Snoop Dogg premieres the first episode of 'Planet Snoop,' and we have some questions

It truly is an amazing time to be alive.

Last Thursday, March 24, Snoop Dogg answered all of our prayers, debuting his new nature series, “Planet Snoop,” on his website merryjane.com.The idea originated with a recurring segment on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (2003 — present), called “Plizzanet Earth,” which featured the erstwhile rapper providing running commentary on viral nature videos. The segments regularly got several million hits on YouTube.

In fact, they became so popular that an online petition began to circulate on Change.org, calling for the popular nature series “Planet Earth” (2006) to bring Snoop on to narrate for a season. It garnered over 65,000 signatures.

The creators of “Planet Earth” didn’t bite, but Snoop was undeterred. Who needs a stuffy old nature show narrated by a bunch of droney British dudes when you have your own online platform? Not Snoop, that’s for sure. But now that he’s embarked on this new career path, it might be fair to ask a few questions about “Planet Snoop” and what it portends for its creator, the nature series as a genre and environmentalism.

1) Will “Planet Snoop” dethrone “Planet Earth?”

Let’s be honest: it was a colossal mistake for “Planet Earth” not to bring Snoop on for at least a season. He’s a well-known figure that could draw a younger viewership. His mellifluous voice has the soothing quality of running water. And what he lacks in basic knowledge about animal species (seriously, Snoop, you don’t know the difference between a beaver and an otter?), he makes up for in sheer dopeness.

But “Planet Earth” may come to rue its inaction even more than we initially thought. “Planet Snoop” is a serious contender for the next big nature show because it may poach “Planet Earth’s” chief demographic — and we all know who that is.

Consider its advantages. Unlike “Planet Earth,” it’s online, so it’s accessible to a wider audience. It’s also short — an average episode clocks in around a minute, a minute and a half — making it less of a commitment, not to mention much less of a slog. It only features fight scenes, which, let’s be honest, is the main reason we watch nature shows in the first place. Oh, and lest we forget, it’s narrated by Snoop Dogg.

2) Does “Planet Snoop” mark a blunt departure from the Snoop Dogg of yore?

In terms of format, there is very little to distinguish “Planet Snoop” from its progenitor, “Plizzanet Earth.” The production value is a little worse, but essentially they’re the same show. So why the name change? Did it result from a simple concern about copyright infringement? Or is Snoop perhaps trying to signal a major shift in his career?

Think about it. This is the man, after all, who immortalized the term “foshizzle” in the rap vernacular. More recently, Snoop’s career has been in flux. Just three years ago, he changed his name to Snoop Lion and released a reggae album, only to quickly pivot to his alter-ego as DJ Snoopadelic, finally returning to his original moniker, Snoop Dogg. Perhaps the title “Planet Snoop,” then, is subtly alerting us to a shift away from the old Snoop. Or maybe it’s signaling a newfound comfort with his identity. Either way, we’re not looking at the same guy who went double platinum with “The Doggfather” (1996) in 1997.

3) Does “Planet Snoop” herald the arrival of the next great environmental hero?

Henry David Thoreau. Rachel Carson. Bill McKibben.

And now…Snoop Dogg?

Okay, it might seem like a stretch to lump Dr. Dre’s former protégé in with these giants of environmentalism. Admittedly, Snoop Dogg has made the legalization of cannabis his raison d’être — hence the existence of his website, merryjane.com, where “Planet Snoop” first premiered. It's also true that the web series is far from enlightened by the plight of wildlife all over the world — it just wants to see some animals duke it out. The first episode, after all, is titled "Squirrel vs. Snake." "Silent Spring" (1962) this is not.

But don’t underestimate Snoop. There's a fair amount of overlap between marijuana legalization and environmentalism, so his impassioned advocacy for the former could easily bleed over into the latter. And if "Planet Snoop" really does displace "Planet Earth" as the most popular nature series, he'll have an audience of committed viewers to answer to. We may not realize it now, but the release of "Planet Snoop" could mark a watershed moment in the modern environmentalist movement.