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VideoGame/TheExpanseATelltaleSeries, an AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist was released in 2023.

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VideoGame/TheExpanseATelltaleSeries, ''VideoGame/TheExpanseATelltaleSeries'', an AdventureGame, AdventureGame set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist was released in 2023.
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huh, that's how it works


TheExpanseATelltaleSeries, an AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist was released in 2023.

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TheExpanseATelltaleSeries, VideoGame/TheExpanseATelltaleSeries, an AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist was released in 2023.
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Linked the (fully released) game


An AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist, was announced to be in works by Creator/TelltaleGames, with Creator/DeckNine also involved in the production. The first chapter was released on July 28th, 2023.

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An TheExpanseATelltaleSeries, an AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist, was announced to be in works by Creator/TelltaleGames, with Creator/DeckNine also involved in the production. The first chapter protagonist was released on July 28th, in 2023.
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* [[Series/TheExpanseTropesAToM Tropes A to M]]
* [[Series/TheExpanseTropesNToZ Tropes N to Z]]

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* [[Series/TheExpanseTropesAToM [[TheExpanse/TropesAToE Tropes A to E]]
* [[TheExpanse/TropesFToM Tropes F to
M]]
* [[Series/TheExpanseTropesNToZ [[TheExpanse/TropesNToZ Tropes N to Z]]
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An AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist, was announced to be in works by Creator/TelltaleGames, with Creator/DeckNine also involved in the production.

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An AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist, was announced to be in works by Creator/TelltaleGames, with Creator/DeckNine also involved in the production. The first chapter was released on July 28th, 2023.
Mrph1 MOD

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A four issue digital {{prequel}} ComicBook series called ''The Expanse: Origins'' was released in 2017.

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A four issue digital {{prequel}} ComicBook series called ''The Expanse: Origins'' was released in 2017.
2017. A sequel comic, ''The Expanse: The Dragon's Tooth'', will begin in April 2023.
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Amidst this cold war, Julie Mao, a political activist and the daughter of one of Earth’s biggest corporate magnates, disappears in the Belt. Her mysterious disappearance soon proves to be only the tip of massive conspiracy, one that threatens the fate of the entire Solar System.

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Amidst this cold war, Julie Mao, a political activist and the daughter of one of Earth’s biggest corporate magnates, disappears in the Belt. Her mysterious disappearance soon proves to be only the tip of a massive conspiracy, one that threatens the fate of the entire Solar System.
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About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. Ships traverse the Solar System as far out as Saturn, mostly to scavenge for ice from the planet's ring system, but closer in, they facilitate trade, commerce and transportation among the Inner Planets. The current state of affairs is tense, as Earth and Mars compete with each other for dominance in the Solar System, while the residents of the Asteroid Belt ("Belters") feel they are being exploited by the Earth and Mars ("Inners") for the resources they mine.

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About [[ExtyYearsFromNow [[ExtyYearsFromPublication two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. Ships traverse the Solar System as far out as Saturn, mostly to scavenge for ice from the planet's ring system, but closer in, they facilitate trade, commerce and transportation among the Inner Planets. The current state of affairs is tense, as Earth and Mars compete with each other for dominance in the Solar System, while the residents of the Asteroid Belt ("Belters") feel they are being exploited by the Earth and Mars ("Inners") for the resources they mine.
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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season, which debuted on December 10, 2021.

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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been was then renewed for a sixth and final season, which debuted on December 10, 2021.
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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season, which will debut on December 10, 2021.

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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season, which will debut debuted on December 10, 2021.

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An AdventureGame, set before the series and featuring Camina Drummer as the main protagonist, was announced to be in works by Creator/TelltaleGames, with Creator/DeckNine also involved in the production.
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None


The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season.

to:

The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season.
season, which will debut on December 10, 2021.
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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 is set to debut on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season.

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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 is set to debut debuted on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a sixth and final season.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_expanse_season_4.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Earth is over, Mr. Holden."'' [[note]]Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].[[/note]]]]

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_expanse_season_4.jpg]]
org/pmwiki/pub/images/xogyndk.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Earth is over, Mr. Holden."'' [[note]]Clockwise [[note]]Left to right from bottom left: the top: [[BigBad Marco Inaros]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[TheButcher Fred Johnson]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]].[[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Clarissa Mao]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].[[/note]]]][[/note]]]]
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The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. The show has been renewed for a fifth season.

to:

The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. Season 5 is set to debut on December 16, 2020. The show has been renewed for a fifth sixth and final season.

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Edited show description


About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. Ships traverse the Solar System as far out as Saturn, mostly to scavenge for ice from the planet's ring system, but closer in, they facilitate trade, commerce and transportation among the Inner Planets. The current state of affairs is tense, as Earth and Mars compete with each other for dominance in the Solar System while the residents of the Asteroid Belt ("Belters") feel they are being exploited by the "Inners" who buy the resources they mine. Meanwhile, a young woman named Juliette Mao, the daughter of a corporate magnate, has disappeared. What exactly her disappearance means to interplanetary affairs is uncovered as the series progresses.

The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. The show has already been renewed for a fifth season.

to:

About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. Ships traverse the Solar System as far out as Saturn, mostly to scavenge for ice from the planet's ring system, but closer in, they facilitate trade, commerce and transportation among the Inner Planets. The current state of affairs is tense, as Earth and Mars compete with each other for dominance in the Solar System System, while the residents of the Asteroid Belt ("Belters") feel they are being exploited by the "Inners" who buy Earth and Mars ("Inners") for the resources they mine. Meanwhile, a young woman named Juliette mine.

Amidst this cold war, Julie
Mao, a political activist and the daughter of a one of Earth’s biggest corporate magnate, has disappeared. What exactly her magnates, disappears in the Belt. Her mysterious disappearance means soon proves to interplanetary affairs is uncovered as be only the series progresses.

tip of massive conspiracy, one that threatens the fate of the entire Solar System.

The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. The show has already been renewed for a fifth season.
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-->''You can't take the ''Razorback''. Catch me if you can.''

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-->''You ->''"You can't take the ''Razorback''. Catch me if you can.''"''
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[[caption-width-right:350:''"The stars are better off without us."'' [[note]]Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].[[/note]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:''"The stars are better off without us.[[caption-width-right:350:''"Earth is over, Mr. Holden."'' [[note]]Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].[[/note]]]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:"The stars are better off without us."[[note]]Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].[[/note]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:"The [[caption-width-right:350:''"The stars are better off without us."[[note]]Clockwise "'' [[note]]Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].[[/note]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:"The stars are better off without us."\\
Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:"The stars are better off without us."\\
Clockwise
"[[note]]Clockwise from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].]]
[[/note]]]]
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Added tropes for the characters in the main image for the series page.


[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise from bottom left: Bobbie Draper, Camina Drummer, Amos Burton, James Holden, Naomi Nagata, Alex Kamal, Chrisjen Avasarala]]

->''"In the 23rd Century, Humans have colonized the Solar System. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The Inner Planets depend on the resources of the Asteroid Belt. Belters live and work in space. In the Belt, air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising. Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark."''
-->-- OpeningScroll, ''Dulcinea''

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[[caption-width-right:350:Clockwise [[caption-width-right:350:"The stars are better off without us."\\
Clockwise
from bottom left: [[SpaceMarine Bobbie Draper, Draper]], [[TheCaptain Camina Drummer, Drummer]], [[SociopathicHero Amos Burton, Burton]], [[ThePaladin James Holden, Holden]], [[TheAtoner Naomi Nagata, Nagata]], [[TeamMom Alex Kamal, Kamal]], and [[ManipulativeBastard Chrisjen Avasarala]]

Avasarala]]. Not pictured: [[LivingMacGuffin Julie Mao]] and [[PrivateDetective Josephus Miller]].]]

->''"In the 23rd Century, Humans century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The Inner Planets depend on the resources of the Asteroid Belt. Belters live and work in space. In the Belt, air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising. Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark."''
-->-- OpeningScroll, ''Dulcinea''
"Dulcinea"



About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. Ships range the spaceways as far out as Saturn, mostly to scavenge for ice rocks near that planet, but closer in, they facilitate trade, commerce and transportation among the inner planets. The current state of affairs is tense, as Earth and Mars compete with each other for dominance in the solar system while the residents of the asteroid belt ("Belters") feel they are being exploited by the "Inners" who buy the resources they mine. Meanwhile, a young woman named Juliette Mao, the daughter of a corporate magnate, has disappeared. What exactly her disappearance may mean to interplanetary affairs will be uncovered as the series progresses.

The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season Four will debut on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. The show has been renewed for a fifth season.

to:

About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the Asteroid Belt. Ships range traverse the spaceways Solar System as far out as Saturn, mostly to scavenge for ice rocks near that planet, from the planet's ring system, but closer in, they facilitate trade, commerce and transportation among the inner planets. Inner Planets. The current state of affairs is tense, as Earth and Mars compete with each other for dominance in the solar system Solar System while the residents of the asteroid belt Asteroid Belt ("Belters") feel they are being exploited by the "Inners" who buy the resources they mine. Meanwhile, a young woman named Juliette Mao, the daughter of a corporate magnate, has disappeared. What exactly her disappearance may mean means to interplanetary affairs will be is uncovered as the series progresses.

The show aired for three seasons on Creator/{{Syfy}} from 2015 to 2018. Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons; Season Four will debut 4 debuted on Creator/PrimeVideo on December 13, 2019. The show has already been renewed for a fifth season.

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[[Series/TheExpanseTropesAToM Tropes A to M]]

[[Series/TheExpanseTropesNToZ Tropes N to Z]]

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[[index]]

*
[[Series/TheExpanseTropesAToM Tropes A to M]]

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[[/index]]
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Splitting the page because it is at the size limit


[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A-E]]
* AerithAndBob: There's Jim and Joe, Fred and Naomi... and then there's Praxidike and Sadavir.
* AbsentAliens: {{Played with}}. While no alien races have appeared yet, Dresden determines that the protomolecule is extra-solar in nature, and is ecstatic that it's proof of alien life. [[spoiler:Season 3 reveals that it was created by a race of {{Precursor}}s who used it to build and maintain their PortalNetwork before something wiped them all out]].
* AcePilot:
** Julie Mao's most treasured possession is her space racing pinnace, the ''Razorback'', and judging by the videos of her popping champagne in her case file and her ability to [[spoiler: reach Eros in just a shuttle]], she must be pretty good at it.
** DoubleSubverted with Alex Kamal, who was deemed better suited to transports by the Martian Navy and even describes himself as a "glorified bus driver" with a mundane civilian job on the ice-hauler ''Canterbury'', but still proves one hell of a pilot after FallingIntoTheCockpit of the frigate ''Rocinante''.
* ActionDad: {{Deconstructed}} by Alex, who's estranged from ex-wife and son because he prefers the action of piloting spacecraft, even if it's fairly pedestrian ice-hauling.
* ActionGirl:
** Julie Mao might be the richest heiress in the System, but she'll still [[RebelliousPrincess plant you in the deck]].
** Octavia Muss declares, "If I want his ass kicked, I'll do it myself!" when Miller [[PoliceBrutality smacks around]] an uncooperative prisoner, and proves a BigDamnHero for Miller in "Rock Bottom".
** Naomi Nagata may not be great in combat (she's unarmed and covering her ears during the shootout in "Salvage"), but she's ''really'' active in FightToSurvive situations like MacGyvering the SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty", plugging the leak in "CQB", and navigating Eros' unfamiliar tunnels in "Critical Mass".
** Gunnery Sergeant Bobbie Draper is a female Martian SpaceMarine capable of winning an arm-wrestle with her own PoweredArmor, which even the rest of the badass marines consider a spectacle.
** Drummer proves herself one in "Pyre" when she kills several of the Belters storming Tycho's control deck.
* ActionSurvivor:
** Kenzo in Season 1 is this: he may be a corporate spy who has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, but he hardly appears to be a fighter and prefers relying on sabotage and manipulation.
** In Season 2, Prax is a botanist, who, after barely escaping a collapsing dome on Ganymede and less than merciful "rescuers", returns to the station with the 'Rocinante' crew to search for his missing daughter. Not accustomed to guns and shocked by violence, he is no great help in altercations, but offers plenty of brainpower to make up for it.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade:
** In the books, Holden's crew knows each other fairly well and gets along pretty much from the start while the show makes them more distant and argumentative, making their collective Season 1 arc into more of a FireForgedFriends story.
** Avasarala's son was killed in a skiing accident in the books, but in the show he was a UNN soldier killed by the OPA, giving her an ItsPersonal interest in the OPA and an AdultFear understanding that WarIsHell.
** {{Inverted}} with Holden and Naomi's RelationshipUpgrade. In the novels, Naomi initially refuses Holden until he can prove she's a genuine LoveInterest rather than a LustObject because of his EthicalSlut past on the ''Canterbury''. In the show, this isn't an aspect of Holden's backstory and they get together without any qualms in "Safe".
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Alex and Amos are both younger, slimmer, and less bald than their literary counterparts.
* AdaptationalBadass: In the books, despite the SpaceColdWar being ostensibly "even" between Earth and Mars, it's made very clear multiple times that Earth would easily lose any straight-up war with Mars in a complete CurbStompBattle, and would only be able to manage a PyrrhicVictory if it launched an unexpected & devastating first strike. Here, the United Nations of Earth and the [=UNN=] are both generally portrayed as being a ''lot'' more formidable and dangerous, with the cold war between Earth and Mars being more of a traditional MutuallyAssuredDestruction scenario between the two powers.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Ashford is probably the most prominent example. He's far more well-meaning and reasonable, and even when he takes a directly antagonistic role at the end of season 3, he's a WellIntentionedExtremist at worst, as opposed to the incompetent InsaneAdmiral of the book.
** Downplayed in the case of both Jules-Pierre Mao and Sadavir Errinwright, who get a couple of PetTheDog moments. Mao seems to genuinely befriend Mei Meng and tells Strickland to shut down the experiments on children...but his crisis of conscience doesn't last long when Strickland shows him results. Errinwright tries to secure the safety of his family when he thinks he's going down for his part in the conspiracy, but once he regains the upper hand, he's worse than ever - also a case of AdaptationalVillainy, as we just don't see enough of him in the book to judge how personally monstrous he is.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: While generally quite faithful to the novels, Avasarala's more abrasive ScrewPolitenessImASenior and SirSwearsALot traits are {{downplayed}}. It's perhaps no coincidence that "Windmills", the first episode where she exclaims "Shit!", was penned by the guys who wrote the novels.
* AdaptationalVillainy:
** Not "villainy" per se, but in the first novel Holden is [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] [[ChronicHeroSyndrome to a fault]], whereas the show makes him a bit DarkerAndEdgier while still acting as the crew's voice for heroic idealism. He also reluctantly destroys a defenseless medical ship that threatens to expose his operation to destroy Eros in "Godspeed", while the closest thing he did in the book was threaten a UN science ship being escorted to Eros, and they backed off before he was forced to fire.
** Miller doesn't personally accept bribes in the book. Then again, he didn't just threaten to have people ThrownOutTheAirlock in the books. He actually did it.
** Avasarala doesn't condone or oversee ColdBloodedTorture in the novels.
** In "Dulcinea", Capt. [=McDowell=] ignores the DistressCall and calls whoever leaked it a "piece of shit do-gooder." In the novel, Holden notes that if [=McDowell=] had really wanted to RefuseTheCall he'd have done so quietly, but by announcing it publicly [=McDowell=] gets credit for resenting the expensive detour while Holden gets credit for having a HeroComplex for doing something they both know to be right.
** The crew of the ''Donnager'' is portrayed more antagonistically by seizing and roughly-handling Holden's crew rather than rushing to save them from the pursuing mystery ships. Holden also describes Lopez's interrogation as, "surprisingly human," in the novel, unlike the steely interrogations of the show. The show also portrays the Martians as vindictive in dealing with the ''Xinglong'', while the books leave it ambiguous whether the incident was a suicidal gesture of defiance, an accidental shooting by antsy Martians, or both.
** Star Helix, while still very much LawEnforcementInc, at least ''attempts'' to act like a legitimate police force in the books rather than a gang of hired thugs. The same can be said of Dawes and his followers, who are explicitly members of OPA's security apparatus (and appear to operate within a chain of command and follow rules of their own) rather than just another gang on Ceres.
** The OPA, while disparaged by its opponents (Avasarala calls them "Hezbollah in space" and "a rugby scrum with a currency"), are actually a functioning government with an established hierarchy, court system, currency, security apparatus, and foreign policy in the novels, capable of controlling piracy and delivering disaster relief without any assistance from the Inner Planets. The series tends to portray them as a street gang writ large throughout the first and second seasons, relying on real and implied threats to get their way.
** In the show, Bobbie Draper starts out as a BloodKnight who's [[WarHawk itching for a fight]] because of her serious grudge against Earth. In the books, she staunchly refuses to counteract the interests of her home-world but is otherwise a GentleGiant who struggles with [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] rather than FantasticRacism. That said, Bobbie seems to be developing towards this personality following the Ganymede incident.
** In the books, Captain Martens is a calm chaplain who helps Bobbie deal with her PTSD. In the show, meanwhile, he's a FauxAffablyEvil officer [[spoiler: who's a part of the conspiracy around the protomolecule.]]
* AdaptationDyeJob:
** A minor point, but in the books Bobbie Draper's PoweredArmor is a distinctive red to camouflage against the Martian surface. In the show, it's a plain, sterile grey.
** Anna Volovodov in the books is a redhead, while here she's a [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold blonde]].
* AdaptationExpansion: By taking 10 episodes to adapt just 400 pages of a nearly 600 page novel in Season 1 there's room for quite a bit of this.
** Chrisjen Avasarala, an IconicSequelCharacter from the second novel, is brought forward into Season 1 with an all-new ThirdLineSomeWaiting plot of her own.
** Miller's investigation into Julie Mao is much more in-depth, with Anderson Dawes in particular taking on a much broader antagonist role.
** Holden's crew run into problems in Season 1 that they don't have in the first book, particularly the SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty" and everything to do with the stowaway spy [[CanonForeigner Kenzo]] in "Windmills". Also, the strict POV structure of the books means whenever the show separates Holden from his crew like in "CQB" or "Leviathan Wakes", one group or the other is acting out new material (Holden in "CQB", his crew in "Leviathan Wakes").
** Havelock is a more important character with his own minor arc in Season 1, something that doesn't happen in the books until the fourth novel, ''Cibola Burn''.
** Some events only mentioned in the books, such as the destruction of Anderson Station and the ''Xinglong'', are dramatized on-screen.
** Bobbie Draper, like Avasarala, is only introduced in the second book, so her initial material in Season 2 is original since the show hasn't quite reached that point yet.
* AdaptationNameChange: Ade's last name is Nygaard rather than Tukunbo.
* AdmiringTheAbomination: Dresden describes what the protomolecule does to a human being as "incredible" and the victim as "fortunate" and "blessed"... while being [[TheHypocrite very careful not to infect himself, of course]].
* AdvertisedExtra: Florence Faivre (Julie Mao) is mostly relegated to photos and video clips except for a few memorable sequences in "Dulcinea", "Critical Mass", and "Home".
* AfraidOfBlood: Alex doesn't deal well with seeing Amos' protruding leg bone in "Back to the Butcher".
* AfterActionPatchup:
** Amos suffers a compound leg fracture during the crew's escape from the ''Donnager'' that requires medical attention from Naomi and Holden at the start of "Back to the Butcher."
** Miller and Octavia have one that results in an awkward AlmostKiss after she saves his life in "Rock Bottom".
** Holden and Naomi share a quiet moment while she's setting the AutoDoc to treat his [[spoiler: radiation poisoning]] in "Leviathan Wakes".
* TheAlcoholic:
** Miller shows signs of this, like many a fellow HardboiledDetective.
** Amos claims Holden can find the ''Canterbury'''s XO by following the reek of whiskey.
** The AsteroidMiner Mateo is mildly-to-completely soused throughout his entire OneShotCharacter story.
* AlienGeometries: The inhabitants of Ceres and Eros Stations live in miles and miles of tunnels that spiral beneath the asteroids' surface with "down" being oriented outwards towards the crust because the stations' gravity is artificially created via [[CentrifugalGravity centrifugal force]] (like the ''Discovery One'' from ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' but on a much larger scale) rather than the asteroids' mass. Ceres Station's introduction in the premiere episode provides some idea of how internal tunnels are oriented.
* AlliterativeName: Naomi Nagata, Arjun Avasarala, and Mei Meng.
* AllThereInTheManual:
** It's never explained on-screen, but Miller rousing the CPM mercenaries to LetsYouAndHimFight by calling them "just meat for the machine" is ironic because CPM literally stands for ''C''arne ''P''or la ''M''achina ("meat for the machine"), which is doubly [[MeaningfulName appropriate]] since they're being left as ''literal'' meat for [[spoiler: the protomolecule]].
** It's implied during Avasarala's conversation with her grandson in "CQB", but the novels make it explicit that the ColonyDrop is the new MutuallyAssuredDestruction between Earth and Mars.
* AlmostDeadGuy: [[spoiler: Lt. Lopez]] survives just long enough to turn over control of the ''Tachi'' to Holden's crew and is finished off by the extremely high-''g'' burn the ship makes to escape the battle.
* AlmostKiss: Miller and Octavia have one as he's comforting her about shooting two people to save his life. It takes the AwkwardSilence route when Miller turns away.
* AlmostOutOfOxygen: The crew's main problem during the SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty", [[FromBadToWorse made worse]] when a broken airlock requires them to vent the ship to make repairs. Then it gets [[UpToEleven even worse]] when Alex's respirator craps out, forcing Shed to share with him, resulting in both suffering this ''inside'' their suits.
* AmbiguousSituation: Diogo is left DramaticSpaceDrifting by his uncle Mateo in "Rock Bottom", and isn't seen again until six episodes later when he shows up again as part of the OPA assault team in "Doors and Corners."
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Amos sports two Hebrew tattoos, though these are actor Wes Chatham's actual tattoos that the showrunners decided not to cover up. One along his outer forearm is Hebrew lettering that (although a little garbled) translates to "State your opinion." He also has "Timshel" written in Roman letters on the inside of his forearm, which means "thou shalt rule over it" in reference to sin, taken from the Cain and Abel story. Whatever Amos's background, he's almost certainly not a practicing Jew.
* AnArmAndALeg: The ice-hauler Paj loses his arm to a giant block of ice in "Dulcinea".
* AndStarring:
** Shohreh Aghdashloo (Avasarala) gets this.
** Beginning in Season 3, Creator/ThomasJane receives special billing on episodes he appears in.
* AndThisIsFor:
** This is clearly what's going through Holden's mind when he orders [[spoiler: the destruction of the ship that blew up Ade Nygaard and the ''Canterbury'']].
** When Miller shoots [[spoiler: Filat Kothari]] on Eros as revenge for impaling [[spoiler: his partner Havelock]].
* TheAntiNihilist: Holden knows he lives in a CrapsackWorld, but that never stops him from trying to make it better.
* AntiVillain: Anderson Dawes is a main antagonist in the Belt, but he's mostly just a WellIntentionedExtremist who wants a better life for his people.
* AnyoneCanDie: While not as blood-soaked as some other recent DarkerAndEdgier series, this one doesn't shy away from disposing of characters -- even ones who looked about to be major.
** The series premiere ends with [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and Captain [=McDowell=]]] getting vaporized along with [[spoiler: the rest of the ''Canterbury'''s crew]].
** The fact [[spoiler: Havelock]] [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] this by ''[[NotQuiteDead surviving]]'' getting impaled during the riots in "Remember the Cant" is actually pretty surprising, since it was staged so much like a SacrificialLamb moment.
** [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]], one of the initial FiveManBand of survivors, is [[BoomHeadShot decapitated]] by a railgun with absolutely [[KilledMidSentence zero warning]] in "CQB".
** [[spoiler: Captain Theresa Yao]] invokes GoingDownWithTheShip via a SelfDestructMechanism and [[spoiler: Lieutenant Lopez]] succumbs to his wounds during the survivors' high-''g'' escape.
** [[spoiler: Franklin [=DeGraaf=]]] gets killed by a UN hit squad, who make it look like a suicide.
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] is dead by the time the ''Rocinante's'' crew finds her.
** Miller shoots [[spoiler: Dresden]] to stop him from giving up his information to Fred Johnson.
** [[spoiler: Miller]] makes a HeroicSacrifice to save Earth in "Home".
** [[spoiler:Sutton]] is set up as a foil to the HotBlooded Draper, only to be unceremoniously killed [[spoiler:during the battle over Ganymede, which also claims the lives of Draper's entire squad]].
** [[spoiler:Michael Iturbi and Col. Janus, along with the entire rest of the ''Arboghast'' crew]], when the ship is disassembled by the protomolecule in the atmosphere of Venus.
** [[spoiler:Admiral Souther]], a ReasonableAuthorityFigure in the UNN, is murdered by [[spoiler:[[InsaneAdmiral Fleet Admiral Nguyen]]]] [[KilledMidSentence while trying to conduct]] an AntiMutiny against him.
** [[spoiler:Cotyar, Avasarala's SarcasticDevotee]], pulls a TakingYouWithMe on the protomolecule that's infected him and the rest of the ''Agatha King'' by blowing up the entire ship, killing the aforementioned [[spoiler:Nguyen]] as well.
** Anna's friend [[spoiler:Tilly Fagan]] is one of the many casualties of all the ships' deceleration in the [[spoiler:Slow Zone of the Ring]], though the fact that [[spoiler:Clarissa]] was attacking and trying to kill her anyway at the time certainly didn't help.
** [[spoiler:Cohen, Monica's blind cameraman]], is revealed to be another such casualty, having been KilledOffscreen by being sliced in half with a door.
** [[spoiler:Diogo]] gets an elevator dropped on him by Naomi while trying to kill her, Holden, and Drummer.
* AnythingThatMoves: Octavia cites "Bang every space-bucker I could find" as something a RebelliousPrincess might do on Ceres to [[DatingWhatDaddyHates piss off her father]], with the implication she did something similar once upon a time.
* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:The alien station at the heart of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace Ring space]] has a WaveMotionGun capable of inflicting a ApocalypseHow/ClassX2, which it used on multiple star systems in a futile attempt to save its creators from... [[GreaterScopeVillain something]]. The climax of "Abbadon's Gate" has it charging to attack the Solar System after identifying humanity as a threat]].
* ApologeticAttacker:
** In "Assured Destruction", Cotyar reluctantly strangles Theo the electrician before they're picked up by the UNN, because he doesn't trust Theo not to reveal Avasarala's location if the UNN leans on him enough. He apologizes while doing it.
** In "Delta-V", Clarissa Mao apologizes to Ren before, during, and after murdering him to conceal her sabotage.
* AppliedPhlebotinum:
** A fusion drive that provides constant acceleration in order to allow CasualInterplanetaryTravel.
** The protomolecule is acknowledged in-universe to be capable of defying the laws of physics, making it even harder to cope with for the protagonists, who don't have this luxury.
* ArchnemesisDad: Jules-Pierre Mao to his daughter Julie, [[spoiler: who ultimately dies fighting to stop his NGOSuperpower from killing millions of Belters. Unfortunately, Julie's body yields enough protomolecule samples to go ahead as planned.]]
* ArcSymbol: The OPA monogram ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything which resembles an anarchist A]]) appears more and more frequently as the organization gains power and support in the Belt.
* ArcWords:
** "Remember the ''Cant''!"
** "''Milowda na ányimals!''" (Belter for "We are not animals!")
** "(When) the blood's on the wall..."
** [[MadnessMantra "The work must be finished..."]]
* ArmCannon: Unlike Earth's ground forces and their more conventional rifles, Martian Marines wield miniature [[GatlingGood miniguns]] mounted to the lower right arm of their PoweredArmor.
* ArmiesAreEvil: Neither the United Nations (Earth) or Martian navies are portrayed in a particularly positive light. The UNN has a track record of [[spoiler: blasting stations full of families open to vacuum when their workers mutiny rather than let them surrender]], and the MCRN is shown to be very hostile and abusive to {{Asteroid Miner}}s whose ships they inspect in the wake of [[spoiler: the destruction of the ''Donnager'']].
* ArmorIsUseless:
** No matter how huge a space warship is, ''any'' ship-to-ship weapon goes through its hull like a hot knife through butter, and more powerful ones like railguns usually punch clean through the entire vessel without slowing down. It appears that, similar to today's seabound warships, armor has fallen out of favor as a protective measure, and the best (and only) thing you can do to avoid damage is to not get hit in the first place.
** Completely averted by Martian Goliath-class PoweredArmor. These hulking suits are ImmuneToBullets and highly resistant to most other forms of damage. It requires heavy weapons or similarly massive trauma to inflict serious damage on them.
** Also averted during Holden's and Miller's mad dash to the ''Roci'' in "Leviathan Wakes". The body armor they took off the dead mercs was intact before they got into the shootout near the docks, but shows multiple bullet impacts afterwards that would've been lethal without the plating's protection.
* ArtificialGravity:
** Ships simulate gravity by having the decks arranged vertically relative to the engines, with the thrust providing the gravity whenever the engines are active.
** In "Home", [[spoiler:the protomolecule is able to maintain Eros' normal gravity in spite of completely changing its spin and momentum, in addition to providing InertialDampening that prevents anyone still on it from being killed by the forces involved]].
* ArtificialLimbs: {{Discussed}}. Many Earthers and Martians can afford to have lost limbs regrown from bio-gel, but many Belters have to make due with advanced prosthetics that can sense heat and pressure. Some even [[CulturalPosturing take pride]] in preferring "a good Belter-built fake."
* ArtificialMeat: In "Salvage", Kenzo offers a line on a place that sells "vat-grown ribs".
* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy:
** The explanation for Dawes' scar is solar radiation heating up the metal components of the old space suits to the point they burn. In reality, most of that radiation energy would bleed off as infrared long before it got hot enough to sear flesh.
** The planetoid Eros jams the radar, leaving only visual observation possible from a nearby ship. Eros is about ten miles wide and can be easily seen by a telescope. It was first seen from Earth in 1898. This might be justified by Eros being several light-minutes away from the crucial observers at the time it disappeared from radar, which would've made it impossible to [[spoiler:guide a swarm of (presumably) radar-guided missiles with the necessary precision]] without the help of an on-site spotter.
** Given how much the series makes of the dangers of radiation and of its importance to the Protomolecule, it oddly completely ignores how much radiation there is in space just from the Sun when you do not have a planetary magnetic field pushing high-energy particles aside.[[note]]To give some point of reference, spending one year on the International Space Station would expose a person to almost ten times what the U.S. Department of Energy recommends as the maximum annual radiation exposure for people working with radioactive materials.[[/note]] Radiation exposure is currently the greatest single health risk associated with extended stays in space.
* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
** Getting impaled through the solar-plexus should result in death ''very'' quickly given the number of important arteries in the region, not to mention the nerves and tissues that control breathing. Hyper-advanced medical treatment doesn't mean much when you should be dead long before you could receive any. This is mitigated by the fact that Ceres has lower gravity.
** Earth's population is around 30 billion despite this number being significantly higher than the highest real-world projections. Meanwhile Mars supports a population of 9 billion despite being effectively an airless rock with a surface area somewhat smaller than the land area of Earth. Where they get enough oxygen, water and food for everybody is not elaborated on.
** In the backstory, the revolt at Anderson Station occurred in part because the miners' children suffered brain damage due to inadequate oxygen in the living quarters. Why this did not affect the adults (having larger bodies, they would need even more oxygen than children) is not explained, nor why children were brought onto the station in the first place.
* ArtisticLicenseEconomics:
** A large proportion of Earth's population cannot find paid work owing to extensive automation of the economy and subsist on a welfare scheme called Basic Assistance. Given that Martians tend to stereotype Earthers as indolent "takers", this is apparently not the case on Mars. Even though their technology is supposed to be generally more advanced than Earth's, and so the Martian economy is also highly automated, yet Mars takes pride in its entire citizenry being productive despite having a larger population than [=21st=]=century Earth.
** Belters are depicted as being a downtrodden proletariat oppressed by the inner planets. Which is comparable to the crews of remote science stations and offshore oil platforms being depicted as being proletarians oppressed by the corporations or government agencies that own them. The setting lacking the EasyLogistics of CasualInterplanetaryTravel, ArtificialGravity and the MatterReplicator means that it makes little sense to crew mining stations with more than the minimum necessary crew, and even less sense to have them procreate and raise children in an environment where they will inevitably end up as relative cripples due to the effects of low gravity on their physiology.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics:
** Used intentionally and often {{lampshaded}} and {{discussed}}. The show is hard Sci-Fi by television standards, but it's acknowledged in-universe that the protomolecule doesn't play by the laws of physics, and the fact it can do things the characters simply can't is a major source of drama.
--> '''Holden:''' [[OhCrap Uh, okay, so we broke a few laws of physics here.]]
** ''Accidentally'' invoked in "Here There Be Dragons": Alex's method of reaching Ganymede without alerting MCRN ships is scientifically sound... except that one of the moons he passes (Cyllene) is way too far from Ganymede to make sense. [[http://www.danielabraham.com/2017/04/04/guest-post-losing-science-drama-finding-drama-science/ According to one show runner]], this was only caught after the scene had been shot and couldn't be changed.
* ArtShift: In Season 4, scenes set on and around Ilus[=/=]New Terra are shot in anamorphic widescreen rather than 16:9 like the rest of the series.
* AscendedExtra: Several characters are given more material than their book counterparts.
** Anderson Dawes is a relatively minor character in the books, while the show embellishes him into a moderate antagonist, first for Miller and later for Holden/Johnson.
** Havelock is a minor satellite character to Miller in the first novel, but the show gives him his own subplot.
** Gia, the HookerWithAHeartOfGold who befriends Havelock, is an unnamed, single-scene extra in the books.
** Holden calls his family once or twice in the books, but nothing with the depth of Avasarala's visit to their farm in "Windmills".
** Cotyar, a very minor character who acts as head of Avasarala's security detail in ''Caliban's War'', shows up much earlier here and assists in her investigation into the U.N. conspiracy.
* AssholeVictim:
** Filat Kothari, the Belter thug who attacked Havelock.
** [[spoiler: Dresden]], the MadScientist who massacred [[spoiler: all of Eros]] ForScience. Generally any member of TheConspiracy that gets their comeuppance one way or another, which by the end of Season 3 means [[spoiler:[[EarnYourHappyEnding every single one, no exceptions]]]].
* AssimilationBackfire: The protomolecule uses [[spoiler:Julie Mao]], the first thing it absorbed on Eros, as the central node for all the growth on Eros. This allows Miller to [[spoiler:talk Julie into diverting Eros into Venus, rather than hitting Earth as originally intended.]]
* TheAssimilator: The protomolecule, given the way Dresden speaks of "letting it learn" by [[spoiler: infecting all of Eros Station]] in "Critical Mass". Not only does it infect living tissue, it mimics the structures it infects. [[spoiler:Julie Mao was killed by the protomolecule, then it completely mimicked her -- memories and all -- to use as a "brain" of sorts.]]
* AsYouKnow:
** This exchange in "Dulcinea":
---> '''Ade Nygaard:''' We're obligated to check it out.\\
'''Capt. [=McDowell=]:''' I'm well-aware of the statute, Miss Nygaard.
** Lampshaded in "Safe":
--->'''Admiral:''' Due to light-speed delay, it will be two hours until we get a response--\\
'''Avasarala:''' I know how the fucking thing works.
* AsteroidMiners: A major occupation for Belters, with the poorest of them living as "rock-hoppers" who spend their lives moving from asteroid to asteroid struggling to harvest enough valuable material to survive while corporations like Pur-N-Kleen use freighters like the ''Canterbury'' to harvest ice from Saturn's rings.
* AsteroidThicket:
** {{Averted}} in the Belt, where asteroids are realistically distributed and reasonably well-charted.
** Saturn's rings in "Dulcinea" provide a reasonably {{justified}} version of the denser conception, which is why the ''Canterbury'' is there to collect ice.
** Another {{justified}} and possibly {{invoked|trope}} example occurs in "Safe", in the form of an "abandoned asteroid mine": a small thicket implied to have been formed from the remnants of either a very large isolated asteroid or a number of smaller ones intentionally gathered into a vaguely stable gravitational system for more convenient processing.
* AttackOfThePoliticalAd: The OPA employs demagogues and later video announcements to get their anti-Inner message out to the public.
* TheAtoner:
** Fred Johnson's motivation for joining the OPA after what he did to Anderson Station.
** [[spoiler:Clarissa is haunted by the blood she's spilled in her quest for vengeance against Holden. At the end of the third season, she attempts a heroic self-sacrifice, but survives]].
* AuthorFilibuster: {{Parodied}} in "Doors and Corners" when Alex's angst about not saving more people from Eros turns into a rant that threatens to BreakTheFourthWall as the camera presses in closer and closer... until he looks over to find Amos has already bailed and offered to buy a random girl drinks if she'll listen to Alex instead.
* AutoDoc: Military ships come equipped with these while civilian ones like the ''Canterbury'' seem to lack them. Holden and Miller are very grateful for the one on the ''Rocinante'' when they get extreme radiation poisoning in "Leviathan Wakes".
* AwesomeByAnalysis: Fred Johnson neatly demolishes Holden's bluff when they first meet in "Rock Bottom":
--> '''Johnson:''' That's a ''Corvette''-class Martian frigate that typically crews thirty. I only see two of you. That tells me that you're trying hard to hide your numbers. Tactically, if there were more, as a show of force, you would've brought them out. I'm guessing there are two to four people left on your ship, and I'm confident there's no Martian Navy on board. If they were, they'd be out here speaking with me now. ''You'' walked off that ship because ''you're'' in charge. At least you think you are...
* AwkwardSilence: Between Miller and Octavia when Miller turns away from their AlmostKiss in "Rock Bottom".
* {{Backstory}}:
** The interrogations in "Remember the Cant" provide a lot of info on Holden's past, some key insights into Naomi's and Alex's, a crucial lowlight from Shed's, and [[MysteriousPast absolutely nothing about Amos]].
** "Back to the Butcher" actually dramatizes the decade-old incident that earned Fred Johnson the titular epithet "TheButcher of Anderson Station" and prompted him to become a DefectorFromDecadence.
* BadassBoast:
** Capt. Yao of the ''Donnager'' is very confident before battle in "CQB":
--->"Well, whoever they are and whatever they've come to do, it's just become a suicide mission. They started this fight, and we're going to finish it."
** Avasarala gives an epic, long-winded one in "Paradigm Shift", explaining exactly how she'll tear apart the Mao family if they don't hand over Jules-Pierre to pay for his part in TheConspiracy. See the quotes under MegaCorp below for the whole thing.
** Holden delivers one to the MCRN blockade over Ganymede in "A Monster and a Rocket".
--->"This is the warship ''Rocinante''. You're aware of our capabilities more than anyone. We're escorting a vessel of refugees away from your AO. Any ship that opens fire on us will feel the sum total of our state-of-the-art Martian arsenal rammed up its ass. We'll all die together. This is your only and final warning."
* BadassBureaucrat: Chrisjen Avasarala has never been elected to anything but is currently Number 3 in the government of Earth and knows all the gambits to get information out of her opponents.
* BadassCreed: When preparing for a drop, Bobbie Draper psyches up her Martian Marines with a call-and-response:
--> '''Bobbie''': Who's going to feast on Earth's sky and drink their rivers dry? (MMC!) Who's going to stomp their mountains into fine Martian dust? (MMC!) 'Til the rains fall hard on Olympus Mons, ''who are we?'' (MMC!) I can't hear you! (''MMC!'') ''Who are we?!'' ('''''MMC!''''')
* BadassCrew: The ''Rocinante'' crew.
* BadBoss:
** TheConspiracy abandons many of their HiredGuns on Eros [[spoiler: as fodder for the protomolecule]].
** Anderson Dawes never responded to Julie Mao's DistressCall when she was captive on the ''Anubis'' or stranded on Eros, either because [[YouHaveFailedMe she failed him]] or because he considered her [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness not worth the effort]].
* BadGuyBar: Miller confronts Dawes in one full of OPA members in "Windmills" and tries to start a BarBrawl.
* TheBadGuysAreCops: CPM, Eros' LawEnforcementInc, are this since they are mainly gangsters and mercenaries hired by TheConspiracy.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Prax is ready to kill [[spoiler:Dr. Strickland]], but Amos convinces him that he's not that guy. Once Prax leaves, Amos turns around and says "I am that guy." before doing the deed himself.
* BadToTheLastDrop: 99% of coffee in the Belt would appear to be this. The other 1% is brought there aboard Inner Planets naval ships.
* BagOfKidnapping: Miller gets grabbed this way leaving Julie Mao's apartment in "Back to the Butcher".
* BaitTheDog: Sematimba seems at first like a reasonable guy given his affinity for Miller, but then he kills an Eros survivor for slowing him down and threatens to shoot Naomi if she doesn't abandon Holden and Miller.
* BandOfBrothels: Prostitution is common and well-policed, and when Amos warns a prostitute that a prospective client is packing a knife, Alex asks, "Are you their union rep?" in a tone that implies he's only partially joking.
* BarBrawl: Miller tries to start one in "Windmills".
* BatmanGambit: In "Remember the Cant", Avasarala "leaks" just enough information to her old friend Ambassador Frank [=DeGraaf=] to prompt him to send a panicked message to the Martian government, and deduces from the Martian government's own panicked reaction that they really didn't destroy the ''Canterbury''.
* BatteringRam: Holden summarizes Miller's plan in "Godspeed" as using [[spoiler: the ''Nauvoo'']] as one of these, though in this case, they're not trying to open the target, they're trying to HurlItIntoTheSun.
* TheBattlestar: MCRN ''Donnager'' carries an arsenal of torpedoes and railguns capable of fighting off a small fleet by herself, as well as a large hangar bay housing smaller vessels such as the frigate ''Tachi''.
* BeardOfSorrow: Miller always has PermaStubble, but it becomes one of these for a couple episodes after escaping Eros until he shaves in "Static".
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: {{Averted}}.
** In "The Big Empty", Miller and Octavia discuss why Julie Mao would retain a scar in an era that averts ScarsAreForever, with Miller even calling it a "[[DefiedTrope badge of defiance]]."
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] is the focus of the worst BodyHorror in Season 1.
** Naomi gets blood splattered all over her in "Leviathan Wakes" and has to explain to Holden that it's not hers.
* BeforeIChangeMyMind: Miller tells Diogo this after deciding to take over the DeadManSwitch in "Godspeed".
* BeingGoodSucks: Answering a DistressCall always carries the danger of being LuredIntoATrap.
* BeingWatched: Miller feels this way as he pushes deeper into the protomolecule's GeniusLoci in "Home", and doesn't buy it when Naomi suggests it's because she's watching him from MissionControl on the ''Rocinante''.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Miller and Octavia until around the time she saves his life in "Rock Bottom".
* BerserkButton: If you value keeping your airway intact or your brains in your head, don't insult or threaten Naomi in Amos's presence.
** Also, if you like keeping your brains inside your head, don't even think about harming a child with Amos anywhere the ''solar system''. He will not hesitate go across the system, fight through an army, and steal the kill from a PapaWolf to make that point really clear.
** Chrisjen Avasarala really does not like it when people make cracks about her age or imply in any way that she's old. [[{{Troll}} Which is why]] [[VitriolicBestBuds Cotyar likes doing it]].
* BetterThanSex: Diogo claims space-walking is this, though Miller is skeptical that he has the experience necessary to make that comparison.
* BigBadassBattleSequence:
** "CQB" contains one between TheBattlestar MCRN ''Donnager'' and six advanced stealth fighters, which is interspersed with a running gun battle as Holden's crew attempts to escape.
** The joint OPA and ''Rocinante'' assault on Thoth Station in "Doors and Corners".
* BigDamnHeroes:
** Octavia arrives just in time to save Miller from being ThrownOutTheAirlock in "Rock Bottom".
** In "Salvage", Miller saves the ''Rocinante'' crew from a UN black ops team that was trying to assassinate them.
** In "Caliban's War", just as Mao's men are about to kill Cotyar and Avasarala, Bobbie returns after leaving to get her PowerArmor and [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] all of them easily.
** Anna tasers Clarissa from behind before the latter can finish throttling Naomi to death in "Fallen World" .
** In "Abaddon's Gate", Naomi stops Diogo from killing Drummer and the latter from making her HeroicSacrifice by [[spoiler:dropping an elevator on him]], and [[spoiler:Clarissa]] completes her HeelFaceTurn by [[spoiler:attacking Ashford's forces before they can shoot Holden and Naomi, and then Ashford himself to stop him from firing the laser at the core of the Ring, before forcibly shutting down the ship's reactor so the Ring won't view humanity as a threat]].
* BigDumbObject:
** The protomolecule turns [[spoiler:Eros]] into one of these, capable of defying the laws of physics to propel itself on a course towards Earth. [[spoiler:It ends up crashing into Venus instead and begins constructing a new one, which ultimately becomes The Ring at the edge of the system]].
* TheBigGuy: Amos is naturally the largest and strongest of the ''Rocinante'' crew, and growing up on Earth only increases this by also making him a HeavyWorlder. His rough upbringing and emotional detachment also make him the most comfortable with violence.
* BilingualBonus: Belter Creole is entirely unsubtitled. Most of the time, the Creole is limited to a few words or the odd phrase that viewers can guess. Sometimes, lines will be spoken entirely in Creole and the only way viewers will be able to understand is if they learn the ''patois'' themselves.
* BilingualDialogue: Miller occasionally converses with Belters this way, though usually they each throw in some of the other's language as well.
* BioAugmentation:
** Implants of various sorts are common. Communications devices and organ augmentation are mundane while identity scramblers are expensive and illegal.
** Belters have to resort to drugs or hormones just to maintain reasonable health and well-being (if injuries haven't reduce them to [[AnArmAndALeg outright prosthetics]]), and these treatments don't always work well. Miller, for instance, has spurs on his spine where the vertebrae didn't quite grow properly because of "cheap bone-density juice when he was a child."
** Martian marines have communications systems and other implants to augment the equipment in their battle armor. Amos taunts one such marine by insisting castration is a mandatory part of the process.
** Season 3 features a documentary cameraman who has extensive augmentations visibly implanted beneath his skin. He's also blind but can use his implanted tech to see through drone cameras.
* BioluminescenceIsCool: The protomolecule's MeatMoss and [[spoiler: skin lesions as TheVirus]] crackle with blue light very reminiscent of electricity and give off radiant blue spores. It's creepy as all hell.
* BiotechIsBetter: This is used to establish class disparities. After a hauler on the ''Canterbury'' loses his arm below the elbow to an ice block, he's told he could go for the bio-gel that regrows limbs. He opts to go for a prosthetic limb because he's been with Pur-n-Kleen long enough for the company to provide him with a deluxe model featuring pressure feedback and hot-and-cold sensors.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: The heroes might not be paragons (though some try), but several villains are utter monsters.
* BlackMarketProduce: A major cottage industry in the belt. Dairy products are held in particularly high regard: while expensive, vegetables and fruit can be grown hydroponically both legally and illegally with minimal fuss. Small livestock like chickens likewise can be raised or smuggled fairly easily, and even the tank-grown ArtificialMeat is a passable substitute for the real thing. Dairy, however, requires either maintaining at least one large female livestock animal in orbit, or moving dense wheels of cheese from the ground into space and law enforcement swiftly cracks down on "curd cartels". Cheese, in fact, is such a prized commodity that the troubles on Ceres noticeably quieted down when one such cartel began selling genuine cheddar on the station.
* BlackSite: Avasarala travels to one of the UN's a couple of times to interrogate a Belter caught smuggling stealth tech.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Errinwright's claims that Fred Johnson is framing Earth]].
* BloodKnight: Bobby Draper is just itching for a fight with Earth, until she gets a taste of real combat on Ganymede and decides that WarIsHell.
* BoardingPod:
** What the unknown enemies use to seal the fate of the ''Donnager'' after the latter blows away four of six of the attacking ships. [[spoiler: The ''Donnager'' [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destructs]] to prevent a successful capture.]]
** Fred Johnson uses modified [=FedEx=] containers to make a [[JustForPun special delivery]] of boarding parties to take control of TheConspiracy's base on Thoth Station.
* BodyguardBetrayal: Avasarala's escort ship leaves her to die on Jules-Pierre Mao's ship in "Caliban's War", under orders from [[spoiler:Errinwright]], and even fires five missiles at it just to be sure.
* BodyHorror: One of the book authors once noted that, "If I wrote greeting cards, they'd probably have a {{squick}} factor." The TV adaptation lives up to everything that implies.
** Cutting her way into the cargo bay of a GhostShip in "Dulcinea", Julie Mao finds a giant, glowing MeatMoss EldritchAbomination in the process of [[TheAssimilator assimilating]] a [[HumanResources human torso]].
** Some of the negative traits a lifetime in low-''g'' has spawned among the Belters, especially their low bone and muscle densities that leave them unable to even ''breathe'' back on Earth.
** In "Salvage", Miller and the ''Rocinante'' crew find [[spoiler:Julie Mao has been killed by the protomolecule infection in her shower. Blue-black lesions cover her pallid remains from head to toe, sprouting spines like anemones, and crystalline structures have grown straight out her left eye and mouth, while a gossamer webbing has rooted her to the shower]].
** Miller and Holden's slow degradation from radiation poisoning. Holden's descriptors "melt from the inside out," and, "bleeding out of places you don't even want to know about," don't help.
** Katoa gradually starts to look more inhuman and horrifying as [[spoiler:he's turned into a Hybrid by the protomolecule growth in his body]]. And in one of the worst examples in the whole series, he ''completely rips apart'' his nurse offscreen; we see the man's insides and guts strewn out all over the floor.
** Manéo Jung-Espinoza gets this when he travels into the Ring, entering the Slow Zone; since his ship is traveling way too fast at the time, it's forcibly decelerated, and the inertia and sudden g-forces tear his body completely apart, leaving him as nothing more than a [[MemeticMutation red splat]] left of him.
** Inside the Ring Station, the leader of [[spoiler:Bobbie's platoon]] throws a grenade that leaves a dent in the floor. The commander is then lifted into the air by the station, ''disassembled'', and ''broken down into his matter'' to refill this dent.
* BookEnds:
** Season 1 begins and ends with a character encountering the protomolecule, showing how it's changed.
** At the end of Season 2, Dr. Strickland is whistling the same tune that Amos was at the start of the season.
* BoomerangBigot: Despite being a native Belter who's never left Ceres, Miller dresses like an Earther, works for an Earth-based LawEnforcementInc, and generally acts superior to other Belters because of it. He's even the first character to hurl the FantasticSlur "Long Bone" at another Belter.
--> '''Miller:''' I am nothing like you, longbone. Take your OPA bullshit back to the Medina, and wait for the revolution with all the rest of the victims.
* BoomHeadshot:
** The fate of [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]], whose head simply ''[[YourHeadAsplode disappears]]'' thanks to an unlucky railgun round.
** How Miller takes revenge on [[spoiler: Filat Kothari, the thug who impaled his partner]]. Bonus points for [[BaitAndSwitch covering the guy's retreat]] first only to put one between his eyes once he got a little closer.
** In "Doors and Corners", the boarding party is taken by surprise when one of their group is shot in the head and a big red splash appears. After the shooting stops, Miller realizes he was actually hit by a non-lethal gel round which didn't even penetrate his space suit helmet, as the minimal crew weren't expecting boarders and were only armed to the extent necessary to disable the prisoners they were watching over.
** Played straight in the same episode, where Miller pops [[spoiler:Dresden]] in the head then shoots him [[DoubleTap twice more]] for good measure.
** Drummer does this to the Belters who shot her in an attempt to force missile launch codes out of her and Fred Johnson in "Pyre".
** Amos delivers this to [[spoiler:Strickland]] in "Immolation", though we only get the perspective of the blood splatter against the airlock door.
* BornLucky: Diogo just happens to get caught stealing water by the comparatively merciful Joe Miller rather than a more aggressive cop or serious gangster, then he's ThrownOutTheAirlock far from anywhere but is picked up by a passing ship before his air runs out, and then gets [[BoomHeadshot shot in the face]] but survives because his opponent was only equipped with non-lethal ammunition.
* BossBanner: A couple government officials get these with their name and position, including [[ThirdLineSomeWaiting third-line]] protagonist Chrisjen Avasarala ''after'' she's already been on-screen for over a minute.
* BottomlessMagazines:
** Miller gets better-than-expected mileage out of his six-shot cylinder despite a closeup at the start of "Leviathan Wakes" that proves that's exactly how many bullets it holds[[note]]the show's propmaster tried to HandWave it away by saying that in their universe one bullet could equal a thousand shots[[/note]].
** Averted in the case of the ''Rocinante'' itself, which runs low on ammo on a semi-regular basis. At one point the crew resorts to raiding a Martian debris field to restock.
* BreadAndCircuses: Lt. Lopez claims in "CQB" that, "The only thing Earthers care about is government handouts: free food, free water, [[GovernmentDrugEnforcement free drugs]] so you can forget the aimless lives you lead."
* BrickJoke: When they part ways in "Home", Miller tells Diogo to get himself laid. The next episode, he's seen walking hand in hand with a prostitute saying, "Miller, this one's for you."
* BringNewsBack: Holden and (at his insistence) his crew are escorted off the ''Donnager'' by a squad of Martian marines because they're the only ones truly capable of testifying that Mars did ''not'' destroy the ''Canterbury''.
* BrokenAesop:
** Anderson Dawes tells Miller one about how he had to MercyKill his sister in order to keep his family alive. Miller points out that Dawes didn't sacrifice himself and that just proves him a coward.
** Happens again when Sutton talks about how Mars avoided a war with Earth in the nick of time through diplomacy to talk about the value of peace, only for Draper to state that led to a SpaceColdWar where Mars was delayed a century in its terraforming efforts.
* BrokenPedestal: At least two in Season 3.
** [[spoiler: Naomi]] becomes this to [[spoiler: Amos]] after it is revealed that [[spoiler: she gave the protomolecule to Fred Johnson. Lampshaded by Amos, who starts to instead look to first Prax and later Anna as his new [[MoralityPet "moral compasses"]].]]
** [[spoiler: Camina Drummer]] feels deeply betrayed after [[spoiler: Fred Johnson]] tells her that [[spoiler: he has struck an [[EnemyMine unholy alliance]] with Anderson Dawes not long after an attempted mutiny by OPA sympathisers on Tycho which almost left both of them dead.]]
* BrokenMasquerade: After investigating the disabled stealth ship in "Godspeed", Avasarala has it pushed into the nearest UNN patrol route so it will be discovered and reveal the connection between the stealth ship attacks and Protogen (and hence Jules-Pierre Mao). Mao is good enough to wriggle out of any personal liability, but it definitely puts a dent in his plans and sours his partnership with Errinwright.
* BrutalHonesty: When Miller asks if he really just saw [[spoiler: his old friend Sematimba]]'s body at the end of "Leviathan Wakes", Amos bluntly answers, "Yes. I shot him."
* BulletSparks: All over the place during the dash to the ''Tachi'' in "CQB".
* BullyingADragon: Miller didn't really think calling Amos "no-neck" or a "trigger-happy whack job" would end well for him, did he?
* BurialInSpace: Miller gives [[spoiler: Sematimba]] this at the end of "Safe" by ejecting his body bag [[ThrownOutTheAirlock out the airlock]].
* TheButcher: Fred Johnson is called "The Butcher of Anderson Station" for killing the entire population of Anderson Station because they complained that low oxygen rations were causing brain damage in their children. Oh and he blew up it ''while they were desperately trying to surrender''. By the time of the series he's a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, possibly because [[spoiler:he was kept from knowing they had surrendered]]. Although he's genuinely a changed man Johnson is also more than willing to use his reputation as TheButcher to intimidate people.
* ButtMonkey: The Mormons as a whole seem to serves as this system-wide. Nobody ever takes them seriously, their plan to colonize another star system via GenerationShip is regarded with amusement at best, and when this ship is days away from embarking on its journey, [[spoiler:it gets hijacked by Fred Johnson to be used as a giant battering ram against the Protomolecule-infested Eros]]. The church's official complaint to the U.N. doesn't get more than the most superficial consideration[[note]]granted, the U.N. had [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt more pressing concerns]] at the time[[/note]], and when the hijacked ship is eventually recovered it... [[spoiler:gets turned into an OPA dreadnought]] instead of being returned to them.
* CallBack:
** Diogo reintroduces himself to Miller in "Doors and Corners" by shouting, "Stay away from the aqua," recalling Miller's parting warning to him in "The Big Empty".
** While infiltrating Eros in "Home", Miller returns to the pachinko parlor he and Holden hid out in for awhile in "Leviathan Wakes".
** And also a CallForward, depending on how you look at it. The camera frequently focuses on thrust controls located on the armrests of the pilot's seat. It turns out that the drive's inventor, Solomon Epstein, died because he couldn't reach his panel-mounted throttle under 17 Gs of thrust, and couldn't use the voice commands either, because his experimentally-tweaked used spaceship's previous owner spoke Chinese.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Miller finds a video message of Julie Mao doing this:
--> '''Julie:''' You're so blind and so condescending, and you're never going to change. If you won't take yourself seriously as an adult then why should I care about being your child? You wanna sell the ''Razorback'', do it. You can't buy me off or control me anymore. Maybe what you hate about me the most is that [[TooMuchAlike I remind you of yourself]].
* CameraSpoofing: When Anderson Dawes kidnaps [[spoiler:Cortazar]], he loops the camera feeds in that section of the station so no one realizes until he's well on his way out.
* CanonForeigner:
** The UN's ambassador to Mars, Franklin [=DeGraaf=].
** Kenzo, the corporate espionage spy from Tycho Station.
* CantStopTheSignal:
** Despite talk in "The Big Empty" about the ''Donnager'' already being in jamming range when Holden sends out his message, events on Earth and Ceres in the next episode revolve around reactions to his broadcast, so it clearly got out.
** In the titular {{Flashback}} in "Back to the Butcher", some Belter protesters transmit a signal to anyone listening when it becomes clear the UN just intends to kill them all without further negotiation.
** In "Critical Mass", Fred Johnson beams out a transmission containing evidence pinning all the recent strife on [[spoiler: Earth]], and since the culprits cannot stop him they waste no time manufacturing evidence pointing right back at him.
** Subverted in "Godspeed". When the crew of the ''Rocinante'' catches a humanitarian group investigating Eros, they jam long-range comms. The group tries to break for signal range by going around the asteroid, so Holden reluctantly blows up their ship.
* TheCaptain:
** Holden on the ''Rocinante'', despite Amos' initial insistence that he isn't.
** Captain Yao of the ''MCRN Donnager'', and Captain Kirino of the ''MCRN Hammurabi''.
** Fred Johnson for Tycho Station.
** Camina Drummer, Johnson's NumberTwo, becomes this for the repurposed [[spoiler:''Nauvoo'']] (now the ''OPAS Behemoth'') as of "Delta-V". This causes some tension with [[spoiler:Klaes Ashford, her First Officer from Dawes's faction. When Drummer is seriously injured in "Fallen World" and temporarily out of commission, Ashford replaces her as captain.]]
* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Lt. Sutton and [=GySgt.=] Bobbie Draper.
* CasualDangerDialogue: When Miller starts doing this in "Home", Naomi tells him, "Hey, don't get all [[PersonAsVerb Holden]] on me: weird and chatty under pressure."
* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: An AppliedPhlebotinum fusion drive allows this.
* CategoryTraitor: Miller is viewed as a traitor (''welwala'' in Belter Creole[[note]]It also means someone who's obsessed with the Inner Planets[[/note]]) by other Belters because he dresses like an Earther and works for Ceres' Earth-based police force, Star Helix Security.
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: In "Reload", some rescued Martians try to seize the ''Rocinante''. Holden and Bobbie manage to talk them down, at which point Amos shows up and immediately lampshades his tardiness.
-->'''Amos:''' Did I miss it?
* CentralTheme:
** ThePowerOfTrust and our emotional connections with each other.
** No matter our different backgrounds and philosophies, [[NotSoDifferent we're all far more similar to each other than we'd ever like to admit]].
** Even into the (relatively) far future, [[HumansAreFlawed humanity will change relatively little]] while our technology does by leaps and bounds.
* CentrifugalGravity:
** Belter stations like Ceres and Eros are asteroids that have been artificially "spun up" to create gravity through centrifugal force. The show occasionally shows how liquid and dust fall in unusual ways due to the high rate of spin required to achieve the effect.
** Tycho Station is a roving construction yard that has rotating habitat sections to provide inhabitants with gravity while maintaining gravity-free construction space.
** The GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' is capable of generating rotational gravity through a massive drum that dominates the habitable section of the ship. This comes in handy in "Fallen World", [[spoiler:when the Ring Station has frozen every other ship in the vicinity, making the rechristened ''Behemoth'' the only ship capable of generating gravity for the proper treatment of wounds]].
* CharacterDevelopment:
** BoomerangBigot Miller has a minor epiphany in "Static" when he catches himself using the word "us" to refer to all Belters, including himself. He also becomes significantly more altruistic and selfless after [[spoiler:discovering Julie Mao's corpse]], to the point of [[spoiler:performing a HeroicSacrifice by convincing the resurrected Julie to have Eros crash into Venus instead of Earth]].
** Holden becomes more and more accepting of the fact that he lives in a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Solar System]] and even takes a certain level in cynicism, [[KnightInSourArmor but still never lets go of trying to make]] the Solar System a better place for everyone.
** Amos starts to develop the vestiges of an internal moral code for himself after he gains a BrokenPedestal for Naomi and forms an OddFriendship with Prax.
** Both Alex and Naomi find themselves DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife aboard the ''Rocinante'', with Alex quickly realizing that he's at his happiest as the ''Roci'''s pilot. Meanwhile, Naomi takes time off to [[spoiler:help work with the [=OPA=] on the ''Behemoth'']] before figuring out that she truly misses being with her friends aboard the ''Roci'' more than anything else.
** Bobbie Draper starts out as a typical gun-ho Martian Marine, but the [[TraumaCongaLine massacring of her entire squad]] and the realization of [[spoiler:TheConspiracy within the [=MCR=] government]] has her defect to the [=UN=]. Furthermore, she starts to better understand how many lies she's been fed her entire life and strives to earn her own independence from Mars, to the point where she both forms an IntergenerationalFriendship with Chrisjen (even serving as her ''bodyguard'' for most of the first half of Season 3) and even becoming [[spoiler: a crew member aboard the ''Rocinante''.]]
* ChekhovsGun:
** Julie Mao's animatronic gerbil, which turns out to [[spoiler: conceal the data chip with information on the Phoebe incident that led her to the ''Anubis'']].
** Julie's racing sled, the ''Razorback'', is a big one for Seasons 2 and 3.
*** In "Home", Miller realizes that [[spoiler:Eros is heading for Earth because it's assimilated Julie, who thinks she's flying the ''Razorback'' home]].
*** And in the Season 3 premiere, [[spoiler:Bobbie and Avasarala use the ''Razorback'' to escape Jules-Pierre Mao's yacht right before a missile strike destroys it]].
** The GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' is revealed to be one when Miller incorporates it into his new plan in "Static". And again in Season 3 when [[spoiler:Fred Johnson has it recovered and retrofitted into a Belter warship rechristened the ''Behemoth'']].
** Part of Melba Koh's introduction in Season 3 consists of her getting lectured on how ''not'' to install an electrical component lest it shut down the entire ship in a DisasterDominoes effect. This knowledge comes in very handy in the season finale.
* ChekhovsSkill:
** {{Subverted}} by Havelock's practice with Belter Creole and gestures. Worse than useless, it's ''comical'' to the thugs who ambush him in "Remember the Cant".
** Played straight by Bobbie being strong enough to arm-wrestle her own PowerArmor. [[spoiler:When she battles the Hybrid!Katoa on Io in "Immolation", they both fall from a great height that damages her armor, leaving it as nothing more than dead weight around her. She uses this skill to lift her arm up high enough to shoot the Hybrid before it can kill her.]]
* TheChessmaster: Avasarala tries to manipulate every given situation to come out her way.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Holden has it.
--> '''Naomi:''' It's not your problem. It's not your fault! None of it is.\\
'''Holden:''' Okay, but now I'm ''making'' it my problem.
* ChildrenAreInnocent:
** The three-year-old girl outside Miller's apartment with her pet bird in "Dulcinea".
** Avasarala's grandson doesn't understand his grandmother's fear of an interplanetary war resulting in a ColonyDrop.
---> '''Grandson:''' ''Nobody'' could throw rocks that big. It just happens sometimes because, you know, gravity.
* CityMouse: Miller notes that he's "more of a city Belter" when asked why he's never done a space-walk before in "Godspeed".
* TheCityNarrows: The Medina district, located at the innermost part of Ceres Station, where CentrifugalGravity is weak and property is cheap.
* CivilWar: Although Earth, Mars, and the Belt are increasingly independent, many still consider a potential war between them to be this within a united humanity.
* {{Cliffhanger}}:
** "The Big Empty" ends with Holden's crew being captured by [[spoiler: the Martian Navy]].
** "Remember the Cant" ends with [[spoiler: Havelock]] being ambushed and impaled.
** "Leviathan Wakes" (and therefore Season 1) ends with Holden's crew picking up the villains' transmission back to their base, and the protomolecule evolving.
** "Godspeed" ends as the protomolecule [[spoiler: begins ''moving'' Eros]], with Miller trapped aboard manning a DeadManSwitch.
** "Caliban's War" ends with Fred Johnson [[spoiler:finding the protomolecule that Naomi left for him, and Naomi revealing to Holden that she did so (and essentially betrayed his and the rest of the crew's trust)]], then cuts off before showing much of Holden's reaction to this.
** "Immolation" ends with the protomolecule growth on Venus launching a jellyfish-like structure into space for purposes unknown.
** "Dandelion Sky" ends as the Ring Station [[spoiler:slows the "speed limit" in the Slow Zone down greatly, jolting every spaceship there to a grinding halt that injures or kills hundreds of people, and shows Holden things that happened in the past]], leaving him in a HeroicBSOD.
** "Abaddon's Gate" has this same station [[spoiler:open up numerous other portals, leading to some ''1300'' habitable systems for humanity to explore. The ''Rocinante'' crew, now back together, decides to head through one of them to begin investigating what happened to the race of {{Precursors}} who built the Ring portal system]].
* CloseUpOnHead: The series' opening scene builds outward from an extreme closeup of Julie Mao's face, which writer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zQyV6HzIE Hawk Ostby says]] they did to [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] the StandardEstablishingSpaceshipShot.
* CodeName:
** Julie Mao's OPA operative code name is "[[GenderBlenderName Lionel Polanski]]".
** Avasarala's security code name is "Archangel".
* ColdBloodedTorture: Avasarala achieves this on a Belter caught smuggling illegal stealth tech simply by exposing him to Earth's gravity; because his body is [[SpacePeople not adapted to it]], he suffers tremendously. Avasarala gets chewed out for this but isn't punished, and the smuggler goes on to use gravity itself as his CyanidePill by wrestling out treatment for a multi-g transit to Luna, proving it [[TortureIsIneffective wasn't going to work]] no matter how long they left him on those hooks.
-->'''Chrisjen Avasarala:''' I'm sorry the gravity of a ''real'' planet hurts, but it's appropriate: you wish to hurt Earth, the Earth that is now crushing your ''weak'' Belter lungs and your ''fragile'' Belter bones.
* ColdEquation:
** {{Averted}} when Shed chooses to save Alex from suffocation by sharing his air supply with him in "The Big Empty".
** Anderson Dawes describes facing this choice with his IllGirl sister Athena when recalling his backstory in "Rock Bottom".
* ColonelBadass: Fred Johnson was one when he still served the UN. Avasarala still calls him by this rank to appeal to his old allegiance when she secretly reaches out to him in "Static".
* ColonizedSolarSystem: Humanity has yet to expand beyond, and only Mars and the Asteroid Belt are heavily settled, with a couple outposts at least as far out as the Saturnine moon Phoebe (where the protomolecule was discovered).
* ColonyDrop:
** Given Avasarala's reaction to her grandson's talk about the dinosaur-killer and her worry about "people who throw rocks" in "CQB", this trope is the new MutuallyAssuredDestruction.
** In "Rock Bottom" Diogo's Uncle Matteo attacks a Martian patrol skiff using his cargo (a small asteroid) as an improvised weapon.
** "Godspeed"/"Home" has [[spoiler:Eros pushed out of orbit by the protomolecule]] and set on a collision course with Earth. Given it's three-times bigger than the rock which took out the dinosaurs, stopping it is of vital importance. [[spoiler:Thanks to Miller, it ends up hitting Venus with an impressive boom.]]
** The [[spoiler: crisis on Ganymede is caused by the destruction of an orbital solar mirror which impacts on a large part of the surface colony, the fallout of which renders the rest of the colony uninhabitable.]]
* ColorWash: Scenes aboard ships get a heavy blue filter.
* CombatTentacles: Season 1 ends with the protomolecule seizing a character with these.
* ComicallySmallDemand: PlayedForLaughs in "Home" when Fred Johnson's response to being called "the most powerful man in the System right now" is a sardonic, "Oh really? Then [[YouGetMeCoffee go get me a cup of coffee]]." Instead, Drummer just smirks and [[FlippingTheBird flips him off]].
* CommieNazis: A downplayed variant with the Martian Congressional Republic. While their heavy nationalism, [[FantasticRacism habit of callous disregard for Earthers and Belters]], and insistance that ''they'' are the future of humanity [[PuttingOnTheReich comes across as disturbingly similar to Nazi Germany]], their SpaceColdWar with the United Nations on Earth and other cultural attributes (such as government-planned economics being responsible for their terraforming efforts) bear more similarities to the Soviet Union.
* CommitmentIssues: Ade Nygaard just wants to stay a FriendWithBenefits to Holden, who's disappointed but understanding.
** Holden himself has been the acting XO of the ''Canterbury'' for months, but refuses the captain's offer [[RankUp to make it permanent.]]
* CompanionCube: Alex develops a ''very'' personal connection to every ship he pilots, and he falls absolutely head-over-heels in love with the ''Rocinante''.
* CompanyTown: Ceres and the other large Belt settlements are run as such, which is why the OPA is becoming popular.
* CompositeCharacter:
** In the novels, it's a Martian InnocentBystander named Enrique Dos Santos rather than [[spoiler: Havelock]] who gets impaled by angry Belters.
** The show's Lieutenant Lopez takes on the roles of two Martian lieutenants from the novels: the selfsame Lt. Lopez who interrogates Holden, and marine Lt. Kelly who helps Holden's crew escape.
** In the books, Octavia Muss takes over as Miller's partner after Havelock leaves Ceres at Miller's urging, and Miller has an ex-wife named Candace who is mentioned a few times. In the show, Octavia is one of Miller's colleagues and also the ex-wife.
** Cotyar of the show fills the roles of both Cotyar of the books as Avasarala's head of security, and also of Soren, Avasarala's much put upon personal assistant who dutifully absorbs the majority of her vitriol.
** Camina Drummer, at different times, takes on the roles of AdaptedOut book characters Sam Rosenberg and Bull.
** [[DecompositeCharacter Inverted]] with Col. Janus, who doesn't appear in the books, but exists in the show as a counterpoint to Dr. Iturbi, providing the viewer with an interesting character dynamic instead of just stale reports to Avasarala.
* TheConfidant: Holden will discuss things with Naomi that he won't with the rest of the crew.
* ConLang: Belters speak "Belter Creole", a ''patois'' featuring words from Russian, Turkish, German, etc. and integrates hand gestures [[AllThereInTheManual for communicating in spacesuits]]. They also continue to speak English (using an accent that sounds vaguely Afrikaans) and Chinese (which is heard in station announcements).
* ConnectedAllAlong: Julie Mao's disappearance, the attacks on the ''Canterbury'' and ''Donnager'', the ruin of Phoebe Station, the bio-weapon on the ''Anubis'', it all leads to [[spoiler: the release of the protomolecule on Eros]].
* ContinuousDecompression: Played fairly realistically in "CQB" when a railgun blows two fairly large holes in the room the crew are in, and they have to quickly but calmly patch the holes. Naomi also notes afterward that since air was rushing out both sides, they're now trapped in an room surrounded by hard vacuum.
* TheConscience: In addition to being TheCaptain, Holden is often his crew's voice of morality, though he himself turns to Naomi if he's having doubts about something.
* ConspicuousConsumption: A summit between the UN and MCR takes place on Earth in a large, mostly empty hall with big windows that let in plenty of sunlight. There are also large flower arrangements and a buffet featuring plenty of fresh fruit on clear display. This is all done so that the UN can thumb its nose at the MCR delegation, showing the Martians that, in spite of their superiority complex over Earth, none of them will ever get to see such luxuries on Mars in their lifetimes.
* TheConspiracy: The ultimate culprit for everything in Seasons 1, 2, and the first half of 3 is one of these involving [[spoiler:billionaire Jules-Pierre Mao and UN Undersecretary-General Sadavir Errinwright]].
* ContrivedCoincidence: Miller and Holden's storylines finally intersect in "Salvage" when their respective investigations lead them to the same hotel on Eros at the same time, with Miller arriving [[BigDamnHeroes just in time]] to save Holden and his crew from [[spoiler: a UN hit squad]], though its {{downplayed}} by the fact they've been WorkingTheSameCase.
* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind:
** Octavia saves Miller this way in "Rock Bottom".
** Similarly, Anna saves Naomi from Clarissa like this in "Fallen World".
* CoolStarship:
** The ''Rocinante'' is fairly plain on the outside, but the inside is pretty sleek and awesome.
** LDSS ''Nauvoo'', the only true starship in the series so far, is a GenerationShip and the largest vessel humanity has ever built. It also fully averts StandardHumanSpaceship, what with it being a cathedral as well as a ship. [[spoiler:Becomes even cooler once the OPA hijack it and turn it into the warship ''Behemoth'']].
* CopKiller: Filat Kothari and his goons become attempted ones in "Remember the Cant". Star Helix Security is not impressed.
* CorruptCop: Miller to an extent, though he has more boundaries than many LawEnforcementInc employees in the Belt.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Jules-Pierre Mao.
* CorruptPolitician:
** Miller justifies being a moderately CorruptCop by noting that his bosses are bribed even better.
** [[spoiler: Sadavir Errinwright]] is part of TheConspiracy.
* CosmicHorrorReveal: [[spoiler:The protomolecule, its effects, and the unknown intelligence behind it are less ''Film/IndependenceDay'' and more "Literature/TheColourOutOfSpace".]]
* CostumePorn: Avasarala seems to wear a different intricately-made and vibrantly-coloured sari in every scene.
* CrapsackWorld: '''Everywhere.''' Things ''are'' better than they are in the 21st century in certain respects, but the more things change the more things stay the same; [[WeWillHavePerfectHealthInTheFuture advanced medical technology]] and [[FutureFoodIsArtificial synthetic foods]] have made [[ThePlague disease]] and [[ReducedToRatburgers hunger]] less of an issue than any previous era (for ''some'' people, that is), but they've been overshadowed by [[OverpopulationCrisis overpopulation]], [[SlobsVersusSnobs class warfare]] and [[GreenAesop extreme environmental damage]] -- and off-world, that damage can be as simple as "[[CrookedContractor didn't hire an honest contractor]]."
** Although Earthers live in relative comfort with an average life expectancy of ''123'', unchecked population growth (to around 30 billion) and a dramatic rise in sea levels due to global warming has led to job shortages and most remaining land being heavily developed, so most people live on some sort of government assistance. At first glance, this may sound like an ideal socialist safety net, until Bobby Draper meets some people on "Basic Assistance" firsthand: they live in cardboard boxes in a Manhattan storm drain, and their self-taught doctor informs her that they can’t afford clean drinking water or basic medications, and that he will have his hands full in the summer trying to keep deaths from dysentery to a minimum. Private property is heavily regulated (and usually seized by the government, unless the owner is extremely rich and/or connected) to the point that in the show's time-setting, a 22-acre farm in Montana[[note]]An average 21st-century family-owned farm in the US is 441 acres[[/note]] is considered extravagant and the government would like nothing better than to seize it. While issues like taxation and personal liberties aren’t addressed, what we do see doesn’t bode well.
** Mars is ''even higher'' due to its superior tech base - but it's also a hardline military dictatorship, with [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny all that implies]]. Strangely, they're actually ''better off'' than much of the system, with low population pressure, low unemployment, and (publicly) the most advanced technology. Just don't expect to shoot your mouth off and get away with it -- and be prepared to be discarded at the drop of a hat for some ephemeral "[[TheNeedsOfTheMany greater good]]." The only reason it hangs together as well as it does is because [[TheWarOfEarthlyAggression Earth makes a pretty good villain]] in interplanetary politics; every Duster knows that the reason the terraforming stalled decades ago is because of [[TallPoppySyndrome Earther embargoes]] -- while Earth loves to rub in how their environment may be screwed-up, but it's a damn sight better than what anyone else in the system has.
** The average Belter life expectancy is ''68'' -- at least when it comes to age. Low- or zero-gravity takes its toll on muscle and bone growth, hypoxic environments stunt child development, cops are often just thugs with badges, and general poverty and organized crime reign. Most Belters die a ''lot'' sooner due to the screwed-up infrastructure of their stations, let alone the rampant crime and corruption as well as strict water and air rationing. Drug use and slumlording is ignored while water theft—''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greywater greywater]]'' theft—is harshly punished. The Belter working class are stuck in highly dangerous jobs and forced to live in tight quarters. Earther and Martian corporations run operations in the Belt and outer moons with virtually no oversight and often [[NoOSHACompliance pay only lip service to employee safety and health benefits]], while paying next to nothing. Various outer moons, asteroids, and space stations are ostensibly governed, if at all, by Earth or Mars, but it’s obvious to Belters that the "Inners" don’t give a shit about them.
* CreatorProvincialism:
** A minor point, but despite the UN's OneWorldOrder, the half of Earth's interplanetary nuclear arsenal that actually gets launched in "Home" appears to come solely from the continental United States.
** Bobby Draper, a 23rd-century SpaceMarine from Mars, is awarded the Purple Heart when she's wounded.
* CreepyCleanliness: Used to some degree with the Martians and Earthers. The MCRN flagship ''Donnager'' is dark but clean and sterile, the elite levels of Ceres Station are a spotless white with islands of perfectly groomed green, and the UN headquarters in New York border on a [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas crystal spire]]. However, this is also {{subverted}} with the ''Rocinante'', which is equally clean despite becoming the protagonists' beloved home.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath:
** Beheaded by a RailGun isn't a good way to go.
** TheVirus slowly consumes whoever it infects, keeping them alive as it eats them. You only get to die when its growth stops something important, like breathing, [[spoiler:and even then that may not be the end of you]].
* CultColony: In Season 1, the Mormons are financing humanity's first GenerationShip, and Miller gets to know one of their colonist on his transit to Eros.
* CulturalPosturing: The Belter ice-hauler Paj refuses even the idea of regenerating a lost arm by declaring, "Screw the Inners and their magic Jell-O! [[PresentCompanyExcluded No offence, Holden.]] I'd rather a Belter-built fake any day!"
* CultureClash:
** Earthers vs. Martians vs. Belters.
** Havelock (an Earther) is a complete FishOutOfWater on the Belter station of Ceres.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Inverted when [[spoiler: The Donnager engages in combat with a stealth ship. The captain of the Martian flagship is initially very relaxed and almost casually confident of victory. It gradually becomes apparent that the mightiest battleship in the Martian fleet is absolutely no match for this new enemy, as the battle steadily progresses more and more badly against her. The ship is boarded by enemy troopers, and the Captain is forced to initiate a self destruct sequence. [[GoingDownWithTheShip Even at the moment of destruction]], The Donnager's captain expresses disbelief that defeat was even possible.]]
** In a moment of frustration and anger, Alex makes the mistake of getting physical with Amos, who easily overpowers him. It doesn't turn into a real fight, but Amos makes damn sure Alex knows it is a very bad idea to pick one with him.
--> '''Amos:''' I don't want to fight you, Alex. Please don't make me. 'Cause if we do, who's going to fly the ship?
** Bobbie vs [[spoiler:Jules-Pierre Mao's assassins trying to kill her, Avasarala, and Cotyar. Bobbie has gotten her PowerArmor back at this point, so when she shows up to save the other two, she [[NoSell no-sells]] all of the assassins' shots and easily wipes the floor with them]].
* CuttingTheKnot: The ''Rocinante'' is held in place by docking clamps and none of the codes the crew knows works. Alex gets around this problem by breaking off some clamps through sheer force and then simply jettisoning the fake gas tanks the remaining clamps were holding onto.
-->'''Alex:''' ''You'' are a gunship and ''I'' am a Navy pilot, so... to ''hell'' with this "gas-hauler" bullshit!
* CyanidePill: The Belter smuggler subjected to gravity torture on Earth uses ''gravity itself'' as this by wrestling out of his gravity-coping treatment during his multi-g transit to Luna, thus avoiding further interrogation and proving it wasn't going to work no matter how long they left him on those hooks.
* CyberPunk: With a bit more emphasis on the "punk" than the "cyber".
* TheCynic: Miller.
* CynicismCatalyst: Anderson Dawes's IllGirl of a sister Athena didn't just die, Dawes himself had to kill her [[ColdEquation to save the rest]] of the family, including his three other sisters.
* DaChief: Captain Shaddid of Star Helix Security is a female example.
* DarkAndTroubledPast:
** It's stated multiple times that anyone who signs up as crew for a ship like the ''Canterbury'' is probably running from something in their past. Holden left Earth because, "everything I loved was dying," and the UN Navy because he didn't want to be an oppressor. Alex is a washed-up divorcee, Shed is hiding from debts to drug dealers, and Naomi has some kind of OPA affiliation but [[NotInThisForYourRevolution doesn't believe in causes]].
** Miller's badly-fused vertebrae are described as the mark of a ward of the state who was given cheap medication as a child, and he later tells Holden he and Sematimba were {{Street Urchin}}s who stole chips from pachinko parlors and joined LawEnforcementInc Star Helix to hand out beatings instead of taking them.
** Amos is secretive about his rough background on Earth. In Season 3, a reporter accuses him of being a former gangster who took someone else's identity at the age of 17 before leaving Earth.
** During his time as a UN Marine colonel, OPA leader Fred Johnson destroyed a station full of Belter mutineers and their children even though they were trying to surrender, earning himself the epithet "TheButcher of Anderson Station".
* DarkerAndEdgier: The novels are by no means all fluffy bunnies and sunshine, but the show definitely takes a darker interpretation of the material.
* DarkReprise: A much more somber version of the main theme plays over the montage that ends "[[WhamEpisode Immolation]]". Ironically, this was the first episode to air after Syfy announced the series' cancellation, which makes the sequence [[HarsherInHindsight far sadder than was intended]] (luckily, Creator/PrimeVideo picked up the show for a fourth season a few weeks later).
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Octavia cites this as a common form of rebellion, implicitly from personal experience.
* DavidVsGoliath: In "Doors and Corners", the crew has to outfight the stealth ship that both outsizes and outguns the ''Rocinante'' to protect two {{Boarding Pod}}s attempting to breach the station the ship is protecting. It takes some fancy maneuvering around the station's habitat ring, the ''Rocinante'' takes a decent beating, and they lose a pod when the station reveals it has a functioning anti-asteroid gun, but they manage to disable both the stealth ship and the station's defences.
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:The civilzation that built the protomolecule and the ring network turns out to have been wiped out by an unknown party long ago.]]
* DeadlyEuphemism: In "Windmills", Errinwright activates a black-ops team to "take Holden off the board."
* DeadManSwitch: A rain of shrapnel damages the last of the massive explosive charges being planted by Miller and Diogo in "Godspeed", triggering the 60-second timer and forcing someone to hold their finger on a reset button to keep it from detonating. Naomi offers to remotely shut it down, but since they're short on time, [[spoiler: Miller]] decides to stay behind and detonate it himself. Events conspire to keep him from having to go through with it... at least immediately.
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Miller.
*** When asked why he wears his distinctive CoolHat, Miller claims "It keeps the rain off my head," which would be snarky even if he wasn't a lifelong inhabitant of an artificial biosphere who's never even ''experienced'' rain.
*** When told that the bomb he's holding the DeadManSwitch on needs extra work to disarm in "Home", Miller remarks, "Yep, my bomb has to be special," and once the plan changes he declares, "I'm gonna take my pet nuke for a walk."
** In "The Big Empty", Naomi doesn't take well to everyone's hesitation: "I'm sorry, does anyone need a back rub first?"
** Chrisjen Avasarala, full-stop. Just a few gems from her:
--->"No, I wasn't murdered in the last 30 seconds."\\
"I find it hard to believe that a Martian Marine would be fatigued from sitting in a chair."\\
"This is going to be very tedious if you remain this dim."
** Her bodyguard Cotyar Ghazi as well, to the point that most of his conversations with Avasarala are SnarkToSnarkCombat.
--->'''Chrisjen''': So, what do you think?\\
'''Cotyar''': Why do you pretend that you care about my opinion?\\
'''Chrisjen''': Indulge me.\\
'''Cotyar''': That's a fuckin' trap.\\
'''Chrisjen''': Oh, you're so predictable.\\
'''Cotyar''': Yeah, so are you.
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Sematimba, Admiral Souther, Cotyar, Tilly, and Diogo]] all bite the dust, unlike their (less prominent) novel counterparts.
* DeathGlare: Holden gives Naomi one when she locks him out of control of the ''Knight'''s so he can't chase stupidly after an extremely dangerous ship in "The Big Empty".
* DeathOfAChild:
** In the backstory in "Back To the Butcher", the station nuked to bits by Fred Johnson had entire families on board, and there's a shot of a dead father holding his daughter's corpse as they float through space.
** In the Season 1 finale "Leviathan Wakes", [[spoiler:the entire population of Eros station is [[HumanResources consumed]] by the protomolecule]], which is implied to include a little girl Naomi couldn't convince to leave the station with her.
* DealWithTheDevil: Naomi worries they're doing this by accepting Fred Johnson's invitation in "Back to the Butcher".
* DecontaminationChamber: The ''Roci'''s airlock doubles as one in "Salvage".
* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] has all the potential to be a main character but turns up dead instead.
* DefectorFromDecadence:
** Despite her father being one of the wealthiest men in the System, Julie Mao is fundamentally committed to opposing the Inner Planets' oppression of the Belt.
** In the eleven years since he blew up Anderson Station, Fred Johnson has transitioned from a colonel of UN SpaceMarines into a leader of the OPA. His reasons fit the trope even more once "Doors and Corners" reveals [[spoiler:his nickname and reputation are based on a lie: Anderson Station's transmissions were being jammed the entire time, and he had no idea they had surrendered.]]
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: While threatening the Martians in "The Monster and the Rocket", Holden warns them that ''"this is our only, and final, warning"''.
* DesignerBabies: Reasonably common, since Lt. Lopez describes Holden as such like it's a mundane fact in "Remember the Cant", though their dialogue implies a "full genetic mix" from eight people is more peculiar.
* DetonationMoon: The Martians destroy [[spoiler:the Saturnine moon Phoebe]] to keep Earth from investigating it first. In retaliation, Earth blows up [[spoiler:Deimos, the smaller of Mars' two moons]], reasoning that the base there is lightly staffed and of little strategic significance. Avasarala and Souther protest that this will seriously piss off the Martians, but are overruled.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Holden and Miller bear the brunt of the storytelling together throughout Season 1 and the first half of Season 2, with Avasarala and others providing a ThirdLineSomeWaiting. Afterwards, other major characters, such as Bobbie, Prax, and Anna, have their own storylines and become deuteragonists and tritagonists to the ''Rocinante'' crew.
* DiedStandingUp: Due to a combination of magnetic boots and lack of gravity, most people killed on a spaceship tend to be left floating in a standing position, which makes hallways full of bodies that much creepier.
* DidntThinkThisThrough:
** Holden's initial reaction to the loss of the ''Canterbury'' is to chase down the enemy ship, never remembering he's in a leaky lifeboat. The others have to restrain him until he calms down.
** Solomon Epstein, inventor of the Epstein drive which all current spaceships use, was tinkering with his prototype and disabled the voice recognition software because it was acting up (mainly because he didn't speak Chinese). Doing this killed him, because once he started up the drive, the g-forces pinned him to his seat, preventing him from shutting it off.
* DirtyCop:
** Star Helix is the closest thing to law on Ceres, but is generally accepted to care more about [[LawEnforcementInc profits]] than the law, and even Miller is not averse to bribes and brutality. Later, [[spoiler: their chief, Captain Shaddid, is revealed to be working for OPA boss Anderson Dawes when she fires Miller to cover up what Julie Mao was doing for the OPA.]]
** CPM is even worse than Star Helix. The majority of their officers are former gang members, and are easily bought by the PrivateMilitaryContractors working for TheConspiracy, showing no remorse in [[spoiler: exposing the citizens of Eros to the protomolecule and lethal radiation]].
* DisabilityImmunity: The children Protogen kidnapped from Ganymede possess a rare genetic defect that inhibits the growth of the protomolecule, keeping it from asserting its own will as it does in everything else it infects. However, this resistance isn't perfect, ultimately only slowing the transformation.
* DisappearedDad: Alex is one to his son.
* DisappearingBullets:
** In "Leviathan Wakes," [[spoiler: Amos]] shoots [[spoiler: Sematimba]], spattering Naomi with blood from the exit wound, but the bulkhead and panels next to her are unscathed.
** In "Doors and Corners," members of Miller's boarding party surround a group of Protogen scientists using a strange computer interface in a small room. When they react violently to being disconnected from it, the Belters panic and mow them down with full-automatic fire. As in, ''guys standing in a circle facing inward spray bullets at other guys in the middle, with their own guys just a few feet behind the targets''. Miraculously, they manage to avoid friendly fire, though Miller cringes and tries to get them to hold fire. Played somewhat for dark humor, as Miller is clearly herding cats as he tries to lead the eager but inexperienced OPA fighters.
* DisposableSexWorker:
** {{Inverted}} in "Dulcinea" when a brothel patron killed by some other thugs is simply disposed of while Miller gently reassures the sex worker witness Gia, who goes on to become a minor character via PlatonicProstitution with Havelock.
** Also inverted in "Rock Bottom" when Amos makes a point of telling a male prostitute that a potential patron is packing a knife.
* DisposableVagrant: TheConspiracy behind the protomolecule seem to consider ''[[UpToEleven all Belters]]'' this, since they infect [[spoiler: the ''entire population'' of Eros]] with the protomolecule just to see what happens.
* DistinguishingMark: Anderson Dawes has a prominent scar on his neck where a faulty EVA suit caused electrical burns. It's shared by a generation of older Belters including founding members of the OPA, and later generations (including Naomi) have similar marks tattooed on their necks as a sign of solidarity or allegiance.
* DistressCall: Holden's storyline in "Dulcinea" centres around the ''Canterbury'' receiving one from a ship called ''Scopuli''. Captain [=McDowell=] tries to pretend they never received it until Holden secretly logs it officially, leaving them legally required to respond.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** The OPA monogram is a circular O containing an A that's jagged enough to also pass for a P... kinda like some versions of the Anarchist A.
** The cry of "Remember the Cant!" deliberately echoes "Remember the Maine!", another ship who's destruction [[UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar triggered a war]].
** The stencil of Holden used by OPA members bares more than a little resemblance to the famous stencil of Che Guevara. Indeed Holden is mythologized as a freedom fighter and/or terrorist just like Guevara, even though Holden has no real political agenda.
** As aggressively nationalistic as they are, as much as they look down on Earthers and Belters, as much as they insist that ''they'' are the future of mankind, you could be forgiven for expecting the Martian Marines to start goose-stepping at any time.
** The SpaceColdWar between the United Nations on Earth and the Martian Congressional Republic doesn't even ''try'' to avoid looking like the historical UsefulNotes/{{Cold War}}. In fact, the "Vesta Blockade" mentioned in the backstory where the cold war nearly went hot can be seen as an allusion to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
** The struggles of the Belter colonies for their independence bear many parallels with those of various native resistance and independence movements seen during the height and decline of European imperialism.
* DomedHometown:
** Martians live under domes.
** Ganymede is the breadbasket of the Belt, and features large greenhouse domes that use enormous orbital mirrors to provide sufficient light.
* DoomedHometown: The ''Canterbury'' gets destroyed in the first episode, soon after Captain [=McDowell=] points out that it's effectively been Holden's home for the last five years.
* DoubleTap: When Miller shoots [[spoiler:Dresden]] in the head, he follows it up with a couple more after the man has hit the floor just to make sure.
* DueToTheDead:
** Former soldiers Holden and Fred Johnson agree on the need to return [[spoiler: Lt. Lopez]]'s body to Mars in "Rock Bottom".
** Anderson Dawes describes leaving his dead little sister in a bauxite cave they found together.
** Miller gives [[spoiler: his old friend Sematimba]] a BurialInSpace near the end of "Safe".
* TheDulcineaEffect: {{Lampshaded}}. "Dulcinea" is literally the title of the series premiere, and in it Joe Miller develops a fascination with his subject Julie Mao, and to a lesser extent James Holden (an avid Cervantes fan) wants more from his FriendWithBenefits Ade Nygaard.
* DragonInChief: In Season 1, the UN Secretary-General is an InvisiblePresident so Undersecretary-General Sadavir Errinwright is the ''de facto'' ruler of Earth. However, this turns out to be EarlyInstallmentWeirdness since the Secretary-General is introduced in Season 2.
* DramaticIrony: The audience knows Kenzo is Avasarala's spy from the moment he first appears on screen, but Holden doesn't realize it until he betrays them on Eros two episodes later.
* DramaticSpaceDrifting:
** The embracing bodies of a father and daughter get this treatment after the destruction of Anderson Station in the titular sequence in "[[{{Flashback}} Back]] to TheButcher".
** AsteroidMiner Mateo leaves his nephew Diogo this way in "Rock Bottom", instead of taking him on his SuicideAttack.
** Much like in "Back to the Butcher", this is used in "Pyre" to emphasize the horror of some Belters having some innocent Earthers and Martians ThrownOutTheAirlock.
* DrawingStraws: In "Home", Avasarala immediately proposes a lottery system for evacuating Earth.
* DreamIntro: The second episode opens with a dream that Jim has of the time he met his recently-deceased girlfriend while he was actually dozing off for a brief moment.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Although they [[DownplayedTrope sometimes display good camaraderie]], Bobbie Draper spends at lot of her screen-time shouting angrily at her squad and having [[WarHawk hawkish]] disagreements with her superior.
* DrivenToSuicide:
** The Belter smuggler who commits suicide during his transfer from Earth to Luna to avoid further interrogation using Earth's own gravity as his CyanidePill.
** Lt. Nemeroff, a crew member of the ''Thomas Prince'' who has a crisis of faith after the ship passes through the Ring and [[AteHisGun eats his gun]].
* DrivingQuestion: As in any good mystery story.
** "Who destroyed the ''Canterbury?''" and "What happened to Julie Mao?" in Season 1.
* DressingAsTheEnemy:
** Alex spends several episodes wearing an MCRN uniform, which is justified since he ''is'' ex-Martian Navy and wearing the uniform while piloting an obvious MCRN vessel to Tycho Station would allay suspicions if they were hailed.
** Holden and Miller swipe the uniforms of a pair of guards they kill on Eros so they can avoid trouble from other patrols.
* DudeNotFunny: In "Paradigm Shift", Alex catches Amos "fixing" the Martian flag on the ''Roci'' (painting out [[spoiler:Deimos, which the UN destroyed two episodes prior]]). He's far from amused, since seventeen Martians died in that event and Mars lost a significant cultural icon. [[ContinuityNod Bobbie is similarly unamused]] when she actually gets a good look at it in "Assured Destruction" after [[spoiler:she and Avasarala temporarily join the ''Rocinante'']].
* DudleyDoRightStopsToHelp: Holden chooses to force the ''Canterbury'' to investigate a DistressCall rather than ignore it, which he knows will cost them their punctual delivery bonus.
* DyingAlone:
** In "Critical Mass", we learn [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] died a horrific, agonizing death all alone in a dark hotel room as TheVirus ate them from the inside out.
** {{Subverted}} in "Godspeed" when Miller is all set to do this, even turning off his radio so he can listen to the protomolecule's babbling broadcast in peace, until events conspire to keep him alive.
** Solomon Epstein is unable to call for help after becoming immobilized by a high-g burn, and winds up dying in his chair when he suffers a stroke as a result.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** The first episode features a man who is extremely tall and fragile due to being raised in low gravity. The episode implies that this is not uncommon, but no other such character is ever seen again. While in the book, everyone raised outside of Earth's high gravity is very tall, the show's PragmaticAdaptation does away with this detail.
** In the first season, the UN Secretary-General (basically, the leader of Earth), Sorrento-Gillis, is TheGhost, and his second-in-command, Undersecretary-General Sadavir Errinwright, basically acts like the Dragon-in-Chief. Come Season 2 and onwards, Sorrento-Gillis is a significant onscreen character who sometimes overrules Sadavir's desires and doesn't always take his advice, making it weirder in hindsight that Errinwright had as much autonomy as he did with the decisions he made in Season 1.
* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Both Mars and the Belt see themselves as independent of the home planet, and Mars is in many ways more technologically advanced, but most educated people are pretty sure they aren't yet sustainable without certain resources from Earth.
* EarthThatUsedToBeBetter: Overpopulation, urban sprawl, and climate change lead Frank [=DeGraaf=] to proclaim that, "We had a garden, and we paved it."
* EiffelTowerEffect: The opening credits use the Statue of Liberty to show rising sea levels on Earth. Then a new facility is constructed to raise it back to sea level.
* EldritchAbomination: The protomolecule. In its first appearance it's squishy and cephalopodic MeatMoss surrounded by [[OccultBlueEyes occult blue]] bio-luminescent spores that runs on HumanResources. Then "Critical Mass" proves it's also [[TheVirus infectious]] via MutagenicGoo, and by "Leviathan Wakes" it has full-on CombatTentacles and can arrange its spores into a humanoid shape. And even ignoring all of that, it's frequently shown to be a complex lifeform that's only "alive" in a way humans can't normally understand it, and also [[OutsideContextProblem completely violates the laws of physics]] whenever it shows up in the story.
* ElectronicEyes: The corporate spy Kenzo has one that's featured in several POV shots in Season 1.
* EmergencyCargoDump: This is standard procedure when facing SpacePirates given Holden's desperate plea for ''Canterbury'' to eject its load of ice when attacked in "Dulcinea".
* EmptyChairMemorial: In "Home", the crew of the ''Rocinante'' pour Ganymede gin and raise a glass toward the empty chair where [[spoiler: Miller]] once sat.
* EmptyQuiver: When Earth launches half their nuclear arsenal to [[spoiler:stop Eros]], circumstances require them to hand over guidance to Fred Johnson. When the nukes prove unnecessary and Earth sends the abort codes to detonate them, Johnson manages to save and appropriate nearly 30 as an insurance policy.
* EnemyMine: In "Static", Avasarala reaches out to Fred Johnson, hoping he has solid proof of the conspiracy which he'd be willing to share. He transmits back the location of the derelict stealth ship which his team disabled in the previous episode.
* EnergyAbsorption: The protomolecule feeds on energy, as shown in "Salvage" when it's found wrapped around a deactivated reactor, and in "Critical Mass" when [[spoiler: Julie Mao smashes all her electronics in an attempt to slow its infection of her]].
* TheEngineer: Naomi and Amos' role on the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Rocinante''.
* EpicLaunchSequence: The ''Nauvoo'' is launched in "Godspeed" [[spoiler:after being hijacked by the OPA to destroy [[EldritchAbomination Eros]]]]. Being a GenerationShip, it's so big that hundreds of smaller drone-ships have to dock with it and fire their engines to help it maneuver.
* EpicTrackingShot: The series premiere, "Dulcinea", show off two of them:
** The EstablishingShot of Ceres Station begins with [[StandardizedSpaceViews ships in orbit]] before using everything from ventilation shafts to public transit to progresses continuously from floor to ceiling down through the docks, the wealthy district, and the working-class districts before finally emerging from the ceiling of the slummy marketplace at the very heart of the planet, thereby establishing not only the station's layout, but that [[AlienGeometries "down" is out]] and gravity influences property value.
** Aboard the ''Canterbury'', Holden has a WalkAndTalk with Naomi and Amos that carries them down a hallway from just outside the galley, into an elevator, up several levels, down another hallway, and onto the bridge where Holden starts up another conversation with Alex in a single take that lasts for over a minute.
* EscapePod: ''Knight'' is technically a shuttle with other primary uses (like investigating a DistressCall 20,000 km out), but it serves this purpose for Holden's crew in "The Big Empty".
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** Holden's decision to log the ''Scopuli'''s distress signal, committing the ''Canterbury'' to a dangerous rescue mission even though it could easily be a pirate trap, establishes him as the resident KnightInSourArmor.
** Avasarala is introduced tickling her grandson before hopping on a transport to oversee the ColdBloodedTorture of a tech smuggler, establishing her pretty solidly as a pragmatic anti-hero.
** Fred Johnson's first direct meeting with Holden consists of him effortlessly {{Sherlock Scan}}ning his way through Holden's bluff of having half a platoon of pissed off Martian marines on the ''Rocinante''.
* EstablishingShot: Used frequently, along with a TitleIn.
* EurekaMoment: Going through the data-broker's workshop Miller spots a [[spoiler: half-constructed robotic gerbil]] and immediately tears out of the room. It turns out [[spoiler: Julie Mao hid secret data from the broker inside a similar device]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Deep down, Jules-Pierre Mao does on some level love his daughter Julie. In fact, despite Julie's defiance, he nonetheless [[ParentalFavoritism favored her]] over her sister Clarissa.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: PlayedWith by Anderson Dawes, who professes disgust at Filat Kothari's ambush of [[spoiler:Havelock]] and offers the man's hiding location to Miller, but however real his revulsion might be what he's really looking for is leverage over Miller.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: When Holden and Naomi reveal their relationship to Amos and Alex, they cheer and groan respectively. Both had long since figured it out and were betting on when it started, a bet Alex lost.
* EveryManHasHisPrice: Anderson Dawes believes this and probes for Miller's. He's quite disappointed when Miller doesn't take up his offer of Filat Kothari's whereabouts.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Dresden, again. As he explains in "Doors and Corners", he sees the protomolecule as the key to humanity's future, as it could allow all humans to [[MasterOfYourDomain adapt to any environment]], even hard vacuum. Therefore, he sees every horrible act he's committed as merely the price of progress.
* EvolvingCredits: Starting in Season 2, the credits change to reflect in-universe developments such as [[spoiler:the destruction of Deimos, the departure of the ''Nauvoo'' from Tycho Station, and the protomolecule spreading across Venus]].
* ExactWords: Faced with "unequivocal" orders that "under no circumstance" is he to let Phoebe Station fall into UNN hands, Lt. Sutton opts to [[spoiler:destroy the entire moon rather than waste his marines' lives contesting it]].
* TheExile: In "Pyre", Fred Johnson threatens this to Holden when he chooses to [[spoiler:head for Ganymede to destroy the new source of protomolecule that has popped up. Holden isn't deterred, partly because Fred may very well no longer be in command of Tycho Station by the time Holden gets back]].
* ExoticExtendedMarriage: Polyamorous marriages aren't considered unusual. Holden has eight parents (five fathers, three mothers) since he was conceived from a mixture of all eight genetic profiles, though it's implied such marriages also produce naturally-conceived children with two "true" parents even though the others are given equal consideration as parents. Again, the series hasn't yet explored whether Holden's parents really are polyamorous or are just [[RulesLawyer using every trick at their disposal]] to keep the government from seizing their land.
* ExpandedStatesOfAmerica: Montana is said to be located in the North American Trade Zone, presumably an expanded union of the USA, Canada and Mexico. It makes sense, given that Earth is essentially united in a OneWorldOrder run by the UN, that individual countries no longer have the same sovereignty they once did.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Miller has this reaction to meeting Holden.
--> '''Miller:''' Half the system thinks your some kind of outlaw hero, but you're really kind of clueless, aren't you?
* EyeScream: Not that they're alive to feel it, but victims of the protomolecule tend to sprout crystalline structures from their eyes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:F-H]]
* FacialMarkings: Some OPA operatives have distinct facial tattoos to show which specific faction they belong to.
* {{Fainting}}: Holden passes out during the escape from the ''Donnager'', which is {{justified}} in that they are going ''really'' fast without InertialDampening and only Alex the pilot is shown getting his coping drugs.
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: [[spoiler:Sutton]] has a fantastic one as things devolve into chaos, remarking "I can't believe we're doing this" in reflection of his belief about the pointlessness of war.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: How Holden's crew find themselves in possession of a badass Martian space frigate. Bonus points for Alex having to pilot their DieOrFly escape while still groggy from a sedative he took to conserve oxygen earlier.
* FalseFlagOperation: By the end of "Remember the Cant", Earth and Mars agree the destruction of [[spoiler: the ''Canterbury'']] was one meant to [[PretextForWar start a war]] between them, with the OPA as the primary suspects. OPA leader Fred Johnson, however, doesn't know any more about the incident than they do, and in "Leviathan Wakes" it's revealed the real culprit is [[spoiler: a mysterious faction from Earth so secret that only the highest levels of government even know it exists]].
* FamedInStory:
** Undersecretary Chrisjen Avasarala is this throughout the whole series. The Belter smuggler interrogated in "The Big Empty" says he's heard "many interesting tales" about her, and MCRN Ensign Sinopoli is awestruck to meet her in person in "Reload".
** Holden becomes this after his face is put on the placards and graffiti of the "Remember the Cant" protests across the Belt. Amos snarkily offers to rearrange his face for him. The whole ''Rocinante'' crew, and Holden in particular, only becomes more and more famous as the series continues and their acts of heroism grow.
** Anna Volovodov becomes this after she plays a crucial role in [[spoiler:exposing Errinwright's treason and getting him arrested]]. When [[IntrepidReporter Monica]] needs to send out a broadcast to reassure the people in the Ring, she chooses Anna to be the one to speak because she's a known, trusted public figure whom others will listen to.
* FamousLastWords:
** "Jim, there's something you should know..." — [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard]].
** "Trust me, we're all going to be [[KilledMidSentence just fi—]]" — [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]].
** "I didn't think we could lose." — [[spoiler: Capt. Theresa Yao]].
** "It would have been nice to see an ocean on Mars." — [[spoiler: Lt. Lopez]].
** And those are just from the first four episodes; there are many, many more throughout the series.
* FanDisservice: [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] crawling around naked is the opposite of sexy since [[spoiler:she's covered in lesions from TheVirus eating her alive]].
* FantasticCasteSystem: Aboard Ceres Station, the ruling class from Earth lives and works in clean, spacious environs with hydroponic parks and the most CentrifugalGravity. The Belter middle class live in more crowded areas but still have a simulated sky and reasonable gravity. The poorest Belters live the furthest down, which is slummy and cave-like with relatively little gravity.
* FantasticRacism: Earthers vs Martians vs Belters, each with their own derogatory terms. Though all still human, each faction has been separated long enough that there are distinct physical and cultural differences. Fred Johnson puts it best: "Our language has changed, the things we care about have changed, even our bodies have changed. We look upon each other as different, and we've grown to hate each other for that."
** Belter nationalists deeply resent anyone from the Inner Planets as imperialist oppressors and have derogatory terms like ''welwala'' for {{Category Traitor}}s like Miller who admire, emulate, or work for them.
** Earthers are effectively {{Heavyworlder}}s simply because there ''are'' no heavier gravities than Earth. They have an intense attachment to land, especially land they've grown up on; this is a result of the 20th century's environmental damage, and the following two centuries they've spent repairing it. When they look at Outers, they see people surrounded by advanced technologies, while 90% of Earthers live in shantytowns. The common belief is that Earth is the only "real" planet and the rest of the system [[EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse exists to support it]].
--->'''Chrisjen Avasarala:''' Earth must come first.
** Martians have adapted to a lower-oxygen breathing mix, and are more resistant to radiation due to Mars' lack of an atmosphere. They are equally obsessed with the terraformation of Mars; as a result, they have an almost fascistic dedication to their government and chains of command, being willing to die without a second thought if ordered to. They also consider themselves superior to those who live on Earth, given that they have had to work and dedicate their whole lives to make their planet even mildly liveable, and deplore both Earthers laissez-faire attitudes and the fact that they receive "handouts" and "free drugs" to cope with their "aimless" lives. They hold Belters in disdain in turn because of their obsession with resources; filthy laborers who become insanely violent if a single drop of water is spilled on a floor.
--->'''Franklin [=DeGraaf=]:''' ...an entire culture dedicated to a common goal, working together as one to turn a lifeless rock into a garden.
** Belters have long, thin bones due to lack of gravity, numerous ailments due to inconsistent nutrition, and a fraction of the lifespans of Earthers or Dusters. They are 110% focused on ''survival'' - space is such an unforgiving environment that everyone who ''wasn't'' obsessed to that extent is long dead. This means they are for most intents and purposes HumanAliens. They look at Inners and see people whose lives are a hell of a lot easier than theirs -- absentee landlords to the 22nd century equivalent of 19th century African colonies or Appalachia in Space -— a place where poor local people dig out their natural resources at the behest of distant outsiders who "own" the land, get paid a pittance, and spend it on manufactured goods made by the same distant outsiders. An Earther newcomer is bewildered by the riots triggered by the destruction of the ''Canterbury'', but Miller is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality ambivalent]] -- it doesn't matter if they didn't need it at that precise moment, ''someone'' fucked with their water supplies and that means ''someone'' is getting ThrownOutTheAirlock.
--->'''Miller:''' Belters don't take the long view when you screw with basic resources. That water was future air, propellant mass, and potables for us. We have no sense of humor about that shit.
* FantasticShipPrefix:
** Earther and Martian warships use N for Navy instead of S for Ship in their acronyms, creating UNN (United Nations Navy) and MCRN (Mars Congressional Republic Navy) rather than UNS and MCRS.
** The Mormon colony ship ''Nauvoo'' is prefixed LDSS (presumably for Latter Day Saints Ship).
* FantasticSlurs:
** "Long Bone" and "Skinny" are used as insults against Belters because of their much longer but weaker bone structure caused by childhoods spent in low-''g''. BoomerangBigot Miller is the first character to use both.
** Martians are known derisively as "Dusters" for the aridness of their home-world, [[NWordPrivileges though Bobbie Draper freely calls a fellow Martian "one of the toughest Dusters I've served with" in "Static"]]. The term "Mickie" is also thrown around in reference to Martian Navy personnel, likely derived from the first two letters of MCRN.
** Belters derisively refer to people from Earth and Mars collectively as "Inners" or "Inyalowda", and any fellow Belter who supports, imitates, or shows interest in them as a "welwala."
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Despite all his talk about JustFollowingOrders and the ''Roci'' crew's decision to ''not'' simply have him ThrownOutTheAirlock, [[spoiler: Kenzo]] doesn't hesitate to reveal their location to his employers at the first opportunity.
* FatalFamilyPhoto: {{Subverted}} by Alex Kamal, who's still going strong despite treasuring a physical photograph of his family in a world where nearly all photographs are solely digital.
* TheFatalist: Amos, when he talks about "the Churn":
--> '''Amos:''' When the jungle tears itself down and builds itself into something new guys like you and me, we end up dead; doesn't really mean anything. Or we happen to live through it. Well, that doesn't mean anything either.
* AFatherToHisMen:
** Fred Johnson is plainly apprehensive for his troops when preparing for battle in "Doors and Corners".
** Lieutenant Sutton aborts his Martian marines' mission to land on Phoebe when he realizes Earth will get there first with ten times as many troops, not wanting to sacrifice them needlessly.
* FauxAffablyEvil:
** Anderson Dawes is soft-spoken, articulate, and publicly prevents an assault on an innocent Martian in the wake of the ''Canterbury'' incident, but in private he has no qualms about ignoring Julie Mao's distress call or having Miller kidnapped, tortured, and ThrownOutTheAirlock.
** Jules-Pierre Mao presents himself to the world as a charming captain of industry but secretly has some truly nefarious plans.
* TheFederation: {{Deconstructed}}. The United Nations [[JustForFun/XMeetsY mixes and matches]] this with PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny, being at least partially democratic, and maintaining order on Luna and the Belt, but also having its share of corruption, and being strongly opposed to Belter independence in order to maintain control of the belt's resources, providing plenty of reason for others to see it as TheEmpire.
* TheFettered: Holden has the inflexible moral code of a KnightErrant.
* Fiction500:
** Jules-Pierre Mao is the richest man in the solar system.
** Hillman's family own all the terraforming stations on Mars, and she is mentioned to have a hefty inheritance waiting for her.
* FictionalCurrency. Plastic token have completely replaced paper money, at least out in the Belt.
* FightToSurvive:
** The SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty", which requires a lot of MacGyvering.
** The protagonists' escape from the ApocalypseHow on Eros, both Naomi's MacGyvering navigation and Holden and Miller's struggle to reach the ''Rocinante'' while also slowly degenerating from radiation poisoning.
** A protomolecule Hybrid stows away onto the ''Rocinante'', and the crew end up in one of these as they try to get it out of their ship and destroy it in "Caliban's War".
** The protagonists have to do this again in the Ring, especially in "Abaddon's Gate", where it's taken UpToEleven: [[spoiler:they have to stop Ashford from firing at the Ring Station, which will cause it to see humanity as a threat and not only kill everyone ''in'' the Ring (including nearly all the major characters), but destroy the entire solar system, killing ''all of humanity'']].
* FireForgedFriends: Being LockedInARoom during a SinkingShipScenario makes the ''Canterbury'' survivors somewhat hostile with each other during "The Big Empty", as does Lt. Lopez's interrogation in "Remember the Cant", but they come out the other side as this.
* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: The ''Canterbury'' is destroyed in the premiere. The third episode is even titled "[[RememberTheAlamo Remember the Cant]]".
* FishOutOfWater: Havelock, a newly arrived Star Helix employee from Earth, serves as the NaiveNewcomer for all things Belter.
* {{Flashback}}:
** "Back to the Butcher" has a flashback to a takeover of a mining station by the workers, ending in them being slaughtered by the UN, to establish the {{backstory}} of Fred Johnson, "TheButcher" who slaughtered them.
** "Critical Mass" starts off with a flashback that fills in the remaining gaps in Julie Mao's story up to Holden and Miller's arrival at her apartment on Eros.
** "Paradigm Shift" goes back 137 years to show how Solomon Epstein created (and lost his life to) the Epstein fusion drive, as a demonstration of how a new technology changes everything going forward.
** "Intransigence" reveals that [[spoiler:Melba]] is actually Clarissa Mao, Jules-Pierre's daughter and Julie's sister. We see more of Julie's tempestuous relationship with her father, and how, despite Clarissa being the obedient daughter while Julie was the rebellious one, their father still [[ParentalFavoritism preferred the latter]], to [[TheUnfavorite the former's resentment]].
* FlechetteStorm: The shrapnel from the destruction of [[spoiler: the ''Marasmus'']] rains down on Miller and Diogo in "Godspeed", creating a hole in Miller's suit and damaging the timer on one of the bombs they were setting up.
* FlippingTheBird:
** Naomi gives Lt. Lopez the "okay" circle that means "asshole" in some real-life countries when he demands to see her hands in "Remember the Cant".
** Drummer playfully flips off Fred Johnson in "Home" by extending all four fingers with her index and middle finger crossed.
* ForeignQueasine: Though mushrooms aren't particularly taboo, a Belter technician eating one he found on some grey-water pipes in a maintenance shaft earns a slight sideways glance even from Miller. Lower-class Belters waste nothing.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The Blue Falcon Hotel's name is a big clue as to what will happen there. See MeaningfulName below.
** If you look closely at the damages inflicted on the armor suits of the UN and Martian marines on Ganymede, it's pretty obvious that these weren't caused by weapons fire (they look very reminiscent of claw marks), which foreshadows two things: [[spoiler:the brief appearance of the protomolecule hybrid [[FiveSecondsForeshawoding directly after the battle]], and the later revelation that the top brass in both governments knew from the beginning that this wasn't actually an Earth-Mars border clash]].
* ForgottenFallenFriend: {{Subverted}} in "Rock Bottom" when, after several episodes without mention, Holden and Naomi make toasts ToAbsentFriends for [[spoiler: [[SacrificialLamb Shed Garvey]] and the [[{{Redshirt}} Martian marines]] from the ''Donnager'']], though not for [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and crew of the ''Canterbury'']] (who get a subtler AndThisIsFor in "Salvage" when the crew [[spoiler: nukes the ''Anubis'']]).
* ForScience: Dresden's main motivation. So much so, in fact, that he's willing to betray his own employers so long as his current captors permit him to continue his research.
* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The ''Rocinante'' crew:
** '''The Optimist:''' Holden, the charismatic and idealistic leader who doggedly does the right thing.
** '''The Realist:''' Naomi, the caring but practical supporting leader.
** '''The Cynic:''' Amos, the antisocial follower who prioritizes action and survival over discussion and morality.
** '''The Apathetic:''' Alex, the laid-back non-action guy whose real love is just piloting his ship.
* FreudianExcuse: Holden was conceived specifically to keep the government from seizing his parents' land and so grew up seeing himself as meant to fight injustice.
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Anna's ReasonYouSuckSpeech to Clarissa/[[spoiler:Melba]] in "Congregation" pretty much boils down to this:
-->I keep looking for a way to care about you. I think, "Her father was a terrible person." But a lot of people have terrible parents, and...I think "Well, she's clearly a damaged person", but then...who isn't? So, I'm down to "Maybe she has a brain tumor?"[[{{Beat}} ...]]Do you have a brain tumor?
* FriendsWithBenefits: Jim Holden and Ade Nygaard had this kind of arrangement. He wanted it to escalate into a romantic relationship, but she was reluctant to let it do so. This was mooted by [[spoiler:her death when the ''Canterbury'' was destroyed]].
* FromBadToWorse: The initial adventure of Holden's crew in four words. In four episodes, they survive the destruction of two ships, in between which they have to cope with a SinkingShipScenario, imprisonment, interrogation, and infighting.
* FunctionalAddict: Miller might very well be TheAlcoholic, but it never gets in the way of his job.
* FutureFoodIsArtificial: Kenzo offers to show the ''Rocinante'' crew to a place on Eros that makes "ochre-infused [[ArtificialMeat tank-grown ribs]]".
* TheFutureIsNoir: {{Justified}} in exterior space and especially powered-down ships, where helmet-mounted lights are the main source of light.
* FutureSlang: Belter speech is full of this, even when they're speaking English rather than full-on Belter Creole.
* GaiasLament: The result of 30+ billion people on Earth. Put most poignantly when Franklin [=DeGraaf=] laments that while the Martians are building a garden, "We [[EarthThatUsedToBeBetter had a garden]], and we paved it."
* TheGamblingAddict: Paj, the ice-hauler who loses in arm in "Dulcinea" is probably one, since his improved investment plan for his upcoming bonus is to avoid his prior mistake of visiting the casino ''before'' the brothel and offers to bet on who can load ice faster.
* GatlingGood:
** Warships continue to use oversized gatling guns for point defense and close quarters combat alike. Since only cruisers and battleships appear to be capable of mounting the much more powerful [[MagneticWeapons railguns]], any smaller class of warships lays down a dense hail of armor-piercing bullets instead that usually kills the target ship's crew without dealing critical damage to the ship itself.
** The {{Arm Cannon}}s Martian Marines wield integrated into their PoweredArmor take the shape of ultra-compact, belt-fed miniguns chambered in a 6.5mm caliber that's available with a variety of bullet types.
* GenderBlenderName: Julie Mao's code name is Lionel Polanski.
* GenerationShips: Said to be the largest and most complex ship ever constructed, the Mormon Church is funding construction of the colossal LDSS ''Nauvoo'', a ship designed to make a 100-year journey to another solar system (the setting's hard sci-fi limits prohibit anything faster) in hopes of colonizing a new world. Since life expectancies commonly exceed 100 years in this setting, some original crew members may live to see their destination, but they'll still spend the majority of their lives on the ship.
* GeniusLoci: The protomolecule basically turns a spaceship into this, scaring the hell out of both Julie Mao and Holden's crew. Then [[spoiler: it's released on Eros and does the same thing with the entire asteroid]].
* GermanicEfficiency: The Martians fit the bill. Their technology is top-notch, their soldiers are stoic and expeditious, and their complex infrastructure is implied to be a marvel. This makes sense for a culture whose only prerequisite is the resolve to commit their lives to turning a lifeless rock into a garden.
* GetOut: The co-pilot of ''The Weeping Somnambulist'' yells this at the ''Roci'' crew when their attempt to prevent her ship from being hijacked gets her husband killed.
* TheGhost: The UN Secretary-General is referred to but never shown in Season 1, though this is later {{subverted}} when he does show up in Seasons 2 and 3.
* GhostShip:
** The series' opening scene centres on Julie Mao escaping from a cell to discover a derelict ship inhabited only by empty, floating space suits and an EldritchAbomination.
** In the same episode, Holden's crew investigate a DistressCall from the ''Scopuli'', but find no evidence of its crew except one creepy floating helmet. Its reactor is powered down, there's a huge hole in the side, and the DistressCall is actually coming from a module obviously left to draw in an InnocentBystander.
---> '''Amos:''' [[OhCrap Pirate bait]]...
** Holden's crew investigate another one in "Salvage", or rather the same one Julie Mao explored in the premiere.
** The footage of the interior of the stealth ship defeated by the ''Rocinante'' in "Doors and Corners" looks like this when Avasarala sends a drone to investigate it in "Godspeed".
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: Errinwright is introduced doing this when chiding Avasarala for using gravity torture.
* GlobalWarming: Anthropocentric climate change as a result of Earth supporting thirty billion industrialized humans is more than enough to raise Earth's sea levels several meters, producing changes in global geography.
** The Statue of Liberty's base is now below sea level, so it -- along with [[BigApplesauce Manhattan Island]] -- is surrounded by levees.
** When Bobbie Draper wants to see the ocean, she's able to reach it without leaving Manhattan since, in the 23rd century, [[http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/12/15/459789135/in-a-solar-system-really-close-by-the-expanse-comes-to-tv the East River is effectively part of the Atlantic Ocean.]]
** The Hamptons is now a separate island from Long Island, and is the location of a UN BlackSite.
** The Yukon is now an archipelago, with the city of Anchorage (where Franklin [=DeGraaf=] and his husband later move to) now being situated on an island within it.
* GoingDownWithTheShip: Captain Yao scuttles the ''Donnager'' once it's clear the ship will be captured.
* GoingNative: Holden is accused of this for being so pro-Belter, though he's actually adopted basically none of their language or culture.
* GoLookAtTheDistraction: Anderson Dawes escapes with [[spoiler:Cortazar]] by having Diogo fly off in his ship so the ''Rocinante'' will give chase, while Dawes and his men escape in a smaller shuttle during the commotion.
* GoneHorriblyRight: The prototype for the engine which allowed feasible interplanetary travel worked so well during its test run that it not only doomed its creator to death by aneurysm from continuous acceleration within minutes, it also rendered the craft unrecoverable - after 37 hours of constant boost at 7 Gs, it's ''still'' shooting out of the solar system at 5% of lightspeed.
* GoodFeelsGood: Sardonically invoked by Cotyar when discussing whether Chrisjen should turn in Errinwright in for his role in the Eros incident.
-->''I'd forgotten what it felt to be fighting for the good guys. It's nice. I like it.''
* GoodGuyBar: Holden's crew has a few drinks in one on Tycho. Moreover, Amos interviews a male prostitute because, "You can tell a lot about a place by how they treat their people," and ascertains the place is this trope because the answer is, "[[BenevolentBoss Better than most]]."
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: According to Ade, Holden is "entirely too good" at sex.
* GoodSamaritan:
** Why Holden logs the DistressCall that forces the ''Canterbury'' to investigate the ''Scopuli''.
** The ''Marasmus'' contains a crew of these who came to Eros to try to provide medical and humanitarian aid in "Godspeed". It gets them all killed when they learn of the protomolecule and Holden reluctantly blows up their ship to keep them from possibly spreading the protomolecule.
** After the Ring [[spoiler:drastically lowers the speed limit, killing hundreds of people and injuring hundreds more on all the ships that are inside it]], Ashford offers that any of these ships who wish to do so [[spoiler:may dock at the ''OPAS Behemoth'' for medical treatment, since it's the only ship in the Ring that's capable of creating ArtificialGravity, and gravity is necessary for the wounded to be able to heal properly]].
* GoodShepherd: Miller meets a Mormon one on the transport to Eros.
* GovernmentConspiracy: TheConspiracy includes [[spoiler: UN Deputy Undersecretary Sadavir Errinwright]].
* GovernmentDrugEnforcement: Lt. Lopez mentions "free drugs" as part of the decadent welfare state on Earth.
* GodzillaThreshold: In "It Reaches Out", having been framed for a crime they didn't commit and finding themselves on the business end of weapons by two different fleets, Holden orders Alex to fly the ''Roci'' [[spoiler:into the Ring, counting on the decelerating field to stop the missile just fired at them while the ship does a hard burn at the last moment to keep them from being turned into paste]].
* GrammarNazi: Kenzo is mildly annoyed that Amos thinks "Anubis" is pronounced "An-you-bis".
* GratuitousLatin: AncientGrome provides many middle names in the 23rd Century: Juliet ''Andromeda'' Mao, Fredrick ''Lucius'' Johnson, and ''Josephus Aloisus'' Miller.
* GravityScrew: In "Dandelion Sky", [[spoiler:after Bobby's commander throws a grenade inside the alien space station at the heart of the slow zone, the station retaliates by suspending him above the ground, disassembling the commander's body, and then using his mass to repair the damage done by the grenade. It then adjusts the slow zone to a fraction of what it previously was, causing every ship within the slow zone to suddenly halt, killing hundreds and critically injuring many more from the massive g-forces.]]
* GreaterScopeVillain: DoubleSubverted. Dresden believes that ''someone'' deliberately steered Phoebe (and the protomolecule) into the solar system to wipe out Earth-based life, and that they will likely return to finish the job someday. [[spoiler:He's right that it was sent by an intelligence, but wrong about the rest: those guys just wanted to create another Ring for their PortalNetwork, but now they're all dead, and it's hinted that whatever killed ''them'' may become a threat to humanity in the future]].
* GrenadeHotPotato: In "Here There Be Dragons", a grenade is tossed through a door at the ''Roci'' crew. Amos ''[[ConsummateProfessional instantly]]'' screams "Grenade!", scoops it up, pitches it back through the door, then slams it shut and ducks for cover. [[spoiler:The grenade ends up releasing the protomolecule creature that was being held in the room, [[KarmicDeath which proceeds to kill pretty much every one of the aggressors save a scientist]], who remains alive just long enough to bitterly explain how karmic the whole thing was before bleeding out. The creature escapes through an airlock.]]
* GuileHero: Being a BadassBureaucrat means Avasarala can get her way in just about anything with a conversation or two.
* GutturalGrowler: Avasarala of course has Creator/{{Shohreh Aghdashloo}}'s trademark rasp, and Creator/ChadLColeman adds noticeable gravel to his already husky voice to portray Fred Johnson.
* HadToBeSharp: There's little room in the Belt for weakness, as Anderson Dawes' deceased sister could tell you.
* HappilyMarried:
** Chrisjen Avasarala and her husband Arjun are shown to love each other dearly, even if the latter is a minor SatelliteCharacter.
** Frank [=DeGraaf=] and his husband Craig were this, before the former's death devastated the latter.
* HardboiledDetective: Miller lives, acts, and even ''dresses'' like one in his dark coat and trilby hat.
* HatesSmallTalk: Holden's mother Elise and Avasarala have this exchange in "Windmills":
-->'''Elise:''' Can we stop with the bullshit, now?\\
'''Avasarala:''' Oh, I had a little left about how charming your home is.
* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: A non-fatal example when [[spoiler: Captain Shaddid]] asks this of Miller regarding the secret files he found in [[spoiler: Julie Mao's apartment]]; after confirming he hasn't, she reveals she's working for the OPA, confiscates the files, and [[spoiler: fires him]].
* HeavyWorlder: Earthers, [[JustifiedTrope by virtue of the fact humanity has yet to colonize a celestial body with higher gravity]]. This is most pronounced in the case of Bobbie, an elite Martian Marine who is accounted as the best fighter of all the main cast, but as a native Martian she can barely walk on arrival to Earth. The trade-off is that Earthers also require more food and oxygen in comparison to Martians and Belters.
* HeelFaceTurn:
** Subversion: In "Cascade", [[spoiler: Errinwright goes to Avasarala and confesses his involvement with Jules-Pierre Mao, providing plenty of evidence, all because between Eros and the apparent SuperSoldiers on Ganymede, things have gone too far beyond what he was expecting when he signed up to the conspiracy. It's then darkly subverted when it soon becomes clear that he only intends to fan the flames of war between Earth and Mars in order to help cover his own tracks.]]
** Played straight: [[spoiler:Melba/Clarissa Mao]] is left feeling deeply remorseful for her actions in the second half of season 3, which include framing Holden and hurting or brutally killing numerous people in order to [[spoiler:get revenge on Holden for her father, Jules-Pierre Mao]]. Her guilt, combined with a ReasonYouSuckSpeech from Anna and overhearing a conversation between [[spoiler:Holden and Naomi]] that makes her realize she was wrong about him, convinces her to give up on her revenge and change her ways, and even leads to an attempted HeroicSacrifice as she [[spoiler:saves the two of them from being killed by Ashford and stops him from firing at the Ring Station, essentially saving the day and all of humanity.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch:
** Holden blows up a GoodSamaritan medical ship which had come to provide assistance to Eros, only to learn of the protomolecule and intend to spill the beans to the entire system. Holden feared that more ships would come and inadvertently spread the protomolecule, and the medical ship had already lost a man due to their ill-advised attempt to help.
** Cotyar kills Theo the electrician to keep Avasarala's location a secret, as he doesn't believe Theo would keep his mouth shut if the UNN put effort into making him talk. Admiral Nguyen even lampshades it, noting that Theo looked like the kind of guy who would talk, as opposed to the tight-lipped Cotyar.
* HellHolePrison: Alex mentions "breaking big rocks into little ones on Olympus Mons" as a likely punishment for not co-operating with the crew of the ''Donnager'' in "Remember the Cant".
* TheHero: Holden, though his HeroComplex has a depressing tendency of causing even ''more'' trouble in this CrapsackWorld.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Holden has a brief one in "Dulcinea" when the ''Canterbury'' is destroyed.
** Miller suffers one upon [[spoiler: finding the mutated corpse of Julie Mao]] and loses his moral compass for a while afterward, shooting a guard in the guts to use him as a [[CantKillYouStillNeedYou ploy to get past other guards]].
** Holden goes into one after the Ring Station [[spoiler:shows him visions of the past, including how it destroyed entire ''star systems'' that it perceived as a threat]].
* HeroicComedicSociopath: Deconstructed - The rest of the Canterbury crew clearly find Amos' capacity for violence '''terrifying''', and only the fact that they are in a life-or-death situation and need him (as well as being scared) stop them from calling him out. As the series continues, it reveals more on more of his upbringing, which includes possibly being a victim of, but definitely witnessing, child prostitution and forced prostitution of adults. Amos himself understands that his mind does not function the same way as most peoples', and he realizes how detrimental this can be and takes measures to work around his limitations, such as relying on his friends for a moral compass. When they meet a character who has had brain surgery to remove his empathy, he is the only one able to understand his motivations well enough to interrogate him, and afterward quizzes him about whether the process might be reversible, and briefly spirals into a depression when the answer is "no".
* HeroicSacrifice:
** The Martian marines battle the unknown BoardingParty to get Holden's crew to a shuttle so they can escape to BringNewsBack. Only Lt. Lopez even makes it to the ship, and he dies from his wounds shortly after.
** {{Subverted|Trope}} with Miller in "Godspeed", when he stays behind to man a DeadManSwitch until the ''Nauvoo'' rams Eros, only for [[spoiler: the protomolecule to cause the asteroid to ''dodge'' the incoming ship]].
** PlayedStraight in "Home" when [[spoiler: Miller stays on Eros to talk Julie--who's become the central brain of the protomolecule's GeniusLoci--into hitting Venus instead of Earth by allowing himself to be infected and riding the asteroid down]].
** In order to maintain a target lock, the ''Rocinante'' crew agrees to do a ''very'' hard burn to keep [[spoiler:Eros]] in visual range, fully knowing this will eventually create g-forces strong enough to kill them, though in the end it's {{subverted}} when an alternative presents itself and they can slow down before that happens.
** [[spoiler:Drummer]] attempts this on two separate occasions (once to save Ashford, and once to try to [[spoiler:take Diogo down with her so he can't stop Holden and Naomi]]). The first one counts as a non-fatal example since she survives with serious injuries (though she didn't think she was going to), and in the second case, Naomi manages to take care of the problem before she goes through with it.
** [[spoiler:Clarissa]] also has non-fatal one that she didn't expect to survive in "Abaddon's Gate" to [[spoiler:stop Ashford and his men from killing Holden and Naomi and firing the laser at the Ring Station (which would lead to it destroying the entire solar system); she takes a shot to the gut, but lives]].
* HeroStoleMyBike:
** The Martian frigate ''Tachi'' is repurposed as the ''Rocinante'', although characters debate whether it's a [[InsistentTerminology legit salvage]] or thievery.
** Done on a massive scale, twice over, when the generation ship ''Nauvoo'' is first taken from the Mormons to deal with the Eros crisis, and then, [[spoiler:after it's retrieved by the OPA, they keep it instead of returning it and turn into their flagship, the ''Behemoth'']].
* HerrDoktor: He lacks the accent, but you don't name your MadScientist "Dresden" without this in mind.
* HiddenDepths:
** Anderson Dawes shows off his in "Rock Bottom".
** Errinwright supported TheConspiracy through some pretty nefarious stuff when it was developing a bio-weapon that could tip the BalanceOfPower in Earth's favour, but when events in "Home" turn it into a threat against Earth itself he has a serious freak-out.
---> '''Errinwright:''' You call yourself "a man of the System", but I'm not: ''Earth'' is my home, so whenever you're ready I'd really appreciate it if you'd make a [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] appearance and rein in your ''goddamn science experiment''!
** Zig-zagged when Amos suddenly notes that a crushed muscle can result in fatal potassium poisoning. That's some detailed medical knowledge for such a bruiser, but Prax immediately notes that it's information about "hurting people."
* HighSpeedMissileDodge:
** {{Subverted|Trope}} in "Dulcinea" when Holden's crew attempts to do this by ducking behind an the nearby asteroid, but it turns out the torpedo wasn't actually aiming for them.
** In "Godspeed", this is done on an asteroid-sized scale when [[spoiler:the protomolecule manages to make the whole of Eros dodge the incoming ''Nauvoo'']].
** Bobbie has to attempt this very carefully with missiles from [[spoiler:a UN ship working for Errinwright]]; if she goes too slow, the missiles will hit them, but if she goes too fast while trying to get away from them, the G-forces will [[spoiler:give the elderly Avasarala a stroke and kill her]]. Luckily for them, [[spoiler:the ''Rocinante'' shows up to defend them]].
** In "It Reaches Out", two different ships from two different navies fire on the ''Rocinante'' after Holden is framed for a terrorist attack on a UN ship. On instructions from [[spoiler:"Miller" (a manifestation of the protomolecule that only Holden can see), Holden has Alex enter the Ring at a slow enough speed to not trigger the "speed limit"]] to avoid the missile.
* HiredGuns: TheConspiracy recruits gang members from other stations to work as these for CPM on Eros.
* HistoryRepeats: Colonies crave independence - and [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized will do anything to get it]].
** The SpaceColdWar between Earth and Mars has many parallels with the 20th century Cold War between the USA (Earth) and the USSR (Mars). The [[NoodleIncident Vesta Blockade]] nearly caused a shooting war decades ago, much like the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** The conspiracy found the protomolecule and unleashed it on Eros to discover its purpose and hopefully harness it for their own. Instead, [[spoiler:they gave the protomolecule the means to get back to its mission, as it is able to push Eros out of orbit and aim it at Earth]].
** When caught by the ''Rocinante'' crew, other members of TheConspiracy try to dispose of them via grenade. Amos ''immediately'' tosses it back at them [[spoiler: allowing one of their protomolecule experiments to escape and slaughter them all.]]
** Admiral Nguyen [[spoiler:remotely launches pods containing protomolecule hybrids from the secret facility on Io. One of the pods collides with the Admiral's ship, infecting it with the protomolecule and ultimately leading to the deaths of everyone on board.]]
* HollywoodHealing: The cast frequently suffer from grievous injuries and diseases, including cancer, that are brushed off in an episode or two due to advanced medical technology.
* HoneyTrap: Miller accuses Gia of being this in "Back to the Butcher". [[AvertedTrope She's not]] and responds by yelling "Fuck you!" in Belter Creole.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Gia, the Belter prostitute Havelock visits to learn more about Belter culture and language. She even visits him in the hospital after he's wounded taking it on himself to patrol her district during the riots. She doesn't take it well when Miller mocks them and accuses her of being a HoneyTrap.
* HopeSpot:
** Someone picked up the ''Knight's'' signal! Oh wait, it's a Martian battleship, presumably coming to finish the job their stealth ship started.
** [[spoiler:Dr. Strickland]] has one of these when Amos stops Prax from killing him, thinking he is saving his life. In fact, Amos was preventing Prax from dirtying his hands, and [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork does it himself]].
* AHouseDivided:
** Holden's crew don't exactly see eye-to-eye during their desperate situation in "The Big Empty", leading to some tense moments including Amos holding a gun to Holden's head. They get along [[FireForgedFriends much better afterward]].
** They have another case of this in "IFF" when they receive the distress signal sent out from [[spoiler:the ''Razorback'' by Bobbie and Avasarala]]; Holden and Amos want to ignore it (since they're already on a time-sensitive mission to help Prax get his daughter back), while Naomi and Alex want to help (especially once they realize what ship it is). Their [[SixthRanger temporary fifth member]], Prax, breaks the tie and decides they should respond to it.
* HowWeGotHere: The first half of "Critical Mass" is devoted to catching the audience up on what's been happening to Julie Mao all season.
* HumanityIsInfectious: In "Home", it's revealed that [[spoiler: Julie Mao's consciousness became the keystone of protomolecule's GeniusLoci on Eros. Miller even muses, "The protomolecule infected her; what if she infected the protomolecule back?"]]
* HumanResources:
** The coroner Miller deals with on Ceres implies that most people who die on Belter stations are recycled as fertilizer unless they have contrary religious directives on file.
** [[spoiler: The entire population of Eros]] are turned into this for the protomolecule in "Leviathan Wakes".
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Miller resignedly declares, "The stars are better off without us," after detailing his plan to [[spoiler: "commandeer" the GenerationShip that constitutes humanity's first attempt at interstellar travel]].
* HumanShield: Amos puts Alex in a choke-hold and proposes using him as this when he accuses Naomi in "Remember the Cant".
* HurlItIntoTheSun:
** Understandably uncomfortable with storing the protomolecule sample in the container from the ''Anubis'' on their ship, Amos suggests they use a missile to fire it into the sun. Naomi vetoes the idea, as the sample may prove useful in formulating a vaccine. As a compromise, they instead stick it in a missile with proximity sensors and leave it free-floating at an abandoned asteroid mine, far from anyone who might think to look for it or even stumble upon it.
** They later come back and retrieve the sample again to do this for real, [[spoiler:but Naomi still disagrees, so she secretly hides it once more and gives its location to Fred Johnson, to make sure that the Belt has a sample of it. Needless to say, her crewmates are ''not'' pleased when they learn about this]].
** Miller gets the idea to use the ''Nauvoo'' to ram Eros and push it into the sun. [[spoiler:It probably would have worked, had the protomolecule not constructed engines on Eros to push the asteroid out of its orbit and straight at Earth.]]
* HyperAwareness: Comes in drug form for Martian interrogators.
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: [[spoiler:Inside the ring is a hyperspace bubble that stops anything moving above a certain speed, potentially lethally for the crew, destroys anything that breaches the bubble except at the ring, and has a strange construct in the center which draws things toward it. Then we learn ''something'' is living in there, and it wiped out the civilization that made the ring.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** The Mars government as a whole has a superiority complex compared to Earth, and Martians see themselves as the true future of humanity, but they look down on and oppress the Belt just as much as Earth does, even though Martians actually have quite a bit in common with the Belt themselves.
** Jules-Pierre Mao. His daughter Julie [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him on it]] in a message found in "The Big Empty". He proves it beyond a doubt in "Critical Mass" when he [[spoiler: wipes away a tear for his dead daughter, then immediately orders the same MutagenicGoo that killed her injected into thousands of people]].
** Anderson Dawes's ColdEquation story about his life to Miller paints him as this in Miller's eyes, since he talks about the importance of sacrificing one's life for a cause [[spoiler:and is heavily implied to have purposely never answered Julie Mao's distress call and allowed her to die]], but is unwilling to make this sacrifice himself.
** Dr. Antony Dresden describes what the protomolecule does to a human being as "incredible" and the victim as "fortunate" and "blessed"...while being very careful to make sure that he himself does not become infected by it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:I-N]]
* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: Amos feels this way about, "Bombs away!" in "Godspeed".
* IChooseToStay: In "Here There Be Dragons", [[spoiler:Naomi]] chooses to stay on Ganymede to help people escape before its inevitable collapse. [[spoiler:Amos joins her, while Holden, Prax, and Alex go hunting for the protomolecule creature that was made there.]]
* IconicItem: Miller's trilby hat.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: every season finale is a TitleDrop to whichever [[Literature/TheExpanse book]] that season was dramatizing.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler: Miller to Julie]] at the end of "Home".
* ILetGwenStacyDie: How Miller feels after [[spoiler: finding Julie's body]] in "Salvage".
* IllGirl: In "Rock Bottom", Anderson Dawes describes his deceased sister Athena as ultimately getting too ill to even travel.
* ImaginaryFriend: Miller starts hallucinating about Julie Mao in "Leviathan Wakes". While at the time this could be seen as a side effect of the radiation poisoning he's suffering, the hallucinations continue into Season 2.
* ImmigrantPatriotism:
** Fred Johnson is an Earther who's taken up the Belters' cause as a major OPA leader.
** Travis is a Martian marine who immigrated to the red planet from Earth when he was 5.
* ImminentDangerClue: Amos notices Kenzo's restlessness and the suspicious bystanders in the lobby of the Blue Falcon and begins slowly reaching for his gun. When Kenzo runs for it, a full-on gunfight breaks out.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Some angry Belter thugs shoot [[spoiler: Havelock]] through the chest with a piece of rebar in "Remember the Cant". [[spoiler: Thanks to advanced medicine, he gets better]].
* ImportantHaircut: Miller shaves off his BeardOfSorrow and gives himself a more Belter-style haircut in "Static".
* ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering: When the ''Donnager'''s engines cut out and leave them free-floating in "CQB", Holden quickly tethers himself to Naomi and kicks off her to get down to engage his mag-boots and pull her back down as well, all while under fire from the enemy BoardingParty.
* ImStandingRightHere: Naomi jokingly chides Miller for being "weird and chatty under pressure" just like Holden while Holden is right beside her. [[InsultOfEndearment He just smiles]].
* InappropriatelyCloseComrades: Holden notes that accepting a promotion to XO of the ''Canterbury'' would mean he'd have to stop fraternizing with navigator Ade Nygaard, even though it's a civilian ice trawler and the ship's captain doesn't seem particularly concerned about it.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: The protomolecule infection starts out like this.
* IndyPloy: Holden's crew basically make ''everything'' up as they go.
--->'''Prax:''' Are your plans always this vague?
--->'''Amos:''' This is about average.
* InertialDampening:
** [[AvertedTrope There is none]]. Ships' engines are powerful enough that they can cruise at 12- or 13-''g'' and accelerate up to 15- or even 20-g. In order to help cope, crews and passengers have to strap into crash couches, put on mouth guards, and be fed large doses of "acceleration drugs". But no matter how many precautions people take, blood vessels ''will'' start popping at high enough ''g'' and the drugs are lethal once you pass a certain dosage level.
** Lampshaded and discussed when the protomolecule is able to accelerate [[spoiler: Eros]] at a rate beyond what any human can survive while maintaining such a stable internal gravity that Miller is amazed that he's unable to even feel it.
** In Season 3 [[spoiler: a ship flying through the protomolecule Ring is stopped dead and the pilot is reduced to a smear on the windshield and a partial ribcage sticking out of his harness.]]
* InformationWantsToBeFree:
** Holden believes this, and so broadcasts an account of his crew's travails at the end of "The Big Empty" as [[CantStopTheSignal insurance]] against the Martian navy simply making them disappear, over everyone else's strenuous objections, which has the [[NiceJobBreakingItHero unintended consequence]] of sparking major anti-Inner violence on Ceres.
** Miller ridicules Holden for this belief in "Godspeed": "Well, I guess we could just broadcast everything we know, and wait for Earth, Mars, and the OPA to all [[SarcasmMode rally together and start singing "Kumbaya" and do the right thing.]]" Then near the end of the episode, Holden himself is forced to destroy a ship of {{Good Samaritan}}s who refuse to respect the quarantine and information blackout around Eros on these grounds, even after he identifies himself in an attempt to prove he knows where they're coming from.
** Holden tries to makes this case again after the Eros situation is dealt with, but Fred Johnson talks him out of it because all three sides are looking for an advantage and none of them are particularly interested in peace right now.
* InnocentBystander:
** Taken UpToEleven when [[spoiler: the ''entire population of Eros'']] are diabolically sacrificed so the protomolecule can be TestedOnHumans in "Leviathan Wakes".
** The Inner-born refugees who get ThrownOutTheAirlock because of FantasticRacism in "Pyre".
* InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace: Space suit helmets have lighting strips around the actors' faces.
* InspirationalMartyr: Diogo elevates [[spoiler: Miller]] to this status for the OPA at the beginning of "Paradigm Shift".
* InstantDeathBullet: [[spoiler: Sematimba]] gets one courtesy of Amos in "Leviathan Wakes".
* InsultOfEndearment: Holden just smiles affectionately when Naomi accuses him of being "[[CasualDangerDialogue weird and chatty under pressure]]."
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Miller and Diogo, albeit a rather [[OddFriendship odd one]].
* InternalReveal: {{Subverted}} in "The Big Empty" when Naomi nixes Holden's attempt to come clean about logging the distress call. He eventually does make the reveal in "Rock Bottom".
* InterruptedIntimacy: Holden and Ade's ZeroGSpot sex is interrupted by the return of gravity and an intercom call for Holden to report for duty.
* InThatOrder: "On any other day this discussion would get us shot for treason then thrown into a lunatic asylum."
* IntoxicationEnsues: PlayedWith when Alex's hypoxia manifests like drunken ramblings. TruthInTelevision if [[https://youtu.be/kUfF2MTnqAw?t=333 this demonstration of actual hypoxia]] is anything to go by.
* InVinoVeritas: Amos and Alex open up more about themselves over drinks on Tycho Station.
* {{Irony}}:
** The various "I'm ''not'' going," and, "I don't want to be here," statements in "Dulcinea" given that [[spoiler: only the crew of the ''Knight'' survive the destruction of the ''Canterbury'']].
** Holden was conceived by combining DNA from 8 parents so he could inherit sole rights to all of their respective properties, but [[spoiler: the beginning of the second season reveals that a massive radiation dose has left him sterile.]]
* IrrationalHatred: The Belters in charge of the refugee ship in "Pyre" [[ThrownOutTheAirlock space]] all the Earth- and Mars-born refugees because, "Inners wreck Ganymede." [[InsaneTrollLogic Because clearly these dirty, frightened refugees are to blame]].
* IrrevocableOrder: The [[spoiler:hybrid pods]] can't be stopped once they're launched, though their course can be altered.
* IShouldHaveBeenBetter:
** Naomi tells Amos she could've been a nicer person in "CQB" and decides she should've done more to [[spoiler: save the people of Eros]] in "Leviathan Wakes".
---> '''Naomi:''' We saved a few; we should have saved more.\\
'''Holden:''' We will.
** Alex spends "Static" angsting over his failure to protect one of the {{Boarding Pod}}s in the previous episode, as well as how they should have saved more people from Eros. He channels this into obsessive training using a simulated recreation of the battle.
---> '''Alex:''' Point is, next time I'm gonna save them all.
* ItCanThink: The protomolecule is able to imitate people with glowing spores, which suggests an emerging intelligence. [[spoiler:Then it's discovered that the protomolecule has somehow built engines into Eros and is directing the asteroid at Earth, presumably to finish the task it was sent for. In Season 3, Katoa, who has been infected by the protomolecule and is able to access its HiveMind, mentions something called "the work" and indicates it will soon be ready.]]
* ItGetsEasier: Lampshaded by Naomi in "Cascade", who notes that every morally dubious thing they rationalize to themselves only makes doing the next one that much easier.
* ItNeverGetsAnyEasier: Miller essentially tells Octavia this when she's struggling with killing two people to be his BigDamnHero in "Rock Bottom".
* IToldYouSo: Avasarala can't resist noting that it's a good thing Errinwright's assassin's failed to kill Holden when the ''Rocinante'' become central to [[spoiler: saving Earth]] in "Home".
* ItsPersonal:
** When Errinwright questions whether Avasarala's taking an investigation into the OPA personally because they caused her son's death, she puts those concerns to rest by confirming, "Your ''damn right'' it's personal."
** Holden clearly has more on his mind than bio-hazard containment when he orders the ''Anubis'' destroyed.
--->'''Holden:''' [[RememberTheAlamo Remember the]] ''[[RememberTheAlamo Cant]]''.
* ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure: In "Salvage", Holden opts to destroy the ''Anubis'' from a safe distance rather than risk letting the EldritchAbomination on board fall into the hands of the UN, the Martians, or the OPA.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique:
** Earth's gravity is used to torture native Belters, who are such {{Light Worlder}}s that they struggle to even breathe, let alone move, under the pressure.
** When Bobbie Draper wants answers from [[spoiler:the MCRN chaplain]], she just beats the crap out of him until he shows her what she wants to see.
* JerkassHasAPoint: After angrily telling Miller to get off Tycho Station, Fred Johnson has to concede that the former detective was right to [[spoiler: kill Dresden, as the scientist was beginning to convince them that they should keep studying the protomolecule]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Miller is very abrasive and cynical, but has more limits than some and occasionally shows a gentler side.
** Amos is a violent man who claims to have a LackOfEmpathy, but he slowly shows the vestiges of a moral compass and a genuine desire to be a better person.
* JobStealingRobot: The ''Rocinante'' has an automated engineering system that aggravates Naomi in "Back to the Butcher" because, "There's nothing to fix!"
* JumpScare:
** There are a couple of times the characters are startled by an empty spacesuit or helmet floating in zero-g.
** Holden gets grabbed by a wounded member of the BoardingParty he mistook for dead in "CQB".
* JustAKid: Diogo is considered this by Miller and acts a lot like the NewMeat while storming Thoth Station.
* JustInTime:
** The ''Rocinante'' crew manage to get to the secret codes just in time to call off the MCRN ''Scipio Africanus'' in "Windmills".
** Holden and Miller make it to the ''Rocinante'' in time in "Leviathan Wakes'', though Amos notes that the AutoDoc keeps switching to palliative care.
* JustFollowingOrders: Kenzo describes himself as "just a guy trying to do my job" when the ''Roci'' crew catch him sabotaging their ship in "Windmills".
* KarmaHoudini: Defied by Miller. He kills [[spoiler:Dresden]] because he accurately assessed that [[spoiler:Dresden]] would be able to [[TalkingYourWayOut talk himself out]] of punishment under the circumstances.
* KillItWithFire: This seems to be the only reliable way to destroy the protomolecule. Usually in the form of a nuclear explosion. In "Here There Be Dragons", Holden uses an incinerator to vaporize a [[spoiler:protomolecule-infected child]]. And in "Caliban's War" Alex roasts a hybrid with the ''Roci'''s [[WeaponizedExhaust fusion drive]].
* KilledMidSentence:
** [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard]] is blown up along with the rest of the ship right after saying, "Jim, there's something you should know."
** [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]] is trying to calm down a panicking crew mate when his head is taken off by a railgun projectile.
** [[spoiler: Dresden]] was about to say something more when Miller's bullet takes him in the forehead in "Doors and Corners".
* KillSat: Earth has five RailGun satellites in orbit which can destroy a starship in one shot using a heavy bullet which breaks apart into a buckshot-like spread of shrapnel that will shred anything it hits. The drawback is that the targets have to be close enough for the target to be unable to change position/course before the round hits, as there's no way to change the projectile's course once it's fired. [[spoiler:In Season 3, these satellites are used to destroy Mars' planet killer ships.]]
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Hand-held firearms haven't changed much by the 23rd century, and warships like the ''Donnager'' rely on nuclear-warhead torpedoes and {{Rail Gun}}s for ship-to-ship combat.
* KnightInSourArmor: Miller is extremely bitter and cynical, but also committed to a strong sense of justice. He is in many ways a [[RecycledInSpace futuristic descendent]] of film noir detectives such as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.
* KnowledgeBroker: Miller finds out the dead guy who met with Julie Mao was a "data broker", and eventually he finds out [[spoiler: this data broker sold Julie info on what happened on Phoebe Station, which set off the whole plot]].
* LackOfEmpathy:
** Cortazar, the sole survivor of the raid on the secret facility observing the protomolecule's consumption of Eros, was purposefully given this by Protogen to make him a MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate. It also makes him ''really'' hard to interrogate. ''Scary'' part; it's based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation a real technology.]]
---> '''Holden''': So someone waves a magnet at the right side of my head, and suddenly I can watch 100,000 people die in agony and not give a shit?
** Amos has emotional detachment as a result of childhood abuse, and so cares little for anyone outside of his social circle. This makes him just the right man to know how Cortazar thinks and how to get him talking. Intriguingly, he's rather unhappy with his condition; he follows Naomi and Holden because he recognizes they have functioning moral compasses, and when he hears that Cortazar's condition is artificial, his first thought is to ask if it's reversible in an awkward manner that implies hope that his own condition could be healed.
* LaResistance: How the OPA see themselves.
* LargeHam: Diogo becomes this after joining the OPA in Season 2.
* TheLastDJ: Holden got dishonourably discharged from the UN Navy for swinging at an immoral superior, and has since been in self-imposed exile in the Belt. As he himself describes it, "I stopped playing."
* LastNameBasis:
** Holden and Miller are referred to as "Holden" and "Miller" far more often than "Jim" and "Joe", which is {{justified}} by the MildlyMilitary nature of being a ship's officer and a police detective.
** Likewise, for Havelock and Capt. Shaddid of Star Helix and Capt. [=McDowell=] of the ''Canterbury''.
** Soldiers such as the Martian marines correctly use this along with ranks. Lt. Lopez's first name in particular is unknown.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Just one season in and it's kinda hard to discuss the show without mentioning the protomolecule.
* LawEnforcementInc: Policing on Belter stations is in the hands of private contractors, with efficiency rates ranging from "at least trying" to "just another gang".
** "Star Helix Security" serves this function on Ceres, and while it's common knowledge that their superiors care more about profit margins, individual members like Miller, Octavia, and Havelock all care somewhat about actual protecting and serving.
--->'''Miller:''' No laws on Ceres, just cops.
** "CPM", responsible for security on Eros, is much worse and has recently recruited actual ''gang members'' from other stations to fill its ranks as PrivateMilitaryContractors.
* TheLancer: Naomi Nagata is always there to tell Holden when he's wrong, and provides a pragmatic female Belter {{foil}} to Holden's idealistic male Earther.
* TheLeader: Holden.
* LeeroyJenkins: Discussed and averted when ''Rocinante'''s crew finds ''Anubis''. Amos says, "I kinda want to blast it." Alex softly replies, "Easy, partner. These things tend to shoot back."
* LetsSplitUpGang: In "Critical Mass", Holden and Miller go off to find out what's happening while the rest of the crew start heading back to the ''Rocinante'' to prepare for takeoff.
* Letters2Numbers: Several of Julie Mao's online dating matches in "The Big Empty" use this in their greetings.
* LibertariansInSpace: The Belters are a hard-hitting {{Deconstruction}} of this; the [[HadToBeSharp no-margin-for-error]] conditions of deep space have produced that bizarre combination of civic pride and steadfast independence prized by this philosophy; Belters instinctively look out for each other and don't go crying to the authorities when something breaks, they ''fix it'' -- by any means necessary -- as it happens. However, the nasty side of this is that they're prone to vigilantism; heroic actions like aiding in the assault on Thoth Station, grey actions such as the summary murder of administrators who won't keep the air filters clean, and villainous ones such the indiscriminate spacing of "Inner" refugees.
* LightWorlder:
** Ceres is artificially "spun up" to maintain a Mars-normal CentrifugalGravity of 0.3''g'', but most Belters never experience anything stronger and the poorest of them spend their lives as "[[AsteroidMiner rock-hoppers]]", moving from asteroid to asteroid hoping to harvest enough to make a living. This leaves them with long, brittle bones and other adverse health effects unless they can afford costly supplements to assist bone and muscle development, and there's [[NoProductSafetyStandards no guarantee]] the supplements will even work properly, as shown by the spurs on Miller's spine from "cheap bone-density juice." As such, subjecting Belters to even 1.0''g'' is considered ColdBloodedTorture.
** Growing up under only 0.3''g'' leaves Martians with a significantly lower body-mass and physical strength than Earthers, but also makes them more oxygen efficient. Avasarala notes with apprehension that this doesn't stop their SpaceMarines from training at a full 1.0''g''. Even so, when a Martian delegation has to visit Earth, all of them need to take daily doses of drugs designed to supplement bone growth, blood flow, and respiratory function to cope with the gravity, and they're severely disoriented upon arrival.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Parodied when Jim and Naomi disclose their romantic relationship to the other two members of their crew. Jim was especially worried that Amos, who blindly follows Naomi's every word, might take issue. However, Amos assures him that Naomi is like a sister to him before immediately noting that he'd still have sex with her given the opportunity. Jim just has this ''brilliant'' "wtf?" expression on his face.
* LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: Holden took a job as a SpaceTrucker on an ice-hauler ''because'' of this. When he's offered a RankUp to executive officer, he adamantly refuses.
* LimitedWardrobe: Holden's crew only wear their Pur-n-Kleen coveralls before slapping on Beratnas Gas patches on top of the Pur-n-Kleen logos halfway through Season 1. Holden himself is shown wearing a Pur-n-Kleen t-shirt as far as Season 2 finale.
* LivingLieDetector: Lt. Lopez takes a drug before each session that makes him hyper-aware of the micro-expressions of those he interrogates in "Remember the Cant".
* LivingMacGuffin: Julie Mao is primarily the focus of the missing persons case Miller is determined to solve, at least until the beginning of "Critical Mass" spends roughly half the episode filling in HowWeGotHere to give her more characterization.
* LockedInARoom:
** The cramped quarters of the ''Knight'' and their [[SinkingShipScenario desperate situation]] in "The Big Empty" forces the ''Canterbury'' survivors to work together despite their minor animosities.
** Miller and Holden spend some time bonding while taking cover in a pachinko parlor in "Leviathan Wakes".
* TheLostLenore:
** {{Subverted}} by [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard]], who has the potential to be one, but ends up closer to ForgottenFallenFriend.
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] seems to have become a [[TheDulcineaEffect Dulcinea]]-style one for [[spoiler: Miller]] in "Leviathan Wakes", as he starts hallucinating about her.
* LovableCoward: Shed Garvey is slightly {{Adorkable}} and unabashedly has no interest in any CallToAdventure such as exploring the GhostShip ''Scopuli''.
--> '''Shed:''' Well: we came, we looked, we... uh... left.
* LoveBeforeFirstSight: Miller develops this for Julie Mao, despite Dawes' declaration that she'd [[SpitefulSpit spit in his face]] if they actually met. [[spoiler:When they do meet, he declares his love for her and they kiss before dying in each other's arms, but by that point he's no longer a representive of the institution she hated. And she's no longer really human, for that matter.]]
* LudicrousGibs: In "Delta-V," Maneo flies through the Ring so fast that [[spoiler:when it activates and stops his ship, ''his entire skeleton flies out of his body'' and splatters against his windshield, leaving nothing but an unrecognizable shredded mess in his seat]].
* LuredIntoATrap: The ''Canterbury'' when it answers a DistressCall in "Dulcinea".
* MacGyvering: Naomi is an expert at this, whether it's repairing ships with minimal supplies or using a bit of dirt to measure CentrifugalGravity to navigate a station build inside an asteroid.
--> '''Lt. Lopez:''' Based on the desperate condition of your shuttle it clearly required extraordinary improvisational expertise for you and your crew members simply to survive let alone repair your antenna array.
* MadeOfPlasticine: The ice incident in "Dulcinea" shouldn't have severed Paj's hand like that. Even a mauled hand would’ve been a more likely outcome than a clean cut like that.
* MadnessMantra: Holden finds the ''Canterbury'''s XO [[SpaceMadness muttering names of flowers]] to himself in his cabin.
* MadScientist: Dresden; Miller even calls him one in "Godspeed".
* MagicAntidote: Miller and Holden spend "Leviathan Wakes" in a race against time to get to the ''Rocinante'''s "radiation meds", which consists of a few minutes hooked to an AutoDoc that looks like a fancy blood-pressure cuff, though this gets {{downplayed}} in the next episode when they require repeated treatments and are still left permanently infertile and in need of lifelong medication (to be administered via an implant) to ward off future cancers.
* MagneticWeapons: The ''Donnager'' has turret-mounted railguns while the stealth ships have spinal-mount railguns, and are apparently the smallest ships to have them. It's mentioned that the ''Donnagers''' railguns draw so much power that most of the battleship's reactor output needs to be rerouted to actually deploy them, [[TruthInTelevision which is one of the major hurdles real-life magnetic weapons are facing today]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: During the shootout in Season 2 finale, Cotyar doesn't notice he's been shot in the stomach until Bobbi points it out to him.
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident:
** Captain Shaddid implies no questions will be asked if her officers find the attempted CopKiller Filat Kothari:
---> '''Shaddid:''' If he resists take him down, if he runs shoot him, and if he "accidentally" [[ThrownOutTheAirlock falls out an airlock]]... that's life.
** Errinwright notes that even blatantly gunning down Holden's crew will pass for "random street violence" on Eros because of it's astronomic murder rate.
* MarsNeedsWater: Earth is the ''last'' place they're trying to take it from, but the Martians are hoping to create an ''ocean'' as part of their {{Terraforming}}, so they're taking tons of the stuff from the frontiers of the system, putting them in contention with the Belters who need that water just to survive. The riots in "Remember the Cant" are sparked by the destruction of an ice-hauler. The OPA speaker in the pilot claims that Earth and Mars have stripped away Ceres' sub-crustal seas, which in real life is bigger than the Earth's supply of fresh water (200 million cubic kilometers).
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Hillman is mentioned to have ''over 40'' brothers and sisters. However, she is from a very wealthy family that owns the entirety of Mars' terraforming equipment, so it is likely they are able to be supported. It's implied that Martians are encouraged to procreate but that Hillman's family is an outlier.
* MassOhCrap: TheWarRoom of the UN does this in "Home" when they learn Eros is [[spoiler: on a collision course with Earth]].
* MathematiciansAnswer: When asked who he was guarding, one of Dresden's thugs answers, "The scientist? He was a scientist." Miller [[PistolWhipping isn't amused]].
* MauveShirt:
** [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and Captain [=McDowell=]]] are killed as part of the DoomedHometown in the series premiere, "Dulcinea".
** [[spoiler: Shed Garvey, Capt. Yao, and Lt. Lopez]] all die in the SpaceBattle in just the fourth episode, "CQB".
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] ultimately turns out to be this.
** [[spoiler: Bobbie Draper's whole squad, plus her CO up in orbit]] get built up just to be wiped out when the shooting starts on Ganymede.
* MeaningfulEcho: Julie's line, ''"you can't take the Razorback"'', is repeated during her final scene with Miller, and spoken as a frightened refusal to stop flying toward Earth. Before this, the line is a boast about being unable to catch the Razorback in a race.
* MeaningfulName:
** Events on Eros are centered (literally and figuratively) around the Blue Falcon Hotel. "Blue Falcon" is the US Military's "polite company code phrase" for ''buddy-fucker''. Sure enough, Kenzo deliberately leads Holden's crew into an ambush by a UN wetwork team, which only fails due to Amos's SherlockScan and Miller's BigDamnHeroes moment. [[spoiler: Then they discover that, after barely surviving an operation that went ''horribly'' wrong and ''[[UndyingLoyalty still]]'' trying to complete her mission, Julie Mao was abandoned and left to die alone upstairs by Dawes and the OPA]].
** At the end of "Leviathan Wakes", Dresden orders all the information from Eros transmitted to Thoth Station, named after the Ancient Egyptian god of wisdom (the one with the ibis head).
** "Marasmus" is a medical term for severe malnutrition and therefore a fitting (if rather morbid) name for a ship full of {{Good Samaritan}}s seeking to bring humanitarian aid to Eros in "Godspeed".
* MeaningfulRename: In "Back to the Butcher", the gunship ''Tachi'' becomes the ''Rocinante'' (after Literature/DonQuixote's horse), but only after rejecting "[[AwesomeMcCoolname Screaming Firehawk]]" and "[[EverythingIsBigInTexas Flying Alamo]]".
* TheMedic: Shed Garvey.
* MegaCorp: Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile, to a ridiculous degree; Jules-Pierre Mao owns the entire thing, and his daughter Julie is described as "the richest bachelorette in the System." The entire "protomolecule" plot - the research station on Phoebe, the ''fleet'' of stealth ships, the Eros incident, the secret observation post staffed with [[LackOfEmpathy surgically apathetic]] researchers, even the [[spoiler:protomolecule-enhanced {{Super Soldier}}s]] - was just a ''sideline'' of Protogen, which represents just one third of one percent of MKM's revenue.
-->'''Chrisjen Avasarala''': So, these "rogue" employees managed to make a profit ''and'' a war without even going over budget? God, maybe we should get these people on our payroll.
** {{Deconstructed}} in that things have gone so far beyond the MoralEventHorizon that Avasarala is ready to [[TakingYouWithMe torpedo her newly-enriched career]] taking down the entire company ''and'' family if they don't deliver JPM's head on a silver platter:
---> '''Chrisjen Avasarala''': Please let them know that if they can’t… I will rain hellfire down on them all. I will freeze their assets. Cancel their contracts. Cripple their business. And I have the power to do it, because I am the [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] hero who helped save Mother Earth from the cataclysm that Jules-Pierre Mao unleashed.\\
Tell his children that government is more powerful than any corporation. And the only reason they think it tilts the other way is because we poor, public servants are always looking for some fat, private-sectors payoff down the road. But I’m not looking. And by the time they can pull the strings to force me out, it’ll be too late. Their family will be ruined. Their mother, the children, their children, all of them, pariahs! Outlaws! Hunted and on the run for the rest of their days until we find them, and nail each and every last one to the wall.\\
Make sure you tell them that.
* TheMetricSystemIsHereToStay: Distances are usually measured in kilometers ("klicks").
* MexicanStandoff: Holden and Fred Johnson have a metaphorical one in "Rock Bottom", with Holden even noting that they both "have a gun to each other's head".
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: In the second season, [[spoiler:Julie Mao gains control over the protomolecule infesting Eros, but is confused by her new situation and thinks she's back on her old racing ship. She starts flying the asteroid to Earth out of a desire to go home (not knowing that the impact would kill billions), and keeps accelerating when the crew of the ''Rocinante'' almost kill themselves trying to keep up with her, as she thinks it's a friendly race. Miller is eventually able to convince her to divert course to Venus, which is still uninhabited]].
* AMillionIsAStatistic: Invoked quite literally by Dresden. When confronted with the massacre he helped orchestrate, Dresden cites UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan killing or displacing a quarter of the global population to forge his great empire, which by 23rd Century terms would be 8 billion people (just on Earth). He considers 100,000 "hardly a rounding error" by comparison, and believes the [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans benefits of his work]] will justify the atrocity.
* MirandaRights: Holden attempts to invoke these as a Martian marine shoves him roughly into a holding cell in "Remember the Cant".
* MisaimedFandom: InUniverse. According to his mother, Holden loved ''Literature/DonQuixote'' growing up, but never figured out it was a tragedy. Of course, given the immense {{Applicability}} of Cervantes' work, Holden isn't necessarily wrong.
* TheMissionary: Though based on Earth, the Mormons have a large and active presence in the solar system, with missionaries at least as far out as Ceres.
* MissionControl: As the pilot, Alex often stays on the ''Rocinante'' and fulfills this role.
* MistakenForTerrorist: Holden's crew is assumed to be OPA terrorists by the crew of the ''Donnager''. PlayedWith in that ethnically Middle Eastern Alex Kamal is the one treated to a shower and clean clothes because he's ex-Martian Navy while his companions are imprisoned and interrogated.
* MisterBig: Captain Yao of the ''Donnager'' is noticeably shorter than Holden even when she's standing on a raised platform, but she's ''absolutely'' in charge of their conversation and her massive warship.
* TheModestOrgasm: Ade Nygaard during her introduction scene with Holden.
* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: ''Level 4 — Mohs/OneBigLie'', in this case the AppliedPhlebotinum of a fusion drive that allows CasualInterplanetaryTravel... and of course the EldritchAbomination that is the protomolecule.
** Interplanetary travel is common thanks to the Epstein fusion drive allowing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_travel_using_constant_acceleration constant thrust]], reducing interplanetary travel times from years to weeks, but a lack of InertialDampening restricts maximum acceleration to what the crew can bear. Faster-than-light flight is impossible, requiring a GenerationShip for interstellar travel, the first of which is under construction.
** Artificial gravity is only possible aboard spaceships when the engines are providing thrust, pushing the deck "up" against the crew. Therefore, ships are structured like buildings, with decks oriented so that "down" is toward the engines, against the direction of thrust. When engines are shut off, crews must use magnetic boots to keep from floating.
** Spaceships also [[AvertedTrope avert]] SpaceIsAir by generally avoiding OldSchoolDogfighting, using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernier_thruster attitude thrusters]] for fine-tuned maneuvers like docking, and generally looking more like towers than anything aerodynamic.
** Spaceships can execute tight turns at speed, but without InertialDampening the g-forces are potentially deadly to both ships and their crews, requiring crews to strap themselves into special seats, wear mouth guards, and be fed special intravenous drugs in order to cope with the otherwise lethal amounts of force on their bodies.
** Glasses have to be held a good distance away when pouring on a dwarf planet like Ceres because of changes in gravity and the Coriolis effect, with a differential that causes the middle-class Miller to spill slightly when pouring in wealthier, more earth-like districts of Ceres. Likewise, the elliptical spin of the asteroid-station Eros allows Naomi to navigate by observing falling dust particles.
** Medical technology has significantly advanced. On the Inner Planets, severed body parts can be completely regrown with a special gel. Belters have to make do with prosthetics with force feedback and heat and pressure sensors (if their company health plan covers it). Artificial blood is readily available for transfusions, with the use of human blood donors being a sign of true emergency. Paralyzing spinal cord injuries can also be fully repaired, although it takes some time for artificial nerves to be grown
** Unlike artificially accelerated astral bodies like Ceres and Eros, Tycho Station is composed of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_wheel_space_station rotating wheels]] that use centripetal acceleration to provide artificial gravity to its inhabitants while still maintaining zero-g work environments for building projects like the LDSS ''Nauvoo''.
** The show [[DefiedTrope thumbs its nose]] at the fables of ExplosiveDecompression and SpaceIsCold when the AsteroidMiner Mateo opens his helmet in the vacuum of space for a few seconds to take out a detonator he'd been storing in there. If anything the show depicts it as ''safer'' than reality.
** Ships suffering ExplosionsInSpace correctly disappear in a blinding flash followed by an accurate spherical explosion (albeit slowed down for [[RuleOfPerception visibility]]), often with nary a flame or PlanarShockwave to be seen.
** Firearms using chemical combustion are used in the vacuum of space. This would work perfectly fine, since gunpowder and similar explosives use oxygen already chemically bound in the substance to fuel the combustion, and they do not require oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere.
* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler: Sadavir Errinwright]] is a high-ranking UN official, and also a key member of TheConspiracy.
* MommasBoy: Holden technically has three mothers, but Elise carried him to term and urged him to get free from Earth, and he still kept in contact with her every month or two until the start of the series.
* {{Mooks}}: Of course.
* MoralityPet: Naomi is a combination of this and TheConscience for Amos, since she's basically the only person who can subdue his fury with just words, and he mentions "Naomi wouldn't like it" as his only reason for not doing some pretty heartless things.
* MotorMouth: Holden orders Kenzo to shut his word-hole when he becomes this on Eros in "Salvage".
* MuggingTheMonster: The ''Scopuli'' was originally trying to hijack the ''Anubis'''s secret cargo, assuming it was just some lightly-armed science vessel. Too late do they realize that they've come across an advanced gunship, and the ''Scopuli'' is boarded and left derelict in no time flat.
* MultiEthnicName: Several, sometimes played by actors with [[TruthInTelevision equally mixed names]].
** Juliet and Jules-Pierre Mao. Asian characters with Italian and French given names (Bonus points for being played by actors named Florence Faivre and Francois Chau)
** Naomi Nagata: a black woman with Jewish and Japanese names. (Dominique Tipper herself has a Franco-British name)
** Dimitri Havelock: a Hispanic man with Russian and Scandinavian names.
** Captain Theresa Yao of the MCRN ''Donnager''.
** Alex Kamal.
** Sadavir Errinwright.
* MultinationalTeam: As of the end of Season 1, the ''Rocinante'' carries two Earthers (Holden, Amos), two Belters (Miller, Naomi), and a Martian (Alex).
* MultipleGunshotDeath: The ''Rocinante'' inflicts this on the enemy stealth ship at extremely close range in "Doors and Corners", [[AvertedTrope averting]] ExplosionsInSpace. However, the ''Roci'' herself suffers nearly as bad, as Drummer excitedly points out to Alex and Naomi in the next episode.
--> '''Drummer:''' There's multiple PDC and railgun impacts [...] Oh ho ho, that one just missed puncturing your reactor, see? You guys would have ''melted'', instantly! [...] Wow, if that had gone through to the inner hull your core would have snapped in two. Most ships would have been blown to scrap after that kind of beating!
* MurderIsTheBestSolution:
** Amos feels this way quite strongly after catching the stowaway Kenzo fiddling with the ''Rocinante''.
** Errinwright decides in "Windmills" that "[[DeadlyEuphemism taking Holden off the board]]" is the best option, regardless of the lack of concrete evidence against him.
* MustHaveCaffeine: A minor subplot concerns Holden's quest for a decent cup of coffee. He finally finds a stash aboard the ''Tachi'' and indulges himself. His expression says it's BetterThanSex.
* MutagenicGoo: How the protomolecule spreads.
* TheMutiny: In "Triple Point", [[spoiler:Admiral Souther mutinies against Fleet Admiral Nguyen when he's given proof of the conspiracy surrounding the protomolecule. He sends a message to the rest of the fleet concerning this before Nguyen's loyalists manage to turn the tables, ending with Souther being shot. The result is a shooting match between the local UNN ships, which prompts Nguyen to launch the protomolecule hybrid pods at Mars to make sure the pods can never be stopped.]]
** This can be viewed as AntiMutiny, as [[spoiler: Nguyen's actions are illegal]].
* MysteriousPast: We learn a fair bit about the rest of Holden's crew, but the only hint at Amos' past in the first season is his enigmatic solidarity with a prostitute in "Rock Bottom" because he grew up familiar with TheOldestProfession, perhaps as the SonOfAWhore.
* NaiveNewcomer: Havelock, an Earther who's new to Ceres, plays TheWatson for the first couple episodes.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
** Fred Johnson is known as "TheButcher of Anderson Station", and Naomi is understandably leery of putting the crew in his hands.
** Naming a ship ''Anubis'' (after the Egyptian god of embalming and the afterlife) seems like you ''want'' it to turn into a GhostShip.
** ''Marasmus'' is a medical term for extreme malnutrition, and so a rather disturbing name for a ship delivering humanitarian aid.
* NeverGiveTheCaptainAStraightAnswer: Alex gives Capt. [=McDowell=] the, "You gotta see this," version regarding the DistressCall in "Dulcinea". Since it's just one room over, [=McDowell=] doesn't even ask.
* NeverSuicide: Unlike many examples, it's actually entirely plausible [[spoiler: Frank [=DeGraaf=]]] would kill himself, but it turns out to be this trope when Avasarala finds hidden files in his office.
* NGOSuperpower: With hundreds of subsidiaries, Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile is the largest corporation in the solar system, capable of financing [[spoiler: all of TheConspiracy's protomolecule experiments, as well as a private fleet of stealth ships more advanced than anything Earth or Mars can field]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Holden's broadcast implying Martian responsibility for the destruction of the ''Canterbury'' provides the OPA with fodder that provokes deadly riots on Ceres and nearly provokes an interplanetary war.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: {{Zigzagged}} with Miller, who'll engage in [[CorruptCop bribery]], PoliceBrutality, and threaten to have guys ThrownOutTheAirlock, but also lets Diogo off with a warning after catching him siphoning the governor's water.
* NobodyPoops:
** {{Averted}} in "Windmills" when Kenzo insists, "You tell whoever's in charge that I have valuable information... and Christ, I've had to ''pee'' for like two hours now," and the final scene opens with him following through on this need.
** {{Averted}} again in "Safe" when Naomi says she has to pee while supervising the opening of the safe recovered from the ''Anubis'', and Amos responds that the ability to pee at will is one of the perks of a vac-suit.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Being a GoodSamaritan in this show ''sucks''. Doing the right thing by answering a DistressCall? Chances are you're being LuredIntoATrap. Trying to provide medical aid to a quarantined space station overrun with a dangerous infection? You and your ship get blown up[[spoiler:, and by the good guys no less]]. Trying to deliver badly needed supplies to civilian survivors in a war zone? [[spoiler:Your husband gets killed as local street toughs attempt to seize your cargo and your ship, and later you're almost killed yourself when an angry mob storms your ship.]] The crew of the ''Rocinante'', and Holden in particular, are hit especially hard by this on a regular basis, with almost every good thing they do either causing massive unintended damage or dragging them even deeper into some giant mess. The only payoff they've gotten so far is being hailed heroes of the Belt, which doesn't help them all that much when it comes to keeping themselves afloat in a hostile universe.
* NoMacGuffinNoWinner:
** In "Safe", Mars figures out something is up on Phoebe Research Station, which someone has gone to conspicuous lengths to cleanse of any evidence. When an Earth ship tries to get there first and looks like they'll succeed, the Martian captain [[spoiler:blows up the entire moon rather than let them secure it]]. This works out fine for the conspiracy, which wanted the evidence hidden.
** Miller kills [[spoiler: Dresden]], keeping him from aiding ''anyone'' in gaining control of the protomolecule.
* NonActionGuy: Shed Garvey, the LovableCoward.
* NoNameGiven:
** The ''Canterbury's'' original XO.
** Avasarala's grandson is credited as "Avasarala's Grandson #1".
* NoOSHACompliance:
** Many corporations and landlords cut corners anywhere they can, including life-support systems and safety equipment, resulting in very unsafe living and working conditions. As Holden notes in "Dulcinea", it's cheaper to settle with a bunch of widows than to overhaul the ''Canterbury''.
** Many poor Belter entrepreneurs can't afford these things for themselves either, resulting in sometimes ''even worse'' conditions on privately-owned ships.
* NoPaperFuture: All personal and professional information and communication is stored on a network accessed by almost incorporeal hand terminals. Anything to be kept off the grid is kept in data chips. Purchases are all made either through electronic transfers or plastic coins. {{Justified}} beyond Earth (and perhaps there, too) by the obvious lack of trees. In such a world, it says a lot that Holden's parents keep actual printed books, and that Alex keeps a carbon-copy picture of his family and Miller keeps one of Julie Mao. Franklin De Graaf is positively quaint in his habit of taking notes in a little black notebook with a ''pencil''[[note]]The pencils themselves are data devices that track their user's strokes and the stored information can be read by pressing the pencils up against modern hand terminals[[/note]].
* NoProductSafetyStandards:
** Belters who were given cheap hormone boosters as children can have physical deformities as a result. Miller, for instance, has ridges at the top of his spine where the bones didn't fuse properly.
** Many older Belters like Anderson Dawes have tell-tale scars around their necks where faulty EVA helmets caused electrical burns. Many younger Belters have similar marks tattooed on their necks as a way to show where they come from.
* NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: Void battles between vessels below cruisers tonnage tend to happen at distances of only a couple hundred meters, maybe about one kilometer at most, with both sides hammering each other with manually aimed [[GatlingGood gatling gun barrages]]. Victory seems to revolve mostly around which crew manages to not get shot to pieces last.
* NoRespectGuy: {{Downplayed}} with Fred Johnson, who does command the respect of many but still struggles constantly with OPA members who resent him for being an Earther and TheButcher of Anderson Station.
* NoSell: Holden and Johnson are at least somewhat persuaded by [[spoiler: Dresden]]'s MotiveRant in "Doors and Corners", but Joe Miller [[KilledMidSentence sure isn't]].
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Unlike most Belters, Miller has a generic American accent and Naomi has a British one. In Miller's case it could be {{justified}} as part of his attempts to imitate an Earther. Then again, the belt has ''lots'' of inhabited asteroids. They can't all have the same accent.
* NothingPersonal: Amos tells Kenzo precisely this in "Windmills":
--> '''Amos:''' I'm not gonna lie to you. Either way this plays out, you're dead, and I'm the one that's gonna bring you the good news. You're a loose end. It's nothing personal.
* NoTrueScotsman: In "Godspeed", an OPA operative asks Miller, "How the hell you Belter, never done no space-walk ever?" He replies, "I'm more of a [[CityMouse city Belter]]."
* NotSoDifferent:
** The Belter smuggler in "The Big Empty" points this out to Avasarala: "I'm just a citizen of the Belt. I work for the future of my people as you do for yours."
** Amos says this to Miller after Holden banishes the latter from the ''Roci'' in "Static", but he also takes time to explain that he [[NotSoSimilar chooses to follow Holden]] because Holden is one of the few [[RightlySelfRighteous righteous people]] left.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou:
** Averted in "Delta-V": [[spoiler:when the Ring stops a ship trying to fly through it, the pilot is ''liquefied'' by the sudden deceleration. Oddly, his clothing and the ship itself appear to be left undamaged]].
** Happens again in "Fallen World". [[spoiler:When the ring's slow zone changes and stops every ship in the vicinity, hundreds are killed by the g-forces involved, and many more are injured.]]
* NuclearOption:
** Nukes are less taboo in space, and the ColonyDrop is implied to have superseded them for planetary damage, but even so Fred Johnson's decision of CuttingTheKnot by nuking a Belter station is portrayed as beyond the pale.
** The UN's only viable option for even attempting to stop [[spoiler: Eros from colliding with Earth]] in "Home" is to launch half of Earth's nuclear arsenal against it, with the second half coming behind to attempt to reduce and sterilize the debris.
** Frankly, pretty much every time something gets blown to smithereens, nuclear warheads are responsible. Even something as simple as asteroid mining is executed via low-yield nukes[[note]]the ones the heroes deploy around Eros have a stated yield of 4.5kT - [[HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure about 35% of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima]][[/note]] instead of conventional explosives, which only seem to exist for niche applications like precision strikes and acts of sabotage.
* NumberTwo: Naomi to Holden.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:O-S]]
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene:
** The key moment of Fred Johnson's backstory, as shown in "Back to the Butcher".
** The Belter crew's treatment of the Inner-born refugees from Ganymede in "Pyre".
* OddFriendship: The reserved, middle-aged Joe Miller and the extroverted, young Diogo.
* OfficeRomance: Builds between Holden and Naomi during Season 1. Notably, it's a large part of why Naomi insists on giving Holden extra time in his RaceAgainstTheClock to get back to the ship in "Leviathan Wakes". It becomes [[OfficialCouple official]] in the Season 2 premiere "Safe".
* OfficialCouple: Holden and Naomi.
* OffTheShelfFX: Belter space helmets are repainted full-face respirators used for commercial spray painting. Many UNN awards seen on dress uniforms, meanwhile, are slightly redressed miniature NYPD badges.
* OhCrap:
** The crew of the ''Donnager'' when they realize they've underestimated the stealth ships that have advanced torpedoes and railguns.
** Holden and Naomi's reaction to the protomolecule on the ''Anubis'' waking up along with the reactor.
** Holden's abrupt, "Don't touch anything," at the end of "Salvage" after seeing evidence of the protomolecule.
** Holden's flat declaration that, "We're dead," after he and Miller are [[spoiler: irradiated]] at the end of "Critical Mass".
** Naomi, and then Miller and Diogo when they realize debris from [[spoiler: the ''Marasmus'']] is headed straight for the second of Eros where Miller and Diogo are working.
** Ashford has this when he realizes that [[spoiler:the protomolecule station has begun to consider humanity as a whole to be a potential threat when they detonate a nuclear weapon to try to get past the ring's interference.... and that it can easily destroy entire star systems]].
* OldCopYoungCop: Miller's old to Havelock's young.
* OnceMoreWithClarity:
** The series' very first scene is shown again, this time with additional material and context, at the beginning of "Critical Mass".
** The end of "Paradigm Shift" has Bobbie Draper's squad witness their UN counterparts charging toward them and firing, followed by a communications blackout. Then we cut to [[spoiler: her entire squad dead]] and Bobbie herself just barely alive with [[spoiler: a humanoid monster]] staring down at her. The following episode is then devoted to her using drugs and hypnosis to give her clarity: [[spoiler: The UN squad was actually being chased by something that wasn't wearing a vac-suit.]]
* OneProductPlanet: The moon of Ganymede is a joint Martian/UN farm world, with domed cities devoted to crop production and massive orbital mirrors providing constant sunlight. When an incident there shuts down production, mass starvation becomes a very serious concerns and tensions skyrocket.
* OneShotCharacter:
** Jonathan Banks plays the XO of the ''Canterbury'', who's ignominiously relieved of duty due to a terrible case of SpaceMadness in "Dulcinea"and not seen again.
** Mateo, the Belter AsteroidMiner who goes on a SuicideAttack against the Martians who mistreat him.
** Solomon Epstein, the Martian who would develop the eponymous "Epstein Drive" and is only seen in some flashbacks during "Paradigm Shift."
* OneSteveLimit: So far nobody shares a name.
* OneWomanWail: The score of the full-length title sequence theme is built from this.
* OneWorldOrder: Earth and Mars have both developed these under the [[UnitedNationsIsASuperPower United Nations]] and the Martian Congressional Republic. Both are implied to be at least a bit of a CrapsaccharineWorld.
** While the average life expectancy on Earth is up to 123 years, everyone is eligible for some kind of government financial assistance, and agricultural products are taken for granted, Earth is apparently a bloated nanny-state in which having even a square inch of land to call your own is next to impossible unless you're really rich and/or powerful.
** Mars's culture is driven by the dream of terraforming their world into an Earth-like paradise of fertile lands, blue water, and breathable air, but political and diplomatic setbacks keep delaying progress, so no Martian currently alive will leave to see it work (this despite their life expectancy being even ''longer'' than that of Earthers). Almost every Martian seen so far also [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything displays a heavy dose of extra-strength nationalism that comes off as more than a little bit fascist]].
* OnlyElectricSheepAreCheap: Maintaining actual livestock just isn't cost-effective out in the Belt, giving rise to ArtificialMeat and BlackMarketProduce.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Praxidike "Prax" Meng.
* OpeningScroll: To establish the basic WorldBuilding of the series:
-->''"In the 23rd Century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The Inner Planets depend on the resources of the Asteroid Belt. Belters live and work in space. In the Belt, air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising. Earth, Mars, and the Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark."''
* OpenSecret: Holden's relationship with Ade Nygaard. Fraternization isn't allowed aboard the ''Canterbury'', but Holden would find himself in a position requiring him to enforce the rules if he becomes the ship's XO.
* OpenSesame:
** People's integrated domestic computers are locked to their voiceprints. Being a cop, Miller can spoof them with his hand terminal to gain access to their files, as he does in Julie Mao's apartment in "The Big Empty".
** {{Conversed}} when Naomi says the TropeNamer as she hacks the Marasmus' airlock in "Godspeed".
* OrganicTechnology: If it's able to absorb enough mass, the protomolecule can build engines, ArtificialGravity generators, jamming systems, and even [[spoiler:an entire starship]] entirely from its own bio-material.
* OutOfClothesExperience: In "Dandelion Sky", Holden experiences a vision of [[spoiler:a star exploding]] and he is completely naked even though he is wearing a space suit outside of the vision.
* OutOfTheFryingPan: "Immolation" has everything come up pretty well for the heroes: [[spoiler:the Earth conspiracy is exposed, Jules-Pierre Mao is captured, and Prax's daughter is rescued with the other children]]. Then things take a massive turn for the worse when [[spoiler:the protomolecule on Venus launches a ''starship'']].
* OutsideContextProblem: The protomolecule is something out of speculative science fiction in a hard sci-fi setting. It doesn't behave by any known laws of physics, is capable of evolving given enough biomass to work with, and seems to have knowledge of technology far beyond humanity given its ability to [[spoiler:move an entire asteroid with tremendous speed while generating ArtificialGravity and jamming radar]]. Holden actually {{Lampshades}} this in "The Monster And The Rocket";
-->"When the European tall ships first arrived on the American continent, the natives couldn't see them. The sight was so completely outside of their experience, it just couldn't compute. So they didn't see."
* PaperThinDisguise: Tycho Station outfits ''Rocinante'' with a new paint job and some gas tanks, but anyone who really looks will be able to tell she's actually a heavily-armed frigate.
* PatrioticFervor: Diogo tends to get really riled up over fighting against Earth and Mars.
* PercussiveMaintenance:
** Naomi has to give the ''Canterbury'''s elevator console a slap to make it work... in the midst of reminding Holden of the ship's need for a refit.
** Holden uses this (with a health dose of PercussiveTherapy) to fix their shuttle's transponder in "The Big Empty".
* PermaStubble: Holden, Miller, and Amos all have this.
* PersecutionFlip: There's a vague bit of this when an Earther official on Ceres (who happens to be black) is certain it's Belters illegally siphoning water because, "[[FantasticRacism the criminals here tend to be]]." As it happens [[JerkassHasAPoint he's correct]], but Havelock also has a point when he notes Belters might appreciate the system more if they weren't so marginalized; after all, the official's upset his park has a large patch of dead grass while the punks stealing the water are shown ''drinking'' it still dark with mud.
* PersonAsVerb: In "Home", Naomi tells Miller, "Hey, don't get all Holden on me: weird and chatty under pressure." [[ImStandingRightHere Holden himself]] [[InsultOfEndearment just]] [[ActuallyPrettyFunny smiles]].
* PetTheDog:
** Avasarala absolutely dotes on her grandson.
---> '''Avasarala:''' How many times have I told you... this calls for ''tickling''!
** Amos grew up surrounded by prostitutes, so he goes out of his way to warn one about a potential patron packing a knife in "Rock Bottom".
* PintsizedPowerhouse: The stealth ships that attack the ''Donnager'' are only slightly larger than a corvette, yet extremely well-armed and maneuverable. They even have rail guns, which no other ship their size has. Six of them are able to overwhelm and board the Martian [[TheBattlestar flagship]] ''Donnager'' at a loss of four ships before the ''Donnager'''s captain [[spoiler: scuttles her own ship to prevent it from being taken, destroying the remaining stealth ships in the process.]]
* PistolWhipping: Miller does this a few times, including to the thug he captures on Eros in "Critical Mass".
* PlanetOfHats:
** Earth is a dying society that is trying to hold on as best it can. Other factions consider it to be a planet full of soft and pampered people looking for the next handout. The reality, however, is much more grim.
** Mars is fiercely militaristic and almost completely united in the goal of terraforming their world and ultimately overtaking Earth as the dominant power in the Solar System.
** The Belt (mainly seen through Ceres) is solely focused on survival and is dependent on AsteroidMining and ship building as its major industries.
** Ganymede is the "bread basket" of the system and is almost exclusively focused on agriculture in order to provide the Belt with food. It also possesses advanced genetics research labs as a result of needing to develop hardier and more productive plant strains.
* PlanetTerra: Now that humanity has truly gone to space, people tend to use the proper name of Earth's moon (Luna) to distinguish it from other moons. Maps of the solar system also use the proper name of the Sun (Sol), but people still refer to it as "the Sun."
* PlatonicProstitution: Havelock pays for the time he spends with Gia even though she's teaching him about Belter language and culture rather than having sex with him. Cynic that he is, Miller disapproves and even accuses her of being a HoneyTrap in "Back to the Butcher".
* PlayingWithSyringes: Dresden is introduced literally using syringes to collect samples of MutagenicGoo, which are then [[spoiler: injected into every occupant of Eros Station to spread TheVirus]].
* PointDefenseless:
** Averted in general. Virtually all warships have point defense systems which prove capable of shooting down incoming missiles, so long as the number isn't too great. It's unarmed civilian ships which have to worry about such things.
** {{Downplayed}} in the ''Donnager's'' confrontation with the stealth ships. They attempt to use point-defense against a missile barrage fired at the ship, but the torpedoes have {{Roboteching}} capability that allows them to outmaneuver the defenses and score hits anyway.
** Earth has orbiting satellites designed to shoot down missiles. These get put to the test in Season 3, [[spoiler:where they manage to destroy a large missile barrage heading toward the planet. However, one missile gets through thanks to the concentrated barrage being enough to overwhelm the defenses]].
* PoisonousFriend: Chrisjen Avasarala to Franklin [=DeGraaf=], the UN's ambassador to Mars. Despite being a friend of her late father who's known her since she was a child, her actions result in him losing the trust of the Martians, who revoke his credentials and banish him from the planet, forcing him and his husband to give up their dream of retiring to Mars. [[spoiler: Stripped of his pride, he's later implied to have been murdered for investigating the ''Donnager'' incident himself, with the situation Avasarala put him in making suicide a plausible cover-up]].
* PoliceBrutality: Of the FilmNoir WretchedHive type. [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero Miller]]'s no exception; his first act upon entering headquarters in "Dulcinea" is to slam an uncooperative suspect's head into the table at booking.
* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] ultimately turns out to be this.
* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: While bonding with the ''Rocinante'' crew, Miller makes a quip about Teddy the Detector, a character used to teach Belter children about air filter safety. None of the crew have any idea what he's talking about and Naomi, herself a Belter, says that she must be too young to have been exposed to the character.
* PortalNetwork: In the Season 3 finale, [[spoiler:once the protomolecule station is convinced humanity isn't a threat, it opens all the gates, totaling 1,300 star systems for humanity to explore]].
* POVCam: Several through Kenzo's bio-mechanical eye, which has a computer display and can capture and transmit images.
* PoweredArmor: Certain Martian Marine Corps units are issued Goliath-class powered armor. By itself, the Martian suit is shown to be about as strong as a very physically fit individual, thus greatly magnifying the wearer's strength. The training exercise at the start of "Safe" also shows off some of its other goodies, like an ArmCannon, [[ImmuneToBullets immunity to bullets]], and a guided missile launcher in the backplate. The suit is also shown to require constant maintenance and support staff are required to help a marine put it on. Marines on standby will wait around in their undersuits to save on time in case they are ordered into battle.
* ThePowerOfLegacy: Mateo was actually rather drunk and abusive to Diogo and his SuicideByCop with the ''Scipio Africanus'' was actually [[SenselessSacrifice pretty pointless]], but Diogo later lionizes him as "a hero who die fighting the Inners."
* PragmaticAdaptation: In the novels, all native Belters -- including Joe Miller and Naomi Nagata -- are unnaturally tall and skinny. EarlyInstallmentWeirdness has a bit character portrayed this way, but casting exclusively for this appearance would be very restrictive, and the CGI and amounts of makeup would eat up the budget, so the physical dimorphism ultimately takes a backseat to other visual and audible clues like tattoos, costuming, and Belter Creole.
* PrecisionFStrike:
** Avasarala's exclamation, "Shit!" in "Windmills" is a decent substitute.
** When Admiral Nguyen ducks Avasarala's questions about Martian intentions by arguing the communications delay means they can't afford to wait in "Doors and Corners", Avasarala responds, "I know how the ''fucking'' thing works."
** In "Static", when Johnson sends Avasarala the co-ordinates of a derelict stealth ship, her response is an awed "What the fuck is this?"
** Amos' [[ReactionShot reaction]] to the WhamShot of "Godspeed" is a disbelieving "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis What. the. fuck?]]"
** Avasarala in "Paradigm Shift", when she threatens to tear apart the Mao family if they don't hand over Jules-Pierre:
--->"And I can do it, because I'm the ''fucking'' hero who saved Mother Earth from the cataclysm Jules-Pierre Mao unleashed!"
** In "Caliban's War", when the crew of the ''Rocinante'' realize that the protomolecule soldier is trying to get through to their reactor:
--->'''Alex:''' If it breaks through the bulkhead--\\
'''Amos:''' We're more or less fucked.
* {{Precursors}}: If Dresden is indeed right that the protomolecule was ''sent'', then it must have been sent by a race of these. [[spoiler:The Investigator confirms that another species was responsible for the prototmolecule, but now they're gone and their strange technology is all that remains.]]
* PresentCompanyExcluded: "Screw the Inners and their magic Jell-O! No offence, Holden."
* PretextForWar: The destruction of the ''Canterbury'' very nearly becomes one until Avasarala is able to ease tensions by [[spoiler: proving Mars had nothing to do with it]].
* PreventTheWar: Avasarala's overall quest, especially in "Remember the Cant", and ultimately her rationalization for the [[PragmaticHero underhanded methods]] she resorts to in order to succeed.
* PreviouslyOn: Helps with the ContinuityLockout. Season 2 even starts off with Miller adding an OpeningNarration to fill in the uninitiated.
* PrimalFear: The lonely emptiness of space and the possibility of being consumed by TheVirus are two major sources of tension in the story.
* PrisonEpisode: "Remember the Cant" sees Holden's crew locked up and interrogated by the Martian Navy.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The ''Rocinante'' crew, in a sense, since they're the only technically unaffiliated military-grade frigate in the system, though they've so far co-operated quite closely with Fred Johnson and the OPA.
* PunctuatedPounding: Bobbie Draper gives one [[spoiler: to the MCRN chaplain]] in "Here There Be Dragons".
--> '''Bobbie:''' [[spoiler: WHAT! KILLED! MY! TEAM?!]]
* PutOnABus:
** Havelock doesn't appear again after Miller visits him in the hospital in "Back to the Butcher". Presumably he's [[OffscreenInertia still recovering]].
** Everyone else on Ceres, particularly Octavia Muss and Anderson Dawes, drops out of the story when Miller departs for Eros, though Dawes [[TheBusCameBack comes back]] by travelling to Tycho in Season 2.
** Avasarala sends her husband Arjun and the rest of her family away to Luna in "Leviathan Wakes" to protect them from her enemies.
* PuttingOnTheReich: There's something vaguely Fascist or perhaps Soviet about the Martian uniforms with their stiff collars, blackish colour, and red epaulettes.
* QualityVsQuantity: Errinwright and Avasarala discuss this in regards to a potential war between Earth and Mars. Errinwright is confident that their older, more numerous fleet is more than capable of handling the newer and slightly more advanced Martian fleet. Avasarala isn't convinced the conflict would be that simple.
* QuizzicalTilt: The [[spoiler: man-imitating protomolecule spores]] give Kenzo one of these in "Leviathan Wakes".
* RaceAgainstTheClock: Miller and Holden have a two-fold one in "Leviathan Wakes": make it back to the ''Rocinante'' before they die of radiation poisoning ''and'' before the ship leaves them behind.
* RaceLift: Ade Tukunbo was Nigerian in the books; Ade Nygaard is white in the show. In doing so, the show [[spoiler: avoids the "black dude dies first" implications of her being just a mauve shirt]].
* RailGun: Standard armament for military spacecraft.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Portrayed semi-realistically in "Godspeed" when the protagonists launch the GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' like a massive bullet to ram [[spoiler: the protomolecule-infested Eros]] and HurlItIntoTheSun. Since they're aiming for an astral body with a known orbit, all they have to do is crunch the numbers. [[spoiler: Then the protomolecule stages a High-Speed Missile Dodge]].
* RealIsBrown: Or in this case, muted blue-grey. Most scenes aboard ships or stations have a heavy blue filter. The main exceptions are the bright sunlight of Earth, the minimal light of exterior space, the pale yellow of industrial areas, and the vibrant red-brown of Ceres' market district.
* RealityEnsues: Civilian vessels are built around vastly different design principles than warships, something the OPA finds out the hard way during [[spoiler:their attempt at turning the Mormon GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' into a Belter dreadnought. To paraphrase Drummer, you can't just steal a space church, bolt some guns on it and expect it to magically turn into a full-fledged battleship. Their biggest and most consistent problem is that the ''Nauvoo'''s power grid keeps crapping out at inopportune moments because it was never meant to handle the kind of strain placed on it in its new function.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** As Deputy Undersecretary, Avasarala is two steps from the top job on Earth, Luna, and by extension the Belt, and her number one concern is maintaining peace and stability.
** After it becomes clear Holden and his crew are not to blame for anything, Capt. Yao of the ''Donnager'' carefully listens to him and takes every available step to ensure he lives to BringNewsBack.
** OPA leader Fred Johnson is much more deliberate, diplomatic, and level-headed than most of the demagogues who form a vocal part of his organization. Oddly enough, he's also known as "TheButcher of Anderson Station".
** Bobbie Draper's superior, Lieutenant Sutton, does his best to rein in her WarHawk desires, pointing out how useless a war with Earth would be, talking her down from her more [[BloodKnight bloodthirsty impulses]].
** UN Admiral Souther is a consistent voice of reason and forbearance, and in "Doors and Corners" he resigns command and accepts [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Jupiter]] rather than carry out a direct order to deliberately escalate tensions with Mars.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Dawes gives one to Miller in "Rock Bottom", particularly pointing out that rather than TheDulcineaEffect, Julie Mao would ''hate'' Miller if they actually met.
* ReassignedToAntarctica:
** Saturn is even colder and more isolated than Antarctica, but in Holden's case it's [[SpaceCossacks self-imposed]] and he was simply dishonorably discharged from the UNN.
** Admiral Souther is reassigned to command the UN fleet around Jupiter in "Doors and Corners" after he refuses to play a part in Earth's brinksmanship with Mars.
* RebelLeader: Fred Johnson and Anderson Dawes.
* RecursiveAmmo:
** Earth's RailGun {{Kill Sat}}s fire a bullet that breaks into a spread of shrapnel once it nears the target, similar to buckshot except the bullet waits until the majority of the pellets will hit[[note]]This type of munition is called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrapnel_shell shrapnel shell]] and has been around [[OlderThanRadio since the 18th century]][[/note]].
** Mars has planet killer ships as a first-strike/last-resort weapon which each carry ten missiles. Each missile can break apart into a spread of nukes that can blanket Earth if necessary[[note]]also called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_independently_targetable_reentry_vehicle MIRV]] warheads in RealLife; the majority of today's strategic nuclear missiles work like this[[/note]].
* RecycledInSpace: The HardboiledDetective and the KnightErrant vs. the EldritchAbomination InSPACE
* RedHerring: Holden's crew identifies the module that put out the phony distress call in "Dulcinea" as Martian-made, but events in "Remember the Cant" prove the Martian government had nothing to do with it.
* RedLightDistrict: Havelock is ambushed patrolling the one where Gia works in "Remember the Cant".
* RedShirt: The Martian marines on the ''Donnager'' are one of the most obvious examples.
* RefugeInAudacity: Ok, you're aboard a "salvaged" MCRN gunship disguised as a gas freighter and you find yourself flagged for inspection by an MCRN warship. What do you do? If you answered, "Pretend to be a special ops unit by breaking into a booby-trapped vault to gain access to special codes," then congratulations, welcome to the crew of the ''Rocinante''.
* RememberTheAlamo: "Remember The ''Cant''" becomes a rallying cry for Belters in the episode of the same name after Holden's transmission leads them to assume the ''Canterbury'' was blown up by Mars. The phrase is spray-painted in multiple places, often along with Holden's face, and it seems to be shaping him up into some sort of folk hero and fuelling further discontent between Belters and the Inner Planets.
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: Each of the three main factions has these, to greater and lesser degrees:
** Earth has the Protogen Corporation and its conspirators in high levels of the UN government - though Protogen doesn't really care about Earth at all and was merely selling out to the highest bidder, as they are practically a fourth party non-government mega-corporation. Heck, Protogen outright turns on its UN allies in Season 2 and tried to sell out to rogue elements of the Martian government, only to then be browbeaten back into working for the UN. Basically the only reason Protogen didn't try to sell the proto-molecule to the OPA is because the Belters couldn't possibly afford the cost.
** Similar to Earth, the Martian Congressional Republic has military hardliners who would prefer a war with Earth, who after learning about the proto-molecule, gleefully allow Protogen to slaughter Martian marines in a test run of the hybrid weapons.
** A major issue with the OPA - which isn't really a unified organization so much as an idea/movement. WordOfGod compares them to real-life revolutionary movements like the Irish Republican Army - each terrorist cell claiming to be the "real" OPA, though they can occasionally be browbeaten together to act towards a unified goal. Fred Johnson's powerful faction based on Tycho Station is trying to establish the OPA as a legitimate government diplomatically recognized by Earth and Mars - and while Johnson would like to acquire long-range nuclear weapons and/or the proto-molecule, he only wants them as ''deterrents'' to establish balance of power. Other groups are outright terrorists carrying out targeted assassinations, such as the "Black Sky" cell, and the extremist cell led by Anderson Dawes.
* RevealingCoverup: [[spoiler:Franklin [=DeGraaf=]'s "suicide" and the quick "disproving" of Fred Johnson's accusations]] provides Avasarala with the information she needs to deduce something's going on in the higher levels of power on Earth.
* RevengeBeforeReason:
** Holden has to be restrained from chasing after a ship that vastly out-guns his own in his blind rage and grief over the loss of the ''Canterbury''.
** This is what Holden thinks when Miller [[KilledMidSentence abruptly kills]] [[spoiler: Dresden]], but given Miller's prior MeaningfulLook and later explanation, the actually reason was that he correctly deduced [[spoiler: Dresden]] was trying to pull a TalkingYourWayOut, which Holden and Johnson were falling for.
---> '''Miller:''' I didn't kill him because he was crazy. I killed him because he was ''[[JerkassHasAPoint making sense]]''.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Even in the 23rd Century, Miller carries a six-shooter as befits a HardboiledDetective.
* RightHandOfDoom: [[spoiler:The highly antagonistic protomolecule hybrids have a lopsided body structure whose right arm is notably longer and stronger than the left. Their unevenly distributed body weight also gives them a creepy loping gait especially while running.]]
* RightlySelfRighteous: Holden's [[BlackAndGreyMorality not faultless]], but everyone admits he's as close as it gets.
* RightManInTheWrongPlace: Holden and his crew manage to land themselves smack-dab in the middle of a vast conspiracy simply by virtue of being the ones who picked of a certain DistressCall, but damned if they aren't just what the solar system needs to deal with it.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
** Holden's crew hold him back from one in "The Big Empty" because it would be a SuicideMission.
** Miller spends most of "Critical Mass" looking for anyone and anything to vent his grief and frustration on after [[spoiler: finding Julie Mao's body]].
* {{Roboteching}}: TheConspiracy's torpedoes are capable of this in their terminal phase, making them difficult for the ''Donnager'''s point defense to intercept.
* RousingSpeech: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7HexX3Oxso Drummer delivers a boasting one]] in "Intransigence", to drive up morale as the ''Behemoth'' prepares to pass through the Ring.
-->We are the belt, we are strong, we are sharp and we don't feel fear. This moment belongs to us. Beltalowda! Beltalowda! Beltalowda!
* RuleOfSymbolism:
** The first real scene [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Anna]] and [[EvilChancellor Errinwright]] are both featured in the same room together with [[PuppetKing Sorrento-Gillis]] has them seated on opposite sides of a table. While Anna is [[LightIsGood white clothes]], Errinwright is dressed in [[DarkIsEvil all black]] [[SlouchOfVillainy while slouching]]. In a sense, [[GoodAngelBadAngel Anna is the "angel on [=Sorrent-Gillis'=] shoulder" encouraging peace while Errinwright is the devil provoking war]].
** The [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything vaguely anarchist "A"-like symbol]] used for the Outer Planets Alliance bears more than a few visual similarities to a rocket in flight.
* RunningTheBlockade: The ''Rocinante'' crew has to get past a heavily-patrolled Martian sector in "Windmills". Unlike many examples, a normal ship would probably just get a routine inspection, but since the ''Roci'' is actually a "salvaged" Martian naval frigate things are a little more interesting for them.
* SacrificialLion: Although the actor is credited as a main cast member throughout the first season, [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]] is abruptly killed by a rail gun round in "CQB".
* SanitySlippage:
** Holden notes in "Dulcinea" that the ''Canterbury's'' XO had been talking to his plants for months prior to his final breakdown.
** Miller doesn't take [[spoiler: Julie's death]] at all well, going on a minor rampage during which he starts hallucinating an ImaginaryFriend.
* SatelliteCharacter: Arjun isn't a political force of kind, just Chrisjen Avasarala's loving and supportive husband.
* SayingTooMuch: During an inquiry on the Ganymede incident, Drapar is brought in to give a fabricated account of what happened to avoid a war. Under grilling from Avasarala, she blurts out that [[spoiler:the aggressor wasn't wearing a vac-suit]], at which point her superiors steer her back to the official line.
* ScarsAreForever: Not in the 23rd Century due to medical advances, but Miller surmises in "The Big Empty" that Julie Mao maintains one on her face as a "badge of defiant against [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished everything she's]] [[RebelliousPrincess supposed to be]]."
* SchizoTech: Holographic displays and voice commands are mundane throughout the system so Earth's ambassador to Mars stands out with his use of pencils and notepads. The pencils turn out to be recording devices that store the user's every stroke and can interface with other pieces of technology.
* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The series is ''[[MeaningfulName called]]'' "The Expanse", so this is generally {{averted}} or at least {{downplayed}}. In "Dulcinea" for instance, two days is considered, "Not far out of our way," and that only gets ''Canterbury'' within 50,000 kilometers, a distance easily within reach of their "leaky lifeboat." Inter-planetary communication also consists of sending video messages back and forth rather than real-time conversation due to the immense distances. That said, visuals are sometimes configured so that several objects travelling together that could easily be many, ''many'' miles apart are shown tightly grouped to fit on the screen together.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight:
** Holden believes in doing this at every opportunity.
** Admiral Souther resigns command of the UN Navy rather than take part in a deliberate escalation of tensions with Mars.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: When demanding that Jules-Pierre Mao be brought to justice, Avasarala points out that she cannot be bought like some politicians and in the time it would take Mao to force her out of office, she will ruin his life and the lives of his family.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Kenzo makes a run for it just as the black ops team strikes at Holden's crew.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: {{Downplayed}} compared to the novels, but Avasarala still gets in a few barbs when it comes to telling people what she really thinks.
* SelfDestructMechanism: At the end of "CQB", Captain Yao activates the ''Donnager's'' to destroy the ships attacking her vessel, allowing Holden and his crew to escape with proof of the attack.
* SequelHook: Season 3 ends with [[spoiler:a PortalNetwork opened to humanity, but something is living inside the network and was responsible for destroying the protomolecule civilization]].
* SetAMookToKillAMook: Miller clears the way in "Leviathan Wakes" by inciting a fight between two groups of CPM mooks by stoking the Belters (correct) belief that they about to be left behind.
* SettlingTheFrontier: Humanity is the process of filling up the solar system. The books mention a settlement as far out as a moon of Uranus.
* {{Sexposition}}: Not verbally, but Holden and Ade's ZeroGSpot introduction helps establish that spaceships only have gravity when the engines are providing thrust.
* ShameIfSomethingHappened:
** Fred Johnson uses this threat more subtly but no less palpably than usual in "CQB" when the Mormon Church expresses discomfort with leaving him in charge of building the LDSS ''Nauvoo'' because of his OPA affiliations. Johnson simply reminds their representative that the most skilled workers in the Belt are also OPA affiliated, and therefore removing him would deprive them of quality of work on a ship that has to function flawlessly for a ''very'' long time.
** In "Rock Bottom", Avasarala threatens a former intelligence operative who's transitioned to corporate espionage that if he doesn't lend her his operative on Tycho Station his son won't be getting paroled any time soon.
* ShapedLikeItself: According to Naomi, their [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidar ladar]] system says the thing on the ''Scopuli'' that looks like a big hole in the side... is a big hole in the side.
* SherlockScan:
** Fred Johnson uses this to see through Holden's bluff of having a squad of pissed off Martian marines on the ''Rocinante''.
** Amos notices Kenzo's restlessness and the suspicious bystanders in the lobby of the Blue Falcon Hotel. As such, he already has his hand on his gun when Kenzo runs for it and a gunfight breaks out.
* ShiningCity: New York City, or at least Manhattan, has become slightly more crystalline, as befits the capital of TheFederation (or TheEmpire depending on your viewpoint).
* ShirtlessScene:
** Steven Strait (Holden) gets one in "Dulcinea".
** Wes Chatham gets one in "Caliban's War", when a very reluctant Prax patches up Amos' gunshot wounds to his best ability.
* ShootTheDog:
** Anderson Dawes' {{backstory}} involved killing his IllGirl sister Athena to [[ColdEquation save the rest of his family]].
** Amos kills [[spoiler: Sematimba]] when he pulls a gun on Naomi in an attempt to force her to take off without Holden and Miller.
** Holden reluctantly blows up a ship full of {{Good Samaritan}}s because allowing them to expose what happened on Eros could potentially lead to the entire solar system being infected by the protomolecule.
* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/TheExpanse Has its own page]].
* ShownTheirWork:
** The show loves to demonstrate the hard sci-fi limits of the setting, such as showing how the Coriolis effect changes how things flow and fall on Belter stations. The show is also quite meticulous in depicting gravity in space travel.
** Some of the wall markings on the ships are real-world ratings. Example: In S2E13, inside the elevator of Mao’s ship, there’s the marking “ISO K9.” ISO is the “International Standards Organization,” which is a real world repository for engineering standards. K9 is a reference to ISO 2531 K9, which is a classifier for water-proofed structures. This means the elevator is sealed against potential flooding, if a waterline breaks.
* SideEffectsInclude: In "Leviathan Wakes" Miller and Holden keep pumping painkillers into their bodies to help keep them functional while [[spoiler:they are slowly dying from a massive radiation dose]]. At one point Miller asks what effects overdosing on this stuff has, and Holden reads from a product information slip: "Possible anxiety, skin rash... sudden death." An unusually ironic example of this trope.
* SigilSpam:
** The OPA display their monogram on passages all over Ceres and tattoo it on their arms, chests, and even faces.
** The Martian Navy have plastered their MCRN logo all over the ''Tachi'', right down to the coffee cups.
* SinkingShipScenario: Holden's crew face this in " The Big Empty".
* SirSwearsALot: {{Downplayed}} from the books, but Avasarala still gets away with as much as she can without the show moving to Creator/{{HBO}} or Creator/{{Showtime}}, especially after what little she did do in Season 1 proved so popular.
** Although notably, her dialogue is substantially less restrained on the season 2 DVD release -- even if the original [=SyFy=] broadcasts were occasionally muted to censor.
* SleepingWithTheBoss: PlayedForLaughs when Holden and Ade joke about this during their sex scene introduction.
--> '''Ade:''' [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex You're entirely too good at that]].\\
'''Holden:''' I told you, I've got no power to get you promoted on this ship.\\
'''Ade:''' [[SarcasmMode Well, then I take it back]].
* SleevesAreForWimps: Amos is the only crew-member to always keep the sleeves of his coveralls rolled up.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Mixed to leaning towards cynical, with the future being a pretty CrapsackWorld regardless of where you're living throughout the Solar System.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Very often between Avasarala and Cotyar, who are both very snarky and are very VitriolicBestBuds. It gets even better when you add the also-snarky Bobbie to the mix:
-->''Bobbie has just suggested that they [[spoiler:escape Mao's goons trying to kill them]] by climbing up an elevator shaft''\\
'''Avasarala''': That is not going to work.\\
'''Bobbie''': ''[{{Beat}}]'' Right. You'd never make that climb.\\
'''Avasarala''': Jesus Christ, [[BerserkButton not because I'm old!]] [[spoiler:[Cotyar]'s been shot!]]\\
'''Cotyar''': Plus, she's really old.
* SoapboxSadie:
** A male example in the OPA agitator on Ceres. No matter what's happening in the solar system, he'll tell you all about how it's a conspiracy against the Belt. For instance, he insists ''Canterbury'' was destroyed by the Inner Planets exclusively to deprive Ceres of water when in reality that was at best an [[BatmanGambit intended assumption]].
** Miller initially pegs Julie Mao as one of these before his investigation proves she really means it.
---> '''Miller:''' Students, with big ideas and big mouths.
* SoapboxSquare: The [[EpicTrackingShot Epic Tracking]] EstablishingShot for Ceres station features a voice-over on the plight of the Belt that's eventually revealed to be an OPA agitator speaking in one of these in the slum at the very bottom of the colony.
* SocialDarwinist: Captain [=McDowell=] literally proposes letting "the good god Darwin" sort out the ''Scopuli'' rather than answer the DistressCall. Admittedly he was also suspecting it to be a trap set by pirates to lure in prey. [[spoiler:He's half right.]]
* TheSociopath:
** Amos is basically a functional one, but he's self-aware about it and compensates by following [[TheConscience ethical people]], using them as his aftermarket moral compass.
---> '''Amos:''' Ask me whether or not I should rip your helmet off and kick you off this bucket and I can't give you a reason why I should or shouldn't except, 'Naomi wouldn't like it.'
** Also, Dresden. What else can you call someone who only sees the ForScience potential of [[spoiler: thousands and thousands of people to an EldritchAbomination]].
** TheConspiracy had this trait ''medically induced'' in all its employees on Thoth Station to ensure they'd have no qualms about their {{Mad Doctor}}ing.
* SociopathicSoldier: Type [=1s=] (i.e. Jingos) are everywhere on all sides, but particularly in the Martian military. The two primary traits of MCRN Marines are being aggressively stupid and stupidly aggressive, and will almost invariably make any situation worse when they're introduced into it.
* SonOfAWhore: In a conversation with Prax, Amos strongly hints that he was this, and was likely also a child prostitute.
* SoundtrackDissonance:
** "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys plays during the ice mining [[AnArmAndALeg hand injury]] scene in "Dulcinea".
** The epic gunfight in the ''Blue Falcon'' lobby is set to smooth jazz [[LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn from the hotel's speaker system]].
* SpaceBattle:
** In "CQB", the ''Donnager'' is attacked by six of TheConspiracy's stealth ships, destroying several before being boarded and forced to self-destruct to avoid capture and [[TakingYouWithMe take the rest with it]].
** In "Doors and Corners", the ''Rocinante'' and the OPA [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=expanse+doors+and+corners+battle launch]] a joint [[StormingTheCastle attack on Thoth Station]], which is protected by one of TheConspiracy's stealth ships. After some tricky maneuvering, the ''Roci'' manages to take out the stealth ship and the station's only gun turret, allowing the OPA to land a BoardingPod and take control of the station.
* SpaceColdWar: Between Earth/Luna and Mars, with the Belt adding its own third-party pressure. Avasarala even calls it one in "The Big Empty". [[spoiler:It goes hot in Season 3.]]
* SpaceCossacks: While native Belters are physically incapable of living anywhere else, Earthers and Martians who move permanently to the Belt are often this. Holden in particular left Earth because, "Everything I loved was dying," and he has little-to-no interest in returning.
* SpaceFriction: Usually {{Averted}}, like when the ''Canterbury'', already travelling at high speed, has to make a very high-''g'' maneuver to redirect rather than just let off the gas a little. However, the maneuvers required to actually slow down and intercept are generally left off-screen.
** The ships always approach their destinations engine-first, implying the slow-down maneuvers.
* SpaceIsAnOcean: Aside from the UN and MCR maintaining space navies (with associated terminology) and the mention of "shipping lanes", this is ''fully'' averted.
* SpaceIsNoisy:
** More or less an EnforcedTrope, but the show does go for a more [[DownplayedTrope subdued version]], with scenes set in space featuring muffled sounds. Some scenes cut the audio to emphasize the shock and danger the characters are experiencing.
** When Holden and Naomi need to talk privately in their space suits, they kill their radios and put their helmets together so the sound will carry through the helmets.
* SpaceMadness: The ''Canterbury'''s XO comes down with a case in the first episode, necessitating his replacement by Holden, who notes the guy had already been talking to his plants for months.
--> '''XO:''' Jimmy boy, you know what I just can't figure out? We make it all this way, so far out into the darkness... Why couldn't we have brought more light?
* SpaceMarine: The UNN and MCRN have marine detachments aboard their ships.
* SpaceNavy: The UNN and MCRN for the Solar System's two major factions. MCRN ships have "NAVY" prominently emblazoned on their sides. The UNN is shown to still be using anchors in its crest.
* SpacePeople: Native Belters are physically incapable of living on Earth without heavy amounts of therapy and drugs. This is exploited by Earthers in "Dulcinea", where simply exposing a Belter to Earth's gravity is used as ColdBloodedTorture.
* SpacePirates: A notable concern for regular cargo haulers. There's even a corporate protocol for such cases: give up the cargo and negotiate a ransom for any captured crew. Captain Yao of MCRN ''Donnager'' also mentions three years of combat experience hunting them.
* SpaceshipSlingshotStunt:
** {{Deconstructed}} by being shown literally ''as a stunt'' by adrenaline jockeys looking to set records, and the first contestant we actually see on-screen makes a minor miscalculation and burns up in Jupiter's atmosphere. "Slingshot Clubs" get together to watch these pilots' exploits and make extravagant and illegal bets about their chances of success.
** In Season 2, Alex plots an elaborate slingshot course around Jupiter's moon to be able to go from Cyllene to Ganymede without firing the ''Rocinante'''s engines. It goes well until he unexpectedly comes across a MCRN destroyer and he has to quickly abort the maneuver to avoid detection.
** Mid-Season 3, a slingshot jockey attempts to "thread the needle" through [[spoiler: the Protomolecule Ring, only for its defenses to stop his ship dead and reduce him to {{Ludicrous Gibs}}.]]
* SpaceStation: Tycho Station is the main construction hub in the Belt, and home to OPA leader Fred Johnson. Other smaller stations are also mentioned, particularly Anderson Station, which was destroyed 11 years before the start of the series.
* SpaceSuitsAreSCUBAGear: The helmets worn by the crew of the ''Rocinante'' in Season One are connected to a "breather" backpack by a corrugated rubber hose, of the sort used by old-fashioned SCUBA sets. MCRN suits have the backpack but no visible connection to the helmet.
* SpaceTrucker: Although ''Canterbury'' has more the feel of a cargo ship, Holden and his crew start out as these in the business of hauling ice from Saturn's orbit back to Ceres, a vital but not very glamorous job.
* SpeakIllOfTheDead: Johnson has no illusions whatsoever about what kind of person [[spoiler:Miller]] was after the latter performs a HeroicSacrifice, calling the belated "a pain-in-the-ass, suicidal ex-cop".
* SpeculativeFictionLGBT: Earth, the Belt, and probably Mars, all have much more open and tolerant attitudes towards sexuality in the 23rd century.
** Earth's ambassador to Mars is openly married to another man, which is treated as unremarkable.
** Holden is the product of a group marriage of five men and three women who are all his genetic parents due to DNA splicing, which is apparently not particularly unusual, although a full genetic mix is implied to be pricey. In this case, [[RulesLawyer it was done because the donors wanted to get around the law and keep their land, which they could do through a joint heir]]. The series doesn't elaborate on whether they really are actually polyamorous, or if it's just another means of avoiding having their property seized.
** In a list of personal ads Miller peruses during his investigation on Ceres, about half of those who appear are listed as pansexual.
%%** Reverend Dr. Anna Volvodov is a Methodist pastor who is lovingly married to another woman, with whom she has a daughter who is also genetically theirs.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Many people have likened the series to a [[DarkerAndEdgier darker and more "modern"]] reinterpretation of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', especially in regards to the crew of the ''Rocinante'' being just ordinary {{Space Trucker}}s trying to make ends meet like the crew of the ''Serenity'' were.
* SpySpeak:
** The data broker Julie Mao dealt with on Ceres set up their meeting via a dating site using the phrase, "I'll be your Sherpa," and Miller eventually figures out that to access the guy's shop, you go to a certain shop and ask for a sherpa.
** The ''Rocinante'' crew avoid inspection by a Martian patrol by pretending to be a special ops team using the code-words "ubiquitous", "mendacious", and "polyglottal". Working on past experience, Alex also throws in "donkey balls", just in case.
* TheSquadette: Naomi is the only woman on the ''Rocinate'', and serves as TheLancer to Holden.
* StandardEstablishingSpaceshipShot: Writer Hawk Ostby [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zQyV6HzIE says]] they chose to open the series on Julie Mao in the storage locker specifically to kick off the series by [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this trope.
* StandardHumanSpaceship: Most ships seen on the show feature brick-like designs in order to maximize interior space and because aerodynamics are not a concern. Even atmospheric shuttles lack aerodynamic designs as they're only meant to go straight up and down.
* StandardizedSpaceViews: Locations beyond Earth tend to get these as their EstablishingShot.
* StandardStarshipScuffle: ''MCRN Donnager'' goes up against six stealth ships. Each side tries to overwhelm the other with torpedo barrages before using rail guns for close quarters battle. The battle climaxes when one of the stealth ships is able to come in close and send boarding parties aboard the ''Donnager''.
* StealthInSpace:
** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LIDAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem like part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.
** The Martians are said to possess advanced stealth technology. That said, the ''Rocinante'' (originally a Martian frigate) can't actually hide from other ships, so it's disguised as a gas freighter in the second half of Season 1.
** The stealth ships that destroyed the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Donnager'' are revealed to belong to a fourth, unknown faction in the solar system. These ships are about the size of a corvette, possess a dark color scheme, and seem to be shaped in a way to deflect other ships' tracking systems. They are also heavily armed for ships of their size, equipped with torpedoes, gatling guns (for point defense), and rail guns.
** {{Averted}} in "Doors and Corners" where getting close enough to actually engage and deploy {{Boarding Pod}}s with any hope of success is a crucial problem the OPA faces in [[StormingTheCastle storming Thoth Station]].
** In a rather impressive example, [[spoiler: the protomolecule somehow manages to render the whole of Eros invisible to radar]].
* StillWearingTheOldColors: After the survivors of the ''Canterbury'' get picked up by a Martian battleship, Alex adopts a Martian uniform since he used to serve as a pilot in the Martian military before he joined the Belters. The crew of the ''Rocinante'' no longer hold allegiance to any particular faction, but it's helpful if there's ever any need for a FalseFlagOperation.
* StockScream: A stock crying baby is used during the aftermath of the faulty air filters in "Dulcinea".
* StormingTheCastle: The ''Rocinante'' crew join with Miller and the OPA to assault Thoth Station in "Doors and Corners".
* StreetSmart: Joe Miller. It comes with the territory of a HardboiledDetective and makes him a real {{Foil}} for [[KnightErrant James Holden]].
* StressVomit: There isn't any turbulence yet since they're still attached to the main ship, so Miller's VomitIndiscretionShot on the BoardingPod in "Doors and Corners" has to be this.
* StunnedSilence: After [[spoiler: Shed]] is decapitated.
* SubspaceAnsible: [[AvertedTrope There is no such thing in this universe]]. Communication over long distances is hampered by minutes-long signal delays. In military situations, commanders gripe that the telemetry they receive is minutes-old and that their units could be wiped out at that very moment and they'll only find out after the fact. Even communication between Earth and Luna is subject to a three second delay and Chrisjen and Arjun end up talking over each other because they keep forgetting to take the delay into account.
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The protomolecule, and the aliens who created it, were so advanced that everything they built routinely violates all known laws of physics. The human organizations are just scrambling to get a basic understanding of what they are dealing with, let alone actually using it in any manner.
* SuicideAttack:
** Captain Yao describes the six ships attacking the ''Donnager'' in "CQB" as doing this, but they turn out to be far more powerful than she imagined.
** Mateo, a Belter AsteroidMiner who's been pushed around one time too many flies his ship straight at the Martians who screwed him over. Unfortunately for him, he's nowhere near as well armed as the stealth ships who attacked the ''Donnager''.
--->'''Mateo:''' A man's got to stand up!
* SuperSoldier: [[spoiler:After Eros, TheConspiracy is able to refine the protomolecule and use it to create hybrids which can survive in hard vacuum and take out an entire squad of Martian marines. And this is only the prototype.]]
* SurveillanceDrone: Often seen floating around Earth and Ceres.
* TheSyndicate: Anderson Dawes essentially represents this side of the OPA, controlling labour [[spoiler: and policing]] on Ceres, while Fred Johnson represents more the LaResistance trying to become an independent government side of the organization, though the two sides do collaborate when it's beneficial.
* {{Synchronization}}: All the samples of the protomolecule communicate with each other instantly over intra-solar distances.
* SyntheticPlague: The protomolecule evolves by [[TheAssimilator absorbing humans]] and is being experimented with by a faction [[spoiler:from Earth]] for unknown reasons. Dresden also implies it may have been sent to the solar system on purpose.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:T-Z]]
* TakeAThirdOption: Instead of allowing Earth an easy victory or starting a shooting war by fighting over it, the Martians instead opt to destroy [[spoiler: Phoebe station]] completely.
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: The ''Donnager'']] takes the attacking ships down with it when it self-destructs.
* TattooAsCharacterType:
** Many Belters have cultural ones, including stylized ring with an off-center gap around their neck in imitation of the burn-scars left by faulty connection collars of older space suits.
** OPA members often sport these to declare their overall membership and individual faction. These are usually highly visible, often on the face or neck, with the more villainous members doubling as {{Tattooed Crook}}s.
---> '''Miller:''' Boss let you wear your colors out in the open like that? \\
'''Worker:''' Boss has one just like it.
** Amos has a couple on his arms, as befits a tough-guy mechanic.
* TattooedCrook: While most Belters have noticeable tattoos, the more villainous ones definitely count as this.
* TeamMom: Alex provides a male example at the end of "Safe", when he forces the crew to sit down to eat together and fusses over them in an attempt to lighten the mood and get everyone to pull together again in the aftermath of Eros.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: In "Home", [[spoiler:Miller is able to convince Julie Mao, whose consciousness has been fused with the protomolecule, into diverting it away from Earth and into Venus]].
* TearsOfBlood: Anderson Dawes says he suffered these from crying so hard over the death of his little sister.
* TheTeaser: The first few minutes of the series give us just the briefest glimpse of the protomolecule.
* {{Terraform}}: Mars is still in the process of this. It is estimated that they will be finished in a hundred years. This is part of the reason that the Martians hate the Earthers so much; under the original plan it would have been finished already, but the project ground to a halt after Earth blockaded water resources as part of a diplomatic incident. As a result, they were forced to put so many resources into the military to defend against Earth that the project is 100 years behind schedule.
* TestedOnHumans: Dresden is fascinated by the protomolecule's effects on humans and proceeds to [[spoiler: inject it into everyone on Eros under the guise of a treatment for radiation]].
* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: According to Amos in "Paradigm Shift", there are actually ''three'' kinds of people in the world -- bad people, people you follow, and people you protect.
* TimeForPlanB:
** When ''Rocinante'' is flagged for a ''very'' unwanted inspection in "Windmills", Naomi and Alex scramble to unlock the correct SpySpeak to call them off while Amos calmly heads down to the weapons-locker to prepare Plan B: trying to shoot anyone who comes through the airlock.
** Late in Season 3, Holden's Plan B for yet another dire situation is "make sure Plan A works".
* TimeSkip: "Delva-V" moves the timeline forward by about six months, during which [[spoiler:the UN-MCR war has ended with a cease-fire, the OPA has reorganized into a true Belter state (albeit a fragile one), and the ''Roci'' crew have become celebrities across the system]].
* TitleDrop:
** Miller cautions his BoardingParty that "Doors and Corners" are where they'll get ambushed in the episode of that name.
** Fred Johnson wishes everyone "Godspeed," in the episode of the same name.
* TitleIn: {{Establishing Shot}}s for locations are usually accompanied by these, such as: "CERES_STATION: U.N. Protectorate / In the Asteroid Belt". A few characters like Avasrala, Errinwright, and [=DeGraaf=] also get a BossBanner with their name and position.
* TitleSequence: A fully-fledged ArtisticTitle of a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krqqqgixNq8 flyby tracing the colonization of the solar system]]. Much of season 1 uses a much simpler TitleOnlyOpening of the TitleCard laid over a stylized solar system.
* ThatOneCase: Searching for Julie Mao quickly becomes this for Miller, especially when he keeps it up on his own time after Captain Shaddid calls it closed.
* ThatsAnOrder: Holden pulls this to try to pursue the ship that destroyed the ''Canterbury'', but the rest of the crew refuse and explain to him how stupid that order is.
* ThinkHappyThoughts: Naomi encourages Miller to do this in "Home", but he just grumbles.
* ThirdLineSomeWaiting:
** In Season 1, Holden and Miller's stories get the most focus, with others fitting in around the edges. Avasrala's plot is mostly a GovernmentProcedural about uncovering TheConspiracy.
** Until the Ganymede incident, Bobby Draper and her marines just pop in every episode or two to give a Martian reaction to Earth's actions.
* ThrownOutTheAirlock:
** Tormented by the thought of the [[WouldntHurtAChild children]] who nearly died because he took a bribe from a corrupt landlord who cheaped out on air filters, Miller threatens the landlord with this trope in "Dulcinea".
---> '''Miller:''' Air is good, don't you think? Air is nice. ''Keep those filters clean,'' asshole.
** The AsteroidMiner Mateo launches his nephew Diogo out in an EVA suit before taking his ship on a SuicideAttack against the Martians who screwed him over. A weird case in that Mateo actually expects this to ''save'' his nephew, reasoning that someone will pick him up. He's right, too; Diogo shows up in the second season, perfectly healthy.
** Miller nearly suffers this in "Rock Bottom", but Octavia rescues him.
** Fred Johnson spaces an unruly OPA member who doesn't want to play ball, preferring to stick to pointless terrorist attacks rather than fight a bigger enemy. It got all the other OPA members to fall in line.
** Amos claims in "Godspeed" that "Med bays in [[SpacePirates pirate ships]] are usually just open airlocks."
** In "Pyre", a refugee transport carrying survivors from Ganymede has all the Inners moved to the airlock under the guise of having them moved to another ship, then flushes them as retaliation for Earth and Mars wrecking Ganymede.
* ToAbsentFriends:
** Holden and Naomi share in the irreverent sort of this in "Rock Bottom":
---> '''Holden:''' To [[spoiler: Shed]]: always generous, thoughtful... sometimes a whiny little prick. [''laughs''] We're gonna miss you, pal, wherever you are... I hope no one there needs [[spoiler: medical attention]]. [''laughs again'']
** The crew toasts [[spoiler:Miller]] after his sacrifice in "Home".
* TogetherInDeath: In "Home", [[spoiler:Miller stays with Julie as she sends Eros crashing into Venus, deliberately removing his suit and infecting himself by kissing her just before impact]].
* TooGoodToBeTrue: After Fred Johnson's CantStopTheSignal moment in "Critical Mass", Avasarala is given evidence he's lying and is really behind everything, which she immediately senses is bullshit because of this trope and because she herself found evidence identical to Johnson's, but she has to play along until she's in a better position.
* TokenEvilTeammate:
** Amos, to some degree, since he's basically a high-functioning sociopath who's always there to propose that MurderIsTheBestSolution.
** Holden starts to see Miller as this in "Static" after he [[spoiler: kills Dresden]], and so banishes him from the ''Roci'', though he still agrees to collaborate on Miller's plan to deal with Eros in "Godspeed".
** {{Subverted}} with Kenzo, who gets enough dialogue and development that he could become this until he willingly guides a black ops team to the ''Roci'' crew and consequently has his rescue request rejected by Holden.
* TooDumbToLive: A slingshot jockey in Season 3 decides to make a name for himself by [[spoiler:slingshotting himself through the alien ring that showed up six months ago]]. It earns him a very messy death by extreme deceleration.
* TooMuchAlike: Miller finds a message from Julie Mao to her father CallingTheOldManOut by claiming this is why they never got along.
* TortureCellar: The UN has one where Avasarala interrogates a Belter smuggler.
* TortureIsIneffective: Avasarala learns more (though still practically nothing) from a Belter prisoner through a civilized interview than she does through gravity torture, and the same prisoner ultimately uses ''gravity itself'' as his CyanidePill simply to avoid further torture.
* TortureTechnician: The UN employs these, though so far they've simply hung a Belter on some hooks to suffer from Earth's gravity.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
** Holden loves [[MustHaveCaffeine real coffee]].
** {{Downplayed}} from the novels, but Avasarala still has her pistachios in a couple scenes.
* TransformationHorror: At the beginning of "Critical Mass", the audience is subjected to [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] being slowly mutated and consumed after being infected by the protomolecule.
* TribalFacePaint: The OPA, rather than being a unified organization, is actually a loose conglomeration of groups that are almost tribal in nature. Some of these tribes use unique facial tattoos as a way to show allegiance.
* TurnInYourBadge: Miller is fired after his persistent investigation into Julie Mao becomes politically sensitive.
* TwoKeyedLock:
** The SelfDestructMechanism on the ''Donnager'' requires thumbprints from both Captain Yao and one of her lieutenants.
** Earth interplanetary nuclear arsenal is locked behind one of these, with the keys in the hands of the Secretary-General and Undersecretary-General.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: The captain and crew of the MCRN ''Donnager'' treat an attack by a group of small ships to be the equivalent of the attackers committing SuicideByCop. Then they get a OhCrap moment as they realize just how technically advanced the attackers are and the ''Donnager'' starts taking serious damage. [[spoiler:The captain eventually self-destructs the ''Donnager'' before it can be captured.]]
* UndergroundCity: Many Belter colonies are built this way in order maximize available space and harness CentrifugalGravity, so that "down" is actually toward the surface.
* UnitedNationsIsASuperpower: The UN has taken over as the government of Earth.
* TheUnmasquedWorld: [[spoiler:The existence of the protomolecule finally goes public at the beginning of Season 3, right before the UN formally declares war on Mars]].
* UnnaturallyBlueLighting:
** Used to great effect around the protomolecule MeatMoss, which pulses with bluish-white electric jolts.
** Also used in a RealIsBrown sense to lend a cold artificial feel to spaceship and space station interiors.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Julie Mao had no way of knowing it, but by [[spoiler: getting infected and travelling to Eros she brought the protomolecule right back into the hands of the same conspirators she'd hoped to keep it away from and the same station they'd already planned to infect with it]].
* UsedFuture:
** Belter ships and technology fit this trope to a T, with some ships basically [[DuctTapeForEverything held together with duct tape]].
** The ''Canterbury'' has instruments in need of PercussiveMaintenance and stowaway rats out past Saturn.
** UN and Martian ships are better, but they still count.
* UselessSpleen: Amos quips, "There goes my spleen," as the ''Rocinante'' performs a high-''g'' burn that will eventually kill the crew if they keep it up in "Home".
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: In "Doors and Corners", Dresden speaks very movingly of the wonders humanity might accomplish if they can master the protomolecule, but unfortunately his plans to achieve this involve merciless mass murder.
* VillainHasAPoint: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Miller, regarding [[spoiler: Dresden]].
--> "I didn't shoot him because he was crazy. I shot him because he was ''making sense.''
* VirginShaming: {{Downplayed}}. Miller hassles Diogo this way only in response to Diogo's claim that space-walking (which Miller ''[[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes hates]]'') is BetterThanSex. Likewise, he offers, "Hey kid, go get laid, will you?" as his parting advice, but since Diogo is JustAKid with too much PatrioticFervor it's more about telling him to live for something more than dying for a cause.
* TheVirus: The protomolecule is a glowing, blue, crystalline virus that can infect living tissue, feeds on most forms of energy, and seems to adapt as it grows. When Julie Mao discovers it infesting the ''Anubis'', she deemed it necessary to completely power down the ship and vent every deck just to ''slow it down''. [[spoiler:When it's released on Eros, the mass of people it absorbs allows it to mimic human form through bio-luminescent spores, and was purposely delivered on such a massive scale because its creators are trying to make it evolve.]]
* VisionaryVillain: TheConspiracy behind the protomolecule has grand designs:
** They started researching it because they discovered that Phoebe was in fact an extrasolar object that would have hit Earth two billion years in the past. The only reason humanity ''exists'' is because Phoebe was caught by Saturn's gravity -- the interstellar equivalent of a PocketProtector.
--->'''Dresden:''' Without this work, humanity will be left unarmed, ignorant, vulnerable, to an enemy who's already fired the first shot.
** Their chief researcher is an EvilutionaryBiologist who seems even more interested in it because it's ImportedAlienPhlebotinum; JustThinkOfThePotential!
--->'''Dresden:''' We become [[MasterOfYourDomain our own gods]]. Imagine human beings able to live in hard vacuum without a suit, or under the crushing atmosphere of a gas giant. Or able to hibernate long enough to travel to the stars.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: Julie Mao after she [[spoiler:was infected by the protomolecule]] and Miller after he [[spoiler:got radiation sickness from being exposed to radioactive radiation used to provide the protomolecule in the bodies of the infected with energy.]]
* WalkAndTalk: Holden, Naomi, and Amos have a long one in "Dulcinea" that carries them from the galley to the bridge of the ''Canterbury''.
* WallOfWeapons:
** The [=XO=] of the ''Canterbury'' has a weapons locker filled with four pistols and three rifles, some of them quite antique for the 23rd Century.
** The ''Rocinante'' has an entire deck devoted to the airlock and a locker room for SpaceMarine weapons and gear.
* TheWarOfEarthlyAggression: The Martians have already declared independance, and the OPA is looking to follow suit in the not-too-distant future.
* WarfareRegression: Downplayed, but the lack of {{Subspace Ansible}}s makes it so that most space-faring navies must depend primarily on the actions of individual captains and "on-site" admirals rather than the command centers of Earth and Mars, in effect loosely mimicking the age of naval warfare before the dawn of mass communication and radio technology.
* WarHawk:
** Admiral Nguyen plays this role as a {{Foil}} to Admiral Souther's dove in TheWarRoom of the UN in "Doors and Corners".
** Bobby Draper seems to be one, even proposing: "You said our job is to prevent a war with Earth. Ever wonder if we've got it backwards? Maybe we can't have the dream of Mars ''until'' we've had that war."
* WarIsHell: More or less played straight, but it's actually ultimately closer to "War Is Pointless." Many characters point out that despite hostilities between the many factions war doesn't benefit anyone. That makes it all the more concerning that someone is clearly trying to start a war.
* TheWarRoom: The [=UN=] begins deciding interplanetary strategic matters in one of these in Season 2, rather than just Errinwright's office like in Season 1.
* TheWatson: Miller's partner Havelock, a newly-arrived Earther, needs a lot of things in the Belt explained to him, and if they aren't explained at least viewer doesn't feel alone in their confusion.
* WeAllDieSomeday: A Belter thug declares this during a standoff with Miller before being called off by Anderson Dawes.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Belt would be a lot better off if its factions weren't competing against each other. Fred Johnson is a pure pragmatist, Anderson Dawes is more radical and willing to screw over Fred if he thinks it will benefit him, and Holden is an idealist who doesn't care for either side and has only marginally more appreciation for Fred's tactics (Dawes he hates with a passion).
* WeHardlyKnewYe:
** [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and Captain [=McDowell=]]] are nuked in the very first episode.
** [[spoiler:Shed Garvey]] gets decapitated by a railgun before the crew even make it to the ''Rocinante''.
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] gets consumed and assimilated by the protomolecule.
** [[spoiler: Sematimba]] doesn't make it off Eros Station alive.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: {{Subverted}} with Miller and Sematimba, who still ''are'' friends in the present day, and Miller doesn't even resent Sematimba's attempt to abandon him on Eros. In fact, he even [[spoiler: holds a brief grudge against Amos for killing Sematimba to stop him from forcing Naomi to take off]].
* WeaponizedExhaust:
** An unintentional example. When the ''Nauvoo'' is launched, the heat from its massive engines superheats the scaffolding behind it and a few of the automated tugs used to orient it are vaporized as they return to base.
** In the Season 2 finale, the ''Rocinante's'' main engine is used to fry [[spoiler:the protomolecule soldier]].
* WeirdMoon: While debating an attack on the Martian moon Deimos, Avasarala cites the importance of Earth's own moon in their cultural psyche. Errinwright points out that Deimos is different because it's so small that it's really just a bright dot in the Martian sky, but the Martians certainly don't see it that way.
-->'''Sa'id''': [[TranquilFury They ruined our goddamn sky]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist:
** Chrisjen Avasarala has nothing but Earth's best interests at heart, but as such has doesn't hesitate to resort to threats, torture, or even utterly ruining the life of a personal friend in order to fulfill her objectives.
** Dr. Antony Dresden is willing to commit any number of atrocities to further his research on the protomolecule, but he honestly believes that research will benefit humanity, especially if whatever sent it eventually shows up.
** Though regarded as a terrorist by Mars and Earth (and even by some other Belters), Anderson Dawes is very sincere in his ambition to create a "Belt for Belters."
** Fred Johnson certainly has shades of this as well after having been [[TheAtoner radicalized by previous events he was held responsible for]].
* WeWillHavePerfectHealthInTheFuture: ZigzaggedTrope. It is indicated that the average human lifespan for Earth residents has been bumped up to 130[[note]]The oldest ever person that we have reliable documentation for lived to 122[[/note]], and one would assume that the terraformed Mars has similar stats. However, on the space colonies in the Asteroid Belt there are already people with debilitating physical and mental conditions due to things like low-oxygen environments. There are also signs of mutation/evolution, with some people being born with more fragile bones due to low gravity, meaning that they can't really survive on Earth anymore.
* WhamEpisode:
** The series starts off with a bang in "Dulcinea" with [[spoiler: the [[DoomedHometown destruction]] of the ''Canterbury'']].
** "CQB" has some amazing ship-to-ship and squad-to-squad combat and [[spoiler: an out-of-nowhere CharacterDeath]].
** "Salvage" features the true {{Reveal}} of the protomolecule, and Julie Mao finally makes an appearance...
** "Critical Mass" and "Leviathan Wakes" answer the {{Driving Question}}s about the ''Canterbury'' and Julie Mao, and reveals the monstrous things TheConspiracy is capable of.
** "Doors and Corners" features another cool SpaceBattle and {{reveal}}s more about the protomolecule.
** "Godspeed" and "Home" are based on the climax of the first novel, and as such are packed with {{Wham Shot}}s, {{Wham Line}}s, and {{Reveal}}s.
** "Immolation". [[spoiler:Mei and the other children are rescued, TheConspiracy is finally brought down for good, and the protomolecule births an EldritchAbomination on Venus which flies off to parts unknown]].
** "Abbadon's Gate". [[spoiler: All ships are convinced/forced to shut down their reactor core. That reassures the station they are not hostile, releasing the ships and reopening all 1300 remaining ring gates into habitable systems. Holden is certain this is the start of a new bloody gold rush.]]
* WhamLine:
** From "Critical Mass": "They[[note]]the stealth ships that destroyed the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Donnager''[[/note]] were built by [[spoiler:Earth]]!"
** From "Godspeed": "The ''Nauvoo'' didn't move; [[spoiler: Eros]] did."
** From "Home":
*** "[[spoiler:Eros]] has changed trajectory again, and it's accelerating. It's now on a direct collision course with [[spoiler: Earth]].
*** "Holden, we just lost radar-lock on [[spoiler: Eros]]; the whole damn [[spoiler: station]] just vanished!"
** From "Caliban's War" (the very last line of Season 2, in fact): [[spoiler: "I gave the protomolecule to Fred Johnson."]]
* WhamShot:
** [[spoiler: Shed]]'s decapitated body in "CQB".
** The POVCam of Kenzo's ElectronicEyes spying on Holden and Naomi in "Rock Bottom".
** The discovery of [[spoiler:Julie Mao's dead body, ravaged by the protomolecule]], at the very end of "Salvage".
** When [[spoiler: the ''Nauvoo'']] sails right by [[spoiler: Eros]] instead of colliding as intended in "Godspeed" because [[spoiler: the protomolecule ''moved'' Eros to DodgeTheBullet]].
** "Paradigm Shift" has a wounded Bobbie Draper glimpsing [[spoiler:a protomolecule-human hybrid]] on Ganymede.
** The inner refugees [[spoiler:getting ThrownOutTheAirlock]] in "Pyre".
** "The Weeping Somnambulist" has the UN survey Venus to see the wreckage of [[spoiler:Eros, and there's ''two'' lifeforms down there]].
** "The Monster And The Rocket" has the ''Rocinante'' and the ''Sonambulist'' successfully rescuing 52 refugees from Ganymede... [[spoiler:except that a protomolecule soldier managed to tear into the ''Rocinante's'' airlock, likely in the confusion when the ''Karakum's'' remains fell]].
** "Abbadon's Gate". [[spoiler:Once the Station has released all of the ships, everyone is seen staring in awe at something. This turns out to be footage of the Ring Gates reopening around the station. All '''1300''' remaining ones.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to [[spoiler:the protomolecule sample Naomi gave to Fred Johnson]]? Much of the interpersonal drama in Season 3 is informed by this decision, but the topic itself isn't elaborated on aside from [[spoiler:Johnson having the sample and Dawes having the expertise to analyze it]].
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Granted, we have absolutely no reference for what space colonists from two centuries in the future ''should'' sound like, but Belters evoke this trope with a very strange accent that sounds like a vague mishmash of Afrikaans, Chinese, Eastern European, and Caribbean.
* {{Whodunnit}}: Who destroyed the ''Canterbury''?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Miller ''hates'' space. So does Avasarala, for that matter.
* WickedCultured: Anderson Dawes shows off this side of the OPA in his soft-spoken, articulate conversations with Miller. He even reminds other Belters that, "We are not ''animals''," in his introduction before inviting Miller to join him at a nearby cafe.
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Avasarala is stern or saccharine as needed for her profession, but is actually quite genuine and tender in the privacy of her own family and with Elise Holden in "Windmills".
* TheWorfEffect: The Martian Congressional Republic Navy is constantly referenced as being the best there is. However, they get their asses kicked ([[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]], really) an awful lot.
* WorkingTheSameCase: Miller quickly discovers Julie Mao was part of the crew of the ''Scopuli''—the same ship used to lure in the ''Canterbury''. From there, Miller and Holden's plotlines progress in tandem until they run into each other at the Blue Falcon Hotel on Eros in "Salvage".
* WorldBuilding: Of course, particularly regarding Ceres (and by extension the rest of the Belt).
* WouldHurtAChild:
** Fred Johnson earned his epithet "TheButcher of Anderson Station" for resolving a Belter mutiny by using the NuclearOption on them and their children. [[spoiler:In actuality, Johnson hadn't been told they had surrendered, hence why he resigned and joined the OPA.]]
** On Ganymede, [[spoiler:Dr Strickland and TheConspiracy]] use children to [[spoiler:create [[HalfHumanHybrid protomolecule-human hybrid soldiers]].]]
* WouldntHurtAChild: In "Dulcinea", Miller is fine [[CorruptCop taking a bribe]] to forgo a safety inspection, but when several children are among the tenants who nearly die as a result, Miller nearly has the landlord ThrownOutTheAirlock.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: The DistressCall in "Dulcinea" turns out to be [[LuredIntoATrap a trap]].
* WrenchWench: Naomi has multiple engineering degrees and other characters regularly rely on her mechanical expertise. She's even aggravated by how well ''Rocinante'''s automated engineering system works because, "[[JobStealingRobot There's nothing to fix!]]"
* WretchedHive:
** Ceres' slummy innermost districts, where Miller cautions Havelock that, "People get killed for a wrong look around here."
** Eros is a crime-ridden asteroid, said to be the murder capital of the Belt, whose "police force" is a private firm that makes Star Helix look downright friendly. [[spoiler:The conspirators wind up feeding its entire population to the protomolecule because, in Miller's words, they "don't consider these people as human".]] We do, however, see that many inhabitants are just regular people trying to make a living, and want nothing to do with the violence that ravages their home.
* XtremeKoolLetterz: The ''Canterbury'' is owned by the Pur' N' Kleen Water Company.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Holden clutches the executive officer badge he [[RefusedTheCall intended to refuse]] as if accepting this responsibility in "The Big Empty".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain:
** Holden and the other shuttle crew watch their ship, the ''Canterbury'', get nuked in the pilot episode.
** On a [[UpToEleven macro level]], the Belters. As the smuggler in "The Big Empty" so elegantly put it, "You see my body which can no longer survive on the very planet that bore my great-grandmother. Earth has created a race of exiles out in space who have no homes to return to."
** Directly invoked by Miller in the aptly-named "Home" when he tells [[spoiler:Julie Mao, who's unknowingly piloting Eros, that she can't return to Earth or she'll kill everyone on the planet via ColonyDrop]].
** Bobbie Draper presumes this to be the case after defecting to Earth, knowing the Martians will never forgive her for it. [[spoiler:This one is ultimately averted: once her role in uncovering the Protogen conspiracy becomes public knowledge, she's allowed to return to Mars and even rejoin the MMC]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Once the gang members hired as security for an experiment on Eros have done their part, their employers try to ditch them. Holden and Miller, having stumbled upon it, incite them to violence and [[LetsYouAndHimFight use the confusion to get past]].
** Julie Mao was abandoned by Anderson Dawes after the ''Scopuli'' mission failed.
* YourHeadAsplode: One second you're calming down a panicked comrade, the next your neck is spurting blood out a foot-wide hole in the bulkhead. RailGun projectiles can have that effect.
* YouNoTakeCandle: {{Justified}} with Belter Creole, which can sound like this since it's a mix of languages of which English is only one, much like the examples in {{YouNoTakeCandle/RealLife}}.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The OPA claims to fight for the Belters, but Earth considers them simply a terrorist group.
* YouWouldntBelieveMeIfIToldYou: When discussing their options in "Back to the Butcher", Holden points out to his crew that they're now the {{Sole Survivor}}s of ''two'' mysterious attacks, and even ''he'' would believe their story if he hadn't been there.
--> '''Holden:''' We look like terrorists.
* ZeroGSpot: Holden and Ade are introduced this way. They come thudding to the floor when the thrusters cut in.
[[/folder]]

to:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:A-E]]
* AerithAndBob: There's Jim and Joe, Fred and Naomi... and then there's Praxidike and Sadavir.
* AbsentAliens: {{Played with}}. While no alien races have appeared yet, Dresden determines that the protomolecule is extra-solar in nature, and is ecstatic that it's proof of alien life. [[spoiler:Season 3 reveals that it was created by a race of {{Precursor}}s who used it

[[Series/TheExpanseTropesAToM Tropes A
to build and maintain their PortalNetwork before something wiped them all out]].
* AcePilot:
** Julie Mao's most treasured possession is her space racing pinnace, the ''Razorback'', and judging by the videos of her popping champagne in her case file and her ability
M]]

[[Series/TheExpanseTropesNToZ Tropes N
to [[spoiler: reach Eros in just a shuttle]], she must be pretty good at it.
** DoubleSubverted with Alex Kamal, who was deemed better suited to transports by the Martian Navy and even describes himself as a "glorified bus driver" with a mundane civilian job on the ice-hauler ''Canterbury'', but still proves one hell of a pilot after FallingIntoTheCockpit of the frigate ''Rocinante''.
* ActionDad: {{Deconstructed}} by Alex, who's estranged from ex-wife and son because he prefers the action of piloting spacecraft, even if it's fairly pedestrian ice-hauling.
* ActionGirl:
** Julie Mao might be the richest heiress in the System, but she'll still [[RebelliousPrincess plant you in the deck]].
** Octavia Muss declares, "If I want his ass kicked, I'll do it myself!" when Miller [[PoliceBrutality smacks around]] an uncooperative prisoner, and proves a BigDamnHero for Miller in "Rock Bottom".
** Naomi Nagata may not be great in combat (she's unarmed and covering her ears during the shootout in "Salvage"), but she's ''really'' active in FightToSurvive situations like MacGyvering the SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty", plugging the leak in "CQB", and navigating Eros' unfamiliar tunnels in "Critical Mass".
** Gunnery Sergeant Bobbie Draper is a female Martian SpaceMarine capable of winning an arm-wrestle with her own PoweredArmor, which even the rest of the badass marines consider a spectacle.
** Drummer proves herself one in "Pyre" when she kills several of the Belters storming Tycho's control deck.
* ActionSurvivor:
** Kenzo in Season 1 is this: he may be a corporate spy who has quite a few tricks up his sleeve, but he hardly appears to be a fighter and prefers relying on sabotage and manipulation.
** In Season 2, Prax is a botanist, who, after barely escaping a collapsing dome on Ganymede and less than merciful "rescuers", returns to the station with the 'Rocinante' crew to search for his missing daughter. Not accustomed to guns and shocked by violence, he is no great help in altercations, but offers plenty of brainpower to make up for it.
* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade:
** In the books, Holden's crew knows each other fairly well and gets along pretty much from the start while the show makes them more distant and argumentative, making their collective Season 1 arc into more of a FireForgedFriends story.
** Avasarala's son was killed in a skiing accident in the books, but in the show he was a UNN soldier killed by the OPA, giving her an ItsPersonal interest in the OPA and an AdultFear understanding that WarIsHell.
** {{Inverted}} with Holden and Naomi's RelationshipUpgrade. In the novels, Naomi initially refuses Holden until he can prove she's a genuine LoveInterest rather than a LustObject because of his EthicalSlut past on the ''Canterbury''. In the show, this isn't an aspect of Holden's backstory and they get together without any qualms in "Safe".
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Alex and Amos are both younger, slimmer, and less bald than their literary counterparts.
* AdaptationalBadass: In the books, despite the SpaceColdWar being ostensibly "even" between Earth and Mars, it's made very clear multiple times that Earth would easily lose any straight-up war with Mars in a complete CurbStompBattle, and would only be able to manage a PyrrhicVictory if it launched an unexpected & devastating first strike. Here, the United Nations of Earth and the [=UNN=] are both generally portrayed as being a ''lot'' more formidable and dangerous, with the cold war between Earth and Mars being more of a traditional MutuallyAssuredDestruction scenario between the two powers.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Ashford is probably the most prominent example. He's far more well-meaning and reasonable, and even when he takes a directly antagonistic role at the end of season 3, he's a WellIntentionedExtremist at worst, as opposed to the incompetent InsaneAdmiral of the book.
** Downplayed in the case of both Jules-Pierre Mao and Sadavir Errinwright, who get a couple of PetTheDog moments. Mao seems to genuinely befriend Mei Meng and tells Strickland to shut down the experiments on children...but his crisis of conscience doesn't last long when Strickland shows him results. Errinwright tries to secure the safety of his family when he thinks he's going down for his part in the conspiracy, but once he regains the upper hand, he's worse than ever - also a case of AdaptationalVillainy, as we just don't see enough of him in the book to judge how personally monstrous he is.
* AdaptationalNiceGuy: While generally quite faithful to the novels, Avasarala's more abrasive ScrewPolitenessImASenior and SirSwearsALot traits are {{downplayed}}. It's perhaps no coincidence that "Windmills", the first episode where she exclaims "Shit!", was penned by the guys who wrote the novels.
* AdaptationalVillainy:
** Not "villainy" per se, but in the first novel Holden is [[WideEyedIdealist idealistic]] [[ChronicHeroSyndrome to a fault]], whereas the show makes him a bit DarkerAndEdgier while still acting as the crew's voice for heroic idealism. He also reluctantly destroys a defenseless medical ship that threatens to expose his operation to destroy Eros in "Godspeed", while the closest thing he did in the book was threaten a UN science ship being escorted to Eros, and they backed off before he was forced to fire.
** Miller doesn't personally accept bribes in the book. Then again, he didn't just threaten to have people ThrownOutTheAirlock in the books. He actually did it.
** Avasarala doesn't condone or oversee ColdBloodedTorture in the novels.
** In "Dulcinea", Capt. [=McDowell=] ignores the DistressCall and calls whoever leaked it a "piece of shit do-gooder." In the novel, Holden notes that if [=McDowell=] had really wanted to RefuseTheCall he'd have done so quietly, but by announcing it publicly [=McDowell=] gets credit for resenting the expensive detour while Holden gets credit for having a HeroComplex for doing something they both know to be right.
** The crew of the ''Donnager'' is portrayed more antagonistically by seizing and roughly-handling Holden's crew rather than rushing to save them from the pursuing mystery ships. Holden also describes Lopez's interrogation as, "surprisingly human," in the novel, unlike the steely interrogations of the show. The show also portrays the Martians as vindictive in dealing with the ''Xinglong'', while the books leave it ambiguous whether the incident was a suicidal gesture of defiance, an accidental shooting by antsy Martians, or both.
** Star Helix, while still very much LawEnforcementInc, at least ''attempts'' to act like a legitimate police force in the books rather than a gang of hired thugs. The same can be said of Dawes and his followers, who are explicitly members of OPA's security apparatus (and appear to operate within a chain of command and follow rules of their own) rather than just another gang on Ceres.
** The OPA, while disparaged by its opponents (Avasarala calls them "Hezbollah in space" and "a rugby scrum with a currency"), are actually a functioning government with an established hierarchy, court system, currency, security apparatus, and foreign policy in the novels, capable of controlling piracy and delivering disaster relief without any assistance from the Inner Planets. The series tends to portray them as a street gang writ large throughout the first and second seasons, relying on real and implied threats to get their way.
** In the show, Bobbie Draper starts out as a BloodKnight who's [[WarHawk itching for a fight]] because of her serious grudge against Earth. In the books, she staunchly refuses to counteract the interests of her home-world but is otherwise a GentleGiant who struggles with [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD]] rather than FantasticRacism. That said, Bobbie seems to be developing towards this personality following the Ganymede incident.
** In the books, Captain Martens is a calm chaplain who helps Bobbie deal with her PTSD. In the show, meanwhile, he's a FauxAffablyEvil officer [[spoiler: who's a part of the conspiracy around the protomolecule.]]
* AdaptationDyeJob:
** A minor point, but in the books Bobbie Draper's PoweredArmor is a distinctive red to camouflage against the Martian surface. In the show, it's a plain, sterile grey.
** Anna Volovodov in the books is a redhead, while here she's a [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold blonde]].
* AdaptationExpansion: By taking 10 episodes to adapt just 400 pages of a nearly 600 page novel in Season 1 there's room for quite a bit of this.
** Chrisjen Avasarala, an IconicSequelCharacter from the second novel, is brought forward into Season 1 with an all-new ThirdLineSomeWaiting plot of her own.
** Miller's investigation into Julie Mao is much more in-depth, with Anderson Dawes in particular taking on a much broader antagonist role.
** Holden's crew run into problems in Season 1 that they don't have in the first book, particularly the SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty" and everything to do with the stowaway spy [[CanonForeigner Kenzo]] in "Windmills". Also, the strict POV structure of the books means whenever the show separates Holden from his crew like in "CQB" or "Leviathan Wakes", one group or the other is acting out new material (Holden in "CQB", his crew in "Leviathan Wakes").
** Havelock is a more important character with his own minor arc in Season 1, something that doesn't happen in the books until the fourth novel, ''Cibola Burn''.
** Some events only mentioned in the books, such as the destruction of Anderson Station and the ''Xinglong'', are dramatized on-screen.
** Bobbie Draper, like Avasarala, is only introduced in the second book, so her initial material in Season 2 is original since the show hasn't quite reached that point yet.
* AdaptationNameChange: Ade's last name is Nygaard rather than Tukunbo.
* AdmiringTheAbomination: Dresden describes what the protomolecule does to a human being as "incredible" and the victim as "fortunate" and "blessed"... while being [[TheHypocrite very careful not to infect himself, of course]].
* AdvertisedExtra: Florence Faivre (Julie Mao) is mostly relegated to photos and video clips except for a few memorable sequences in "Dulcinea", "Critical Mass", and "Home".
* AfraidOfBlood: Alex doesn't deal well with seeing Amos' protruding leg bone in "Back to the Butcher".
* AfterActionPatchup:
** Amos suffers a compound leg fracture during the crew's escape from the ''Donnager'' that requires medical attention from Naomi and Holden at the start of "Back to the Butcher."
** Miller and Octavia have one that results in an awkward AlmostKiss after she saves his life in "Rock Bottom".
** Holden and Naomi share a quiet moment while she's setting the AutoDoc to treat his [[spoiler: radiation poisoning]] in "Leviathan Wakes".
* TheAlcoholic:
** Miller shows signs of this, like many a fellow HardboiledDetective.
** Amos claims Holden can find the ''Canterbury'''s XO by following the reek of whiskey.
** The AsteroidMiner Mateo is mildly-to-completely soused throughout his entire OneShotCharacter story.
* AlienGeometries: The inhabitants of Ceres and Eros Stations live in miles and miles of tunnels that spiral beneath the asteroids' surface with "down" being oriented outwards towards the crust because the stations' gravity is artificially created via [[CentrifugalGravity centrifugal force]] (like the ''Discovery One'' from ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'' but on a much larger scale) rather than the asteroids' mass. Ceres Station's introduction in the premiere episode provides some idea of how internal tunnels are oriented.
* AlliterativeName: Naomi Nagata, Arjun Avasarala, and Mei Meng.
* AllThereInTheManual:
** It's never explained on-screen, but Miller rousing the CPM mercenaries to LetsYouAndHimFight by calling them "just meat for the machine" is ironic because CPM literally stands for ''C''arne ''P''or la ''M''achina ("meat for the machine"), which is doubly [[MeaningfulName appropriate]] since they're being left as ''literal'' meat for [[spoiler: the protomolecule]].
** It's implied during Avasarala's conversation with her grandson in "CQB", but the novels make it explicit that the ColonyDrop is the new MutuallyAssuredDestruction between Earth and Mars.
* AlmostDeadGuy: [[spoiler: Lt. Lopez]] survives just long enough to turn over control of the ''Tachi'' to Holden's crew and is finished off by the extremely high-''g'' burn the ship makes to escape the battle.
* AlmostKiss: Miller and Octavia have one as he's comforting her about shooting two people to save his life. It takes the AwkwardSilence route when Miller turns away.
* AlmostOutOfOxygen: The crew's main problem during the SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty", [[FromBadToWorse made worse]] when a broken airlock requires them to vent the ship to make repairs. Then it gets [[UpToEleven even worse]] when Alex's respirator craps out, forcing Shed to share with him, resulting in both suffering this ''inside'' their suits.
* AmbiguousSituation: Diogo is left DramaticSpaceDrifting by his uncle Mateo in "Rock Bottom", and isn't seen again until six episodes later when he shows up again as part of the OPA assault team in "Doors and Corners."
* AmbiguouslyJewish: Amos sports two Hebrew tattoos, though these are actor Wes Chatham's actual tattoos that the showrunners decided not to cover up. One along his outer forearm is Hebrew lettering that (although a little garbled) translates to "State your opinion." He also has "Timshel" written in Roman letters on the inside of his forearm, which means "thou shalt rule over it" in reference to sin, taken from the Cain and Abel story. Whatever Amos's background, he's almost certainly not a practicing Jew.
* AnArmAndALeg: The ice-hauler Paj loses his arm to a giant block of ice in "Dulcinea".
* AndStarring:
** Shohreh Aghdashloo (Avasarala) gets this.
** Beginning in Season 3, Creator/ThomasJane receives special billing on episodes he appears in.
* AndThisIsFor:
** This is clearly what's going through Holden's mind when he orders [[spoiler: the destruction of the ship that blew up Ade Nygaard and the ''Canterbury'']].
** When Miller shoots [[spoiler: Filat Kothari]] on Eros as revenge for impaling [[spoiler: his partner Havelock]].
* TheAntiNihilist: Holden knows he lives in a CrapsackWorld, but that never stops him from trying to make it better.
* AntiVillain: Anderson Dawes is a main antagonist in the Belt, but he's mostly just a WellIntentionedExtremist who wants a better life for his people.
* AnyoneCanDie: While not as blood-soaked as some other recent DarkerAndEdgier series, this one doesn't shy away from disposing of characters -- even ones who looked about to be major.
** The series premiere ends with [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and Captain [=McDowell=]]] getting vaporized along with [[spoiler: the rest of the ''Canterbury'''s crew]].
** The fact [[spoiler: Havelock]] [[SubvertedTrope subverts]] this by ''[[NotQuiteDead surviving]]'' getting impaled during the riots in "Remember the Cant" is actually pretty surprising, since it was staged so much like a SacrificialLamb moment.
** [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]], one of the initial FiveManBand of survivors, is [[BoomHeadShot decapitated]] by a railgun with absolutely [[KilledMidSentence zero warning]] in "CQB".
** [[spoiler: Captain Theresa Yao]] invokes GoingDownWithTheShip via a SelfDestructMechanism and [[spoiler: Lieutenant Lopez]] succumbs to his wounds during the survivors' high-''g'' escape.
** [[spoiler: Franklin [=DeGraaf=]]] gets killed by a UN hit squad, who make it look like a suicide.
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] is dead by the time the ''Rocinante's'' crew finds her.
** Miller shoots [[spoiler: Dresden]] to stop him from giving up his information to Fred Johnson.
** [[spoiler: Miller]] makes a HeroicSacrifice to save Earth in "Home".
** [[spoiler:Sutton]] is set up as a foil to the HotBlooded Draper, only to be unceremoniously killed [[spoiler:during the battle over Ganymede, which also claims the lives of Draper's entire squad]].
** [[spoiler:Michael Iturbi and Col. Janus, along with the entire rest of the ''Arboghast'' crew]], when the ship is disassembled by the protomolecule in the atmosphere of Venus.
** [[spoiler:Admiral Souther]], a ReasonableAuthorityFigure in the UNN, is murdered by [[spoiler:[[InsaneAdmiral Fleet Admiral Nguyen]]]] [[KilledMidSentence while trying to conduct]] an AntiMutiny against him.
** [[spoiler:Cotyar, Avasarala's SarcasticDevotee]], pulls a TakingYouWithMe on the protomolecule that's infected him and the rest of the ''Agatha King'' by blowing up the entire ship, killing the aforementioned [[spoiler:Nguyen]] as well.
** Anna's friend [[spoiler:Tilly Fagan]] is one of the many casualties of all the ships' deceleration in the [[spoiler:Slow Zone of the Ring]], though the fact that [[spoiler:Clarissa]] was attacking and trying to kill her anyway at the time certainly didn't help.
** [[spoiler:Cohen, Monica's blind cameraman]], is revealed to be another such casualty, having been KilledOffscreen by being sliced in half with a door.
** [[spoiler:Diogo]] gets an elevator dropped on him by Naomi while trying to kill her, Holden, and Drummer.
* AnythingThatMoves: Octavia cites "Bang every space-bucker I could find" as something a RebelliousPrincess might do on Ceres to [[DatingWhatDaddyHates piss off her father]], with the implication she did something similar once upon a time.
* ApocalypseHow: [[spoiler:The alien station at the heart of [[HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace Ring space]] has a WaveMotionGun capable of inflicting a ApocalypseHow/ClassX2, which it used on multiple star systems in a futile attempt to save its creators from... [[GreaterScopeVillain something]]. The climax of "Abbadon's Gate" has it charging to attack the Solar System after identifying humanity as a threat]].
* ApologeticAttacker:
** In "Assured Destruction", Cotyar reluctantly strangles Theo the electrician before they're picked up by the UNN, because he doesn't trust Theo not to reveal Avasarala's location if the UNN leans on him enough. He apologizes while doing it.
** In "Delta-V", Clarissa Mao apologizes to Ren before, during, and after murdering him to conceal her sabotage.
* AppliedPhlebotinum:
** A fusion drive that provides constant acceleration in order to allow CasualInterplanetaryTravel.
** The protomolecule is acknowledged in-universe to be capable of defying the laws of physics, making it even harder to cope with for the protagonists, who don't have this luxury.
* ArchnemesisDad: Jules-Pierre Mao to his daughter Julie, [[spoiler: who ultimately dies fighting to stop his NGOSuperpower from killing millions of Belters. Unfortunately, Julie's body yields enough protomolecule samples to go ahead as planned.]]
* ArcSymbol: The OPA monogram ([[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything which resembles an anarchist A]]) appears more and more frequently as the organization gains power and support in the Belt.
* ArcWords:
** "Remember the ''Cant''!"
** "''Milowda na ányimals!''" (Belter for "We are not animals!")
** "(When) the blood's on the wall..."
** [[MadnessMantra "The work must be finished..."]]
* ArmCannon: Unlike Earth's ground forces and their more conventional rifles, Martian Marines wield miniature [[GatlingGood miniguns]] mounted to the lower right arm of their PoweredArmor.
* ArmiesAreEvil: Neither the United Nations (Earth) or Martian navies are portrayed in a particularly positive light. The UNN has a track record of [[spoiler: blasting stations full of families open to vacuum when their workers mutiny rather than let them surrender]], and the MCRN is shown to be very hostile and abusive to {{Asteroid Miner}}s whose ships they inspect in the wake of [[spoiler: the destruction of the ''Donnager'']].
* ArmorIsUseless:
** No matter how huge a space warship is, ''any'' ship-to-ship weapon goes through its hull like a hot knife through butter, and more powerful ones like railguns usually punch clean through the entire vessel without slowing down. It appears that, similar to today's seabound warships, armor has fallen out of favor as a protective measure, and the best (and only) thing you can do to avoid damage is to not get hit in the first place.
** Completely averted by Martian Goliath-class PoweredArmor. These hulking suits are ImmuneToBullets and highly resistant to most other forms of damage. It requires heavy weapons or similarly massive trauma to inflict serious damage on them.
** Also averted during Holden's and Miller's mad dash to the ''Roci'' in "Leviathan Wakes". The body armor they took off the dead mercs was intact before they got into the shootout near the docks, but shows multiple bullet impacts afterwards that would've been lethal without the plating's protection.
* ArtificialGravity:
** Ships simulate gravity by having the decks arranged vertically relative to the engines, with the thrust providing the gravity whenever the engines are active.
** In "Home", [[spoiler:the protomolecule is able to maintain Eros' normal gravity in spite of completely changing its spin and momentum, in addition to providing InertialDampening that prevents anyone still on it from being killed by the forces involved]].
* ArtificialLimbs: {{Discussed}}. Many Earthers and Martians can afford to have lost limbs regrown from bio-gel, but many Belters have to make due with advanced prosthetics that can sense heat and pressure. Some even [[CulturalPosturing take pride]] in preferring "a good Belter-built fake."
* ArtificialMeat: In "Salvage", Kenzo offers a line on a place that sells "vat-grown ribs".
* ArtisticLicenseAstronomy:
** The explanation for Dawes' scar is solar radiation heating up the metal components of the old space suits to the point they burn. In reality, most of that radiation energy would bleed off as infrared long before it got hot enough to sear flesh.
** The planetoid Eros jams the radar, leaving only visual observation possible from a nearby ship. Eros is about ten miles wide and can be easily seen by a telescope. It was first seen from Earth in 1898. This might be justified by Eros being several light-minutes away from the crucial observers at the time it disappeared from radar, which would've made it impossible to [[spoiler:guide a swarm of (presumably) radar-guided missiles with the necessary precision]] without the help of an on-site spotter.
** Given how much the series makes of the dangers of radiation and of its importance to the Protomolecule, it oddly completely ignores how much radiation there is in space just from the Sun when you do not have a planetary magnetic field pushing high-energy particles aside.[[note]]To give some point of reference, spending one year on the International Space Station would expose a person to almost ten times what the U.S. Department of Energy recommends as the maximum annual radiation exposure for people working with radioactive materials.[[/note]] Radiation exposure is currently the greatest single health risk associated with extended stays in space.
* ArtisticLicenseBiology:
** Getting impaled through the solar-plexus should result in death ''very'' quickly given the number of important arteries in the region, not to mention the nerves and tissues that control breathing. Hyper-advanced medical treatment doesn't mean much when you should be dead long before you could receive any. This is mitigated by the fact that Ceres has lower gravity.
** Earth's population is around 30 billion despite this number being significantly higher than the highest real-world projections. Meanwhile Mars supports a population of 9 billion despite being effectively an airless rock with a surface area somewhat smaller than the land area of Earth. Where they get enough oxygen, water and food for everybody is not elaborated on.
** In the backstory, the revolt at Anderson Station occurred in part because the miners' children suffered brain damage due to inadequate oxygen in the living quarters. Why this did not affect the adults (having larger bodies, they would need even more oxygen than children) is not explained, nor why children were brought onto the station in the first place.
* ArtisticLicenseEconomics:
** A large proportion of Earth's population cannot find paid work owing to extensive automation of the economy and subsist on a welfare scheme called Basic Assistance. Given that Martians tend to stereotype Earthers as indolent "takers", this is apparently not the case on Mars. Even though their technology is supposed to be generally more advanced than Earth's, and so the Martian economy is also highly automated, yet Mars takes pride in its entire citizenry being productive despite having a larger population than [=21st=]=century Earth.
** Belters are depicted as being a downtrodden proletariat oppressed by the inner planets. Which is comparable to the crews of remote science stations and offshore oil platforms being depicted as being proletarians oppressed by the corporations or government agencies that own them. The setting lacking the EasyLogistics of CasualInterplanetaryTravel, ArtificialGravity and the MatterReplicator means that it makes little sense to crew mining stations with more than the minimum necessary crew, and even less sense to have them procreate and raise children in an environment where they will inevitably end up as relative cripples due to the effects of low gravity on their physiology.
* ArtisticLicensePhysics:
** Used intentionally and often {{lampshaded}} and {{discussed}}. The show is hard Sci-Fi by television standards, but it's acknowledged in-universe that the protomolecule doesn't play by the laws of physics, and the fact it can do things the characters simply can't is a major source of drama.
--> '''Holden:''' [[OhCrap Uh, okay, so we broke a few laws of physics here.]]
** ''Accidentally'' invoked in "Here There Be Dragons": Alex's method of reaching Ganymede without alerting MCRN ships is scientifically sound... except that one of the moons he passes (Cyllene) is way too far from Ganymede to make sense. [[http://www.danielabraham.com/2017/04/04/guest-post-losing-science-drama-finding-drama-science/ According to one show runner]], this was only caught after the scene had been shot and couldn't be changed.
* ArtShift: In Season 4, scenes set on and around Ilus[=/=]New Terra are shot in anamorphic widescreen rather than 16:9 like the rest of the series.
* AscendedExtra: Several characters are given more material than their book counterparts.
** Anderson Dawes is a relatively minor character in the books, while the show embellishes him into a moderate antagonist, first for Miller and later for Holden/Johnson.
** Havelock is a minor satellite character to Miller in the first novel, but the show gives him his own subplot.
** Gia, the HookerWithAHeartOfGold who befriends Havelock, is an unnamed, single-scene extra in the books.
** Holden calls his family once or twice in the books, but nothing with the depth of Avasarala's visit to their farm in "Windmills".
** Cotyar, a very minor character who acts as head of Avasarala's security detail in ''Caliban's War'', shows up much earlier here and assists in her investigation into the U.N. conspiracy.
* AssholeVictim:
** Filat Kothari, the Belter thug who attacked Havelock.
** [[spoiler: Dresden]], the MadScientist who massacred [[spoiler: all of Eros]] ForScience. Generally any member of TheConspiracy that gets their comeuppance one way or another, which by the end of Season 3 means [[spoiler:[[EarnYourHappyEnding every single one, no exceptions]]]].
* AssimilationBackfire: The protomolecule uses [[spoiler:Julie Mao]], the first thing it absorbed on Eros, as the central node for all the growth on Eros. This allows Miller to [[spoiler:talk Julie into diverting Eros into Venus, rather than hitting Earth as originally intended.]]
* TheAssimilator: The protomolecule, given the way Dresden speaks of "letting it learn" by [[spoiler: infecting all of Eros Station]] in "Critical Mass". Not only does it infect living tissue, it mimics the structures it infects. [[spoiler:Julie Mao was killed by the protomolecule, then it completely mimicked her -- memories and all -- to use as a "brain" of sorts.]]
* AsYouKnow:
** This exchange in "Dulcinea":
---> '''Ade Nygaard:''' We're obligated to check it out.\\
'''Capt. [=McDowell=]:''' I'm well-aware of the statute, Miss Nygaard.
** Lampshaded in "Safe":
--->'''Admiral:''' Due to light-speed delay, it will be two hours until we get a response--\\
'''Avasarala:''' I know how the fucking thing works.
* AsteroidMiners: A major occupation for Belters, with the poorest of them living as "rock-hoppers" who spend their lives moving from asteroid to asteroid struggling to harvest enough valuable material to survive while corporations like Pur-N-Kleen use freighters like the ''Canterbury'' to harvest ice from Saturn's rings.
* AsteroidThicket:
** {{Averted}} in the Belt, where asteroids are realistically distributed and reasonably well-charted.
** Saturn's rings in "Dulcinea" provide a reasonably {{justified}} version of the denser conception, which is why the ''Canterbury'' is there to collect ice.
** Another {{justified}} and possibly {{invoked|trope}} example occurs in "Safe", in the form of an "abandoned asteroid mine": a small thicket implied to have been formed from the remnants of either a very large isolated asteroid or a number of smaller ones intentionally gathered into a vaguely stable gravitational system for more convenient processing.
* AttackOfThePoliticalAd: The OPA employs demagogues and later video announcements to get their anti-Inner message out to the public.
* TheAtoner:
** Fred Johnson's motivation for joining the OPA after what he did to Anderson Station.
** [[spoiler:Clarissa is haunted by the blood she's spilled in her quest for vengeance against Holden. At the end of the third season, she attempts a heroic self-sacrifice, but survives]].
* AuthorFilibuster: {{Parodied}} in "Doors and Corners" when Alex's angst about not saving more people from Eros turns into a rant that threatens to BreakTheFourthWall as the camera presses in closer and closer... until he looks over to find Amos has already bailed and offered to buy a random girl drinks if she'll listen to Alex instead.
* AutoDoc: Military ships come equipped with these while civilian ones like the ''Canterbury'' seem to lack them. Holden and Miller are very grateful for the one on the ''Rocinante'' when they get extreme radiation poisoning in "Leviathan Wakes".
* AwesomeByAnalysis: Fred Johnson neatly demolishes Holden's bluff when they first meet in "Rock Bottom":
--> '''Johnson:''' That's a ''Corvette''-class Martian frigate that typically crews thirty. I only see two of you. That tells me that you're trying hard to hide your numbers. Tactically, if there were more, as a show of force, you would've brought them out. I'm guessing there are two to four people left on your ship, and I'm confident there's no Martian Navy on board. If they were, they'd be out here speaking with me now. ''You'' walked off that ship because ''you're'' in charge. At least you think you are...
* AwkwardSilence: Between Miller and Octavia when Miller turns away from their AlmostKiss in "Rock Bottom".
* {{Backstory}}:
** The interrogations in "Remember the Cant" provide a lot of info on Holden's past, some key insights into Naomi's and Alex's, a crucial lowlight from Shed's, and [[MysteriousPast absolutely nothing about Amos]].
** "Back to the Butcher" actually dramatizes the decade-old incident that earned Fred Johnson the titular epithet "TheButcher of Anderson Station" and prompted him to become a DefectorFromDecadence.
* BadassBoast:
** Capt. Yao of the ''Donnager'' is very confident before battle in "CQB":
--->"Well, whoever they are and whatever they've come to do, it's just become a suicide mission. They started this fight, and we're going to finish it."
** Avasarala gives an epic, long-winded one in "Paradigm Shift", explaining exactly how she'll tear apart the Mao family if they don't hand over Jules-Pierre to pay for his part in TheConspiracy. See the quotes under MegaCorp below for the whole thing.
** Holden delivers one to the MCRN blockade over Ganymede in "A Monster and a Rocket".
--->"This is the warship ''Rocinante''. You're aware of our capabilities more than anyone. We're escorting a vessel of refugees away from your AO. Any ship that opens fire on us will feel the sum total of our state-of-the-art Martian arsenal rammed up its ass. We'll all die together. This is your only and final warning."
* BadassBureaucrat: Chrisjen Avasarala has never been elected to anything but is currently Number 3 in the government of Earth and knows all the gambits to get information out of her opponents.
* BadassCreed: When preparing for a drop, Bobbie Draper psyches up her Martian Marines with a call-and-response:
--> '''Bobbie''': Who's going to feast on Earth's sky and drink their rivers dry? (MMC!) Who's going to stomp their mountains into fine Martian dust? (MMC!) 'Til the rains fall hard on Olympus Mons, ''who are we?'' (MMC!) I can't hear you! (''MMC!'') ''Who are we?!'' ('''''MMC!''''')
* BadassCrew: The ''Rocinante'' crew.
* BadBoss:
** TheConspiracy abandons many of their HiredGuns on Eros [[spoiler: as fodder for the protomolecule]].
** Anderson Dawes never responded to Julie Mao's DistressCall when she was captive on the ''Anubis'' or stranded on Eros, either because [[YouHaveFailedMe she failed him]] or because he considered her [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness not worth the effort]].
* BadGuyBar: Miller confronts Dawes in one full of OPA members in "Windmills" and tries to start a BarBrawl.
* TheBadGuysAreCops: CPM, Eros' LawEnforcementInc, are this since they are mainly gangsters and mercenaries hired by TheConspiracy.
* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Prax is ready to kill [[spoiler:Dr. Strickland]], but Amos convinces him that he's not that guy. Once Prax leaves, Amos turns around and says "I am that guy." before doing the deed himself.
* BadToTheLastDrop: 99% of coffee in the Belt would appear to be this. The other 1% is brought there aboard Inner Planets naval ships.
* BagOfKidnapping: Miller gets grabbed this way leaving Julie Mao's apartment in "Back to the Butcher".
* BaitTheDog: Sematimba seems at first like a reasonable guy given his affinity for Miller, but then he kills an Eros survivor for slowing him down and threatens to shoot Naomi if she doesn't abandon Holden and Miller.
* BandOfBrothels: Prostitution is common and well-policed, and when Amos warns a prostitute that a prospective client is packing a knife, Alex asks, "Are you their union rep?" in a tone that implies he's only partially joking.
* BarBrawl: Miller tries to start one in "Windmills".
* BatmanGambit: In "Remember the Cant", Avasarala "leaks" just enough information to her old friend Ambassador Frank [=DeGraaf=] to prompt him to send a panicked message to the Martian government, and deduces from the Martian government's own panicked reaction that they really didn't destroy the ''Canterbury''.
* BatteringRam: Holden summarizes Miller's plan in "Godspeed" as using [[spoiler: the ''Nauvoo'']] as one of these, though in this case, they're not trying to open the target, they're trying to HurlItIntoTheSun.
* TheBattlestar: MCRN ''Donnager'' carries an arsenal of torpedoes and railguns capable of fighting off a small fleet by herself, as well as a large hangar bay housing smaller vessels such as the frigate ''Tachi''.
* BeardOfSorrow: Miller always has PermaStubble, but it becomes one of these for a couple episodes after escaping Eros until he shaves in "Static".
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: {{Averted}}.
** In "The Big Empty", Miller and Octavia discuss why Julie Mao would retain a scar in an era that averts ScarsAreForever, with Miller even calling it a "[[DefiedTrope badge of defiance]]."
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] is the focus of the worst BodyHorror in Season 1.
** Naomi gets blood splattered all over her in "Leviathan Wakes" and has to explain to Holden that it's not hers.
* BeforeIChangeMyMind: Miller tells Diogo this after deciding to take over the DeadManSwitch in "Godspeed".
* BeingGoodSucks: Answering a DistressCall always carries the danger of being LuredIntoATrap.
* BeingWatched: Miller feels this way as he pushes deeper into the protomolecule's GeniusLoci in "Home", and doesn't buy it when Naomi suggests it's because she's watching him from MissionControl on the ''Rocinante''.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Between Miller and Octavia until around the time she saves his life in "Rock Bottom".
* BerserkButton: If you value keeping your airway intact or your brains in your head, don't insult or threaten Naomi in Amos's presence.
** Also, if you like keeping your brains inside your head, don't even think about harming a child with Amos anywhere the ''solar system''. He will not hesitate go across the system, fight through an army, and steal the kill from a PapaWolf to make that point really clear.
** Chrisjen Avasarala really does not like it when people make cracks about her age or imply in any way that she's old. [[{{Troll}} Which is why]] [[VitriolicBestBuds Cotyar likes doing it]].
* BetterThanSex: Diogo claims space-walking is this, though Miller is skeptical that he has the experience necessary to make that comparison.
* BigBadassBattleSequence:
** "CQB" contains one between TheBattlestar MCRN ''Donnager'' and six advanced stealth fighters, which is interspersed with a running gun battle as Holden's crew attempts to escape.
** The joint OPA and ''Rocinante'' assault on Thoth Station in "Doors and Corners".
* BigDamnHeroes:
** Octavia arrives just in time to save Miller from being ThrownOutTheAirlock in "Rock Bottom".
** In "Salvage", Miller saves the ''Rocinante'' crew from a UN black ops team that was trying to assassinate them.
** In "Caliban's War", just as Mao's men are about to kill Cotyar and Avasarala, Bobbie returns after leaving to get her PowerArmor and [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomps]] all of them easily.
** Anna tasers Clarissa from behind before the latter can finish throttling Naomi to death in "Fallen World" .
** In "Abaddon's Gate", Naomi stops Diogo from killing Drummer and the latter from making her HeroicSacrifice by [[spoiler:dropping an elevator on him]], and [[spoiler:Clarissa]] completes her HeelFaceTurn by [[spoiler:attacking Ashford's forces before they can shoot Holden and Naomi, and then Ashford himself to stop him from firing the laser at the core of the Ring, before forcibly shutting down the ship's reactor so the Ring won't view humanity as a threat]].
* BigDumbObject:
** The protomolecule turns [[spoiler:Eros]] into one of these, capable of defying the laws of physics to propel itself on a course towards Earth. [[spoiler:It ends up crashing into Venus instead and begins constructing a new one, which ultimately becomes The Ring at the edge of the system]].
* TheBigGuy: Amos is naturally the largest and strongest of the ''Rocinante'' crew, and growing up on Earth only increases this by also making him a HeavyWorlder. His rough upbringing and emotional detachment also make him the most comfortable with violence.
* BilingualBonus: Belter Creole is entirely unsubtitled. Most of the time, the Creole is limited to a few words or the odd phrase that viewers can guess. Sometimes, lines will be spoken entirely in Creole and the only way viewers will be able to understand is if they learn the ''patois'' themselves.
* BilingualDialogue: Miller occasionally converses with Belters this way, though usually they each throw in some of the other's language as well.
* BioAugmentation:
** Implants of various sorts are common. Communications devices and organ augmentation are mundane while identity scramblers are expensive and illegal.
** Belters have to resort to drugs or hormones just to maintain reasonable health and well-being (if injuries haven't reduce them to [[AnArmAndALeg outright prosthetics]]), and these treatments don't always work well. Miller, for instance, has spurs on his spine where the vertebrae didn't quite grow properly because of "cheap bone-density juice when he was a child."
** Martian marines have communications systems and other implants to augment the equipment in their battle armor. Amos taunts one such marine by insisting castration is a mandatory part of the process.
** Season 3 features a documentary cameraman who has extensive augmentations visibly implanted beneath his skin. He's also blind but can use his implanted tech to see through drone cameras.
* BioluminescenceIsCool: The protomolecule's MeatMoss and [[spoiler: skin lesions as TheVirus]] crackle with blue light very reminiscent of electricity and give off radiant blue spores. It's creepy as all hell.
* BiotechIsBetter: This is used to establish class disparities. After a hauler on the ''Canterbury'' loses his arm below the elbow to an ice block, he's told he could go for the bio-gel that regrows limbs. He opts to go for a prosthetic limb because he's been with Pur-n-Kleen long enough for the company to provide him with a deluxe model featuring pressure feedback and hot-and-cold sensors.
* BlackAndGreyMorality: The heroes might not be paragons (though some try), but several villains are utter monsters.
* BlackMarketProduce: A major cottage industry in the belt. Dairy products are held in particularly high regard: while expensive, vegetables and fruit can be grown hydroponically both legally and illegally with minimal fuss. Small livestock like chickens likewise can be raised or smuggled fairly easily, and even the tank-grown ArtificialMeat is a passable substitute for the real thing. Dairy, however, requires either maintaining at least one large female livestock animal in orbit, or moving dense wheels of cheese from the ground into space and law enforcement swiftly cracks down on "curd cartels". Cheese, in fact, is such a prized commodity that the troubles on Ceres noticeably quieted down when one such cartel began selling genuine cheddar on the station.
* BlackSite: Avasarala travels to one of the UN's a couple of times to interrogate a Belter caught smuggling stealth tech.
* BlatantLies: [[spoiler:Errinwright's claims that Fred Johnson is framing Earth]].
* BloodKnight: Bobby Draper is just itching for a fight with Earth, until she gets a taste of real combat on Ganymede and decides that WarIsHell.
* BoardingPod:
** What the unknown enemies use to seal the fate of the ''Donnager'' after the latter blows away four of six of the attacking ships. [[spoiler: The ''Donnager'' [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destructs]] to prevent a successful capture.]]
** Fred Johnson uses modified [=FedEx=] containers to make a [[JustForPun special delivery]] of boarding parties to take control of TheConspiracy's base on Thoth Station.
* BodyguardBetrayal: Avasarala's escort ship leaves her to die on Jules-Pierre Mao's ship in "Caliban's War", under orders from [[spoiler:Errinwright]], and even fires five missiles at it just to be sure.
* BodyHorror: One of the book authors once noted that, "If I wrote greeting cards, they'd probably have a {{squick}} factor." The TV adaptation lives up to everything that implies.
** Cutting her way into the cargo bay of a GhostShip in "Dulcinea", Julie Mao finds a giant, glowing MeatMoss EldritchAbomination in the process of [[TheAssimilator assimilating]] a [[HumanResources human torso]].
** Some of the negative traits a lifetime in low-''g'' has spawned among the Belters, especially their low bone and muscle densities that leave them unable to even ''breathe'' back on Earth.
** In "Salvage", Miller and the ''Rocinante'' crew find [[spoiler:Julie Mao has been killed by the protomolecule infection in her shower. Blue-black lesions cover her pallid remains from head to toe, sprouting spines like anemones, and crystalline structures have grown straight out her left eye and mouth, while a gossamer webbing has rooted her to the shower]].
** Miller and Holden's slow degradation from radiation poisoning. Holden's descriptors "melt from the inside out," and, "bleeding out of places you don't even want to know about," don't help.
** Katoa gradually starts to look more inhuman and horrifying as [[spoiler:he's turned into a Hybrid by the protomolecule growth in his body]]. And in one of the worst examples in the whole series, he ''completely rips apart'' his nurse offscreen; we see the man's insides and guts strewn out all over the floor.
** Manéo Jung-Espinoza gets this when he travels into the Ring, entering the Slow Zone; since his ship is traveling way too fast at the time, it's forcibly decelerated, and the inertia and sudden g-forces tear his body completely apart, leaving him as nothing more than a [[MemeticMutation red splat]] left of him.
** Inside the Ring Station, the leader of [[spoiler:Bobbie's platoon]] throws a grenade that leaves a dent in the floor. The commander is then lifted into the air by the station, ''disassembled'', and ''broken down into his matter'' to refill this dent.
* BookEnds:
** Season 1 begins and ends with a character encountering the protomolecule, showing how it's changed.
** At the end of Season 2, Dr. Strickland is whistling the same tune that Amos was at the start of the season.
* BoomerangBigot: Despite being a native Belter who's never left Ceres, Miller dresses like an Earther, works for an Earth-based LawEnforcementInc, and generally acts superior to other Belters because of it. He's even the first character to hurl the FantasticSlur "Long Bone" at another Belter.
--> '''Miller:''' I am nothing like you, longbone. Take your OPA bullshit back to the Medina, and wait for the revolution with all the rest of the victims.
* BoomHeadshot:
** The fate of [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]], whose head simply ''[[YourHeadAsplode disappears]]'' thanks to an unlucky railgun round.
** How Miller takes revenge on [[spoiler: Filat Kothari, the thug who impaled his partner]]. Bonus points for [[BaitAndSwitch covering the guy's retreat]] first only to put one between his eyes once he got a little closer.
** In "Doors and Corners", the boarding party is taken by surprise when one of their group is shot in the head and a big red splash appears. After the shooting stops, Miller realizes he was actually hit by a non-lethal gel round which didn't even penetrate his space suit helmet, as the minimal crew weren't expecting boarders and were only armed to the extent necessary to disable the prisoners they were watching over.
** Played straight in the same episode, where Miller pops [[spoiler:Dresden]] in the head then shoots him [[DoubleTap twice more]] for good measure.
** Drummer does this to the Belters who shot her in an attempt to force missile launch codes out of her and Fred Johnson in "Pyre".
** Amos delivers this to [[spoiler:Strickland]] in "Immolation", though we only get the perspective of the blood splatter against the airlock door.
* BornLucky: Diogo just happens to get caught stealing water by the comparatively merciful Joe Miller rather than a more aggressive cop or serious gangster, then he's ThrownOutTheAirlock far from anywhere but is picked up by a passing ship before his air runs out, and then gets [[BoomHeadshot shot in the face]] but survives because his opponent was only equipped with non-lethal ammunition.
* BossBanner: A couple government officials get these with their name and position, including [[ThirdLineSomeWaiting third-line]] protagonist Chrisjen Avasarala ''after'' she's already been on-screen for over a minute.
* BottomlessMagazines:
** Miller gets better-than-expected mileage out of his six-shot cylinder despite a closeup at the start of "Leviathan Wakes" that proves that's exactly how many bullets it holds[[note]]the show's propmaster tried to HandWave it away by saying that in their universe one bullet could equal a thousand shots[[/note]].
** Averted in the case of the ''Rocinante'' itself, which runs low on ammo on a semi-regular basis. At one point the crew resorts to raiding a Martian debris field to restock.
* BreadAndCircuses: Lt. Lopez claims in "CQB" that, "The only thing Earthers care about is government handouts: free food, free water, [[GovernmentDrugEnforcement free drugs]] so you can forget the aimless lives you lead."
* BrickJoke: When they part ways in "Home", Miller tells Diogo to get himself laid. The next episode, he's seen walking hand in hand with a prostitute saying, "Miller, this one's for you."
* BringNewsBack: Holden and (at his insistence) his crew are escorted off the ''Donnager'' by a squad of Martian marines because they're the only ones truly capable of testifying that Mars did ''not'' destroy the ''Canterbury''.
* BrokenAesop:
** Anderson Dawes tells Miller one about how he had to MercyKill his sister in order to keep his family alive. Miller points out that Dawes didn't sacrifice himself and that just proves him a coward.
** Happens again when Sutton talks about how Mars avoided a war with Earth in the nick of time through diplomacy to talk about the value of peace, only for Draper to state that led to a SpaceColdWar where Mars was delayed a century in its terraforming efforts.
* BrokenPedestal: At least two in Season 3.
** [[spoiler: Naomi]] becomes this to [[spoiler: Amos]] after it is revealed that [[spoiler: she gave the protomolecule to Fred Johnson. Lampshaded by Amos, who starts to instead look to first Prax and later Anna as his new [[MoralityPet "moral compasses"]].]]
** [[spoiler: Camina Drummer]] feels deeply betrayed after [[spoiler: Fred Johnson]] tells her that [[spoiler: he has struck an [[EnemyMine unholy alliance]] with Anderson Dawes not long after an attempted mutiny by OPA sympathisers on Tycho which almost left both of them dead.]]
* BrokenMasquerade: After investigating the disabled stealth ship in "Godspeed", Avasarala has it pushed into the nearest UNN patrol route so it will be discovered and reveal the connection between the stealth ship attacks and Protogen (and hence Jules-Pierre Mao). Mao is good enough to wriggle out of any personal liability, but it definitely puts a dent in his plans and sours his partnership with Errinwright.
* BrutalHonesty: When Miller asks if he really just saw [[spoiler: his old friend Sematimba]]'s body at the end of "Leviathan Wakes", Amos bluntly answers, "Yes. I shot him."
* BulletSparks: All over the place during the dash to the ''Tachi'' in "CQB".
* BullyingADragon: Miller didn't really think calling Amos "no-neck" or a "trigger-happy whack job" would end well for him, did he?
* BurialInSpace: Miller gives [[spoiler: Sematimba]] this at the end of "Safe" by ejecting his body bag [[ThrownOutTheAirlock out the airlock]].
* TheButcher: Fred Johnson is called "The Butcher of Anderson Station" for killing the entire population of Anderson Station because they complained that low oxygen rations were causing brain damage in their children. Oh and he blew up it ''while they were desperately trying to surrender''. By the time of the series he's a ReasonableAuthorityFigure, possibly because [[spoiler:he was kept from knowing they had surrendered]]. Although he's genuinely a changed man Johnson is also more than willing to use his reputation as TheButcher to intimidate people.
* ButtMonkey: The Mormons as a whole seem to serves as this system-wide. Nobody ever takes them seriously, their plan to colonize another star system via GenerationShip is regarded with amusement at best, and when this ship is days away from embarking on its journey, [[spoiler:it gets hijacked by Fred Johnson to be used as a giant battering ram against the Protomolecule-infested Eros]]. The church's official complaint to the U.N. doesn't get more than the most superficial consideration[[note]]granted, the U.N. had [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt more pressing concerns]] at the time[[/note]], and when the hijacked ship is eventually recovered it... [[spoiler:gets turned into an OPA dreadnought]] instead of being returned to them.
* CallBack:
** Diogo reintroduces himself to Miller in "Doors and Corners" by shouting, "Stay away from the aqua," recalling Miller's parting warning to him in "The Big Empty".
** While infiltrating Eros in "Home", Miller returns to the pachinko parlor he and Holden hid out in for awhile in "Leviathan Wakes".
** And also a CallForward, depending on how you look at it. The camera frequently focuses on thrust controls located on the armrests of the pilot's seat. It turns out that the drive's inventor, Solomon Epstein, died because he couldn't reach his panel-mounted throttle under 17 Gs of thrust, and couldn't use the voice commands either, because his experimentally-tweaked used spaceship's previous owner spoke Chinese.
* CallingTheOldManOut: Miller finds a video message of Julie Mao doing this:
--> '''Julie:''' You're so blind and so condescending, and you're never going to change. If you won't take yourself seriously as an adult then why should I care about being your child? You wanna sell the ''Razorback'', do it. You can't buy me off or control me anymore. Maybe what you hate about me the most is that [[TooMuchAlike I remind you of yourself]].
* CameraSpoofing: When Anderson Dawes kidnaps [[spoiler:Cortazar]], he loops the camera feeds in that section of the station so no one realizes until he's well on his way out.
* CanonForeigner:
** The UN's ambassador to Mars, Franklin [=DeGraaf=].
** Kenzo, the corporate espionage spy from Tycho Station.
* CantStopTheSignal:
** Despite talk in "The Big Empty" about the ''Donnager'' already being in jamming range when Holden sends out his message, events on Earth and Ceres in the next episode revolve around reactions to his broadcast, so it clearly got out.
** In the titular {{Flashback}} in "Back to the Butcher", some Belter protesters transmit a signal to anyone listening when it becomes clear the UN just intends to kill them all without further negotiation.
** In "Critical Mass", Fred Johnson beams out a transmission containing evidence pinning all the recent strife on [[spoiler: Earth]], and since the culprits cannot stop him they waste no time manufacturing evidence pointing right back at him.
** Subverted in "Godspeed". When the crew of the ''Rocinante'' catches a humanitarian group investigating Eros, they jam long-range comms. The group tries to break for signal range by going around the asteroid, so Holden reluctantly blows up their ship.
* TheCaptain:
** Holden on the ''Rocinante'', despite Amos' initial insistence that he isn't.
** Captain Yao of the ''MCRN Donnager'', and Captain Kirino of the ''MCRN Hammurabi''.
** Fred Johnson for Tycho Station.
** Camina Drummer, Johnson's NumberTwo, becomes this for the repurposed [[spoiler:''Nauvoo'']] (now the ''OPAS Behemoth'') as of "Delta-V". This causes some tension with [[spoiler:Klaes Ashford, her First Officer from Dawes's faction. When Drummer is seriously injured in "Fallen World" and temporarily out of commission, Ashford replaces her as captain.]]
* CaptainSmoothAndSergeantRough: Lt. Sutton and [=GySgt.=] Bobbie Draper.
* CasualDangerDialogue: When Miller starts doing this in "Home", Naomi tells him, "Hey, don't get all [[PersonAsVerb Holden]] on me: weird and chatty under pressure."
* CasualInterplanetaryTravel: An AppliedPhlebotinum fusion drive allows this.
* CategoryTraitor: Miller is viewed as a traitor (''welwala'' in Belter Creole[[note]]It also means someone who's obsessed with the Inner Planets[[/note]]) by other Belters because he dresses like an Earther and works for Ceres' Earth-based police force, Star Helix Security.
* TheCavalryArrivesLate: In "Reload", some rescued Martians try to seize the ''Rocinante''. Holden and Bobbie manage to talk them down, at which point Amos shows up and immediately lampshades his tardiness.
-->'''Amos:''' Did I miss it?
* CentralTheme:
** ThePowerOfTrust and our emotional connections with each other.
** No matter our different backgrounds and philosophies, [[NotSoDifferent we're all far more similar to each other than we'd ever like to admit]].
** Even into the (relatively) far future, [[HumansAreFlawed humanity will change relatively little]] while our technology does by leaps and bounds.
* CentrifugalGravity:
** Belter stations like Ceres and Eros are asteroids that have been artificially "spun up" to create gravity through centrifugal force. The show occasionally shows how liquid and dust fall in unusual ways due to the high rate of spin required to achieve the effect.
** Tycho Station is a roving construction yard that has rotating habitat sections to provide inhabitants with gravity while maintaining gravity-free construction space.
** The GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' is capable of generating rotational gravity through a massive drum that dominates the habitable section of the ship. This comes in handy in "Fallen World", [[spoiler:when the Ring Station has frozen every other ship in the vicinity, making the rechristened ''Behemoth'' the only ship capable of generating gravity for the proper treatment of wounds]].
* CharacterDevelopment:
** BoomerangBigot Miller has a minor epiphany in "Static" when he catches himself using the word "us" to refer to all Belters, including himself. He also becomes significantly more altruistic and selfless after [[spoiler:discovering Julie Mao's corpse]], to the point of [[spoiler:performing a HeroicSacrifice by convincing the resurrected Julie to have Eros crash into Venus instead of Earth]].
** Holden becomes more and more accepting of the fact that he lives in a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Solar System]] and even takes a certain level in cynicism, [[KnightInSourArmor but still never lets go of trying to make]] the Solar System a better place for everyone.
** Amos starts to develop the vestiges of an internal moral code for himself after he gains a BrokenPedestal for Naomi and forms an OddFriendship with Prax.
** Both Alex and Naomi find themselves DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife aboard the ''Rocinante'', with Alex quickly realizing that he's at his happiest as the ''Roci'''s pilot. Meanwhile, Naomi takes time off to [[spoiler:help work with the [=OPA=] on the ''Behemoth'']] before figuring out that she truly misses being with her friends aboard the ''Roci'' more than anything else.
** Bobbie Draper starts out as a typical gun-ho Martian Marine, but the [[TraumaCongaLine massacring of her entire squad]] and the realization of [[spoiler:TheConspiracy within the [=MCR=] government]] has her defect to the [=UN=]. Furthermore, she starts to better understand how many lies she's been fed her entire life and strives to earn her own independence from Mars, to the point where she both forms an IntergenerationalFriendship with Chrisjen (even serving as her ''bodyguard'' for most of the first half of Season 3) and even becoming [[spoiler: a crew member aboard the ''Rocinante''.]]
* ChekhovsGun:
** Julie Mao's animatronic gerbil, which turns out to [[spoiler: conceal the data chip with information on the Phoebe incident that led her to the ''Anubis'']].
** Julie's racing sled, the ''Razorback'', is a big one for Seasons 2 and 3.
*** In "Home", Miller realizes that [[spoiler:Eros is heading for Earth because it's assimilated Julie, who thinks she's flying the ''Razorback'' home]].
*** And in the Season 3 premiere, [[spoiler:Bobbie and Avasarala use the ''Razorback'' to escape Jules-Pierre Mao's yacht right before a missile strike destroys it]].
** The GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' is revealed to be one when Miller incorporates it into his new plan in "Static". And again in Season 3 when [[spoiler:Fred Johnson has it recovered and retrofitted into a Belter warship rechristened the ''Behemoth'']].
** Part of Melba Koh's introduction in Season 3 consists of her getting lectured on how ''not'' to install an electrical component lest it shut down the entire ship in a DisasterDominoes effect. This knowledge comes in very handy in the season finale.
* ChekhovsSkill:
** {{Subverted}} by Havelock's practice with Belter Creole and gestures. Worse than useless, it's ''comical'' to the thugs who ambush him in "Remember the Cant".
** Played straight by Bobbie being strong enough to arm-wrestle her own PowerArmor. [[spoiler:When she battles the Hybrid!Katoa on Io in "Immolation", they both fall from a great height that damages her armor, leaving it as nothing more than dead weight around her. She uses this skill to lift her arm up high enough to shoot the Hybrid before it can kill her.]]
* TheChessmaster: Avasarala tries to manipulate every given situation to come out her way.
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Holden has it.
--> '''Naomi:''' It's not your problem. It's not your fault! None of it is.\\
'''Holden:''' Okay, but now I'm ''making'' it my problem.
* ChildrenAreInnocent:
** The three-year-old girl outside Miller's apartment with her pet bird in "Dulcinea".
** Avasarala's grandson doesn't understand his grandmother's fear of an interplanetary war resulting in a ColonyDrop.
---> '''Grandson:''' ''Nobody'' could throw rocks that big. It just happens sometimes because, you know, gravity.
* CityMouse: Miller notes that he's "more of a city Belter" when asked why he's never done a space-walk before in "Godspeed".
* TheCityNarrows: The Medina district, located at the innermost part of Ceres Station, where CentrifugalGravity is weak and property is cheap.
* CivilWar: Although Earth, Mars, and the Belt are increasingly independent, many still consider a potential war between them to be this within a united humanity.
* {{Cliffhanger}}:
** "The Big Empty" ends with Holden's crew being captured by [[spoiler: the Martian Navy]].
** "Remember the Cant" ends with [[spoiler: Havelock]] being ambushed and impaled.
** "Leviathan Wakes" (and therefore Season 1) ends with Holden's crew picking up the villains' transmission back to their base, and the protomolecule evolving.
** "Godspeed" ends as the protomolecule [[spoiler: begins ''moving'' Eros]], with Miller trapped aboard manning a DeadManSwitch.
** "Caliban's War" ends with Fred Johnson [[spoiler:finding the protomolecule that Naomi left for him, and Naomi revealing to Holden that she did so (and essentially betrayed his and the rest of the crew's trust)]], then cuts off before showing much of Holden's reaction to this.
** "Immolation" ends with the protomolecule growth on Venus launching a jellyfish-like structure into space for purposes unknown.
** "Dandelion Sky" ends as the Ring Station [[spoiler:slows the "speed limit" in the Slow Zone down greatly, jolting every spaceship there to a grinding halt that injures or kills hundreds of people, and shows Holden things that happened in the past]], leaving him in a HeroicBSOD.
** "Abaddon's Gate" has this same station [[spoiler:open up numerous other portals, leading to some ''1300'' habitable systems for humanity to explore. The ''Rocinante'' crew, now back together, decides to head through one of them to begin investigating what happened to the race of {{Precursors}} who built the Ring portal system]].
* CloseUpOnHead: The series' opening scene builds outward from an extreme closeup of Julie Mao's face, which writer [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zQyV6HzIE Hawk Ostby says]] they did to [[SubvertedTrope subvert]] the StandardEstablishingSpaceshipShot.
* CodeName:
** Julie Mao's OPA operative code name is "[[GenderBlenderName Lionel Polanski]]".
** Avasarala's security code name is "Archangel".
* ColdBloodedTorture: Avasarala achieves this on a Belter caught smuggling illegal stealth tech simply by exposing him to Earth's gravity; because his body is [[SpacePeople not adapted to it]], he suffers tremendously. Avasarala gets chewed out for this but isn't punished, and the smuggler goes on to use gravity itself as his CyanidePill by wrestling out treatment for a multi-g transit to Luna, proving it [[TortureIsIneffective wasn't going to work]] no matter how long they left him on those hooks.
-->'''Chrisjen Avasarala:''' I'm sorry the gravity of a ''real'' planet hurts, but it's appropriate: you wish to hurt Earth, the Earth that is now crushing your ''weak'' Belter lungs and your ''fragile'' Belter bones.
* ColdEquation:
** {{Averted}} when Shed chooses to save Alex from suffocation by sharing his air supply with him in "The Big Empty".
** Anderson Dawes describes facing this choice with his IllGirl sister Athena when recalling his backstory in "Rock Bottom".
* ColonelBadass: Fred Johnson was one when he still served the UN. Avasarala still calls him by this rank to appeal to his old allegiance when she secretly reaches out to him in "Static".
* ColonizedSolarSystem: Humanity has yet to expand beyond, and only Mars and the Asteroid Belt are heavily settled, with a couple outposts at least as far out as the Saturnine moon Phoebe (where the protomolecule was discovered).
* ColonyDrop:
** Given Avasarala's reaction to her grandson's talk about the dinosaur-killer and her worry about "people who throw rocks" in "CQB", this trope is the new MutuallyAssuredDestruction.
** In "Rock Bottom" Diogo's Uncle Matteo attacks a Martian patrol skiff using his cargo (a small asteroid) as an improvised weapon.
** "Godspeed"/"Home" has [[spoiler:Eros pushed out of orbit by the protomolecule]] and set on a collision course with Earth. Given it's three-times bigger than the rock which took out the dinosaurs, stopping it is of vital importance. [[spoiler:Thanks to Miller, it ends up hitting Venus with an impressive boom.]]
** The [[spoiler: crisis on Ganymede is caused by the destruction of an orbital solar mirror which impacts on a large part of the surface colony, the fallout of which renders the rest of the colony uninhabitable.]]
* ColorWash: Scenes aboard ships get a heavy blue filter.
* CombatTentacles: Season 1 ends with the protomolecule seizing a character with these.
* ComicallySmallDemand: PlayedForLaughs in "Home" when Fred Johnson's response to being called "the most powerful man in the System right now" is a sardonic, "Oh really? Then [[YouGetMeCoffee go get me a cup of coffee]]." Instead, Drummer just smirks and [[FlippingTheBird flips him off]].
* CommieNazis: A downplayed variant with the Martian Congressional Republic. While their heavy nationalism, [[FantasticRacism habit of callous disregard for Earthers and Belters]], and insistance that ''they'' are the future of humanity [[PuttingOnTheReich comes across as disturbingly similar to Nazi Germany]], their SpaceColdWar with the United Nations on Earth and other cultural attributes (such as government-planned economics being responsible for their terraforming efforts) bear more similarities to the Soviet Union.
* CommitmentIssues: Ade Nygaard just wants to stay a FriendWithBenefits to Holden, who's disappointed but understanding.
** Holden himself has been the acting XO of the ''Canterbury'' for months, but refuses the captain's offer [[RankUp to make it permanent.]]
* CompanionCube: Alex develops a ''very'' personal connection to every ship he pilots, and he falls absolutely head-over-heels in love with the ''Rocinante''.
* CompanyTown: Ceres and the other large Belt settlements are run as such, which is why the OPA is becoming popular.
* CompositeCharacter:
** In the novels, it's a Martian InnocentBystander named Enrique Dos Santos rather than [[spoiler: Havelock]] who gets impaled by angry Belters.
** The show's Lieutenant Lopez takes on the roles of two Martian lieutenants from the novels: the selfsame Lt. Lopez who interrogates Holden, and marine Lt. Kelly who helps Holden's crew escape.
** In the books, Octavia Muss takes over as Miller's partner after Havelock leaves Ceres at Miller's urging, and Miller has an ex-wife named Candace who is mentioned a few times. In the show, Octavia is one of Miller's colleagues and also the ex-wife.
** Cotyar of the show fills the roles of both Cotyar of the books as Avasarala's head of security, and also of Soren, Avasarala's much put upon personal assistant who dutifully absorbs the majority of her vitriol.
** Camina Drummer, at different times, takes on the roles of AdaptedOut book characters Sam Rosenberg and Bull.
** [[DecompositeCharacter Inverted]] with Col. Janus, who doesn't appear in the books, but exists in the show as a counterpoint to Dr. Iturbi, providing the viewer with an interesting character dynamic instead of just stale reports to Avasarala.
* TheConfidant: Holden will discuss things with Naomi that he won't with the rest of the crew.
* ConLang: Belters speak "Belter Creole", a ''patois'' featuring words from Russian, Turkish, German, etc. and integrates hand gestures [[AllThereInTheManual for communicating in spacesuits]]. They also continue to speak English (using an accent that sounds vaguely Afrikaans) and Chinese (which is heard in station announcements).
* ConnectedAllAlong: Julie Mao's disappearance, the attacks on the ''Canterbury'' and ''Donnager'', the ruin of Phoebe Station, the bio-weapon on the ''Anubis'', it all leads to [[spoiler: the release of the protomolecule on Eros]].
* ContinuousDecompression: Played fairly realistically in "CQB" when a railgun blows two fairly large holes in the room the crew are in, and they have to quickly but calmly patch the holes. Naomi also notes afterward that since air was rushing out both sides, they're now trapped in an room surrounded by hard vacuum.
* TheConscience: In addition to being TheCaptain, Holden is often his crew's voice of morality, though he himself turns to Naomi if he's having doubts about something.
* ConspicuousConsumption: A summit between the UN and MCR takes place on Earth in a large, mostly empty hall with big windows that let in plenty of sunlight. There are also large flower arrangements and a buffet featuring plenty of fresh fruit on clear display. This is all done so that the UN can thumb its nose at the MCR delegation, showing the Martians that, in spite of their superiority complex over Earth, none of them will ever get to see such luxuries on Mars in their lifetimes.
* TheConspiracy: The ultimate culprit for everything in Seasons 1, 2, and the first half of 3 is one of these involving [[spoiler:billionaire Jules-Pierre Mao and UN Undersecretary-General Sadavir Errinwright]].
* ContrivedCoincidence: Miller and Holden's storylines finally intersect in "Salvage" when their respective investigations lead them to the same hotel on Eros at the same time, with Miller arriving [[BigDamnHeroes just in time]] to save Holden and his crew from [[spoiler: a UN hit squad]], though its {{downplayed}} by the fact they've been WorkingTheSameCase.
* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind:
** Octavia saves Miller this way in "Rock Bottom".
** Similarly, Anna saves Naomi from Clarissa like this in "Fallen World".
* CoolStarship:
** The ''Rocinante'' is fairly plain on the outside, but the inside is pretty sleek and awesome.
** LDSS ''Nauvoo'', the only true starship in the series so far, is a GenerationShip and the largest vessel humanity has ever built. It also fully averts StandardHumanSpaceship, what with it being a cathedral as well as a ship. [[spoiler:Becomes even cooler once the OPA hijack it and turn it into the warship ''Behemoth'']].
* CopKiller: Filat Kothari and his goons become attempted ones in "Remember the Cant". Star Helix Security is not impressed.
* CorruptCop: Miller to an extent, though he has more boundaries than many LawEnforcementInc employees in the Belt.
* CorruptCorporateExecutive: Jules-Pierre Mao.
* CorruptPolitician:
** Miller justifies being a moderately CorruptCop by noting that his bosses are bribed even better.
** [[spoiler: Sadavir Errinwright]] is part of TheConspiracy.
* CosmicHorrorReveal: [[spoiler:The protomolecule, its effects, and the unknown intelligence behind it are less ''Film/IndependenceDay'' and more "Literature/TheColourOutOfSpace".]]
* CostumePorn: Avasarala seems to wear a different intricately-made and vibrantly-coloured sari in every scene.
* CrapsackWorld: '''Everywhere.''' Things ''are'' better than they are in the 21st century in certain respects, but the more things change the more things stay the same; [[WeWillHavePerfectHealthInTheFuture advanced medical technology]] and [[FutureFoodIsArtificial synthetic foods]] have made [[ThePlague disease]] and [[ReducedToRatburgers hunger]] less of an issue than any previous era (for ''some'' people, that is), but they've been overshadowed by [[OverpopulationCrisis overpopulation]], [[SlobsVersusSnobs class warfare]] and [[GreenAesop extreme environmental damage]] -- and off-world, that damage can be as simple as "[[CrookedContractor didn't hire an honest contractor]]."
** Although Earthers live in relative comfort with an average life expectancy of ''123'', unchecked population growth (to around 30 billion) and a dramatic rise in sea levels due to global warming has led to job shortages and most remaining land being heavily developed, so most people live on some sort of government assistance. At first glance, this may sound like an ideal socialist safety net, until Bobby Draper meets some people on "Basic Assistance" firsthand: they live in cardboard boxes in a Manhattan storm drain, and their self-taught doctor informs her that they can’t afford clean drinking water or basic medications, and that he will have his hands full in the summer trying to keep deaths from dysentery to a minimum. Private property is heavily regulated (and usually seized by the government, unless the owner is extremely rich and/or connected) to the point that in the show's time-setting, a 22-acre farm in Montana[[note]]An average 21st-century family-owned farm in the US is 441 acres[[/note]] is considered extravagant and the government would like nothing better than to seize it. While issues like taxation and personal liberties aren’t addressed, what we do see doesn’t bode well.
** Mars is ''even higher'' due to its superior tech base - but it's also a hardline military dictatorship, with [[PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny all that implies]]. Strangely, they're actually ''better off'' than much of the system, with low population pressure, low unemployment, and (publicly) the most advanced technology. Just don't expect to shoot your mouth off and get away with it -- and be prepared to be discarded at the drop of a hat for some ephemeral "[[TheNeedsOfTheMany greater good]]." The only reason it hangs together as well as it does is because [[TheWarOfEarthlyAggression Earth makes a pretty good villain]] in interplanetary politics; every Duster knows that the reason the terraforming stalled decades ago is because of [[TallPoppySyndrome Earther embargoes]] -- while Earth loves to rub in how their environment may be screwed-up, but it's a damn sight better than what anyone else in the system has.
** The average Belter life expectancy is ''68'' -- at least when it comes to age. Low- or zero-gravity takes its toll on muscle and bone growth, hypoxic environments stunt child development, cops are often just thugs with badges, and general poverty and organized crime reign. Most Belters die a ''lot'' sooner due to the screwed-up infrastructure of their stations, let alone the rampant crime and corruption as well as strict water and air rationing. Drug use and slumlording is ignored while water theft—''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greywater greywater]]'' theft—is harshly punished. The Belter working class are stuck in highly dangerous jobs and forced to live in tight quarters. Earther and Martian corporations run operations in the Belt and outer moons with virtually no oversight and often [[NoOSHACompliance pay only lip service to employee safety and health benefits]], while paying next to nothing. Various outer moons, asteroids, and space stations are ostensibly governed, if at all, by Earth or Mars, but it’s obvious to Belters that the "Inners" don’t give a shit about them.
* CreatorProvincialism:
** A minor point, but despite the UN's OneWorldOrder, the half of Earth's interplanetary nuclear arsenal that actually gets launched in "Home" appears to come solely from the continental United States.
** Bobby Draper, a 23rd-century SpaceMarine from Mars, is awarded the Purple Heart when she's wounded.
* CreepyCleanliness: Used to some degree with the Martians and Earthers. The MCRN flagship ''Donnager'' is dark but clean and sterile, the elite levels of Ceres Station are a spotless white with islands of perfectly groomed green, and the UN headquarters in New York border on a [[CrystalSpiresAndTogas crystal spire]]. However, this is also {{subverted}} with the ''Rocinante'', which is equally clean despite becoming the protagonists' beloved home.
* CruelAndUnusualDeath:
** Beheaded by a RailGun isn't a good way to go.
** TheVirus slowly consumes whoever it infects, keeping them alive as it eats them. You only get to die when its growth stops something important, like breathing, [[spoiler:and even then that may not be the end of you]].
* CultColony: In Season 1, the Mormons are financing humanity's first GenerationShip, and Miller gets to know one of their colonist on his transit to Eros.
* CulturalPosturing: The Belter ice-hauler Paj refuses even the idea of regenerating a lost arm by declaring, "Screw the Inners and their magic Jell-O! [[PresentCompanyExcluded No offence, Holden.]] I'd rather a Belter-built fake any day!"
* CultureClash:
** Earthers vs. Martians vs. Belters.
** Havelock (an Earther) is a complete FishOutOfWater on the Belter station of Ceres.
* CurbStompBattle:
** Inverted when [[spoiler: The Donnager engages in combat with a stealth ship. The captain of the Martian flagship is initially very relaxed and almost casually confident of victory. It gradually becomes apparent that the mightiest battleship in the Martian fleet is absolutely no match for this new enemy, as the battle steadily progresses more and more badly against her. The ship is boarded by enemy troopers, and the Captain is forced to initiate a self destruct sequence. [[GoingDownWithTheShip Even at the moment of destruction]], The Donnager's captain expresses disbelief that defeat was even possible.]]
** In a moment of frustration and anger, Alex makes the mistake of getting physical with Amos, who easily overpowers him. It doesn't turn into a real fight, but Amos makes damn sure Alex knows it is a very bad idea to pick one with him.
--> '''Amos:''' I don't want to fight you, Alex. Please don't make me. 'Cause if we do, who's going to fly the ship?
** Bobbie vs [[spoiler:Jules-Pierre Mao's assassins trying to kill her, Avasarala, and Cotyar. Bobbie has gotten her PowerArmor back at this point, so when she shows up to save the other two, she [[NoSell no-sells]] all of the assassins' shots and easily wipes the floor with them]].
* CuttingTheKnot: The ''Rocinante'' is held in place by docking clamps and none of the codes the crew knows works. Alex gets around this problem by breaking off some clamps through sheer force and then simply jettisoning the fake gas tanks the remaining clamps were holding onto.
-->'''Alex:''' ''You'' are a gunship and ''I'' am a Navy pilot, so... to ''hell'' with this "gas-hauler" bullshit!
* CyanidePill: The Belter smuggler subjected to gravity torture on Earth uses ''gravity itself'' as this by wrestling out of his gravity-coping treatment during his multi-g transit to Luna, thus avoiding further interrogation and proving it wasn't going to work no matter how long they left him on those hooks.
* CyberPunk: With a bit more emphasis on the "punk" than the "cyber".
* TheCynic: Miller.
* CynicismCatalyst: Anderson Dawes's IllGirl of a sister Athena didn't just die, Dawes himself had to kill her [[ColdEquation to save the rest]] of the family, including his three other sisters.
* DaChief: Captain Shaddid of Star Helix Security is a female example.
* DarkAndTroubledPast:
** It's stated multiple times that anyone who signs up as crew for a ship like the ''Canterbury'' is probably running from something in their past. Holden left Earth because, "everything I loved was dying," and the UN Navy because he didn't want to be an oppressor. Alex is a washed-up divorcee, Shed is hiding from debts to drug dealers, and Naomi has some kind of OPA affiliation but [[NotInThisForYourRevolution doesn't believe in causes]].
** Miller's badly-fused vertebrae are described as the mark of a ward of the state who was given cheap medication as a child, and he later tells Holden he and Sematimba were {{Street Urchin}}s who stole chips from pachinko parlors and joined LawEnforcementInc Star Helix to hand out beatings instead of taking them.
** Amos is secretive about his rough background on Earth. In Season 3, a reporter accuses him of being a former gangster who took someone else's identity at the age of 17 before leaving Earth.
** During his time as a UN Marine colonel, OPA leader Fred Johnson destroyed a station full of Belter mutineers and their children even though they were trying to surrender, earning himself the epithet "TheButcher of Anderson Station".
* DarkerAndEdgier: The novels are by no means all fluffy bunnies and sunshine, but the show definitely takes a darker interpretation of the material.
* DarkReprise: A much more somber version of the main theme plays over the montage that ends "[[WhamEpisode Immolation]]". Ironically, this was the first episode to air after Syfy announced the series' cancellation, which makes the sequence [[HarsherInHindsight far sadder than was intended]] (luckily, Creator/PrimeVideo picked up the show for a fourth season a few weeks later).
* DatingWhatDaddyHates: Octavia cites this as a common form of rebellion, implicitly from personal experience.
* DavidVsGoliath: In "Doors and Corners", the crew has to outfight the stealth ship that both outsizes and outguns the ''Rocinante'' to protect two {{Boarding Pod}}s attempting to breach the station the ship is protecting. It takes some fancy maneuvering around the station's habitat ring, the ''Rocinante'' takes a decent beating, and they lose a pod when the station reveals it has a functioning anti-asteroid gun, but they manage to disable both the stealth ship and the station's defences.
* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:The civilzation that built the protomolecule and the ring network turns out to have been wiped out by an unknown party long ago.]]
* DeadlyEuphemism: In "Windmills", Errinwright activates a black-ops team to "take Holden off the board."
* DeadManSwitch: A rain of shrapnel damages the last of the massive explosive charges being planted by Miller and Diogo in "Godspeed", triggering the 60-second timer and forcing someone to hold their finger on a reset button to keep it from detonating. Naomi offers to remotely shut it down, but since they're short on time, [[spoiler: Miller]] decides to stay behind and detonate it himself. Events conspire to keep him from having to go through with it... at least immediately.
* DeadpanSnarker:
** Miller.
*** When asked why he wears his distinctive CoolHat, Miller claims "It keeps the rain off my head," which would be snarky even if he wasn't a lifelong inhabitant of an artificial biosphere who's never even ''experienced'' rain.
*** When told that the bomb he's holding the DeadManSwitch on needs extra work to disarm in "Home", Miller remarks, "Yep, my bomb has to be special," and once the plan changes he declares, "I'm gonna take my pet nuke for a walk."
** In "The Big Empty", Naomi doesn't take well to everyone's hesitation: "I'm sorry, does anyone need a back rub first?"
** Chrisjen Avasarala, full-stop. Just a few gems from her:
--->"No, I wasn't murdered in the last 30 seconds."\\
"I find it hard to believe that a Martian Marine would be fatigued from sitting in a chair."\\
"This is going to be very tedious if you remain this dim."
** Her bodyguard Cotyar Ghazi as well, to the point that most of his conversations with Avasarala are SnarkToSnarkCombat.
--->'''Chrisjen''': So, what do you think?\\
'''Cotyar''': Why do you pretend that you care about my opinion?\\
'''Chrisjen''': Indulge me.\\
'''Cotyar''': That's a fuckin' trap.\\
'''Chrisjen''': Oh, you're so predictable.\\
'''Cotyar''': Yeah, so are you.
* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Sematimba, Admiral Souther, Cotyar, Tilly, and Diogo]] all bite the dust, unlike their (less prominent) novel counterparts.
* DeathGlare: Holden gives Naomi one when she locks him out of control of the ''Knight'''s so he can't chase stupidly after an extremely dangerous ship in "The Big Empty".
* DeathOfAChild:
** In the backstory in "Back To the Butcher", the station nuked to bits by Fred Johnson had entire families on board, and there's a shot of a dead father holding his daughter's corpse as they float through space.
** In the Season 1 finale "Leviathan Wakes", [[spoiler:the entire population of Eros station is [[HumanResources consumed]] by the protomolecule]], which is implied to include a little girl Naomi couldn't convince to leave the station with her.
* DealWithTheDevil: Naomi worries they're doing this by accepting Fred Johnson's invitation in "Back to the Butcher".
* DecontaminationChamber: The ''Roci'''s airlock doubles as one in "Salvage".
* DecoyProtagonist: [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] has all the potential to be a main character but turns up dead instead.
* DefectorFromDecadence:
** Despite her father being one of the wealthiest men in the System, Julie Mao is fundamentally committed to opposing the Inner Planets' oppression of the Belt.
** In the eleven years since he blew up Anderson Station, Fred Johnson has transitioned from a colonel of UN SpaceMarines into a leader of the OPA. His reasons fit the trope even more once "Doors and Corners" reveals [[spoiler:his nickname and reputation are based on a lie: Anderson Station's transmissions were being jammed the entire time, and he had no idea they had surrendered.]]
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: While threatening the Martians in "The Monster and the Rocket", Holden warns them that ''"this is our only, and final, warning"''.
* DesignerBabies: Reasonably common, since Lt. Lopez describes Holden as such like it's a mundane fact in "Remember the Cant", though their dialogue implies a "full genetic mix" from eight people is more peculiar.
* DetonationMoon: The Martians destroy [[spoiler:the Saturnine moon Phoebe]] to keep Earth from investigating it first. In retaliation, Earth blows up [[spoiler:Deimos, the smaller of Mars' two moons]], reasoning that the base there is lightly staffed and of little strategic significance. Avasarala and Souther protest that this will seriously piss off the Martians, but are overruled.
* {{Deuteragonist}}: Holden and Miller bear the brunt of the storytelling together throughout Season 1 and the first half of Season 2, with Avasarala and others providing a ThirdLineSomeWaiting. Afterwards, other major characters, such as Bobbie, Prax, and Anna, have their own storylines and become deuteragonists and tritagonists to the ''Rocinante'' crew.
* DiedStandingUp: Due to a combination of magnetic boots and lack of gravity, most people killed on a spaceship tend to be left floating in a standing position, which makes hallways full of bodies that much creepier.
* DidntThinkThisThrough:
** Holden's initial reaction to the loss of the ''Canterbury'' is to chase down the enemy ship, never remembering he's in a leaky lifeboat. The others have to restrain him until he calms down.
** Solomon Epstein, inventor of the Epstein drive which all current spaceships use, was tinkering with his prototype and disabled the voice recognition software because it was acting up (mainly because he didn't speak Chinese). Doing this killed him, because once he started up the drive, the g-forces pinned him to his seat, preventing him from shutting it off.
* DirtyCop:
** Star Helix is the closest thing to law on Ceres, but is generally accepted to care more about [[LawEnforcementInc profits]] than the law, and even Miller is not averse to bribes and brutality. Later, [[spoiler: their chief, Captain Shaddid, is revealed to be working for OPA boss Anderson Dawes when she fires Miller to cover up what Julie Mao was doing for the OPA.]]
** CPM is even worse than Star Helix. The majority of their officers are former gang members, and are easily bought by the PrivateMilitaryContractors working for TheConspiracy, showing no remorse in [[spoiler: exposing the citizens of Eros to the protomolecule and lethal radiation]].
* DisabilityImmunity: The children Protogen kidnapped from Ganymede possess a rare genetic defect that inhibits the growth of the protomolecule, keeping it from asserting its own will as it does in everything else it infects. However, this resistance isn't perfect, ultimately only slowing the transformation.
* DisappearedDad: Alex is one to his son.
* DisappearingBullets:
** In "Leviathan Wakes," [[spoiler: Amos]] shoots [[spoiler: Sematimba]], spattering Naomi with blood from the exit wound, but the bulkhead and panels next to her are unscathed.
** In "Doors and Corners," members of Miller's boarding party surround a group of Protogen scientists using a strange computer interface in a small room. When they react violently to being disconnected from it, the Belters panic and mow them down with full-automatic fire. As in, ''guys standing in a circle facing inward spray bullets at other guys in the middle, with their own guys just a few feet behind the targets''. Miraculously, they manage to avoid friendly fire, though Miller cringes and tries to get them to hold fire. Played somewhat for dark humor, as Miller is clearly herding cats as he tries to lead the eager but inexperienced OPA fighters.
* DisposableSexWorker:
** {{Inverted}} in "Dulcinea" when a brothel patron killed by some other thugs is simply disposed of while Miller gently reassures the sex worker witness Gia, who goes on to become a minor character via PlatonicProstitution with Havelock.
** Also inverted in "Rock Bottom" when Amos makes a point of telling a male prostitute that a potential patron is packing a knife.
* DisposableVagrant: TheConspiracy behind the protomolecule seem to consider ''[[UpToEleven all Belters]]'' this, since they infect [[spoiler: the ''entire population'' of Eros]] with the protomolecule just to see what happens.
* DistinguishingMark: Anderson Dawes has a prominent scar on his neck where a faulty EVA suit caused electrical burns. It's shared by a generation of older Belters including founding members of the OPA, and later generations (including Naomi) have similar marks tattooed on their necks as a sign of solidarity or allegiance.
* DistressCall: Holden's storyline in "Dulcinea" centres around the ''Canterbury'' receiving one from a ship called ''Scopuli''. Captain [=McDowell=] tries to pretend they never received it until Holden secretly logs it officially, leaving them legally required to respond.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything:
** The OPA monogram is a circular O containing an A that's jagged enough to also pass for a P... kinda like some versions of the Anarchist A.
** The cry of "Remember the Cant!" deliberately echoes "Remember the Maine!", another ship who's destruction [[UsefulNotes/SpanishAmericanWar triggered a war]].
** The stencil of Holden used by OPA members bares more than a little resemblance to the famous stencil of Che Guevara. Indeed Holden is mythologized as a freedom fighter and/or terrorist just like Guevara, even though Holden has no real political agenda.
** As aggressively nationalistic as they are, as much as they look down on Earthers and Belters, as much as they insist that ''they'' are the future of mankind, you could be forgiven for expecting the Martian Marines to start goose-stepping at any time.
** The SpaceColdWar between the United Nations on Earth and the Martian Congressional Republic doesn't even ''try'' to avoid looking like the historical UsefulNotes/{{Cold War}}. In fact, the "Vesta Blockade" mentioned in the backstory where the cold war nearly went hot can be seen as an allusion to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
** The struggles of the Belter colonies for their independence bear many parallels with those of various native resistance and independence movements seen during the height and decline of European imperialism.
* DomedHometown:
** Martians live under domes.
** Ganymede is the breadbasket of the Belt, and features large greenhouse domes that use enormous orbital mirrors to provide sufficient light.
* DoomedHometown: The ''Canterbury'' gets destroyed in the first episode, soon after Captain [=McDowell=] points out that it's effectively been Holden's home for the last five years.
* DoubleTap: When Miller shoots [[spoiler:Dresden]] in the head, he follows it up with a couple more after the man has hit the floor just to make sure.
* DueToTheDead:
** Former soldiers Holden and Fred Johnson agree on the need to return [[spoiler: Lt. Lopez]]'s body to Mars in "Rock Bottom".
** Anderson Dawes describes leaving his dead little sister in a bauxite cave they found together.
** Miller gives [[spoiler: his old friend Sematimba]] a BurialInSpace near the end of "Safe".
* TheDulcineaEffect: {{Lampshaded}}. "Dulcinea" is literally the title of the series premiere, and in it Joe Miller develops a fascination with his subject Julie Mao, and to a lesser extent James Holden (an avid Cervantes fan) wants more from his FriendWithBenefits Ade Nygaard.
* DragonInChief: In Season 1, the UN Secretary-General is an InvisiblePresident so Undersecretary-General Sadavir Errinwright is the ''de facto'' ruler of Earth. However, this turns out to be EarlyInstallmentWeirdness since the Secretary-General is introduced in Season 2.
* DramaticIrony: The audience knows Kenzo is Avasarala's spy from the moment he first appears on screen, but Holden doesn't realize it until he betrays them on Eros two episodes later.
* DramaticSpaceDrifting:
** The embracing bodies of a father and daughter get this treatment after the destruction of Anderson Station in the titular sequence in "[[{{Flashback}} Back]] to TheButcher".
** AsteroidMiner Mateo leaves his nephew Diogo this way in "Rock Bottom", instead of taking him on his SuicideAttack.
** Much like in "Back to the Butcher", this is used in "Pyre" to emphasize the horror of some Belters having some innocent Earthers and Martians ThrownOutTheAirlock.
* DrawingStraws: In "Home", Avasarala immediately proposes a lottery system for evacuating Earth.
* DreamIntro: The second episode opens with a dream that Jim has of the time he met his recently-deceased girlfriend while he was actually dozing off for a brief moment.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Although they [[DownplayedTrope sometimes display good camaraderie]], Bobbie Draper spends at lot of her screen-time shouting angrily at her squad and having [[WarHawk hawkish]] disagreements with her superior.
* DrivenToSuicide:
** The Belter smuggler who commits suicide during his transfer from Earth to Luna to avoid further interrogation using Earth's own gravity as his CyanidePill.
** Lt. Nemeroff, a crew member of the ''Thomas Prince'' who has a crisis of faith after the ship passes through the Ring and [[AteHisGun eats his gun]].
* DrivingQuestion: As in any good mystery story.
** "Who destroyed the ''Canterbury?''" and "What happened to Julie Mao?" in Season 1.
* DressingAsTheEnemy:
** Alex spends several episodes wearing an MCRN uniform, which is justified since he ''is'' ex-Martian Navy and wearing the uniform while piloting an obvious MCRN vessel to Tycho Station would allay suspicions if they were hailed.
** Holden and Miller swipe the uniforms of a pair of guards they kill on Eros so they can avoid trouble from other patrols.
* DudeNotFunny: In "Paradigm Shift", Alex catches Amos "fixing" the Martian flag on the ''Roci'' (painting out [[spoiler:Deimos, which the UN destroyed two episodes prior]]). He's far from amused, since seventeen Martians died in that event and Mars lost a significant cultural icon. [[ContinuityNod Bobbie is similarly unamused]] when she actually gets a good look at it in "Assured Destruction" after [[spoiler:she and Avasarala temporarily join the ''Rocinante'']].
* DudleyDoRightStopsToHelp: Holden chooses to force the ''Canterbury'' to investigate a DistressCall rather than ignore it, which he knows will cost them their punctual delivery bonus.
* DyingAlone:
** In "Critical Mass", we learn [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] died a horrific, agonizing death all alone in a dark hotel room as TheVirus ate them from the inside out.
** {{Subverted}} in "Godspeed" when Miller is all set to do this, even turning off his radio so he can listen to the protomolecule's babbling broadcast in peace, until events conspire to keep him alive.
** Solomon Epstein is unable to call for help after becoming immobilized by a high-g burn, and winds up dying in his chair when he suffers a stroke as a result.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
** The first episode features a man who is extremely tall and fragile due to being raised in low gravity. The episode implies that this is not uncommon, but no other such character is ever seen again. While in the book, everyone raised outside of Earth's high gravity is very tall, the show's PragmaticAdaptation does away with this detail.
** In the first season, the UN Secretary-General (basically, the leader of Earth), Sorrento-Gillis, is TheGhost, and his second-in-command, Undersecretary-General Sadavir Errinwright, basically acts like the Dragon-in-Chief. Come Season 2 and onwards, Sorrento-Gillis is a significant onscreen character who sometimes overrules Sadavir's desires and doesn't always take his advice, making it weirder in hindsight that Errinwright had as much autonomy as he did with the decisions he made in Season 1.
* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Both Mars and the Belt see themselves as independent of the home planet, and Mars is in many ways more technologically advanced, but most educated people are pretty sure they aren't yet sustainable without certain resources from Earth.
* EarthThatUsedToBeBetter: Overpopulation, urban sprawl, and climate change lead Frank [=DeGraaf=] to proclaim that, "We had a garden, and we paved it."
* EiffelTowerEffect: The opening credits use the Statue of Liberty to show rising sea levels on Earth. Then a new facility is constructed to raise it back to sea level.
* EldritchAbomination: The protomolecule. In its first appearance it's squishy and cephalopodic MeatMoss surrounded by [[OccultBlueEyes occult blue]] bio-luminescent spores that runs on HumanResources. Then "Critical Mass" proves it's also [[TheVirus infectious]] via MutagenicGoo, and by "Leviathan Wakes" it has full-on CombatTentacles and can arrange its spores into a humanoid shape. And even ignoring all of that, it's frequently shown to be a complex lifeform that's only "alive" in a way humans can't normally understand it, and also [[OutsideContextProblem completely violates the laws of physics]] whenever it shows up in the story.
* ElectronicEyes: The corporate spy Kenzo has one that's featured in several POV shots in Season 1.
* EmergencyCargoDump: This is standard procedure when facing SpacePirates given Holden's desperate plea for ''Canterbury'' to eject its load of ice when attacked in "Dulcinea".
* EmptyChairMemorial: In "Home", the crew of the ''Rocinante'' pour Ganymede gin and raise a glass toward the empty chair where [[spoiler: Miller]] once sat.
* EmptyQuiver: When Earth launches half their nuclear arsenal to [[spoiler:stop Eros]], circumstances require them to hand over guidance to Fred Johnson. When the nukes prove unnecessary and Earth sends the abort codes to detonate them, Johnson manages to save and appropriate nearly 30 as an insurance policy.
* EnemyMine: In "Static", Avasarala reaches out to Fred Johnson, hoping he has solid proof of the conspiracy which he'd be willing to share. He transmits back the location of the derelict stealth ship which his team disabled in the previous episode.
* EnergyAbsorption: The protomolecule feeds on energy, as shown in "Salvage" when it's found wrapped around a deactivated reactor, and in "Critical Mass" when [[spoiler: Julie Mao smashes all her electronics in an attempt to slow its infection of her]].
* TheEngineer: Naomi and Amos' role on the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Rocinante''.
* EpicLaunchSequence: The ''Nauvoo'' is launched in "Godspeed" [[spoiler:after being hijacked by the OPA to destroy [[EldritchAbomination Eros]]]]. Being a GenerationShip, it's so big that hundreds of smaller drone-ships have to dock with it and fire their engines to help it maneuver.
* EpicTrackingShot: The series premiere, "Dulcinea", show off two of them:
** The EstablishingShot of Ceres Station begins with [[StandardizedSpaceViews ships in orbit]] before using everything from ventilation shafts to public transit to progresses continuously from floor to ceiling down through the docks, the wealthy district, and the working-class districts before finally emerging from the ceiling of the slummy marketplace at the very heart of the planet, thereby establishing not only the station's layout, but that [[AlienGeometries "down" is out]] and gravity influences property value.
** Aboard the ''Canterbury'', Holden has a WalkAndTalk with Naomi and Amos that carries them down a hallway from just outside the galley, into an elevator, up several levels, down another hallway, and onto the bridge where Holden starts up another conversation with Alex in a single take that lasts for over a minute.
* EscapePod: ''Knight'' is technically a shuttle with other primary uses (like investigating a DistressCall 20,000 km out), but it serves this purpose for Holden's crew in "The Big Empty".
* EstablishingCharacterMoment:
** Holden's decision to log the ''Scopuli'''s distress signal, committing the ''Canterbury'' to a dangerous rescue mission even though it could easily be a pirate trap, establishes him as the resident KnightInSourArmor.
** Avasarala is introduced tickling her grandson before hopping on a transport to oversee the ColdBloodedTorture of a tech smuggler, establishing her pretty solidly as a pragmatic anti-hero.
** Fred Johnson's first direct meeting with Holden consists of him effortlessly {{Sherlock Scan}}ning his way through Holden's bluff of having half a platoon of pissed off Martian marines on the ''Rocinante''.
* EstablishingShot: Used frequently, along with a TitleIn.
* EurekaMoment: Going through the data-broker's workshop Miller spots a [[spoiler: half-constructed robotic gerbil]] and immediately tears out of the room. It turns out [[spoiler: Julie Mao hid secret data from the broker inside a similar device]].
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Deep down, Jules-Pierre Mao does on some level love his daughter Julie. In fact, despite Julie's defiance, he nonetheless [[ParentalFavoritism favored her]] over her sister Clarissa.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: PlayedWith by Anderson Dawes, who professes disgust at Filat Kothari's ambush of [[spoiler:Havelock]] and offers the man's hiding location to Miller, but however real his revulsion might be what he's really looking for is leverage over Miller.
* EverybodyKnewAlready: When Holden and Naomi reveal their relationship to Amos and Alex, they cheer and groan respectively. Both had long since figured it out and were betting on when it started, a bet Alex lost.
* EveryManHasHisPrice: Anderson Dawes believes this and probes for Miller's. He's quite disappointed when Miller doesn't take up his offer of Filat Kothari's whereabouts.
* EvilutionaryBiologist: Dresden, again. As he explains in "Doors and Corners", he sees the protomolecule as the key to humanity's future, as it could allow all humans to [[MasterOfYourDomain adapt to any environment]], even hard vacuum. Therefore, he sees every horrible act he's committed as merely the price of progress.
* EvolvingCredits: Starting in Season 2, the credits change to reflect in-universe developments such as [[spoiler:the destruction of Deimos, the departure of the ''Nauvoo'' from Tycho Station, and the protomolecule spreading across Venus]].
* ExactWords: Faced with "unequivocal" orders that "under no circumstance" is he to let Phoebe Station fall into UNN hands, Lt. Sutton opts to [[spoiler:destroy the entire moon rather than waste his marines' lives contesting it]].
* TheExile: In "Pyre", Fred Johnson threatens this to Holden when he chooses to [[spoiler:head for Ganymede to destroy the new source of protomolecule that has popped up. Holden isn't deterred, partly because Fred may very well no longer be in command of Tycho Station by the time Holden gets back]].
* ExoticExtendedMarriage: Polyamorous marriages aren't considered unusual. Holden has eight parents (five fathers, three mothers) since he was conceived from a mixture of all eight genetic profiles, though it's implied such marriages also produce naturally-conceived children with two "true" parents even though the others are given equal consideration as parents. Again, the series hasn't yet explored whether Holden's parents really are polyamorous or are just [[RulesLawyer using every trick at their disposal]] to keep the government from seizing their land.
* ExpandedStatesOfAmerica: Montana is said to be located in the North American Trade Zone, presumably an expanded union of the USA, Canada and Mexico. It makes sense, given that Earth is essentially united in a OneWorldOrder run by the UN, that individual countries no longer have the same sovereignty they once did.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Miller has this reaction to meeting Holden.
--> '''Miller:''' Half the system thinks your some kind of outlaw hero, but you're really kind of clueless, aren't you?
* EyeScream: Not that they're alive to feel it, but victims of the protomolecule tend to sprout crystalline structures from their eyes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:F-H]]
* FacialMarkings: Some OPA operatives have distinct facial tattoos to show which specific faction they belong to.
* {{Fainting}}: Holden passes out during the escape from the ''Donnager'', which is {{justified}} in that they are going ''really'' fast without InertialDampening and only Alex the pilot is shown getting his coping drugs.
* FacingTheBulletsOneLiner: [[spoiler:Sutton]] has a fantastic one as things devolve into chaos, remarking "I can't believe we're doing this" in reflection of his belief about the pointlessness of war.
* FallingIntoTheCockpit: How Holden's crew find themselves in possession of a badass Martian space frigate. Bonus points for Alex having to pilot their DieOrFly escape while still groggy from a sedative he took to conserve oxygen earlier.
* FalseFlagOperation: By the end of "Remember the Cant", Earth and Mars agree the destruction of [[spoiler: the ''Canterbury'']] was one meant to [[PretextForWar start a war]] between them, with the OPA as the primary suspects. OPA leader Fred Johnson, however, doesn't know any more about the incident than they do, and in "Leviathan Wakes" it's revealed the real culprit is [[spoiler: a mysterious faction from Earth so secret that only the highest levels of government even know it exists]].
* FamedInStory:
** Undersecretary Chrisjen Avasarala is this throughout the whole series. The Belter smuggler interrogated in "The Big Empty" says he's heard "many interesting tales" about her, and MCRN Ensign Sinopoli is awestruck to meet her in person in "Reload".
** Holden becomes this after his face is put on the placards and graffiti of the "Remember the Cant" protests across the Belt. Amos snarkily offers to rearrange his face for him. The whole ''Rocinante'' crew, and Holden in particular, only becomes more and more famous as the series continues and their acts of heroism grow.
** Anna Volovodov becomes this after she plays a crucial role in [[spoiler:exposing Errinwright's treason and getting him arrested]]. When [[IntrepidReporter Monica]] needs to send out a broadcast to reassure the people in the Ring, she chooses Anna to be the one to speak because she's a known, trusted public figure whom others will listen to.
* FamousLastWords:
** "Jim, there's something you should know..." — [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard]].
** "Trust me, we're all going to be [[KilledMidSentence just fi—]]" — [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]].
** "I didn't think we could lose." — [[spoiler: Capt. Theresa Yao]].
** "It would have been nice to see an ocean on Mars." — [[spoiler: Lt. Lopez]].
** And those are just from the first four episodes; there are many, many more throughout the series.
* FanDisservice: [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] crawling around naked is the opposite of sexy since [[spoiler:she's covered in lesions from TheVirus eating her alive]].
* FantasticCasteSystem: Aboard Ceres Station, the ruling class from Earth lives and works in clean, spacious environs with hydroponic parks and the most CentrifugalGravity. The Belter middle class live in more crowded areas but still have a simulated sky and reasonable gravity. The poorest Belters live the furthest down, which is slummy and cave-like with relatively little gravity.
* FantasticRacism: Earthers vs Martians vs Belters, each with their own derogatory terms. Though all still human, each faction has been separated long enough that there are distinct physical and cultural differences. Fred Johnson puts it best: "Our language has changed, the things we care about have changed, even our bodies have changed. We look upon each other as different, and we've grown to hate each other for that."
** Belter nationalists deeply resent anyone from the Inner Planets as imperialist oppressors and have derogatory terms like ''welwala'' for {{Category Traitor}}s like Miller who admire, emulate, or work for them.
** Earthers are effectively {{Heavyworlder}}s simply because there ''are'' no heavier gravities than Earth. They have an intense attachment to land, especially land they've grown up on; this is a result of the 20th century's environmental damage, and the following two centuries they've spent repairing it. When they look at Outers, they see people surrounded by advanced technologies, while 90% of Earthers live in shantytowns. The common belief is that Earth is the only "real" planet and the rest of the system [[EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse exists to support it]].
--->'''Chrisjen Avasarala:''' Earth must come first.
** Martians have adapted to a lower-oxygen breathing mix, and are more resistant to radiation due to Mars' lack of an atmosphere. They are equally obsessed with the terraformation of Mars; as a result, they have an almost fascistic dedication to their government and chains of command, being willing to die without a second thought if ordered to. They also consider themselves superior to those who live on Earth, given that they have had to work and dedicate their whole lives to make their planet even mildly liveable, and deplore both Earthers laissez-faire attitudes and the fact that they receive "handouts" and "free drugs" to cope with their "aimless" lives. They hold Belters in disdain in turn because of their obsession with resources; filthy laborers who become insanely violent if a single drop of water is spilled on a floor.
--->'''Franklin [=DeGraaf=]:''' ...an entire culture dedicated to a common goal, working together as one to turn a lifeless rock into a garden.
** Belters have long, thin bones due to lack of gravity, numerous ailments due to inconsistent nutrition, and a fraction of the lifespans of Earthers or Dusters. They are 110% focused on ''survival'' - space is such an unforgiving environment that everyone who ''wasn't'' obsessed to that extent is long dead. This means they are for most intents and purposes HumanAliens. They look at Inners and see people whose lives are a hell of a lot easier than theirs -- absentee landlords to the 22nd century equivalent of 19th century African colonies or Appalachia in Space -— a place where poor local people dig out their natural resources at the behest of distant outsiders who "own" the land, get paid a pittance, and spend it on manufactured goods made by the same distant outsiders. An Earther newcomer is bewildered by the riots triggered by the destruction of the ''Canterbury'', but Miller is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality ambivalent]] -- it doesn't matter if they didn't need it at that precise moment, ''someone'' fucked with their water supplies and that means ''someone'' is getting ThrownOutTheAirlock.
--->'''Miller:''' Belters don't take the long view when you screw with basic resources. That water was future air, propellant mass, and potables for us. We have no sense of humor about that shit.
* FantasticShipPrefix:
** Earther and Martian warships use N for Navy instead of S for Ship in their acronyms, creating UNN (United Nations Navy) and MCRN (Mars Congressional Republic Navy) rather than UNS and MCRS.
** The Mormon colony ship ''Nauvoo'' is prefixed LDSS (presumably for Latter Day Saints Ship).
* FantasticSlurs:
** "Long Bone" and "Skinny" are used as insults against Belters because of their much longer but weaker bone structure caused by childhoods spent in low-''g''. BoomerangBigot Miller is the first character to use both.
** Martians are known derisively as "Dusters" for the aridness of their home-world, [[NWordPrivileges though Bobbie Draper freely calls a fellow Martian "one of the toughest Dusters I've served with" in "Static"]]. The term "Mickie" is also thrown around in reference to Martian Navy personnel, likely derived from the first two letters of MCRN.
** Belters derisively refer to people from Earth and Mars collectively as "Inners" or "Inyalowda", and any fellow Belter who supports, imitates, or shows interest in them as a "welwala."
* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Despite all his talk about JustFollowingOrders and the ''Roci'' crew's decision to ''not'' simply have him ThrownOutTheAirlock, [[spoiler: Kenzo]] doesn't hesitate to reveal their location to his employers at the first opportunity.
* FatalFamilyPhoto: {{Subverted}} by Alex Kamal, who's still going strong despite treasuring a physical photograph of his family in a world where nearly all photographs are solely digital.
* TheFatalist: Amos, when he talks about "the Churn":
--> '''Amos:''' When the jungle tears itself down and builds itself into something new guys like you and me, we end up dead; doesn't really mean anything. Or we happen to live through it. Well, that doesn't mean anything either.
* AFatherToHisMen:
** Fred Johnson is plainly apprehensive for his troops when preparing for battle in "Doors and Corners".
** Lieutenant Sutton aborts his Martian marines' mission to land on Phoebe when he realizes Earth will get there first with ten times as many troops, not wanting to sacrifice them needlessly.
* FauxAffablyEvil:
** Anderson Dawes is soft-spoken, articulate, and publicly prevents an assault on an innocent Martian in the wake of the ''Canterbury'' incident, but in private he has no qualms about ignoring Julie Mao's distress call or having Miller kidnapped, tortured, and ThrownOutTheAirlock.
** Jules-Pierre Mao presents himself to the world as a charming captain of industry but secretly has some truly nefarious plans.
* TheFederation: {{Deconstructed}}. The United Nations [[JustForFun/XMeetsY mixes and matches]] this with PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny, being at least partially democratic, and maintaining order on Luna and the Belt, but also having its share of corruption, and being strongly opposed to Belter independence in order to maintain control of the belt's resources, providing plenty of reason for others to see it as TheEmpire.
* TheFettered: Holden has the inflexible moral code of a KnightErrant.
* Fiction500:
** Jules-Pierre Mao is the richest man in the solar system.
** Hillman's family own all the terraforming stations on Mars, and she is mentioned to have a hefty inheritance waiting for her.
* FictionalCurrency. Plastic token have completely replaced paper money, at least out in the Belt.
* FightToSurvive:
** The SinkingShipScenario in "The Big Empty", which requires a lot of MacGyvering.
** The protagonists' escape from the ApocalypseHow on Eros, both Naomi's MacGyvering navigation and Holden and Miller's struggle to reach the ''Rocinante'' while also slowly degenerating from radiation poisoning.
** A protomolecule Hybrid stows away onto the ''Rocinante'', and the crew end up in one of these as they try to get it out of their ship and destroy it in "Caliban's War".
** The protagonists have to do this again in the Ring, especially in "Abaddon's Gate", where it's taken UpToEleven: [[spoiler:they have to stop Ashford from firing at the Ring Station, which will cause it to see humanity as a threat and not only kill everyone ''in'' the Ring (including nearly all the major characters), but destroy the entire solar system, killing ''all of humanity'']].
* FireForgedFriends: Being LockedInARoom during a SinkingShipScenario makes the ''Canterbury'' survivors somewhat hostile with each other during "The Big Empty", as does Lt. Lopez's interrogation in "Remember the Cant", but they come out the other side as this.
* FirstEpisodeSpoiler: The ''Canterbury'' is destroyed in the premiere. The third episode is even titled "[[RememberTheAlamo Remember the Cant]]".
* FishOutOfWater: Havelock, a newly arrived Star Helix employee from Earth, serves as the NaiveNewcomer for all things Belter.
* {{Flashback}}:
** "Back to the Butcher" has a flashback to a takeover of a mining station by the workers, ending in them being slaughtered by the UN, to establish the {{backstory}} of Fred Johnson, "TheButcher" who slaughtered them.
** "Critical Mass" starts off with a flashback that fills in the remaining gaps in Julie Mao's story up to Holden and Miller's arrival at her apartment on Eros.
** "Paradigm Shift" goes back 137 years to show how Solomon Epstein created (and lost his life to) the Epstein fusion drive, as a demonstration of how a new technology changes everything going forward.
** "Intransigence" reveals that [[spoiler:Melba]] is actually Clarissa Mao, Jules-Pierre's daughter and Julie's sister. We see more of Julie's tempestuous relationship with her father, and how, despite Clarissa being the obedient daughter while Julie was the rebellious one, their father still [[ParentalFavoritism preferred the latter]], to [[TheUnfavorite the former's resentment]].
* FlechetteStorm: The shrapnel from the destruction of [[spoiler: the ''Marasmus'']] rains down on Miller and Diogo in "Godspeed", creating a hole in Miller's suit and damaging the timer on one of the bombs they were setting up.
* FlippingTheBird:
** Naomi gives Lt. Lopez the "okay" circle that means "asshole" in some real-life countries when he demands to see her hands in "Remember the Cant".
** Drummer playfully flips off Fred Johnson in "Home" by extending all four fingers with her index and middle finger crossed.
* ForeignQueasine: Though mushrooms aren't particularly taboo, a Belter technician eating one he found on some grey-water pipes in a maintenance shaft earns a slight sideways glance even from Miller. Lower-class Belters waste nothing.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The Blue Falcon Hotel's name is a big clue as to what will happen there. See MeaningfulName below.
** If you look closely at the damages inflicted on the armor suits of the UN and Martian marines on Ganymede, it's pretty obvious that these weren't caused by weapons fire (they look very reminiscent of claw marks), which foreshadows two things: [[spoiler:the brief appearance of the protomolecule hybrid [[FiveSecondsForeshawoding directly after the battle]], and the later revelation that the top brass in both governments knew from the beginning that this wasn't actually an Earth-Mars border clash]].
* ForgottenFallenFriend: {{Subverted}} in "Rock Bottom" when, after several episodes without mention, Holden and Naomi make toasts ToAbsentFriends for [[spoiler: [[SacrificialLamb Shed Garvey]] and the [[{{Redshirt}} Martian marines]] from the ''Donnager'']], though not for [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and crew of the ''Canterbury'']] (who get a subtler AndThisIsFor in "Salvage" when the crew [[spoiler: nukes the ''Anubis'']]).
* ForScience: Dresden's main motivation. So much so, in fact, that he's willing to betray his own employers so long as his current captors permit him to continue his research.
* FourPhilosophyEnsemble: The ''Rocinante'' crew:
** '''The Optimist:''' Holden, the charismatic and idealistic leader who doggedly does the right thing.
** '''The Realist:''' Naomi, the caring but practical supporting leader.
** '''The Cynic:''' Amos, the antisocial follower who prioritizes action and survival over discussion and morality.
** '''The Apathetic:''' Alex, the laid-back non-action guy whose real love is just piloting his ship.
* FreudianExcuse: Holden was conceived specifically to keep the government from seizing his parents' land and so grew up seeing himself as meant to fight injustice.
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Anna's ReasonYouSuckSpeech to Clarissa/[[spoiler:Melba]] in "Congregation" pretty much boils down to this:
-->I keep looking for a way to care about you. I think, "Her father was a terrible person." But a lot of people have terrible parents, and...I think "Well, she's clearly a damaged person", but then...who isn't? So, I'm down to "Maybe she has a brain tumor?"[[{{Beat}} ...]]Do you have a brain tumor?
* FriendsWithBenefits: Jim Holden and Ade Nygaard had this kind of arrangement. He wanted it to escalate into a romantic relationship, but she was reluctant to let it do so. This was mooted by [[spoiler:her death when the ''Canterbury'' was destroyed]].
* FromBadToWorse: The initial adventure of Holden's crew in four words. In four episodes, they survive the destruction of two ships, in between which they have to cope with a SinkingShipScenario, imprisonment, interrogation, and infighting.
* FunctionalAddict: Miller might very well be TheAlcoholic, but it never gets in the way of his job.
* FutureFoodIsArtificial: Kenzo offers to show the ''Rocinante'' crew to a place on Eros that makes "ochre-infused [[ArtificialMeat tank-grown ribs]]".
* TheFutureIsNoir: {{Justified}} in exterior space and especially powered-down ships, where helmet-mounted lights are the main source of light.
* FutureSlang: Belter speech is full of this, even when they're speaking English rather than full-on Belter Creole.
* GaiasLament: The result of 30+ billion people on Earth. Put most poignantly when Franklin [=DeGraaf=] laments that while the Martians are building a garden, "We [[EarthThatUsedToBeBetter had a garden]], and we paved it."
* TheGamblingAddict: Paj, the ice-hauler who loses in arm in "Dulcinea" is probably one, since his improved investment plan for his upcoming bonus is to avoid his prior mistake of visiting the casino ''before'' the brothel and offers to bet on who can load ice faster.
* GatlingGood:
** Warships continue to use oversized gatling guns for point defense and close quarters combat alike. Since only cruisers and battleships appear to be capable of mounting the much more powerful [[MagneticWeapons railguns]], any smaller class of warships lays down a dense hail of armor-piercing bullets instead that usually kills the target ship's crew without dealing critical damage to the ship itself.
** The {{Arm Cannon}}s Martian Marines wield integrated into their PoweredArmor take the shape of ultra-compact, belt-fed miniguns chambered in a 6.5mm caliber that's available with a variety of bullet types.
* GenderBlenderName: Julie Mao's code name is Lionel Polanski.
* GenerationShips: Said to be the largest and most complex ship ever constructed, the Mormon Church is funding construction of the colossal LDSS ''Nauvoo'', a ship designed to make a 100-year journey to another solar system (the setting's hard sci-fi limits prohibit anything faster) in hopes of colonizing a new world. Since life expectancies commonly exceed 100 years in this setting, some original crew members may live to see their destination, but they'll still spend the majority of their lives on the ship.
* GeniusLoci: The protomolecule basically turns a spaceship into this, scaring the hell out of both Julie Mao and Holden's crew. Then [[spoiler: it's released on Eros and does the same thing with the entire asteroid]].
* GermanicEfficiency: The Martians fit the bill. Their technology is top-notch, their soldiers are stoic and expeditious, and their complex infrastructure is implied to be a marvel. This makes sense for a culture whose only prerequisite is the resolve to commit their lives to turning a lifeless rock into a garden.
* GetOut: The co-pilot of ''The Weeping Somnambulist'' yells this at the ''Roci'' crew when their attempt to prevent her ship from being hijacked gets her husband killed.
* TheGhost: The UN Secretary-General is referred to but never shown in Season 1, though this is later {{subverted}} when he does show up in Seasons 2 and 3.
* GhostShip:
** The series' opening scene centres on Julie Mao escaping from a cell to discover a derelict ship inhabited only by empty, floating space suits and an EldritchAbomination.
** In the same episode, Holden's crew investigate a DistressCall from the ''Scopuli'', but find no evidence of its crew except one creepy floating helmet. Its reactor is powered down, there's a huge hole in the side, and the DistressCall is actually coming from a module obviously left to draw in an InnocentBystander.
---> '''Amos:''' [[OhCrap Pirate bait]]...
** Holden's crew investigate another one in "Salvage", or rather the same one Julie Mao explored in the premiere.
** The footage of the interior of the stealth ship defeated by the ''Rocinante'' in "Doors and Corners" looks like this when Avasarala sends a drone to investigate it in "Godspeed".
* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: Errinwright is introduced doing this when chiding Avasarala for using gravity torture.
* GlobalWarming: Anthropocentric climate change as a result of Earth supporting thirty billion industrialized humans is more than enough to raise Earth's sea levels several meters, producing changes in global geography.
** The Statue of Liberty's base is now below sea level, so it -- along with [[BigApplesauce Manhattan Island]] -- is surrounded by levees.
** When Bobbie Draper wants to see the ocean, she's able to reach it without leaving Manhattan since, in the 23rd century, [[http://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2015/12/15/459789135/in-a-solar-system-really-close-by-the-expanse-comes-to-tv the East River is effectively part of the Atlantic Ocean.]]
** The Hamptons is now a separate island from Long Island, and is the location of a UN BlackSite.
** The Yukon is now an archipelago, with the city of Anchorage (where Franklin [=DeGraaf=] and his husband later move to) now being situated on an island within it.
* GoingDownWithTheShip: Captain Yao scuttles the ''Donnager'' once it's clear the ship will be captured.
* GoingNative: Holden is accused of this for being so pro-Belter, though he's actually adopted basically none of their language or culture.
* GoLookAtTheDistraction: Anderson Dawes escapes with [[spoiler:Cortazar]] by having Diogo fly off in his ship so the ''Rocinante'' will give chase, while Dawes and his men escape in a smaller shuttle during the commotion.
* GoneHorriblyRight: The prototype for the engine which allowed feasible interplanetary travel worked so well during its test run that it not only doomed its creator to death by aneurysm from continuous acceleration within minutes, it also rendered the craft unrecoverable - after 37 hours of constant boost at 7 Gs, it's ''still'' shooting out of the solar system at 5% of lightspeed.
* GoodFeelsGood: Sardonically invoked by Cotyar when discussing whether Chrisjen should turn in Errinwright in for his role in the Eros incident.
-->''I'd forgotten what it felt to be fighting for the good guys. It's nice. I like it.''
* GoodGuyBar: Holden's crew has a few drinks in one on Tycho. Moreover, Amos interviews a male prostitute because, "You can tell a lot about a place by how they treat their people," and ascertains the place is this trope because the answer is, "[[BenevolentBoss Better than most]]."
* GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex: According to Ade, Holden is "entirely too good" at sex.
* GoodSamaritan:
** Why Holden logs the DistressCall that forces the ''Canterbury'' to investigate the ''Scopuli''.
** The ''Marasmus'' contains a crew of these who came to Eros to try to provide medical and humanitarian aid in "Godspeed". It gets them all killed when they learn of the protomolecule and Holden reluctantly blows up their ship to keep them from possibly spreading the protomolecule.
** After the Ring [[spoiler:drastically lowers the speed limit, killing hundreds of people and injuring hundreds more on all the ships that are inside it]], Ashford offers that any of these ships who wish to do so [[spoiler:may dock at the ''OPAS Behemoth'' for medical treatment, since it's the only ship in the Ring that's capable of creating ArtificialGravity, and gravity is necessary for the wounded to be able to heal properly]].
* GoodShepherd: Miller meets a Mormon one on the transport to Eros.
* GovernmentConspiracy: TheConspiracy includes [[spoiler: UN Deputy Undersecretary Sadavir Errinwright]].
* GovernmentDrugEnforcement: Lt. Lopez mentions "free drugs" as part of the decadent welfare state on Earth.
* GodzillaThreshold: In "It Reaches Out", having been framed for a crime they didn't commit and finding themselves on the business end of weapons by two different fleets, Holden orders Alex to fly the ''Roci'' [[spoiler:into the Ring, counting on the decelerating field to stop the missile just fired at them while the ship does a hard burn at the last moment to keep them from being turned into paste]].
* GrammarNazi: Kenzo is mildly annoyed that Amos thinks "Anubis" is pronounced "An-you-bis".
* GratuitousLatin: AncientGrome provides many middle names in the 23rd Century: Juliet ''Andromeda'' Mao, Fredrick ''Lucius'' Johnson, and ''Josephus Aloisus'' Miller.
* GravityScrew: In "Dandelion Sky", [[spoiler:after Bobby's commander throws a grenade inside the alien space station at the heart of the slow zone, the station retaliates by suspending him above the ground, disassembling the commander's body, and then using his mass to repair the damage done by the grenade. It then adjusts the slow zone to a fraction of what it previously was, causing every ship within the slow zone to suddenly halt, killing hundreds and critically injuring many more from the massive g-forces.]]
* GreaterScopeVillain: DoubleSubverted. Dresden believes that ''someone'' deliberately steered Phoebe (and the protomolecule) into the solar system to wipe out Earth-based life, and that they will likely return to finish the job someday. [[spoiler:He's right that it was sent by an intelligence, but wrong about the rest: those guys just wanted to create another Ring for their PortalNetwork, but now they're all dead, and it's hinted that whatever killed ''them'' may become a threat to humanity in the future]].
* GrenadeHotPotato: In "Here There Be Dragons", a grenade is tossed through a door at the ''Roci'' crew. Amos ''[[ConsummateProfessional instantly]]'' screams "Grenade!", scoops it up, pitches it back through the door, then slams it shut and ducks for cover. [[spoiler:The grenade ends up releasing the protomolecule creature that was being held in the room, [[KarmicDeath which proceeds to kill pretty much every one of the aggressors save a scientist]], who remains alive just long enough to bitterly explain how karmic the whole thing was before bleeding out. The creature escapes through an airlock.]]
* GuileHero: Being a BadassBureaucrat means Avasarala can get her way in just about anything with a conversation or two.
* GutturalGrowler: Avasarala of course has Creator/{{Shohreh Aghdashloo}}'s trademark rasp, and Creator/ChadLColeman adds noticeable gravel to his already husky voice to portray Fred Johnson.
* HadToBeSharp: There's little room in the Belt for weakness, as Anderson Dawes' deceased sister could tell you.
* HappilyMarried:
** Chrisjen Avasarala and her husband Arjun are shown to love each other dearly, even if the latter is a minor SatelliteCharacter.
** Frank [=DeGraaf=] and his husband Craig were this, before the former's death devastated the latter.
* HardboiledDetective: Miller lives, acts, and even ''dresses'' like one in his dark coat and trilby hat.
* HatesSmallTalk: Holden's mother Elise and Avasarala have this exchange in "Windmills":
-->'''Elise:''' Can we stop with the bullshit, now?\\
'''Avasarala:''' Oh, I had a little left about how charming your home is.
* HaveYouToldAnyoneElse: A non-fatal example when [[spoiler: Captain Shaddid]] asks this of Miller regarding the secret files he found in [[spoiler: Julie Mao's apartment]]; after confirming he hasn't, she reveals she's working for the OPA, confiscates the files, and [[spoiler: fires him]].
* HeavyWorlder: Earthers, [[JustifiedTrope by virtue of the fact humanity has yet to colonize a celestial body with higher gravity]]. This is most pronounced in the case of Bobbie, an elite Martian Marine who is accounted as the best fighter of all the main cast, but as a native Martian she can barely walk on arrival to Earth. The trade-off is that Earthers also require more food and oxygen in comparison to Martians and Belters.
* HeelFaceTurn:
** Subversion: In "Cascade", [[spoiler: Errinwright goes to Avasarala and confesses his involvement with Jules-Pierre Mao, providing plenty of evidence, all because between Eros and the apparent SuperSoldiers on Ganymede, things have gone too far beyond what he was expecting when he signed up to the conspiracy. It's then darkly subverted when it soon becomes clear that he only intends to fan the flames of war between Earth and Mars in order to help cover his own tracks.]]
** Played straight: [[spoiler:Melba/Clarissa Mao]] is left feeling deeply remorseful for her actions in the second half of season 3, which include framing Holden and hurting or brutally killing numerous people in order to [[spoiler:get revenge on Holden for her father, Jules-Pierre Mao]]. Her guilt, combined with a ReasonYouSuckSpeech from Anna and overhearing a conversation between [[spoiler:Holden and Naomi]] that makes her realize she was wrong about him, convinces her to give up on her revenge and change her ways, and even leads to an attempted HeroicSacrifice as she [[spoiler:saves the two of them from being killed by Ashford and stops him from firing at the Ring Station, essentially saving the day and all of humanity.]]
* HeKnowsTooMuch:
** Holden blows up a GoodSamaritan medical ship which had come to provide assistance to Eros, only to learn of the protomolecule and intend to spill the beans to the entire system. Holden feared that more ships would come and inadvertently spread the protomolecule, and the medical ship had already lost a man due to their ill-advised attempt to help.
** Cotyar kills Theo the electrician to keep Avasarala's location a secret, as he doesn't believe Theo would keep his mouth shut if the UNN put effort into making him talk. Admiral Nguyen even lampshades it, noting that Theo looked like the kind of guy who would talk, as opposed to the tight-lipped Cotyar.
* HellHolePrison: Alex mentions "breaking big rocks into little ones on Olympus Mons" as a likely punishment for not co-operating with the crew of the ''Donnager'' in "Remember the Cant".
* TheHero: Holden, though his HeroComplex has a depressing tendency of causing even ''more'' trouble in this CrapsackWorld.
* HeroicBSOD:
** Holden has a brief one in "Dulcinea" when the ''Canterbury'' is destroyed.
** Miller suffers one upon [[spoiler: finding the mutated corpse of Julie Mao]] and loses his moral compass for a while afterward, shooting a guard in the guts to use him as a [[CantKillYouStillNeedYou ploy to get past other guards]].
** Holden goes into one after the Ring Station [[spoiler:shows him visions of the past, including how it destroyed entire ''star systems'' that it perceived as a threat]].
* HeroicComedicSociopath: Deconstructed - The rest of the Canterbury crew clearly find Amos' capacity for violence '''terrifying''', and only the fact that they are in a life-or-death situation and need him (as well as being scared) stop them from calling him out. As the series continues, it reveals more on more of his upbringing, which includes possibly being a victim of, but definitely witnessing, child prostitution and forced prostitution of adults. Amos himself understands that his mind does not function the same way as most peoples', and he realizes how detrimental this can be and takes measures to work around his limitations, such as relying on his friends for a moral compass. When they meet a character who has had brain surgery to remove his empathy, he is the only one able to understand his motivations well enough to interrogate him, and afterward quizzes him about whether the process might be reversible, and briefly spirals into a depression when the answer is "no".
* HeroicSacrifice:
** The Martian marines battle the unknown BoardingParty to get Holden's crew to a shuttle so they can escape to BringNewsBack. Only Lt. Lopez even makes it to the ship, and he dies from his wounds shortly after.
** {{Subverted|Trope}} with Miller in "Godspeed", when he stays behind to man a DeadManSwitch until the ''Nauvoo'' rams Eros, only for [[spoiler: the protomolecule to cause the asteroid to ''dodge'' the incoming ship]].
** PlayedStraight in "Home" when [[spoiler: Miller stays on Eros to talk Julie--who's become the central brain of the protomolecule's GeniusLoci--into hitting Venus instead of Earth by allowing himself to be infected and riding the asteroid down]].
** In order to maintain a target lock, the ''Rocinante'' crew agrees to do a ''very'' hard burn to keep [[spoiler:Eros]] in visual range, fully knowing this will eventually create g-forces strong enough to kill them, though in the end it's {{subverted}} when an alternative presents itself and they can slow down before that happens.
** [[spoiler:Drummer]] attempts this on two separate occasions (once to save Ashford, and once to try to [[spoiler:take Diogo down with her so he can't stop Holden and Naomi]]). The first one counts as a non-fatal example since she survives with serious injuries (though she didn't think she was going to), and in the second case, Naomi manages to take care of the problem before she goes through with it.
** [[spoiler:Clarissa]] also has non-fatal one that she didn't expect to survive in "Abaddon's Gate" to [[spoiler:stop Ashford and his men from killing Holden and Naomi and firing the laser at the Ring Station (which would lead to it destroying the entire solar system); she takes a shot to the gut, but lives]].
* HeroStoleMyBike:
** The Martian frigate ''Tachi'' is repurposed as the ''Rocinante'', although characters debate whether it's a [[InsistentTerminology legit salvage]] or thievery.
** Done on a massive scale, twice over, when the generation ship ''Nauvoo'' is first taken from the Mormons to deal with the Eros crisis, and then, [[spoiler:after it's retrieved by the OPA, they keep it instead of returning it and turn into their flagship, the ''Behemoth'']].
* HerrDoktor: He lacks the accent, but you don't name your MadScientist "Dresden" without this in mind.
* HiddenDepths:
** Anderson Dawes shows off his in "Rock Bottom".
** Errinwright supported TheConspiracy through some pretty nefarious stuff when it was developing a bio-weapon that could tip the BalanceOfPower in Earth's favour, but when events in "Home" turn it into a threat against Earth itself he has a serious freak-out.
---> '''Errinwright:''' You call yourself "a man of the System", but I'm not: ''Earth'' is my home, so whenever you're ready I'd really appreciate it if you'd make a [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] appearance and rein in your ''goddamn science experiment''!
** Zig-zagged when Amos suddenly notes that a crushed muscle can result in fatal potassium poisoning. That's some detailed medical knowledge for such a bruiser, but Prax immediately notes that it's information about "hurting people."
* HighSpeedMissileDodge:
** {{Subverted|Trope}} in "Dulcinea" when Holden's crew attempts to do this by ducking behind an the nearby asteroid, but it turns out the torpedo wasn't actually aiming for them.
** In "Godspeed", this is done on an asteroid-sized scale when [[spoiler:the protomolecule manages to make the whole of Eros dodge the incoming ''Nauvoo'']].
** Bobbie has to attempt this very carefully with missiles from [[spoiler:a UN ship working for Errinwright]]; if she goes too slow, the missiles will hit them, but if she goes too fast while trying to get away from them, the G-forces will [[spoiler:give the elderly Avasarala a stroke and kill her]]. Luckily for them, [[spoiler:the ''Rocinante'' shows up to defend them]].
** In "It Reaches Out", two different ships from two different navies fire on the ''Rocinante'' after Holden is framed for a terrorist attack on a UN ship. On instructions from [[spoiler:"Miller" (a manifestation of the protomolecule that only Holden can see), Holden has Alex enter the Ring at a slow enough speed to not trigger the "speed limit"]] to avoid the missile.
* HiredGuns: TheConspiracy recruits gang members from other stations to work as these for CPM on Eros.
* HistoryRepeats: Colonies crave independence - and [[TheRevolutionWillNotBeCivilized will do anything to get it]].
** The SpaceColdWar between Earth and Mars has many parallels with the 20th century Cold War between the USA (Earth) and the USSR (Mars). The [[NoodleIncident Vesta Blockade]] nearly caused a shooting war decades ago, much like the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard:
** The conspiracy found the protomolecule and unleashed it on Eros to discover its purpose and hopefully harness it for their own. Instead, [[spoiler:they gave the protomolecule the means to get back to its mission, as it is able to push Eros out of orbit and aim it at Earth]].
** When caught by the ''Rocinante'' crew, other members of TheConspiracy try to dispose of them via grenade. Amos ''immediately'' tosses it back at them [[spoiler: allowing one of their protomolecule experiments to escape and slaughter them all.]]
** Admiral Nguyen [[spoiler:remotely launches pods containing protomolecule hybrids from the secret facility on Io. One of the pods collides with the Admiral's ship, infecting it with the protomolecule and ultimately leading to the deaths of everyone on board.]]
* HollywoodHealing: The cast frequently suffer from grievous injuries and diseases, including cancer, that are brushed off in an episode or two due to advanced medical technology.
* HoneyTrap: Miller accuses Gia of being this in "Back to the Butcher". [[AvertedTrope She's not]] and responds by yelling "Fuck you!" in Belter Creole.
* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Gia, the Belter prostitute Havelock visits to learn more about Belter culture and language. She even visits him in the hospital after he's wounded taking it on himself to patrol her district during the riots. She doesn't take it well when Miller mocks them and accuses her of being a HoneyTrap.
* HopeSpot:
** Someone picked up the ''Knight's'' signal! Oh wait, it's a Martian battleship, presumably coming to finish the job their stealth ship started.
** [[spoiler:Dr. Strickland]] has one of these when Amos stops Prax from killing him, thinking he is saving his life. In fact, Amos was preventing Prax from dirtying his hands, and [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork does it himself]].
* AHouseDivided:
** Holden's crew don't exactly see eye-to-eye during their desperate situation in "The Big Empty", leading to some tense moments including Amos holding a gun to Holden's head. They get along [[FireForgedFriends much better afterward]].
** They have another case of this in "IFF" when they receive the distress signal sent out from [[spoiler:the ''Razorback'' by Bobbie and Avasarala]]; Holden and Amos want to ignore it (since they're already on a time-sensitive mission to help Prax get his daughter back), while Naomi and Alex want to help (especially once they realize what ship it is). Their [[SixthRanger temporary fifth member]], Prax, breaks the tie and decides they should respond to it.
* HowWeGotHere: The first half of "Critical Mass" is devoted to catching the audience up on what's been happening to Julie Mao all season.
* HumanityIsInfectious: In "Home", it's revealed that [[spoiler: Julie Mao's consciousness became the keystone of protomolecule's GeniusLoci on Eros. Miller even muses, "The protomolecule infected her; what if she infected the protomolecule back?"]]
* HumanResources:
** The coroner Miller deals with on Ceres implies that most people who die on Belter stations are recycled as fertilizer unless they have contrary religious directives on file.
** [[spoiler: The entire population of Eros]] are turned into this for the protomolecule in "Leviathan Wakes".
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Miller resignedly declares, "The stars are better off without us," after detailing his plan to [[spoiler: "commandeer" the GenerationShip that constitutes humanity's first attempt at interstellar travel]].
* HumanShield: Amos puts Alex in a choke-hold and proposes using him as this when he accuses Naomi in "Remember the Cant".
* HurlItIntoTheSun:
** Understandably uncomfortable with storing the protomolecule sample in the container from the ''Anubis'' on their ship, Amos suggests they use a missile to fire it into the sun. Naomi vetoes the idea, as the sample may prove useful in formulating a vaccine. As a compromise, they instead stick it in a missile with proximity sensors and leave it free-floating at an abandoned asteroid mine, far from anyone who might think to look for it or even stumble upon it.
** They later come back and retrieve the sample again to do this for real, [[spoiler:but Naomi still disagrees, so she secretly hides it once more and gives its location to Fred Johnson, to make sure that the Belt has a sample of it. Needless to say, her crewmates are ''not'' pleased when they learn about this]].
** Miller gets the idea to use the ''Nauvoo'' to ram Eros and push it into the sun. [[spoiler:It probably would have worked, had the protomolecule not constructed engines on Eros to push the asteroid out of its orbit and straight at Earth.]]
* HyperAwareness: Comes in drug form for Martian interrogators.
* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: [[spoiler:Inside the ring is a hyperspace bubble that stops anything moving above a certain speed, potentially lethally for the crew, destroys anything that breaches the bubble except at the ring, and has a strange construct in the center which draws things toward it. Then we learn ''something'' is living in there, and it wiped out the civilization that made the ring.]]
* {{Hypocrite}}:
** The Mars government as a whole has a superiority complex compared to Earth, and Martians see themselves as the true future of humanity, but they look down on and oppress the Belt just as much as Earth does, even though Martians actually have quite a bit in common with the Belt themselves.
** Jules-Pierre Mao. His daughter Julie [[CallingTheOldManOut calls him on it]] in a message found in "The Big Empty". He proves it beyond a doubt in "Critical Mass" when he [[spoiler: wipes away a tear for his dead daughter, then immediately orders the same MutagenicGoo that killed her injected into thousands of people]].
** Anderson Dawes's ColdEquation story about his life to Miller paints him as this in Miller's eyes, since he talks about the importance of sacrificing one's life for a cause [[spoiler:and is heavily implied to have purposely never answered Julie Mao's distress call and allowed her to die]], but is unwilling to make this sacrifice himself.
** Dr. Antony Dresden describes what the protomolecule does to a human being as "incredible" and the victim as "fortunate" and "blessed"...while being very careful to make sure that he himself does not become infected by it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:I-N]]
* IAlwaysWantedToSayThat: Amos feels this way about, "Bombs away!" in "Godspeed".
* IChooseToStay: In "Here There Be Dragons", [[spoiler:Naomi]] chooses to stay on Ganymede to help people escape before its inevitable collapse. [[spoiler:Amos joins her, while Holden, Prax, and Alex go hunting for the protomolecule creature that was made there.]]
* IconicItem: Miller's trilby hat.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: every season finale is a TitleDrop to whichever [[Literature/TheExpanse book]] that season was dramatizing.
* IKnowYoureInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler: Miller to Julie]] at the end of "Home".
* ILetGwenStacyDie: How Miller feels after [[spoiler: finding Julie's body]] in "Salvage".
* IllGirl: In "Rock Bottom", Anderson Dawes describes his deceased sister Athena as ultimately getting too ill to even travel.
* ImaginaryFriend: Miller starts hallucinating about Julie Mao in "Leviathan Wakes". While at the time this could be seen as a side effect of the radiation poisoning he's suffering, the hallucinations continue into Season 2.
* ImmigrantPatriotism:
** Fred Johnson is an Earther who's taken up the Belters' cause as a major OPA leader.
** Travis is a Martian marine who immigrated to the red planet from Earth when he was 5.
* ImminentDangerClue: Amos notices Kenzo's restlessness and the suspicious bystanders in the lobby of the Blue Falcon and begins slowly reaching for his gun. When Kenzo runs for it, a full-on gunfight breaks out.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Some angry Belter thugs shoot [[spoiler: Havelock]] through the chest with a piece of rebar in "Remember the Cant". [[spoiler: Thanks to advanced medicine, he gets better]].
* ImportantHaircut: Miller shaves off his BeardOfSorrow and gives himself a more Belter-style haircut in "Static".
* ImprovisedMicrogravityManeuvering: When the ''Donnager'''s engines cut out and leave them free-floating in "CQB", Holden quickly tethers himself to Naomi and kicks off her to get down to engage his mag-boots and pull her back down as well, all while under fire from the enemy BoardingParty.
* ImStandingRightHere: Naomi jokingly chides Miller for being "weird and chatty under pressure" just like Holden while Holden is right beside her. [[InsultOfEndearment He just smiles]].
* InappropriatelyCloseComrades: Holden notes that accepting a promotion to XO of the ''Canterbury'' would mean he'd have to stop fraternizing with navigator Ade Nygaard, even though it's a civilian ice trawler and the ship's captain doesn't seem particularly concerned about it.
* IncurableCoughOfDeath: The protomolecule infection starts out like this.
* IndyPloy: Holden's crew basically make ''everything'' up as they go.
--->'''Prax:''' Are your plans always this vague?
--->'''Amos:''' This is about average.
* InertialDampening:
** [[AvertedTrope There is none]]. Ships' engines are powerful enough that they can cruise at 12- or 13-''g'' and accelerate up to 15- or even 20-g. In order to help cope, crews and passengers have to strap into crash couches, put on mouth guards, and be fed large doses of "acceleration drugs". But no matter how many precautions people take, blood vessels ''will'' start popping at high enough ''g'' and the drugs are lethal once you pass a certain dosage level.
** Lampshaded and discussed when the protomolecule is able to accelerate [[spoiler: Eros]] at a rate beyond what any human can survive while maintaining such a stable internal gravity that Miller is amazed that he's unable to even feel it.
** In Season 3 [[spoiler: a ship flying through the protomolecule Ring is stopped dead and the pilot is reduced to a smear on the windshield and a partial ribcage sticking out of his harness.]]
* InformationWantsToBeFree:
** Holden believes this, and so broadcasts an account of his crew's travails at the end of "The Big Empty" as [[CantStopTheSignal insurance]] against the Martian navy simply making them disappear, over everyone else's strenuous objections, which has the [[NiceJobBreakingItHero unintended consequence]] of sparking major anti-Inner violence on Ceres.
** Miller ridicules Holden for this belief in "Godspeed": "Well, I guess we could just broadcast everything we know, and wait for Earth, Mars, and the OPA to all [[SarcasmMode rally together and start singing "Kumbaya" and do the right thing.]]" Then near the end of the episode, Holden himself is forced to destroy a ship of {{Good Samaritan}}s who refuse to respect the quarantine and information blackout around Eros on these grounds, even after he identifies himself in an attempt to prove he knows where they're coming from.
** Holden tries to makes this case again after the Eros situation is dealt with, but Fred Johnson talks him out of it because all three sides are looking for an advantage and none of them are particularly interested in peace right now.
* InnocentBystander:
** Taken UpToEleven when [[spoiler: the ''entire population of Eros'']] are diabolically sacrificed so the protomolecule can be TestedOnHumans in "Leviathan Wakes".
** The Inner-born refugees who get ThrownOutTheAirlock because of FantasticRacism in "Pyre".
* InSpaceEveryoneCanSeeYourFace: Space suit helmets have lighting strips around the actors' faces.
* InspirationalMartyr: Diogo elevates [[spoiler: Miller]] to this status for the OPA at the beginning of "Paradigm Shift".
* InstantDeathBullet: [[spoiler: Sematimba]] gets one courtesy of Amos in "Leviathan Wakes".
* InsultOfEndearment: Holden just smiles affectionately when Naomi accuses him of being "[[CasualDangerDialogue weird and chatty under pressure]]."
* IntergenerationalFriendship: Miller and Diogo, albeit a rather [[OddFriendship odd one]].
* InternalReveal: {{Subverted}} in "The Big Empty" when Naomi nixes Holden's attempt to come clean about logging the distress call. He eventually does make the reveal in "Rock Bottom".
* InterruptedIntimacy: Holden and Ade's ZeroGSpot sex is interrupted by the return of gravity and an intercom call for Holden to report for duty.
* InThatOrder: "On any other day this discussion would get us shot for treason then thrown into a lunatic asylum."
* IntoxicationEnsues: PlayedWith when Alex's hypoxia manifests like drunken ramblings. TruthInTelevision if [[https://youtu.be/kUfF2MTnqAw?t=333 this demonstration of actual hypoxia]] is anything to go by.
* InVinoVeritas: Amos and Alex open up more about themselves over drinks on Tycho Station.
* {{Irony}}:
** The various "I'm ''not'' going," and, "I don't want to be here," statements in "Dulcinea" given that [[spoiler: only the crew of the ''Knight'' survive the destruction of the ''Canterbury'']].
** Holden was conceived by combining DNA from 8 parents so he could inherit sole rights to all of their respective properties, but [[spoiler: the beginning of the second season reveals that a massive radiation dose has left him sterile.]]
* IrrationalHatred: The Belters in charge of the refugee ship in "Pyre" [[ThrownOutTheAirlock space]] all the Earth- and Mars-born refugees because, "Inners wreck Ganymede." [[InsaneTrollLogic Because clearly these dirty, frightened refugees are to blame]].
* IrrevocableOrder: The [[spoiler:hybrid pods]] can't be stopped once they're launched, though their course can be altered.
* IShouldHaveBeenBetter:
** Naomi tells Amos she could've been a nicer person in "CQB" and decides she should've done more to [[spoiler: save the people of Eros]] in "Leviathan Wakes".
---> '''Naomi:''' We saved a few; we should have saved more.\\
'''Holden:''' We will.
** Alex spends "Static" angsting over his failure to protect one of the {{Boarding Pod}}s in the previous episode, as well as how they should have saved more people from Eros. He channels this into obsessive training using a simulated recreation of the battle.
---> '''Alex:''' Point is, next time I'm gonna save them all.
* ItCanThink: The protomolecule is able to imitate people with glowing spores, which suggests an emerging intelligence. [[spoiler:Then it's discovered that the protomolecule has somehow built engines into Eros and is directing the asteroid at Earth, presumably to finish the task it was sent for. In Season 3, Katoa, who has been infected by the protomolecule and is able to access its HiveMind, mentions something called "the work" and indicates it will soon be ready.]]
* ItGetsEasier: Lampshaded by Naomi in "Cascade", who notes that every morally dubious thing they rationalize to themselves only makes doing the next one that much easier.
* ItNeverGetsAnyEasier: Miller essentially tells Octavia this when she's struggling with killing two people to be his BigDamnHero in "Rock Bottom".
* IToldYouSo: Avasarala can't resist noting that it's a good thing Errinwright's assassin's failed to kill Holden when the ''Rocinante'' become central to [[spoiler: saving Earth]] in "Home".
* ItsPersonal:
** When Errinwright questions whether Avasarala's taking an investigation into the OPA personally because they caused her son's death, she puts those concerns to rest by confirming, "Your ''damn right'' it's personal."
** Holden clearly has more on his mind than bio-hazard containment when he orders the ''Anubis'' destroyed.
--->'''Holden:''' [[RememberTheAlamo Remember the]] ''[[RememberTheAlamo Cant]]''.
* ItsTheOnlyWayToBeSure: In "Salvage", Holden opts to destroy the ''Anubis'' from a safe distance rather than risk letting the EldritchAbomination on board fall into the hands of the UN, the Martians, or the OPA.
* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique:
** Earth's gravity is used to torture native Belters, who are such {{Light Worlder}}s that they struggle to even breathe, let alone move, under the pressure.
** When Bobbie Draper wants answers from [[spoiler:the MCRN chaplain]], she just beats the crap out of him until he shows her what she wants to see.
* JerkassHasAPoint: After angrily telling Miller to get off Tycho Station, Fred Johnson has to concede that the former detective was right to [[spoiler: kill Dresden, as the scientist was beginning to convince them that they should keep studying the protomolecule]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Miller is very abrasive and cynical, but has more limits than some and occasionally shows a gentler side.
** Amos is a violent man who claims to have a LackOfEmpathy, but he slowly shows the vestiges of a moral compass and a genuine desire to be a better person.
* JobStealingRobot: The ''Rocinante'' has an automated engineering system that aggravates Naomi in "Back to the Butcher" because, "There's nothing to fix!"
* JumpScare:
** There are a couple of times the characters are startled by an empty spacesuit or helmet floating in zero-g.
** Holden gets grabbed by a wounded member of the BoardingParty he mistook for dead in "CQB".
* JustAKid: Diogo is considered this by Miller and acts a lot like the NewMeat while storming Thoth Station.
* JustInTime:
** The ''Rocinante'' crew manage to get to the secret codes just in time to call off the MCRN ''Scipio Africanus'' in "Windmills".
** Holden and Miller make it to the ''Rocinante'' in time in "Leviathan Wakes'', though Amos notes that the AutoDoc keeps switching to palliative care.
* JustFollowingOrders: Kenzo describes himself as "just a guy trying to do my job" when the ''Roci'' crew catch him sabotaging their ship in "Windmills".
* KarmaHoudini: Defied by Miller. He kills [[spoiler:Dresden]] because he accurately assessed that [[spoiler:Dresden]] would be able to [[TalkingYourWayOut talk himself out]] of punishment under the circumstances.
* KillItWithFire: This seems to be the only reliable way to destroy the protomolecule. Usually in the form of a nuclear explosion. In "Here There Be Dragons", Holden uses an incinerator to vaporize a [[spoiler:protomolecule-infected child]]. And in "Caliban's War" Alex roasts a hybrid with the ''Roci'''s [[WeaponizedExhaust fusion drive]].
* KilledMidSentence:
** [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard]] is blown up along with the rest of the ship right after saying, "Jim, there's something you should know."
** [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]] is trying to calm down a panicking crew mate when his head is taken off by a railgun projectile.
** [[spoiler: Dresden]] was about to say something more when Miller's bullet takes him in the forehead in "Doors and Corners".
* KillSat: Earth has five RailGun satellites in orbit which can destroy a starship in one shot using a heavy bullet which breaks apart into a buckshot-like spread of shrapnel that will shred anything it hits. The drawback is that the targets have to be close enough for the target to be unable to change position/course before the round hits, as there's no way to change the projectile's course once it's fired. [[spoiler:In Season 3, these satellites are used to destroy Mars' planet killer ships.]]
* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Hand-held firearms haven't changed much by the 23rd century, and warships like the ''Donnager'' rely on nuclear-warhead torpedoes and {{Rail Gun}}s for ship-to-ship combat.
* KnightInSourArmor: Miller is extremely bitter and cynical, but also committed to a strong sense of justice. He is in many ways a [[RecycledInSpace futuristic descendent]] of film noir detectives such as Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade.
* KnowledgeBroker: Miller finds out the dead guy who met with Julie Mao was a "data broker", and eventually he finds out [[spoiler: this data broker sold Julie info on what happened on Phoebe Station, which set off the whole plot]].
* LackOfEmpathy:
** Cortazar, the sole survivor of the raid on the secret facility observing the protomolecule's consumption of Eros, was purposefully given this by Protogen to make him a MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate. It also makes him ''really'' hard to interrogate. ''Scary'' part; it's based on [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation a real technology.]]
---> '''Holden''': So someone waves a magnet at the right side of my head, and suddenly I can watch 100,000 people die in agony and not give a shit?
** Amos has emotional detachment as a result of childhood abuse, and so cares little for anyone outside of his social circle. This makes him just the right man to know how Cortazar thinks and how to get him talking. Intriguingly, he's rather unhappy with his condition; he follows Naomi and Holden because he recognizes they have functioning moral compasses, and when he hears that Cortazar's condition is artificial, his first thought is to ask if it's reversible in an awkward manner that implies hope that his own condition could be healed.
* LaResistance: How the OPA see themselves.
* LargeHam: Diogo becomes this after joining the OPA in Season 2.
* TheLastDJ: Holden got dishonourably discharged from the UN Navy for swinging at an immoral superior, and has since been in self-imposed exile in the Belt. As he himself describes it, "I stopped playing."
* LastNameBasis:
** Holden and Miller are referred to as "Holden" and "Miller" far more often than "Jim" and "Joe", which is {{justified}} by the MildlyMilitary nature of being a ship's officer and a police detective.
** Likewise, for Havelock and Capt. Shaddid of Star Helix and Capt. [=McDowell=] of the ''Canterbury''.
** Soldiers such as the Martian marines correctly use this along with ranks. Lt. Lopez's first name in particular is unknown.
* LateArrivalSpoiler: Just one season in and it's kinda hard to discuss the show without mentioning the protomolecule.
* LawEnforcementInc: Policing on Belter stations is in the hands of private contractors, with efficiency rates ranging from "at least trying" to "just another gang".
** "Star Helix Security" serves this function on Ceres, and while it's common knowledge that their superiors care more about profit margins, individual members like Miller, Octavia, and Havelock all care somewhat about actual protecting and serving.
--->'''Miller:''' No laws on Ceres, just cops.
** "CPM", responsible for security on Eros, is much worse and has recently recruited actual ''gang members'' from other stations to fill its ranks as PrivateMilitaryContractors.
* TheLancer: Naomi Nagata is always there to tell Holden when he's wrong, and provides a pragmatic female Belter {{foil}} to Holden's idealistic male Earther.
* TheLeader: Holden.
* LeeroyJenkins: Discussed and averted when ''Rocinante'''s crew finds ''Anubis''. Amos says, "I kinda want to blast it." Alex softly replies, "Easy, partner. These things tend to shoot back."
* LetsSplitUpGang: In "Critical Mass", Holden and Miller go off to find out what's happening while the rest of the crew start heading back to the ''Rocinante'' to prepare for takeoff.
* Letters2Numbers: Several of Julie Mao's online dating matches in "The Big Empty" use this in their greetings.
* LibertariansInSpace: The Belters are a hard-hitting {{Deconstruction}} of this; the [[HadToBeSharp no-margin-for-error]] conditions of deep space have produced that bizarre combination of civic pride and steadfast independence prized by this philosophy; Belters instinctively look out for each other and don't go crying to the authorities when something breaks, they ''fix it'' -- by any means necessary -- as it happens. However, the nasty side of this is that they're prone to vigilantism; heroic actions like aiding in the assault on Thoth Station, grey actions such as the summary murder of administrators who won't keep the air filters clean, and villainous ones such the indiscriminate spacing of "Inner" refugees.
* LightWorlder:
** Ceres is artificially "spun up" to maintain a Mars-normal CentrifugalGravity of 0.3''g'', but most Belters never experience anything stronger and the poorest of them spend their lives as "[[AsteroidMiner rock-hoppers]]", moving from asteroid to asteroid hoping to harvest enough to make a living. This leaves them with long, brittle bones and other adverse health effects unless they can afford costly supplements to assist bone and muscle development, and there's [[NoProductSafetyStandards no guarantee]] the supplements will even work properly, as shown by the spurs on Miller's spine from "cheap bone-density juice." As such, subjecting Belters to even 1.0''g'' is considered ColdBloodedTorture.
** Growing up under only 0.3''g'' leaves Martians with a significantly lower body-mass and physical strength than Earthers, but also makes them more oxygen efficient. Avasarala notes with apprehension that this doesn't stop their SpaceMarines from training at a full 1.0''g''. Even so, when a Martian delegation has to visit Earth, all of them need to take daily doses of drugs designed to supplement bone growth, blood flow, and respiratory function to cope with the gravity, and they're severely disoriented upon arrival.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Parodied when Jim and Naomi disclose their romantic relationship to the other two members of their crew. Jim was especially worried that Amos, who blindly follows Naomi's every word, might take issue. However, Amos assures him that Naomi is like a sister to him before immediately noting that he'd still have sex with her given the opportunity. Jim just has this ''brilliant'' "wtf?" expression on his face.
* LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: Holden took a job as a SpaceTrucker on an ice-hauler ''because'' of this. When he's offered a RankUp to executive officer, he adamantly refuses.
* LimitedWardrobe: Holden's crew only wear their Pur-n-Kleen coveralls before slapping on Beratnas Gas patches on top of the Pur-n-Kleen logos halfway through Season 1. Holden himself is shown wearing a Pur-n-Kleen t-shirt as far as Season 2 finale.
* LivingLieDetector: Lt. Lopez takes a drug before each session that makes him hyper-aware of the micro-expressions of those he interrogates in "Remember the Cant".
* LivingMacGuffin: Julie Mao is primarily the focus of the missing persons case Miller is determined to solve, at least until the beginning of "Critical Mass" spends roughly half the episode filling in HowWeGotHere to give her more characterization.
* LockedInARoom:
** The cramped quarters of the ''Knight'' and their [[SinkingShipScenario desperate situation]] in "The Big Empty" forces the ''Canterbury'' survivors to work together despite their minor animosities.
** Miller and Holden spend some time bonding while taking cover in a pachinko parlor in "Leviathan Wakes".
* TheLostLenore:
** {{Subverted}} by [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard]], who has the potential to be one, but ends up closer to ForgottenFallenFriend.
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] seems to have become a [[TheDulcineaEffect Dulcinea]]-style one for [[spoiler: Miller]] in "Leviathan Wakes", as he starts hallucinating about her.
* LovableCoward: Shed Garvey is slightly {{Adorkable}} and unabashedly has no interest in any CallToAdventure such as exploring the GhostShip ''Scopuli''.
--> '''Shed:''' Well: we came, we looked, we... uh... left.
* LoveBeforeFirstSight: Miller develops this for Julie Mao, despite Dawes' declaration that she'd [[SpitefulSpit spit in his face]] if they actually met. [[spoiler:When they do meet, he declares his love for her and they kiss before dying in each other's arms, but by that point he's no longer a representive of the institution she hated. And she's no longer really human, for that matter.]]
* LudicrousGibs: In "Delta-V," Maneo flies through the Ring so fast that [[spoiler:when it activates and stops his ship, ''his entire skeleton flies out of his body'' and splatters against his windshield, leaving nothing but an unrecognizable shredded mess in his seat]].
* LuredIntoATrap: The ''Canterbury'' when it answers a DistressCall in "Dulcinea".
* MacGyvering: Naomi is an expert at this, whether it's repairing ships with minimal supplies or using a bit of dirt to measure CentrifugalGravity to navigate a station build inside an asteroid.
--> '''Lt. Lopez:''' Based on the desperate condition of your shuttle it clearly required extraordinary improvisational expertise for you and your crew members simply to survive let alone repair your antenna array.
* MadeOfPlasticine: The ice incident in "Dulcinea" shouldn't have severed Paj's hand like that. Even a mauled hand would’ve been a more likely outcome than a clean cut like that.
* MadnessMantra: Holden finds the ''Canterbury'''s XO [[SpaceMadness muttering names of flowers]] to himself in his cabin.
* MadScientist: Dresden; Miller even calls him one in "Godspeed".
* MagicAntidote: Miller and Holden spend "Leviathan Wakes" in a race against time to get to the ''Rocinante'''s "radiation meds", which consists of a few minutes hooked to an AutoDoc that looks like a fancy blood-pressure cuff, though this gets {{downplayed}} in the next episode when they require repeated treatments and are still left permanently infertile and in need of lifelong medication (to be administered via an implant) to ward off future cancers.
* MagneticWeapons: The ''Donnager'' has turret-mounted railguns while the stealth ships have spinal-mount railguns, and are apparently the smallest ships to have them. It's mentioned that the ''Donnagers''' railguns draw so much power that most of the battleship's reactor output needs to be rerouted to actually deploy them, [[TruthInTelevision which is one of the major hurdles real-life magnetic weapons are facing today]].
* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: During the shootout in Season 2 finale, Cotyar doesn't notice he's been shot in the stomach until Bobbi points it out to him.
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident:
** Captain Shaddid implies no questions will be asked if her officers find the attempted CopKiller Filat Kothari:
---> '''Shaddid:''' If he resists take him down, if he runs shoot him, and if he "accidentally" [[ThrownOutTheAirlock falls out an airlock]]... that's life.
** Errinwright notes that even blatantly gunning down Holden's crew will pass for "random street violence" on Eros because of it's astronomic murder rate.
* MarsNeedsWater: Earth is the ''last'' place they're trying to take it from, but the Martians are hoping to create an ''ocean'' as part of their {{Terraforming}}, so they're taking tons of the stuff from the frontiers of the system, putting them in contention with the Belters who need that water just to survive. The riots in "Remember the Cant" are sparked by the destruction of an ice-hauler. The OPA speaker in the pilot claims that Earth and Mars have stripped away Ceres' sub-crustal seas, which in real life is bigger than the Earth's supply of fresh water (200 million cubic kilometers).
* MassiveNumberedSiblings: Hillman is mentioned to have ''over 40'' brothers and sisters. However, she is from a very wealthy family that owns the entirety of Mars' terraforming equipment, so it is likely they are able to be supported. It's implied that Martians are encouraged to procreate but that Hillman's family is an outlier.
* MassOhCrap: TheWarRoom of the UN does this in "Home" when they learn Eros is [[spoiler: on a collision course with Earth]].
* MathematiciansAnswer: When asked who he was guarding, one of Dresden's thugs answers, "The scientist? He was a scientist." Miller [[PistolWhipping isn't amused]].
* MauveShirt:
** [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and Captain [=McDowell=]]] are killed as part of the DoomedHometown in the series premiere, "Dulcinea".
** [[spoiler: Shed Garvey, Capt. Yao, and Lt. Lopez]] all die in the SpaceBattle in just the fourth episode, "CQB".
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] ultimately turns out to be this.
** [[spoiler: Bobbie Draper's whole squad, plus her CO up in orbit]] get built up just to be wiped out when the shooting starts on Ganymede.
* MeaningfulEcho: Julie's line, ''"you can't take the Razorback"'', is repeated during her final scene with Miller, and spoken as a frightened refusal to stop flying toward Earth. Before this, the line is a boast about being unable to catch the Razorback in a race.
* MeaningfulName:
** Events on Eros are centered (literally and figuratively) around the Blue Falcon Hotel. "Blue Falcon" is the US Military's "polite company code phrase" for ''buddy-fucker''. Sure enough, Kenzo deliberately leads Holden's crew into an ambush by a UN wetwork team, which only fails due to Amos's SherlockScan and Miller's BigDamnHeroes moment. [[spoiler: Then they discover that, after barely surviving an operation that went ''horribly'' wrong and ''[[UndyingLoyalty still]]'' trying to complete her mission, Julie Mao was abandoned and left to die alone upstairs by Dawes and the OPA]].
** At the end of "Leviathan Wakes", Dresden orders all the information from Eros transmitted to Thoth Station, named after the Ancient Egyptian god of wisdom (the one with the ibis head).
** "Marasmus" is a medical term for severe malnutrition and therefore a fitting (if rather morbid) name for a ship full of {{Good Samaritan}}s seeking to bring humanitarian aid to Eros in "Godspeed".
* MeaningfulRename: In "Back to the Butcher", the gunship ''Tachi'' becomes the ''Rocinante'' (after Literature/DonQuixote's horse), but only after rejecting "[[AwesomeMcCoolname Screaming Firehawk]]" and "[[EverythingIsBigInTexas Flying Alamo]]".
* TheMedic: Shed Garvey.
* MegaCorp: Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile, to a ridiculous degree; Jules-Pierre Mao owns the entire thing, and his daughter Julie is described as "the richest bachelorette in the System." The entire "protomolecule" plot - the research station on Phoebe, the ''fleet'' of stealth ships, the Eros incident, the secret observation post staffed with [[LackOfEmpathy surgically apathetic]] researchers, even the [[spoiler:protomolecule-enhanced {{Super Soldier}}s]] - was just a ''sideline'' of Protogen, which represents just one third of one percent of MKM's revenue.
-->'''Chrisjen Avasarala''': So, these "rogue" employees managed to make a profit ''and'' a war without even going over budget? God, maybe we should get these people on our payroll.
** {{Deconstructed}} in that things have gone so far beyond the MoralEventHorizon that Avasarala is ready to [[TakingYouWithMe torpedo her newly-enriched career]] taking down the entire company ''and'' family if they don't deliver JPM's head on a silver platter:
---> '''Chrisjen Avasarala''': Please let them know that if they can’t… I will rain hellfire down on them all. I will freeze their assets. Cancel their contracts. Cripple their business. And I have the power to do it, because I am the [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] hero who helped save Mother Earth from the cataclysm that Jules-Pierre Mao unleashed.\\
Tell his children that government is more powerful than any corporation. And the only reason they think it tilts the other way is because we poor, public servants are always looking for some fat, private-sectors payoff down the road. But I’m not looking. And by the time they can pull the strings to force me out, it’ll be too late. Their family will be ruined. Their mother, the children, their children, all of them, pariahs! Outlaws! Hunted and on the run for the rest of their days until we find them, and nail each and every last one to the wall.\\
Make sure you tell them that.
* TheMetricSystemIsHereToStay: Distances are usually measured in kilometers ("klicks").
* MexicanStandoff: Holden and Fred Johnson have a metaphorical one in "Rock Bottom", with Holden even noting that they both "have a gun to each other's head".
* MikeNelsonDestroyerOfWorlds: In the second season, [[spoiler:Julie Mao gains control over the protomolecule infesting Eros, but is confused by her new situation and thinks she's back on her old racing ship. She starts flying the asteroid to Earth out of a desire to go home (not knowing that the impact would kill billions), and keeps accelerating when the crew of the ''Rocinante'' almost kill themselves trying to keep up with her, as she thinks it's a friendly race. Miller is eventually able to convince her to divert course to Venus, which is still uninhabited]].
* AMillionIsAStatistic: Invoked quite literally by Dresden. When confronted with the massacre he helped orchestrate, Dresden cites UsefulNotes/GenghisKhan killing or displacing a quarter of the global population to forge his great empire, which by 23rd Century terms would be 8 billion people (just on Earth). He considers 100,000 "hardly a rounding error" by comparison, and believes the [[UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans benefits of his work]] will justify the atrocity.
* MirandaRights: Holden attempts to invoke these as a Martian marine shoves him roughly into a holding cell in "Remember the Cant".
* MisaimedFandom: InUniverse. According to his mother, Holden loved ''Literature/DonQuixote'' growing up, but never figured out it was a tragedy. Of course, given the immense {{Applicability}} of Cervantes' work, Holden isn't necessarily wrong.
* TheMissionary: Though based on Earth, the Mormons have a large and active presence in the solar system, with missionaries at least as far out as Ceres.
* MissionControl: As the pilot, Alex often stays on the ''Rocinante'' and fulfills this role.
* MistakenForTerrorist: Holden's crew is assumed to be OPA terrorists by the crew of the ''Donnager''. PlayedWith in that ethnically Middle Eastern Alex Kamal is the one treated to a shower and clean clothes because he's ex-Martian Navy while his companions are imprisoned and interrogated.
* MisterBig: Captain Yao of the ''Donnager'' is noticeably shorter than Holden even when she's standing on a raised platform, but she's ''absolutely'' in charge of their conversation and her massive warship.
* TheModestOrgasm: Ade Nygaard during her introduction scene with Holden.
* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: ''Level 4 — Mohs/OneBigLie'', in this case the AppliedPhlebotinum of a fusion drive that allows CasualInterplanetaryTravel... and of course the EldritchAbomination that is the protomolecule.
** Interplanetary travel is common thanks to the Epstein fusion drive allowing [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_travel_using_constant_acceleration constant thrust]], reducing interplanetary travel times from years to weeks, but a lack of InertialDampening restricts maximum acceleration to what the crew can bear. Faster-than-light flight is impossible, requiring a GenerationShip for interstellar travel, the first of which is under construction.
** Artificial gravity is only possible aboard spaceships when the engines are providing thrust, pushing the deck "up" against the crew. Therefore, ships are structured like buildings, with decks oriented so that "down" is toward the engines, against the direction of thrust. When engines are shut off, crews must use magnetic boots to keep from floating.
** Spaceships also [[AvertedTrope avert]] SpaceIsAir by generally avoiding OldSchoolDogfighting, using [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernier_thruster attitude thrusters]] for fine-tuned maneuvers like docking, and generally looking more like towers than anything aerodynamic.
** Spaceships can execute tight turns at speed, but without InertialDampening the g-forces are potentially deadly to both ships and their crews, requiring crews to strap themselves into special seats, wear mouth guards, and be fed special intravenous drugs in order to cope with the otherwise lethal amounts of force on their bodies.
** Glasses have to be held a good distance away when pouring on a dwarf planet like Ceres because of changes in gravity and the Coriolis effect, with a differential that causes the middle-class Miller to spill slightly when pouring in wealthier, more earth-like districts of Ceres. Likewise, the elliptical spin of the asteroid-station Eros allows Naomi to navigate by observing falling dust particles.
** Medical technology has significantly advanced. On the Inner Planets, severed body parts can be completely regrown with a special gel. Belters have to make do with prosthetics with force feedback and heat and pressure sensors (if their company health plan covers it). Artificial blood is readily available for transfusions, with the use of human blood donors being a sign of true emergency. Paralyzing spinal cord injuries can also be fully repaired, although it takes some time for artificial nerves to be grown
** Unlike artificially accelerated astral bodies like Ceres and Eros, Tycho Station is composed of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotating_wheel_space_station rotating wheels]] that use centripetal acceleration to provide artificial gravity to its inhabitants while still maintaining zero-g work environments for building projects like the LDSS ''Nauvoo''.
** The show [[DefiedTrope thumbs its nose]] at the fables of ExplosiveDecompression and SpaceIsCold when the AsteroidMiner Mateo opens his helmet in the vacuum of space for a few seconds to take out a detonator he'd been storing in there. If anything the show depicts it as ''safer'' than reality.
** Ships suffering ExplosionsInSpace correctly disappear in a blinding flash followed by an accurate spherical explosion (albeit slowed down for [[RuleOfPerception visibility]]), often with nary a flame or PlanarShockwave to be seen.
** Firearms using chemical combustion are used in the vacuum of space. This would work perfectly fine, since gunpowder and similar explosives use oxygen already chemically bound in the substance to fuel the combustion, and they do not require oxygen in the surrounding atmosphere.
* MoleInCharge: [[spoiler: Sadavir Errinwright]] is a high-ranking UN official, and also a key member of TheConspiracy.
* MommasBoy: Holden technically has three mothers, but Elise carried him to term and urged him to get free from Earth, and he still kept in contact with her every month or two until the start of the series.
* {{Mooks}}: Of course.
* MoralityPet: Naomi is a combination of this and TheConscience for Amos, since she's basically the only person who can subdue his fury with just words, and he mentions "Naomi wouldn't like it" as his only reason for not doing some pretty heartless things.
* MotorMouth: Holden orders Kenzo to shut his word-hole when he becomes this on Eros in "Salvage".
* MuggingTheMonster: The ''Scopuli'' was originally trying to hijack the ''Anubis'''s secret cargo, assuming it was just some lightly-armed science vessel. Too late do they realize that they've come across an advanced gunship, and the ''Scopuli'' is boarded and left derelict in no time flat.
* MultiEthnicName: Several, sometimes played by actors with [[TruthInTelevision equally mixed names]].
** Juliet and Jules-Pierre Mao. Asian characters with Italian and French given names (Bonus points for being played by actors named Florence Faivre and Francois Chau)
** Naomi Nagata: a black woman with Jewish and Japanese names. (Dominique Tipper herself has a Franco-British name)
** Dimitri Havelock: a Hispanic man with Russian and Scandinavian names.
** Captain Theresa Yao of the MCRN ''Donnager''.
** Alex Kamal.
** Sadavir Errinwright.
* MultinationalTeam: As of the end of Season 1, the ''Rocinante'' carries two Earthers (Holden, Amos), two Belters (Miller, Naomi), and a Martian (Alex).
* MultipleGunshotDeath: The ''Rocinante'' inflicts this on the enemy stealth ship at extremely close range in "Doors and Corners", [[AvertedTrope averting]] ExplosionsInSpace. However, the ''Roci'' herself suffers nearly as bad, as Drummer excitedly points out to Alex and Naomi in the next episode.
--> '''Drummer:''' There's multiple PDC and railgun impacts [...] Oh ho ho, that one just missed puncturing your reactor, see? You guys would have ''melted'', instantly! [...] Wow, if that had gone through to the inner hull your core would have snapped in two. Most ships would have been blown to scrap after that kind of beating!
* MurderIsTheBestSolution:
** Amos feels this way quite strongly after catching the stowaway Kenzo fiddling with the ''Rocinante''.
** Errinwright decides in "Windmills" that "[[DeadlyEuphemism taking Holden off the board]]" is the best option, regardless of the lack of concrete evidence against him.
* MustHaveCaffeine: A minor subplot concerns Holden's quest for a decent cup of coffee. He finally finds a stash aboard the ''Tachi'' and indulges himself. His expression says it's BetterThanSex.
* MutagenicGoo: How the protomolecule spreads.
* TheMutiny: In "Triple Point", [[spoiler:Admiral Souther mutinies against Fleet Admiral Nguyen when he's given proof of the conspiracy surrounding the protomolecule. He sends a message to the rest of the fleet concerning this before Nguyen's loyalists manage to turn the tables, ending with Souther being shot. The result is a shooting match between the local UNN ships, which prompts Nguyen to launch the protomolecule hybrid pods at Mars to make sure the pods can never be stopped.]]
** This can be viewed as AntiMutiny, as [[spoiler: Nguyen's actions are illegal]].
* MysteriousPast: We learn a fair bit about the rest of Holden's crew, but the only hint at Amos' past in the first season is his enigmatic solidarity with a prostitute in "Rock Bottom" because he grew up familiar with TheOldestProfession, perhaps as the SonOfAWhore.
* NaiveNewcomer: Havelock, an Earther who's new to Ceres, plays TheWatson for the first couple episodes.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast:
** Fred Johnson is known as "TheButcher of Anderson Station", and Naomi is understandably leery of putting the crew in his hands.
** Naming a ship ''Anubis'' (after the Egyptian god of embalming and the afterlife) seems like you ''want'' it to turn into a GhostShip.
** ''Marasmus'' is a medical term for extreme malnutrition, and so a rather disturbing name for a ship delivering humanitarian aid.
* NeverGiveTheCaptainAStraightAnswer: Alex gives Capt. [=McDowell=] the, "You gotta see this," version regarding the DistressCall in "Dulcinea". Since it's just one room over, [=McDowell=] doesn't even ask.
* NeverSuicide: Unlike many examples, it's actually entirely plausible [[spoiler: Frank [=DeGraaf=]]] would kill himself, but it turns out to be this trope when Avasarala finds hidden files in his office.
* NGOSuperpower: With hundreds of subsidiaries, Mao-Kwikowski Mercantile is the largest corporation in the solar system, capable of financing [[spoiler: all of TheConspiracy's protomolecule experiments, as well as a private fleet of stealth ships more advanced than anything Earth or Mars can field]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Holden's broadcast implying Martian responsibility for the destruction of the ''Canterbury'' provides the OPA with fodder that provokes deadly riots on Ceres and nearly provokes an interplanetary war.
* NobleBigotWithABadge: {{Zigzagged}} with Miller, who'll engage in [[CorruptCop bribery]], PoliceBrutality, and threaten to have guys ThrownOutTheAirlock, but also lets Diogo off with a warning after catching him siphoning the governor's water.
* NobodyPoops:
** {{Averted}} in "Windmills" when Kenzo insists, "You tell whoever's in charge that I have valuable information... and Christ, I've had to ''pee'' for like two hours now," and the final scene opens with him following through on this need.
** {{Averted}} again in "Safe" when Naomi says she has to pee while supervising the opening of the safe recovered from the ''Anubis'', and Amos responds that the ability to pee at will is one of the perks of a vac-suit.
* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Being a GoodSamaritan in this show ''sucks''. Doing the right thing by answering a DistressCall? Chances are you're being LuredIntoATrap. Trying to provide medical aid to a quarantined space station overrun with a dangerous infection? You and your ship get blown up[[spoiler:, and by the good guys no less]]. Trying to deliver badly needed supplies to civilian survivors in a war zone? [[spoiler:Your husband gets killed as local street toughs attempt to seize your cargo and your ship, and later you're almost killed yourself when an angry mob storms your ship.]] The crew of the ''Rocinante'', and Holden in particular, are hit especially hard by this on a regular basis, with almost every good thing they do either causing massive unintended damage or dragging them even deeper into some giant mess. The only payoff they've gotten so far is being hailed heroes of the Belt, which doesn't help them all that much when it comes to keeping themselves afloat in a hostile universe.
* NoMacGuffinNoWinner:
** In "Safe", Mars figures out something is up on Phoebe Research Station, which someone has gone to conspicuous lengths to cleanse of any evidence. When an Earth ship tries to get there first and looks like they'll succeed, the Martian captain [[spoiler:blows up the entire moon rather than let them secure it]]. This works out fine for the conspiracy, which wanted the evidence hidden.
** Miller kills [[spoiler: Dresden]], keeping him from aiding ''anyone'' in gaining control of the protomolecule.
* NonActionGuy: Shed Garvey, the LovableCoward.
* NoNameGiven:
** The ''Canterbury's'' original XO.
** Avasarala's grandson is credited as "Avasarala's Grandson #1".
* NoOSHACompliance:
** Many corporations and landlords cut corners anywhere they can, including life-support systems and safety equipment, resulting in very unsafe living and working conditions. As Holden notes in "Dulcinea", it's cheaper to settle with a bunch of widows than to overhaul the ''Canterbury''.
** Many poor Belter entrepreneurs can't afford these things for themselves either, resulting in sometimes ''even worse'' conditions on privately-owned ships.
* NoPaperFuture: All personal and professional information and communication is stored on a network accessed by almost incorporeal hand terminals. Anything to be kept off the grid is kept in data chips. Purchases are all made either through electronic transfers or plastic coins. {{Justified}} beyond Earth (and perhaps there, too) by the obvious lack of trees. In such a world, it says a lot that Holden's parents keep actual printed books, and that Alex keeps a carbon-copy picture of his family and Miller keeps one of Julie Mao. Franklin De Graaf is positively quaint in his habit of taking notes in a little black notebook with a ''pencil''[[note]]The pencils themselves are data devices that track their user's strokes and the stored information can be read by pressing the pencils up against modern hand terminals[[/note]].
* NoProductSafetyStandards:
** Belters who were given cheap hormone boosters as children can have physical deformities as a result. Miller, for instance, has ridges at the top of his spine where the bones didn't fuse properly.
** Many older Belters like Anderson Dawes have tell-tale scars around their necks where faulty EVA helmets caused electrical burns. Many younger Belters have similar marks tattooed on their necks as a way to show where they come from.
* NoRangeLikePointBlankRange: Void battles between vessels below cruisers tonnage tend to happen at distances of only a couple hundred meters, maybe about one kilometer at most, with both sides hammering each other with manually aimed [[GatlingGood gatling gun barrages]]. Victory seems to revolve mostly around which crew manages to not get shot to pieces last.
* NoRespectGuy: {{Downplayed}} with Fred Johnson, who does command the respect of many but still struggles constantly with OPA members who resent him for being an Earther and TheButcher of Anderson Station.
* NoSell: Holden and Johnson are at least somewhat persuaded by [[spoiler: Dresden]]'s MotiveRant in "Doors and Corners", but Joe Miller [[KilledMidSentence sure isn't]].
* NotEvenBotheringWithTheAccent: Unlike most Belters, Miller has a generic American accent and Naomi has a British one. In Miller's case it could be {{justified}} as part of his attempts to imitate an Earther. Then again, the belt has ''lots'' of inhabited asteroids. They can't all have the same accent.
* NothingPersonal: Amos tells Kenzo precisely this in "Windmills":
--> '''Amos:''' I'm not gonna lie to you. Either way this plays out, you're dead, and I'm the one that's gonna bring you the good news. You're a loose end. It's nothing personal.
* NoTrueScotsman: In "Godspeed", an OPA operative asks Miller, "How the hell you Belter, never done no space-walk ever?" He replies, "I'm more of a [[CityMouse city Belter]]."
* NotSoDifferent:
** The Belter smuggler in "The Big Empty" points this out to Avasarala: "I'm just a citizen of the Belt. I work for the future of my people as you do for yours."
** Amos says this to Miller after Holden banishes the latter from the ''Roci'' in "Static", but he also takes time to explain that he [[NotSoSimilar chooses to follow Holden]] because Holden is one of the few [[RightlySelfRighteous righteous people]] left.
* NotTheFallThatKillsYou:
** Averted in "Delta-V": [[spoiler:when the Ring stops a ship trying to fly through it, the pilot is ''liquefied'' by the sudden deceleration. Oddly, his clothing and the ship itself appear to be left undamaged]].
** Happens again in "Fallen World". [[spoiler:When the ring's slow zone changes and stops every ship in the vicinity, hundreds are killed by the g-forces involved, and many more are injured.]]
* NuclearOption:
** Nukes are less taboo in space, and the ColonyDrop is implied to have superseded them for planetary damage, but even so Fred Johnson's decision of CuttingTheKnot by nuking a Belter station is portrayed as beyond the pale.
** The UN's only viable option for even attempting to stop [[spoiler: Eros from colliding with Earth]] in "Home" is to launch half of Earth's nuclear arsenal against it, with the second half coming behind to attempt to reduce and sterilize the debris.
** Frankly, pretty much every time something gets blown to smithereens, nuclear warheads are responsible. Even something as simple as asteroid mining is executed via low-yield nukes[[note]]the ones the heroes deploy around Eros have a stated yield of 4.5kT - [[HiroshimaAsAUnitOfMeasure about 35% of the bomb dropped on Hiroshima]][[/note]] instead of conventional explosives, which only seem to exist for niche applications like precision strikes and acts of sabotage.
* NumberTwo: Naomi to Holden.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:O-S]]
* ObligatoryWarCrimeScene:
** The key moment of Fred Johnson's backstory, as shown in "Back to the Butcher".
** The Belter crew's treatment of the Inner-born refugees from Ganymede in "Pyre".
* OddFriendship: The reserved, middle-aged Joe Miller and the extroverted, young Diogo.
* OfficeRomance: Builds between Holden and Naomi during Season 1. Notably, it's a large part of why Naomi insists on giving Holden extra time in his RaceAgainstTheClock to get back to the ship in "Leviathan Wakes". It becomes [[OfficialCouple official]] in the Season 2 premiere "Safe".
* OfficialCouple: Holden and Naomi.
* OffTheShelfFX: Belter space helmets are repainted full-face respirators used for commercial spray painting. Many UNN awards seen on dress uniforms, meanwhile, are slightly redressed miniature NYPD badges.
* OhCrap:
** The crew of the ''Donnager'' when they realize they've underestimated the stealth ships that have advanced torpedoes and railguns.
** Holden and Naomi's reaction to the protomolecule on the ''Anubis'' waking up along with the reactor.
** Holden's abrupt, "Don't touch anything," at the end of "Salvage" after seeing evidence of the protomolecule.
** Holden's flat declaration that, "We're dead," after he and Miller are [[spoiler: irradiated]] at the end of "Critical Mass".
** Naomi, and then Miller and Diogo when they realize debris from [[spoiler: the ''Marasmus'']] is headed straight for the second of Eros where Miller and Diogo are working.
** Ashford has this when he realizes that [[spoiler:the protomolecule station has begun to consider humanity as a whole to be a potential threat when they detonate a nuclear weapon to try to get past the ring's interference.... and that it can easily destroy entire star systems]].
* OldCopYoungCop: Miller's old to Havelock's young.
* OnceMoreWithClarity:
** The series' very first scene is shown again, this time with additional material and context, at the beginning of "Critical Mass".
** The end of "Paradigm Shift" has Bobbie Draper's squad witness their UN counterparts charging toward them and firing, followed by a communications blackout. Then we cut to [[spoiler: her entire squad dead]] and Bobbie herself just barely alive with [[spoiler: a humanoid monster]] staring down at her. The following episode is then devoted to her using drugs and hypnosis to give her clarity: [[spoiler: The UN squad was actually being chased by something that wasn't wearing a vac-suit.]]
* OneProductPlanet: The moon of Ganymede is a joint Martian/UN farm world, with domed cities devoted to crop production and massive orbital mirrors providing constant sunlight. When an incident there shuts down production, mass starvation becomes a very serious concerns and tensions skyrocket.
* OneShotCharacter:
** Jonathan Banks plays the XO of the ''Canterbury'', who's ignominiously relieved of duty due to a terrible case of SpaceMadness in "Dulcinea"and not seen again.
** Mateo, the Belter AsteroidMiner who goes on a SuicideAttack against the Martians who mistreat him.
** Solomon Epstein, the Martian who would develop the eponymous "Epstein Drive" and is only seen in some flashbacks during "Paradigm Shift."
* OneSteveLimit: So far nobody shares a name.
* OneWomanWail: The score of the full-length title sequence theme is built from this.
* OneWorldOrder: Earth and Mars have both developed these under the [[UnitedNationsIsASuperPower United Nations]] and the Martian Congressional Republic. Both are implied to be at least a bit of a CrapsaccharineWorld.
** While the average life expectancy on Earth is up to 123 years, everyone is eligible for some kind of government financial assistance, and agricultural products are taken for granted, Earth is apparently a bloated nanny-state in which having even a square inch of land to call your own is next to impossible unless you're really rich and/or powerful.
** Mars's culture is driven by the dream of terraforming their world into an Earth-like paradise of fertile lands, blue water, and breathable air, but political and diplomatic setbacks keep delaying progress, so no Martian currently alive will leave to see it work (this despite their life expectancy being even ''longer'' than that of Earthers). Almost every Martian seen so far also [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything displays a heavy dose of extra-strength nationalism that comes off as more than a little bit fascist]].
* OnlyElectricSheepAreCheap: Maintaining actual livestock just isn't cost-effective out in the Belt, giving rise to ArtificialMeat and BlackMarketProduce.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Praxidike "Prax" Meng.
* OpeningScroll: To establish the basic WorldBuilding of the series:
-->''"In the 23rd Century, humans have colonized the Solar System. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The Inner Planets depend on the resources of the Asteroid Belt. Belters live and work in space. In the Belt, air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising. Earth, Mars, and the Belt are now on the brink of war. All it will take is a single spark."''
* OpenSecret: Holden's relationship with Ade Nygaard. Fraternization isn't allowed aboard the ''Canterbury'', but Holden would find himself in a position requiring him to enforce the rules if he becomes the ship's XO.
* OpenSesame:
** People's integrated domestic computers are locked to their voiceprints. Being a cop, Miller can spoof them with his hand terminal to gain access to their files, as he does in Julie Mao's apartment in "The Big Empty".
** {{Conversed}} when Naomi says the TropeNamer as she hacks the Marasmus' airlock in "Godspeed".
* OrganicTechnology: If it's able to absorb enough mass, the protomolecule can build engines, ArtificialGravity generators, jamming systems, and even [[spoiler:an entire starship]] entirely from its own bio-material.
* OutOfClothesExperience: In "Dandelion Sky", Holden experiences a vision of [[spoiler:a star exploding]] and he is completely naked even though he is wearing a space suit outside of the vision.
* OutOfTheFryingPan: "Immolation" has everything come up pretty well for the heroes: [[spoiler:the Earth conspiracy is exposed, Jules-Pierre Mao is captured, and Prax's daughter is rescued with the other children]]. Then things take a massive turn for the worse when [[spoiler:the protomolecule on Venus launches a ''starship'']].
* OutsideContextProblem: The protomolecule is something out of speculative science fiction in a hard sci-fi setting. It doesn't behave by any known laws of physics, is capable of evolving given enough biomass to work with, and seems to have knowledge of technology far beyond humanity given its ability to [[spoiler:move an entire asteroid with tremendous speed while generating ArtificialGravity and jamming radar]]. Holden actually {{Lampshades}} this in "The Monster And The Rocket";
-->"When the European tall ships first arrived on the American continent, the natives couldn't see them. The sight was so completely outside of their experience, it just couldn't compute. So they didn't see."
* PaperThinDisguise: Tycho Station outfits ''Rocinante'' with a new paint job and some gas tanks, but anyone who really looks will be able to tell she's actually a heavily-armed frigate.
* PatrioticFervor: Diogo tends to get really riled up over fighting against Earth and Mars.
* PercussiveMaintenance:
** Naomi has to give the ''Canterbury'''s elevator console a slap to make it work... in the midst of reminding Holden of the ship's need for a refit.
** Holden uses this (with a health dose of PercussiveTherapy) to fix their shuttle's transponder in "The Big Empty".
* PermaStubble: Holden, Miller, and Amos all have this.
* PersecutionFlip: There's a vague bit of this when an Earther official on Ceres (who happens to be black) is certain it's Belters illegally siphoning water because, "[[FantasticRacism the criminals here tend to be]]." As it happens [[JerkassHasAPoint he's correct]], but Havelock also has a point when he notes Belters might appreciate the system more if they weren't so marginalized; after all, the official's upset his park has a large patch of dead grass while the punks stealing the water are shown ''drinking'' it still dark with mud.
* PersonAsVerb: In "Home", Naomi tells Miller, "Hey, don't get all Holden on me: weird and chatty under pressure." [[ImStandingRightHere Holden himself]] [[InsultOfEndearment just]] [[ActuallyPrettyFunny smiles]].
* PetTheDog:
** Avasarala absolutely dotes on her grandson.
---> '''Avasarala:''' How many times have I told you... this calls for ''tickling''!
** Amos grew up surrounded by prostitutes, so he goes out of his way to warn one about a potential patron packing a knife in "Rock Bottom".
* PintsizedPowerhouse: The stealth ships that attack the ''Donnager'' are only slightly larger than a corvette, yet extremely well-armed and maneuverable. They even have rail guns, which no other ship their size has. Six of them are able to overwhelm and board the Martian [[TheBattlestar flagship]] ''Donnager'' at a loss of four ships before the ''Donnager'''s captain [[spoiler: scuttles her own ship to prevent it from being taken, destroying the remaining stealth ships in the process.]]
* PistolWhipping: Miller does this a few times, including to the thug he captures on Eros in "Critical Mass".
* PlanetOfHats:
** Earth is a dying society that is trying to hold on as best it can. Other factions consider it to be a planet full of soft and pampered people looking for the next handout. The reality, however, is much more grim.
** Mars is fiercely militaristic and almost completely united in the goal of terraforming their world and ultimately overtaking Earth as the dominant power in the Solar System.
** The Belt (mainly seen through Ceres) is solely focused on survival and is dependent on AsteroidMining and ship building as its major industries.
** Ganymede is the "bread basket" of the system and is almost exclusively focused on agriculture in order to provide the Belt with food. It also possesses advanced genetics research labs as a result of needing to develop hardier and more productive plant strains.
* PlanetTerra: Now that humanity has truly gone to space, people tend to use the proper name of Earth's moon (Luna) to distinguish it from other moons. Maps of the solar system also use the proper name of the Sun (Sol), but people still refer to it as "the Sun."
* PlatonicProstitution: Havelock pays for the time he spends with Gia even though she's teaching him about Belter language and culture rather than having sex with him. Cynic that he is, Miller disapproves and even accuses her of being a HoneyTrap in "Back to the Butcher".
* PlayingWithSyringes: Dresden is introduced literally using syringes to collect samples of MutagenicGoo, which are then [[spoiler: injected into every occupant of Eros Station to spread TheVirus]].
* PointDefenseless:
** Averted in general. Virtually all warships have point defense systems which prove capable of shooting down incoming missiles, so long as the number isn't too great. It's unarmed civilian ships which have to worry about such things.
** {{Downplayed}} in the ''Donnager's'' confrontation with the stealth ships. They attempt to use point-defense against a missile barrage fired at the ship, but the torpedoes have {{Roboteching}} capability that allows them to outmaneuver the defenses and score hits anyway.
** Earth has orbiting satellites designed to shoot down missiles. These get put to the test in Season 3, [[spoiler:where they manage to destroy a large missile barrage heading toward the planet. However, one missile gets through thanks to the concentrated barrage being enough to overwhelm the defenses]].
* PoisonousFriend: Chrisjen Avasarala to Franklin [=DeGraaf=], the UN's ambassador to Mars. Despite being a friend of her late father who's known her since she was a child, her actions result in him losing the trust of the Martians, who revoke his credentials and banish him from the planet, forcing him and his husband to give up their dream of retiring to Mars. [[spoiler: Stripped of his pride, he's later implied to have been murdered for investigating the ''Donnager'' incident himself, with the situation Avasarala put him in making suicide a plausible cover-up]].
* PoliceBrutality: Of the FilmNoir WretchedHive type. [[PoliticallyIncorrectHero Miller]]'s no exception; his first act upon entering headquarters in "Dulcinea" is to slam an uncooperative suspect's head into the table at booking.
* PosthumousCharacter: [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] ultimately turns out to be this.
* PopCulturalOsmosisFailure: While bonding with the ''Rocinante'' crew, Miller makes a quip about Teddy the Detector, a character used to teach Belter children about air filter safety. None of the crew have any idea what he's talking about and Naomi, herself a Belter, says that she must be too young to have been exposed to the character.
* PortalNetwork: In the Season 3 finale, [[spoiler:once the protomolecule station is convinced humanity isn't a threat, it opens all the gates, totaling 1,300 star systems for humanity to explore]].
* POVCam: Several through Kenzo's bio-mechanical eye, which has a computer display and can capture and transmit images.
* PoweredArmor: Certain Martian Marine Corps units are issued Goliath-class powered armor. By itself, the Martian suit is shown to be about as strong as a very physically fit individual, thus greatly magnifying the wearer's strength. The training exercise at the start of "Safe" also shows off some of its other goodies, like an ArmCannon, [[ImmuneToBullets immunity to bullets]], and a guided missile launcher in the backplate. The suit is also shown to require constant maintenance and support staff are required to help a marine put it on. Marines on standby will wait around in their undersuits to save on time in case they are ordered into battle.
* ThePowerOfLegacy: Mateo was actually rather drunk and abusive to Diogo and his SuicideByCop with the ''Scipio Africanus'' was actually [[SenselessSacrifice pretty pointless]], but Diogo later lionizes him as "a hero who die fighting the Inners."
* PragmaticAdaptation: In the novels, all native Belters -- including Joe Miller and Naomi Nagata -- are unnaturally tall and skinny. EarlyInstallmentWeirdness has a bit character portrayed this way, but casting exclusively for this appearance would be very restrictive, and the CGI and amounts of makeup would eat up the budget, so the physical dimorphism ultimately takes a backseat to other visual and audible clues like tattoos, costuming, and Belter Creole.
* PrecisionFStrike:
** Avasarala's exclamation, "Shit!" in "Windmills" is a decent substitute.
** When Admiral Nguyen ducks Avasarala's questions about Martian intentions by arguing the communications delay means they can't afford to wait in "Doors and Corners", Avasarala responds, "I know how the ''fucking'' thing works."
** In "Static", when Johnson sends Avasarala the co-ordinates of a derelict stealth ship, her response is an awed "What the fuck is this?"
** Amos' [[ReactionShot reaction]] to the WhamShot of "Godspeed" is a disbelieving "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis What. the. fuck?]]"
** Avasarala in "Paradigm Shift", when she threatens to tear apart the Mao family if they don't hand over Jules-Pierre:
--->"And I can do it, because I'm the ''fucking'' hero who saved Mother Earth from the cataclysm Jules-Pierre Mao unleashed!"
** In "Caliban's War", when the crew of the ''Rocinante'' realize that the protomolecule soldier is trying to get through to their reactor:
--->'''Alex:''' If it breaks through the bulkhead--\\
'''Amos:''' We're more or less fucked.
* {{Precursors}}: If Dresden is indeed right that the protomolecule was ''sent'', then it must have been sent by a race of these. [[spoiler:The Investigator confirms that another species was responsible for the prototmolecule, but now they're gone and their strange technology is all that remains.]]
* PresentCompanyExcluded: "Screw the Inners and their magic Jell-O! No offence, Holden."
* PretextForWar: The destruction of the ''Canterbury'' very nearly becomes one until Avasarala is able to ease tensions by [[spoiler: proving Mars had nothing to do with it]].
* PreventTheWar: Avasarala's overall quest, especially in "Remember the Cant", and ultimately her rationalization for the [[PragmaticHero underhanded methods]] she resorts to in order to succeed.
* PreviouslyOn: Helps with the ContinuityLockout. Season 2 even starts off with Miller adding an OpeningNarration to fill in the uninitiated.
* PrimalFear: The lonely emptiness of space and the possibility of being consumed by TheVirus are two major sources of tension in the story.
* PrisonEpisode: "Remember the Cant" sees Holden's crew locked up and interrogated by the Martian Navy.
* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The ''Rocinante'' crew, in a sense, since they're the only technically unaffiliated military-grade frigate in the system, though they've so far co-operated quite closely with Fred Johnson and the OPA.
* PunctuatedPounding: Bobbie Draper gives one [[spoiler: to the MCRN chaplain]] in "Here There Be Dragons".
--> '''Bobbie:''' [[spoiler: WHAT! KILLED! MY! TEAM?!]]
* PutOnABus:
** Havelock doesn't appear again after Miller visits him in the hospital in "Back to the Butcher". Presumably he's [[OffscreenInertia still recovering]].
** Everyone else on Ceres, particularly Octavia Muss and Anderson Dawes, drops out of the story when Miller departs for Eros, though Dawes [[TheBusCameBack comes back]] by travelling to Tycho in Season 2.
** Avasarala sends her husband Arjun and the rest of her family away to Luna in "Leviathan Wakes" to protect them from her enemies.
* PuttingOnTheReich: There's something vaguely Fascist or perhaps Soviet about the Martian uniforms with their stiff collars, blackish colour, and red epaulettes.
* QualityVsQuantity: Errinwright and Avasarala discuss this in regards to a potential war between Earth and Mars. Errinwright is confident that their older, more numerous fleet is more than capable of handling the newer and slightly more advanced Martian fleet. Avasarala isn't convinced the conflict would be that simple.
* QuizzicalTilt: The [[spoiler: man-imitating protomolecule spores]] give Kenzo one of these in "Leviathan Wakes".
* RaceAgainstTheClock: Miller and Holden have a two-fold one in "Leviathan Wakes": make it back to the ''Rocinante'' before they die of radiation poisoning ''and'' before the ship leaves them behind.
* RaceLift: Ade Tukunbo was Nigerian in the books; Ade Nygaard is white in the show. In doing so, the show [[spoiler: avoids the "black dude dies first" implications of her being just a mauve shirt]].
* RailGun: Standard armament for military spacecraft.
* RammingAlwaysWorks: Portrayed semi-realistically in "Godspeed" when the protagonists launch the GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' like a massive bullet to ram [[spoiler: the protomolecule-infested Eros]] and HurlItIntoTheSun. Since they're aiming for an astral body with a known orbit, all they have to do is crunch the numbers. [[spoiler: Then the protomolecule stages a High-Speed Missile Dodge]].
* RealIsBrown: Or in this case, muted blue-grey. Most scenes aboard ships or stations have a heavy blue filter. The main exceptions are the bright sunlight of Earth, the minimal light of exterior space, the pale yellow of industrial areas, and the vibrant red-brown of Ceres' market district.
* RealityEnsues: Civilian vessels are built around vastly different design principles than warships, something the OPA finds out the hard way during [[spoiler:their attempt at turning the Mormon GenerationShip ''Nauvoo'' into a Belter dreadnought. To paraphrase Drummer, you can't just steal a space church, bolt some guns on it and expect it to magically turn into a full-fledged battleship. Their biggest and most consistent problem is that the ''Nauvoo'''s power grid keeps crapping out at inopportune moments because it was never meant to handle the kind of strain placed on it in its new function.]]
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure:
** As Deputy Undersecretary, Avasarala is two steps from the top job on Earth, Luna, and by extension the Belt, and her number one concern is maintaining peace and stability.
** After it becomes clear Holden and his crew are not to blame for anything, Capt. Yao of the ''Donnager'' carefully listens to him and takes every available step to ensure he lives to BringNewsBack.
** OPA leader Fred Johnson is much more deliberate, diplomatic, and level-headed than most of the demagogues who form a vocal part of his organization. Oddly enough, he's also known as "TheButcher of Anderson Station".
** Bobbie Draper's superior, Lieutenant Sutton, does his best to rein in her WarHawk desires, pointing out how useless a war with Earth would be, talking her down from her more [[BloodKnight bloodthirsty impulses]].
** UN Admiral Souther is a consistent voice of reason and forbearance, and in "Doors and Corners" he resigns command and accepts [[ReassignedToAntarctica reassignment to Jupiter]] rather than carry out a direct order to deliberately escalate tensions with Mars.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Dawes gives one to Miller in "Rock Bottom", particularly pointing out that rather than TheDulcineaEffect, Julie Mao would ''hate'' Miller if they actually met.
* ReassignedToAntarctica:
** Saturn is even colder and more isolated than Antarctica, but in Holden's case it's [[SpaceCossacks self-imposed]] and he was simply dishonorably discharged from the UNN.
** Admiral Souther is reassigned to command the UN fleet around Jupiter in "Doors and Corners" after he refuses to play a part in Earth's brinksmanship with Mars.
* RebelLeader: Fred Johnson and Anderson Dawes.
* RecursiveAmmo:
** Earth's RailGun {{Kill Sat}}s fire a bullet that breaks into a spread of shrapnel once it nears the target, similar to buckshot except the bullet waits until the majority of the pellets will hit[[note]]This type of munition is called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrapnel_shell shrapnel shell]] and has been around [[OlderThanRadio since the 18th century]][[/note]].
** Mars has planet killer ships as a first-strike/last-resort weapon which each carry ten missiles. Each missile can break apart into a spread of nukes that can blanket Earth if necessary[[note]]also called [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_independently_targetable_reentry_vehicle MIRV]] warheads in RealLife; the majority of today's strategic nuclear missiles work like this[[/note]].
* RecycledInSpace: The HardboiledDetective and the KnightErrant vs. the EldritchAbomination InSPACE
* RedHerring: Holden's crew identifies the module that put out the phony distress call in "Dulcinea" as Martian-made, but events in "Remember the Cant" prove the Martian government had nothing to do with it.
* RedLightDistrict: Havelock is ambushed patrolling the one where Gia works in "Remember the Cant".
* RedShirt: The Martian marines on the ''Donnager'' are one of the most obvious examples.
* RefugeInAudacity: Ok, you're aboard a "salvaged" MCRN gunship disguised as a gas freighter and you find yourself flagged for inspection by an MCRN warship. What do you do? If you answered, "Pretend to be a special ops unit by breaking into a booby-trapped vault to gain access to special codes," then congratulations, welcome to the crew of the ''Rocinante''.
* RememberTheAlamo: "Remember The ''Cant''" becomes a rallying cry for Belters in the episode of the same name after Holden's transmission leads them to assume the ''Canterbury'' was blown up by Mars. The phrase is spray-painted in multiple places, often along with Holden's face, and it seems to be shaping him up into some sort of folk hero and fuelling further discontent between Belters and the Inner Planets.
* RenegadeSplinterFaction: Each of the three main factions has these, to greater and lesser degrees:
** Earth has the Protogen Corporation and its conspirators in high levels of the UN government - though Protogen doesn't really care about Earth at all and was merely selling out to the highest bidder, as they are practically a fourth party non-government mega-corporation. Heck, Protogen outright turns on its UN allies in Season 2 and tried to sell out to rogue elements of the Martian government, only to then be browbeaten back into working for the UN. Basically the only reason Protogen didn't try to sell the proto-molecule to the OPA is because the Belters couldn't possibly afford the cost.
** Similar to Earth, the Martian Congressional Republic has military hardliners who would prefer a war with Earth, who after learning about the proto-molecule, gleefully allow Protogen to slaughter Martian marines in a test run of the hybrid weapons.
** A major issue with the OPA - which isn't really a unified organization so much as an idea/movement. WordOfGod compares them to real-life revolutionary movements like the Irish Republican Army - each terrorist cell claiming to be the "real" OPA, though they can occasionally be browbeaten together to act towards a unified goal. Fred Johnson's powerful faction based on Tycho Station is trying to establish the OPA as a legitimate government diplomatically recognized by Earth and Mars - and while Johnson would like to acquire long-range nuclear weapons and/or the proto-molecule, he only wants them as ''deterrents'' to establish balance of power. Other groups are outright terrorists carrying out targeted assassinations, such as the "Black Sky" cell, and the extremist cell led by Anderson Dawes.
* RevealingCoverup: [[spoiler:Franklin [=DeGraaf=]'s "suicide" and the quick "disproving" of Fred Johnson's accusations]] provides Avasarala with the information she needs to deduce something's going on in the higher levels of power on Earth.
* RevengeBeforeReason:
** Holden has to be restrained from chasing after a ship that vastly out-guns his own in his blind rage and grief over the loss of the ''Canterbury''.
** This is what Holden thinks when Miller [[KilledMidSentence abruptly kills]] [[spoiler: Dresden]], but given Miller's prior MeaningfulLook and later explanation, the actually reason was that he correctly deduced [[spoiler: Dresden]] was trying to pull a TalkingYourWayOut, which Holden and Johnson were falling for.
---> '''Miller:''' I didn't kill him because he was crazy. I killed him because he was ''[[JerkassHasAPoint making sense]]''.
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Even in the 23rd Century, Miller carries a six-shooter as befits a HardboiledDetective.
* RightHandOfDoom: [[spoiler:The highly antagonistic protomolecule hybrids have a lopsided body structure whose right arm is notably longer and stronger than the left. Their unevenly distributed body weight also gives them a creepy loping gait especially while running.]]
* RightlySelfRighteous: Holden's [[BlackAndGreyMorality not faultless]], but everyone admits he's as close as it gets.
* RightManInTheWrongPlace: Holden and his crew manage to land themselves smack-dab in the middle of a vast conspiracy simply by virtue of being the ones who picked of a certain DistressCall, but damned if they aren't just what the solar system needs to deal with it.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge:
** Holden's crew hold him back from one in "The Big Empty" because it would be a SuicideMission.
** Miller spends most of "Critical Mass" looking for anyone and anything to vent his grief and frustration on after [[spoiler: finding Julie Mao's body]].
* {{Roboteching}}: TheConspiracy's torpedoes are capable of this in their terminal phase, making them difficult for the ''Donnager'''s point defense to intercept.
* RousingSpeech: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7HexX3Oxso Drummer delivers a boasting one]] in "Intransigence", to drive up morale as the ''Behemoth'' prepares to pass through the Ring.
-->We are the belt, we are strong, we are sharp and we don't feel fear. This moment belongs to us. Beltalowda! Beltalowda! Beltalowda!
* RuleOfSymbolism:
** The first real scene [[HairOfGoldHeartOfGold Anna]] and [[EvilChancellor Errinwright]] are both featured in the same room together with [[PuppetKing Sorrento-Gillis]] has them seated on opposite sides of a table. While Anna is [[LightIsGood white clothes]], Errinwright is dressed in [[DarkIsEvil all black]] [[SlouchOfVillainy while slouching]]. In a sense, [[GoodAngelBadAngel Anna is the "angel on [=Sorrent-Gillis'=] shoulder" encouraging peace while Errinwright is the devil provoking war]].
** The [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything vaguely anarchist "A"-like symbol]] used for the Outer Planets Alliance bears more than a few visual similarities to a rocket in flight.
* RunningTheBlockade: The ''Rocinante'' crew has to get past a heavily-patrolled Martian sector in "Windmills". Unlike many examples, a normal ship would probably just get a routine inspection, but since the ''Roci'' is actually a "salvaged" Martian naval frigate things are a little more interesting for them.
* SacrificialLion: Although the actor is credited as a main cast member throughout the first season, [[spoiler: Shed Garvey]] is abruptly killed by a rail gun round in "CQB".
* SanitySlippage:
** Holden notes in "Dulcinea" that the ''Canterbury's'' XO had been talking to his plants for months prior to his final breakdown.
** Miller doesn't take [[spoiler: Julie's death]] at all well, going on a minor rampage during which he starts hallucinating an ImaginaryFriend.
* SatelliteCharacter: Arjun isn't a political force of kind, just Chrisjen Avasarala's loving and supportive husband.
* SayingTooMuch: During an inquiry on the Ganymede incident, Drapar is brought in to give a fabricated account of what happened to avoid a war. Under grilling from Avasarala, she blurts out that [[spoiler:the aggressor wasn't wearing a vac-suit]], at which point her superiors steer her back to the official line.
* ScarsAreForever: Not in the 23rd Century due to medical advances, but Miller surmises in "The Big Empty" that Julie Mao maintains one on her face as a "badge of defiant against [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished everything she's]] [[RebelliousPrincess supposed to be]]."
* SchizoTech: Holographic displays and voice commands are mundane throughout the system so Earth's ambassador to Mars stands out with his use of pencils and notepads. The pencils turn out to be recording devices that store the user's every stroke and can interface with other pieces of technology.
* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: The series is ''[[MeaningfulName called]]'' "The Expanse", so this is generally {{averted}} or at least {{downplayed}}. In "Dulcinea" for instance, two days is considered, "Not far out of our way," and that only gets ''Canterbury'' within 50,000 kilometers, a distance easily within reach of their "leaky lifeboat." Inter-planetary communication also consists of sending video messages back and forth rather than real-time conversation due to the immense distances. That said, visuals are sometimes configured so that several objects travelling together that could easily be many, ''many'' miles apart are shown tightly grouped to fit on the screen together.
* ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight:
** Holden believes in doing this at every opportunity.
** Admiral Souther resigns command of the UN Navy rather than take part in a deliberate escalation of tensions with Mars.
* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: When demanding that Jules-Pierre Mao be brought to justice, Avasarala points out that she cannot be bought like some politicians and in the time it would take Mao to force her out of office, she will ruin his life and the lives of his family.
* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: Kenzo makes a run for it just as the black ops team strikes at Holden's crew.
* ScrewPolitenessImASenior: {{Downplayed}} compared to the novels, but Avasarala still gets in a few barbs when it comes to telling people what she really thinks.
* SelfDestructMechanism: At the end of "CQB", Captain Yao activates the ''Donnager's'' to destroy the ships attacking her vessel, allowing Holden and his crew to escape with proof of the attack.
* SequelHook: Season 3 ends with [[spoiler:a PortalNetwork opened to humanity, but something is living inside the network and was responsible for destroying the protomolecule civilization]].
* SetAMookToKillAMook: Miller clears the way in "Leviathan Wakes" by inciting a fight between two groups of CPM mooks by stoking the Belters (correct) belief that they about to be left behind.
* SettlingTheFrontier: Humanity is the process of filling up the solar system. The books mention a settlement as far out as a moon of Uranus.
* {{Sexposition}}: Not verbally, but Holden and Ade's ZeroGSpot introduction helps establish that spaceships only have gravity when the engines are providing thrust.
* ShameIfSomethingHappened:
** Fred Johnson uses this threat more subtly but no less palpably than usual in "CQB" when the Mormon Church expresses discomfort with leaving him in charge of building the LDSS ''Nauvoo'' because of his OPA affiliations. Johnson simply reminds their representative that the most skilled workers in the Belt are also OPA affiliated, and therefore removing him would deprive them of quality of work on a ship that has to function flawlessly for a ''very'' long time.
** In "Rock Bottom", Avasarala threatens a former intelligence operative who's transitioned to corporate espionage that if he doesn't lend her his operative on Tycho Station his son won't be getting paroled any time soon.
* ShapedLikeItself: According to Naomi, their [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lidar ladar]] system says the thing on the ''Scopuli'' that looks like a big hole in the side... is a big hole in the side.
* SherlockScan:
** Fred Johnson uses this to see through Holden's bluff of having a squad of pissed off Martian marines on the ''Rocinante''.
** Amos notices Kenzo's restlessness and the suspicious bystanders in the lobby of the Blue Falcon Hotel. As such, he already has his hand on his gun when Kenzo runs for it and a gunfight breaks out.
* ShiningCity: New York City, or at least Manhattan, has become slightly more crystalline, as befits the capital of TheFederation (or TheEmpire depending on your viewpoint).
* ShirtlessScene:
** Steven Strait (Holden) gets one in "Dulcinea".
** Wes Chatham gets one in "Caliban's War", when a very reluctant Prax patches up Amos' gunshot wounds to his best ability.
* ShootTheDog:
** Anderson Dawes' {{backstory}} involved killing his IllGirl sister Athena to [[ColdEquation save the rest of his family]].
** Amos kills [[spoiler: Sematimba]] when he pulls a gun on Naomi in an attempt to force her to take off without Holden and Miller.
** Holden reluctantly blows up a ship full of {{Good Samaritan}}s because allowing them to expose what happened on Eros could potentially lead to the entire solar system being infected by the protomolecule.
* ShoutOut: [[ShoutOut/TheExpanse Has its own page]].
* ShownTheirWork:
** The show loves to demonstrate the hard sci-fi limits of the setting, such as showing how the Coriolis effect changes how things flow and fall on Belter stations. The show is also quite meticulous in depicting gravity in space travel.
** Some of the wall markings on the ships are real-world ratings. Example: In S2E13, inside the elevator of Mao’s ship, there’s the marking “ISO K9.” ISO is the “International Standards Organization,” which is a real world repository for engineering standards. K9 is a reference to ISO 2531 K9, which is a classifier for water-proofed structures. This means the elevator is sealed against potential flooding, if a waterline breaks.
* SideEffectsInclude: In "Leviathan Wakes" Miller and Holden keep pumping painkillers into their bodies to help keep them functional while [[spoiler:they are slowly dying from a massive radiation dose]]. At one point Miller asks what effects overdosing on this stuff has, and Holden reads from a product information slip: "Possible anxiety, skin rash... sudden death." An unusually ironic example of this trope.
* SigilSpam:
** The OPA display their monogram on passages all over Ceres and tattoo it on their arms, chests, and even faces.
** The Martian Navy have plastered their MCRN logo all over the ''Tachi'', right down to the coffee cups.
* SinkingShipScenario: Holden's crew face this in " The Big Empty".
* SirSwearsALot: {{Downplayed}} from the books, but Avasarala still gets away with as much as she can without the show moving to Creator/{{HBO}} or Creator/{{Showtime}}, especially after what little she did do in Season 1 proved so popular.
** Although notably, her dialogue is substantially less restrained on the season 2 DVD release -- even if the original [=SyFy=] broadcasts were occasionally muted to censor.
* SleepingWithTheBoss: PlayedForLaughs when Holden and Ade joke about this during their sex scene introduction.
--> '''Ade:''' [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex You're entirely too good at that]].\\
'''Holden:''' I told you, I've got no power to get you promoted on this ship.\\
'''Ade:''' [[SarcasmMode Well, then I take it back]].
* SleevesAreForWimps: Amos is the only crew-member to always keep the sleeves of his coveralls rolled up.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Mixed to leaning towards cynical, with the future being a pretty CrapsackWorld regardless of where you're living throughout the Solar System.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Very often between Avasarala and Cotyar, who are both very snarky and are very VitriolicBestBuds. It gets even better when you add the also-snarky Bobbie to the mix:
-->''Bobbie has just suggested that they [[spoiler:escape Mao's goons trying to kill them]] by climbing up an elevator shaft''\\
'''Avasarala''': That is not going to work.\\
'''Bobbie''': ''[{{Beat}}]'' Right. You'd never make that climb.\\
'''Avasarala''': Jesus Christ, [[BerserkButton not because I'm old!]] [[spoiler:[Cotyar]'s been shot!]]\\
'''Cotyar''': Plus, she's really old.
* SoapboxSadie:
** A male example in the OPA agitator on Ceres. No matter what's happening in the solar system, he'll tell you all about how it's a conspiracy against the Belt. For instance, he insists ''Canterbury'' was destroyed by the Inner Planets exclusively to deprive Ceres of water when in reality that was at best an [[BatmanGambit intended assumption]].
** Miller initially pegs Julie Mao as one of these before his investigation proves she really means it.
---> '''Miller:''' Students, with big ideas and big mouths.
* SoapboxSquare: The [[EpicTrackingShot Epic Tracking]] EstablishingShot for Ceres station features a voice-over on the plight of the Belt that's eventually revealed to be an OPA agitator speaking in one of these in the slum at the very bottom of the colony.
* SocialDarwinist: Captain [=McDowell=] literally proposes letting "the good god Darwin" sort out the ''Scopuli'' rather than answer the DistressCall. Admittedly he was also suspecting it to be a trap set by pirates to lure in prey. [[spoiler:He's half right.]]
* TheSociopath:
** Amos is basically a functional one, but he's self-aware about it and compensates by following [[TheConscience ethical people]], using them as his aftermarket moral compass.
---> '''Amos:''' Ask me whether or not I should rip your helmet off and kick you off this bucket and I can't give you a reason why I should or shouldn't except, 'Naomi wouldn't like it.'
** Also, Dresden. What else can you call someone who only sees the ForScience potential of [[spoiler: thousands and thousands of people to an EldritchAbomination]].
** TheConspiracy had this trait ''medically induced'' in all its employees on Thoth Station to ensure they'd have no qualms about their {{Mad Doctor}}ing.
* SociopathicSoldier: Type [=1s=] (i.e. Jingos) are everywhere on all sides, but particularly in the Martian military. The two primary traits of MCRN Marines are being aggressively stupid and stupidly aggressive, and will almost invariably make any situation worse when they're introduced into it.
* SonOfAWhore: In a conversation with Prax, Amos strongly hints that he was this, and was likely also a child prostitute.
* SoundtrackDissonance:
** "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys plays during the ice mining [[AnArmAndALeg hand injury]] scene in "Dulcinea".
** The epic gunfight in the ''Blue Falcon'' lobby is set to smooth jazz [[LeftTheBackgroundMusicOn from the hotel's speaker system]].
* SpaceBattle:
** In "CQB", the ''Donnager'' is attacked by six of TheConspiracy's stealth ships, destroying several before being boarded and forced to self-destruct to avoid capture and [[TakingYouWithMe take the rest with it]].
** In "Doors and Corners", the ''Rocinante'' and the OPA [[https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=expanse+doors+and+corners+battle launch]] a joint [[StormingTheCastle attack on Thoth Station]], which is protected by one of TheConspiracy's stealth ships. After some tricky maneuvering, the ''Roci'' manages to take out the stealth ship and the station's only gun turret, allowing the OPA to land a BoardingPod and take control of the station.
* SpaceColdWar: Between Earth/Luna and Mars, with the Belt adding its own third-party pressure. Avasarala even calls it one in "The Big Empty". [[spoiler:It goes hot in Season 3.]]
* SpaceCossacks: While native Belters are physically incapable of living anywhere else, Earthers and Martians who move permanently to the Belt are often this. Holden in particular left Earth because, "Everything I loved was dying," and he has little-to-no interest in returning.
* SpaceFriction: Usually {{Averted}}, like when the ''Canterbury'', already travelling at high speed, has to make a very high-''g'' maneuver to redirect rather than just let off the gas a little. However, the maneuvers required to actually slow down and intercept are generally left off-screen.
** The ships always approach their destinations engine-first, implying the slow-down maneuvers.
* SpaceIsAnOcean: Aside from the UN and MCR maintaining space navies (with associated terminology) and the mention of "shipping lanes", this is ''fully'' averted.
* SpaceIsNoisy:
** More or less an EnforcedTrope, but the show does go for a more [[DownplayedTrope subdued version]], with scenes set in space featuring muffled sounds. Some scenes cut the audio to emphasize the shock and danger the characters are experiencing.
** When Holden and Naomi need to talk privately in their space suits, they kill their radios and put their helmets together so the sound will carry through the helmets.
* SpaceMadness: The ''Canterbury'''s XO comes down with a case in the first episode, necessitating his replacement by Holden, who notes the guy had already been talking to his plants for months.
--> '''XO:''' Jimmy boy, you know what I just can't figure out? We make it all this way, so far out into the darkness... Why couldn't we have brought more light?
* SpaceMarine: The UNN and MCRN have marine detachments aboard their ships.
* SpaceNavy: The UNN and MCRN for the Solar System's two major factions. MCRN ships have "NAVY" prominently emblazoned on their sides. The UNN is shown to still be using anchors in its crest.
* SpacePeople: Native Belters are physically incapable of living on Earth without heavy amounts of therapy and drugs. This is exploited by Earthers in "Dulcinea", where simply exposing a Belter to Earth's gravity is used as ColdBloodedTorture.
* SpacePirates: A notable concern for regular cargo haulers. There's even a corporate protocol for such cases: give up the cargo and negotiate a ransom for any captured crew. Captain Yao of MCRN ''Donnager'' also mentions three years of combat experience hunting them.
* SpaceshipSlingshotStunt:
** {{Deconstructed}} by being shown literally ''as a stunt'' by adrenaline jockeys looking to set records, and the first contestant we actually see on-screen makes a minor miscalculation and burns up in Jupiter's atmosphere. "Slingshot Clubs" get together to watch these pilots' exploits and make extravagant and illegal bets about their chances of success.
** In Season 2, Alex plots an elaborate slingshot course around Jupiter's moon to be able to go from Cyllene to Ganymede without firing the ''Rocinante'''s engines. It goes well until he unexpectedly comes across a MCRN destroyer and he has to quickly abort the maneuver to avoid detection.
** Mid-Season 3, a slingshot jockey attempts to "thread the needle" through [[spoiler: the Protomolecule Ring, only for its defenses to stop his ship dead and reduce him to {{Ludicrous Gibs}}.]]
* SpaceStation: Tycho Station is the main construction hub in the Belt, and home to OPA leader Fred Johnson. Other smaller stations are also mentioned, particularly Anderson Station, which was destroyed 11 years before the start of the series.
* SpaceSuitsAreSCUBAGear: The helmets worn by the crew of the ''Rocinante'' in Season One are connected to a "breather" backpack by a corrugated rubber hose, of the sort used by old-fashioned SCUBA sets. MCRN suits have the backpack but no visible connection to the helmet.
* SpaceTrucker: Although ''Canterbury'' has more the feel of a cargo ship, Holden and his crew start out as these in the business of hauling ice from Saturn's orbit back to Ceres, a vital but not very glamorous job.
* SpeakIllOfTheDead: Johnson has no illusions whatsoever about what kind of person [[spoiler:Miller]] was after the latter performs a HeroicSacrifice, calling the belated "a pain-in-the-ass, suicidal ex-cop".
* SpeculativeFictionLGBT: Earth, the Belt, and probably Mars, all have much more open and tolerant attitudes towards sexuality in the 23rd century.
** Earth's ambassador to Mars is openly married to another man, which is treated as unremarkable.
** Holden is the product of a group marriage of five men and three women who are all his genetic parents due to DNA splicing, which is apparently not particularly unusual, although a full genetic mix is implied to be pricey. In this case, [[RulesLawyer it was done because the donors wanted to get around the law and keep their land, which they could do through a joint heir]]. The series doesn't elaborate on whether they really are actually polyamorous, or if it's just another means of avoiding having their property seized.
** In a list of personal ads Miller peruses during his investigation on Ceres, about half of those who appear are listed as pansexual.
%%** Reverend Dr. Anna Volvodov is a Methodist pastor who is lovingly married to another woman, with whom she has a daughter who is also genetically theirs.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Many people have likened the series to a [[DarkerAndEdgier darker and more "modern"]] reinterpretation of ''Series/{{Firefly}}'', especially in regards to the crew of the ''Rocinante'' being just ordinary {{Space Trucker}}s trying to make ends meet like the crew of the ''Serenity'' were.
* SpySpeak:
** The data broker Julie Mao dealt with on Ceres set up their meeting via a dating site using the phrase, "I'll be your Sherpa," and Miller eventually figures out that to access the guy's shop, you go to a certain shop and ask for a sherpa.
** The ''Rocinante'' crew avoid inspection by a Martian patrol by pretending to be a special ops team using the code-words "ubiquitous", "mendacious", and "polyglottal". Working on past experience, Alex also throws in "donkey balls", just in case.
* TheSquadette: Naomi is the only woman on the ''Rocinate'', and serves as TheLancer to Holden.
* StandardEstablishingSpaceshipShot: Writer Hawk Ostby [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3zQyV6HzIE says]] they chose to open the series on Julie Mao in the storage locker specifically to kick off the series by [[SubvertedTrope subverting]] this trope.
* StandardHumanSpaceship: Most ships seen on the show feature brick-like designs in order to maximize interior space and because aerodynamics are not a concern. Even atmospheric shuttles lack aerodynamic designs as they're only meant to go straight up and down.
* StandardizedSpaceViews: Locations beyond Earth tend to get these as their EstablishingShot.
* StandardStarshipScuffle: ''MCRN Donnager'' goes up against six stealth ships. Each side tries to overwhelm the other with torpedo barrages before using rail guns for close quarters battle. The battle climaxes when one of the stealth ships is able to come in close and send boarding parties aboard the ''Donnager''.
* StealthInSpace:
** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LIDAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem like part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.
** The Martians are said to possess advanced stealth technology. That said, the ''Rocinante'' (originally a Martian frigate) can't actually hide from other ships, so it's disguised as a gas freighter in the second half of Season 1.
** The stealth ships that destroyed the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Donnager'' are revealed to belong to a fourth, unknown faction in the solar system. These ships are about the size of a corvette, possess a dark color scheme, and seem to be shaped in a way to deflect other ships' tracking systems. They are also heavily armed for ships of their size, equipped with torpedoes, gatling guns (for point defense), and rail guns.
** {{Averted}} in "Doors and Corners" where getting close enough to actually engage and deploy {{Boarding Pod}}s with any hope of success is a crucial problem the OPA faces in [[StormingTheCastle storming Thoth Station]].
** In a rather impressive example, [[spoiler: the protomolecule somehow manages to render the whole of Eros invisible to radar]].
* StillWearingTheOldColors: After the survivors of the ''Canterbury'' get picked up by a Martian battleship, Alex adopts a Martian uniform since he used to serve as a pilot in the Martian military before he joined the Belters. The crew of the ''Rocinante'' no longer hold allegiance to any particular faction, but it's helpful if there's ever any need for a FalseFlagOperation.
* StockScream: A stock crying baby is used during the aftermath of the faulty air filters in "Dulcinea".
* StormingTheCastle: The ''Rocinante'' crew join with Miller and the OPA to assault Thoth Station in "Doors and Corners".
* StreetSmart: Joe Miller. It comes with the territory of a HardboiledDetective and makes him a real {{Foil}} for [[KnightErrant James Holden]].
* StressVomit: There isn't any turbulence yet since they're still attached to the main ship, so Miller's VomitIndiscretionShot on the BoardingPod in "Doors and Corners" has to be this.
* StunnedSilence: After [[spoiler: Shed]] is decapitated.
* SubspaceAnsible: [[AvertedTrope There is no such thing in this universe]]. Communication over long distances is hampered by minutes-long signal delays. In military situations, commanders gripe that the telemetry they receive is minutes-old and that their units could be wiped out at that very moment and they'll only find out after the fact. Even communication between Earth and Luna is subject to a three second delay and Chrisjen and Arjun end up talking over each other because they keep forgetting to take the delay into account.
* SufficientlyAdvancedAlien: The protomolecule, and the aliens who created it, were so advanced that everything they built routinely violates all known laws of physics. The human organizations are just scrambling to get a basic understanding of what they are dealing with, let alone actually using it in any manner.
* SuicideAttack:
** Captain Yao describes the six ships attacking the ''Donnager'' in "CQB" as doing this, but they turn out to be far more powerful than she imagined.
** Mateo, a Belter AsteroidMiner who's been pushed around one time too many flies his ship straight at the Martians who screwed him over. Unfortunately for him, he's nowhere near as well armed as the stealth ships who attacked the ''Donnager''.
--->'''Mateo:''' A man's got to stand up!
* SuperSoldier: [[spoiler:After Eros, TheConspiracy is able to refine the protomolecule and use it to create hybrids which can survive in hard vacuum and take out an entire squad of Martian marines. And this is only the prototype.]]
* SurveillanceDrone: Often seen floating around Earth and Ceres.
* TheSyndicate: Anderson Dawes essentially represents this side of the OPA, controlling labour [[spoiler: and policing]] on Ceres, while Fred Johnson represents more the LaResistance trying to become an independent government side of the organization, though the two sides do collaborate when it's beneficial.
* {{Synchronization}}: All the samples of the protomolecule communicate with each other instantly over intra-solar distances.
* SyntheticPlague: The protomolecule evolves by [[TheAssimilator absorbing humans]] and is being experimented with by a faction [[spoiler:from Earth]] for unknown reasons. Dresden also implies it may have been sent to the solar system on purpose.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:T-Z]]
* TakeAThirdOption: Instead of allowing Earth an easy victory or starting a shooting war by fighting over it, the Martians instead opt to destroy [[spoiler: Phoebe station]] completely.
* TakingYouWithMe: [[spoiler: The ''Donnager'']] takes the attacking ships down with it when it self-destructs.
* TattooAsCharacterType:
** Many Belters have cultural ones, including stylized ring with an off-center gap around their neck in imitation of the burn-scars left by faulty connection collars of older space suits.
** OPA members often sport these to declare their overall membership and individual faction. These are usually highly visible, often on the face or neck, with the more villainous members doubling as {{Tattooed Crook}}s.
---> '''Miller:''' Boss let you wear your colors out in the open like that? \\
'''Worker:''' Boss has one just like it.
** Amos has a couple on his arms, as befits a tough-guy mechanic.
* TattooedCrook: While most Belters have noticeable tattoos, the more villainous ones definitely count as this.
* TeamMom: Alex provides a male example at the end of "Safe", when he forces the crew to sit down to eat together and fusses over them in an attempt to lighten the mood and get everyone to pull together again in the aftermath of Eros.
* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: In "Home", [[spoiler:Miller is able to convince Julie Mao, whose consciousness has been fused with the protomolecule, into diverting it away from Earth and into Venus]].
* TearsOfBlood: Anderson Dawes says he suffered these from crying so hard over the death of his little sister.
* TheTeaser: The first few minutes of the series give us just the briefest glimpse of the protomolecule.
* {{Terraform}}: Mars is still in the process of this. It is estimated that they will be finished in a hundred years. This is part of the reason that the Martians hate the Earthers so much; under the original plan it would have been finished already, but the project ground to a halt after Earth blockaded water resources as part of a diplomatic incident. As a result, they were forced to put so many resources into the military to defend against Earth that the project is 100 years behind schedule.
* TestedOnHumans: Dresden is fascinated by the protomolecule's effects on humans and proceeds to [[spoiler: inject it into everyone on Eros under the guise of a treatment for radiation]].
* ThereAreTwoKindsOfPeopleInTheWorld: According to Amos in "Paradigm Shift", there are actually ''three'' kinds of people in the world -- bad people, people you follow, and people you protect.
* TimeForPlanB:
** When ''Rocinante'' is flagged for a ''very'' unwanted inspection in "Windmills", Naomi and Alex scramble to unlock the correct SpySpeak to call them off while Amos calmly heads down to the weapons-locker to prepare Plan B: trying to shoot anyone who comes through the airlock.
** Late in Season 3, Holden's Plan B for yet another dire situation is "make sure Plan A works".
* TimeSkip: "Delva-V" moves the timeline forward by about six months, during which [[spoiler:the UN-MCR war has ended with a cease-fire, the OPA has reorganized into a true Belter state (albeit a fragile one), and the ''Roci'' crew have become celebrities across the system]].
* TitleDrop:
** Miller cautions his BoardingParty that "Doors and Corners" are where they'll get ambushed in the episode of that name.
** Fred Johnson wishes everyone "Godspeed," in the episode of the same name.
* TitleIn: {{Establishing Shot}}s for locations are usually accompanied by these, such as: "CERES_STATION: U.N. Protectorate / In the Asteroid Belt". A few characters like Avasrala, Errinwright, and [=DeGraaf=] also get a BossBanner with their name and position.
* TitleSequence: A fully-fledged ArtisticTitle of a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krqqqgixNq8 flyby tracing the colonization of the solar system]]. Much of season 1 uses a much simpler TitleOnlyOpening of the TitleCard laid over a stylized solar system.
* ThatOneCase: Searching for Julie Mao quickly becomes this for Miller, especially when he keeps it up on his own time after Captain Shaddid calls it closed.
* ThatsAnOrder: Holden pulls this to try to pursue the ship that destroyed the ''Canterbury'', but the rest of the crew refuse and explain to him how stupid that order is.
* ThinkHappyThoughts: Naomi encourages Miller to do this in "Home", but he just grumbles.
* ThirdLineSomeWaiting:
** In Season 1, Holden and Miller's stories get the most focus, with others fitting in around the edges. Avasrala's plot is mostly a GovernmentProcedural about uncovering TheConspiracy.
** Until the Ganymede incident, Bobby Draper and her marines just pop in every episode or two to give a Martian reaction to Earth's actions.
* ThrownOutTheAirlock:
** Tormented by the thought of the [[WouldntHurtAChild children]] who nearly died because he took a bribe from a corrupt landlord who cheaped out on air filters, Miller threatens the landlord with this trope in "Dulcinea".
---> '''Miller:''' Air is good, don't you think? Air is nice. ''Keep those filters clean,'' asshole.
** The AsteroidMiner Mateo launches his nephew Diogo out in an EVA suit before taking his ship on a SuicideAttack against the Martians who screwed him over. A weird case in that Mateo actually expects this to ''save'' his nephew, reasoning that someone will pick him up. He's right, too; Diogo shows up in the second season, perfectly healthy.
** Miller nearly suffers this in "Rock Bottom", but Octavia rescues him.
** Fred Johnson spaces an unruly OPA member who doesn't want to play ball, preferring to stick to pointless terrorist attacks rather than fight a bigger enemy. It got all the other OPA members to fall in line.
** Amos claims in "Godspeed" that "Med bays in [[SpacePirates pirate ships]] are usually just open airlocks."
** In "Pyre", a refugee transport carrying survivors from Ganymede has all the Inners moved to the airlock under the guise of having them moved to another ship, then flushes them as retaliation for Earth and Mars wrecking Ganymede.
* ToAbsentFriends:
** Holden and Naomi share in the irreverent sort of this in "Rock Bottom":
---> '''Holden:''' To [[spoiler: Shed]]: always generous, thoughtful... sometimes a whiny little prick. [''laughs''] We're gonna miss you, pal, wherever you are... I hope no one there needs [[spoiler: medical attention]]. [''laughs again'']
** The crew toasts [[spoiler:Miller]] after his sacrifice in "Home".
* TogetherInDeath: In "Home", [[spoiler:Miller stays with Julie as she sends Eros crashing into Venus, deliberately removing his suit and infecting himself by kissing her just before impact]].
* TooGoodToBeTrue: After Fred Johnson's CantStopTheSignal moment in "Critical Mass", Avasarala is given evidence he's lying and is really behind everything, which she immediately senses is bullshit because of this trope and because she herself found evidence identical to Johnson's, but she has to play along until she's in a better position.
* TokenEvilTeammate:
** Amos, to some degree, since he's basically a high-functioning sociopath who's always there to propose that MurderIsTheBestSolution.
** Holden starts to see Miller as this in "Static" after he [[spoiler: kills Dresden]], and so banishes him from the ''Roci'', though he still agrees to collaborate on Miller's plan to deal with Eros in "Godspeed".
** {{Subverted}} with Kenzo, who gets enough dialogue and development that he could become this until he willingly guides a black ops team to the ''Roci'' crew and consequently has his rescue request rejected by Holden.
* TooDumbToLive: A slingshot jockey in Season 3 decides to make a name for himself by [[spoiler:slingshotting himself through the alien ring that showed up six months ago]]. It earns him a very messy death by extreme deceleration.
* TooMuchAlike: Miller finds a message from Julie Mao to her father CallingTheOldManOut by claiming this is why they never got along.
* TortureCellar: The UN has one where Avasarala interrogates a Belter smuggler.
* TortureIsIneffective: Avasarala learns more (though still practically nothing) from a Belter prisoner through a civilized interview than she does through gravity torture, and the same prisoner ultimately uses ''gravity itself'' as his CyanidePill simply to avoid further torture.
* TortureTechnician: The UN employs these, though so far they've simply hung a Belter on some hooks to suffer from Earth's gravity.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood:
** Holden loves [[MustHaveCaffeine real coffee]].
** {{Downplayed}} from the novels, but Avasarala still has her pistachios in a couple scenes.
* TransformationHorror: At the beginning of "Critical Mass", the audience is subjected to [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] being slowly mutated and consumed after being infected by the protomolecule.
* TribalFacePaint: The OPA, rather than being a unified organization, is actually a loose conglomeration of groups that are almost tribal in nature. Some of these tribes use unique facial tattoos as a way to show allegiance.
* TurnInYourBadge: Miller is fired after his persistent investigation into Julie Mao becomes politically sensitive.
* TwoKeyedLock:
** The SelfDestructMechanism on the ''Donnager'' requires thumbprints from both Captain Yao and one of her lieutenants.
** Earth interplanetary nuclear arsenal is locked behind one of these, with the keys in the hands of the Secretary-General and Undersecretary-General.
* UnderestimatingBadassery: The captain and crew of the MCRN ''Donnager'' treat an attack by a group of small ships to be the equivalent of the attackers committing SuicideByCop. Then they get a OhCrap moment as they realize just how technically advanced the attackers are and the ''Donnager'' starts taking serious damage. [[spoiler:The captain eventually self-destructs the ''Donnager'' before it can be captured.]]
* UndergroundCity: Many Belter colonies are built this way in order maximize available space and harness CentrifugalGravity, so that "down" is actually toward the surface.
* UnitedNationsIsASuperpower: The UN has taken over as the government of Earth.
* TheUnmasquedWorld: [[spoiler:The existence of the protomolecule finally goes public at the beginning of Season 3, right before the UN formally declares war on Mars]].
* UnnaturallyBlueLighting:
** Used to great effect around the protomolecule MeatMoss, which pulses with bluish-white electric jolts.
** Also used in a RealIsBrown sense to lend a cold artificial feel to spaceship and space station interiors.
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Julie Mao had no way of knowing it, but by [[spoiler: getting infected and travelling to Eros she brought the protomolecule right back into the hands of the same conspirators she'd hoped to keep it away from and the same station they'd already planned to infect with it]].
* UsedFuture:
** Belter ships and technology fit this trope to a T, with some ships basically [[DuctTapeForEverything held together with duct tape]].
** The ''Canterbury'' has instruments in need of PercussiveMaintenance and stowaway rats out past Saturn.
** UN and Martian ships are better, but they still count.
* UselessSpleen: Amos quips, "There goes my spleen," as the ''Rocinante'' performs a high-''g'' burn that will eventually kill the crew if they keep it up in "Home".
* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: In "Doors and Corners", Dresden speaks very movingly of the wonders humanity might accomplish if they can master the protomolecule, but unfortunately his plans to achieve this involve merciless mass murder.
* VillainHasAPoint: [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Miller, regarding [[spoiler: Dresden]].
--> "I didn't shoot him because he was crazy. I shot him because he was ''making sense.''
* VirginShaming: {{Downplayed}}. Miller hassles Diogo this way only in response to Diogo's claim that space-walking (which Miller ''[[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes hates]]'') is BetterThanSex. Likewise, he offers, "Hey kid, go get laid, will you?" as his parting advice, but since Diogo is JustAKid with too much PatrioticFervor it's more about telling him to live for something more than dying for a cause.
* TheVirus: The protomolecule is a glowing, blue, crystalline virus that can infect living tissue, feeds on most forms of energy, and seems to adapt as it grows. When Julie Mao discovers it infesting the ''Anubis'', she deemed it necessary to completely power down the ship and vent every deck just to ''slow it down''. [[spoiler:When it's released on Eros, the mass of people it absorbs allows it to mimic human form through bio-luminescent spores, and was purposely delivered on such a massive scale because its creators are trying to make it evolve.]]
* VisionaryVillain: TheConspiracy behind the protomolecule has grand designs:
** They started researching it because they discovered that Phoebe was in fact an extrasolar object that would have hit Earth two billion years in the past. The only reason humanity ''exists'' is because Phoebe was caught by Saturn's gravity -- the interstellar equivalent of a PocketProtector.
--->'''Dresden:''' Without this work, humanity will be left unarmed, ignorant, vulnerable, to an enemy who's already fired the first shot.
** Their chief researcher is an EvilutionaryBiologist who seems even more interested in it because it's ImportedAlienPhlebotinum; JustThinkOfThePotential!
--->'''Dresden:''' We become [[MasterOfYourDomain our own gods]]. Imagine human beings able to live in hard vacuum without a suit, or under the crushing atmosphere of a gas giant. Or able to hibernate long enough to travel to the stars.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: Julie Mao after she [[spoiler:was infected by the protomolecule]] and Miller after he [[spoiler:got radiation sickness from being exposed to radioactive radiation used to provide the protomolecule in the bodies of the infected with energy.]]
* WalkAndTalk: Holden, Naomi, and Amos have a long one in "Dulcinea" that carries them from the galley to the bridge of the ''Canterbury''.
* WallOfWeapons:
** The [=XO=] of the ''Canterbury'' has a weapons locker filled with four pistols and three rifles, some of them quite antique for the 23rd Century.
** The ''Rocinante'' has an entire deck devoted to the airlock and a locker room for SpaceMarine weapons and gear.
* TheWarOfEarthlyAggression: The Martians have already declared independance, and the OPA is looking to follow suit in the not-too-distant future.
* WarfareRegression: Downplayed, but the lack of {{Subspace Ansible}}s makes it so that most space-faring navies must depend primarily on the actions of individual captains and "on-site" admirals rather than the command centers of Earth and Mars, in effect loosely mimicking the age of naval warfare before the dawn of mass communication and radio technology.
* WarHawk:
** Admiral Nguyen plays this role as a {{Foil}} to Admiral Souther's dove in TheWarRoom of the UN in "Doors and Corners".
** Bobby Draper seems to be one, even proposing: "You said our job is to prevent a war with Earth. Ever wonder if we've got it backwards? Maybe we can't have the dream of Mars ''until'' we've had that war."
* WarIsHell: More or less played straight, but it's actually ultimately closer to "War Is Pointless." Many characters point out that despite hostilities between the many factions war doesn't benefit anyone. That makes it all the more concerning that someone is clearly trying to start a war.
* TheWarRoom: The [=UN=] begins deciding interplanetary strategic matters in one of these in Season 2, rather than just Errinwright's office like in Season 1.
* TheWatson: Miller's partner Havelock, a newly-arrived Earther, needs a lot of things in the Belt explained to him, and if they aren't explained at least viewer doesn't feel alone in their confusion.
* WeAllDieSomeday: A Belter thug declares this during a standoff with Miller before being called off by Anderson Dawes.
* WeAreStrugglingTogether: The Belt would be a lot better off if its factions weren't competing against each other. Fred Johnson is a pure pragmatist, Anderson Dawes is more radical and willing to screw over Fred if he thinks it will benefit him, and Holden is an idealist who doesn't care for either side and has only marginally more appreciation for Fred's tactics (Dawes he hates with a passion).
* WeHardlyKnewYe:
** [[spoiler: Ade Nygaard and Captain [=McDowell=]]] are nuked in the very first episode.
** [[spoiler:Shed Garvey]] gets decapitated by a railgun before the crew even make it to the ''Rocinante''.
** [[spoiler: Julie Mao]] gets consumed and assimilated by the protomolecule.
** [[spoiler: Sematimba]] doesn't make it off Eros Station alive.
* WeUsedToBeFriends: {{Subverted}} with Miller and Sematimba, who still ''are'' friends in the present day, and Miller doesn't even resent Sematimba's attempt to abandon him on Eros. In fact, he even [[spoiler: holds a brief grudge against Amos for killing Sematimba to stop him from forcing Naomi to take off]].
* WeaponizedExhaust:
** An unintentional example. When the ''Nauvoo'' is launched, the heat from its massive engines superheats the scaffolding behind it and a few of the automated tugs used to orient it are vaporized as they return to base.
** In the Season 2 finale, the ''Rocinante's'' main engine is used to fry [[spoiler:the protomolecule soldier]].
* WeirdMoon: While debating an attack on the Martian moon Deimos, Avasarala cites the importance of Earth's own moon in their cultural psyche. Errinwright points out that Deimos is different because it's so small that it's really just a bright dot in the Martian sky, but the Martians certainly don't see it that way.
-->'''Sa'id''': [[TranquilFury They ruined our goddamn sky]].
* WellIntentionedExtremist:
** Chrisjen Avasarala has nothing but Earth's best interests at heart, but as such has doesn't hesitate to resort to threats, torture, or even utterly ruining the life of a personal friend in order to fulfill her objectives.
** Dr. Antony Dresden is willing to commit any number of atrocities to further his research on the protomolecule, but he honestly believes that research will benefit humanity, especially if whatever sent it eventually shows up.
** Though regarded as a terrorist by Mars and Earth (and even by some other Belters), Anderson Dawes is very sincere in his ambition to create a "Belt for Belters."
** Fred Johnson certainly has shades of this as well after having been [[TheAtoner radicalized by previous events he was held responsible for]].
* WeWillHavePerfectHealthInTheFuture: ZigzaggedTrope. It is indicated that the average human lifespan for Earth residents has been bumped up to 130[[note]]The oldest ever person that we have reliable documentation for lived to 122[[/note]], and one would assume that the terraformed Mars has similar stats. However, on the space colonies in the Asteroid Belt there are already people with debilitating physical and mental conditions due to things like low-oxygen environments. There are also signs of mutation/evolution, with some people being born with more fragile bones due to low gravity, meaning that they can't really survive on Earth anymore.
* WhamEpisode:
** The series starts off with a bang in "Dulcinea" with [[spoiler: the [[DoomedHometown destruction]] of the ''Canterbury'']].
** "CQB" has some amazing ship-to-ship and squad-to-squad combat and [[spoiler: an out-of-nowhere CharacterDeath]].
** "Salvage" features the true {{Reveal}} of the protomolecule, and Julie Mao finally makes an appearance...
** "Critical Mass" and "Leviathan Wakes" answer the {{Driving Question}}s about the ''Canterbury'' and Julie Mao, and reveals the monstrous things TheConspiracy is capable of.
** "Doors and Corners" features another cool SpaceBattle and {{reveal}}s more about the protomolecule.
** "Godspeed" and "Home" are based on the climax of the first novel, and as such are packed with {{Wham Shot}}s, {{Wham Line}}s, and {{Reveal}}s.
** "Immolation". [[spoiler:Mei and the other children are rescued, TheConspiracy is finally brought down for good, and the protomolecule births an EldritchAbomination on Venus which flies off to parts unknown]].
** "Abbadon's Gate". [[spoiler: All ships are convinced/forced to shut down their reactor core. That reassures the station they are not hostile, releasing the ships and reopening all 1300 remaining ring gates into habitable systems. Holden is certain this is the start of a new bloody gold rush.]]
* WhamLine:
** From "Critical Mass": "They[[note]]the stealth ships that destroyed the ''Canterbury'' and the ''Donnager''[[/note]] were built by [[spoiler:Earth]]!"
** From "Godspeed": "The ''Nauvoo'' didn't move; [[spoiler: Eros]] did."
** From "Home":
*** "[[spoiler:Eros]] has changed trajectory again, and it's accelerating. It's now on a direct collision course with [[spoiler: Earth]].
*** "Holden, we just lost radar-lock on [[spoiler: Eros]]; the whole damn [[spoiler: station]] just vanished!"
** From "Caliban's War" (the very last line of Season 2, in fact): [[spoiler: "I gave the protomolecule to Fred Johnson."]]
* WhamShot:
** [[spoiler: Shed]]'s decapitated body in "CQB".
** The POVCam of Kenzo's ElectronicEyes spying on Holden and Naomi in "Rock Bottom".
** The discovery of [[spoiler:Julie Mao's dead body, ravaged by the protomolecule]], at the very end of "Salvage".
** When [[spoiler: the ''Nauvoo'']] sails right by [[spoiler: Eros]] instead of colliding as intended in "Godspeed" because [[spoiler: the protomolecule ''moved'' Eros to DodgeTheBullet]].
** "Paradigm Shift" has a wounded Bobbie Draper glimpsing [[spoiler:a protomolecule-human hybrid]] on Ganymede.
** The inner refugees [[spoiler:getting ThrownOutTheAirlock]] in "Pyre".
** "The Weeping Somnambulist" has the UN survey Venus to see the wreckage of [[spoiler:Eros, and there's ''two'' lifeforms down there]].
** "The Monster And The Rocket" has the ''Rocinante'' and the ''Sonambulist'' successfully rescuing 52 refugees from Ganymede... [[spoiler:except that a protomolecule soldier managed to tear into the ''Rocinante's'' airlock, likely in the confusion when the ''Karakum's'' remains fell]].
** "Abbadon's Gate". [[spoiler:Once the Station has released all of the ships, everyone is seen staring in awe at something. This turns out to be footage of the Ring Gates reopening around the station. All '''1300''' remaining ones.]]
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What happened to [[spoiler:the protomolecule sample Naomi gave to Fred Johnson]]? Much of the interpersonal drama in Season 3 is informed by this decision, but the topic itself isn't elaborated on aside from [[spoiler:Johnson having the sample and Dawes having the expertise to analyze it]].
* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: Granted, we have absolutely no reference for what space colonists from two centuries in the future ''should'' sound like, but Belters evoke this trope with a very strange accent that sounds like a vague mishmash of Afrikaans, Chinese, Eastern European, and Caribbean.
* {{Whodunnit}}: Who destroyed the ''Canterbury''?
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Miller ''hates'' space. So does Avasarala, for that matter.
* WickedCultured: Anderson Dawes shows off this side of the OPA in his soft-spoken, articulate conversations with Miller. He even reminds other Belters that, "We are not ''animals''," in his introduction before inviting Miller to join him at a nearby cafe.
* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: Avasarala is stern or saccharine as needed for her profession, but is actually quite genuine and tender in the privacy of her own family and with Elise Holden in "Windmills".
* TheWorfEffect: The Martian Congressional Republic Navy is constantly referenced as being the best there is. However, they get their asses kicked ([[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]], really) an awful lot.
* WorkingTheSameCase: Miller quickly discovers Julie Mao was part of the crew of the ''Scopuli''—the same ship used to lure in the ''Canterbury''. From there, Miller and Holden's plotlines progress in tandem until they run into each other at the Blue Falcon Hotel on Eros in "Salvage".
* WorldBuilding: Of course, particularly regarding Ceres (and by extension the rest of the Belt).
* WouldHurtAChild:
** Fred Johnson earned his epithet "TheButcher of Anderson Station" for resolving a Belter mutiny by using the NuclearOption on them and their children. [[spoiler:In actuality, Johnson hadn't been told they had surrendered, hence why he resigned and joined the OPA.]]
** On Ganymede, [[spoiler:Dr Strickland and TheConspiracy]] use children to [[spoiler:create [[HalfHumanHybrid protomolecule-human hybrid soldiers]].]]
* WouldntHurtAChild: In "Dulcinea", Miller is fine [[CorruptCop taking a bribe]] to forgo a safety inspection, but when several children are among the tenants who nearly die as a result, Miller nearly has the landlord ThrownOutTheAirlock.
* WoundedGazelleGambit: The DistressCall in "Dulcinea" turns out to be [[LuredIntoATrap a trap]].
* WrenchWench: Naomi has multiple engineering degrees and other characters regularly rely on her mechanical expertise. She's even aggravated by how well ''Rocinante'''s automated engineering system works because, "[[JobStealingRobot There's nothing to fix!]]"
* WretchedHive:
** Ceres' slummy innermost districts, where Miller cautions Havelock that, "People get killed for a wrong look around here."
** Eros is a crime-ridden asteroid, said to be the murder capital of the Belt, whose "police force" is a private firm that makes Star Helix look downright friendly. [[spoiler:The conspirators wind up feeding its entire population to the protomolecule because, in Miller's words, they "don't consider these people as human".]] We do, however, see that many inhabitants are just regular people trying to make a living, and want nothing to do with the violence that ravages their home.
* XtremeKoolLetterz: The ''Canterbury'' is owned by the Pur' N' Kleen Water Company.
* YouAreInCommandNow: Holden clutches the executive officer badge he [[RefusedTheCall intended to refuse]] as if accepting this responsibility in "The Big Empty".
* YouCantGoHomeAgain:
** Holden and the other shuttle crew watch their ship, the ''Canterbury'', get nuked in the pilot episode.
** On a [[UpToEleven macro level]], the Belters. As the smuggler in "The Big Empty" so elegantly put it, "You see my body which can no longer survive on the very planet that bore my great-grandmother. Earth has created a race of exiles out in space who have no homes to return to."
** Directly invoked by Miller in the aptly-named "Home" when he tells [[spoiler:Julie Mao, who's unknowingly piloting Eros, that she can't return to Earth or she'll kill everyone on the planet via ColonyDrop]].
** Bobbie Draper presumes this to be the case after defecting to Earth, knowing the Martians will never forgive her for it. [[spoiler:This one is ultimately averted: once her role in uncovering the Protogen conspiracy becomes public knowledge, she's allowed to return to Mars and even rejoin the MMC]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Once the gang members hired as security for an experiment on Eros have done their part, their employers try to ditch them. Holden and Miller, having stumbled upon it, incite them to violence and [[LetsYouAndHimFight use the confusion to get past]].
** Julie Mao was abandoned by Anderson Dawes after the ''Scopuli'' mission failed.
* YourHeadAsplode: One second you're calming down a panicked comrade, the next your neck is spurting blood out a foot-wide hole in the bulkhead. RailGun projectiles can have that effect.
* YouNoTakeCandle: {{Justified}} with Belter Creole, which can sound like this since it's a mix of languages of which English is only one, much like the examples in {{YouNoTakeCandle/RealLife}}.
* YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters: The OPA claims to fight for the Belters, but Earth considers them simply a terrorist group.
* YouWouldntBelieveMeIfIToldYou: When discussing their options in "Back to the Butcher", Holden points out to his crew that they're now the {{Sole Survivor}}s of ''two'' mysterious attacks, and even ''he'' would believe their story if he hadn't been there.
--> '''Holden:''' We look like terrorists.
* ZeroGSpot: Holden and Ade are introduced this way. They come thudding to the floor when the thrusters cut in.
[[/folder]]
Z]]
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* ArtShift: In Season 4, scenes set on and around Ilus[=/=]New Terra are shot in anamorphic widescreen rather than 16:9 like the rest of the series.
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** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LIDAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem alike part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.

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** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LIDAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem alike like part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.
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** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LADAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem alike part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.

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** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LADAR LIDAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem alike part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.

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* EldritchAbomination: The protomolecule. In its first appearance it's [[EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods squishy and cephalopodic]] MeatMoss surrounded by [[OccultBlueEyes occult blue]] bio-luminescent spores that runs on HumanResources. Then "Critical Mass" proves it's also [[TheVirus infectious]] via MutagenicGoo, and by "Leviathan Wakes" it has full-on CombatTentacles and can arrange its spores into a humanoid shape. And even ignoring all of that, it's frequently shown to be a complex lifeform that's only "alive" in a way humans can't normally understand it, and also [[OutsideContextProblem completely violates the laws of physics]] whenever it shows up in the story.

to:

* EldritchAbomination: The protomolecule. In its first appearance it's [[EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods squishy and cephalopodic]] cephalopodic MeatMoss surrounded by [[OccultBlueEyes occult blue]] bio-luminescent spores that runs on HumanResources. Then "Critical Mass" proves it's also [[TheVirus infectious]] via MutagenicGoo, and by "Leviathan Wakes" it has full-on CombatTentacles and can arrange its spores into a humanoid shape. And even ignoring all of that, it's frequently shown to be a complex lifeform that's only "alive" in a way humans can't normally understand it, and also [[OutsideContextProblem completely violates the laws of physics]] whenever it shows up in the story.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

** Ships can mask themselves from RADAR and LADAR by shadowing behind a celestial body or making themselves seem alike part of the landscape by getting as close as possible to the surface of one and holding still.

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