The Expanse
The Expanse
Photo Credit: Kurt Iswarienko/Syfy
-
Premiered:
- Network: Syfy
- Category: Series
- Genre: Drama
- Type: Live Action
- Concept:Based on the book series (The Expanse) by Daniel Abraham & Ty Franck (aka James S. A. Corey)
- Subject Matter: Science Fiction
- Tags:
Buy This Show on DVD or Watch Online
Plot Synopsis
Based on James S.A. Corey's book series collectively known as "The Expanse," this thriller, set 200 years in the future, follows the case of a missing young woman who brings hardened detective Josephus Miller and rogue ship captain Jim Holden together in a race across the solar system to expose the greatest conspiracy in human history. By this point, humans have colonized the solar system. The U.N. controls Earth, but Mars is an independent military power. The planets rely on the resources of the Asteroid Belt, where air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising between these three places. Now, Earth, Mars and the Belt are on the brink of war when a young woman goes missing. Miller, a native of the Ceres Station in the Asteroid Belt, is a detective for a corporate security force operating as the law in the Belt, and he discovers a newfound sense of purpose when he's put in charge of the investigation into a missing heiress. Holden, the 2nd officer on the ice-carrying freighter the Canterbury, is a natural leader who's not sure he wants responsibility, but who will soon have no choice when he is drawn into a dangerous plot. Meanwhile, on Earth, Chrisjen Avasarala has achieved one of the highest ranks in UN government without ever standing for election. She belongs to a longstanding political dynasty on Earth, dating back to the early days of planetary exploration and colonization. Martian separatists assassinated her father during a period of social unrest, and her son, a Marine, died in the line of duty while defending Earth from Belter revolutionaries. The Canterbury crew includes: chief engineer Dominique, a former Belter whose complicated relationship with violence and her troubled history have lead to an unlikely friendship with the Canterbury's mechanic, Amos Burton; pilot Alex, who grew up in Mars' Mariner Valley and enlisted in the Martian Congressional Republic Navy before signing up for this gig, which gives him the chance to visit the farthest reaches of the solar system; mechanic Amos, an Earther who doesn't talk about his past -- but knows a lot about brothels and Baltimore; and med-tech Shed, who has to operate at a dining table in the galley after the medical bay was removed when the Canterbury was gutted to clear the way for cargo.
THE EXPANSE returned for a 13-episode second season on Wednesday, February 1, 2017 from 10pm-Midnight ET/PT on Syfy with a double-episode premiere. As Season 2 kicks off with interplanetary tensions at an all-time high, the cold war between Earth and Mars is on the brink of an all-out battle. In the season opener (10pm), "Safe," James Holden and crew deal with the aftermath of their escape from Eros. Then, in the night's second new episode (11pm), "Doors & Corners," Holden and crew stage a dangerous raid in search of information about the protomolecule.
Season 3 of THE EXPANSE premiered on Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 9pm ET/PT on Syfy. Picking up immediately following the emotional and suspenseful second season finale, the 13-episode third season finds Earth, Mars and The Belt at war, with each competing entity vying for control. Now, more than ever, the mission to unlock the secret of the protomolecule reaches an all-time high and every decision made could jeopardize the survival of the solar system. Returning cast: Steven Strait, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Dominique Tipper, Cas Anvar, Wes Chatham and Frankie Adams. This season also introduces Elizabeth Mitchell and David Strathairn as recurring guest stars.
The 10-episode fourth season of THE EXPANSE premiered on Friday, December 13, 2019 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, as Amazon Prime Video released the entire season. Season 4 begins a new chapter for the series with the crew of the Rocinante on a mission from the U.N. to explore new worlds beyond the Ring Gate. Humanity has been given access to thousands of Earth-like planets, which has created a blood-soaked land rush that furthered tensions and ignited new conflicts between the opposing nations of Earth, Mars and the Belt. Ilus is the first of these planets, one rich with natural resources but also marked by the ruins of a long dead alien civilization. While Earthers, Martians and Belters maneuver to colonize Ilus and its natural resources, these early explorers don't understand this new world and are unaware of the larger dangers that await them. The Rocinante crew gets caught in a violent clash between an Earth mining corporation and desperate Belter settlers as deadly, new threats from the protomolecule emerge.
Season 5 of THE EXPANSE premiered on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, as Amazon released the first three episodes. The fifth season picks up as multitudes of humans leave the solar system in search of new homes and vast fortunes on the earth-like worlds beyond the alien Ring, and a heavy price for centuries of exploitation of the Belt finally comes due and a reckoning is at hand. For the crew of the Rocinante and the leaders of the Inner Planets and the Belt, the past and present converge, bringing forth personal challenges that have wide-reaching repercussions throughout the Solar System. Amos returns to Earth to confront his past and the legacy of the life he fought to leave behind. Naomi reaches out to her estranged son in a desperate bid to save him from his father's toxic influence. Bobbie and Alex confront the collapse of Mars as they chase a shadowy cabal with ties to terrorists and criminals. Holden wrestles with the consequences of his own past with the Protomolecule, the aliens who built it, and the mystery of what killed them. Drummer, with a new crew, fights to escape who and what she used to be. And Avasarala, refusing to be relegated to the sidelines, fights to prevent a terrorist attack unrivaled in history.
The six-episode sixth and final season of THE EXPANSE debuted on Friday, December 10, 2021, as Amazon Prime Video released the first episode of the new season. A new episode drops each Friday through January 14, 2022. Season 6 picks up with the solar system at war, as Marco Inaros and his Free Navy continue to launch devastating asteroid attacks on Earth and Mars. As the tensions of war and shared loss threaten to pull the crew of the Rocinante apart, Chrisjen Avasarala makes a bold move and sends former Martian Marine Bobbie Draper on a secret mission that could turn the tide of the conflict. Meanwhile, in the Belt, Drummer and what's left of her family are on the run after betraying Marco. And on a distant planet beyond the Rings, a new power begins to rise. In the season opener, "Strange Dogs," the tensions of war threaten to pull the Rocinante crew apart when they make a startling discovery on an asteroid. Avasarala and Bobbie contend with the devastation on Earth as Marco's rocks continue to rain down. In the Belt and on the run, Drummer and her family must make a heartbreaking decision. On Ceres, Marco and Filip's struggles turn inward.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Friday, January 14, 2022, Amazon Prime Video released "Babylon's Ashes," the series finale of THE EXPANSE. Inners and Belters fight side by side with the crew of the Rocinante in a last, massive, desperate battle with Marco and his Free Navy, with the fate of the Solar System, the Ring Gates, and of all humanity hanging in the balance.
Cast
- Steven Strait - James Holden
- Shohreh Aghdashloo - Chrisjen Avasarala
- Dominique Tipper - Naomi Nagata
- Wes Chatham - Amos Burton
- Cas Anvar - Alex Kamal (Season 1-5)
- Thomas Jane - Det. Josephus 'Joe' Miller (Seasons 1-4)
- Paulo Costanzo - Shed Garvey (Season 1)
- Cara Gee - Camina Drummer (Seasons 2-6)
- Frankie Adams - Bobbie Draper (Seasons 2-6)
- Nadine Nicole - Clarissa Mao (Seasons 3-6)
- Keon Alexander - Marco Inaros (Seasons 4-6)
- Jasai Chase Owens - Felip (Seasons 4-6)
- Kathleen Robertson - Rosenfeld Guoliang (Season 6)
- Emma Ho - Cara (Season 6)
- Joanne Vannicola - Nico Sanjrani (Season 6)
- Daniel Jun - Gary (Season 6)
- Dianne Aguilar - Dot (Season 6)
- Ian Ho - Xan (Season 6)
- Conrad Coates - Admiral Sidiqi (Season 6)
- Chad L. Coleman - Col. Frederick 'Fred' Lucius Johnson (Seasons 1-4)
- Shawn Doyle - Sadavir Errinwright (Seasons 1-3)
- Florence Faivre - Julie Mao (Seasons 1-3)
- Andrew Rotilio - Diogo (Seasons 1-3)
- Francois Chau - Jules-Pierre Mao (Seasons 1-3)
- Martin Roach - Admiral Souther (Seasons 1-3)
- Elias Toufexis - Kenzo (Seasons 1-3)
- Jared Harris - Anderson Dawes (Seasons 1 & 2)
- Jay Hernandez - Dmitri Havelock (Season 1)
- Kristen Hager - Ade Nygaard (Season 1)
- Athena Karkanis - Octavia Muss (Season 1)
- Jonathan Banks - (Season 1)
- Greg Bryk - Lopez (Season 1)
- Terry Chen - Dr. Praxidike 'Prax' Meng (Seasons 2, 3 & 6)
- Nick E. Tarabay - Coytar (Seasons 2 & 3)
- Ted Atherton - Dr. Strickland (Seasons 2 & 3)
- Leah Madison Jung - Mei (Seasons 2 & 3)
- Byron Mann - Admiral Nguyen (Seasons 2 & 3)
- Jonathan Whittaker - Sec-Gen Gillis (Seasons 2 & 3)
- Alden Adair - Staz (Season 2)
- Mpho Koaho - Travis (Season 2)
- Conrad Pla - Colonel Janus (Season 2)
- Peter Outerbridge - Captain Martens (Season 2)
- Ted Whittall - Dr. Iturbi (Season 2)
- Sarah Allen - Hilly (Season 2)
- Dewshane Williams - Corporal Sa'id (Season 2)
- Hugh Dillon - Lt. Sutton (Season 2)
- Anna Hopkins - Monica (Seasons 3, 5 & 6)
- David Strathairn - Klaes Ashford (Seasons 3 & 4)
- Elizabeth Mitchell - Anna Volovodov (Seasons 3 & 6)
- Brock Johnson - Grigori (Season 3)
- Chris Owens - Kolvoord (Season 3)
- Genelle Williams - Tilly Fagan (Season 3)
- Sabryn Rock - Oshi (Season 3)
- Adolyn H. Dar - Jed Trepp (Season 3)
- Paulino Nunes - Hector Cortez (Season 3)
- Lyndie Greenwood - Dr. Elvi Okoye (Seasons 4-6)
- Lily Gao - Nancy Gao (Seasons 4 & 5)
- Burn Gorman - Adolphus Murtry (Season 4)
- Rosa Gilmore - Dr. Lucia (Season 4)
- Jess Salgueiro - Chandra Wei (Season 4)
- Steven McCarthy - Jakob Mazur (Season 4)
- Patti Kim - Carol Chiwewe (Season 4)
- Dayle McLeod - Leelee (Season 4)
- Paul Schulze - Esai Martin (Season 4)
- Kolton Stewart - David Draper (Season 4)
- Michael Xavier - Thomas (Season 4)
- Zach Smadu - Dr. Fayez Sarkis (Season 4)
- Kyla Madeira - Felcia Mazur (Season 4)
- Chai Valladares - Aide Diaz (Season 4)
- Michael Benyaer - Arjun (Season 4)
- Nathaniel McParland - Chike (Season 4)
- Nabeel El Khafif - Scotty (Season 4)
- Jamaal Grant - Barbapiccola Captain (Season 4)
- Kris Holden-Ried - Coop (Season 4)
- Samer Salem - Josep (Seasons 5 & 6)
- Vanessa Smythe - Michio (Seasons 5 & 6)
- Jose Zuniga - Bull (Season 5)
- George Tchortov - Leveau (Season 5)
- Olunike Adeliyi - Karal (Season 5)
- Sandrine Holt - Oksana (Season 5)
- Brent Sexton - Cyn (Season 5)
- Stephen Tracey - Bertold (Season 5)
- Wilex Ly - Serge (Season 5)
- Michael Irby - UN Admiral Delgado (Season 5)
- Somkele Iyamah-Idhalama - (Season 5)
- Bahia Watson - Sakai (Season 5)
- Jacob Mundell - Erich (Season 5)
- Lara Jean Chorostecki - Lt. Babbage (Season 5)
- Alex Hatz - Yilmaz (Season 5)
- Joyce Rivera - Cebotari (Season 5)
- Sugith Varughese - David Paster (Season 5)
- Sam Kalilieh - Clarke (Season 5)
- Ted Dykstra - Gareth (Season 6)
- Stuart Hughes - Liang Walker (Season 6)
- Amanda Cordner - Hutch (Season 6)
Production & Distribution
- Produced by Alcon Television Group (ATG)