History Series / TheExpanse

[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Moi6xdSAEk0 Season 3 teaser]]\\
[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zz2ALmYuE0 Season 3 trailer]]

About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the asteroids. 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.

* 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]* 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]].

** 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]].
** In the books, Avasarala is described as being from India, part of an old political dynasty; before ranking up in the UN she used to be governor of the Goa region. In the TV show her actress is ethnically Iranian - though based on her manner of dress and the rest of her family the character's backstory is apparently unchanged.
* 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]].

* ArtisticLicenseEconomics: A large proportion of Earth's population cannot find paid work owing to extensive automation of the economy and subsist on welfare scheme called Basic Assistance. Given that Martians tend to stereotype Earthers as indolent "takers", this apparently is not the case on Mars. Even though their technology is supposed to be generally more advanced than Earth's, and so the Martian economy should probably be automated to at least the same degree. It could be that Mars exiles or executes their unproductive citizens, but if they do it has never been mentioned in the show.

* OnlyOneName: Diogo.

* 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, as well as his own vessel to make sure the pods can never be stopped.]]

* InfantImmortality:
** Averted by 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.
** Averted in the Season 1 finale "Leviathan Wakes", where [[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.

[[caption-width-right:350:Season 1 Promotional Poster (Clockwise from top left: Naomi Nagata, Josephus Miller, Julie Mao, Jim Holden).]]

* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:The civilzation that built the protomolocule and the ring network turns out to have been wiped out by an unknown party long ago.]]

* 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.

** 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 corvette ''Rocinante''.

* 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 corvette ''Tachi''.

* FallingIntoTheCockpit: How Holden's crew find themselves in possession of a badass Martian space corvette. Bonus points for Alex having to pilot their DieOrFly escape while still groggy from a sedative he took to conserve oxygen earlier.

* 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 corvette.

* PrivateMilitaryContractors: The ''Rocinante'' crew, in a sense, since they're the only technically unaffiliated military-grade corvette in the system, though they've so far co-operated quite closely with Fred Johnson and the OPA.

* 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 corvette things are a little more interesting for them.

** The pilot episode, "Dulcinea", and Holden's corvette ''Rocinante'' are named after Literature/DonQuixote's presumptive lover and horse, respectively. Holden's early exposure to Cervantes is explored in the (appropriately-titled) episode 'Windmills' when his mother Elise explains the FreudianExcuse behind his ChronicHeroSyndrome. Then there's the obvious parallels between Miller's obsession with Julie Mao and Don Quixote's [[TheDulcineaEffect obsession with Dulcinea]].[[note]]The book also extends this to Holden, who gets a WhatTheHellHero from Naomi because he can't distinguish love from desire, but the show hasn't gone into this.[[/note]]

** The Martians are said to possess advanced stealth technology. That said, the ''Rocinante'' (originally a Martian corvette) can't actually hide from other ships, so it's disguised as a gas freighter in the second half of Season 1.

* GreaterScopeVillain: 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.

* PragmaticAdaptation: In the novels, all native Belters -- including Joe Miller and Naomi Nagata -- are unnaturally tall and skinny. Although a few minor characters are depicted this way in the show, 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.

** Ade Tukunbo was Nigerian in the books; Ade Nygaard is white in the show. In doing so, the show [[spoiler: avoids the BlackGirlDiesFirst implications of her being just a MauveShirt]].

* 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 HighSpeedMissileDodge]].

** Earth's RailGun {{Kill Sat}}s fire a bullet which 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.

** Holden note in "Dulcinea" that the ''Canterbury's'' XO had been talking to his plants for months prior to his final breakdown.

--->'''Prax''': If you were a fern, I'd say you have a fatal lack of chlorophyll.

* 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, in fact, is probably contain one of the most realistic and meticulously detailed depiction of zero-g environment that was ever put on screen in a TV show. Creators didn't just ''shown'' their work, they put in on the shiniest and most attention catching pedestal possible.

* TheAtoner: Fred Johnson's motivation for joining the OPA after what he did to Anderson Station.

** Amos grew up rough, but he isn't ashamed of it and claims it isn't a bad way to live as long as those involved look out for one another.

A [[Main/SpaceOpera space opera]] and mystery series based on [[Literature/TheExpanse the book series of the same name]] written by James S. A. Corey. The show premiered in December 2015 on Creator/{{Syfy}}. On May 11, 2018, Syfy canceled the series after three seasons, with online distribution and streaming rights being cited as the main reason. Alcon Entertainment, however, announced plans to shop the series around in an effort to continue it, and a fan campaign to get the show picked up by a streaming platform quickly followed. On May 26, at the International Space Development Conference, Jeff Bezos announced that Creator/AmazonStudios has officially picked the series up for additional seasons.

About [[ExtyYearsFromNow two hundred years from now]], humanity has colonized the Moon, Mars, and the asteroids. 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 the residents of the asteroid belt ("Belters") feel they are not getting their fair share from the resources mined out of the asteroids and beyond, while Mars, already nearly 100% independent, wants to seize control of the asteroids for its own ends.

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.

* AfraidOfNeedles: {{Averted}} for all spaceship crew members since no InertialDampening means intravenous drugs are the only way of coping with high-''g'' maneuvers, including ones administered via the ''neck''.

* AManIsAlwaysEager: {{Averted}} when Miller is the first to turn away from an AlmostKiss in "Rock Bottom".

** {{Averted}} when Amos kills [[spoiler: Sematimba]]; then it's through the chest, but still a OneHitKill.

* EasilyForgiven: {{Averted}} with Kenzo despite his best efforts when Holden refuses to help him escape from Eros in "Leviathan Wakes" because he betrayed Holden and his crew to a UN black ops team two episodes earlier.

* ExplosionsInSpace: {{Averted}}. When ships are nuked they simply vanish in a blinding flash followed by a spherical blue explosion (though the debris and shockwave ''are'' slowed down enough [[RuleOfPerception to actually be visible]]). Later, when the ''Rocinante'' battles and defeats an enemy stealth ship, the ship itself remains entirely intact, save for being riddled with hundreds of tiny bullet holes from the ''Rocinante's'' point-defense cannons. Hell, the ''Rocinante'' expected the exact same thing to happen to ''them'' win or lose, so they all put on their suits and depressurized their entire ship ''before'' entering combat.
-->'''Naomi''': I ''hate'' this part.\\
'''Holden''': You gotta do it. They'll be poking holes in us.\\
'''Naomi''': Yeah, but this feels like we're ''agreeing'' to it.

* HeavyWorlder: Earthers, by virtue of the fact humanity has yet to colonize a celestial body with higher gravity. Amos and Alex look similar in size but Alex (a native Martian) isn't able to lift Amos because he is physically weaker and because the Earther is denser than he is. The trade-off is that Earthers also require more food and oxygen.

* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: [[spoiler:Inside the ring is a hyperspace bubble that stops anything moving above a certain speed, potentially lethally for the crew of said things, 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.]]

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Miller is very abrasive and cynical, but has more limits than some and occasionally shows a gentler side.

-->'''Miller''': When I was homicide, there was this guy. Property management specialist working a contract out of Luna. Someone burned half his skin off and dropped him out an airlock. Turned out he was responsible for maintenance on sixty holes up on level thirty. Lousy neighborhood. He’d been cutting corners. Hadn’t replaced the air filters in three months. There was mold growing in three of the units. And you know what we found after that? Not a goddamn thing, because ''we stopped looking.'' '''Some people need to die''', and he was one. And the next guy that took the job '''''cleaned the ducting and swapped the filters on schedule.'''''

* OldSchoolDogfighting: Averted. Ship maneuvers are limited by how much ''g''-forces crews can stand so ship-to-ship combat tends to involve participants either charging towards or away from one another as they fling torpedoes and railgun rounds at each other. Even a more intricate SpaceBattle like in "Doors and Corners" involves using attitude thrusters and hovering, and so resembles helicopter maneuvers more than anything else.

* OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture: {{Averted}}: the show uses modern firearms and airsoft guns with minor modifications, and the MMC PoweredArmor has sleek, built-in weapon systems like forearm-mounted GatlingGood and missile rack in the back.
* OutgrownSuchSillySuperstitions: {{Averted}}. Humanity is just as religious as ever, with the Mormon Church in particular having grown wealthy and powerful enough to fund its own GenerationShip for an interstellar expedition.

* PlanetTerra:
** Earth is still "Earth", but the Moon is now "Luna".
** The sun is still called "the sun", but it's labelled as "Sol" on the map of the solar system showing the trajectory of the ''Nauvoo'' in "Godspeed".

* 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".
** {{Subverted}} with [[spoiler: Havelock]], who seemed like a goner for sure but survived the attempt on his life.

* 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.

** 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 LudicrousGibs.]]

** 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 said landlord with this trope in "Dulcinea".

* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: Sematimba, Admiral Souther, Cotyar, and Tilly]] all bite the dust, unlike their (less prominent) novel counterparts.

* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: [[spoiler:Inside the ring is a hyperspace bubble that stops anything moving above a certain speed, potentially lethally for the crew of said things, destroys anything that breaches the bubble except at the ring, and has a strange construct in the center which draws things toward it.]]

* The UN Navy's ''Truman'' class also has two prominent centrifuge habs, though these are only seen in exterior shots and mentioned in the lore, not actually seen functioning yet. It's established early in season 3 that many of these ships were only just being pulled out of mothball, so it's possible that these habs weren't a priority.

* SpaceNavy: The UNN and MCRN for the Solar System's two major factions. MCRN ships have "NAVY" prominently emblazoned on their sides.

* 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 Investigator 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. He also immediately halts the momentum of every ship within the slow zone, killing hundreds and critically injuring many more.]]

* 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]].

** The UN's only viable option for even attempting to stop [[spoiler: Eros from colliding with Earth]] in "Home" is to launch half Earth's nuclear arsenal against it, with the second half coming behind to attempt to reduce and sterilize the debris.

* 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 Investigator 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. He also immediately halts the momentum of every ship within the slow zone, killing and critically injuring hundreds.]]