Alien Planet

The documentary is based off of a novel called expedition and two probes from earth are sent by the von Braun to search for alien life. Alien planet is a really good documentary in my opinion and I'm sure others as well. The two probes also come equipped with mini probes like the spider probe witch can crawl into spots too small or dangerous for the two probes as well as speedy disk like probes that can fly and are called camera disks, the probes also come equipped with water ballon like that monitor the weather. The creatures too are quite fascinating like the daggerest witch lives on trees and hunt for their prey the trunk sucker witch is cool in my opinion, the daggerest uses its claws to pin its prey down in witch it falls to ground and the daggerest comes down and uses a third claw attached to it's chest in witch it sucks up all the tree sap that the trunk sucker sucked up earlier on the tree, ones the daggerest sucks up all the tree sap from the trunk sucker it then leaves to find new prey in the tree tops leaving it's prey dead on the floor. Another interesting creature is the gyro sprinter a fast two legged animal that runs from predators like the arrow tongue at Rex sized carnivore. Over and all the documentary is a really good impression of the book people who read the book first will probably be amazed seeing the creatures moving. I my self give it a good rating of 8 and I highly suggest you check it out.

this is the first time i have seen a show that actually depicts what could be out there in a scientific fashion.

The way we can calculate the possibility of life is by the Drake Equation, created by Frank Drake in the early 1960s. It states: N= (r* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc) L where:

N= number of possible civilizations to communicate with

R* = is the rate at which stars capable of sustaining like are formed

fp = the fraction of these stars which have planets

ne = the number of planets similar to Earth in the planetary system

fl = the fraction of the Earth-like planets that hold life

fi = the fraction of life that becomes an intelligent civilization

fc = the fraction intelligent civilizations that attempt to communicate

L= the number of years the civilization remains able to communicate.

When these numbers are taken into consideration, we realize that there is a great possibility of life out there. There are about 400 billion stars in our galaxy, so there could be life right next door (relatively speaking, since that may be hundreds of thousands of light years away). Even if there is no life in the Milky Way, there are billions of other galaxies to turn to. We likely will not contact such civilizations in our lifetime, but it gives us a new kind of hope and dream for the future of our planet and the future of mankind.

so Darwin 4 could actually exist out there somewhere.

I felt like a kid again watching this flight of fancy. I liked the interspersed animations and real world interviews of some top scientists, making it feel real though of course (and alas) it is pure invention.

How could someone watch this and not be enthralled, not wish for us to support pure science and space exploration? It makes me want to run right out and do something to further the possibility that such a mission might one day be undertaken.

I don't care if the biology is imperfect; I do care that it's a dozen times better than the typical Hollywood s-f flick that has all its creatures looking like they evolved on earth. Still too many pairs of eyes over mouths here, but a distinct improvement over big-eyed gray aliens.

This show ranks right up there with "The Future Is Wild" in that it presents some very intriguing ideas with very nice CGI. But unlike TFIW they are showing us a not to distant future, one that may be possible with my life time. I also thought the comments from various scientist was a nice touch since these are the best people to comment on a future mission to another planet. And on a final note, the planet depicted in the show, Darwin IV was a very alien place while yet being similar to earth but seeing what life is like on that planet makes me appreciate our own little blue marble even more. Also, speaking of the name Darwin IV, I would have preferred a name from popular science fiction, possible Hal IV.

Ordinarily, I hate documentaries. And I mean *hate*. So why is it that I love "Alien Planet"?

Simple. Using cutting-edge animation technology and fascinating (not mind-bogglingly boring), jargon-filled interviews with experts in various fields, the makers of this real winner have successfully created an interesting testament to the fact that mankind is not even a drop in the bucket, cosmically speaking. This fantastically done doc almost plays out like a motion picture as it interweaves the documentary with pieces of interstellar adventure and drama. Particularly interesting is the segment featuring an alien life form called a "groveback."

Take it from someone who is usually bored stiff by documentaries-- one look at this astounding, mind blowing extravaganza, and you want more. Immediately.