Cosmos - With Neil deGrasse Tyson

[Frontman]

I like the show. The original "Cosmos" was more vehicle for Carl Sagan himself who was very in love with himself with long close-ups to his face and him constantly pursing his lips. Carl would never let long cartoon run when he could explain it with a close-up. I remember when I watched TOS "Cosmos" I felt kind of dirty afterwards like I was on a date with a man, because of Carl's lips pursing that made me feel like he was trying to kiss me. That's why I can't stand Brian Cox shows - I mean talking about being in love with himself - YUCK!
DeGrasse is not in love with himself. He's fat, unshaved guy and first episode was more like some little bit more ambitious BBC episode while I think in the 2nd one science really started to shine. DeGrasse is like a lovechild of Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. With his blackness as a symbol of their hippy love toward humanity.

 

[Timewalker]

Carl Sagan wrote and hosted the original Cosmos. He did not direct any of it.

 

[Christopher]

I think MacFarlane is basically responsible for getting the show made and paying for it. He had a contract with Fox for another show and decided to make a new Cosmos after having a meeting with Tyson, asking what he could do to improve understanding of science in America. So he sold it to Fox who would have to spend more to buy him out of the contract than to produce the show and air it.

That's what I figured -- that he was basically providing money, clout, and connections.

He might be friends with Braga since he was on Enterprise a few times, other than that I have no clue why he's on board.

As I keep saying, Braga has worked as a showrunner on multiple television series in the nine years since his involvement with Trek ended. Those series include two seasons of 24, one of the biggest hits FOX has ever had, and Terra Nova, which FOX only cancelled due to its cost rather than for quality or popularity reasons. So it really isn't surprising at all that FOX would have Braga on their list of showrunner candidates.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I just never expected him to go into documentary series since he's mainly known for fiction.

Although given the special effects, he does have a lot of experience in dealing with that as a producer.

 

[Christopher]

And I never expected him to become a director. But few people like to do the same unvarying thing for their entire lives.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Well that was fun! Perhaps a bit too heavy on the history-side of things for my tastes. But it was a good story, and well-told. I also enjoyed hearing about many of Halley's many other discoveries - beyond the timing of the comet that bears his name.

 

[Pondwater]

Well that was fun! Perhaps a bit too heavy on the history-side of things for my tastes. But it was a good story, and well-told. I also enjoyed hearing about many of Halley's many other discoveries - beyond the timing of the comet that bears his name.

Yeah. That and the whole Fish book disaster for Newton.

 

[Allyn Gibson]

I think large chunks of tonight's episode were drawn from Sagan and Druyan' s Comet. Which is very good, by the way.

 

[Christopher]

I think large chunks of tonight's episode were drawn from Sagan and Druyan' s Comet.

Well, that would explain it. I thought the focus was a little narrow for a Cosmos episode -- although a "narrow" focus on the foundations of modern astrophysics is not that narrow, admittedly.

I wish, though, that we'd get an episode or two about scientists from somewhere other than Europe.

It was nice to see a bit of live-action dramatization and more use of real-world settings like the coffee house, Cambridge, and the Champ de Mars. But I'm not fond of it when they do dialogue scenes in the animated sequences. Not only is the animation style not very expressive (so the "acting" is weak), but actually fictionalizing conversations when discussing real history in a documentary seems inappropriate.

And I'm not sure that galactic collision three billion years from now would be as harmless to life as Tyson said. There'd be few star collisions, true, but galaxies are made up of gas and dust too, and the collisions of gas clouds would trigger massive bursts of star formation and supernovae, which would be hazardous to life. Dense gas or dust clouds engulfing star systems can also potentially be devastating to life on their planets.

 

[Amaris]

I loved learning about Edmond Halley tonight. I didn't know much about him, and this episode was very illuminating.

 

[Timewalker]

Well that was fun! Perhaps a bit too heavy on the history-side of things for my tastes. But it was a good story, and well-told. I also enjoyed hearing about many of Halley's many other discoveries - beyond the timing of the comet that bears his name.

There's nothing wrong with learning the history behind the science. But they forgot the part where the Fourth Doctor had to climb up a tree and drop an apple on Newton's head so he could discover gravity.

I think large chunks of tonight's episode were drawn from Sagan and Druyan' s Comet.

It was nice to see a bit of live-action dramatization and more use of real-world settings like the coffee house, Cambridge, and the Champ de Mars. But I'm not fond of it when they do dialogue scenes in the animated sequences. Not only is the animation style not very expressive (so the "acting" is weak), but actually fictionalizing conversations when discussing real history in a documentary seems inappropriate.

I hate the cartoons. But since nobody was around at the time to accurately record their conversations, all anyone can do is guess.

 

[tomalak301]

Cosmos was an amazing episode tonight, learning about Edmund Halley and his comet (Which I've been pronouncing wrong all these years). I do wonder when we will see another Comet. I remember in the 90s we had the Hale-bopp comet which brought on various cults and the like and it's always fascinating seeing how people react to cosmic events. Some take the science perspective, some are very religious about it, and some see it as the second coming, for example. We really do live in an interesting and diverse world.

 

[Awesome Possum]

That episode was actually beautiful.

 

[Amaris]

Cosmos was an amazing episode tonight, learning about Edmund Halley and his comet (Which I've been pronouncing wrong all these years). I do wonder when we will see another Comet. I remember in the 90s we had the Hale-bopp comet which brought on various cults and the like and it's always fascinating seeing how people react to cosmic events. Some take the science perspective, some are very religious about it, and some see it as the second coming, for example. We really do live in an interesting and diverse world.

Of course it's pronounced "Hal-ley," and not "Hay-ley." Who would pronounce it like that? No one, that's who. Why are you asking? No one said anything.

Anyway, I also love how Neil made the point that we shouldn't laugh at people who saw the comets as portents of doom. How were they supposed to know? It's a nice way of curbing that collective sense of superiority we tend to get, at times, when we look back on the past. Of course, Hale-Bopp is different. When that whole tragedy occurred, we had a full understanding of comets and how they behaved.

That episode was actually beautiful.

Indeed it was. I can't wait until my mom gets to watch it with me. We watched last week's this evening (my second viewing, her first), and she said that it made sense to her. She's very religious, but sees that evolution, and the Big Bang, make a lot of sense, and she accepts that. She also feels God set it all in motion, and I told her that's perfectly fine for her to feel that way. I'm an agnostic, but her believing God set it all in motion, well she's come a long way for someone who was once very fundamentalist in her faith, so I have no issue with her feeling that way. It harms nothing.

 

[Timewalker]

Of course, Hale-Bopp is different. When that whole tragedy occurred, we had a full understanding of comets and how they behaved.

What tragedy?

 

[Amaris]

Of course, Hale-Bopp is different. When that whole tragedy occurred, we had a full understanding of comets and how they behaved.

What tragedy?

During the arrival of the Hale-Bopp comet, back in the late 1990s, 39 people killed themselves. It was a cult called Heaven's Gate, and they believed that the arrival of the comet foretold the arrival of an alien ship. They killed themselves on the word of Marshall Applewhite, the cult leader. It was famous for that, and for the fact that they all wore Nikes (the swoosh looked like a comet's tail).

 

[Timewalker]

That's... I don't have adequate words, since it's sad, awful, and ridiculous all at the same time.

I was taking an astronomy course in college at the time when Hale-Bopp visited, and I remember being ecstatic when I spotted it for the first time. I regret that I won't live long enough to see Halley come around again, as I never did manage to see it clearly back in '86.

 

[Amaris]

That's... I don't have adequate words, since it's sad, awful, and ridiculous all at the same time.

I was taking an astronomy course in college at the time when Hale-Bopp visited, and I remember being ecstatic when I spotted it for the first time. I regret that I won't live long enough to see Halley come around again, as I never did manage to see it clearly back in '86.

Indeed it was sad. As for Halley's comet, I hope to see it next time it comes around. In 2061, I'll be 81 years old. Quite frankly, I'd like to see it a second, and maybe even a third time after that, too.

 

[Forbin]

It must have been awesome to be here the time Earth passed thru Halley's tail.

 

[Forbin]

Indeed it was. I can't wait until my mom gets to watch it with me. We watched last week's this evening (my second viewing, her first), and she said that it made sense to her. She's very religious, but sees that evolution, and the Big Bang, make a lot of sense, and she accepts that. She also feels God set it all in motion, and I told her that's perfectly fine for her to feel that way. I'm an agnostic, but her believing God set it all in motion, well she's come a long way for someone who was once very fundamentalist in her faith, so I have no issue with her feeling that way. It harms nothing.

Same here. I try to help overly religious people understand by suggesting that the Big Bang was the moment of Creation, and evolution is simply God's way of doing things. There's no reason to divorce faith from science. But we must discourage letting dogma displace science.