The Expanse , on Netflix India, is a science fiction series, set 200  years in the future. And, it is a dystopian future. Earth, in this period has colonised and settled Mars. Mars has fought and won independence from Earth. And there is tension between both planets. Earth ruled by the United Nations, and Mars by the Congressional Republic are in a state of cold war. Both planetary nations exploit mine the asteroid belt that separates the inner planets from the outer planets.  people of the belt are called the Belters, and suffer issues arising out of lower gravity on the asteroid belt. Earth and Mars have also outposts on the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. The belters are the proletariat of the planetary system. Think sweat shop workers.

Although there is scientific advancement, the nature of human beings hasn’t changed. Our descendent are brutish, violent, disunited, and venal. Everyone lies. Earth is over populated (the series mentions 30 billion people), polluted, and the Government pays people to stay at home. Earth is ruled by the UN – with all its’ corruption and competence. And Mars by the Republican Congress.

This is the universe in which The Expanse operates.

As the show begins there is a woman being stalked on a space ship. She is trying to escape. We will learn, a bit later, she is Julie Mao (Florence Faivre) daughter of one of the richest men on earth. On Ceres, a part of the asteroid belt, a cynical, corrupt cop Josephus Miller (Thomas Jane) is given the assignment of finding Julie Mao.

Julie Mao, trying to escape

In space, the Ship Canterbury, is collecting ice from the rings of Saturn back to their home base Ceres, and it receives a distress call. The captain orders that the distress call not be logged, because a) it is likely to be pirates, and b) they would lose their bonus. The interim first officer James Holden disobeys the order, and logs it. Next thing, he and a motley crew go in a shuttle to investigate, and they realise it is indeed a decoy. A stealth ship come out of nowhere and blasts the Canterbury to bits, all hands on board.  As a Martian ship arrives to capture the survivors – the 5 people on the shuttle, Holden broadcasts to all channels, that Mars destroyed the ship.

The ice hauler Cantebury

On earth, the UN is looking at the increased tension with Mars Chrisjen Avasarala,( Shohreh Aghdashloo) a senior member of the UN executive council begins machinations and politicking that would impact lives

These are the three strands of the show. The missing persons investigation, the quest of a crew to find those who killed their mates, and the attempt of an aging matriarch to broker peace (rather not go to war).

The story telling is taut. The universes described and depicted, seem more plausible the cheery optimism and goodness of the Star Trek universe. The production design is absolutely outstanding. The spaces created, the technology imagined, the space ships created, look like things that evolved from our current design sense.

(Holden and Miller, on Eros)

This is more the bleak Bladerunner universe (sans the replicants) that a Utopian future. It is a universe in which Indians are one of the dominant cultures. There is use of Hindi on Ceres, as well as the fact that Chrisjen wears saris through out the show, despite being obviously non Indian.  Like in the Bladerunner, the show has it’s full complement of low life. People who are desperate that morality no longer matters. Be it thugs, prostitutes, drug dealers, people who trade humans, or those who experiment with genetics. Incidentally Miller, superbly played by Thomas Jane, has shades of Rick Decard from that film. Holden is the idealist, brought up to lead, but shies away from shouldering responsibility. But, as the series progresses, you see his character evolving into someone you will follow. And, then there is ‘something’ that is capable of wiping out all life on a satellite.

The three strands of the story converge beautifully, without any part of it seeming forced.

If you like watching finely plotted story telling, then the Expanse should go on your must watch list. That it is science fiction, is just a bonus.