I am Neil deGrasse Tyson AMA about the new Cosmos TV series

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Awesome shoes to fill. And of course his series appeared a generation (34 years) ago. So there's lots to add, subtract, enhance, develop.

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Dare I suggest that Cosmos, airing in primetime on network television, will play its role in this struggle.

Hey Neil, big fan.

How similar will your new series be to the original? Will you cover similar, or the same topics? The trailer looks awesome by the way, good luck!

13 episodes, like the original. Cosmic Calendar returns. So does the Ship of the Imagination. But in this 21st century version, I'm taking over as host -- sans turtleneck.

What can you say to those of use who are too young to have seen the original Cosmos?

Netflix them. They're all there.

This kinda relates to Cosmos, but... I felt that my perspective of everything changed when I took my first astronomy class. Do you think astronomy should be taught at the elementary or high school level?

The study of they universe is the only time and place where you acquire a cosmic perspective. And it's the cosmic perspective that changes you forever -- a true understanding of our place in space and time. It also offers a deep awareness of our relationship to each other and to the cosmos itself. These themes will resonate in every episode.

How do you balance such an active work life with your personal life?

One of the hardest things to do. When away filming for great lengths of time, your kids change. And you long for the stability of food and warmth that you otherwise take for granted at home.

Neil! What has surprised you the most about creating the new Cosmos? The process as well as the reactions of those who hear about it? This is Mary from Newark, DE.

The people who say with disdain and disgust: "It's appearing on Fox? Their viewers don't know any science!" And I simply reply, "If true, that makes Fox the best network of them all on which to air this series."

Hey Neil! Fan from Dubai.

Do you think this remake is more information based or more theatrical? I'm afraid it'll be a little too sensationalised. Nothing's wrong with theatre, but I just hope it retains the educational element that made the first Cosmos amazing.

You presume that the delivery of information is somehow mutually exclusive to theatrics. I'm not convinced of that. As I've said in an earlier answer, full-up tools of movie-making have never really been tapped for telling science stories. So the new Cosmos will live and thrive in both worlds, if we succeed as imagined.

Neil! I just wanted to say your podcasts have been inspiring and informative. Keep it up!

labors of love, them all. Thanks.

What planet would you most like to visit?

We go there in Cosmos.

What is your favorite Burt Reynolds film (just for a change of pace from science questions!)

Longest Yard (the original, of course) & Deliverance

Will there be pie?

Edit: I mean apple pie made from scratch. I'm referencing Sagan.

Ha. ha. No, not this time, around. But there'll be other key references to the importance of the Big Bang.

I'm a teenager who is a big fan of astronomy and physics and an enormous fan of yours. Do you have any tips for a high school student who is interested in pursuing a career in astronomy/astrophysics?

Thanks for doing this :)

In whatever you choose to do. Do it because it's hard, not because it's easy. Math and physics and astrophysics are hard. For every hard thing you accomplish, fewer other people are out there doing the same thing as you. That's what doing something hard means. And in the limit of this, everyone beats a path to your door because you're the only one around who understands the impossible concept or who solves the unsolvable problem.

I feel special for seeing this so early. I'm a huge fan, you're inspirational.

Thanks for joining in.

What's your favorite part of the show? Do you enjoy filming? Why?

You get a glimpse of the Space Ship of the Imagination from the trailer. It's a literal and figurative vehicle to move through space and time, and, quite frankly, it's badass. But that will be for viewers to judge. I enjoyed filming in the set for the ship. Gesturing to all manner of places in the universe - past, present, & future.

What's your favorite part of the show?

This may sounds like a cop-out answer: all of it. It's written (by Ann Druyan, co-writer of the original series along with story development by Steven Soter, also from the original series) in a way that the parts come together to tell bigger stories of how and why science matters. To pick a favorite part would be like picking the part of a bicycle you like the best. The chain? The spokes? The handlebars? The petals? The thing won't ride without any one of them.

What topic are you most excited to talk about in the new series?

Alerting the viewer of science martyrs of the past, who made discoveries that conflicted with prevailing dogma - religious, political, cultural, and who gave their careers or even their lives for the truth of their discoveries.

Can you do your own cover of Space Oddity please?

Can't really sing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OUgXFZ_WeY

How did you discover your interest in space?

Age 9. A first visit to my local Planetarium - NYC's Hayden Planetarium. Yes, I am now its director. A story that plays better in a small town than in a city of eight million people. In any case, after that first visit, I had no choice in the matter -- in retrospect, I'm quite sure it was the universe that chose me, and not I who chose it.

What are you most excited for in the new series?

Finally, the portfolio of story-telling tools, normally reserved for film-making and evening drama, will be applied to telling the story of the universe. The trailer, while purposefully mysterious, ought to give you a direct sense of this cinematic armament.

I don't have a question, I just wanted to thank you for being one of the most interesting people I know of and explaining science in an understandable way.

It's the universe that's the interesting one. I'm just your conduit to it.

Will there be info on how the budget cuts affect space exploration?

No. Cosmos, at its best, will compel people to want science, to want space, to want to explore, to want to dream of a world informed and enhanced by all the good that cosmic discovery brings to it. A mission statement such as that sails above any talk of budgets.

As, someone who became very interested in astrophysics as a whole after reading Sagan's Pale Blue Dot. What are your hopes for the series in terms of bringing more interest to the scientific community?

Big fan by the way.

I've never wanted to turn everyone into a scientist. What a boring world that would be. We want and need artists and philosophers and comedians and everybody else who fleshes out what we've come to call civilization. So the goal of Cosmos, and so much else of what I do professionally, is to sensitize people to why science matters -- especially to our survival, but also to our soul of curiosity, and to our sense of who and what we are in the universe. Imagine if every member of Congress had this perspective - this cosmic perspective. They could transform the country overnight, even if not a single one of them were a scientist.

What type of audience are you aiming for with the new Cosmos?

Everyone who watches Fox. And if you stop and think about that -- the demographic crossroads into Fox may be broader than any other in modern times: 20th Century Fox / Foxlight Pictures / Fox Sports / Fox News / Fox Business / and of course, Fox Network.

Can i watch this in the UK?

Thanks or asking. Fox international Channels will be distributing Cosmos around the world. We did a press preview and panel for their international press during ComicCon. And a major carrier for this in many countries will also be National Geographic.

Hey Neil,

Would you say that working with the Fox network made you stray from what you had in mind for the series at all?

In other words, were there some things you would rather have spent more time on? To what extent do you feel the new series does justice to Dr. Sagan's?

All that aside, I'm looking forward to it! Very excited. Take care.

Fox was reminded of the original - the "remastered" DVD of the 1980 series and simply said, and I paraphrase: Do that for the 21st century. For some that's hard to believe, but it's true. I add here that Seth MacFarlane was our conduit to the network. He's a fan of my work, of Sagan's legacy, and of science. And who can soon forget this scene from Family Guy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE_OehRLH3s

So when I told him that we were shopping around the new Cosmos, he brought the concept to Fox Executives. Given his importance to the network, they had to listen. Initially they may have agreed solely because of Seth's endorsement. But later, they saw the value of the network hosting Cosmos for the 21st century, and have backed it as they would any show in their stable, for the Spring airing of the series.

Hey Neil big fan here What topic are you most excited to cover?!

Keeping an eye on the search for life in the universe and on the nature of dark matter and dark energy. Who wouldn't be?

no question, but keep being awesome!

: - )

Holy smokes. I've been waiting for this series forever. Sagan left big shoes to fill. Other than obviously updating the science, how do you rework his series while keeping true to the original? Assuming that was a goal in the first place.

We carefully reviewed what worked and what did not work as intended in the original series. We are keeping -- and enhancing -- all that we are confident is worthy of carrying forward. Not only the tools of storytelling, such as the Cosmic Calendar -- seen briefly in the trailer -- but also the kinds of stories that are told. All of this is true to the sprit of the original. And that what matters most to us.

I hope that the new Cosmos is something great I can show to my children. I'm 100% sure it will be.

Thank you for everything.

it will surely be child-friendly but it's conceived for adults. Adults, not kids, tend to be the source of problems in society. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDFgLS3sdpU

Do you think this new Cosmos will live up to the educational value of the original despite being on a network that focuses primarily on entertainment, and not PBS?

Yes. Not to worry. It's the widespread educational appeal of the Cosmos "franchise" that interested Fox in the first place. They respect the creative team and, beyond the normal FCC rules and regulations for broadcasting, they have granted the creative freedoms necessary to keep the Cosmos spirit and legacy in tact.

I add here that something can be educational without being pedantic. A stunning visual along with carefully worded voice-over can ignite interest in viewers that can send them running to the library. In fact, from the educators perspective, that's the strongest impact a visual experience can have on a viewer.

How do you feel you will carry on Sagan's legacy from this experience?

I think of it instead as a legacy of science that Carl set into motion. If this were all about Carl Sagan, or me, then we wouldn't be educators, we would be cultists.

Neil! You are my hero, you have inspired me so much. Thank you!

Cosmos looks amazing, what do you hope people take away from it?

Science is not a subject you took in school. It's life. We are wrapped by it, in it, with it. And one's science literacy should never be viewed as a disposable dimension of ones mind -- not in this, the 21st century, where the engines of tomorrow's economies will derive from wise investments and innovations in science and technology.

How big of a part did Seth play in the production?

Advised on doing graphic novel-style animation for many of our historic recreations. Also, he's an all-around TV-Movie smart person. So his guidance and advice, particularly with regard to Network broadcasting was invaluable. Also, his contacts in the business brought to us many production professionals who work on films and famous dramas, but were also fans of science and what a new Cosmos can do for the world. That's how we got, for example, Bill Pope, our director of photography, perhaps best known as the director of photography for the Matrix Trilogy. And our Director, Brannon Braga, long-time writer and producer for StarTrek.

We've assembled talented people, bitten by the Cosmos mission, bringing their formidable talents to the series.

What do you think is your biggest accomplishment?

Raising children. That should be any parents' answer. If it's not, then they under-invested in all their kids could be.

Will you be able to talk to Eric Weinstein about the new theory of Geometric Unity? We are all wondering about that.

Cosmos is not your normal talking-head documentary. In fact, it's that feature of the original that enabled it to live for an entire generation, beyond the shelf life of hundreds of other science documentaries that came afterwards. So the answer is no.

What is the most fundamental change in the field since the original Cosmos was produced?

Tons. But what hasn't changed is the value of telling a good story, especially one that has the benefit of being true.

What topic was your favorite to film for the series?

Actually, as hinted earlier, no one topic stands out above the rest. They all blend into seamless story-telling.