History Characters / TheExpanseTV

** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVProtogenCorporation Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile & Protogen Corporation]] -- Earth's rogue splinter faction, a conspiracy between the Protogen mega-corporation (led by Jules-Pierre Mao) and elements of the UN government and military (led by UN Undersecretary Errinwright and Admiral Nguyen).

*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVProtogenCorporation Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile & Protogen Corporation]] -- Earth's rogue splinter faction, a conspiracy between the Protogen mega-corporation (led by Jules-Pierre Mao) and elements of the UN government and military (led by UN Undersecretary Errinwright and Admiral Nguyen).

*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVLaconia Laconia]] -- Aka "the rogue Mars splinter faction" that eventually settled on Laconia.

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheRocinante The Rocinante]] - ship of the main characters
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheBelt The Belt]] - Belters in general, the hardscrabble colonists of the asteroid belt and moons of the outer gas giants
** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheOPA The Outer Planets Alliance]] - the Belter independence movement, made of several different loosely aligned factions, all with the goal of establishing a sovereign Belter nation
** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVFreeNavy The Free Navy]] - the renegade splinter faction of the OPA that rises to prominence starting in Season 4
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVEarth Earth]] - Earth & Luna, governed by the United Nations
*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVProtogenCorporation Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile & Protogen Corporation]] - Earth's rogue splinter faction, a conspiracy between the Protogen mega-corporation (led by Jules-Pierre Mao) and elements of the UN government and military (led by UN Undersecretary Errinwright and Admiral Nguyen).
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVMars Mars]] - the Martian Congressional Republic
*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVLaconia Laconia]] - aka "the rogue Mars splinter faction" that eventually settled on Laconia
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVIlus Ilus/New Terra]] - one of the first interstellar colonies settled by humans after the formation of the Ring gate at the end of Season 3
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVExtrasolar Extrasolar]] - the enigmatic Precursor aliens who built the Ring network, and the even more mysterious extra-dimensional aliens who destroyed them millions of years ago
[[/index]]

*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVLaconia Laconia]] - aka "the rogue Mars splinter faction" that settled on Laconia

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheBelt The Belt]] - Belters in general

*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVProtogenCorporation Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile & Protogen Corporation]] - Earth's rogue splinter faction, a conspiracy between the Protogen mega-corporation (led by Jules-Pierre Mao) and elements of the UN government and military (led by UN Undersecretary Errinwright).

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVEarth Earth]]
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVMars Mars]]

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVProtogenCorporation Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile & Protogen]]

*** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVLaconia Laconia]] - aka "the rogue MCRN splinter faction" that settled on Laconia

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheBelt The Belt]]
** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheOPA The Outer Planets Alliance]]

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVExtrasolar Extrasolar]] - the enigmatic aliens who built and destroyed the Ring network

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVIlus Ilus/New Terra]]
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVLaconia Laconia]]
* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVExtrasolar Extrasolar]]

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVTheRocinante The Rocinante]]

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVIlus Ilus/New Terra]]

** [[Characters/TheExpanseTVShips Ship Crews]] (The crews of the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Rocinante'')

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVProtogenCorporation Protogen Corporation]]

* [[Characters/TheExpanseTVShips Ship Crews]]

[[foldercontrol]]

!Earthers

[[folder:Earthers in general]]
!!General

Both Earth and Luna (the Moon) are controlled by the United Nations, still headquartered in New York City.

Things aren't great on Earth in some respects. They have some pollution/global warming problems, so that the sea levels are noticeably higher (big dams keep the oceans from flooding NYC). The space colonists deride Earthers for paving over paradise, badly polluting the only truly habitable planet in the solar system. The Martians deride Earther culture as bloated, corrupt, and everyone looking for a government handout because Earth's industries can't employ and feed all of its vast population.
----
* CrapsackOnlyByComparison: Earth has overpopulation and pollution problems - but even with noticeably higher sea levels due to climate change, it's ''still'' considered a paradise next to living in space stations in the asteroid belt, where air and water are worth more than gold. Better medical technology is also readily available: the coroner on Ceres mentions that the average life expectancy on Earth is 123 years, and it's even better on Mars, but the average life expectancy in the Belt is only 68.
* HeavyWorlder: Relative to the Belters, and to a lesser extent the Martians.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sadavir]]
!!Sadavir Errinwright
->'''Played By:''' Shawn Doyle

The UN Undersecretary of Executive Administration. He's caught between continuing to assert Earth's dominance while reining in Chrisjen's more aggressive tendencies.
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* MurderIsTheBestSolution: He sends a black ops team after Holden and his crew, reasoning that, regardless of what involvement Holden may or may not have in the conspiracy, he's enough of a threat that just taking him out now is for the best. [[spoiler:In the season finale, he's hinted to be part of the conspiracy that's stirring up trouble, which means he was likely trying to silence them and saw it as a good opportunity.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He advocates a measured approach to diplomacy and attempts to find middle-of-the-road solutions to problems. That being said, he doesn't do much to stop Chrisjen's brutal methods.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chrisjen]]
!!Chrisjen Avasarala
->'''Played By:''' Shohreh Aghdashloo

The UN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration - third in line from the UN Secretary-General (and from being leader of the Earth/Luna faction). She takes a very active role in protecting the interests of Earth and Luna, intent on making sure that the UN remains the dominant power in the Solar System.
----
* AdaptationalVillainy: Has no problems overseeing torture sessions personally.
* TheChessmaster: She knows how to manipulate those around her in order to gain the necessary intelligence.
* ItsPersonal: When Sadavir asks if she's taking her investigation into the OPA personally due to them causing the death of her son, she makes clear that yes, damn right it's personal.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: She's very willing to use gravity torture on a Belter despite the UN officially opposing such techniques.
* PetTheDog: Absolutely dotes on her grandson, but in the next scene will oversee the brutal torture of a suspected OPA operative without missing a beat. NeverMessWithGranny indeed!
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Downplayed in comparison to her novel counterpart, but she still gets a few barbs in when it comes to telling people what she thinks of them.
* SirSwearsALot: Also downplayed compared to the books, but she still says what she can get away with more than everyone else without the show moving to HBO or Showtime.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She has nothing but Earth's best interests at heart but has no qualms about using every available tool (both legal and illegal) in order to fulfill her objectives.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jules-Pierre]]
!!Jules-Pierre Mao
->'''Played By:''' François Chau

The CEO of Mao-Kwikowski Industries, a major Lunar powerhouse that has interests all over the Solar System. He is the father of Juliette Andromeda Mao (see: Belters).
-----
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Whatever his goal is, it puts him in direct conflict with multiple governments and he's using his far-reaching financial tentacles to take them apart from the inside.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite their strained relationship, he still cries and mourns upon learning that Julie, his daughter, [[spoiler: died due to exposure to the Protogen molecule]]. This does not, however, deter him from pursuing his plans.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He presents himself as a charming captain of industry but has some truly nefarious plans going on.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He's revealed to be the one calling the shots behind the [[spoiler: Protogen conspiracy]].
[[/folder]]

!Martians

[[folder:Martians in general]]
!!General

The Mars Congressional Republic is an independent nation, locked in a cold war with Earth.

The Martians are driven by a unifying sense of purpose to terraform Mars into a new Earth, because the old Earth is polluted and used up, and they don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past on their new home. Some Martians see this as a noble, desperate attempt to beat a ticking clock, because they think Earth is already a lost cause. In contrast to the bloated bureaucracy and massive overpopulation problems on Earth, the Mars Congressional Republic is driven by efficiency and a united political will. Mars also spends disproportionately on military research and development - unlike the fractious Earther politicians dividing the United Nations, the MCR is driven to take united action to make up for its relative lack of infrastructure compared to Earth. The result is that Mars has just developed stealth technology which neither the Earthers or Belters possess.
----
* FantasticRacism: Martians loathe Earthers, whom they feel ruined Earth's ecosystem and resources. They see Earthers as lazy and corrupt, not realizing how good they have it, and that Martians are the last hope for the human race. Ironically, however, Martians look down upon Belters as expendable cheap labor to supply Mars with resources, lackeys for Earth, or too concerned with their immediate survival needs (jobs, food, air) and desire for self-rule to help the true big-picture goal of turning Mars into a new Earth.
* FantasticSlurs: Martians are colloquially called "Dusters". Members of the Martian military or government themselves are nicknamed "Mickies", after the initials of the '''M'''artian '''C'''ongressional Republic.
* GermanicEfficiency: "Prussian Efficiency" sums up the MCR well. They might have a smaller population and industrial base than Earth, but they are all consumed by a driving need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to compete with the mother planet as well as to {{Terraform}} the planet. Mars is repeatedly described as more efficient and unified than Earth is. Earth's United Nations government constantly faces internal squabbling, but the Martian political arena is united, and its people more willing to trade "butter for guns" to build up a disproportionately strong military.
* LightWorlder: {{Downplayed}}. Mars has lighter gravity than Earth, but not nearly to the extent that Belters have been shaped by living in much lower microgravity. Rather, the unique biological feature of the Martians is that due to living on Mars for generations, selection pressures favored those who had better tolerances for low oxygen environments. As a result, Martians on average use slightly less oxygen than Earthers. The asteroid belt was colonized much more recently, so the Belters haven't had quite as many generations for such selection pressures to take effect. "Slightly" less is of course measured in a difference of only mere minutes - but this can be the difference between life and death in an oxygen-deprived spaceship.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lopez]]
!!Lt. Lopez
->'''Played By:''' Greg Bryk
[[/folder]]

!Crew of the ''Rocinante''

[[folder:''Rocinante'']]
!!''Rocinante''

A gas hauler for Beratnas Gas. Or so her crew would have you believe.

The ''Rocinante'' began her life as the MCRN ''Tachi'', a Martian Navy corvette that operated out of the MCRN ''Donnager'', the Martian Navy's flagship. In the wake of the ''Donnager'''s destruction, the ''Canterbury'' survivors claimed the ''Tachi'' as their own and re-christened her as the ''Rocinante''[[note]]Spanish for "Work Horse" as well as the name of Literature/DonQuixote's horse, see Jim Holden's entry below[[/note]]. She's given a superficial makeover while at ''Tycho'' to look like a common gas hauler, but still retains her original arsenal of weapons.

* MeaningfulReName: Originally the MCRN ''Tachi''. Holden renames her the ''Rocinante'' after Literature/DonQuixote's horse, reflecting his own tendency to get caught up in situations he has no business being involved in.
* StealthInSpace: Discussed. Actually hiding isn't an option, so the ship needs to appear to be something else. Repainting the hull and gluing a bunch of freighter parts on her helped, but no one would mistake the ship as anything but a Martian Navy vessel if they actually got on board.

[[folder:Jim]]
!!James "Jim" Holden
->'''Played By:''' Steven Strait

Jim Holden is 2nd Officer of the ice hauler, the Canterbury (which supplies water for the Asteroid Belt's residents). This position offers him freedom and a minimum of responsibility. A Montana native, he is the only child born to eight parents as part of a genetic collective. At a time when Earth's population is over 30 billion, there are big incentives for people not to have children. Holden's family is fighting to preserve one of the last undeveloped wildernesses in Montana; a losing battle that Holden joined Earth's Navy to escape. In the UN Navy he served as a First Lieutenant until an ideological conflict turned into a physical confrontation, and Holden was made to face court martial. After being dishonorably discharged from the Navy, Holden took a contract with Pur'n'Kleen (owner of the Canterbury), looking to get as far from home as possible.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: Other characters note that he hasn't been back to Earth in years and asks why he hasn't visited. He points out that he wouldn't be working on an ice freighter if he thought he'd be welcome back home.
-->'''Miller''': How could you ever leave a place like Earth?\\
'''Holden''': Everything I loved was dying.
* ExoticExtendedMarriage: He has five fathers and three mothers who run a farm on Earth. He was conceived through a combination of all eight parents' genetic profiles and was subsequently carried to term by his mother with the widest hips.
* FreudianExcuse: Holden's need to do the right thing stems from having been told since birth that he was meant to prevent injustice[[note]]he was specifically conceived because his parents wanted to lay a generational claim on their land and prevent the Earth government from seizing it[[/note]] and he identified with ''Literature/DonQuixote'' after having been read the story by Mother-Elise as a child.
* MamasBoy: Holden has eight parents (three of them mothers) but Elise, the mother who carried him to term, says that he's really her baby. He left Earth because Elise told him to and only keeps in contact with her.
* MustHaveCaffeine: A minor sub-plot is Holden's quest for a decent cup of coffee. He finally finds a stash of beans aboard ''Tachi'' and indulges himself.
* RightManInTheWrongPlace: He and his crew have managed to land themselves smack in the middle of a vast conspiracy simply by virtue of Holden being too noble to ignore a distress call.

[[folder:Alex]]
!!Alex Kamal
->'''Played By:''' Cas Anvar

A pilot for the Pur'n'Kleen ice hauler, the Canterbury (which supplies water for the Asteroid Belt's residents). Having grown up in Mars' Mariner Valley, Alex was raised with the incongruous Texas drawl that has caught on among the largely Indian and Chinese population who live there. Unlike the rest of his sizable family on Mars, Alex looked at the generations-long terraforming project with a sense of restlessness and dread. He just couldn't bear the thought of whiling his life away on a project he would never see completed. With dreams of flying fast attack gunships, he enlisted in the Martian Congressional Republic Navy. After his tour ended the call of adventure proved too strong to resist. Signing up with Pur'n'Kleen gave him the chance to visit the farthest reaches of the solar system.

* AcePilot: Subverted. He had aspirations to fly gunships for the Martian Navy but the MCRN deemed that he wasn't the right fit and assigned him to fly transports. That eventually led him to becoming ''Canterbury'''s pilot. A series of tragedies leads to his achieving his dream and becoming the pilot of a MCRN corvette
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: ''Caliban's War'' described him as being in his 50s and balding.
* NotSoStoic: He normally speaks in a deadpan drawl but he's also prone to panic faster than his shipmates.

[[folder:Naomi]]
!!First Officer Naomi Nagata
->'''Played By:''' Dominique Tipper

Growing up on poor Belter mining ships meant that Naomi's early life was lived on a knife's edge: nearly suffocating, starving, and becoming marooned were regular occurrences throughout her childhood. Self-educated with multiple advanced degrees, and having risen to the rank of Chief Engineer aboard the ice hauler Canterbury (which supplies water for the Asteroid Belt's residents), she appears to be a model Belter success story, though she carries with her a secret pain. She is cagey about her past, even with her closest friends. She abhors violence, but has witnessed enough injustice to understand the necessity of it. Her complicated relationship with violence and her troubled history have lead to an unlikely friendship with the Canterbury's mechanic, Amos Burton.
----
* DarkAndTroubledPast: What it is hasn't been confirmed yet, but she's believed to be a former OPA agent, who got sick of the death brought about by following causes.
* WrenchWench: Other characters rely heavily on her mechanical knowledge. She becomes angry at how well ''Tachi'''s fully-automated engineering system works because it means there's nothing for her to do.

[[folder:Amos]]
!!Amos Burton
->'''Played By:''' Wes Chatham

Mechanic on the Pur'n'Kleen ice hauler, the Canterbury (which supplies water for the Asteroid Belt's residents). He's an Earther who doesn't talk about his past – but knows a lot about brothels and Baltimore. He's eerily comfortable, and even cheerful, at the prospect of violence.

* DarkAndTroubledPast: He says that he grew up rough and more or less admits that he used to be a hooker. Subverted in that he isn't that ashamed of this and claims that it isn't a bad way to live as long as all those involved look out for one another.
* DissonantSerenity: Amos is soft-spoken and friendly, and obviously has no problems at all with killing anyone except Naomi - such as when he calmly tells Holden that he's trying to come up with a decent reason why he shouldn't just murder him, then politely asks him to pass a wrench so he can keep fixing the oxygen regulator on the ''Knight''.

!Belters

[[folder:Belters in general]]
!!General

Belters are the hardscrabble colonists who work in the asteroid belt, harvesting minerals and ice (for water). Very much the proverbial Third World of the solar system after Earth and Mars, the two superpowers which have become dependent on their resources but give little in return. Their capital and largest port is Ceres, the dwarf planet/largest object in the belt. Routine mining runs also harvest ice from Saturn's rings, and there appear to be installations in the Jupiter and Saturn systems.

In the first episode, Ceres and the rest of the belt are technically a United Nations protectorate governed by Earth, though everyone fears that Mars is imminently going to make a push to capture the belt from Earth - and Earth will launch a full scale war in retaliation to take it back. The winner of such a fight is uncertain, but the Belters will lose either way. Meanwhile, an underground resistance/terrorist movement has gained widespread popularity in the Belt, wanting to set themselves up as a third independent nation known as the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA).
----
* AsteroidMiners: Belters have this as one of their major occupations. Poorer Belters work as "rock hoppers" moving from asteroid to asteroid to try and find enough harvest-able material to sell in order to survive.
* BioAugmentation:
** Belters have to resort to drugs or hormones to compensate for growing up in microgravity, and they don't always work well. Detective Joe Miller has ridges along part of his spine where the bones didn't quite grow properly, for example.
** Asteroid mining can be quite dangerous and loss of limb accidents are not uncommon, resulting in a disproportionately large number of Belters using prosthetic limb replacements. Keep in mind, the technology to completely regrow a severed limb ''exists'' back on Earth, but it's too expensive for hardscrabble miners in the asteroid belt to afford - another reason why prosthetic limbs are disproportionately common.
* ConLang: The Belters speak a patois that features words from Russian, Turkish, German, and others (Chinese is also heard in station announcements) with incorporated hand gestures ([[AllThereInTheManual due to the need to communicate in spacesuits]]). Officially it is called "Belter Creole". They also continue to speak English, using an accent that sounds vaguely Afrikaans.
* FantasticSlurs: While officially called "Belters", people from the inner planets also use the less polite terms "Skinnies" and "Long Bone" for them, referring to how they grow tall and thin from living in microgravity.
** On the flip side, Belters refer to people from Earth and Mars as "inners" and "inyalowda."
* LightWorlder:
** Belter stations like Ceres and Eros are artificially "spun up" to maintain an internal gravity of 0.3-g and most native-born Belters will never experience anything stronger. Inhabitants require hormone boosters to increase bone-density and muscle mass (although brittle bone disease continues to be a problem).
** Belters who haven't received hormone treatments have long and thin bones and are significantly taller than the average human.
** Smaller Belter settlements don't even have gravity and some Belters will spend their entire lives in zero-g. There are numerous adverse health effects that come from such lifestyles and most die young.
** Because Belters can't handle Earth's gravity for long, gravity torture is sometimes used against suspected Belter terrorists (despite it being in contravention to human rights laws).
* NoOSHACompliance: The Earth corporations that the Belters work for cut corners ''everywhere'', resulting in very unsafe work conditions, particularly for asteroid miners. Basic necessities such as water and air are tightly controlled and constantly being shorted. The Earth corporations so frequently outfit Belter habitations with crappy third-rate air scrubber units, which barely recycle air to breathable levels, that it is ''not uncommon'' for many Belter children to receive irreversible brain damage from hypoxia.
* TattooAsCharacterType: cultural. Several Belters such as Naomi have a stylized tattoo around their necks that feature an off-center gap, symbolizing contact burns from the helmet connection collars of older space suits that Anderson Dawes sports.
** At least two other Belters have the stylized anarchy symbol of the OPA on them.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The OPA (Outer Planets Alliance) claims to fight for the Belters, but Earth considers them to simply be a terrorist group.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Miller]]
!!Detective Josephus Miller
->'''Played By:''' Creator/ThomasJane

A detective with the Star Helix aboard Ceres Station. A native Belter who's never been off Ceres, he dresses like an Earther and has a certain amount of disdain towards his own kind.
----
* AdaptationalVillainy: The pilot has him accepting bribes to look the other way for someone who is using shoddy air filters, then threatening to space the man when people become deathly ill as a result. In the books the man who got spaced after tampering with air filters was a story that Miller told after the fact to demonstrate how heinous this was from a Belter perspective, and Miller never solicited or accepted bribes in the book.
* TheAtoner: He treats his increasingly-personal search for Julie Mao as a way to make up for his crimes, symbolically cashing in the poker chips he had collected as bribes to pay for his trip to Eros.
* BoomerangBigot: He dresses as if he's from Earth, works for Star Helix (an Earth corporation), and generally behaves as if he's superior to most Belters despite being a Belter himself.
* CoolHat: His fedora.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Miller has ridges along his spine, the result of his bones not fusing properly due to his being given cheap medication as a child and are the mark of someone who was raised as a ward of the state. He later tells Holden that he was a street kid who would steal chips from pachinko parlors to survive. He eventually joined the Star Helix because he decided that he'd prefer being the one handing out beatings rather than the one receiving them.
* DirtyCop: He's happy to take bribes from slum lords and to hand out gratuitous beatings.
* HardBoiledDetective: Dresses the part, complete with trilby, and drinks like one.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He's abrasive and corrupt, but he occasionally shows a gentler side and there are limits as to how much illegal activity he'll ignore. He genuinely tries to reform himself during his search for Julie, although [[ShaggyDogStory considering how that turned out]] it's an open question whether any of it will stick.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: When scavenging weapons at the Blue Falcon on Eros, Miller throws away a semi-automatic in favor of a revolver[[note]]a Mateba 2006M that's shown to be loaded with some sort of fictional futuristic ammunition[[/note]].

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Garvey]]
!!Shed Garvey
->'''Played By:''' Paulo Costanzo

Shed Garvey the med-tech aboard the Pur'N'Kleen ice hauler, the Canterbury (which supplies water for the Asteroid Belt's residents). Even though he's closer to an EMT than a doctor, Shed is all the crew has got as he's called upon for everything from social diseases to life-or-death surgeries. When the Canterbury was gutted to clear the way for cargo, the medical bay was removed, so Shed now has to operate at a dining table in the galley. In addition to his official medical duties aboard the ship, Shed also provides more 'recreational' supplies to the crew.
----
* ActorAllusion: to ''Series/RoyalPains'', being affiliated with medicine.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Joined the ''Canterbury'' crew to get away from a drug dealer he owed money to.
* KilledMidSentence: [[spoiler: Gets his head blown off during the attack on the ''Donnager'', in the middle of trying to calm down Alex.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Julie]]
!!Juliette Andromeda Mao
->'''Played By:''' Florence Faivre

The high-society daughter of one of Earth's wealthiest and most powerful people, Julie was never content with the life of a socialite or cutthroat enough for business. A champion light spacecraft pilot, she became well-known after garnering a number of wins on the Near Space Regatta circuit. After a falling out with her father, she rejected all of his wealth and support in order to start a new life out in the Belt. Joining a student organization – The Far Horizons Foundation – with ties to the Outer Planets Alliance, she worked tirelessly for the betterment of Belters … right up to the day she went missing.
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* AdvertisedExtra: Despite the character being the primary motivation for most of the cast, especially Miller, she makes very brief and sporadic appearances and never directly interacts with anyone else.
* DefectorFromDecadence: Her family is so wealthy that the mere mention of their name raises eyebrows. She became involved in promoting Belter rights while in university and decided to dedicate herself to that cause, to the shame of her family. Messages between herself and her father show that spite plays a huge role in her decision to turn her back on wealth and privilege.
* LivingMacGuffin: She's primarily a plot device and not a character in her own right.
* MoralityPet: She's Miller's main motivation for trying to reform himself.
* ShaggyDogStory: The search for her, whether the ones searching know it or not, drives the plot of the first eight episodes. [[spoiler:They find her dead in the shower of a crappy hotel on Eros, consumed by the protomolecule which had infected the ''Anubis''.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: If she'd just been a ''little'' more careful getting off the ''Anubis'', [[spoiler:the protomolecule would have been destroyed for good when Amos nuked the ship in "Salvage". Since she got infected on the way out, those behind the conspiracy were able to extract a viable sample of it from her body, allowing them to complete their original plan of infecting Eros.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Dawes]]
!!Anderson Dawes
->'''Played By:''' Jared Harris

As a Belter, the world of politics has never been open to him, but this Ceres Liaison to the Outer Planets Alliance works tirelessly behind the scenes to rally the laborers and other less legitimate elements behind the cause.

A true Belter down to his brittle bones, Anderson Dawes' neck is scarred from early model space suits whose contact points would cook the skin beneath them. Having grown up on Belter ships in some of the worst poverty found anywhere in the solar system, he has seen the toll that exploitative corporations and debilitating taxation can take on human life. As a result, he is determined to right the wrongs visited upon Belters ... and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty in the process.

After Col. Fred Johnson committed one of the worst acts of brutality in Belter history, it was Anderson Dawes who found him, saved his life, and gave him purpose advocating for Belters.
----
* BadBoss: He never responds to Julie's distress call after she winds up stranded on Eros, and it's heavily implied that he ignored it either because [[YouHaveFailedMe she had failed in her mission]], or because [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he just didn't think she was valuable enough to rescue]].
* FauxAffablyEvil: He's introduced, after ''Canterbury'''s destruction, stopping a Belter assault on a Martian deckhand, saying that Belters must try and show the rest of the Solar System that they are civilized people to be taken seriously and not animals. In private, however, he is cruel and vicious and has no qualms about summarily executing people if he believes they won't be of use to him.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Johnson]]
!!Frederick "Fred" Johnson
->'''Played By:''' Creator/ChadLColeman

The Chief of Operations at Tycho Station's colossal mobile construction platform, Frederick Lucius Johnson oversees the construction of space stations, the spinning up of asteroids, and in recent years the construction of mankind's first generation starship: the Nauvoo.

A retired Colonel with the UN Marines, Fred is notorious for his involvement in a UN military action that will live on in infamy. Since his disgrace he has sought solace and penance working to better the life of Belters all over the system.

Fred is an outspoken advocate for the Outer Planets Alliance, a Belter advocacy group who seek legitimacy, but are often accused of terrorism.
----
* TheAtoner: The events at Anderson Station troubled him so much that he turned his back on the UN and Earth and joined the OPA, becoming one of its leading figures.
* TheButcher: Some people know him as the "Butcher of Anderson Station" from when an indiscriminate UNN assault on a Belter station resulted in the deaths of all those on board, including young children.

[[/folder]]

!Earthers

[[folder:Earthers in general]]
!!General

Both Earth and Luna (the Moon) are controlled by the United Nations, still headquartered in New York City.

Things aren't great on Earth in some respects. They have some pollution/global warming problems, so that the sea levels are noticeably higher (big dams keep the oceans from flooding NYC). The space colonists deride Earthers for paving over paradise, badly polluting the only truly habitable planet in the solar system. The Martians deride Earther culture as bloated, corrupt, and everyone looking for a government handout because Earth's industries can't employ and feed all of its vast population.
----
* CrapsackOnlyByComparison: Earth has overpopulation and pollution problems - but even with noticeably higher sea levels due to climate change, it's ''still'' considered a paradise next to living in space stations in the asteroid belt, where air and water are worth more than gold. Better medical technology is also readily available: the coroner on Ceres mentions that the average life expectancy on Earth is 123 years, and it's even better on Mars, but the average life expectancy in the Belt is only 68.
* HeavyWorlder: Relative to the Belters, and to a lesser extent the Martians.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sadavir]]
!!Sadavir Errinwright
->'''Played By:''' Shawn Doyle

The UN Undersecretary of Executive Administration. He's caught between continuing to assert Earth's dominance while reining in Chrisjen's more aggressive tendencies.
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* MurderIsTheBestSolution: He sends a black ops team after Holden and his crew, reasoning that, regardless of what involvement Holden may or may not have in the conspiracy, he's enough of a threat that just taking him out now is for the best. [[spoiler:In the season finale, he's hinted to be part of the conspiracy that's stirring up trouble, which means he was likely trying to silence them and saw it as a good opportunity.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: He advocates a measured approach to diplomacy and attempts to find middle-of-the-road solutions to problems. That being said, he doesn't do much to stop Chrisjen's brutal methods.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Chrisjen]]
!!Chrisjen Avasarala
->'''Played By:''' Shohreh Aghdashloo

The UN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration - third in line from the UN Secretary-General (and from being leader of the Earth/Luna faction). She takes a very active role in protecting the interests of Earth and Luna, intent on making sure that the UN remains the dominant power in the Solar System.
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* AdaptationalVillainy: Has no problems overseeing torture sessions personally.
* TheChessmaster: She knows how to manipulate those around her in order to gain the necessary intelligence.
* ItsPersonal: When Sadavir asks if she's taking her investigation into the OPA personally due to them causing the death of her son, she makes clear that yes, damn right it's personal.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: She's very willing to use gravity torture on a Belter despite the UN officially opposing such techniques.
* PetTheDog: Absolutely dotes on her grandson, but in the next scene will oversee the brutal torture of a suspected OPA operative without missing a beat. NeverMessWithGranny indeed!
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: Downplayed in comparison to her novel counterpart, but she still gets a few barbs in when it comes to telling people what she thinks of them.
* SirSwearsALot: Also downplayed compared to the books, but she still says what she can get away with more than everyone else without the show moving to HBO or Showtime.
* WellIntentionedExtremist: She has nothing but Earth's best interests at heart but has no qualms about using every available tool (both legal and illegal) in order to fulfill her objectives.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jules-Pierre]]
!!Jules-Pierre Mao
->'''Played By:''' François Chau

The CEO of Mao-Kwikowski Industries, a major Lunar powerhouse that has interests all over the Solar System. He is the father of Juliette Andromeda Mao (see: Belters).
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* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Whatever his goal is, it puts him in direct conflict with multiple governments and he's using his far-reaching financial tentacles to take them apart from the inside.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite their strained relationship, he still cries and mourns upon learning that Julie, his daughter, [[spoiler: died due to exposure to the Protogen molecule]]. This does not, however, deter him from pursuing his plans.
* FauxAffablyEvil: He presents himself as a charming captain of industry but has some truly nefarious plans going on.
* TheManBehindTheMan: He's revealed to be the one calling the shots behind the [[spoiler: Protogen conspiracy]].
[[/folder]]

!Martians

[[folder:Martians in general]]
!!General

The Mars Congressional Republic is an independent nation, locked in a cold war with Earth.

The Martians are driven by a unifying sense of purpose to terraform Mars into a new Earth, because the old Earth is polluted and used up, and they don't want to repeat the mistakes of the past on their new home. Some Martians see this as a noble, desperate attempt to beat a ticking clock, because they think Earth is already a lost cause. In contrast to the bloated bureaucracy and massive overpopulation problems on Earth, the Mars Congressional Republic is driven by efficiency and a united political will. Mars also spends disproportionately on military research and development - unlike the fractious Earther politicians dividing the United Nations, the MCR is driven to take united action to make up for its relative lack of infrastructure compared to Earth. The result is that Mars has just developed stealth technology which neither the Earthers or Belters possess.
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* FantasticRacism: Martians loathe Earthers, whom they feel ruined Earth's ecosystem and resources. They see Earthers as lazy and corrupt, not realizing how good they have it, and that Martians are the last hope for the human race. Ironically, however, Martians look down upon Belters as expendable cheap labor to supply Mars with resources, lackeys for Earth, or too concerned with their immediate survival needs (jobs, food, air) and desire for self-rule to help the true big-picture goal of turning Mars into a new Earth.
* FantasticSlurs: Martians are colloquially called "Dusters". Members of the Martian military or government themselves are nicknamed "Mickies", after the initials of the '''M'''artian '''C'''ongressional Republic.
* GermanicEfficiency: "Prussian Efficiency" sums up the MCR well. They might have a smaller population and industrial base than Earth, but they are all consumed by a driving need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to compete with the mother planet as well as to {{Terraform}} the planet. Mars is repeatedly described as more efficient and unified than Earth is. Earth's United Nations government constantly faces internal squabbling, but the Martian political arena is united, and its people more willing to trade "butter for guns" to build up a disproportionately strong military.
* LightWorlder: {{Downplayed}}. Mars has lighter gravity than Earth, but not nearly to the extent that Belters have been shaped by living in much lower microgravity. Rather, the unique biological feature of the Martians is that due to living on Mars for generations, selection pressures favored those who had better tolerances for low oxygen environments. As a result, Martians on average use slightly less oxygen than Earthers. The asteroid belt was colonized much more recently, so the Belters haven't had quite as many generations for such selection pressures to take effect. "Slightly" less is of course measured in a difference of only mere minutes - but this can be the difference between life and death in an oxygen-deprived spaceship.
[[/folder]]