S03.E07: Delta-V

[nekilarose]

3 minutes ago, wilnil said:

I figure she's toast.

 

...

 

I'm sorry.

Bad-um tishhhh.

Make sure to tip your waitresses!!

[Netfoot]

55 minutes ago, wilnil said:

I'm sorry.

And so you should be!

[WildPlum]

Huh. First episode which draws a "meh" from me. The protomolecule ring is interesting, it's got to be a portal of some sort (although apparently not one you can go through at speed). Didn't like the documentary crew thing in the slightest. Don't care about "Melba". Naomi  and Drummer are going to get screwed over - I'll be surprised if Drummer survives this story arc. The Miller-looking thing is calling himself "The Investigator" and you can sort of hear the caps in his voice, sort of  like the other protomolecule creature talking about The Work.

Not surprisingly, this all reminds me of why I don't like George RR Martin's books (didn't get through the first season of Game of Thrones). "I don't care what you think of the characters, look at my beautiful plot! Plot is all!"

 

I'll watch the next couple episodes and hope the hook me.

[johntfs]

15 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

Oooooh I just had a thought.  We now know what happens when an uninvited ship tries fly through the circle (splat).  But what if it IS a star-gate and it only opens ONE WAY?  The better to invade you with, my dear.

See, that would be a bit pedestrian to me.  I like the idea that the proto-molecule's ends are basically benign (create a star gate to lead humans to another place) but that its means (infection, murderous disassembly) are ruthlessly horrifying.  Say that you're a race that's created Space Disneyland and you want other being to come there and spend globnorts on your attractions.  So, you send out some proto-molecule programmed with the basic instruction "construct a Star Gate capable of ferrying intelligent inhabitants of other star systems back to Space Disneyland."  So that's what it does.  The point about the proto-molecule is that it doesn't really care how it does what it does, just that the Work gets done.  If at the end there is no life left in the solar system there's a star gate that would have been capable of transporting the living beings in the solar system to Space Disneyland had any survived, the proto-molecule has done its job as far as it's concerned.

[Holmbo]

3 hours ago, raven said:

We also have Naomi, Bobbie, Anna and Avasarala.  I don't agree that Drummer came off badly - her authority is being challenged and she's on a learning curve, working on how to handle it; she can't beat up or shoot everyone who pisses her off and she has to figure out how to work with him.  I like that she listens to Naomi.   We had a mixture of not good behavior from guys - Amos (much as I love him) was rude and broke something that wasn't his; Ashford is being a total undermining, shady dick; Diogo is being an annoying little snot; the drug dealer was male; the camera guy is up to something; Neo was foolish.  There was better behavior from male characters as well (Holden, Alex, the guy trying to help Melba).  I think the show gives us a good mixture - no one is perfect.

I don't mean it was misogynist or anything. Just like... the opposite of girlpower. It's not a complaint, more a thought that struck me about my overall feeling of the episode.
I think that Ashford seemed more competent than Drummer, and also that he's planning to sow discontent and split her and Naomi up.

[johntfs]

46 minutes ago, Holmbo said:

I don't mean it was misogynist or anything. Just like... the opposite of girlpower. It's not a complaint, more a thought that struck me about my overall feeling of the episode.
I think that Ashford seemed more competent than Drummer, and also that he's planning to sow discontent and split her and Naomi up.

It wasn't that Ashford was more competent than Drummer - it's that he was a different, broader competent.  Spacing the guy as an object lesson to the crew would probably have solved the problem of the drugs.  Ashford understood that there was more to the situation, the Earth and Mars are watching and listening and that if the Belt is going to be an equal to those two civilizations, it has to become civilized.  So, the drug-dealing asshole doesn't get space.  He gets arrested and will be put on trial because that's how civilized people handle things like that.  We as the audience like and respect the Drummer.  We're ready to see Ashford, weird scar-face that he is as some manipulative mad pirate.  But it's possible that he's not those things and that this time the Drummer is the real problem because she's unwilling to change when needed.

[Haleth]

All will be answered in good time.  Unless the show isn't renewed, then we are screwed.

Melba was wearing a uniform for the intra system version of Service Master.  She was on a maintenance ship.

The kid in the racer ship got squished when his ship stopped dead but his body didn't.  Wear your seatbelts, people!

I completely agree that Straithairn's accent was terrible and it pulled me out of the story.  Usually I love his hypnotic voice but this was grating.

Favorite part was when Amos said Prax was his BFF.  Awww!  Second fav part was the Alex/Bobbie convo. 

I'm sorry the budget won't allow us to see the massive interior of the Behemoth.  

22 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

 I understand the need for the big time-jump and the introduction of new characters (especially if, as others have noted, the action in this ep takes us to the beginning of the 3rd book)

That is correct.  It's a new story arc with new characters.

22 hours ago, WatchrTina said:

Are we to assume Fred was successful and shot down all the proto-bombs?

Yes

Welcome back, Miller.  So, what's happening?

[Philbert]

On 5/19/2018 at 10:45 PM, KaleyFirefly said:

I heard that SyFy channel cancelled this show...doesn't make me want to finish watching it

 

SyFy did cancel it but Amazon has picked it up for the fourth season. The show will continue-just not on cable.

[Clanstarling]

11 minutes ago, Philbert said:

 

SyFy did cancel it but Amazon has picked it up for the fourth season. The show will continue-just not on cable.

I hadn't heard that. YAY!

[Haleth]

Is this definite?

[Holmbo]

4 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Is this definite?

No it's not picked up yet

[btp]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Is this definite?

@Holmbo is correct. It hasn't been picked up yet. Word is that Amazon is interested, and negotiations are underway. Apparently, Jeff Bezos is a big fan of the books at least, and one report even claims he was angry that SyFy, a competitor of sorts, got the show in the first place. Reportedly, both sides are highly motivated to make a deal, Amazon Studios because of pressure from Bezos and because they've been impressed with the fan-run #savetheexpanse campaign, Alcon because they are proud of the show and still believe it could be a huge hit with the right partner. So that bodes well. But, on the other hand, the negotiations are complicated. As Alcon has said in tweets, there are a lot of moving parts, and while they're optimistic, there are no guarantees. Basically, everybody associated with the show is saying signs are encouraging, but they are requesting that the fan campaign continue to exert pressure until everybody has signed on the dotted line.

So keep your fingers crossed, but I wouldn't be counting any cans of chicken just yet.

[rozen]

22 hours ago, Holmbo said:

I don't mean it was misogynist or anything. Just like... the opposite of girlpower. It's not a complaint, more a thought that struck me about my overall feeling of the episode.
I think that Ashford seemed more competent than Drummer, and also that he's planning to sow discontent and split her and Naomi up.

I think this is just the start of an arc where Drummer has to grow up from being 2nd in command. She's still used to being the fire spitting muscle, and trying to bring that up to the leadership position without quite understanding why it's ineffective. Fred was reluctant to break heads, and she probably always wrote it off as his being an Earther underneath it all. Ashford brings an important perspective because he's apparently had some experience working on his own and knows when to at least pretend to compromise.

I totally agree he is a backstabbing snake that will try to sow destruction and discord, because Dawes and everything he touches is a cancer. He brought Diogo, of all people, ffs! Though, to be fair, Dawes was probably desperate for any opportunity to get rid of the space cockroach.

So annoying to see these bums look down their noses at Naomi just because she's worked with Earth & Mars. She put you guys on the map! She's done more for you than your two macho macho macho man leaders put together! If anyone should be running shit, it's her. But Fred and Dawes want their pawns running the show so she doesn't grow into a 3rd player they have to contend with. 

The racer was comical and met an appropriately gruesome end. But, come on, there's no way Mars & Earth wouldn't have blown that sucker away any other episode. Is this supposed to represent the newfound respect the Belt has, with it's FrakenShip with guns duct taped to the hull? 

Poor baby Amos. At least FaceTime your man occasionally, Prax!

Edited May 26, 2018 by rozen

[btp]

THIS JUST IN. And it's off topic, technically, so I'll be brief.  Jeff Bezos just personally announced a few minutes ago (at ISDC2018, a space conference currently being held in Los Angeles) that the deal is done. The Expanse will return as a Prime Original for season 4. For reals, kids. You may now commence celebrating.

Edited May 26, 2018 by btp

[Netfoot]

16 minutes ago, btp said:

You may now commence celebrating.

Yay!

[thuganomics85]

Finally got around to this, but at least it happens after they announced Amazon has picked the show up for a fourth season, so sweet!

Definitely a lot of shifting going along in this episode with the time jumps and new characters, which was kind of confusing at times, but I'm definitely curious to see where all of this goes with the Protomolecule ring suddenly coming into play.  Judging from that brutal scene with the flyboy, simply flying into a ring is clearly going to be a no go!

David Strathairn's Belter accent was all over the place (certainly not helped that Cara Gee just has it down pact), but I'm looking forward to him as Ashford.  Right now, a lot of what he is saying makes sense, but I just can't help but get a sense that nothing good is going to come with this character.  Even when he's right, I have a feeling it is all to just undermine Drummer and be the captain, and he doesn't give a damn about the Belters' relationship with Earth/Mars.  I hope Drummer keeps an eye on him.  Naomi joining up is a neat twist, and I liked how her/Dominique Tipper's Belter accent became much more prominent, now that she is alongside other Belters.

Heh, Holden the Roci becoming celebrities now is hilarious, especially being followed by a film crew now.  I say this as a positive, but Anna Hopkins certainly has gotten the nosy, obnoxious reporter character down pact!  Sad that Prax went back to Ganymede, but not as sad as Amos is!

So, Bobbie has rejoined the Martians, while I'm guessing Chrisjen now has Sadivar's job.  Curious to see how these two will continue to fit in.

I'm... going to wait a little bit longer before I say more about Melba.  

Spoiler

The actress seems good, but I'm a little disappointed that they didn't go down a possible "identical twin" route with Julie, and have Florence Faivre play her.

I wish they didn't have Thomas Jane's name in the credits, but the Miller reveal was a hell of a way to end the episode!

[johntfs]

5 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

So, Bobbie has rejoined the Martians, while I'm guessing Chrisjen now has Sadivar's job.  Curious to see how these two will continue to fit in.

Actually, no.  Chrisjen now has Sorrento's job.  Chrisjen Avasarala is now the General Secretary of Earth.  Aka The Big Cheese AKA The Lord and Goddess of all She Surveys.

[meira.hand]

On 5/24/2018 at 9:23 PM, MissLucas said:

Well, I appreciated the time-jump and I must say they really delivered all the necessary exposition quite elegantly. We're entering the next part of the narrative now - the episode was an odd mix of tying up loose ends and setting up new plots. Very impressive - even if it felt a bit rushed at times.

Mild Book spoilers:

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm sad they dropped 'We need to talk' - it was such a perfect bombshell and probably the books most iconic line.

Can you elaborate a little in the hidden book spoiler? who said that to whom?

[raven]

27 minutes ago, johntfs said:

Aka The Big Cheese AKA The Lord and Goddess of all She Surveys.

As she should be.

18 minutes ago, meira.hand said:

Can you elaborate a little in the hidden book spoiler? who said that to whom?

Spoiler

In the book, Miller says that to Holden when he first appears to him.

[Clanstarling]

9 hours ago, rozen said:

I think this is just the start of an arc where Drummer has to grow up from being 2nd in command. She's still used to being the fire spitting muscle, and trying to bring that up to the leadership position without quite understanding why it's ineffective. Fred was reluctant to break heads, and she probably always wrote it off as his being an Earther underneath it all. Ashford brings an important perspective because he's apparently had some experience working on his own and knows when to at least pretend to compromise.

I totally agree he is a backstabbing snake that will try to sow destruction and discord, because Dawes and everything he touches is a cancer. He brought Diogo, of all people, ffs! Though, to be fair, Dawes was probably desperate for any opportunity to get rid of the space cockroach.

So annoying to see these bums look down their noses at Naomi just because she's worked with Earth & Mars. She put you guys on the map! She's done more for you than your two macho macho macho man leaders put together! If anyone should be running shit, it's her. But Fred and Dawes want their pawns running the show so she doesn't grow into a 3rd player they have to contend with. 

The racer was comical and met an appropriately gruesome end. But, come on, there's no way Mars & Earth wouldn't have blown that sucker away any other episode. Is this supposed to represent the newfound respect the Belt has, with it's FrakenShip with guns duct taped to the hull? 

Poor baby Amos. At least FaceTime your man occasionally, Prax!

 

I think as the racer was approaching, there was some dialogue that indicated that he was going too fast for them to get their weapons set and get a bead on him before he went through the ring. 

As for Drummer, I'm totally in agreement. Moving from enforcer to command is a tricky learning curve. And while Ashford gave good advice, he's totally not there to support her.

9 hours ago, btp said:

THIS JUST IN. And it's off topic, technically, so I'll be brief.  Jeff Bezos just personally announced a few minutes ago (at ISDC2018, a space conference currently being held in Los Angeles) that the deal is done. The Expanse will return as a Prime Original for season 4. For reals, kids. You may now commence celebrating.

 

Hallelujah! (especially since we're cutting cable television soon, but do have Prime Video)

28 minutes ago, johntfs said:

Actually, no.  Chrisjen now has Sorrento's job.  Chrisjen Avasarala is now the General Secretary of Earth.  Aka The Big Cheese AKA The Lord and Goddess of all She Surveys.

She Who Must Be Obeyed.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Clanstarling

[Haleth]

2 hours ago, johntfs said:

Actually, no.  Chrisjen now has Sorrento's job.  Chrisjen Avasarala is now the General Secretary of Earth.  Aka The Big Cheese AKA The Lord and Goddess of all She Surveys.

And looking fabulous while doing it.

[Holmbo]

3 hours ago, johntfs said:

Actually, no.  Chrisjen now has Sorrento's job.  Chrisjen Avasarala is now the General Secretary of Earth.  Aka The Big Cheese AKA The Lord and Goddess of all She Surveys.

Do we know this from the show? 

I'm not sure how I feel about this given her earlier lax views on human rights. ? Was she elected or is it some kind of temporary deal I wonder. 

[Miles]

Okay, don't fly through the Stargate with a lot of speed. Message revieved.

That ship has to be hella sturdy, when it didn't crumple, while the body of the pilot was liquified though.

 

1 hour ago, Holmbo said:

Do we know this from the show? 

It was said that Sorrento resigned and Errinwright is in Jail. Since Chrisjen was third in line, it only makes sense.

 

On 20.5.2018 at 4:45 AM, KaleyFirefly said:

I heard that SyFy channel cancelled this show...doesn't make me want to finish watching it

Good new everybody! Amazon picked it up.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Miles

[marinw]

55 minutes ago, Miles said:

Okay, don't fly through the Stargate with a lot of speed. Message revieved.

 

Belter pilot was an idiot, but he may have advanced Proto-molecule research significantly.

Good point about the ship. Maybe only organic matter is vulnerable?

[Danny Franks]

1 hour ago, Miles said:

Okay, don't fly through the Stargate with a lot of speed. Message revieved.

That ship has to be hella sturdy, when it didn't crumple, while the body of the pilot was liquified though.

Am I not right in thinking that the ship decelerating so rapidly would have no effect on it, because of the lack of resistance in a vacuum, but that it would have an effect on the pilot, inside the ship? Just like acceleration has no effect on the ship, but increases the G that occupants feel.

It's times like this I wish I'd studied Physics past GCSE level.

[btp]

1 hour ago, marinw said:

Good point about the ship. Maybe only organic matter is vulnerable?

I think it's safe to say that the Protomolecule -- and that which it constructs -- is continuing to break the rules as we know them. Essentially, it wasn't like the kid's ship hit a barrier, exactly - more that it just had its momentum abruptly stopped (significantly slowed, actually) in some unknown way. Whatever mechanism stopped the ship, though, seems to have not extended to its passenger.

And that's kind of weirdly inconsistent, when you think about it. We know that the protomolecule has the power to move things without obeying the laws of inertia, gravity, and probably several other things. We know this because it did it with Eros, which stopped spinning and accelerated toward Earth (and eventually Venus) without Miller or any of the other organic (albeit dead) stuff "aboard" feeling any effects of that acceleration. But this seems different -- the Y Que was more or less stopped dead, but its poor hapless pilot continued to obey the laws of physics, leading to a rather unfortunate outcome.

What explains the inconsistency? I don't know. I don't recall the books explaining (or even bringing up) the inconsistency, and the show hasn't so far, though maybe it will. Perhaps the protection of organic matter is interrupted in the presence of covers of Deep Purple songs.

 

Edited to add:

22 minutes ago, Danny Franks said:

Am I not right in thinking that the ship decelerating so rapidly would have no effect on it, because of the lack of resistance in a vacuum, but that it would have an effect on the pilot, inside the ship? Just like acceleration has no effect on the ship, but increases the G that occupants feel.

It's times like this I wish I'd studied Physics past GCSE level.

I was thrown out of my AP Physics class in high school and put in the class with the "regular" kids, so maybe my understanding of this is suspect too, but I believe you're partially correct -- the ship's hull probably would not have suffered any ill effects, but certainly various fixtures and equipment inside the vessel would have likely come loose, being attached with bolts or latches or whatever that were not able to withstand the stress of that sudden deceleration (think the cabinet and contained tools that Prax did not sufficiently secure on the Rocinante a few episodes ago, multiplied by, like, 1000). Then again, maybe they did and we just didn't see it. The camera focused on the person, and we didn't really see if there was any ancillary damage.

Still doesn't address the inconsistencies I mentioned above, though.

Edited May 27, 2018 by btp
Spleling erorrs

[Netfoot]

8 minutes ago, btp said:

the Y Que was more or less stopped dead, but its poor hapless pilot continued to obey the laws of physics, leadinig to a rather unfortunate outcome.

What explains the inconsistency? I don't know.

One can only assume that whatever mechanism the protomolecule used to rapidly decelerate the vessel, did not affect bio-mass.  

[johntfs]

On 5/26/2018 at 7:13 PM, Netfoot said:

One can only assume that whatever mechanism the protomolecule used to rapidly decelerate the vessel, did not affect bio-mass.  

It's really just physics.  If your car is going 70 mph when it decelerates to 0 mph (by hitting a tree) you and everything else loose inside the car keeps going 70 mph until you/they slam into something else.  The Belter kid was going at likely decent percentage of light speed (186,000 miles per second) when his ship was stopped suddenly.  The proto-effect stopped the ship without damaging it that we saw, but the Belter, including his head, was still moving at that decent percentage of light speed.  So his head, arms, etc tore off due to the sudden deceleration.

Edited May 28, 2018 by johntfs

[Clanstarling]

8 minutes ago, johntfs said:

It's really just physics.  If you car is going 70 mph when it decelerates to 0 mph (by hitting a tree) you and everything else loose inside the car keeps going 70 mph until you/they slam into something else.  The Belter kid was going at likely decent percentage of light speed (186,000 miles per second) when his ship was stopped suddenly.  The proto-effect stopped the ship without damaging it that we saw, but the Belter, including his head, was still moving at that decent percentage of light speed.  So his head, arms, etc tore off due to the sudden deceleration.

Indeed. If he hadn't been strapped in (not sure that would even be possible at that speed), his entire body would have been a jam splat.

[Holmbo]

Would anyone else be interested in a general season thread? For stray observations and theories about the show that might not fit into one episode in particular?
Or are we to few to mandate to parallel discussions? :P

[Clanstarling]

I tend to keep to episode threads - but I think other discussion threads are useful. Can't hurt to set one up if it's okay with @saoirse. If no one comes, then you'll know if we're too few.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Clanstarling

[raven]

4 hours ago, Holmbo said:

Would anyone else be interested in a general season thread?

There is one now!

[jcin617]

On 5/24/2018 at 7:51 PM, WatchrTina said:

 

I, too, was delighted to see Miller again but, alas, his appearance was spoiled by his name in the opening credits.  What a shame that they couldn't find a way around the very-strict credit rules to hold that secret back and give him an end-credit instead.

I don’t know if its actor’s choice or an agreement you have to make with SAG, but in the BSG episode where Starbuck returned, they held Katee Sackhoffs name until the end of the show.

[jaigurudeva]

On 5/24/2018 at 6:37 AM, WatchrTina said:

Oooooh I just had a thought.  We now know what happens when an uninvited ship tries fly through the circle (splat).  But what if it IS a star-gate and it only opens ONE WAY?  The better to invade you with, my dear.

I think the guy only went splat because he approached the gate going thousands of miles an hour and then was abruptly slowed down upon entering the ring. The realm past the ring seemed to be some kind of blue fluid or other compressed matter that inhibited his speed. Inertia kept the pilot going (or at least, the parts of him not strapped down by seat-belts) straight into his "windshield." I don't think we know yet what would happen if you entered the ring going at a slower speed.

[btp]

On 5/25/2018 at 1:26 AM, johntfs said:

See, that would be a bit pedestrian to me.  I like the idea that the proto-molecule's ends are basically benign (create a star gate to lead humans to another place) but that its means (infection, murderous disassembly) are ruthlessly horrifying.  Say that you're a race that's created Space Disneyland and you want other being to come there and spend globnorts on your attractions.  So, you send out some proto-molecule programmed with the basic instruction "construct a Star Gate capable of ferrying intelligent inhabitants of other star systems back to Space Disneyland."  So that's what it does.  The point about the proto-molecule is that it doesn't really care how it does what it does, just that the Work gets done.  If at the end there is no life left in the solar system there's a star gate that would have been capable of transporting the living beings in the solar system to Space Disneyland had any survived, the proto-molecule has done its job as far as it's concerned.

Meant to comment on this earlier.

I think anybody who's been watching this show up to this point knows by now that nothing in this story is simple, and very little of it is expected. I agree that if a bunch of alien cruisers came through that thing and started pew-pew-pewing at all the humans, it would be extraordinarily pedestrian, and therefore, I'm going to say that I don't believe that's what we're dealing with, not for one second.

Now, because we have all seen various bits of the Stargate franchise, and/or that episode of Star Trek (TOS) written by Harlan Ellison, and/or any number of other similar works of written and televised Science Fiction, we all know that when any sort of arch, ring, gate, or what have you of unknown alien origin appears, there's a good chance that passing through it will take you somewhere else. This much, I suppose, is pretty standard. But beyond that, I would think we would know by now that The Ring in this show is probably a good deal more enigmatic than a doorway through which aliens will soon emerge to eat us for lunch. Just because that's how the creative people behind this story roll.

As to the Protomolecule's intent likely being benign, in addition to all the fine reasons you gave, we know it was sent here long before there was intelligent life in our solar system. Remember, it arrived here hitching a ride on Phoebe, which is a moon of Saturn now, but originally it came from somewhere "out there" and, the theory goes, may have been headed for Earth, when it was trapped by the gravity of Saturn and ended up orbiting it. So it never arrived at its original destination. But had it done so, it would have arrived there eons ago, finding nothing but Primordial Soup on Earth, some of which it might have borrowed to achieve its goal of building the Space Squid which in turn made the Ring. But that would not have killed any sentient life. And again, it all would have happened billions of years ago. Even if the ring were put there as a doorway through which either a hostile or imperial race would come, the invaders and/or colonists who sent it would more than likely be long gone by now.

So I think the Protomolecule has indeed proven to be benign already, because at the end of the day, while arrogant people like Mao and Dresden and Strickland tried to turn it into a weapon, it eventually finished its "work" and achieved its purpose, which was to build this ring/portal/gateway/whatever it is. Is it an invitation to visit, a doorway for "them" to visit us, or something else? I have a feeling the answer to that question will turn out to be elusive. But I see no reason to believe that whoever sent that thing here was hostile.

Edited May 28, 2018 by btp

[jhlipton]

I sincerely doubt that we'll get more of a backstory on Amos than what we saw, but if you want to know, it's covered in The Churn.

On 5/24/2018 at 10:25 AM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Was that supposed to be an alternate version of "All By Myself"? Was the show too cheap to pay for the rights to the actual song?

Songs change -- cover versions become more popular than the originals.  It would make sense that ABM would change too.

On 5/24/2018 at 3:19 PM, tennisgurl said:

I am also thrilled to get some Amos backstory, although, like with most things related to Amos, it raises more questions than answers. Did he kill the mob boss so he could get a spot in the mechanics program? I wonder if Amos is the illegitimate offspring of a mob boss and a hooker, and Amos killed his dad as some of revenge for ditching him and his mom in a brothel to be abused? I also love how Amos didnt really say he wasn't into either of the film crew, just "I dont shit where I eat". It wouldn't shock me if Amos would be pretty down to sleep with anyone he was into, regardless of gender. 

 

From The Churn:

Spoiler

 

Amos (then known as Timmy) worked for a mob boss in Baltimore until the boss ordered him to kill his friend.  His "North Star" at the time made him realize that he shouldn't so he killed the boss (and all his hench-men) and the friend made him a new identity and a passage "up the well".

For Amos, sex is only about immediate physical gratification (so hookers work just fine for him).  Gender probably doesn't matter as long as he has a "happy ending".

 

On 5/24/2018 at 8:38 PM, wilnil said:

I figure she's toast.

I'm sorry.

No you're not!

On 5/26/2018 at 6:27 AM, johntfs said:

Actually, no.  Chrisjen now has Sorrento's job.  Chrisjen Avasarala is now the General Secretary of Earth.  Aka The Big Cheese AKA The Lord and Goddess of all She Surveys.

I think she was announced as Secretary-General at the start of the broadcast.

And it is a job she despises -- she'd much rather be behind the scenes.  For one thing, she'll have to self-censor her language!

4 hours ago, btp said:

we all know that when any sort of arch, ring, gate, or what have you of unknown alien origin appears, there's a good chance that passing through it will take you somewhere else.

 

Or somewhen!

 

ETA:  I don't know if they'll add Season 3 before it ends, but there's an interactive map of where everyone is for seasons 1 and 2 :http://www.syfy.com/theexpanse/enterthefuture/inside

Edited May 28, 2018 by jhlipton

[Danny Franks]

8 hours ago, btp said:

I think anybody who's been watching this show up to this point knows by now that nothing in this story is simple, and very little of it is expected. I agree that if a bunch of alien cruisers came through that thing and started pew-pew-pewing at all the humans, it would be extraordinarily pedestrian, and therefore, I'm going to say that I don't believe that's what we're dealing with, not for one second.

 

Completely agree. The whole series has been about the greed, selfishness and tribal rivalries of human beings. And while a sudden alien invasion forcing them all onto the same side would be viable (if too neat, and done to death), it just doesn't seem like that would ever be the choice of these writers.

I think it would be safe to say that, whatever the Protomolecule has constructed in the Ring, it will be something else for humans to have a grasping yearning to acquire and control. The current state of affairs is all three powers, burning for the Ring, for some sort of summit or confrontation. This is the core of the series, for me: The things that humans do to one another.

This is not to say that I think we'll never see extra-terrestrial beings in the show. Anything is possible at this point. But I could almost imagine Anderson Dawes or someone conning some poor, beneficent alien into attacking Mars and Earth, because it would help him gain more power. 

Edit: Typo

Edited May 28, 2018 by Danny Franks

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

I think it would be safe to say that, whatever the Protomolecule has constructed in the Ring, it will be something else for humans to have a grasping yearning to acquire and control. The current state of affairs is all three powers, burning for the Ring, for some sort of summit or confrontation. This is the core of the series, for me: This things that humans do to one another.

This is not to say that I think we'll never see extra-terrestrial beings in the show. Anything is possible at this point. But I could almost imagine Anderson Dawes or someone conning some poor, beneficent alien into attacking Mars and Earth, because it would help him gain more power. 

Yes! It is what makes it so interesting and disturbing all at once. And it is, for me, the core of science fiction in general (at least the stuff I like).

[Holmbo]

I'm thinking back to the analogies about colonization of America the show was making last season. I don't know that the aliens are looking to colonize the universe per se but there are some parallels in that they have more advanced technology and are spreading infection. Maybe the show is portraying the end of the world as we know it and every character will either die or change into something different.

[Clanstarling]

1 hour ago, Holmbo said:

I'm thinking back to the analogies about colonization of America the show was making last season. I don't know that the aliens are looking to colonize the universe per se but there are some parallels in that they have more advanced technology and are spreading infection. Maybe the show is portraying the end of the world as we know it and every character will either die or change into something different.

Well, if that's the case, then at least there's a theme song they can use, maybe they can Belter it up. It's The End Of The World

[jhlipton]

2 hours ago, Clanstarling said:

Well, if that's the case, then at least there's a theme song they can use, maybe they can Belter it up. It's The End Of The World

I feel fine!

[Holmbo]

Another thought I had. 

A lot of people commented on Amos missing Prax, but I think he must miss Naomi too. Even if he doesn't think as highly of her as he did, they still have a lot of history. 

[capt planet]

Help me out, y'all. Was Melba planting that device on the peace summit ship?

[btp]

5 hours ago, capt planet said:

Help me out, y'all. Was Melba planting that device on the peace summit ship?

I don't think there is a peace summit, as such. During the 6 months since The Ring appeared, some sort of peace treaty (or armistice, a least) was agreed to by all parties, first because the truth of the war's corrupt origins was revealed, and second because all of humanity seems to agree, at least for now, that there's something out there at the edge of the solar system that's potentially a bigger threat than anybody's nukes. So I think everybody has already agreed to put aside their differences, at least for now.

The convoy of ships, or I guess I should say the three convoys of ships, headed for The Ring are headed there on a joint mission of research and discovery. I'm sure there will be skirmishes and incidents of one-upsmanship, but I believe they've substantially done all the summitting already and they're all, at this point, ostensibly on the same side. This gathering is for science, not politics.

Melba was placed with a team of maintenance folks based on the UNN Thomas Prince, and they took a skiff over to one of the smaller vessels in the convoy to do some maintenance. I don't believe that the ultimate role that this smaller ship will play has yet been revealed, so we don't really know why Melba chose that place to plant her bomb. Maybe her target was someone on that ship, or maybe this was just a dry run for a larger operation she has planned for later. Or something else. But it's not about peace summits, I don't think.

Unless I'm wrong. Which, you know, is entirely possible...

Edited May 29, 2018 by btp

[KaleyFirefly]

On 5/25/2018 at 3:33 PM, Philbert said:

 

SyFy did cancel it but Amazon has picked it up for the fourth season. The show will continue-just not on cable.

Cool, I'm glad it got a chance to continue! It was one of my favorite sci-fi shows.

[CigarDoug]

On 5/24/2018 at 11:38 PM, wilnil said:

On 5/23/2018 at 11:37 PM, HunterHunted said:

Is Melba done for?

I figure she's toast.

We've been burnt.

[Clanstarling]

3 minutes ago, CigarDoug said:

We've been burnt.

Nah, she's a peach.

[Hanahope]

I'm going to have to start turning on the closed captioning, as its getting harder and harder to understand Belters' accents.  Naomi is ok, but Drummer is more difficult, and that pilot and girlfriend was almost impossible (though those two mattered less)

So are we to assume that Mei came out ok, and didn't go too far with the protomolecule?

And what happened to the other hybrids that were shot into space?  I thought they were headed to Mars.

[WatchrTina]

On 6/5/2018 at 9:31 AM, Hanahope said:

So are we to assume that Mei came out ok, and didn't go too far with the protomolecule?

Mei was never exposed to the protomolecule.  They had her on the table but never started the procedure because Team Roci came-a-knocking.

On 6/5/2018 at 9:31 AM, Hanahope said:

what happened to the other hybrids that were shot into space?  I thought they were headed to Mars.

Fred got 'em (with the missiles he stole from Earth earlier in the story.) That's how the Belt earned a seat at the table with regard to the Ring.

[Hanahope]

Thank you.