The Ethics of Rebellion: The Belters’ Fight for Independence in The Expanse Season 2

In the vast world of The Expanse, just about every Earther and Martian – with very few exceptions – looks down on Belters. The condescending attitude towards Belters is entirely uncalled-for, because they work hard to provide resources for Earth and Mars. While it’s true that Belters were originally humans, their physiology has altered a great deal because of exposure to the low gravity environment of the Asteroid Belt. Belters are typically over two meters tall, with enlarged craniums and elongated limbs. Such physical differences make them look like aliens and cause them to be dehumanized.

For more than a century now, the Belters have tried to get their rights back as equal citizens of the Sol System, both through diplomatic methods and outright insurgencies under the banner of the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), with little success. Part of the reason is that the OPA has never been a unified movement. It’s an alliance composed of more than a dozen factions throughout the Outer Planets. Among the most prominent factions, include the Tycho Station led by Fred Johnson and the Ceres Station under the leadership of Anderson Dawes. Since every faction has its own political and military maneuvers, the alliance hasn’t been able to establish any considerable negotiating power against the United Nations on Earth and the Martian Congressional Republic on Mars. Sometimes, they turn to questionable ethics to gain even a small winning chance against the odds.

Over the course of The Expanse Season 2, the Belters’ struggle to gain more independence is quite a mix of trials. Here are some of the major developments to know.

In Episode 2: Doors and Corners, Fred Johnson at the Tycho Station assembles a strike team to launch an assault on Thoth Station after receiving information that the station is used as a communication/data hub by the conspirators behind the asteroid-wide protomolecule infection on Eros. During a meeting to recruit soldiers for the assault, Johnson gets involved in an altercation with Nikil, leader of the Black Sky OPA faction, and ends up killing him. He bashes Nikil’s head to the wall and throws him into the vacuum of space. It doesn’t really matter that Nikil is loyal to Anderson Dawes, another prominent OPA leader at Ceres Station.

During the assault on Thoth Station, they capture Dresden, the lead scientist of the protomolecule project. Dresden explains nearly everything about what the protomolecule can do. Johnson’s response is rather benign, and it looks like he actually is getting interested in using the protomolecule to the Belters’ advantage. Miller, who also is a Belter, ends the discussion by shooting the scientist in the head. Johnson and Miller have no hesitation in killing to advance their goals and get revenge, whether there are good ethical, justifiable grounds for the killings. Miller kills Dresden out of fear and anger, despite knowing that the scientist probably has valuable information about the protomolecule to help Holden and crew in their investigation.

Johnson and Miller will make sacrifices for the greater good as well. When everybody understands Eros must be destroyed to stop protomolecule infection from spreading to Earth, Johnson allows the crew of the Rocinante and Miller to use the massive Nauvoo spaceship as a projectile to hit the asteroid. Nauvoo is so big that four Donnager-class battleships could fit inside. The plan fails because apparently Eros can evade Nauvoo’s trajectory.

Miller finds himself stranded on the asteroid as the plan is doomed to fail. In a surprising turn of events, Miller encounters an altered version of Julie Mao, who has now become one with the protomolecule. She can even control Eros’ path and is the one responsible for the evasive move against the Nauvoo. Miller convinces her to once again change course to avoid hitting Earth and instead plan for a crash landing on Venus. Miller dies on Eros as it hits Venus, creating an enormous planetary event in the Sol System but saving billions of lives on Earth.

Another fine example of both noble and questionable ethics concerns Naomi Nagata, the Commanding Officer of the Rocinante who also is a Belter. Like Miller and Fred Johnson, she has her own way of fighting for her people. Following Miller’s death, all four crew members of the Rocinante agree to destroy (what they think as) the only remaining samples of the protomolecule by launching them into the sun. Thinking that the sample might be useful for the Belters during the escalating conflicts with Earthers and Martians, Naomi fakes the launch and gives the samples to Fred Johnson instead.

We think the nature of OPA as a decentralized movement makes it really difficult for the Belters to gain any advantage in the conflict. Many of the major progresses the Belters make in their insurgencies against Earth and Mars (at least until Season 2) come from individual actions rather than an organized plan by a unified alliance. The OPA itself is often described as a terrorist network by the Inner Planets, but it remains the best chance the Belters have to establish their position as a major faction in the Sol System, as opposed to their traditional image as second-class citizens beneath Martians and Earthers. Although the Belters haven’t made real influential successes in their cause, that Fred Johnson now has a protomolecule sample in his hands might just be the first important pathway to turn the table.

Do you think Naomi Nagata will ever directly become part of any OPA faction? Can you name any possible good reason for Miller’s decision to work as a cop for Earthers instead of Belters? We’d love to hear from you.

Other Things You Might Want to Know

Why aren’t all Belters as brittle as how they’re typically described?

Most Belters are indeed physically weak compared to Earthers and Martians. But despite their inherently brittle bones, they can mitigate the weakness by using steroids or undergoing bone-density enhancement therapy. That said, not every Belter can handle the treatments well. Belters who are accustomed to hard labor, for example, as vacuum welders, develop a muscular build and stocky physique naturally.

Does the OPA have its own Navy fleet?

Until the second season of The Expanse, the OPA still hasn’t formed an organized navy.

What’s the main story in the prequel short story “Drive” by James S. A. Corey?

Set 150 years before the series begins, Drive is mainly about the accidental invention of the Epstein Drive by Solomon Epstein. The invention is believed to be a major factor to encourage both the Martians and Earthers to colonize the Belt and Outer Planets.

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