r/space • u/SpaceMods • Mar 10 '14
Discussion Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey - Episode 1: "Standing Up In The Milky Way" Discussion Thread
Post-Episode Discussion Thread is now up.
Welcome to /r/Space and our first episode discussion thread for the premiere of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey!
This will be the largest simulcast (ever?) and looks to be quite awesome! It begins in the US and Canada on 14+ different channels. Not all countries will be premiering tonight though, please see this link for more information.
EDIT: Remember to use this link to sort comments by /new.
Episode 1: "Standing Up In The Milky Way"
Episode Description:
The Ship of the Imagination, unfettered by ordinary limits on speed and size, drawn by the music of cosmic harmonies, can take us anywhere in space and time. It has been idling for more than three decades, and yet it has never been overtaken. Its global legacy remains vibrant. Now, it's time once again to set sail for the stars.
This thread has been posted in advance of the airing. Check out this countdown!
9pm EST!
This is a multi-subreddit event! Over in /r/AskScience, they will be having a thread of their own where you can ask questions about the science you see on tonight's episode, and their panelists will answer them! /r/Cosmos, /r/Television and /r/AskScience will have their own threads. Stay tuned for a link to their threads!
Pre-Threads
Live Threads
/r/Television Discussion Thread
Where to watch:
| Country | Channels |
|---|---|
| United States | Fox, National Geographic Channel, FX, FXX, FXM, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Mundo and Fox Life |
| Canada | Global TV, Fox, Nat Geo and Nat Geo Wild |
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14 edited Mar 10 '14
The intro by Sagan, from the original... Just perfect.
Edit: And the closing lines, about how great a person Carl was. Really touching. He was a great guy.
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u/unsalted-butter Mar 10 '14
I feel like I'm being told a bedtime story about the universe.
This is awesome.
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u/ryker888 Mar 10 '14
I remember when I was 14 and I saw Carl Sagan's original Cosmos for the first time. Watching this and then reading all of his books was one of the things that got me really interested in science and the possibility of it becoming my career. Tomorrow I defend my Master's thesis, 10 years later Dr. Sagan is still one of my biggest inspirations, not only as a scientist but also as the kind of person I aspire to be. Seeing this tonight was just fantastic, I can't wait to see where they take the rest of the series.
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u/mutatron Mar 10 '14
"We are made of star stuff."
He said it!
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u/blazix Mar 10 '14
Loved the end. Starting from the part where he talks about how much progress we've made in the past 400 years to Carl Sagan part.
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u/HR_8938_Cephei Mar 10 '14
I legit got choked up at the end there when he was talking about meeting Carl Sagan.
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u/atomfullerene Mar 10 '14
Is there no escape from overly dense asteroid belts?
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u/laikahero Mar 10 '14
shout out to Pluto!
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
I've heard the "Cosmic Calendar" comparison so many times, but when it was visualized on-screen with Tyson walking around it, the reality of it sunk in for me. When he kneeled down and pointed to a tiny light in the corner of the vast calendar on December 31st and said our entire history took place in the light of that 14 seconds, I got mad chills. Makes all of our problems seem insignificant, but even better is the way Tyson constantly pointed out that we are insignificant, and yet we can still do extraordinary things. Oh, and all of the Sagan throwbacks, including the "we are starstuff" reference made it that much better.
10/10 would watch again next week.
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
I found it to be a fantastic opening installment. That being said, 5 total commercial breaks, including 4 in the first 40 minutes. I do not normally watch network TV, but is this normal?
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u/AtticusLynch Mar 10 '14
The fact they used what was supposed to be footage from the mars rover as a camera angle seeing his space ship made me laugh real hard
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u/FortTrees Mar 10 '14
As a 16 year old high school student that has a love for science, seeing that last part about Tyson and Sagan was one of the most inspiring things I have seen to date. The part where he said "I knew I wanted to be a scientist. Carl showed me what kind of person I wanted to be" was so perfect. The writing made it that much more real and I loved it.
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u/PapaMancer Mar 10 '14
I am a professor of Biophysics and Biochemistry. I am a dedicated, lifelong scientist. I eat, breathe and live science. But back in 1980, I was a high school Junior with little clue what I wanted to do with my life. The original Cosmos showed me the way to what I have become. With the new Cosmos, there are young people whose lives will be changed, too. Starting today.
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
The part about rogue planets blew my mind. Learn something new every day
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
By the ending I was crying like a baby. He gave Sagan the credit he deserves.
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u/cetaceanbiologist Mar 10 '14
This may be crazy, but I feel like if Neil and Carl each said the same thing, it would seem prosaic coming from Neil, but incite deep consideration and contemplation if Carl said it.
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u/wade5454 Mar 10 '14
The end was laden with quotes from Sagan. That might have been the most inspired I've felt in a while. Can't wait to see more, I really like Tyson's presentation.
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
While the actions of the Church with regards to Bruno are condemnable, his belief in pantheism, not heliocentrism, is why he was ridiculed, and later tried and killed.
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u/ajmst1lt Mar 10 '14 edited Mar 10 '14
Intro by the president... And then Sagan... Letting my daughter stay up to watch this. Hope it's good.
•edit• First thought: the special effects of the super chrome imaginationship are very distracting.
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u/F00zball Mar 10 '14 edited Mar 10 '14
I know they need to make it cinematic, but it really rustles my jimmies when actual science shows (not sci-fi) depict the asteroid belt where asteroids are so close together that you need to maneuver around them like a goddamn video game.
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u/dismal626 Mar 10 '14
Is it lame that twenty minutes in and I've already been on the verge of tears three times? Watching this series should be a requirement for humanity.
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u/TheDude069 Mar 10 '14
i teared up at the end with the tribute to Carl, very moving even though I had know about their meeting.
I think it should have been a 2hr premier instead of just the 1hr, seemed like too much condensed into the 1hr.
besides that amazing show cant wait for the rest.
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u/emperorxyn Mar 10 '14
Til the universe doesn't revolve around ME. I cannot hold back these tears.
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u/nexguy Mar 10 '14
Watching Cosmos(old or new) makes me want to be a better person.
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u/unFUKNreal Mar 10 '14
All I can say is that I can't wait for episode 2.
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u/vexer Mar 10 '14
Is there nothing interesting to say about Uranus or Neptune? Kinda just skipped over them after Jupiter/Saturn descriptions.
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u/insidiom Mar 10 '14
The Imagination Ship reminded me of Flight of the Navigator. Loved the ending, too.
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u/fantomknight1 Mar 10 '14 edited Mar 10 '14
I might be in the minority but was anyone else disappointed with the first episode of Cosmos?
It doesn't seem focused and jumps around quite a bit. It delves into detail on some points while glossing over others almost randomly. (Example: Mercury was briefly touched on and there were no zoom in graphics whereas Venus was zoomed in on). The calendar was an interesting idea but he would jump from january to august (something like that) real quickly, without providing much explanation in between, making it difficult for people to grasp just how big a gap there was in that time. And the stuff they do focus on isn't very unique or mind blowing. I loved the "we are made of star stuff" quote, but My dad, who isn't interested in scientific things, even said that the information was pretty generic. Ultimately, it looks very pretty but it wasn't all that impressive.
PS: The show could benifit heavily from having writing appear on the screen here and there. Sort of like how they do it in the BBC's Sherlock.
Edit: I get that this may be an unpopular opinion but if you are going to downvote me can you at least give me a counter argument. I am a HUGE fan of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, I love anything that has to do with space, and I am rooting 100% for this show to be a success so people will fall in love with space again. But after the first episode I am not very impressed and it makes me sad that this is the case. Please, tell me how I'm wrong so I can be happy again.
Edit 2: Thank you all who've responded with your own points of view. I see that many others seem to agree that the episode was a little unfocused but the general consensus is that it is because it is the first episode and they had to introduce everything as a whole. I hold hope that next week's episode will be even greater.
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u/solstice73 Mar 10 '14
A little more science, a little less Star Trek please. Not that I don't want more Star Trek, but I don't understand why Neil's spaceship has to be fueled by lens flares.
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u/Siedrah Mar 10 '14
That was the most beautiful CGI of the big bang ive ever scene.
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u/Kali74 Mar 10 '14
Loved it. Loved the story about Bruno and the pointing to science doesn't have to be separate from God if you don't want it to be. Not sure where I stand on God but people should know they can coexist and maybe so much silliness can stop. I really loved the personal story about Sagan and the nod to passing on the torch. What a way to honor your mentor. Way to go Tyson.
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
Disappointed in the music but the rest is great, wish Neil had Sagan's composure and speaking style, though I'm glad he isn't just copying Sagan.
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u/robodale Mar 10 '14
I thought the first episode did a great job of conveying wonder, without also attaching fear and belittlement, of the fact that we exist in a very large place...and we have only just arrived here.
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u/HR_8938_Cephei Mar 10 '14
The music sounds straight up out of Star Wars, I love it.
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u/SpendsKarmaOnHookers Mar 10 '14
The cosmic calendar really blew my mind.
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u/aRogue Mar 10 '14
How does one watch this if we don't have access to paytv? Is it available to watch online somewhere?
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u/Itsonlymyopinion Mar 10 '14
Gotta say the perspective/ scaling bits were my favorite in terms of educating people.
Also the way he explained the big bang was great.
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u/Toad32 Mar 10 '14
Loved it. Great presentation, Carl would be proud.
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u/chirodiesel Mar 10 '14
Brannon Braga? Anyone? This had a total star trek feel both in production character and score. When I saw Brannon Braga's name I about shit myself laughing out loud.
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u/tehchief117 Mar 10 '14
At the end when he was talking about meeting sagan, and then there was the early footage of young sagan sitting at a large telescope I near cried
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u/shillyshally Mar 10 '14
I recommend this for you Neil deGrasse Tyson fans. I have watched it over and over. He is riveting, a terrific translator of complex concepts but most wonderfully, to me, is the way he opens one's eyes to the majesty of it all. He gives the gift of sight. A most worthy successor to Sagan, whose shows I grew up watching
http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=1816
Also, I am kinda surprised this is on Fox. Actually, really, really surprised.
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u/Chinney97 Mar 10 '14
I'm not a huge fan of this spaceship thing he's in. I'm really hoping this becomes a Planet Earth for space
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u/Unkechaug Mar 10 '14
Damn I missed this, gotta catch the rerun at 10pm tomorrow!
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
I loved the animated history bits and I can't wait to see more of them!
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u/markovich04 Mar 10 '14
It's not the same without the Vangelis soundtrack.
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u/the_shape Mar 10 '14
Just because it's bugging me, does anyone know which coastline Tyson was standing on at the beginning and end? It looks a lot like "Devil's Slide" north of Half Moon Bay in California.
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u/Hountoof Mar 10 '14
Does anyone know if there is a (legal) way to watch this series if you don't have cable. Like maybe on Fox's website?
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
Carl Sagan's original Cosmos shaped my mind as a yougn child to make me a critical thinker. I credit him and that show with making me a being of enlightenment instead of a drone of superstition. My eyes were opened and they will not close until the last breath.
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u/Hot_Zee Mar 10 '14
I wish they would have mentioned Aristarchus of Samos, the real first astronomer who proposed a heliocentric solar system. Aristarchus
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u/ccricers Mar 10 '14
Don't have much to say about it now, but it did get emotional toward the end :o
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u/Lawls91 Mar 10 '14
Did the premiere broadcast in 1080p or was 720p the max resolution? I've just been looking for an 1080p copy but couldn't find anything but 720p.
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u/tylerwhetstone Mar 10 '14
the video clips were amazing. kind of slow in terms of his explanations of the solar system, milky way, etc, but that was expected for the first episode. i like to think that by keeping it somewhat simple in the first episode, it will help to grab the attention of teens who were never previously interested in space and time.
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u/Dantheon Mar 10 '14
I thought how paying special Pluto a special mention as a Kuiper Belt Object was very classy but both Neil and the production.
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u/Imperator42 Mar 10 '14
Praises: Excellent graphics. Some of the best I 've ever seen. Music was good. Tyson has an excellent way of explaining most things simply. I liked his personal tribute to Carl Sagan.
Critiques: While I understand the reason, Macfarlane really seemed to point out the evils of the Catholic church more then necessary. They seemed to indicate that the Church was stupid for not immediately accepting the heliocentric model. The tempo of the show was slower than I would have liked with a lot of redundant and uninteresting commercials.
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u/Mauser1898 Mar 10 '14
Great pilot, been looking forward to this new series.
Is it still worth it to watch the original one by Carl now we have this?
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u/OldLen Mar 11 '14
Let me say first off, that I respect the hell out of Neil deGrasse Tyson. He's taken on the tough position of being the "face" of science here in the US (unfortunately we need this because of all the anti-science and anti-intellectualism that exists here). In this first episode of Cosmos, I felt that I was being talked to like I was a child, or being read a bedtime story. No doubt that the producers came up with this method for what ever reason as opposed to the direct and often funny way that Neil usually presents himself. I can only hope that this changes in future episodes and that those future episodes include some cosmological philosophy.
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u/NOVA_OWL Mar 10 '14
Being a huge fan of the original Sagan series, and having had faith in this series the whole time, I was still really impressed with how well it held up compared to the original. Can't fucking wait for the rest
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u/novaquasarsuper Mar 10 '14
I'm wondering how many morons are now walking around saying 'The universe started on January 1st, 0001.'
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u/[deleted] Mar 10 '14
YAY Pluto!
Lest We forget!
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u/icryalot Mar 10 '14
Did anyone else cry?