The Expanse has been a very good show we've been watching on Amazon Prime TV. The first two seasons are free. You have to pay $30 for season 3. The fourth season is under contract to be made but not done yet. After the first two seasons, we did not hesitate to pony up for season three.
The Expanse is set 200 years in the future. The solar system is heavily colonized but no FTL drive has been developed yet. There are three main factions, the Earthers, the Martians, and the Belters.
They grabbed me early on when a rail gun punched a hole through a ship during a battle. Someone slapped a metal plate over the hole and pulled out a huge menacing looking black gun. It was a glue gun, lol.
The story is deep and detailed. Space is depicted as a dangerous brutal unforgiving place.
Things I found interesting.
I liked the engine contrail effect on their Epstein drives. It would not be appropriate for a gravity drive. However, the Epstein drive would be an interesting advancement over a standard rocket drive. I wonder if they would mind if I called it that? The Epstein drive would probably take on the fuel efficiency of the current rocket drive module, which would then become much less efficient; it is currently very efficient.
The Expanse is set 200 years in the future. The solar system is heavily colonized but no FTL drive has been developed yet. There are three main factions, the Earthers, the Martians, and the Belters.
They grabbed me early on when a rail gun punched a hole through a ship during a battle. Someone slapped a metal plate over the hole and pulled out a huge menacing looking black gun. It was a glue gun, lol.
The story is deep and detailed. Space is depicted as a dangerous brutal unforgiving place.
Things I found interesting.
- Rocket drives. Their ships use basic rockets and act like rockets, turning their butt to decelerate toward their destinations and flying realistic orbits. Their drives are slightly advanced, with the development of the "Epstein drive", which grants them super fuel efficiency.
- Newtonian physics. If their ships aren't accelerating, people are weightless inside. People aboard ships are constantly brutalized by the effects of rocket drive acceleration. Spin is used at space stations to provide simulated gravity. They make heavy use of "grav boots" to gloss over weightlessness when it isn't a factor.
- No energy weapons. Their ships have rail guns, missiles and swiveling Gatling guns for missile defense. People carry large caliber pistols and machine guns.
- Mormons. Who puts Mormons in a sci fi thriller?
I liked the engine contrail effect on their Epstein drives. It would not be appropriate for a gravity drive. However, the Epstein drive would be an interesting advancement over a standard rocket drive. I wonder if they would mind if I called it that? The Epstein drive would probably take on the fuel efficiency of the current rocket drive module, which would then become much less efficient; it is currently very efficient.