NOVA: Season 1

Season 1 overview

The season opens behind the scenes of nature filmmaking, showing how Oxford Scientific Films captures hidden animal life. NOVA then examines the Colorado River's central role in the American Southwest, and contrasts the beauty of whales and dolphins with the impact of the whaling industry.

Key story beats

  1. Season Premiere of Science — NOVA premieres on public television with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a natural history film.
  2. Solving Filming Challenges — The unit demonstrates how filmmakers tackle problems such as showing a wood-wasp laying its egg inside trees.
  3. Hatching Chick and Fish Courtship — Cameras capture the hatching of a chick and the courtship rituals of the stickleback for the natural history program.
  4. Lifeblood of the Southwest — The Colorado River is presented as the lifeblood of the Southwest, providing water and electricity to farms and cities.
  5. Politicizing the River — The program examines political expediency and technological over-optimism that shaped the river's management.
  6. Miscalculating River Capacity — NOVA reveals major miscalculations of the river's capacity, showing that its promise exceeded reality.
  7. Grace of the Sea Mammals — NOVA presents the grace and beauty of the intelligent sea mammals threatened by hunting.
  8. Whaling Industry's Demands — The impact of whaling and the goods it produces for the industry are measured against the value of the living animals.
  9. Life's Beginnings Questioned — NOVA explores how life started on Earth while asking whether life exists outside this planet.
  10. Viking Lander Prepared for Mars — The Viking lander is shown being built in its germ-free room before beginning its long journey to Mars in July 1976.
  11. Nomadic Life of the Cuiva — NOVA presents how the primitive nomadic Cuiva tribe lives in the Amazon basin.
  12. Clash With Western Settlers — NOVA looks at both sides of the encroachment story, revealing misunderstandings between the tribal culture and the settlers.
  13. Surgery Before Sleep — The docudrama depicts surgery as hasty, bloody, and unable to deal with internal disorders before anesthesia.
  14. Pioneers Discover Anesthesia — The discovery of anesthesia transforms medicine, turning surgery into a humane and effective practice.
  15. Surgery Takes Front Rank — Following anesthesia, surgery subsequently takes its place in the front rank of medical practice.

Seasons

Interactive Features

Episode Guide

Content sources

Plot analysis generated from content on Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related entry on Wikidata (Q3071768), public domain (CC0).