It’s here … and we almost wish it wasn’t. The sixth and final season of “The Expanse” is currently showing on Amazon Prime Video.
So, sit back, strap in, get comfortable in your crash couch, disengage the docking clamp, fire thrusters, engage the Epstein drive and ready “the juice” … this is the awesome, high-octane, action-packed concluding season of one of the best science fiction dramas ever written for television.
This final season picks up with the solar system at war, as Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) continues to launch devastating asteroid attacks on Earth and Mars. As the tensions of war and shared loss threaten to pull the crew of the Rocinante apart, Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) makes a bold move and sends former Martian Marine Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) on a secret mission that could turn the tide of the conflict. Meanwhile, in the Belt, Drummer (Cara Gee) and what’s left of her family are on the run after betraying Marco. And on a distant planet beyond the Rings, a new power begins to rise.
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What makes “The Expanse” so good? Well, it’s not rocket science (pun intended); it’s well-written sci-fi that features strong, interesting characters in situations that aren’t weighed down with technobabble and consequently, they’re believable and you quickly become invested in what’s going on. Yes, every show has its bits that aren’t as good as others and for “The Expanse” it was Season 4, but that bump in the road is really very small, all things considered. Phenomenal attention to detail and stunning set design combined with a plot that’s not choking on its own needless complexity, together with not overloading the show with fan service, make this a masterclass in well-written sci-fi. Check out our streaming guide to watch The Expanse to make sure you’re caught up.
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This is the last season that Amazon is going to produce. It brings us up to the events in book 6, “Babylon’s Ashes” by James S. A. Corey, the joint pen name of authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. In the story, there is a 28-year gap between the events of “Babylon’s Ashes” and book 7, “Persepolis Rising,” so this seems like a natural break. Whether another studio picks up the show to continue the story remains to be seen. The final book in the series, the ninth novel, “Leviathan Falls” is out now.
It’s great to see the regulars once again, Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), Jim Holden (Steven Strait), Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) as well as Clarissa Mao (Nadine Nicole) whose story arc with Amos was one of the most interesting elements of last season.
Season 6 consists of just six episodes, each about an hour long. The second episode, “Azure Dragon” dropped on Amazon Prime TV Friday, Dec. 17 and new installments will drop weekly until Jan. 24, 2022.
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