SDCC 2016: ‘The Expanse’ Panel Recap
The Expanse panel at Comic-Con was held in the Indigo Ballroom which was full of enthusiastic fans for this new series. The Syfy channel series is based on the books by James S. A. Corey (the pen name used by the collaborators Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) and has had numerous articles sing its praise. Currently, five of the nine episodes are available to watch on Syfy.com and the entire season is available for purchase on Amazon Prime. If you have not checked out this series and you enjoy realistic sci-fi, drama, intriguing stories, an ethnically diverse cast and a gritty mystery, you need to go watch it now!
Adam Savage (best known for Mythbusters) moderated the panel. He opened by saying The Expanse is his “new favorite show” because it is real science. In this future, technology has not made everything perfect, and getting around the galaxy is a difficult journey. Also, Naren Shankar (executive producer) pointed out in this show, space and space flight were made to be a character. If you have watched the show, you will know they succeeded.
The Expanse has received a lot of recognition for its talented and ethnically diverse cast. Cas Anvar, who plays Alex, a Pakistani pilot with a Texan accent said, “That’s the beautiful part of the show…it doesn’t have racism. It has planetism.” Savage added that his wife was surprised to see what Anvar looks like after just hearing his Southern accent in the other room. In terms of diversification, actress Shohreh Aghdashloo said, “This is the best show I have ever been on” and actress Dominique Tipper said “same”.
The character of Joe Miller, played by Thomas Jane, gives the narrative a film noir feel. He is a detective on the Belt (the area relatively stuck between Earth and Mars) and he stumbles upon a missing person case that he cannot leave alone. Jane added that he feels he looks like the rat from Ratatouille that has drowned, which is a fair description because his character goes through quite an ordeal. Mark Fergus, one of the show’s creators and writers commented that, “Miller is like the uncle that won’t leave.” Jane pointed out that his character, Miller, “feels like an outsider but wanted to hang with these people.”
In regards to the special effects on the show, Shankar said they were not necessarily limited by what they could do but rather, “Your ambitions expand to what you have available.” This is not a show where there are crazy effects in the characters’ daily lives per se (there are definitely some amazing visuals though) because it is grittier and Fergus points out that you, “…get all the dramatic stuff back that has been lost with technology.” The characters are the focus, not the tech because the tech is commonplace to the characters (like a cell phone today).
Savage asked Dominique Tipper, who plays Naoimi (a woman who can hold her own against any man), “Does Naoimi bring out your inner badass?” Tipper replied “no” because it is part of who she is. However, she added (with her British accent) that when she watches the show at home sipping tea, and she will think about her character, “Wow that was a bit harsh”. When the cast was asked if they are like their characters, all of them chimed in saying that they are rather similar to their characters. Tipper cut in though saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am absolute fucking delight to be around!”
One of the many complex characters on the show is Avasarala, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, and she explained her character’s motives by saying that, “she had dedicated herself to her mission – Earth must come first” and that she wants to “make it a better place for our children’s children.” She went on to say this was the first time a character surprised her. Aghdashloo was asked by Savage, “How is it to be a female actress and get to say a lot of bad stuff?” She replied, “I am having a blast to be honest with you. I say a lot in the second season. What I love about this character is that she does not shy away from the truth.” One of the questions from the audience touched upon how brutal Avasarala is in the pilot and how that is different from the books. Fergus mentioned how they did not want the character to “be just an administrator. She has to get her hands dirty” and, in the pilot episode, that was an quick way to show her character and make you interested to know more.
One of the emerging leaders is Holden, played by Steven Strait, but unfortunately Holden is a bit of a slacker. Strait explained, “The more responsibility he has, it chips away at him…He refuses to pick a side and he becomes more gray. He can’t work only in black and white. By the end of season two, you will find he is a very different character from season one.” One problem with Holden is that he is a bit distant and hard to connect with. Strait elaborated on how they tried to make his character relatable by saying that they “…wanted to keep Holden’s journey as realistic as possible…want to show him struggle with each level of responsibility that he takes on. He struggles a lot through it but that shows his humanity.”
Though The Expanse is based on a book series, Shankar commented that they “…are doing a unique adaptation” because they are staying true to the books. They are also incorporating the novellas and they will “change the timelines a little”, but the “authors keep them on track.” It sounds like a rather symbiotic relationship where both parties are working together and figuring out what works best for their medium.
One of the teasers but not really a spoiler for season 2 is that we will see more of the Mars perspective and we will see it right at the beginning of the season!
Here is a fun video they screened about what it takes to act on this show!
Check out the trailer for season 2
