All this changed 3 weeks ago with the release of Cosmos. When it first heard that Cosmos was in the works I was quite excited to say the least. And to be hosted by Neil Degrasse Tyson? Well that just pushed me over the top. For years I've watched and listened to lectures by Dr. Tyson so to say I was stoked that he was to host the new Cosmos would have been an understatement.
So there I was on March 9th firmly planted in my chair anxiously awaiting 8pm. And then it began...
What I didn't realize was that for the hour that followed I was sitting, literally, on the edge of my seat. I hung on every word of that episode. At times I even applauded the television. I was blown away by, not just the visual effects of the show, but more so by the information that I had the honor of listening to. I was truly amazed.
As the episode neared its end, as Dr. Tyson stood on that cliff and paid tribute to Carl Sagan, I realized that, for the first time in a long time, I was truly moved by a television program. Moved to the point of goosebumps. I was moved because I realized that what I just watched may very well turn out to be one of the most important scientific television programs to inspire the next generation of scientists. I was reminded of the plea Bill Nye made during his debate with Ken Ham where he implored citizens to encourage scientific discovery and discard myth. I felt that I had just watched the giant first step in the fight to save science education from being poisoned by myths and fairy tales. And now that we are 3 episodes in, my opinion has only been strengthened.
The true beauty of this series is that, for the first time in years, I can imagine a young person firmly seated in front of their television, excited about science. And the payoff of this could be priceless.
This is my virtual standing ovation to the new champion of my Sunday evenings....Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.
-Zombie
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