More Xenomorphs, please.

I’ve always been drawn to the unknown, the unusual, the different, when it comes to movies and TV shows. The more it makes me contemplate my existence, the possibilities of humankind, and the human mind, the more intriguing it is to me. Especially if it involves outer space!

As a young kid growing up in the 80s, some of my fondest memories were plopping in my parents’ self-recorded VHS tapes of old Sci-Fi or horror movies like Alien (1979), Aliens (1986), Jurassic Park (1993), Star Wars (all three original movies), The Shining (1980), and Psycho (1960). Movies that both fascinated and terrified the shit out of me at the same time.

Oh the 80s… a time when parents didn’t quite think through the implications of letting an eight year old watch a terrifying alien movie (multiple times), a t-rex casually eat a man in a porta potty, or a giant blob chain up a woman in a bikini while casually munching on frogs... Did I say I love the 80s?

Flash Forward to Today

I am still enamored with all things Alien, Jurassic Park, and Star Wars, and am always OH SO EXCITED to find shows and movies that deal with space, the existence of other life, and ascension of humankind.

Particularly after the events of 2020, I wanted shows and movies that offered an escape from the day-to-day drama and news headlines, and allowed me to sink into a fantasyland of excitement, exploration and drama.

One day while aimlessly scrolling Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu for something new to watch amidst the stress of 2020, I stumbled upon The Expanse on Amazon Prime Video.

The Expanse was originally broadcast on the SyFy channel in 2018 but was cancelled after just three seasons. The show is based on a set of novels of the same name published by James S. A. Corey.

It is said that Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, played a big personal role in advocating for and picking up the show for broadcasting of additional seasons on Prime Video, where the show currently resides. Thank you Jeff!! There are five seasons, with a sixth and final season to premier sometime at the end of 2021, or early 2022.

Believe me, while five seasons may seem like a lot, this show has a way of sucking you in (like the space vacuum it is) and you’ll soon be looking for the NEXT EPISIDE button only to find you’ve reached the end of Season 5 and need to patiently await Season 6 like the rest of us. Boo!

This show very quickly brought me back to my childhood of watching the Alien movies. Aliens (the second movie of the series) was always my favorite. While The Expanse isn’t ONLY about aliens and alien life, nearly the entire show takes place in the future where human life spans our solar system (primarily Earth, the moon (Luna Station), Mars, and “the Belt” (which is pretty much everything in-between).

The show is visually captivating, depicting beautiful images of intricate ships hurdling through space, portals, explosions (lots of them), and breathtaking shots of planets deep in our solar system.

Each season follows where the last left off, making it feel like one big story. Personally, I really enjoy this, especially for shows that you’ll be binge watching from one season to the next. It feels like one continuous movie.

Season 1 spends a lot of time introducing different characters who become main characters throughout the seasons, as well as explaining the vast conflicts and clashing of different colonies of humans living in various parts of the solar system (mainly Earth, Mars and the “Belt” which consists of numerous colonies all throughout space).

The main premise of the show centers on a vigilante crew aboard the ship The Rocinante, led by its Captain, James Holden. The crew is made up of four individuals from Earth, Mars, and the Belt, making them the perfect reflection of the ideal human society – a team of so called enemies working together to save humanity from... Yup, you guessed it, alien life.

Part of what makes the show so enjoyable is the personalities of the crew. There is a mix of determination, sassy humor, romance, and machismo that is captivating in a way that really makes the characters feel like they could personal friends. Some moments you are laughing or smiling while others you are biting your nails with anticipation of the next conflict and fear for your beloved space family.

Most of the show is focused on finding, destroying, and understanding this complex new alien life system that was created by scientists trying to offer up new military technology to the highest bidders.

If you were a fan of the Alien movies, this will feel very familiar to the events in almost every movie where someone was trying to profit from the strength of the alien’s abilities, despite Ripley’s warnings.

As a fan of the Alien franchise, you also know that part of the movies’ big appeal is the main character, Ripley, played by Sigourney Weaver. She as a bad-ass heroin, fighting off the newly found aliens in the first movie, leaving her ship as the sole survivor, then moving on to assist (and is some cases dominate) the U.S. Marines in the second movie, Aliens (1986). There are several other movies as well, but the first two were always my favorites.

Throughout the movies, Ripley was always the voice of reason, trying desperately to help others to understand that the aliens were not to be messed with. They posed an existential threat to all of humanity, and needed to be destroyed at all costs. Yet time, after time, after time, she encountered situations where people went behind her back with covert orders to bring back samples or impregnated hosts for experimentation. WHEN WILL THEY LEARN?

Some People Will Never Learn!

James Holden… does this ring a bell? The Expanse is the modern day version of Ripley’s fight, only instead of giant acid spitting monsters, and a fearless female lead, James Holden, and his crew, are fighting a blue goo called the protomolecule, new unexplored worlds, alien technology, and human/alien hybrids capable of insurmountable strength and destruction.

Throughout the entire series, James is the voice of reason (much like Ripley), constantly thinking of the big picture and how this alien technology could not only destroy Earth, but the entire human race. The Expanse really brought me back to my roots as a child, rooting for Ripley against what seemed like insurmountable odds.

I hope for you Sci-fi fans out there, The Expanse brings you the same excitement and joy that it did for me. Allowing for a much needed mental break from the day-to-day monotony, and providing an escape into the vast beyond.