Let’s make one thing clear first: The Expanse has a rather complex storyline as a sci-fi series, but not so much as a conspiracy thriller. While the political intrigues can be difficult to decipher because of the sheer number of people with power involved in the plot, the show doesn’t actually hide a lot of things from viewers. You also know who the major conspirators are from the get-go, with only small, yet noticeable changes as the story moves forward. So here is a deeper look at the alliances of The Expanse Season 2.
As far as The Expanse Season 2 is concerned, the only unpredictable factor is the protomolecule; in fact, things seem to get even weirder, and more mysteries surrounding its existence will probably pile up before the show reveals any answer in the seasons to come. At this point in the story development, there really isn’t anyone who truly understands what the protomolecule can do if left to its own devices. Even Jules-Pierre Mao, who essentially started the whole mess with protomolecule, cannot possibly know the full implication of the alien substance besides its ability to alter people into physically enhanced soldiers. Holden, Avasarala, Draper, and Fred Johnson are just as bewildered as you are, with every new revelation about the protomolecule.
Ganymede
With political alliances, there have only been minor changes from the previous season, although they may prove to trigger some consequential outcome at a later time. Mars, Earth, and the Outer Planet Alliance are now fully engaged in a direct power struggle in the Asteroid Belt. This is not a surprising development considering the already escalating political tension among them since the very first episodes in Season 1. An attack on Ganymede, which happens not long after the Eros incident, gets everyone tangled in a complex power struggle to establish dominance over the protomolecule.
Ganymede, the largest moon in the Sol System, is as militarily intense as it is politically fragile. The moon functions as the primary food source for the Outer Planets, and its biggest port station is home to military bases of both the United Nations Navy (UNN) and MCRN (Martian Congressional Republic Navy). Like everything else concerning the relationship between Earth and Mars, tensions are high and their territories on the station are separated by strict borders.
Bobby Draper
The military-assault incident is part of a larger conspiracy where the MCRN is trying a new form of bioweapon by anonymously attacking UNN soldiers, who are subsequently forced to run toward the clear-cut border into Martian territory on the moon.
Bobbie Draper, a Martian marine, is ordered by her superiors to give false testimony to Avasarala that she mistakenly opened fire at UNN soldiers during the incident. But Draper has her own way of revealing the facts of the matter and finally uncovers the ugly bureaucratic betrayal about how she and her team were used as mere sacrificial lambs in the weapon test. She ends up seeking asylum on Earth, under the protective wing of Avasarala. As the crew of the Rocinante and Fred Johnson are taking in refugees for Ganymede, Earth faces some difficult options on how to respond to the incident.
Belters’ Frustration with Domineering Earthers
An otherwise simple conversation between Anderson Dawes and Diogo turns out to be a revealing moment about how frustrated Belters have been with every Earther in existence. Dawes is the leader of the OPA’s insurgencies on Ceres, whereas Diogo is a resident of the Tycho Station under the service of Fred Johnson.
During the encounter, Dawes asks how old Diogo is. Diogo says he’s probably nineteen years old, but then Dawes articulates his frustration in the most obvious fashion possible. You can easily sympathize with his position. He says something to the effect that even Belters who can no longer return to Earth – because prolonged exposure to low gravity has changed their physiques so much to where they are practically different species now and unable to live on their home planet – still use Earthers’ references for time. A day is the time Earth takes to spin around its axis; a year is the time required for Earth to revolve around the sun. Belters live between Jupiter and Mars.
They don’t have to use the same reference for time, but they do anyway because of the Earthers’ overarching influence. The way Dawes sees it: Belters never really matter much to everyone else out there.
High Politics
On the political front, Avasarala departs Earth for a meeting with Mao aboard his spaceship, the Guanshiyin. She’s prepared to deal with the likelihood of Mao willing to use any means necessary to take control of the protomolecule. Mao is not beneath using violence against the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Another major blow to her influence in the Sol System’s high politics is that Errinwright actually conspires with Mao and indirectly approves the assassination attempt on Avasarala during the meeting. Avasarala survives the incident, but now the alliances between Errinwright, Avasarala, and Mao – the kind of alliance that’s never real to begin with – have gone.
Protomolecule on the Belt
Back on the Rocinante, Naomi tells Holden that the protomolecule has been weaponized, and now they have to face reality and deal with it no matter what. Since both the United Nations and the Martian Congressional Republic likely have access to protomolecule, Naomi makes sure that the Belters have the means to take advantage of the substance, too. In the end, she hands over a protomolecule sample to Fred Johnson.
We think The Expanse Season 2 is quite a sophisticated political thriller with some impressive display of space battles. To really understand what’s going on with the political situation and the relationships between major factions, you have no other option but to pay close attention to every episode and conversation. Thankfully, the series’ attention-grabbing visuals and exciting interpersonal conflicts make it pretty easy to do so each time.
What do you think is the best episode of The Expanse Season 2? Do you also read the novel series to better understand the story? We’d love to hear from you.
Other Things You Might Want to Know
What’s “Hybrid” in The Expanse?
Well, it’s not a type of engine, but a bioweapon as a human-protomolecule hybrid creature, developed in the secretive Mao-controlled Project Caliban to create super-soldiers.
Is it Earth or Mars who has the Hybrid?
Project Caliban was spearheaded by the Protogen company, owned by Jules-Pierre Mao, with help from both Mars and Earth governments. The main idea was to infect humans with protomolecule to create a new, more powerful bio-engineered species. Mars and Earth have access to the species.
What can the Hybrid do?
Humans without an immune system are subjected to the experiment (infected with protomolecule) as an attempt to reshape or reprogram the host into weapons. A successful experiment results in creating the Hybrid, a super-soldier with the ability to survive the vacuum without protective gear, cling to just about every surface, tear through spaceship hulls with nothing but bare hands, and move at a faster pace than even the most powerful human. Hybrid is drawn to energy sources, such as nuclear reactors, simply because the creature feeds on the radiation.
