Carl Sagan’s ‘Cosmos’ Gets a 21st Century Reboot

CommanderFrank

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If you were lucky enough to see the original ‘Cosmos’ then you should be excited to know the series is returning next year hosted by astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. The original, hosted by the late Dr. Carl Sagan, was a mix of sci-fi, astrophysics, quantum mechanics and wonder. The reboot promises to be that and more with new tech and special effects that will entertain as well as educate.
 
This reboot would be the third release, since the second release had add on clips at the end hosted by Sagan talking about what was learned after the series first aired.

I'll be watching the reboot as I enjoy watching shows about the universe.
 
The linked video comes up with "This video is private." And going to the page just shows Family Guy BS.

Anyway, I like Tyson, but he is no Sagan. Not sure if he can carry a whole series. And having Fox involved isn't a good sign. Hope we don't see stuff about the fake moon landing and alien autopsies.
 
It says the video is private. WTF Fox? :mad:

Cosmos is more than a science documentary. That series probably did more to shape my personal beliefs and career choice than anything else I've experienced in my life.
 
I hate it when they take it private. It was viewable when linked, but stuff happens. :D
 
Why this guy?

I'm going to be nice but I think casting this bloviating know it all blowhard just ensured that I will miss what would have been a highly anticipated reboot.

sigh...

Why not Michio?
 
Why this guy?

I'm going to be nice but I think casting this bloviating know it all blowhard just ensured that I will miss what would have been a highly anticipated reboot.

sigh...

Why not Michio?

... really? :rolleyes:
 
Why this guy?

I'm going to be nice but I think casting this bloviating know it all blowhard just ensured that I will miss what would have been a highly anticipated reboot.

sigh...

Why not Michio?

Did he rape your mother or something? :rolleyes:
 
Im sure Kaku was in the running for the casting. They're pretty popular when it comes to science TV.
 
Haven't meat Neil deGrasse Tyson once he seems like a good guy, and watching him on various Discovery channel shows back when they were about the science he's very good at explaining things in a simple way (although he talks with his hand a lot) but fuck me sideways that promo video almost puts him on a pedestal of douchieness to the likes that those on Jersey Shores couldn't even accomplish. I mean damn Fox why not keep things simple, just the way he's portrayed in those vignette ... *shiver* makes me NOT want to watch that show.
 
Iono...maybe because of this astounding fact?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9D05ej8u-gU

Yup

And hell...if that doesn't convince you my friend, well look at it from this other perspective...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc

:) no doubt.

I would be fine with either Tyson or Kaku hosting. They would both be great.

yeah, same here. Though this http://youtu.be/afGkv0IT4dU leads me a bit more NdGT's way.
 
The original Cosmos was amazing for its time, and it stood up very well over the years. I have no doubt that this edition with NDT will be great. I'm in the middle of reading Death By Black Hole by NDT, and it's a seriously well-written book.

Now, they just have to include the Meat Planet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP7K9SycELA
:D
 
I loved the original when I was a kid. Still think of it from time to time. Just amazing.

This one... By Fox... Hopefully it stays true to the original and is very educational. With Fox, though, I have doubts. They've burned me before. It could be the best thing ever, and I hope it is... Looks great, though!
 
And hell...if that doesn't convince you my friend, well look at it from this other perspective...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbIZU8cQWXc

The travesty is that we, as a culture (meaning not just the US, but western societies in general) have lost the ability to comprehend long term goals. We cut everything down to how much it costs today, and not what we gain tomorrow. This isn't everyone, and I imagine [H] is a microcosm of the groups who are able to see beyond. We're all enthusiasts of technology here, a group who typically are able to see beyond because we have the rare ability to see potential. It is utterly tragic that we have not pursued space. Our survival as a species, let alone society, depends upon our successful expansion beyond our home world. Beyond our home solar system even. But this is a tremendously long term goal and requires investment that will not have tangible benefits for potentially a very long time, lifetimes away. But, the longer we wait the more stagnant we become as a species.

We as a species have always been at our greatest heights when we are exploring beyond our native environment. We've done earth. We dove to the deepest of depths, and have traversed the highest mountains. We have satellites that are increasingly giving us an ever sharper picture of our lands and seas, of places we have already conquered. I truly believe our innate curiosity and drive for knowledge and expansion will win out in the end, that we will once more strive to move beyond the surly bonds of earth and to touch the heavens above. There is simply nothing on this planet that can compare to the draw of the universe beyond. I just hope, I pray, that we return to our good nature that is exploration and curiosity before we become so mired down and oppressed by our own self-made worlds that we will still have dreamers and drivers of dreams capable of doing so. The human spirit can only take so much, and with the ever increasing repression of it I just fear we might enter a very dark period where that drive is pushed to our deepest recesses of our minds and that it might very well be lost for generations.
 
Why this guy?

I'm going to be nice but I think casting this bloviating know it all blowhard just ensured that I will miss what would have been a highly anticipated reboot.

sigh...

Why not Michio?

Did he rape your mother or something? :rolleyes:

He must still be mad that Tyson helped kill Pluto or something... Why exactly is Tyson a 'bloviating know it all blowhard' while Kaku isn't?

I don't think Kaku's style suits Cosmos. He's ok in general pop-science shows and programs specifically about physics. Tyson's style is more in-line with Sagan, and that's important. Cosmos is really about the philosophy that arises from a scientific understanding of the universe. It's not a typical science documentary.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc

On the topic of Michio Kaku vs Neil deGrasse Tyson as host:
I think it has more to do with who would be the better narrator; to get as close to Sagan as possible.

Also Neil is an astrophysicist
Kaku is a theoretical physicist

Personally I could care less who hosts. We need more high profile science television to fight this wave of accepted ignorance that consumes the 'airwaves'.
 
brian cox is a bit more charming, smooth and persuasive
neil is hardcore, on the edge of your seat, instructing
kaku is kind of neutral between the two, a bit monotonous imo but provides great detail.

americans need more neil than brian, unfortunately to inspire and motivate.
 
Maybe if they are in the mood to bring back more of the science shows they can resurrect Connections ... I loved that show ... it will be interesting to see if they can recreate the magic of Cosmos ... we know a lot more about the universe than we did then and the question of whether we are going to kill ourselves off is totally different as well (nuclear armageddon then ... maybe something like pollution or disease now) and might be hard to weave into the fabric of a series ... what made Cosmos so unique was its interweaving of science, history, and philosophy together ... very hard to recreate that magic with the jaded modern TV audience ;)
 
Can't imagine anyone better than Neil deGrasse Tyson, whenever you hear him talk about these things, it's with a passion I don't see anyone matching, and he's good at making it interesting and fun to listen to.

I love the old one with Carl Sagan, and he definitely also showed that he cared, but I do think that Neil's enthusiasm will capture a few more people, as I know a lot of people who will dismiss something based entirely on someones voice(Which is something that infuriates me, such a dumb reason not to listen to something educational). Only thing that worries me is if Fox tries to make it too "young audience friendly" But I don't think they would have went with Neil if that was their intentions.
 
Can't imagine anyone better than Neil deGrasse Tyson, whenever you hear him talk about these things, it's with a passion I don't see anyone matching, and he's good at making it interesting and fun to listen to.

I love the old one with Carl Sagan, and he definitely also showed that he cared, but I do think that Neil's enthusiasm will capture a few more people, as I know a lot of people who will dismiss something based entirely on someones voice(Which is something that infuriates me, such a dumb reason not to listen to something educational). Only thing that worries me is if Fox tries to make it too "young audience friendly" But I don't think they would have went with Neil if that was their intentions.

Voice patterns have a lot to do with how we absorb information. Think about the tone someone takes if they yell at you or talk down to you. How much are you absorbing?

BBC's Planet Earth: The only way to enjoy it is with Sir David Attenborough doing the narration. Oprah and Sigourney Weaver make it nails on chalk board for me. I like their in person works.

Frozen Planet might be a bit different but Alec Baldwins voice is at the same level as Attenborough.
 
Am I tripping or is the edit button missing?

*edit*
Planet Earth was not narrated by Oprah. She narrated Life
 
meh.. since it is fox.. it will be canceled halfway through and replaced with more reality tv crap

and.. IMO, they picked the right man to do it. he is a great speaker and is passionate about it.
 
brian cox is a bit more charming, smooth and persuasive
neil is hardcore, on the edge of your seat, instructing
kaku is kind of neutral between the two, a bit monotonous imo but provides great detail.

americans need more neil than brian, unfortunately to inspire and motivate.

Brian Cox makes me want to punch him in the head. He is so fucking saccharin in his delivery.
 
Fuck it. Just get Morgan Freeman to do it. He's already doing Through the Bung Hole, he's black like Tyson, with a layman's take on the narrative with all of the injected sanctimony one could ask for. He'd be perfect for it.
 
Glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks Michio is the man. Just finished reading his "Physics of the impossible" and now working on his "Einstein's Cosmos" book. Good stuff!
 
Science show+Major Network=No thanks. It will be manipulated so badly and major points will be so glossed over that this will quickly devolve into typical network sludge. It will be used by the network to push political and social agendas and end up being very light on any "science".
 
Maybe if they are in the mood to bring back more of the science shows they can resurrect Connections ... I loved that show ... it will be interesting to see if they can recreate the magic of Cosmos ... we know a lot more about the universe than we did then and the question of whether we are going to kill ourselves off is totally different as well (nuclear armageddon then ... maybe something like pollution or disease now) and might be hard to weave into the fabric of a series ... what made Cosmos so unique was its interweaving of science, history, and philosophy together ... very hard to recreate that magic with the jaded modern TV audience ;)

Oh dear lord I loved Connections... oh man.
 
Science show+Major Network=No thanks. It will be manipulated so badly and major points will be so glossed over that this will quickly devolve into typical network sludge. It will be used by the network to push political and social agendas and end up being very light on any "science".

I agree a bit. I do think they will spend less time on the really cool science stuff and technical stuff and more on the 'cool, exciting, climate change, fragile world' stuff. I like the technical, science stuff. I don't expect them to get too far out there, but I really don't want them dumbing it down to their typical audience.
 
He must still be mad that Tyson helped kill Pluto or something... Why exactly is Tyson a 'bloviating know it all blowhard' while Kaku isn't?

I don't think Kaku's style suits Cosmos. He's ok in general pop-science shows and programs specifically about physics. Tyson's style is more in-line with Sagan, and that's important. Cosmos is really about the philosophy that arises from a scientific understanding of the universe. It's not a typical science documentary.

Kaku is equally excelled at explaining the wonders of the cosmos , I think however Kaku is more suited to books and theoretical shows (like his former on The Science channel).

I think Tyson however reaches and communicates well with the current generation more so than Kaku.

Honestly however no one can truly replace Carl Sagan , he is and was one of a kind. I'm not anticipating the Cosmos as it was , I'm expecting Tyson's own take on exploring and attempting to understand this unimaginable Universe.
 
I've seen some good documentaries hosted by Michio such as BBC's Vision of the Future, but that's what Michio is usually involved with, he's more of a futurist and theoretical physicist. Neil Tyson on the other hand is an astrophysicist as well as a great science communicator, that's probably why he's the best one for the job. Carl Sagen was an astrophysics too.
 
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