Ever since its debut in 2015, the science fiction epic that is The Expanse has been one of the most beloved shows with a dedicated fanbase that has stayed with the adaptation of James S.A. Corey's novels even after it was cancelled by SyFy and later picked up by Amazon. And with not long until The Expanse Season 5 lands on Amazon Prime Video later on in December, some of those fans (or newcomers who fell in love with the show on Amazon) may be wondering what there is to know about the upcoming crop of episodes.
Well, there's actually quite a bit to unfold and digest and about the beautifully shot and action-packed science fiction drama. Since there's not much time before The Expanse returns to the world of streaming, let's get this ball rolling.
The Expanse Season 5 Premieres December 16
We don't have to wait much longer to pick up where things left off for Amos Burton, Chrisjen Avasarala, Naomi Nagata, and every other character audiences have come to love, hate, or love to hate over the course of the past four seasons. Set your reminders, calendar alerts, and alarm clocks because The Expanse Season 5 will premiere on Wednesday, December 16 on Amazon Prime Video.
The Expanse Season 5 Will Consist Of 10 Episodes, But Not All Episodes Will Be Released At Once
Amazon is trying something different for The Expanse this time around. Instead of releasing all 10 episodes like the streamer did for the show's fourth season in December 2019, only the first three episodes of The Expanse Season 5 will be available on December 16. Similar to how Amazon did with The Boys Season 2 in September, the remaining seven episodes be released each week until the Season 5 finale drops on Wednesday, February 3, 2021. And while this isn't the ideal setup for anyone looking to binge away their holiday break later this month, the staggered release of the remaining episodes will give everyone something to look forward to every week.
This Will Be The Penultimate Season Of The Expanse
For the second time in its existence, The Expanse will be coming to an end, but not right now. In November, Amazon announced that the popular science fiction adventure would be ending its run following the conclusion of Season 6, which should be released around this time in 2021. And even though it's never ideal to hear about one of your favorite shows ending, at least fans of The Expanse will get some time to prepare themselves for the ending as the show's executive producers and writing team work on bringing the series to a fulfilling ending that won't be rushed, or worse, having no conclusion to all of the various storylines at all.
With The Expanse Season 5 being the penultimate season of the series, viewers can expect to see quite a bit go down as the show works towards it finale. And judging by everything that's going to happen when the show picks back up later in December, there's going to be a lot going on these next two seasons.
The Expanse Season 5 Will Be About The Sins Of The Past
Since each season of The Expanse is based on the various books in the series of novels by the same name, nothing really happens in a vacuum, and that's very much the case for everyone in the show's fifth season. In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Naren Shankar explained that everything that has happened to main characters in the show's first four seasons has something to do with what they'll go through once Season 5 debuts in December, stating:
The theme really is about the sins of the past. To one extent or another, that's every single story line, whether it is Naomi personally confronting the fact that she had a son with this very charismatic, and now quite violent, revolutionary-type leader. Whether it's Amos connecting to his past, or going back to Earth for reasons that we're not quite sure of. Whether it's Holden's past with unleashing the protomolecule. Whether it is the past geopolitical history of the Belt, and its relationship with the inner planets, which we see through Avasarala."
All in all, Naren Shankar said the big picture of The Expanse Season 5 is about connecting all of the things the characters have done in their lives that have brought them to this moment in time, and that everything is coming to a head for everyone at the same time, even if they're millions of miles away from one another.
There Are Also Those Cloaked Asteroids On A Collision Course With Earth
Speaking of sins of the past coming back to haunt various characters on The Expanse… The Season 4 finale saw the father of Naomi's son (as mentioned in the ominous quote up above), Marco Inaros, send those cloaked asteroids on a collision course with Earth that will certainly bring pain, death, and possibly extinction for every living creature on earth. And with several characters heading back to the doomed planet, those final moments in The Expanse Season 4 will come back in a big way as the show moves forward in its final two seasons. We'll have to wait and see when Marco's plan comes to fruition, but when it does, expect some fireworks of epic proportion.
Two Of The Shows Stars Have Said Exciting Things About The Expanse Season 5
If all of that wasn't enough to get everyone excited for The Expanse Season 5, recent comments by two of its biggest stars — Wes Chatham and Dominique Tipper — will certainly help add more fuel to the hype train ahead of the show's return in December.
Back in February, Wes Chatham, who plays Amos Burton on The Expanse, posted on his Instagram account shortly after production wrapped and said that what he had seen of Season 5 was "the best thing" the show has ever done, which is saying a whole lot considering the quality of the first four seasons.
On top of that, Dominique Tipper, who portrays Naomi Nagata, shared her excitement for the upcoming season of The Expanse during a New York Comic Com panel in October, where she compared everything that will happen to the a certain Marvel property, calling Season 5 the show's Infinity War in the sense that each of the characters are off doing their own thing while a dark and dangerous threat is out there pulling everyone back together.
That about catches us up with everything we know about The Expanse Season 5. Don't forget to check out the first three episodes when they drop on Wednesday, December 16 on Amazon Prime Video.
