Despite not being especially high-profile,The Expanseis one of thebest sci-fi shows of all time, and part of the reason for its quality is its incredible attention to detail. YouTuber/astrophysicistDr. Beckyhas heaped an enormous amount of praise on the beloved space opera, paying particular attention toThe Expanse’s adherence to real scientific and socio-economic concepts.
Originally made by Syfy,The Expansewas canceled after season 3 and the show was kept alive on Prime Video.The Expanse’s big finale at the end of season 6gave it a great stopping point. However,James S.A. Corey’s books that served as the source materialventure beyondThe Expanse’s final episode.
On her YouTube channel,Dr. Becky watchedThe Expanseand provided some interesting insightinto how accurately the show portrayed potential human societies away from Earth. While the show did delve into more fantastical sci-fi tropes, Dr. Becky’s analysis reaffirms how well-writtenThe Expanse’s more grounded storylines were.
“It’s amazing to think about how they’ve built this story around resources, essentially, like gravity almost is a resource. But then, like water and air - things you take for granted on Earth - you know, not being necessarily being readily available.”
“You can imagine, like, out in the asteroid belt and beyond, like, those natural resources aren’t necessarily there for you. They’re even mining ice from around the rings of Saturn to melt into water for drinking on Ceres. So, it’s amazing how many wars have been started by basically fighting over resources.”
What Dr. Becky’s Comments Mean For The Expanse’s Scientific Accuracy
Dr. Becky’s analysis reinforces how much thought the writers put inwhen building the world. As well as delving into the scarcity of certain resources and how they could realistically be acquired byThe Expanse’s characters, Dr. Becky is also thrilled to discover that the show’s method of generating gravity aboard ships is actually pretty viable.
Obviously, things like the protomolecule and the lore surrounding the Ring Builders and fictitious planets/alien races pushThe Expansea little more into classic sci-fi territory. However, having already built itself on scientific principles by that point, the less grounded elements ofThe Expanse’s story are a little easier to buy into.
Our Take On An Expert Signing Off On Many Of The Expanse’s “Realistic” Worldbuilding Techniques
Watching sci-fi from a young age has naturally made me interested in real scientific concepts, and how many creative liberties writers take when penning their scripts. That said, I do not consider myself an expert in any field of science. So,I often just suspend my disbelief when watching shows likeThe Expanse, while idly wondering if what I’m seeing could be possible.
Whenever someone qualified to do so weighs in on this matter, I always find it fascinating - and Dr. Becky’s comments are no different. To hear thatthe narrative bedrock on whichThe Expanse’s world is built isn’t even that outlandish, but is instead strongly rooted in real tech and challenges, makes the show even more enjoyable.
Of course, believing something to be possible isn’t necessary to enjoy a sci-fi TV show. That said, this space opera in particular has obviously paid a lot of attention to scientific accuracy, without letting those concepts get completely in the way of telling a good story. So, it’s helpful to have experts like Dr. Becky highlighting these elements ofThe Expanse.
