Carl Sagan's Cosmos
Publisher:
Fremantle Home Entertainment
Price:
£29.99
Format:
DVD/Blu-ray 
In 1980, an astronomical phenomenon erupted onto our TV screens: Carl Sagan. The charismatic NASA scientist fronted an epic series of 13 hour-long programmes on the Cosmos, which was co-produced and screened in Britain by the BBC. Cosmos is the most-watched science documentary ever, seen by an estimated 600 million people in 60 countries.
Now, a generation on, it has returned on DVD. Is it still relevant today, given the huge strides made in astronomy in the past 30 years? We’re assured that the programmes have been ‘digitally remastered, restored and enhanced,’ but sadly the promised 25 minutes’ worth of updates turn out to be short epilogues to some of the programmes, added way back in 1989 when Cosmos was rescreened. The technical face-lifts work better: the producers have subtly included more recent images, including Hubble pictures, the collision of Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter and even the odd glimpse of a web page.
The first time around, many people queried Sagan’s credentials to dominate the airwaves with his ‘personal’ view of the Cosmos. But perspectives have changed with time, especially as Sagan became a truly international spokesman for both science and the environment.
Now, we can relish Sagan’s deeply philosophical view of the Universe in an age when science programmes are frequently in-your-face and packed with facts. But the downside is that, by today’s standards, Cosmos is slow-paced. The excellent historical re-enactments last rather too long. And with no interviewees, Sagan’s is the only voice you’ll hear for a whole hour.
Sagan was most interested in extraterrestrial life, and his programmes on astrobiology have stood the test of time best of all. Sadly, Cosmos came long before the discovery of planets around other stars in 1995 – the year before Sagan died. If only we could have enjoyed his commentary on new exoplanet discoveries. As well as insights, what Sagan had in abundance was a deep passion for the Universe. This alone makes Cosmos worth watching all over again.
