The Expanse

The Expanse is an American science fiction television series developed by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby for the Syfy network and is based on the series of novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey. Set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, it follows a disparate band of protagonists — United Nations Security Council member Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), cynical detective Josephus "Joe" Miller (Thomas Jane), ship's officer James Holden (Steven Strait) and his crew — as they unwittingly unravel and place themselves at the center of a conspiracy that threatens the system's fragile peace, while dealing with existential crises brought forth by newly discovered alien technology. The Expanse has received a positive critical response, with particular praise for its visuals, character development and political narrative. It received a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and three Saturn Award nominations for Best Science Fiction Television Series. Syfy cancelled the series after three seasons. Amazon later acquired the series, producing three more seasons, with the sixth and final season premiering on December 10, 2021. Series overview Setting Hundreds of years in the future, humanity has colonized the Solar System. The three largest powers are the United Nations of Earth and Luna, the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose political confederation of colonies scattered across the asteroid belt and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The United Nations are a militaristic, ultra-capitalist society with authoritarian undertones, while the Martians have evolved into a corporatist culture. Both ruthlessly exploit and oppress the alien "Belter" populations of the OPA to gain control of their valuable natural resources.