You can be forgiven for thinking that because there is a clear editorial point of view it continually promotes, it (Fox) drinks its own kool aid and believes anything it says.
The commercials are the real tip off on what they believe.
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I enjoyed it quite a bit. Nothing in the show was new to me informationally, other than maybe the bit about tidal forces pushing the Moon away from the Earth, which I will look more into because it sounded neat. And yeah, the production was a bit over-the-top. But what did I love?
Well, I loved the fact that there were probably some kids in America watching the show, who had grown up in some pretty âclosedâ households when it comes to science education, who had their minds blown. Some 10 year old somewhere had a âholy shitâ moment watching this. THATâS why I dug it.
I imagine that future episodes will obviously delve into more details. This had to be the âuniverse primerâ episode. Itâs job was to set the scale of what the series will be exploring, and I think it did that quite well.
I also really do like NDTâs verbal (and nonverbal) communication style. He loves this stuff, and that radiates. I think that warmth when describing this is key. That was part of what Sagan did. He connected people to the WOW of science and cosmology. Dare I say, it can be a spiritual experience, to put oneâs self in relation to the scale of the universe, no matter what you believe about god, life after death, etc. It is humbling and awesome in its own right.
And finally, man, they REALLY put some digs into âconservative Christianity,â didnât they? âYour God is too small!â Hahahah loved it!
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I thought the animation was pretty good at describing the history behind the concept of the cosmos. MUCH better than cheesy actors a la The History Channel.
And Iâm not sure how you can even compare Sagan and DeGrasse Tyson. Theyâre clearly two very different kinds of scientists.
You seem overly pessimistic about the show. Too bad you couldnât just relax and enjoy the simple beauty of its message.
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Still it is exposure and if it can get people to look then it is /something/, and Iâm grateful for that something rather than ament at what could be done better. Like I said it isnât for âusâ. Itâs for those that need to have that spark that will clue them inthat this âScienceâ stuff is worth looking at.
Edit: as for the God question. I remember first hearing about a theoreticlly infinite universe and going âwell yea. God is infinite. How can His creation not be?â
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We made it a point to watch it last night. It was great. I loved the nods to Sagan through out.
When he did the part where he gives out cosmic address, my daughter, right on cue said, âI feel really smallâ⌠
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Funny. At the end of that I feel large. I might be this tiny mote of dust cosmicly speaking, but a gear or bearing is only a small part of a watch or engine. Itâs only when confronted by things like politics or other man made systems that I feel small. Against the backdrop of Nature I feel grand.
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Yeah, I think she had that sense later on, but it was that one part, describing the size and scale that made her feel like that⌠I think the part at the end, with the cosmic calendar is a really interesting way to see how far weâve come, historically speaking, just within that last second of cosmic time, weâve done all weâve done.
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Thatâs true of much of how history is viewed in popular culture. It also down plays how other cosmologies at the time contributed to Brunoâs interpretation of the universe.
But I kind of dug the animation style they used to tell the Bruno storyâŚ
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I canât answer for willy, but I would argue that maybe the comparison springs naturally to mind when you take Saganâs work and ârebootâ it?
As for being unable to enjoy the new show, why should you expect anyone to enjoy it when they could instead watch the original series and watch that?
I just donât understand why this needed to be made. Itâs not as good as the original, and it does no service to the original. It is just riding on the coattails of Saganâs brilliance, dedication, and hard work, profiting off his good name and reputation. They literally could have just rebroadcast the original instead, and itâd be a vast improvement.
Tell her that coincidentally, humans fall really close to the midway point between the smallest scales we know about (Planck Length) and largest (observable universe), and isnât it pretty cool that weâre in the middle and can look both down and up and understand our placement relative to things in both directions?
If you havenât seen it/shown her it, check this out:
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You nee a reboot because the original isnâtgoing to grab the new generation as itâs tainted by us old farts. Give them something of their own and be happy for it instead of going on at how based off of a single episode youâve judged the new to be inferrior.
Please?
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No, see, if something is ânewâ, it has no reason to latch onto something old.
You donât make up an original fantasy action martial arts movie and then call it 47 Ronin when it has essentially nothing to do with the original story.
Likewise you donât make âFOX Presents Science Time with Niel Degrasse Tysonâ, and then call it Cosmos when it has essentially nothing to do with Carl Saganâs work.
When a supposedly ânewâ thing clings to the reputation of another earlier successful work, itâs typically because it isnât good enough to stand on its own. So no, I wonât âgive them something of their ownâ, because they havenât made anything of their own - they stole the idea and name, then failed to live up to either. They chose the bar they would be measured against, then didnât manage to reach that lofty height.
So no, they donât get any more chances, and you donât get to tell me off for being disappointed in their skullduggery.
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The reality is, youâre not the only viewer, so they get plenty more chances with the other viewers, both ones who saw the first episode, and ones who will find the new series later on. And youâre right, everyone can have their own opinion. I think itâs a worthy Cosmos reboot, so do others, and we have the right to that opinion as well.
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The new âCosmosâ is getting
greatstellar reviews
FTFY
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I liked it. Remember, the first episode of the original was a more a âtable of contentsâ and introduction to the series; with topics being expanded on in other episode.
Also remember for us older folks; this show isnât really for us. Just as the we, as children, enjoyed the original show and still love it todayâthis show is to introduce the same sense of wonder about science in young people as the original did for our younger selves.
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You sure your opinion on the reboot isnât more than a little biased? I mean, youâre entitled to your opinion, but man is it crotchety! I thought the new episode was really great! animations and all. The only way they could have made it better is Carl Sagan, but heâs dead. And well I very much respect the man, thereâs no point exalting him to the point where no man today could be considered a succesor. Neil did a great job in his own right. Also, you donât think there are some important discoveries in the past few decades to address?
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I would also like to say that the show is also great for us âolder folksâ (granted Iâm 31, iâm not sure what you guys are considering as âolderâ). But this isnât just a kids show. Watching the sequence about our place in the universe, I didnât necessarily learn anything new. But that didnât prevent me from be hit with a sense of awe all over again.
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Maybe he canât get OTA due the locations? My parents canât because of the rural mountains.
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ATSC reception can certainly be finicky, and it tends to be all-or-nothing, and youâre much less likely to get an ATSC broadcast at all, for a channel that was âborderlineâ back in those old-fashioned analog OTA broadcast days of yore.
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Why did it have to be on a Murdoch channel, Mr Degrasse-Tyson? Dammit. Yâall got torrent? jklol
For a couple of years Iâve considered Brian Cox as the heir of Mr Sagan, his BBC show (which runs sporadically on The Science Channel) has a different theme each of itsâ three seasons: Wonders Of The Solar System, Wonders Of The Universe and Wonders Of Life. Mr Cox goes deep and eloquent while respecting the audience intelligence, no apocalyptic narratives with meteorites hitting New York, thank you Mr Cox.
