The Expanse S1 E4: CQB

"We are nothing like you.

The only thing Earthers care about is government handouts---free food, free water, free drugs so you can forget the aimless lives you lead. You're short-sighted, selfish... and it will destroy you."

The title CQB doesn't grab the attention in quite the same way The Expanse, Season One, Episode 4, CQB should. The acronym CQB stands for Close Quarter Battle and for some skeptical viewers that would do it.

CQB is about as thrilling and original as space battles and space deaths get. The story continues to move forward and remains riveting while plunging viewers into the heat of space battle every bit as good as some of the very best from Star Trek The Original Series (1966-1969). And those were suspenseful, exciting and just plain gripping.



Character moments are in evidence like a tender spot between Naomi and Amos, but CQB is indeed a first class thriller in the vein of the best. This is the kind of action-based science fiction that weaves seamlessly with a mystery yarn that offers science fiction fans something fresh and original that's not just a clone of the frontier discoveries of the Star Trek Enterprise. This is a frontier saga of a different kind entirely.

The Martian vessel Donnager is under attack but by who or what? A mystery entity is working hard to spark a war between Earth, Mars and the Belters but why?

This is the first episode that introduces a new character in the form of butcher Fred Johnson (see The Expanse novella The Butcher Of Anderson Station by James S.A. Corey) now on Tycho Station.



CQB is also notable for introducing fans of the book and TV series to what would become Holden and crew's ship of choice, the Rocinante.

The Donnager is a Martian warship and thought to be too big to fail. No one aboard imagines the possibility of being attacked and actually losing and yet the vessel is crippled and Holden and crew must resort to a daring escape aboard the smaller MCRN ship that would soon be named the Rocinante (in E6 Rock Bottom) before the massive warship is scuttled and is ultimately left to self destruct.



This is indeed a thrilling entry and remembered for the surprising death sequence that would take one of the five crew members before their narrow escape, as much as it is recalled for the Roci, as its often referred, in which they depart amidst some outstanding space thrills.

With an epic book series to draw from, The Expanse continues to move from strength to strength.

Writer: Naren Shankar. Director: Jeff Woolnough.

The Expanse S1 E3: Remember The Cant

"Earth and Mars have been stepping on the necks of the Belters out here for over 100 years and I didn't want to be the boot."
-James Holden-

"You know what I love most about Mars? They still dream. We gave up. They're an entire culture dedicated to a common goal, working together as one to turn a lifeless rock into a garden. We had a garden and we paved it."
-Franklin Degraaf-




The third episode sees the five remaining crew members of the now destroyed Canterbury captured by way of the Shuttle Knight and slowly sucked inside the Martian vessel MCRN Donnager.

The Expanse, Season One, Episode 3, Remember The Cant, is misleading as far as coloring the relationships that would form and be forged into the future for the series. Here, an already tenuous alliance of individuals thrown together are pressured and interrogated and played against one another by the Martians in an entry that works as a gripping interrogation procedural. The Martians, Holden and company and Earth are all attempting to get answers regarding just why exactly the Canterbury was destroyed.



There are so many details and variables in play between this large ensemble cast including Miller's search of Ceres for Julie Mao, whist Star Helix Security comes to blows with the OPA (Outer Planet Alliance) helmed by Anderson Dawes, played by the always exceptional Jared Harris (Chernobyl, The Terror). Despite the many players in the series, character growth and revelations reveal themselves in small moments.



I cannot implore science fiction fans enough to immerse themselves into the massively expansive world of The Expanse. Additionally, it is infinitely re-watchable and so many tiny details are observed with repeat viewings that enhance the story and aid in the experience of immersing the viewer inside the world of James S.A. Corey's The Expanse.



This series is exquisite replete with strong writing, an actual well-penned story, wonderfully complex characters, terrific spaceships and exceptional special effects. Further dubbing the show The Expanse was smart because that title works on a number of levels not least of which is the sheer fact this series is expanding the conventions and expectations we've come to expect with science fiction. Star Trek has conditioned us. The Expanse is broadening those horizons and pushing back the walls of our minds and imaginations.

Writer: Robin Veith. Director: Jeff Woolnough.