WAR OF THE WORLDS

WE CAN EXPECT AN EXPLOSIVE WRAP-UP FOR THE EXPANSE , AS SHOWRUNNER NAREN SHANKAR EXPLAINS

- BRYAN CAIRNS

SHOWRUNNER NAREN Shankar describes The Expanse’s sixth – and final – outing as a “powder keg”. And for good reason: the stakes have never been higher in the show.

The fifth season of the series (based on the books by Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) culminated with the crew of the Rocinante – Holden (Steven Strait), Amos (Wes Chatham) and Naomi (Dominique Tipper) – back together, but that reunion could be bittersweet. That’s because Earth and Mars are at each other’s throats; this year’s premiere will open with text on the screen à la Star Wars, detailing the plight of the solar system.

In addition, political extremist Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) remains on the loose. Along with the Outer Planets Alliance’s Free Navy, he’s continued to shower the Earth with asteroids, wreaking havoc across the globe. An entire Martian fleet has gone rogue, and a protomolecule sample is still out there and unaccounted for. When The Expanse returns for its last six-episode run, viewers had better brace themselves as all these ticking timebombs begin to explode.

“The one thing that you left out is a state of war that exists between the Belt and the planet,” Shankar tells SFX. “That is a gigantic issue. Marco has taken control of the Ring and Medina Station. Earth and the Inner Planets are on their heels. Marco is hurting rocks that have had a devastating impact. The fleets have had to come back to protect the home planet.