Hundreds of years in the future, humanity has branched out into the solar system and the individual branches haaaaaate each other. Some humans remain on Earth, some are terraforming Mars, and some are living out in the Asteroid belt, the Belters… basically, the trailer part of the solar system.
Star Trek this is not… this is more like Game of Thrones in space, but with slightly less incest.
The Expanse follows Holden and the crew of the Rocinante, a procured Martian gunship and now a basic ship for hire. Together, they attempt to bring law and order to the lawless, orderless final frontier.
I should have gotten into this show years ago because, obviously, it’s right up my alley. I love science fiction and, to be honest, I like my science fiction with a lot of science. It explains why I love Star Trek more than Star Wars. The Expanse is firmly rooted in science, so much so that it positively makes Star Trek look like The Lord of the Rings. I’m a nerd… I love that kind of stuff.
The Expanse is also awash in moral ambiguity and all of the great things that make drama work. Holden, the main character played by Steven Strait, has a firm sense of justice and right and wrong, but the other characters are more shades of gray.
I also respect the heck out of series that is killed and then comes back from the dead.
Listen, after catching up on four seasons of television, it’s hard to zero in my thoughts on this series other than I like it and it’s good. The characters are a lot of fun and there are no weak links in the cast. The special effects are top notch and, rooted in reality and physics, give this show a fresh and unique look. The stories are always interesting and complications are always introduced to make them more interesting.
While the narrative does get draggy at times as narratives sometimes do (particularly in the 4th season when a single bullet fired at any time would have literally ended a conflict that they stretched out for eight episodes), I’m always interested to see where the show will go next.
I may be late to the party, but The Expanse is definitely a series I’m going to keep up with in the future.
Jason Gaston 