by Shilpa Saravanan, opinions editor
Thirty-four years have passed since the astronomer Carl Sagan’s classic series “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” first aired. In that time, Sagan died, but his influence lived on, as astronomers continued to explore ever more exciting frontiers. However, despite all of this new research ripe for transmission to the general public, no piece of science television has managed to even attempt to approach the broad appeal and cultural significance of the original “Cosmos”–that is, until now.
Enter “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” hosted by Sagan’s natural successor, well-known astrophysicist and science advocate Neil deGrasse Tyson, and produced by Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” fame. This odd couple, joined by original “Cosmos” producer and writer (and, incidentally, Sagan’s widow) Ann Druyan, manages to make the new “Cosmos” work beautifully; they incorporate Hollywood-worthy graphics while still retaining the sense of ever-present wonder in Sagan’s original.
The first episode of Tyson’s “Cosmos” really is as good as the hype surrounding the show would have it, but you wouldn’t know that from the first sequence featuring the Spaceship of the Imagination, which seems to be essentially a visual effects show-off: the shots of Tyson zooming through the solar system are impressive in scale, and the depictions of the individual planets are beautifully detailed, but the overall effect is simply one of too much style and not quite enough substance. Thankfully, the episode becomes a great deal more substantial (while remaining equally beautiful) after this initial awkward flourish, and the effects eventually succeed in inspiring awe and wonder at the sheer size of the universe, putting us humans in our cosmic place. Tyson doesn’t stop there, though: the show hasn’t been renamed to “A Spacetime Odyssey” for nothing, and using a niftily rendered “cosmic calendar,” he reminds of our relative insignificance in the timeline of the universe as well.
The episode does an exceptional job at what its larger goal most likely is–creating a sense of cosmic perspective in the viewer–but the smaller parts are noteworthy, too. An animated lesson in the power of curiosity involving the 16th-century Italian monk-turned-philosopher Giordano Bruno turns out to be interesting, if a touch dogmatic–the animation itself, though well-done, may be a little jarring to some viewers (as the show often switches between the very much live-action Tyson and the animated Bruno story) but ultimately, it proves to be a wise choice when compared to what the scenes would have looked like if reenacted.
Perhaps most importantly, Tyson does not attempt to replace Sagan as a host, just as this new “Cosmos” does not intend to replace the old “Cosmos”–merely bring the wonders of the universe, updated with current research, to a new generation. And Tyson is indeed a host for this generation; there’s a certain intangible coolness about him, as evidenced the scene in which he casually puts on sunglasses as he faces the birth of the universe.
But as befits any reboot of his series, Sagan’s influence is present throughout. Tyson quotes Sagan on several occasions (fans of the original series will note these shout-outs with joyous ease) and makes a personal, touching tribute to Sagan at the end of the episode as he remembers the first time the two met.
With this premiere, “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” is off to a promising start. It remains a surprising choice for a Sunday-night television slot on a major network, given that these slots are generally reserved for shows of a less educational bent–but this hopefully means that more people will tune in to the hour of science (and so much more) that is “Cosmos” and take away the twin messages of curiosity and cosmic awareness that Tyson is thus far succeeding excellently at getting across.
Catch “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey” on Sundays at 8 p.m. on Fox. If you missed the premiere episode, watch online through FOX.
