The Expanse (TV series)
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The Expanse. TV series, six seasons so far, 2015-2021. 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;[5] 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,[6] 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")[7]. Note the usual polygons in the set design, with octagons in the opening episodes favored over hexagons.[8]
In episode 4, "CQB," note introduction of the LDSS (Latter-Day Saints Ship) Nauvoo, a huge generation (star)ship "being built at the behest of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" ("Mormons").[9] 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.[10]
At the very end of episode 6, "Rock Bottom," note shot of eye of spy, with camera implant, with the spy and his broadcasting camera developed in episode 7, "Windmills";[11] note for theme of surveillance plus implants and the frequent image in cinema of eyes. Also in Episode 7 note dialog allusion, and visual introduction to the generation starship [12] Nauvoo is what Joseph Smith remaned Commerce, Illinois, when the Mormons developed it;[13] the shot of the ship or associated "figurehead" (our term) is the statue of the "angel Moroni blowing a trumpet" on major LDS buildings.[14][15] Things don't work out, but note for Nauvoo in this stage of its career as the potential container of the seed of the Church going out to Tau Ceti, with an angel associated with the revelation to Joseph Smith — though this gets complicated — combining technology, biology, and theology.[16]
Season 2 (February-April 2017)
Episode 11, 2.1, "Safe," has impressive shots of fighting suits and space suits — and the removal of much of a couple of space suits leading to a shot of heterosex seen though the large portal of a spacecraft. In terms of sight and sound, note two major characters in space suits for brief EVA, communicating first by radio and then privately by touching helmets. We get a close shot of the two talking, for communication both blocked by and enabled by the helmets on the suits. These two character — Naomi and Holden — are the ones we see a small bit later in sexual intimacy, possibly making love (their relationship is deepening).[17]
RDE, Initial Compiler, 17May20f.
