“Cosmos: Possible Worlds” takes us back to a scientific universe

"Part of the DNA of" Cosmos "is its ability to mix science and storytelling," said Tyson at a media event hosted by the Television Critics Association in California in January. "We have all known storytelling from the start of our species. We all know science because you learned it in your science textbooks. Previously, when you wanted to communicate about science, it seemed very theoretical to you." New "Cosmos" is not a lecture. It is an easily digested science, supported by great visuals.

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The new season consists of 13 episodes, with topics including the fascinating story of the unlikely inventor of the rendezvous concept that enabled Apollo's lunar landings, the 20-year Cassini mission to Saturn and a visit to the New York World's Fair in 2039.

The Cassini episode in particular touches the heart: the show fairly lyrically presents the end of the long life of the probe, when it was directed to destroy itself in the atmosphere of Saturn. This type of bold and creative storytelling is at the heart of the success of "Cosmos" and is reinforced by sumptuous and quality visual effects.

"We have animations, we have visualizations, and there is music behind," said Tyson. "These are tools that are well known in the industry, but no one has ever thought of putting it to science. That's what" Cosmos "does."

The result is quite moving, as we see a group of mission scientists barely holding back tears as their beloved spacecraft plunges into its demise.

In a later interview, Ann Druyan, Widow of Sagan and co-author of the original series, said that under the general theme of the show to explore the history of our understanding of the universe, there is a Another strong motive – that of the relevance and importance of science in our lives and our culture.

Druyan said that she thinks that in recent years there has been a "reality leak" in the way we treat science. She said frankly that there was a "widespread loss of respect for science" and that "deception" on these subjects had become "the status quo".

This attitude permeates the public and institutions, she said. Working on the original series, "Carl (Sagan) and I had a lot of differences with our government, but we were extremely proud of the achievements of the space program and what it was doing," she said. declared. "Now, something has really changed in the attitude of government toward science, which was once its bright gem. It is hostile and cynical. When someone is hostile and cynical about our the most powerful tool for grasping reality, you know it is not good. "Cosmos"is our way of defending the awesome power of science."

She credited executive producer Seth MacFarlane for getting the series restarted on the air. "There would be no second season of" Cosmos "without Seth. I have been trying for years to produce a new" Cosmos ", and it was only when I met Seth that there was a champion for "Cosmos". "

The "Cosmos" team insists that good storytelling is the key to enlightening and engaging the audience, according to producer Jason Clark. "We are not really taking you into space," he said, "so we have to visualize this in a way that seems deep and real, but that doesn't lose touch with the audience. in the art of storytelling. "

He described Sagan's performance in the original series as a fireside conversation and said that Tyson had adopted the same narrative style.

"I really think this season (Tyson) has provided this incredible kind of connected, simple and individual capabilities that we could support with visuals," said Clark, taking the viewers to "the far reaches of the world." universe or down. " in the quantum level. And when you go there, it's transformative. "The team imitated the visual storytelling style of the best big-budget fictional films," he said, with the added benefit that "all of this is real, that's right, so it's pretty powerful. "

Tyson brings his own unique style to this new iteration of "Cosmos", which is well suited to the increasingly cynical viewers of the 21st century. When asked if he had written in a different voice for Tyson than for Sagan, executive producer Brannon Braga said no. "It is in the voice of & # 39; Cosmos & # 39;", he said. "Neil's ability to take these words and make them natural and connect with an audience on camera is a perfect combination and has resulted in success."

Tyson and the writers are determined to preserve the general tone that Sagan and Druyan established in the original series, the team said, and rekindle a faith in science to meet the big questions that underlie "Cosmos". They did it with grace and dignity, something rarely done in this type of television, and which has the potential to unite the audience.

"Rather than beating people over the head for their beliefs, we present the idea that if we are to survive at some point, we must establish what is true and what is not. "said Tyson. "If you understand this, you will be in a much better position to make decisions that affect the survival of humanity. It is a call for all of us to come together and imagine the future as as a community – not as a country, not as a faction, but as a species. "

"Cosmos" premiered on National Geographic on March 9 at 8 p.m. ET / 9 p.m. CT and will be rebroadcast on Fox TV this summer.