Standing Up in the Milky Way

Being a science fan (or geek) by reading, watching and hearing everything I can get my hands/eyes/ears on these days, I was a little bit anxious about what could come out of these new series of Cosmos, because everything in it could make you think it ought to be something out of this world, somehow literally! Having one of the most famous scientist and science translators (science language to bus driver language) of our time, Neil deGrasse as host, and an amazing staff supporting him (like MacFarlane who seems to be really critic about the reality we live in and a really great comedian and producer, the producer of the Original Series and ex-wife of Sagan: Ann Druyan, and the cinematographer of Matrix: Pope, among others) I wondered if it would carry too much fantasy, would it be way too historical, would it be the same stuff that you watch and hear daily on science channels and pod-casts about stars and the universe... How could they handle this? Well, somehow they did it!! And nonetheless with an amazing first episode example. They were able not only to conjugate actual science with probabilities and possible past and future scenarios (talking about space-time past/future) but (and I think these has something to do mainly with MacFarlane, Druyan and deGrasse) they also made some critics on how the religion is and has been a factor on science (bad influence mostly, obviously, but also as a motivator for those who think out of the box and want to know more no matter what). But that's not all, they were able to present something different, even about history: they focused on an historical character to guide the story, that wasn't one of the famous, that wasn't that well known and these was one of the points that made it more interesting. Why? Because most of the people know about Galileo or Copernicus, and are familiar with their stories, so this little detail was able to capture even more my attention. About the science and the photography and special effects, well there's not much to say but it can't get any better (tough somehow I hope it will and I'm most certain that it will). It is a show that needs to be watched by these new generations, no matter if they like or don't like the science side of the TV programming, it is a must! Because they will end up liking some of it if not all.

After reading some of the "great" reviews I decided to watch some episodes...well, very disappointing. Neither the images are outstanding ( as one reviewer suggested to watch the series only in HD); nor the topics are well treated. Actually , the images looked like they used an old computer to made them. " Special" effects have nothing special about it... I gave it a 3 because the host is a nice,well-rounded, articulated guy who seems to know the subject very well. But the fact that he met Sagan in his youth ,doesn't make the series more interesting. The series doesn't "explain" much...some new info is thrown since the previous "Cosmos" , but nothing breathtaking or enlightening. Got the feeling that the info they try to explain "easily" ( aka, compress)runs short at the end of each episode. What a waste of money and time ( specially mine)!!

So far I haven't learned much, many opportunities missed to add more information; like the continent at the start is Pangea but it's not mentioned, ditto the Kuiper Belt.

It's well produced but I feel it could crank a notch up on the science, but I'll keep watching.

It's so amazing. I'm overwhelmed. I watched this episode with my family and it's a wonderful trip I couldn't even dream of. It's so fascinating. Great start. Although someone had talked about this show should be better or something, I can say yea maybe they're right but not every person in this world is genius so for the rest people like me, there's a simple way to love science, it's just watching this show.

I have recently developed an interest in astronomy. What better show to watch, I thought, than Cosmos by Carl Sagan? I looked it up on this website, and found that a 2014 version has been made, by nobody other than the great Seth McFarlane(no sarcasm intended there).

After watching the first episode, I must say that Neil deGrasse Tyson's narration is great, and has made me really enjoy the show. A great addition indeed.

The episode starts off with Tyson introducing us to his TARDIS, if you will. He takes us from the edge of the Earth, to the edge of the Solar System, the Milky Way, and so on, until the end of the "Observable Universe"(which is not literally "observable"). He then shows us the dawn of the universe to the evolution of animals to the first appearance of the Homo Sapiens, all packed into one calendar year.

Solid stuff.

They show us old stories of the Vatican church killing scientists and commoners posing a threat to their faith a few centuries ago. A great story, but told countless times in countless shows.

The show ends the pilot by telling us about the great works of Carl Sagan and his influence to modern astronomy. I was not born when Sagan passed away, so I have never known much about him. This segment provided me knowledge on Sagan, and much of his research and discoveries.

The show may seem ambitious, but rightly so. If done correctly, this could be a huge influence for youngsters(including me) and make physicist jobs common again.

Exciting moments, stunning graphics, and powerful narration earns this pilot a 9 out of 10.