The Expanse (Amazon) [** Spoilers **]

EoinMcLovin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jc76QrX5Vg

corwill

Rewatching s1 at the moment, really wish there was more Jared Harris.

Hats off to the casting directors in general. Frances Fisher as Holden's ma, for instance, such a strong cameo.

pixelburp

This looks awesome: I recently finished Nemesis Games, and that is going to be a hell of a book to adapt for Season 5 - assuming / hoping there is one. Obviously won't spoil anything, but in a series that often left me going "oh sh*t, NOW what?!", events in that novel really upped the stakes.

I'm really liking what I'm seeing here, even if the planet looks a smidge too like a quarry, but otherwise seems to be playing it pretty close to the novel (Cibola Burn). That book was a 'smaller' piece, mostly sticking to events on the planet, so looks like they're keeping tabs on players outside of events at the colony.

off.the.walls

pixelburp wrote: »

I'm really liking what I'm seeing here, even if the planet looks a smidge too like a quarry, but otherwise seems to be playing it pretty close to the novel (Cibola Burn). That book was a 'smaller' piece, mostly sticking to events on the planet, so looks like they're keeping tabs on players outside of events at the colony.

I agree with the quarry thing, in the book I imagined it as more fields and such. Will be interesting to see what they change from the book for the show.

pixelburp

off.the.walls wrote: »

I agree with the quarry thing, in the book I imagined it as more fields and such. Will be interesting to see what they change from the book for the show.

Well, looks like

Avarasala & Bobbie are in this season, despite not featuring in the novel at all (I think the latter pops up to observe Mars' slowly depopulating, but that's it)

, but that's an unsurprising decision for such an ensemble series.

It's a shame they've gone with a quarry for the planet as like you, I imagined rolling "grass" fields as far as the eye could see. Or at least something that had some semblance of vibrancy and life to it. I'm surprised they couldn't find somewhere remote enough in (what I presume to be) Canada to pass for a more "natural" barren landscape.

corwill

pixelburp wrote: »

Well, looks like

Avarasala & Bobbie are in this season, despite not featuring in the novel at all (I think the latter pops up to observe Mars' slowly depopulating, but that's it)

, but that's an unsurprising decision for such an ensemble series.

It's a shame they've gone with a quarry for the planet as like you, I imagined rolling "grass" fields as far as the eye could see. Or at least something that had some semblance of vibrancy and life to it. I'm surprised they couldn't find somewhere remote enough in (what I presume to be) Canada to pass for a more "natural" barren landscape.

https://expanse.fandom.com/wiki/Ilus_IV

By the sounds of it, Ilus and the colony site would be fairly dusty. It's been a while since I've read Cibola Burn, but the impression it left on me of the colony was broadly 'bit of a kip'.

off.the.walls

I suppose one reason it looks like this is because of

what miller says about the gate builders turning the whole planet into one gigantic gas station

Wailin

Started this show two weeks ago, absolutely loving it. Easily the best sci-fi show I've seen. I just finished episode 8, season 3. Five more to go before the wait for season 4

What's with the reverse thrusters anyone? Example in the episode where the ships are first heading for the ring. All the thrusters are at the front of the ships but instead of moving in the opposite direction, they're moving forward against the thrusters. Am I missing something?

corwill

Wailin wrote: »

What's with the reverse thrusters anyone? Example in the episode where the ships are first heading for the ring. All the thrusters are at the front of the ships but instead of moving in the opposite direction, they're moving forward against the thrusters. Am I missing something?

Can't remember the particular scene, but maybe a braking maneuver?

pixelburp

Not sure I get the question but IIRC ships would speed up to cross the major distances, then use thrusters at the front to slow down as they reached planets, stations or the ring so they could kill the momentum created by the Epstein Drives (named for the guy who invented the super fast engines used. I think he disappeared mysteriously in the novels fiction).

off.the.walls

pixelburp wrote: »

Not sure I get the question but IIRC ships would speed up to cross the major distances, then use thrusters at the front to slow down as they reached planets, stations or the ring so they could kill the momentum created by the Epstein Drives (named for the guy who invented the super fast engines used. I think he disappeared mysteriously in the novels fiction).

Theres a short in season 2 about him, he created the drive and the test flight killed him.

Synode

off.the.walls wrote: »

Theres a short in season 2 about him, he created the drive and the test flight killed him.

I don't remember anything about him in the 5 books I read. Was he in them

off.the.walls

Synode wrote: »

I don't remember anything about him in the 5 books I read. Was he in them

They had a novella about him I think. Heres the clips from season 2.

Mal-Adjusted

in the books, about halfway through a journey they would do a "flip and burn" maneuver where they turn off the engines, use thrusters to point in the opposite direction and start the engine up again, essentially flying backwards. this slows them down gradually until they reach their destination. You can see this in the first episode with the Canterbury, although it was a lot more violent as they had to shed a lot more momentum.

so start from a (relativley) stationary position, half the journey gaining speed, half the journey losing speed, stop at destination.

Talisman

Wailin wrote: »

What's with the reverse thrusters anyone? Example in the episode where the ships are first heading for the ring. All the thrusters are at the front of the ships but instead of moving in the opposite direction, they're moving forward against the thrusters. Am I missing something?

The Flip and Burn maneuver - the ship needs to cancel its momentum, there are no brakes so the crew have to face the ship in the opposite direction and full throttle the engines.

The crew go on the 'juice' to prevent them from blacking out during the high-G maneuver. It's made of anticoagulants, blood thinners, and stimulants.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qL6UlySo3-M

ollkiller

Just finished Season 3 last night. Christ this is amazing. I started the first season years ago but only watched the first few episodes and always meant to go back to it. So glad i did. World building in season 1 sets up the next seasons perfectly. Great visuals and story is stellar sci-fi. Thank Christ Amazon picked it up. Roll on Season 4.

corwill

ollkiller wrote: »

Just finished Season 3 last night. Christ this is amazing. I started the first season years ago but only watched the first few episodes and always meant to go back to it. So glad i did. World building in season 1 sets up the next seasons perfectly. Great visuals and story is stellar sci-fi. Thank Christ Amazon picked it up. Roll on Season 4.

I'm just up to S3e10 of a re-watch, season 3 is just an absolute treat. Relentless thrills, rollercoaster pacing. Love it.

pixelburp

Season 4 will be fascinating, that fourth book was such a diversion and change of pace, I wonder if the adaptation will follow suit. I'm gearing myself for a more intimate, more personal pace and perspective.

corwill

pixelburp wrote: »

Season 4 will be fascinating, that fourth book was such a diversion and change of pace, I wonder if the adaptation will follow suit. I'm gearing myself for a more intimate, more personal pace and perspective.

Was Book 4 exclusively planet-side action, or was there any parallel plot(s)?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of off world space-opera in Season 4 to break things up.

pixelburp

corwill wrote: »

Was Book 4 exclusively planet-side action, or was there any parallel plot(s)?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of off world space-opera in Season 4 to break things up.

Obviously I don't want to spoil, but for the most part

yes, it was set in two places, the human colony on Ilus, and a ship orbiting the planet. Bobby and Avarasala barely featured.

. That said, no reason why they can't expand or merge some of the later political shenanigans, it's just that everyone was watching the planet so it kinda WAS the centre of the action.

corwill

pixelburp wrote: »

That said, no reason why they can't expand or merge some of the later political shenanigans, it's just that everyone was watching the planet so it kinda WAS the centre of the action.

Ah yeah, thanks, it's been a few years since I read the book. I'd say they'll add a string or two extra to the bow. Purely focusing on Ilus might be a bit much of a change of pace, particularly coming off the back of season 3.

Talisman

corwill wrote: »

Was Book 4 exclusively planet-side action, or was there any parallel plot(s)?

I wouldn't be surprised to see a bit of off world space-opera in Season 4 to break things up.

They could work the events of a couple of the novellas into the season, Gods of Risk (features Bobby and her nephew on Mars), The Vital Abyss (features the scientists captured at the secret Protogen facility). Both of those stories provide foundations for what happens later.

corwill

Just finished a rewatch of all 3 seasons, wish I had strung it out a bit longer - 13 December seems very far away.

It was even better than I remembered. Couple of things that stood out more on a second watch of season 3:

- Really enjoyed Cara Gee as Camina Drummer. Maybe overchewed the scenary a tad here and there, but always with a little arch humour in her performance. I'm surprised I haven't seen her on something else, and I hope that I do soon.

- David Stratheirn as Ashford. A really good example of how the series improves on the books. Enjoyed both the performance and the characterisation.

- The leads all grew into their characters and I think as actors as the series progressed. Especially Strait and Tipper.

- Standing ovation for Clinton Shorter's scoring of season 3, just nailed it. That, amongst a lot of other factors, had me thinking from time to time "imagine if these guys had made Prometheus".

Roll on 13 December.

iguana

Will S4 be released as a complete season or week by week?

pixelburp

Another new trailer has popped up (and changed the thread title to reflect the new 'broadcaster' )

Honestly, this is the SciFi space-set franchise I'm most looking forward to in December, not that other one with the space wizards

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFdzpVt5rbk

Kiith

Easily my most anticipated show. Can't bloody wait.

pixelburp

That's the same trailer as the one I just posted Mr McLovin

EoinMcLovin

pixelburp wrote: »

That's the same trailer as the one I just posted Mr McLovin

Whoops, Didn’t even see your post . Deleted it anyway

Talisman

corwill wrote: »

Just finished a rewatch of all 3 seasons, wish I had strung it out a bit longer - 13 December seems very far away.

My advice would be to try re-reading the books! I tried to stretch out reading the most recently published book, thinking a chapter or two a week would be enough of a fix but unfortunately it wasn't and I completed it in a couple of sittings.

I'm now re-reading the Witcher series in anticipation of the Netflix release - I've messed up the reading order so the storyline is a bit confused but it's helping to pass the time.

The only weekly tv show fix I get these days is Mr. Robot which I recently learned finishes on December 29th and not next week as I had previously believed. I was in dread of the dead zone between Mr. Robot ending and The Expanse resuming but now I'll be okay.

CramCycle

I really hope it is dropped as a binge watch, I can take a day of work and head in to "work" and watch it away from the family before christmas kicks off