James S. A. Corey's book series The Expanse was first adapted to TV by Syfy, who thought it'd become a huge hit for them. Unfortunately, it didn't capture the kind of traction the broadcaster had hoped for, so they cancelled the series after three solid seasons.
When Amazon's Jeff Bezos heard about the cancellation, he stepped in and bought the series for Amazon Prime Video—to revive the series and give it an extended lease on life. You see, being a space guy, Bezos loved the show and didn't want to see it end before its time.
His efforts—and those of the Prime Video team—were successful, as The Expanse found a new home and a wider audience. For three more excellent seasons, the show wowed audiences with its dense political intrigue and the renegade actions of the Rocinante's crew.
However, all good things must end. With the finale of season six, The Expanse TV series has reached its end. With The Expanse seemingly finished, we're looking back on the political sci-fi series and its most enthralling scenes and moments.
8. Bobbie Surrenders to Earth
In order to explain the wipeout of her entire marine unit to a joint meeting between the leaders of Earth and Mars, Bobbie is commanded by her commanding officers to lie about what happened. This ends up keeping Earth in the dark over the truth.
However, Bobbie loses faith in the information she's told to relay—and eventually escapes the Martian embassy on Earth.
First, she holds her superior officer hostage in his room, demanding he tell her the truth about what happened to her squad. Then, she quickly moves through the embassy and crosses over the diplomatic line between Mars and Earth, immediately requesting asylum as she does.
7. Ashford and Drummer Get Trapped
When the tension between Klaes Ashford and Camina Drummer reaches a high point, Drummer decides to cool off by doing some low-level maintenance work alone. Ashford eventually finds her so that they can discuss their friction and smooth things out.
However, when their ship abruptly stops, they both become trapped by heavy machinery that's suddenly jolted out of place. While trapped, the pair discuss their grievances and come to see one another's point of view, with Drummer beginning to grow respect for Ashford.
Drummer frees Ashford and sacrifices herself in the process. However, Ashford gives up his chance to take permanent command of the ship and instead calls in a medical team to save Drummer.
6. Clarissa Mao Attacks Ashford and Saves Holden
Clarissa Mao—sister to Julie Mao and daughter of Jules-Pierre Mao—is initially on a ruthless search for James Holden with the intent of killing him. She finds herself aboard the Behemoth, where Ashford and Holden violently disagree about escaping the Ring.
For the first time, Clarissa sees Holden trying to save everybody and makes the decision to spare him, using her mods to attack Ashford instead so that Holden has a chance to implement his plan.
Clarissa's path from vengeful to understanding is finally completed when, at the finale of season five, she joins the crew of the Rocinante and becomes friends with Holden.
5. The Rocinante vs. The Pella
When the venomous Marco Inaros comes across the Rocinante during transit, he sees an opportunity to kill Naomi Nagata and James Holden—so he orders a full attack.
However, he underestimates the skill of the Rocinante's crew in his blind anger, and the Rocinante quickly turns the tide of the battle by downing his other ships before disabling Inaros' Pella.
But Holden can't destroy Inaros' ship with Naomi's son aboard, so he disarms the warhead before it strikes the Pella, leaving Inaros alive, who is infuriated about the loss.
4. Drummer's Belter Speech
Very few moments in The Expanse are as rousing as Camina Drummer's speech to her crew aboard the Behemoth as she and her kin (the Belters) go through the Ring.
As the hour arrives for the ship to push forward through the portal, she opens a channel to her crew and delivers an inspiring speech about how Belters belong where they are going because they belong in space.
Drummer's pride, her intensity, and her passion combine to bring her crew together, all while Ashford begins the beat as she speaks, fully inspired by his Captain's words.
3. Klaes Ashford's Death
The journey shared between Klaes Ashford and Camina Drummer gradually brings them together as very close friends. But when Marco Inaros becomes a problem that needs to be culled, Ashford sets out to do it—and promises a drink with Drummer when he returns.
Upon finding Inaros, Ashford demonstrates his remarkable skill in battle as he moves his way through the Pella and locates Marco with ease. However, he finds himself trapped by Filip and caught dead to rights.
Inaros "spaces" Ashford, who walks into the void of space without fear, humming a tune he'd sing to his daughter. Later, in memory of her friend, Drummer finds Ashford's ship (the Tynan), restores it, and uses it as her flapship from then on.
2. Naomi Nagata's Space Jump
When Naomi becomes the prisoner of Marco Inaros, she spends her time aboard his ship trying to get close to their son, Filip. She tries to convince Filip that Marco took him from her as a baby, contrary to the lie that Marco told him about her abandoning him.
However, her efforts are futile. Naomi eventually chooses to save her crew aboard the Rocinante by jumping—without a vac suit—from one ship to another in space. A most foolish maneuver under any circumstance.
The sequence becomes a sci-fi TV classic, as Nagata injects herself with hyper-oxygenated blood before making the leap. She suffers for it, nearly dying in the brief time she spends in the vacuum of space.
1. Josephus Miller Dies With Julie Mao
Before James Holden and his crew aboard the Rocinante became the show's focus, Josephus Miller's tale about tracking down the mysterious Julie Mao was the series' central plotline.
Detective Miller develops Laura Syndrome, where a detective falls in love with the person they're pursuing. He sacrifices himself to save Earth when he finds that Julie's consciousness is controlling a space-station/asteroid straight into Earth's path—because she wants to go home.
The sequence is beautifully crafted. Miller infects himself with the Protomolecule to prove that he isn't there to harm her, and together they die on Venus—after he convinces her to change course.
