Sami on The Expanse 1.1

The Expanse aired at 10pm on SyFy Monday night.

Something like six months ago, Hank told us 12 Monkeys fans on Twitter that SyFy was making a new space opera, and I was immediately intrigued. Then Danyi saw the first ep at NYCC and said it was amazing.

It wasn't oversold--it IS amazing. It's so cool, you guys.

In the 23rd century, Earth and Mars are colonized and not super friendly at each other, and both are dependent on the resources dug out of the asteroids in the Belt--which means they treat the Belters like crap and the Belters are getting tired of it. Dissent is brewing and people are standing on soapboxes trying to gather support.

Meanwhile, the down-on-his-luck space-gumshoe hired to find a missing rich girl doesn't much care about it, and she's lost somewhere creepy and full of secrets with what looks like a devouring purple star inside a ship.

Also meanwhile, a mining ship is coming toward Ceres station and stops to answer a distress call that goes super wrong when they find out that the whole crew is missing and the power core is off, so the transmission was a lie--and a trap. A Martian ship attacks and destroys their home ship, leaving them only a shuttle that's not in great repair, and the derelict they were investigating.

Back on Earth, a diplomat is interrogating a Belter who literally can't even stand up under Earth's gravity, and it letting that gravity torture him without having to lift a finger.

It's a literally explosive start to an awesome new series.

They've put a lot of detail and effort into building a futuristic world that looks real and lived-in--which seems to be a new standard for the channel, in light of Dark Matter and Killjoys and 12 Monkeys. The ships look great*. The moral and ethical issues raised already are very scifi and seem to be being handled in a good and powerful way. The space shots are amazing. There's a lot of characters, which gives the story a lot of scope for action, different points of view, multiple sides of the plot.

And the details! The comm guy wears headphones. The PI's phone is cracked. There's neat housing that looks like it was once nice and is now a slum. There's a lot of diversity. The ship has dirt on it because the XO misses land. People complain about the lack of light--which is literally the first time I've seen that ever on a dimply-lit show. And the range of tech between the upper and lower looks like a real spread you'd actually see in a situation where not everyone has the same access to funds.

It's a really good set up. I can't wait to see what happens next.

What did you guys think of it? Are you onboard** for the space opera? Share in the comments or come talk to us on Twitter!


NOTES:
*#SamiWantsASpaceship again
**See what I did there?