Standing Up in the Milky Way 

A thrilling, new adventure across space and time begins.

Directors:

Brannon Braga, Ann Druyan

Writers:

Carl Sagan (inspired by "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" written by), Ann Druyan (inspired by "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage" written by)

Stars:

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Phil LaMarr, Seth MacFarlane

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Neil deGrasse Tyson	...	Self - Host
Phil LaMarr	...	(voice)
Seth MacFarlane	...	Giordano Bruno (voice)
John Steven Rocha	...	Bellaramine (voice)
Paul Telfer	...	Angry Scholar #2 (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Isa Magomedov	...	Father
Carl Sagan	...	Self (archive footage)

Storyline

More than three decades after the debut of Carl Sagan's ground-breaking and iconic series, "Cosmos: A Personal Voyage," it's time once again to set sail for the stars. Host and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson sets off on the Ship of the Imagination to discover Earth's Cosmic Address and its coordinates in space and time. Viewers meet Renaissance Italy's Giordano Bruno, who had an epiphany about the infinite expanse of the universe. Then, Tyson walks across the Cosmic Calendar, on which all of time has been compressed into a year-at-a-glance calendar, from the Big Bang to the moment humans first make their appearance on the planet.

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Plot Keywords:

big bang | reference to carl sagan | reference to galileo galilei | burned at the stake | torture device | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode received criticism accusing the writers of going out of their way to portray the church as opposing science in the segment on Giordano Bruno. The bulk of the segment was devoted to persecution Bruno received for his ideas on the nature of the universe, but the church was almost certainly much more distressed by his teachings on the nature of God and Jesus, which does get passing mention in the episode's depiction of Bruno's trial. He was probably executed more for his theology than his cosmology.

User Reviews

A Bit Too Ambitious; But We Have to Start Somewhere

I know that Neil DeGrasse Tyson is preaching to the choir in my case, so I expect things to be big and impressive. As is often the case with the first episodes of scientific mini-series, this one has a scope so enormous that it doesn't do justice to the specifics. What we have, rather, is an almost religious (forgive me) awe of what is the universe. We are introduced to those who began the movement from superstition to scientific exploration. Tyson shows us a kind of space ship (but so much more) that will help us to see all things universal. We will be able to enter microscopic events as well as interstellar ones. We will look at the great men and women who gave their time and often their lives to answer questions for us. We will watch species develop, thrive, and go extinct. We will see theories put forth with good intentions trampled by the light of new exploration and technology. We will, I am sure, see how the church and other cultural entities often stomped on the forward movement of science. Also, the jealousies among the those of the scientific community. Humans are often their own worst enemies and will come to an appropriate end as life goes on.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 March 2014 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Big Sur, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fuzzy Door Productions, Cosmos Studios, National Geographic Channel

Technical Specs

Runtime:

44 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD