The Ring Gate: Opening New Frontiers in The Expanse Season 3
Before Season 2 ended, the protomolecule that had previously crash-landed on Venus in the wake of Eros Incident showed some weird activities, prompting the United Nations’ science vessel Arboghast to send a probe to the planet’s surface in vain. The Expanse Season 3 reveals more about the alien substance through a series of Sci Fi-heavy sequences the show is known for.
Away from the Sun
Beginning in Episode 6: Immolation and almost immediately after Draper kills a hybrid, the mystery surrounding the protomolecule jumps a few notches on the thrill-intensity scale as it makes a massive leap from Venus, heading away from the sun. No one really knows what it is at this point. And the event, witnessed by several ships near Venus and broadcast across the Sol system, is as awe-inspiring as it is terrifying.
A Massive Ring
Reaching a point roughly 2 AU beyond the orbit of Uranus, the protomolecule makes a stop and gradually transforms itself into a ring-shaped structure. Of course, just about everybody in the entire Solar System simply calls it “The Ring.” As if humans are trying to deny their fear of the unknown, it doesn’t take long until the UN commissions a panel of civilian academics and scientists (known as the Blue Panel) to study The Ring. Clarisa Mao, disguising herself as Melba Koh, and Anna Volovodov also join the mission as part of the civilian delegation on board of Thomas Prince.
Traveling alongside the UN fleet is the Rocinante with all its crew members, except Naomi who at the moment commands the OPA Behemoth with Drummer. A journalist and a cameraman are onboard the Rocinante, too. Fred Johnson (of Tycho Station faction) and Anderson Dawes (of Ceres Station faction) quickly announce that the OPA will join the observation mission. Draper is on the Martian fleet, heading toward The Ring as well.
As the official mission from the Earth, Mars, and the Belt is underway, a slingshotter from Ceres gets to The Ring before everybody else and attempts to pass through the structure to impress his crush. Entering the structure at high speed, suddenly The Ring activates and puts his ship to an abrupt halt. The deceleration is too much for his body to take, killing him in an instant. His ship slowly moves further into The Ring and disappears.
Saved by The Ring
Melba inexplicably leaves the Thomas Prince to plant a bomb on another UN ship, Seung Un. She returns to Thomas Prince and detonates the bomb remotely. A broadcast message sent by Melba frames Holden as the person responsible for the destruction of Seung Un and makes him appear as claiming supremacy over The Ring. As a result, the Rocinante becomes a target and fired upon by OPA Behemoth. But the Rocinante decelerates as it enters The Ring, and the Behemoth’s torpedo actually stops dead.
Holden and the protomolecule-projected Miller come closer to the station in the center of The Ring as they try to uncover the pocket dimension connected to the structure. The Martians believe Holden has become insane and follow him. They even try to shoot and kill Holden, but the bullets stop moving midair in The Ring’s Slow Zone. In fact, a Martian lieutenant gets disassembled and absorbed by the station when he tries to throw a grenade.
A Strange Vision
Having been saved by The Ring from Behemoth’s torpedo, a Martian team’s raining bullets, and a Martian lieutenant’s grenade, Holden soldiers on towards the station. He touches the circuit and is shown a busy vision of the Sol System from the protomolecule’s perspective. All the previous events run in a reverse sequence, allowing him to witness planets exploding and history from a distant past. Moments later, he loses consciousness. Draper refuses to believe that Holden is in control of The Ring. She gives orders to save Holden and bring him on board of her ship.
Exploration Expansion
In Abaddon’s Gate, the final episode of Season 3, it is revealed that the station thinks of humans as a threat, especially considering the fact that Ashford (on board the Behemoth) wants to destroy it using a laser weapon. If Ashford does follow through with his threat, The Ring may destroy the Solar System in retaliation. Holden believes the station will lower its security system if all the ships shut down their power reactors. Holden’s plan works; not only does The Ring release all the ships caught in the Slow Zone, but it also opens gateways to over 1300 other planetary systems outside. James Holden and his complete crew members along with Draper are now back on the Rocinante as the ship makes its way through the Ring Gate.
We think The Expanse Season 3 delivers the story at a pretty blistering speed. Every plot concerning Clarissa Mao is consumed quickly, from the revelation of her true identity and hostile intention towards Holden to her transformation into somewhat a heroine approaching the end of the season. Naomi doesn’t do any good on the Behemoth, and eventually returns to the Rocinante with little fanfare, either. As for the Ring Gate itself, you can say that Holden neutralizes the threat from the protomolecule-built structure also with no real headache-inducing difficulties, mostly thanks to a big help from Miller’s apparition. Now that the gate opens quick access to more planetary systems, it looks like Season 3 gives a new beginning for the show to engage in much more complex intrigues again.
If Miller can come back as an apparition to Holden, do you think Julie Mao should be able to do the same? Who should control The Ring in order to maintain peace in the Solar System? We’d love to hear from you.
Other Things You Might Want to Know
The Expanse season 3 episode titles:
Fight or Flight
IFF
Assured Destruction
Reload
Triple Point
Immolation
Delta-V
It Reaches Out
Intransigence
Dandelion Sky
Fallen World
Congregation
Abaddon’s Gate
What Exactly is the Ring Gate?
Also known as the Sol Gate, it’s a wormhole with a diameter of roughly 1,000 km. The Ring gate is part of an ancient network built by alien civilization billions of years ago, connecting the Solar System with more than 1300 other planetary systems.
What’s the Slow Zone?
Located inside the Ring Gate, the Slow Zone is a bubble of space with a strict speed limit. When it was first discovered, an object couldn’t travel more than 5,000m/s as it moved through the zone. Following an attempt by a Martian lieutenant to throw a grenade and kill Holden, the speed limit is decreased even further. If an object tries to move faster than the speed limit, the Slow Zone will see it as a threat and destroy the Solar System in its entirety.
