Summary

• The Expanse's realistic approach to space travel adds to its grounded appeal and distinguishes it from other sci-fi shows.
• Light-speed travel would fundamentally change the show by shrinking the narrative scope and eliminating the need for Belters.
• Introducing light-speed travel would have knock-on effects, including reducing the tension between Earth and Mars and altering the aesthetic and dynamics of ship battles.

Despite clearly existing in the realm of science fiction, The Expanse tends to steer clear of the genre's tropes, including one of the oldest and most common. Set three centuries in the future, the show projects real-world social and political situations into an age where humanity can easily travel through space. In other sci-fi shows, such a age of time would have led to the development of technologies far beyond those currently available in reality, but The Expanse doesn't go there in of the most cliché sci-fi presumption.

The most advanced form of technology in The Expanse is the protomolecule, which was developed and left behind by a race of extinct aliens known as the Ring Builders. The protomolecule and the Ring Gate in The Expanse are about as far as the show dares to go when it comes to traditional sci-fi hallmarks. Their introduction to the story has such an impact due in part to otherwise realistic predictions of what humanity's future holds, and the challenges these elements present. One of these challenges is having to traverse an entire solar system.

The Expanse's Grounded Appeal Would Be Lost With Light-Speed Travel

The Show Is Better Off Without It

Traveling at light speed and faster is a common trope in sci-fi, one that's used to shrink the expansive universe in which the story can commonly be set. Franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek wouldn't be the same without this fictional technology, as the ethos of each relies on spanning great distances to meet alien life. The Expanse takes a much more grounded approach to space travel, and thus the top speed of the crew of the Rocinante is limited.

Most of the friction in The Expanse comes from the interactions between Earth, Mars, and the Belt. Although it takes time for characters to travel from location to location, it is possible, and it's done regularly. The journey is often perilous, and careful calculations need to be made in of food rationing and fuel use. Light-speed travel would take much of the story outside the solar system, changing the show completely. The realism of the transit between factions in The Expanse would also be lost.

In the real world, it would take months to get from Earth to Mars.

Light-Speed Travel Would Negate The Need For Belters

They'd Be Rendered Obsolete

The Belters are named as such because they're generally born and raised in an asteroid belt far from Earth and Mars. Although humans, they rarely set foot on either planet due to being unable to tolerate their gravity. The lack of light-speed travel in The Expanse is the reason the Belters exist, as they mine and sell resources to both Earth and Mars and live out their lives on ships and space stations.

If ships could travel at light speed, there would be no need for humans to reside in the Belt, as ships from Earth and Mars could travel to and from the Belt to conduct their mining operations. The loss of Belters from the story of The Expanse would thin the plot significantly. It's their unrest and their unfair treatment that leads to much of the conflict in the show, so stories such as Marco Inaros's asteroid attack on Earth wouldn't have happened.

How Else Light-Speed Travel Would've Changed The Expanse

There Would Be A Knock-On Effect

The addition of light-speed travel would have transformed the show in other ways. For instance, the tension between Earth and Mars may also have been reduced, with light-speed travel enabling Mars to become no more than an Earth colony rather than a sovereign state. In other words, the conflict would have been diluted once more, confining much of the narrative to Earth itself.

Even in science fiction, the technology that enables a ship to travel at light speed is seen as highly advanced. It seems unlikely that humanity could reach this level of progress without other breakthroughs also taking place. For instance, ship weaponry in The Expanse is still limited to traditional bullets and missiles, which would be at odds aesthetically speaking with something like a light-speed engine.

The introduction of laser-based weaponry that so commonly features in other science fiction shows would likely mean the use of fictional defenses, such as force fields. As it stands, the dogfights between ships in The Expanse are some of the best scenes, with sometimes an entire cruiser being just a few bullets away from being put out of commission. Bringing light-speed travel into the mix would set off a logical domino effect that could mean the loss of these scenes, and so The Expanse is better off without it.

All seasons of The Expanse are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.