombies in Helix, I think I'll hold my comparisons until I've seen it. From the description alone, it sounds like this could be another one to add to my DVR, but of course it remains to be seen if Helix will fulfill its tantalizing promises.