The Hugo Award-winning series, The Expanse is now in its 5th season. It streams exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. It is one of the most compelling science fiction shows on television. The show has compelling storytelling, science fiction that feels real, diversity in front of and behind the camera, and some of the best female characters.
The Expanse is a science fiction show that is set in space. It imagines a future where Mars has been colonized by humans and is its own independent military sovereignty. The UN is now based on the Moon, Luna, and oversees the Earth, Mars, and the Belt. The Belt consists of an asteroid belt and the outer planets in the galaxy. These are inhabited by millions of working-class citizens. Most of the inhabitants are born in space and can not survive on planets like Mars or Earth because their bodies are not accustomed to gravity. They are at the mercy of Earth and Mars for oxygen and water.
The Expanse has compelling storytelling
When a friend originally convinced me to watch The Expanse, they described it as Game of Thrones in space. Political rivals fight for power and innocent people get caught in the middle and used as pawns. Similar to Game of Thrones, this show has somewhat of a rotating cast. You aren’t exactly sure who the main characters are. Although eventually halfway through Season One we find that the core cast consists of James Holden (Steven Strait), Naiomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar), Amos Burton (Wes Chatham), Thomas Jane (Detective Miller), and Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo).
In this show, we get to see what the world looks like for the people of Earth, Mars, and the Belt. The way that the seemingly unrelatable events culminate into one intense and suspenseful storyline makes this one of the most entertaining shows to watch. There are so many tiny things that make it feel real, from the way governments and rebellions form and operate to the struggles of the everyday citizens. It’s a future that mirrors many of the issues of today but on a larger scale.
One of the most compelling things about this show is that, despite all the fighting and betrayal, it is a show about hope, love, and found family. It is a show about what the best of humanity can be.
Science Fiction that feels real
What separates The Expanse from other science fiction shows like those set in the Star Trek or Star Wars universe is that the science in this show feels real. It is terrifying in that it makes you experience the real dangers of space. You witness the realities of how even a small wound can be deadly when there is no gravity to help it heal. There are the horrors of running out of oxygen. There are scenes where there is the loss of life, and they are eerily realistic.
In the video below, the showrunner Naren Shankar describes how they wanted to make “space” itself a character in the show, respecting the rules of the way things move and the things that other science fiction shows tend to ignore. And lastly, the visuals on the show are absolutely breathtaking.
Diversity in front and behind the camera
Another thing that makes The Expanse feel real is the diversity on the show. It’s the diversity that is both in front of the camera and behind the camera. It is diversity in the way that the show is written. There are so many cultures represented in so many ways. This type of diversity makes the idea of humanity going into space feel more real. It’s realistic to believe that the genius needed to go to space and colonize other worlds would come from all countries and cultures.
It is refreshing to see so many different cultures and backgrounds represented on screen. It feels comfortable because, for many of us, this is the actual diversity we see in our daily life. Perhaps this comes from having showrunners, writers, and crews from diverse backgrounds. It is diversity done right.
Complex Female characters
The amount of complex female characters in one show is almost unheard of. One of the best things about The Expanse is the lack of sexism. Although there are some instances of romance on the show, the romance does not serve as a plot device. Romance is just something that is happening as the story is being told. The women are smart, some are geniuses; they are strong, they are powerful and they are just as capable if not more capable than their male counterparts.
There is not one woman alike on the show. They all have their own agendas, their own backstories, and motives. Each of them are accomplished in their own rights. The range in their personalities, their abilities, and their storylines is remarkable for a television series. If you are looking for a science fiction show that can easily pass The Bechdel Test, then this is it. The relationships and rivalries happening for the women on the show make sense and serve a purpose. You don’t see cliché rivalries over a man.
No show is perfect, and there is always room for more diversity when it comes to the different body types. There is the added bonus of women being cast with body types that do not fit traditional Hollywood roles.
Expanded Universe
The Expanse is based on the popular science fiction novels by James S.A. Corey. It was originally developed and scripted by the Academy Award-nominated writing duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby as well as by Executive Producer and showrunner are Naren Shankar.
In addition to The Expanse television series and novels, there are comic books and Role Play Games available. These take a deeper dive into the lives of the characters on the show.
Comic Book Series “The Expanse #1: Additional Adventures Await”
Loved by fans
The show originally was broadcasted by the Syfy network but was canceled and picked up for a fourth, fifth, and sixth and final season by Amazon Prime Video. While speaking with Shohreh Aghdashloo at the Amazon Prime After Party at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, she told us that she grateful for the fans. She admitted that she thought it was over once they were canceled by Syfy. She was grateful for the fans who rallied to bring the show back.
In the video below, fans dressed up as characters from the show for a fan meet up at San Diego Comic-Con and were greeted by a visit from the cast.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos is a fan of the show and in the video below talks about how excited he was that Amazon picked up this series.
The show is currently in its fifth season and available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. New episodes air on Wednesdays.
For more on The Expanse check out:
Binge-Watching The Expanse S5: Blessing Or Bane Of Modern Television?
The Expanse S4: Can the show keep up with Cibola Burn?
About Author
Hey there, I just watched season one of the expanse and it does NOT pass the bechdel test in the whole season. Not one single episode.
There is a conversation between Avasarala and Holden’s mother, but they only talk about Holden, so it doesn’t pass the test. The only other (very brief) conversation between two adult women is between Nagata and a refugee in the smuggling tunnels of Eros but the refugee is not a named character.
Aside from that, there is quite some sexist content in the series. For example: Miller obsessing about a woman he has never seen before and making her his damsel in distress. Or: Female sex workers are shown on several occasions, always half naked. But the one male sex workers gets to show up dressed normally.
Are we so desperate that we have to praise this series for diversity and the portrayal of diverse characters? It’s not horrible, sure, but I do not find it praiseworthy.
Best wishes,
Alex
Thank you !!! I really enjoyed the plot, the ambiance and some of the characters development but from the beggining I found the obsession of Miller for Julie, a woman way too young for him and above all that he never met, really creepy. Then It got worse when she, while she was presented as badass and independent, suddenly turns into a damsel in distress, trapped naked in her fluorescent dungeon… Thanks god Miller the unstable ex cop is here so she can have one last kiss from a creepy dude that she never met! I was pissed… For nowI stopped at this episode but I might give It a chance later.
Lucie from France.