A series on Amazon Prime can be a clear recommendation for fans of science fiction stories. It really shows how the colonization of space can go off the rails, and that it doesn’t take aliens to cause chaos.
What is this series about? The Expanse aired between 2015 and 2022 for six seasons. There are a total of 62 episodes, each running around 40 minutes. The series belongs to the science fiction genre and is based on a book series by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. A related game has even been announced now.
Initially, the first seasons were available on Netflix, but in 2018 The Expanse was acquired by Amazon, and since then all episodes have been available on the Prime streaming service. Seasons 5 and 6 were also created under Amazon’s oversight.
After the end of the sixth season, which adapted the sixth book, there are still three more volumes waiting for their adaptation. So far, however, there has been no news that this will happen anytime soon.
But what is The Expanse actually about, and what makes the series good?
Welcome to the 24th Century
What does the series tell? The Expanse takes place in the 24th century and tells of a world as some billionaires like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk probably dream of. Humanity has actually managed to leave parts of planet Earth and conquer the solar system.
There, settlements have been established on Mars and the Moon, which was also desperately needed because: Earth suffers from massive overpopulation. Around 30 billion people live in close quarters and are governed by the United Nations.
The population of Mars, meanwhile, has isolated itself from their home planet Earth. The people there see themselves as something better, have been very diligent in their work, and have become equal to Earth in many aspects – even militarily. At the same time, catastrophic conditions prevail in an asteroid belt that provides numerous raw materials in space.
In summary, it can be said: Space has been partially colonized, but that has created new problems. In all this chaos, The Expanse tells the story of the crew of the spaceship Rocinante, who somehow have to deal with all the political crises.
How is the series received? On Rotten Tomatoes, The Expanse has a critic rating of 95%, and the audience score is 85%. Thus, the series can be described as highly acclaimed and is especially recommended for genre fans.
Especially successful is the depiction of space colonization. This appears not glorious and shiny, but is shown unvarnished and with all its problems. The characters are written with depth, and there is a good mix of thoughtful moments and spectacular scenes.
Visually, genre fans can expect, on one hand, beautiful panoramas of space, but on the other hand, also rundown areas that show signs of people living in extreme situations.
It is quite ironic that the series is running on Amazon Prime, and two of the six seasons were even produced by the company. After all, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is, alongside Elon Musk, one of the loudest voices when it comes to exploring and colonizing space, for example with his own company Blue Origin (via forbes.com)
What do you think about it? Have you already seen The Expanse, or has our article sparked your interest? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! If you’re now in the mood for more space stories, check out MeinMMO and our corresponding list: The 11 best sci-fi series according to IMDb
