The Farthest: Voyager in Space
By Brian Costello,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fascinating docu on the history and discoveries of Voyager.
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The Farthest: Voyager in Space
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What's the Story?
THE FARTHEST: VOYAGER IN SPACE revisits the development, launch, and discoveries of the two Voyager spacecraft on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of their launch. The development of the program, the launch, the early and later breathtaking photographs of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune (as well as their moons), and the legendary "Voyager gold record" in which Carl Sagan attempted to convey a sense of what the human race is like for any alien race that might discover the Voyagers are all chronicled and told from the perspective of the scientists who took part. Overall, it's the story of humankind's very first effort to explore the outer reaches of the solar system and beyond.
Is It Any Good?
This is an incredible documentary of humankind's first attempts to explore the outer solar system and beyond. Told from the perspectives of the scientists who developed and oversaw the program, The Farthest: Voyager in Space includes the incredible photographs the Voyagers sent back to Earth and the profound discoveries the scientists made. The wonder these scientists express has clearly not abated 40 years later.
The late Carl Sagan is given deep tribute, both for his development of the "Voyager gold record" of human sounds and for the music placed inside both Voyagers; he's also lauded for having the philosophical vision to have Voyager 1 turn around before being out of range of Earth to take a "goodbye" picture. Sagan used this image and pointed out the tiny pixel that he informed everyone was Earth, a "pale blue dot," where "everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives." It's the perfect metaphor for what so many of the scientists seem to be aware of: that their efforts were tremendous for humanity, but merely the earliest of earliest beginnings in the grand scheme of things.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about documentaries. How does The Farthest: Voyager in Space compare to other documentaries you've seen?
If you were faced with the challenge of coming up with your own "Voyager gold record," what sounds would you include on it to give any alien life forms who might discover this record a sense of Earth and the humans who live on it?
How might this documentary inspire kids interested in math and science to apply their interests in a career?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: February 26, 2017
- Cast: Carl Sagan, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama
- Director: Emer Reynolds
- Inclusion Information: Black actors
- Studio: Crossing the Line Productions
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: STEM, Great Boy Role Models, Great Girl Role Models, History, Science and Nature, Space and Aliens
- Character Strengths: Curiosity
- Run time: 96 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: September 21, 2019
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