I don’t watch many current shows, so I suppose it’s no surprise that I was late in discovering The Expanse. By the time I heard of it, there were already three seasons, and the fourth season was coming soon on Amazon Prime. And partway through the third season before finding out it was based on a series of books, which have now been added to my ever expanding need to read list.
If you’re a science fiction fan and haven’t seen The Expanse yet, by all means, find the time. There is an edge of reality to the show that most science fiction shows don’t bother with. This is combined with the fascinating exploration of the biases and attitudes that will develop as humanity expands to other parts of our solar system. The Earthers and the Martians are constantly on the edge of war, while the Belters are disadvantaged, underpaid, and providing raw resources to both of them.
The Earth is over-populated and can’t provide jobs to keep everybody busy, but does a passing job at keeping them fed, if not necessarily happy or in good health. The Martians are still working on terraforming with hopes of turning Mars into a fertile planet like Earth. And the Belters routinely suffer from problems caused by contaminated air and water and other problems caused when living in entirely contained environments.
What really caught my attention is the assortment of accents. This isn’t one of your older science fiction shows where everybody speaks English with an American accent, with the occasional British accent to show that somebody is posh. The Belters have their own language that they spout off in at times, and even among the Belters, there are a variety of accents, so you may have to listen carefully to catch what they’re saying… assuming you know the words, since of course, some new concepts are introduced.
By all means, find time to watch this delightful show.