The Expanse (TV series)

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

The Expanse. TV series, five seasons so far, 2015-2019. Creators: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby. Anthony A. Ianni and Seth Reed, production design. Main writers: Daniel Abraham, Ty Franck,[1] from the novels and stories by "James S.A. Corey," pseudonym for the team of Abraham and Franck.[2] Canada/USA: Alcon Entertainment, Sean Daniel Company (production) / Syfy (2015-2018) (USA), Space (2015-) (Canada). See IMDb for details of distribution.[3]

Summarized on Wikipedia (in part): "Set in a future where humanity has colonized the Solar System, it follows United Nations executive Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo), police detective Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane), and ship's officer James Holden (Steven Strait) and his crew as they unravel a conspiracy that threatens peace in the system and the survival of humanity."[4]

Season 1 (December 2015-February 2016)

Most of the settings are in space, necessarily showing humans inside the "mechanisms" (our term) of various kinds of spacecraft/stations; and among discontented humans a major issue is that on Earth people are free to walk in air, and see large expanses of water. There are also a number of nifty computers, weapons, implants, and other gadgets. Still, note that the science-fictional, futuristic setting is mostly kept as setting and is often of interest precisely for how the future world is normalized and domesticated,[5] with a good deal of visual emphasis on a wide range of living and working spaces, and transportation of the classes and castes of this fairly-near future world (cf. and contrast BLADE RUNNER). In the first several episodes, note the defamiliarizing of two items from our time: a coffee-making machine that delights one of the male leads (Steven Strait's ship's officer), not as mechanism but as a source of coffee, and a gerbil (?) in a wheel, a rodent that turns out to be a small robot and a bearer of data (Episode 5, "Back to the Butcher")[6]. Note the usual polygons in the set design, with octagons in the opening episodes favored over hexagons.[7]

In episode 4, "CQB," note introduction of the Nauvoo, a huge generation (star)ship "being built at the behest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" ("Mormons"). The generation-starship is an important motif, or trope, used in such works as R. A. Heinlein's "Universe" and the works cross-referenced there; for list: here.[8] 

RDE, Initial Compiler, 17May20