Cosmos 

Astronomer Carl Sagan leads us on an engaging guided tour of the various elements and cosmological theories of the universe.

Creators:

Ann Druyan, Carl Sagan, Steven Soter

Stars:

Carl Sagan, Jaromír Hanzlík, Jonathan Fahn

Top Rated TV #11 | Won 3 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Carl Sagan	...	Self - Host 13 episodes, 1980
Jaromír Hanzlík	...	Johannes Kepler 5 episodes, 1980
Jonathan Fahn	...	Young Champollion / ... 4 episodes, 1980
Alan Belod	...	Jean-Francois Champollion 3 episodes, 1980
Jean Charney	...	Betty Hill 3 episodes, 1980
Bill Grant	...	Barney Hill 3 episodes, 1980
Bob Hevelone	...	Fourier 3 episodes, 1980
Ronald A. Hilbert	...	Tinget Indian 3 episodes, 1980
Victor C. John	...	Tinget Indian 3 episodes, 1980
Arthur 'Lonne' Lane	...	Self - Deputy Project Scientist 3 episodes, 1980
Linda Morabito	...	Self - Voyager Navigation Team 3 episodes, 1980
Larry Soderblom	...	Self - Voyager Imaging Team 3 episodes, 1980
Cecilia White	...	Tinget Indian 3 episodes, 1980

Storyline

Astronomer Dr. Carl Sagan is host and narrator of this 13-hour series that originally aired on Public Broadcasting Stations in the United States. Dr. Sagan describes the universe in a way that appeals to a mass audience, by using Earth as a reference point, by speaking in terms intelligible to non-scientific people, by relating the exploration of space to that of the Earth by pioneers of old, and by citing such Earth legends as the Library of Alexandria as metaphors for space-related future events. Among Dr. Sagan's favorite topics are the origins of life, the search for life on Mars, the infernal composition of the atmosphere of Venus and a warning about a similar effect taking place on Earth due to global pollution and the "greenhouse effect", the lives of stars, interstellar travel and the effects of attaining the speed of light, the danger of mankind technologically self-destructing, and the search, using radio technology, for intelligent life in deep space.

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Plot Keywords:

scientific philosophy | lightyear | educational | unidentified flying object | venus | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Sagan, who passed on December 20, 1996, covers a segment about the library at Alexandria, Egypt. The Egyptians in commemoration to antiquity built the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Latin, for "Library of Alexandria"; Egyptian Arabic: Maktabet Eskendereyya), which opened on October 16, 2002.

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Quotes

Carl Sagan: [Flying the Spaceship of the Imagination] Here we see another inhabited planet. I wonder what kind of new political ideas they have down there, what religions...

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Alternate Versions

For video release in the mid-1980s, an additional episode of this series was created, consisting of a one-on-one interview between Carl Sagan and media mogul Ted Turner, discussing the themes of the series.

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Connections

Spoofed in My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988)

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Soundtracks

Cosmos
(Main Theme)
Composed by Vangelis

User Reviews

Carl Sagan's great gift is now our own...

Sagan. Who else could reveal the Universe to us so eloquently? Who else could make those humans who scarcely even notice the world around them gaze up at the skies with wonder? And all the while, he was never condescending... He awakened so many ordinary minds--he made us all acolytes to the extraordinary. Amazingly, drew us in to his world, even those of us who felt that true Science was beyond their grasp. His love of the subject was always apparent, and although his knowledge was overwhelming, his presentation of it never was.

I was in school when Cosmos was first broadcast...for me and for many people I know Cosmos was the first time the Universe came to life. I recommend it for anyone of virtually any age...Be enthralled by what's within and without...

Also recommended: The Connections Series (1, 2 and 3) and the Day the Universe Changed (with James Burke)...Also, A Brief History of Time.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kosmos

Filming Locations:

Alaska, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$8,250,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

KCET, Carl Sagan Productions, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (13 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1