I’ve always liked science fiction. The harder the better. I just finished watching the first 3 seasons of The Expanse. I do believe it’s the best sci-fi show I’ve ever seen and better than any movie too.
Here’s a great review:
Caltech and JPL researchers and the cast and creators talk about the real science behind it (some clips too):
Another season is coming but the first three could stand alone. I couldn’t help but binge on it. It’ll be even better the second time around.
but except for not having artificial gravity and faster than light travel, what is hard sci-fi about it? i think all of this protomolecule stuff isn’t really.
I was wondering when someone would point this out. Here’s the book authors agreeing with you. “It’s not really hard science fiction” at 20:00.
They do gravity right so everybody calls it hard sci-fi. In the world of books, no it is not. Not even close. It only seems hard in TV land.
After learning how much work goes into shooting zero G / inertia and how much it becomes part of the story, I can see why anti-grav plates and inertial dampeners are used so much for the screen. Star Trek without them wouldn’t be the same show. On the other hand, a tribble infestation in zero-G would be fun.
Thanks for the reply. This show almost went away and the fans saved it. I only recently heard about it through word-of-mouth so I’m passing it on. I don’t often do this but lots of sci-fi fans here and there’s been debates about hard vs soft here in the past.
Edit: One of my favorite scenes in this show was a locker flew open during combat and the guys were strapped in their chairs while power tools were zipping back and forth around them. Good stuff!
Edit: Be careful with spoilers here. The blue goo is a mystery.
They also do sound in space, can’t be all that ‘hard’.
First season and the transition over to the second one were the best parts so far IMO.
And while it is a pretty cool series overall I have to say I am not too fond of some of their main cast, there are a few that I find not all that watchable on their own. Amos is fun though as are some of the more recent additions.
That’s one of the things that got me. I hated Amos and a couple others at first. My opinion changed over time and Amos became my favorite character. Others went the other way. Good writing I guess. The show comes from a book series and it shows.
Edit: I didn’t mention it in the OP but the story telling is great. Gripping. It’s really about us in the here and now. This show is pretty deep.
For me, this is probably the best to show since Babylon 5. In many respects it is a conceptual predecessor to b5. (Even though b5 may be unwatchable today).
Great storytelling, good pace, hard decisions with real consequences, no nudity and violence when they aren’t needed, great characters with real depth to them. I love pretty much all the cast except for the main guy (forgot his name atm), but especially chrischen: she has amazing presence on screen.
Eventually I’ll have to read the books, but the show’s vision is so well defined I’m afraid it will be confusing.
