Review: Chris Hadfield A Journey into the Cosmos (and Back to Reality)

Event: Chris Hadfield - A Journey Into The Cosmos Date: 14 June 2025 Venue: The Forum, Bath More info: chrishadfield.ca

So, I wasn't expecting that... (Chris Hadfield Review)

I went to see Chris Hadfield talk last night in Bath - his "A Journey into The Cosmos" tour.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect - I mean, yes, he’s the bloke who sang Space Oddity on the ISS, and yes, he’s been to space (which immediately makes him utterly amazing in my eyes), but I half-wondered if it’d all be a bit dry, second hand, or just not convey the wonder of it all.

I was definitely wrong.

Real adventure, no nonsense

What it was - entirely unexpectedly - was one of the most grounded, quietly astonishing evenings I’ve had in years. And I say that as someone who’s fairly immune to spectacle. He’s just... real.

You sit there, listening to this man describe (in the same tone you might use to talk about fixing the sink) what it’s like to ride a rocket into orbit, and you start to notice how rare that is. Not just the experience, obviously - hardly any of us are going to space (except in our lucid dreams) - but the clarity. The lack of performance. The directness. The pure spirit of adventure - real adventure.

It’s mind-bogglingly refreshing.

He talks about risk the way a decent pilot would - as a matter of fact, methodically. Not as something to be dramatised but something to be understood and prepared for.

There's a very rational sort of calm in him, and it’s disarming and contagious. That was what stuck with me most, actually - not the spectacle of space itself (I've been a space nerd my whole life, I'm used to the awe), but the way he thinks. The mindset behind it.

I probably overuse the word, but it's pure metacognition in action. Not vague fluffy awareness (that the hippies like to drone on about) - but actual reflective, self-correcting thinking. Noticing your own reactions, assessing them, and making practical decisions that might just keep you alive.

Thoughtfulness isn’t fluff

And that’s what really hit me. It’s absurdly rare, these days, to see a person who so clearly thinks, is present. Not in some wishy washy nonsense way, but in the "this is reality, and I'm going to see it for what it is" way.

We've become so used to people who feel their way through life, who thrive on vibes and intuition. Who act as if that's somehow some magical secret, when in reality it's little more than trusting your own opinion before what reality provides you.

So seeing someone achieve the near impossible through thinking systematically, critically and with clarity. And not as an egotistical identity just to sound clever - just because that’s what’s required when you’re floating above Earth in a glorified tin can, relying on maths and teamwork to avoid dying in a fireball.

Emotional Sneak Attack

I wasn’t expecting to feel anything. But I did. And I still am, weirdly. I was talking to my mother this morning, explaining the event - just chatting on the phone - and somewhere mid-sentence I caught myself getting choked up - that suprise attack lump in the throat stuff.

Fortunately, I'm not entirely emo and didn’t cry (I won't be writing poetry anytime soon), but it was close enough to make me take stock of the feeling. And it caught me off guard because, on the surface, it’s just a man talking about his job. But then again... no, it's about the true spirit of adventure and ingenuity, humanity when it's absolutely at its best - the stuff that's got us to where we are today, standing on the shoulders of giants. The reason why science has always inspired me.

Space Oddity and actual competence

He ended with Space Oddity (obviously). It was just him and a guitar. No lighting change, no emotional build-up. And that, somehow, made it land even harder. It wasn’t a performance - it was a punctuation mark. And it worked. (Also, yes, he's good at guitar. Because of course he is.)

Thing is, the whole thing made me feel - and I’m saying this as someone who’s allergic to inspirational nonsense - that science really matters. And is so much more valuable than the pseudo-spirituality we're drowned in recently.

Not just intellectually, but personally.

It reminded me that all this stuff we talk about - rationality, critical thinking, cooperation - it’s not abstract. It works. It saves lives. It takes us into orbit. It builds space stations. It slowly reveals the secrets of this amazing universe we find ourselves in. And it does it all without pretending to have answers to life's meaning or draping everything in vague spiritual metaphors.

No one on that stage needed to talk about manifesting energy or raising vibrations or any of that crap. And I can’t stress how deeply needed and comforting that was.

Why this ties into lucid dreaming

And honestly, it’s the same reason I care about lucid dreaming - not the fluff, not the wish-fulfilment nonsense, not the “feel special” ego trip stuff. But because it’s one of the last genuine mysteries of the mind. A frontier. Something real. Something that deserves the same humble determination to unravel.

It’s not a playground - it’s a question we pose to the universe. And the only tools that’ll ever get us anywhere near an answer are the same ones Hadfield was quietly championing all night - science, patience, realism, and the willingness to sit with the unknown without needing to invent fairy tales to feel in control.

I'm still thinking about it now. and I probably will be for a long while. So, if we're thinking of this as a Chris Hadfield review... which I suppose it is, then it's a five out of five stars. If you get a chance, go see it. For me it was an antidote to twaddle that I've been desperately craving. LUCID RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – An absolute must see.