Dr. Sagan put the universe, and our place in it, into a context that continues to fascinate today, particularly the cosmic calendar. The calendar demonstrated that, if all time was condensed to a year, we humans would have first appeared on December 31st during the remaining 8 minutes of the year, with our written history appearing in the last 13 seconds. Certainly a mind-blowing way to show our place in time.So is it time for an updated version of Cosmos? It seems the Fox network and the National Geographic Channel feels it is and it has brought in Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist, to renew the role of Dr. Sagan. The new program, to be broadcast next month, is called Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey. You can view a trailer for the show here.
It is a wise choice in terms of a popular scientist who can make the complex fun. However, I am more comfortable with PBS, the creator of NOVA and Frontline, taking the helm than Fox, the creator of the Simpsons and Fox News. In fact, Fox is bringing in the animation skills of Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy. Does this mean a talking dog will explain the process of searching for exoplanets? I hope not.
The original Cosmos is one of those television jewels that most likely will never be duplicated, but time moves on (yes, that last second of the year) and new stories need to told. Let's hope Dr. Tyson can create a whole new generation of fans staring at the stars for answers.
