"People have been trying to make a feature film of (my novel) Outlander for the last 20 years. I said to [executive producer] Ron Moore that I have seen scripts that made me turn white and burst into flames," said author Diana Gabaldon about her 1991 book which tells the romantic story of a 1945 combat nurse Claire Randall, who is time warped back to 1743 and marries a dashing Scottish warrior Jamie Fraser.

At Starz's Comic-Con panel, Moore, Gabaldon and the cast recounted how the bestselling international novel finally saw its way to a visual medium. They also introduced a new trailer, which you can watch below. 

There are seven more "Outlander" novels ready for adaptation, along with a handful of related short stories.

 The series has long been discussed as a potentially "Game Of Thrones" type of breakout hit.

"Outlander" has had a long and tumultuous road to the screen, starting back in July 2012, at a time when executive producer Ronald D. Moore attached himself to potential projects like some sort of genre-fiction katamari. Perhaps acknowledging the long wait for the show's arrival, the premiere will be available online and on-demand one week prior to its Starz debut.

In short, 18th century Scotland could be the future of Starz. Or just HBO circa 2001 or 2004:

The names attached are promising: the show's creator is Ronald D. Moore of "Battlestar Galactica". The director of the first two episodes is John Dahl, who is well known for the noir thriller "The Last Seduction."

She's a tough broad - and also happily married to Frank (Tobias Menzies), her academic husband. It's worth noting that the first intimate scene between these two is him going down on her amidst some dusty ruins. Word, Ron Moore.

"Outlanders" will debut Saturday August 9th.