Entertainment
‘Interstellar’ Fans Need To Watch One of the 21st Century’s Greatest Sci-Fi Series
One of the best things about Interstellar is the way Christopher Nolan blends enormous space-set spectacle with a grounded approach to physics and human emotion. The sets, CGI, and spectacular performances from Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey all helped make it one of the defining sci-fi movies of the 21st century. But if its 2-hour-49-minute runtime still leaves you wanting more, there is a six-season sci-fi epic that scratches a very similar itch: The Expanse.
The bold sci-fi series follows numerous characters as they navigate a dangerous future in which humanity has spread across the solar system, Earth and Mars are locked in a cold war, and an entire population of people called “Belters” struggle for basic resources while living and working throughout the asteroid belt. From the outset, with a Star Wars-style text on the screen, The Expanse throws audiences into its heavily futuristic world, yet its politics, class divisions and human flaws remain strikingly grounded. By creating stunning visuals with both CGI and practical sets, alongside a dark exploration of capitalism and exploitation, The Expanse is exactly the kind of epic sci-fi binge Interstellar fans should seek out.
‘The Expanse’s Attention to Detail Enhances the Sci-Fi Elements of the World
Great science fiction makes even its most futuristic ideas feel tangible, and The Expanse excels in this area, especially with how it introduces technology through active use before explaining exactly how it works. For example, we see James (Steven Strait), who becomes heavily involved in the Cold War between Earth and Mars while trying to keep a low profile after his ship is mysteriously attacked, injected in the neck with a milky fluid before the ship he’s in does a flip in space to change direction. At first, it’s clear it’s something they use when turning. But we don’t fully understand its significance until an OPA prisoner of the UN refuses the injection, killing himself in a statement of suicide. Moreover, it’s explained to us that this injection allows humans to survive “hard gravity” by Chrisjen (Shohreh Aghdashloo), who was in charge of the prisoner.
We get a similar moment when James crushes a pill into liquid and drinks it, and we are later told this is a substitute for coffee. What it does is allow us to experience the world before information is thrown at us. By also linking such technology to real-world things such as how we may feel gravity during flight or driving, or coffee, we can see how humanity has evolved in a linear fashion, rather than having to fathom something wholly new.
The politics of this world are given a similar treatment. While the scale of conflicts may be on an interplanetary level, the maneuvers different political actors take as well as the stakes feel very grounded and familiar to our world. The Belters on Ceres are clear stand-ins for people in our world who are trapped in a cycle of exploitation, and the OPA terrorists show how such dissatisfaction with the status quo can push the public to support extremist groups, especially when things such as water are limited. We also see how such a growth in ability has not made humans better.
There are huge levels of corruption in Miller’s (Thomas Jane) police organization, which makes his job (which includes finding a rich man’s daughter who is far more significant than he first thinks) far harder. Yet, Miller himself is also one to bend the rules when it suits him. It is clear that such advances won’t automatically fix issues in humanity’s moral makeup, but will simply provide different settings for such issues.
‘The Expanse’ Mixes CGI and Practical Effects in an Effective and Gripping Way
CGI on television is certainly not guaranteed to be the spectacle it is usually on the big screen. Due to typically smaller budgets and less time in between seasons on average, it is not normal for a sci-fi series to look as good as The Expanse does. It may not rival Interstellar‘s iconic depictions of black holes and strange planets, but shots such as the Canterbury flipping its boosters to change direction and subtle effects like Miller’s interplanetary map that shows Julie Mao’s (Florence Faivre) previous movements seamlessly integrate with the rest of the show. The former example conveys the spectacle such an epic narrative should, and the latter is another example of The Expanse making every second of screentime fascinating to watch.
However, these CGI achievements are perhaps surpassed by the range and creativity of practical sets which The Expanse uses to make the mise en scène feel encompassing and add a depth of context to the world the characters inhabit. From the Blade Runner-esque streets of Ceres which feel incredibly steampunk, to claustrophobic ship interiors, to the luxurious events and houses we see Chrisjen attend and enjoy, these sets portray the difference in class between different factions, characters, and even planets. In doing so, much of the subtext is communicated via visual means and does a lot of heavy lifting so that the character dynamics feel clear.
There is so much that can go wrong when such a high-concept genre is brought to TV, yet The Expanse succeeds in crafting a lived-in and thorough galaxy that is exploding with themes that can be seen as explorations of issues in our own world. With each character going through their own journey that has stakes as high as stopping a galaxy-wide war, The Expanse turns that attention to detail into one of the most immersive sci-fi worlds on television.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2022-00-00
- Network
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SyFy, Prime Video
- Showrunner
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Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
- Directors
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Breck Eisner, Jeff Woolnough, David Grossman, Kenneth Fink, Rob Lieberman, Terry McDonough, Thor Freudenthal, Bill Johnson, David Petrarca, Jennifer Phang, Mikael Salomon, Sarah Harding, Marisol Adler, Anya Adams, Nick Gomez, Simon Cellan Jones
- Writers
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Georgia Lee, Robin Veith, Hallie Lambert, Matthew Rasmussen, Ty Franck, Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Daniel Abraham, Dan Nowak
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