Scifi TV geeks have been waiting for a long time for a series that matches the epic sweep of Babylon 5 or Battlestar Galactica. Thus, when it was announced that Syfy was adapting James SA Corey’s Expanse series, there was palpable excitement amongst geeks that perhaps the wait was over. Based on the pilot, there is enough evidence that The Expanse may have a shot at emulating the greatness of the aforementioned series.
The premise: The Expanse is set in a future in which humanity has colonised much of the solar system, but not interstellar space. In the Asteroid Belt and beyond, tensions are rising between Earth’s United Nations, Mars and the outer planets.
In the pilot, we are introduced to two main characters viz. Detective Josephus “Joe” Aloisus Miller (Thomas Jane), a police officer on Ceres (an Earth colony on the Asteroid Belt) and James “Jim” R. Holden (Steven Strait), the executive officer of the ice freighter Canterbury and a host of supporting characters. Although, there is a hint of something seriously amiss in the opening sequence, most of the pilot is caught up with explaining the socio-political background of the series.
The show looks convincing without none of the cheesiness one usually associates with a Syfy series and the sets do a bang up job in complementing the well articulated world built by the Expanse novels. Thus, with the suspension of disbelief well take care of, all that remains is for the show to fulfil the potential demonstrated on this pilot.
Wait and see, I guess, is in order.
Watch now!