THE EXPANSE --it's premise, plot and socio-political implications
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Lord Ba'al
Well Known GateFan
Lord Ba'al
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Jim of WVa
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John Galt said:
Lord Ba'al
Well Known GateFan
Maybe because it's in someone's signature in colorful big letters?
Lord Ba'al
Well Known GateFan
Lord Ba'al
Well Known GateFan
Lord Ba'al
Well Known GateFan
That article is interesting! Especially interesting was this:
EXCERPT:
Obeyesekere also pointed out how both the series and books correctly depict the physics of directional change in space. There’s no atmosphere in space, so there’s no way to decelerate from drag. A common maneuver for spaceships inThe Expanse is to “flip and burn.” The ships make a quick, 180-degree turn change and then accelerate in the opposite direction. In other sci-fi shows, spaceships move just like terrestrial vehicles – think boats or cars – rather than how actual space vehicles have to maneuver.
In another example, the show’s creators wanted to accurately portray things like limited resources and limited ammunition, aspects of real life that would, in theory, impact storylines in a sci-fi universe. As ironic as it may sound, bringing more credibility to science fiction was a key focus ofThe Expanse’s creators.
This attention to scientific detail is an important part of both the books and the series. Shankar cut his teeth in Hollywood writing scripts for shows like,Star Trek: the Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, andStar Trek: Voyager. He moved to Hollywood only after earning his Ph.D. in applied physical and electrical engineering from Cornell University. His background and experience fit perfectly with the vision the books' authors had for a streaming version of their sci-fi saga.
I really only like scifi that has it's foundations in actual science or at least plausible application of theoretical science. The alien science has a lot more leeway, since it can be imagined whole cloth. The alien tech in The Expanse does not seem "weird" as much as it does extremely advanced, almost incomprehensible because it is so old and so advanced. It remains believable.
I am a bit more tolerant of fantasy-ish Sci-Fi as is evidenced by my liking the original Battlestar Galactica as well as the oldie Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. But even then I need internal consistency - in other words if you have a fantasy tech or magic it needs to behave consistently within the story universe.
That is why I found Stargate SG1 so entertaining! The writers made sure to provide an explanation of the tech which, let's face it, is mostly fantasy. Another important thing is to provide the fantasy tech with weaknesses or limitations. Anything all-powerful crosses the line of believability and becomes boring (to me). This show does not do anything too magical. The alien tech built/used by the protomolecule in The Expanse does not smack of fantasy as much. This might be because of the way they "packaged" it.