Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

[R.N7]

The sequel to the Carl Sagan series. The first episode airs today with Neil deGrasse Tyson as the new presenter. Could be good!

For some reason it's produced by Seth MacFarlane which kinda fills my belly with vomit.

 

[The Mitcher]

The sequel to the Carl Sagan series. The first episode airs today with Neil deGrasse Tyson as the new presenter. Could be good!

For some reason it's produced by Seth MacFarlane which kinda fills my belly with vomit.

Is this a documentary series? He's probably just doing what producers do.

 

[R.N7]

Is this a documentary series? He's probably just doing what producers do.

Yeah, hope fully.

 

[Silent_Running]

Is this a documentary series? He's probably just doing what producers do.

Produce?

 

[Eriku]

Been waiting a while for this... No man is better equipped to fill Carl Sagan's shoes than Tyson. Can't bleedin' wait!

 

[Grinner]

@Adzzz did you know about this?

 

[Adzzz]

@Adzzz did you know about this?

I did not! Cheers mate, What the balls. I assume it's airing in the States first??

 

[Grinner]

I did not! Cheers mate, What the balls. I assume it's airing in the States first??

Yep. Sagan's wife is involved. It should be excellent. I've been seeing build-up for it all week and supposedly Obama is introducing episode 1.

 

[Adzzz]

Yep. Sagan's wife is involved. It should be excellent. I've been seeing build-up for it all week and supposedly Obama is introducing episode 1.

Ah, excellent. That's pretty damn cool, I have the original series on DVD!

 

[Grinner]

Ah, excellent. That's pretty damn cool, I have the original series on DVD!

I watched the first showing on the Beeb....old, too fecking old!

 

[Adzzz]

I watched the first showing on the Beeb....old, too fecking old!

Sagan was brilliant wasn't he? Great series. Plus I prefer Tyson by miles over Cox. Interesting story, had a puesdo-date with a girl and went to Brian Cox's office with her. It was empty. The Universe sent us both a message that day.

 

[Grinner]

Yeah Sagan was great. There used to be another similar show that was good hosted by James Burke in the 1980's. You got some really great stuff on telly back then.

The Vangelis music was cool too.

 

[Adzzz]

Yeah Sagan was great. There used to be another similar show that was good hosted by James Burke in the 1980's. You got some really great stuff on telly back then.

The Vangelis music was cool too.

Ah, I've never seen the James Burke series. Vangelis was and is cool. Bladerunner OST is still special.

 

[17Larsson]

I read an article last week with Seth MacFarlane saying he used to love Carl Sagans shows when he was growing up, I don't remember any mention of him producing this new show but I presume that's why he did the interview.

What channel is this on or is there any links for it?

 

[Grinner]

I saw McFarlane on The Daily Show recently. I think he's pretty likeable actually and wickedly talented.

 

[Eriku]

Was watching a Q&A with Margulis, Tyson, MacFarlane and others involved in the making of the reboot, in anticipation of this. A question that was posed to MacFarlane was "where did you meet Ann Druyan?"

He answered: "we both fought in Korea"

Funny guy, and I never knew that he was so clued up about science. A mighty big feather in his cap that he tugged at Fox, Druyan and Tyson and got this reboot going. Cosmos is still great, but could do with an update and some better production values, and if done right will serve the cause of the public understanding of science well... Or at least as well as anything else could hope to.

 

[RexHamilton]

I'm currently downloading Sagan's original series (legally, obviously) and going to watch that first. I've seen bits and pieces of it on you tube and that, but I've never seen it in it's entirety.

 

[Grinner]

The Cosmos book is well worth having too.

 

[RexHamilton]

The Cosmos book is well worth having too.

Only a tenner on the Book Depository. I might invest. Astronomy just blows my mind. It really does, like nothing else I read about or watch.

 

[Will Absolute]

Sagan was brilliant wasn't he? Great series. Plus I prefer Tyson by miles over Cox. Interesting story, had a puesdo-date with a girl and went to Brian Cox's office with her. It was empty. The Universe sent us both a message that day.

No accounting for taste, I guess. Cox may be the best presenter the BBC have had since Attenborough, whereas Tyson is just: 'I know the Universe is infinite, but I can make it sound even bigger!'

(I may be doing Tyson an injustice of course. I've never liked him since he bit Holyfield.)

 

[Adzzz]

No accounting for taste, I guess. Cox may be the best presenter the BBC have had since Attenborough, whereas Tyson is just: 'I know the Universe is infinite, but I can make it sound even bigger!'

(I may be doing Tyson an injustice of course. I've never liked him since he bit Holyfield.)

Me and Cox have a personal beef, it's not a problem.

 

[Grinner]

The cartoon was a bit shit.

 

[crappycraperson]

I was worried they would be hesitant to forthright present big bang, evolution etc as facts. Very glad it was not so.

 

[Grinner]

I don't think the religious will like this series.

 

[hungrywing]

Been waiting a while for this... No man is better equipped to fill Carl Sagan's shoes than Tyson. Can't bleedin' wait!

There's actually a few out there. But they don't seek the limelight.

I don't think the religious will like this series.

Carl Sagan did a very smart thing once he started getting in the public sphere: he knew science stood to gain little ground with the deeply-rooted religious set, and everything to lose by having a figurehead that was even the slightest bit confrontational. So he used his considerable people-skills and gift with words to project science as benign and accommodating. He made it impossible for either 'side' to use him as a fulcrum towards any incendiary dialogue.

That actually leads to a bit of a problem with Tyson, but as I haven't watched the show yet I shouldn't elaborate at this point. I think @Will Absolute touched on it, if (s)he wasn't joking earlier.

 

[RexHamilton]

I was worried they would be hesitant to forthright present big bang, evolution etc as facts. Very glad it was not so.

Really? You were worried that a show presented by Tyson and produced by McFarlane following on the work that Sagan did would be afraid to present the truth as truth?

 

[Adzzz]

It's been about 30 years since the Sagan series right? Times have changed considerably, Tyson is from the Reddit era. Atheists are much, much more commonplace now. The religious will probably know what the series will be like and tune in, or not, accordingly.

 

[crappycraperson]

Really? You were worried that a show presented by Tyson and produced by McFarlane following on the work that Sagan did would be afraid to present the truth as truth?

Well it is airing in USA and that too on Fox. A network that has afforded valuable space to creationists before and even mocked Atheists.
I am sure if it was upto the network only, they would love to make it so that religious families could also tune in.

 

[RexHamilton]

Well it is airing in USA and that too on Fox. A network that has afforded valuable space to creationists before and even mocked Atheists.
I am sure if it was upto the network only, they would love to make it so that religious families could also tune in.

I suppose they do pay this guy a fortune, so there could be some truth in that.

That being said, I can't imagine the people involved would have got involved if they couldn't make the show the way they wanted to. They're not exactly people to pander to Creationist or even normal religious views. But yeah, with it being on Fox, I do see your point.

 

[nimic]

Fox isn't Fox News, though. I mean, Fox had the likes of Family Guy and American Dad, and they don't exactly pander to the right. Family Guy laughs at creationists more than any series I've seen.

 

[JustAFan]

Well it is airing in USA and that too on Fox. A network that has afforded valuable space to creationists before and even mocked Atheists.
I am sure if it was upto the network only, they would love to make it so that religious families could also tune in.

Don't confuse FOX News with the other FOX Networks. The Fox Network this airs on is the same one that brought a lot of TV shows the "religious side" did not like, Married with Children, The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, in its early days it used to show movies unedited which ticked off a lot of the more religious folks.

Other shows that played on other FOX Networks include Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Justified, American Horror Story, Archer, Chozen, heck even Glee is on a FOX network and it upsets some of the bible bunch quite regularly.

 

[RexHamilton]

Ah yes. I never really thought about that. I like Fox again. Just not Fox news.

 

[simon_xazza]

It is certainly available to pirate, should you want to report it.

 

[Adzzz]

I'm ashamed to say episodes have been found on the popular website known I believe as youtube. Disgraceful isn't it?

 

[R.N7]

It was decent, he's no match for Sagans luminosity.

 

[RexHamilton]

Just watched it. Thought it was very good. Possibly a bit light on content and heavy on effects, although I imagine that's because this was just an introduction. Really enjoyed it though. Putting the Universe on the scale of a calendar year is an excellent way to make our impact on things feel pretty insignificant. It may not be Sagan, but it's a good tribute to him.

 

[Grinner]

He had to say star stuff. I'm liking all the little Saganisms.

 

[RexHamilton]

He had to say star stuff. I'm liking all the little Saganisms.

I liked that. I only started watching Sagan's one last night so it was fresh in my memory. Going to try and finish that series before next week's new episode. It is clear how much he idolises Sagan though.

 

[Revan]

@Adzzz I never watched the Sagan series. Do I need to watch them before I watch this (I am very familiar - though as an enthusiast, not as a proffesionist - with physics, astrophysics and astronomy. Considering that the Sagan serie is very old now, I was thinking to go directly into this, but would like to see someone's who knows this stuff opinion.

 

[Adzzz]

@Adzzz I never watched the Sagan series. Do I need to watch them before I watch this (I am very familiar - though as an enthusiast, not as a proffesionist - with physics, astrophysics and astronomy. Considering that the Sagan serie is very old now, I was thinking to go directly into this, but would like to see someone's who knows this stuff opinion.

There is some major paraphrasing in this one, so you'd be fine watching this one. Watching Sagan's is worth every moment however. Basically, whatever you fancy doing.