The Expanse - And Leviathan Falls

 

Warning: Mild spoilers ahead.

Fans are lamenting the end of one of the best sci-fi TV shows to come along in a generation. When SyFy cancelled it after its third season, Amazon Prime picked it up and continued the series for three more seasons. Amazon did so after a huge fan base lobbied hard for the series to continue. Not since Star Trek has a fan revolt of this nature resulted in a show continuing - and this puts The Expanse in VERY good company! The final season was only six episodes, and that's a disappointment on so many levels. Nevertheless, fans are saluting a job well done.

Except I don't think the series is done yet.

The television series ends with the dramatization of book six, along with the novella, "Strange Dogs." But there are three novels and two novellas still remaining. The reason most don't think these will be incorporated into the television series is because they are set thirty years after the ending of "Babylon's Ashes" - the sixth book in the series. With such a huge time gap, it becomes difficult for the series to continue, at least if they continue to be based on the novels.

So what's next for Steven Strait (James Holden), Dominique Tipper (Naomi Nagata), Wes Chatham (Amos Burton), Nadine Nicole (Clarissa Mao), Frankie Adams (Bobbie Draper), and of course, our favorite geriatric cuss-crush Shohreh Ahghadashloo (Chrisjen Avasarala)?

Who knows? Maybe this is it.

Or maybe there can be more. MUCH more.

There are several ways to get achieve this.

Option One: Continue the series, but fill the 30-year-gap with new, original material written by independent writers. This has the benefit of continuing the series for at least as long as Star Trek has been around, and providing guaranteed income to the show's main characters for a long, long time. The downside? What network is going to want to commit to something that big?

Option Two: Wait 20 or 30 years, and re-cast Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper, et al., and re-continue the series. Most beloved shows come back for a 20 year reunion anyway, so why not let that reunion be three more seasons? But then, over 20 years, major changes can happen. For example, what if one of the major cast members dies during that prolonged time?

Option Three: Artificially age the main cast and keep going right away. That's certainly possible with today's make-up and special effects. But what actor would want to undergo a Michael-Dorn-and-Brent-Spiner-level of make-up every morning for three solid years? Plus, you'd have to persuade the entire cast to do that!

Option Four: Set the television series to resume the last three novels after a ten-year gap instead of a 30-year gap. That way all that's needed is a few more artificial grey hairs and the existing cast can simply move forward. Ten years is plenty of time for Winston Duarte to build his Lyconian Empire. Plus fans and expanded universe writers can still fill that 10-year-gap with whatever they want for - well, forever.

There are very few downsides to option #4. (Naturally, I thought of it first. Have S.A. Corey click my PayPal Button.)

This is something of a two-pronged blog entry. It is 1) a review of the television series, and 2) a review of Leviathan Falls, the final novel. The reason I've chosen to merge these together is because Option Four makes the most sense, and I want to list my reasons why. The easiest way for me to do this is by talking about both the book and the TV series at the same time.

The main reason continuation of the TV series makes so much sense (from a television standpoint) is that the final season spent a huge amount of air-time and special effects to cover the events which took place on the planet Lyconia, as depicted in the novella, "Strange Dogs." This helps set the stage perfectly for the next three novels, in which Winston Duarte becomes the primary antagonist. But why do this if the television show is done? The only conclusion can be - they don't want the television show to be done yet! Including the events of Strange Dogs guarantees that there is material left to continue the series, and do it well.

The main reason option #4 makes sense from a BOOK standpoint has to do with a plot twist which is a mild spoiler. If you don't want to know, keep reading. But if you do, one of the more interesting reveals in Leviathan Falls is this:

Miller comes back for one last hurrah.

That's right, Miller! How he comes back is something you'll just have to read the book to find out. But if the television series is to continue at all, that would mean re-casting Thomas Jane in the role. That pretty much eliminates Options #1 and #2 above, because waiting around means that Miller will appear old just like the other characters do. That makes no sense, because the Ring Gate Aliens would make Miller appear just the same way he did when he died on Venus. Yes, that problem could be corrected by CGI, and by that point the technology will be even cheaper, but why take the chance that T.J. will kick it first? Better to continue the television series NOW, and re-cast Jane while he still looks like the original Miller. That would be the best - and cheapest - option.

There are problems to continuing the TV show. For example, someone will need to replace the Cas Anvar character of Alex Kamal. Not with the exact character, of course. Kamal got killed off as a character when Cas Anvar's sexual harassment scandal generated bad press in the post "Me Too" movement era. Well and good, but in the novel, Alex Kamal's son, together with his new bride and newborn grandson, play a pivotal role. Some other character, with a son and a new young family, will have to replace that element. Perhaps the son and his family could be from Earth. Or maybe Ganymede. Or perhaps they could keep them from Mars just like in the original plotline. Whatever the solution, it is not an insurmountable problem. And overcoming it will make the final seasons work - and work well.

My summary of the final book in the Expanse series is this: It ends remarkably well - on a final note which closes everything out in a definitive way. That satisfactory ending is worth the price of the book itself, and I can't give any greater praise for Leviathan Falls than that.

Eric

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