Killers of the Cosmos

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Killers of the Cosmos
Killers of the Cosmos title card.PNG
GenreDocumentary series
Narrated by Aidan Gillen
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Producer Nigel Paterson
Running time40–43 minutes
Production company Wall to Wall Media
Release
Original network Science Channel
Original releaseSeptember 19 (2021-09-19) 
October 24, 2021 (2021-10-24)
Aidan Gillen hosts Killers of the Cosmos in animated form as the Gumshoe Detective. Aidan Gillen Killers of the Cosmos.PNG
Aidan Gillen hosts Killers of the Cosmos in animated form as the Gumshoe Detective.
Promotional image for Killers of the Cosmos Killers of the Cosmos promotional image.PNG
Promotional image for Killers of the Cosmos

Killers of the Cosmos is a documentary science television series hosted by Aidan Gillen. Aired by the Science Channel, it premiered on September 19, 2021.

Contents

Format

In a format the Science Channel describes as "space noir," Killers of the Cosmos explores possible lethal threats the cosmos poses to life on Earth through the "investigations" of a private investigator—the "Gumshoe Detective," modeled in the style of a character in a Raymond Chandler novel [1] —portrayed by Aidan Gillen in animated form. In scripted dramatic sequences combining the characteristics of film noir with those of a pulp fiction graphic novel set in the mid-20th century, the Gumshoe Detective hosts each episode. Aided by a mysterious informant portrayed by Sarah Winter, the detective takes on a "case" and hunts down a "killer" by exploring a lethal threat the cosmos poses to humanity. The animated sequences link conventional live-action documentary segments in which experts in astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, biology, and aerospace engineering describe and explain phenomena that could threaten the Earth, how they pose a threat, what would happen on Earth if they actually took place, the likelihood of them occurring, and how to counter them. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Production

Wall to Wall Media produced Killers of the Cosmos. [1] The executive producers for Wall to Wall Media were Tim Lambert and Jeremy Dear and for Discovery, Inc., were Caroline Perez, Abram Sitzer and Wyatt Channell. [3] The series producer was Nigel Paterson. [3] Ben Scott directed the episodes. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Episode list

SOURCES [2] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Episode #TitleDirected byOriginal air date
1"The Case of the Killer Rocks"Ben ScottSeptember 19, 2021 (2021-09-19)
Earth is hit by 100 tons of rock from space every day. Most space rocks burn up in the atmosphere, but a single rock wiped out the dinosaurs. Could it happen again—and does the same fate await humans?
2"The Case of the Dark Star"Ben ScottSeptember 26, 2021 (2021-09-26)
There are millions of black holes, some of which are rogues which speed through space. Could one of them destroy the Earth?
3"The Case of the Death Ray"Ben ScottOctober 3, 2021 (2021-10-03)
Gamma rays strike the Earth every day. When a massive star dies, it can direct a gamma-ray burst into the cosmos, and if such a burst struck the Earth, it would obliterate all life on the planet. What are the chances of a gamma-ray burst striking the Earth itself and destroying humanity?
4"The Case of the Cosmic Scrap"Ben ScottOctober 10, 2021 (2021-10-10)
Some 6,000 artificial satellites and more than 100 million pieces of man-made space debris orbit the Earth, all traveling faster than a bullet, and the numbers increase every year. About 60 percent of the satellites are dead, and no longer under human control. Someday, a collision between only two satellites or pieces of debris could lead to a catastrophic chain reaction of collisions that would cause a communications meltdown affecting the entire planet.
5"The Case of the Little Green Men"Ben ScottOctober 17, 2021 (2021-10-17)
Hundreds of billions of planets exist in our galaxy alone, and the odds suggest that alien civilizations probably exist on some of them. Someday, aliens might visit the Earth. Would they be a threat to human life—lethal killers intent on invading the Earth and plundering it?
6"The Case of the Big Sleep"Ben ScottOctober 24, 2021 (2021-10-24)
Even the universe will come to an end. When will the end come? And how will the universe end? Will gravity make it collapse, or will it expand forever, or will dark energy rip the fabric of space apart?

See also

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References

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  2. 1 2 "Killers of the Cosmos". www.sciencechannel.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Killer of the Cosmos : Programs : Science Channel : Discovery Press Web". press.discovery.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  4. "When Outer Space Meets Film Noir". Discovery. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  5. Killers of the Cosmos | TVmaze , retrieved October 31, 2021
  6. 1 2 IMDB Killers of the Cosmos: The Case of the Killer Rocks
  7. 1 2 IMDB Killers of the Cosmos: Death Ray
  8. 1 2 IMDB Killers of the Cosmos: Cosmic Scrap
  9. 1 2 IMDB Killers of the Cosmos: Little Green Men
  10. 1 2 IMDB Killers of the Cosmos: Dark Star
  11. 1 2 IMDB Killers of the Cosmos: Big Sleep
  12. "Killers of the Cosmos - Episode List | TVmaze". www.tvmaze.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.
  13. "Watch Killers of the Cosmos - Season 1 | Prime Video". www.amazon.com. Retrieved October 31, 2021.