The final episode of Cosmos, “Who Speaks for Earth?”, is a climactic wrap-up where Carl Sagan summarizes both the nightmarish behavior of our species and the possible alternatives to that behavior. As the Netflix info-box says, this episode is “a prognosis for Earth” that weighs humanity’s successes and failures. The episode opens by juxtaposing the actions of respectful European traders in Alaska with those of the conquistadors, and goes from there to a wrenching description of a dream of Sagan’s. In that dream, he is exploring space, and comes upon a planet as it snuffs out, only to return to find Earth snuffed as well. That leads to an impassioned discussion of nuclear weapons. Furthermore, Sagan explores the destruction of the Library of Alexandria and the murder of Hypatia. But, from there, he moves into a positive, uplifting close about the lifespan of the universe, our species, and the ability we have to choose life over death.
[Onward.]