Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey

Many of you might remember the time when Carl Sagan's original cosmic documentary series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, aired on PBS in late 1980 (excluding yours truly), its thirteen-segment run addressing every issue from the splendor of the Big Bang to the inner workings of the human brain to the history of science and mathematics. At the time, the program was almost revolutionary in its approach: an unapologetic, involving, and well-rounded look at the universe as we knew it at the time.

But what is truly remarkable with its upcoming successor, Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey, is - in the mere three decades since its airing - the sheer volume of material scientists have accrued regarding the structure, origin, and fate of our universe. Today, with all of the astounding astronomical knowledge we now possess (from new information on super massive black holes anchoring galaxies to hundreds of cataloged extrasolar planets in neighboring star systems), the expectations - as well as the production value - for this new installment are (yes, I'm going there) astronomical. 

As much as a surprise to anyone as it was to me, Odyssey is produced by none other than everyone's favorite right-wing news outlet and entertainment conglomerate: FOX Television. Featuring renown science advocate and accomplished author Neil DeGrasse Tyson at its helm as narrator and guide, this new series aims to educate audiences typically uninvolved in the language of science and discovery - FOX's conservative, right-wing, often Middle-American Christians who, for all their blue-collar charm, can't quite seem to grasp that the Earth is, in fact, older than a mere 5,000 years. 

This new development - which could not have been possible without Family Guy creator and fellow advocate of reason Seth MacFarlane - will see a whole new understanding of astronomy, cosmology, and ultimately, philosophy on the part of people heretofore uninterested in the processes and standards of science and science education. With Sagan's widow and outspoken representative of progressive thought, co-producer Ann Druyan, at the helm, this series promises to be a spectacular television event, as the teaser online attests. Moreover, the score will be composed by Alan Silvestri, known the world over for his contributions to pop culture milestones such as the Back to The Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, and the recent summer blockbuster Marvel's The Avengers.

With such talented personnel in tow and such high standards to meet, it should come as no surprise that Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey is sure to make a splash in a variety of fields and audiences, and this is one author who could not be more excited for such a production to hit the mainstream viewership, March 9th, 2014.