OK, just finished it. My take first off is that I liked it. I liked it a lot and I’m very glad it’s being done. I’m accepting of the fact that many of the aforementioned shortcomings (which I agree with) are actually to its benefit in terms of what good it can do culturally. (the commercials, being on FOX instead of PBS, the sorta sound-bite chaptering…). I want this to reach people who would otherwise remain ignorant of basic science and the awe and wonder of the natural world.
So I’m happy and eagerly awaiting the next episode…
BUT,
There’s no getting around the comparison to Sagan, and on that front, it’s just lacking. Seriously lacking. It’s a very good science documentary and it feels that way, but somehow Sagan’s had this incredible sense of depth and contemplation. This was something I feared just from seeing the difference in the 2 personalities. NDT is not good alone in front of a camera without people. He’s at his best during the Q&A’s at the end of a talk where he just get energized by the interaction, or moderating a panel discussion. On screen he often looks over-rehearsed and awkward trying to figure out just how to swing his arms when he walks. He’s putting a lot of effort into delivering those lines and you feel it in his voice. Sagan never seemed to be reading from a script. He just kinda spoke to you and you could feel his own awe and wonder at the same time. It’s actually amazing to see just how genuine he manages to come across.
Agreed with all on the whole Bruno animation segment.
On the initial ship of the imagination voyage - What Sagan did was totally brilliant. He started the journey from far away and took us gradually to Earth. It was profoundly moving to start out lost somewhere in the distant cosmic ocean and to slowly find our way to the local group, to the Milky Way, to our solar system, and finally to home. It’s such a stunningly beautiful segment and one that makes me tear up watching it. By NDT starting on Earth and then going outward, it just doesn’t have that profound sense of weight. I would’ve started from the edge of the observable universe, made to the journey to Earth, and then asked the question about what’s beyond the observable universe in order to quickly shot back out there and then introduce the multiverse.
Also, one of the aspects of Sagan’s Cosmos that worked on a subconscious level was the fact that almost all shots of him in a town or among society took place in pre-industrial settings. You rarely saw cars or electric lights. You saw candles, horses and buggies, old machinery… This back drop subconsciously creates an environment that allows one to easily imagine the process of scientific exploration happening. We know intuitively how much there is still to learn and you get a sense of how, historically, humans have worked to figure things out. Seeing NDT walk down modern streets with cars in the background just feels flat.
Again, I’m enjoying it, I’m glad it’s happening. BUT, every now and again, maybe once or twice a year, I get an urge to watch on old episode of Sagan’s Cosmos, and afterward I feel contemplative and perhaps, dare I say it, somewhat spiritual. I can’t imagine having that same urge in the future with Tyson’s.