Though Cosmos: Possible Worlds is passionately truthful, it is also storytelling at its core, and it touches viewers' emotions in much the same way as other great works of art often do.
"When you watch it you're not thinking 'documentary,' you're thinking something else -- I don't know if there's a word," remarked Tyson, also on the panel.
It shows us a future we hope for, he added.
Call to Action
One of the messages of Cosmos: Possible Worlds seems to be that our distant descendents won't have a future unless we look unflinchingly at the state of our planet today and recognize humanity's responsibility to preserve it -- and that requires having the facts straight.
Cosmos is not at all ponderous or preachy, however. One of the hallmarks of the show, going back to the first season with Carl Sagan, is to present science in a way "that doesn't make you feel bad for not having known it in advance," Tyson said.
There's a sense of comfort in "learning for yourself what is true, and then taking advantage of that newfound power of knowledge and insight to become a better shepherd of your civilization. I think that's achieved in this season of Cosmos as never before," he added.
How can Cosmos prevail against science deniers? For example, 30 years ago few people would be inclined to embrace the notion that Earth might be flat, an audience member said, but now there are international societies promoting the belief.
What Cosmos aspires to do is "to empower every single one of us. We are telling a great story, and it's the closest thing to the truth that we very-flawed humans ever get a hold of. I think there's no better way to combat the failure of the imagination that makes someone believe in a flat Earth than to inspire them, and engage them, and bring them in," Druyan responded.
"It matters what's true," she said. "We have to communicate that value to everyone." 
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