Lost Episode Of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos Explores The Meat Planet

By David Wharton | Updated

This article is more than 2 years old

We’re big fans of the late Carl Sagan around here. As a writer with a lifelong love of science, I can admire Sagan twofold, both for his scientific zeal and passion to teach, and for his poet’s gift at describing the wonders of the universe. His Cosmos was an important touchstone for many curious young minds back in the 1980s, so what a lovely surprise it is to discover that there was a “lost” episode of Sagan’s iconic series, one that took us to the wondrous and mysterious “meat planet.” Take it away, Carl…

It is, of course, just a parody. But what a parody. Created by Darren Cullen and Mark Tolson, “The Meat Planet” absolutely nails it, from an uncanny Sagan impression to a spot-on narration that echoes Sagan’s cadence and turns of phrase. My hat’s off to you, gentlemen.

Sadly, that means that there is not, in fact, a meat planet waiting out there for us to colonize and then barbeque. Sure, sure, there are plenty of other wonders out there, but a part of me…a part of me will always regret that I’ll never get to scale Mt. Sustenance, then set up a nice blanket and peel bacon strips off the group while I watch the sun set through a haze of flatulence.