Years afterThe Expanse’s season 6 finale, the show still feels wrapped up while also seeming like it’s stuck in limbo, which is something that shouldn’t happen with Amazon’s replacement space opera. When Syfy canceledThe Expanseafter season 3, it seemed as though the show would be left unfinished. Thankfully,Amazon stepped in to continue the story and bringThe Expanseto a natural stopping point. AlthoughThe Expanse’s endingfeels relatively complete, it’s also an unfortunate compromise that an upcoming Amazon sci-fi show should be able to avoid.
Written by James S.A. Corey, (a pen name for writing duo Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck),The Expansewas originally a nine-book sci-fi series. It eventually went on to form the basis of the live-action adaptation, beforeAmazon’s version ofThe Expanseended after season 6. Even now, it’s seen by many as one of thebest Amazon Prime TV shows. However, the show’s divisive ending remains a point of contention, and it’s one that the platform has clearly learned from.
The Captive’s War Being A Trilogy Means It’s More Likely To Get A Proper Ending After The Expanse Didn’t
Amazon’s new space opera comes from the same writers as The Expanse
James S.A. Corey released their first post-Expansenovel in August 2024, withThe Mercy of the Gods. The sci-fi story is the beginning of another space opera series, but one that’s one-third of the length ofThe Expanse. Known asThe Captive’s Warseries,Corey’s latest literary project will be a trilogy, whereasThe Expanseconsists of nine books. So, Amazon’s upcoming adaptation ofThe Captive’s Warwon’t be as big of an undertaking asThe Expansewas. As such, it should be fully covered in roughly three seasons.
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Corey also published several novellas set withinThe Expanse’s book canon.
The Expanseseason 6 only made it to the end of book six, which made the finale an improvised stopping point. Like Amazon’s version ofThe Expanse, the writing duo will be heavily involved withThe Captive’s War’s journey to the small screen. It’s possible that they consciously made the upcoming saga much shorter thanThe Expanseso it could be fully adapted, althoughit could be thatThe Captive’s Waris just a more succinct tale. Either way, it’ll be a nice change to have a Corey-inspired show that covers every narrative beat - if the adaptation does well.
The Expanse Adapting All 9 Books Always Looked Unlikely
Many brilliant sci-fi series don’t even reach season 6
Some of thelongest-running TV shows of all timecan massively surpass nine seasons, but it’s rare - especially for a show likeThe Expanse. So, whenSyfy started withThe Expanseseason 1, it’s unclear just what the ambition was. When Amazon rescued the show, it perhaps seemed a little more likely that the books would be fully adapted, but the 30-year time jump at the end of the sixth novel,Babylon’s Ashes, always presented a challenge to the live-action adaptation.
3 Years Have Passed, So What Happened To The Expanse Season 7?
Amazon Prime Video dropped The Expanse season 6 finale in January 2022, and three years later, there is still no word on a possible seventh season.
Apple TV+‘sFor All Mankindis a great example of howThe Expansecould have accounted for this time jump, but it still would have meant continuing production for around three more seasons. Many of the best and most popular sci-fi shows of all time never come close to running for so long, so it’s not really a surprise that Amazon chose to bringThe Expanseto a suitable end when it did.
