7 Sci-Fi Series Without A Single Bad Book

OPA Broadcast · Belt Intelligence How Well Do You Know The Expanse? “Doors and corners, kid. That’s where they get you.”

🚀The
CrewLegitimate salvage

⭕MarsRemember the Cant

⚒The
BeltBeltalowda rise

🌍EarthThe weight of gravity

💎Proto­moleculeIt reaches out

01

What is the name of the legitimate Martian warship that James Holden and his crew commandeer and rename the Rocinante? We’re asking for the original Martian Congressional Republic Navy designation.

✓ Correct! The MCRN Tachi was a Corvette-class fast-attack ship stationed aboard the battleship Donnager. When the Donnager was destroyed, Holden’s crew escaped in the Tachi and renamed her the Rocinante — after Don Quixote’s horse, meaning “no longer a workhorse.”

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is the Tachi. The Canterbury was the ice hauler where Holden worked before its destruction, the Donnager was the massive MCRN battleship that carried the Tachi, and the Scirocco was another MCRN vessel. The Tachi became the Rocinante — the crew’s beloved home for the entire series.

02

Which actor plays James Holden, the idealistic captain of the Rocinante who keeps getting the crew into galaxy-shaking trouble by broadcasting the truth?

✓ Correct! Steven Strait brought James Holden to life across all six seasons of the show. Strait captured Holden’s transformation from a reluctant XO on an ice hauler to a man carrying the weight of humanity’s future — all while keeping that stubborn moral compass pointed true north.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is Steven Strait. Wes Chatham played the unforgettable Amos Burton, Cas Anvar portrayed pilot Alex Kamal, and Dominique Tipper was engineer Naomi Nagata. Strait’s Holden served as the moral center of the Rocinante crew through all six seasons of the series.

03

The mysterious alien substance called the protomolecule — capable of repurposing any biological matter it touches — was first discovered on which moon of Saturn?

✓ Correct! The protomolecule was discovered on Phoebe, an irregularly shaped moon of Saturn. Scientists at a Protogen research station found it locked in the ice. Phoebe was actually a delivery system — an alien projectile sent billions of years ago, aimed at Earth but captured by Saturn’s gravity instead.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is Phoebe. Titan and Enceladus are Saturn moons but not where the protomolecule was found, and Io is a moon of Jupiter (though it later becomes a key protomolecule location). Phoebe was actually an alien-built delivery system that Saturn’s gravity intercepted billions of years before humanity arrived.

04

Chrisjen Avasarala is a ruthless UN politician known for her elegant saris and devastating profanity. Which Iranian-American actress won acclaim for bringing her to life on screen?

✓ Correct! Shohreh Aghdashloo’s Avasarala became one of the show’s most beloved characters, blending razor-sharp political maneuvering with a grandmotherly warmth that made her impossible to predict. Her Oscar-nominated voice and commanding presence made Avasarala iconic — especially when dropping uncensored profanity on Amazon.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is Shohreh Aghdashloo. Nazanin Boniadi is known for Homeland and Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Golshifteh Farahani for Paterson and Extraction, and Sarah Shahi for Person of Interest. Aghdashloo’s gravelly voice and fierce performance made Avasarala a fan-favorite powerhouse throughout the series.

05

The Expanse is based on a book series written under the pen name James S.A. Corey. How many authors actually write under this shared pseudonym?

✓ Correct! James S.A. Corey is the pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Abraham is an established fantasy and sci-fi author, while Franck was George R.R. Martin’s personal assistant. The “James” comes from James (the first name they agreed on), and “Corey” combines their middle names.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is two — Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. Abraham brought decades of sci-fi and fantasy writing experience, while Franck (who was George R.R. Martin’s assistant) created the original Expanse universe as a tabletop RPG setting. Together, they wrote all nine novels and the novellas.

06

Amos Burton, the Rocinante’s mechanic, is known for his blunt pragmatism and murky moral code. What is his signature catchphrase when he’s about to do something violent?

✓ Correct! “I am that guy” is Amos Burton’s chilling warning, usually delivered right before extreme violence. Wes Chatham made the line iconic — when someone asks “Are you the kind of guy who…” and Amos calmly responds, you know things are about to get very bad for somebody.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is “I am that guy.” While Amos does say “That’s fair” often (usually when accepting harsh truths), his signature pre-violence line is the cold, matter-of-fact “I am that guy.” Wes Chatham delivered it with such understated menace that it became one of the show’s most quotable moments.

07

The Expanse originally aired on Syfy before being cancelled after Season 3. A massive fan campaign — including sending a model Rocinante to space — convinced which streaming service to save it for its final three seasons?

✓ Correct! Jeff Bezos himself announced the rescue at the 2018 National Space Society conference, reportedly influenced by the fan campaign and his own love of the books. Amazon produced Seasons 4, 5, and 6, giving the show higher production values and uncensored dialogue — much to Avasarala fans’ delight.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is Amazon Prime Video. The #SaveTheExpanse campaign was one of the most successful fan-driven rescues in TV history. Fans flew a banner over Amazon HQ, sent a model Roci into the stratosphere, and rallied so effectively that Jeff Bezos personally announced the pickup at a space industry event.

08

What is the term used by Belters to refer to people from Earth and Mars — the inhabitants of the “inner planets” who exploit Belt resources while Belters struggle to survive?

✓ Correct! “Inners” is the Belter term for anyone from Earth or Mars, spoken with a mix of resentment and contempt. While “Dusters” specifically refers to Martians and “Wellwalla” is Belter slang for Earthers (gravity well dwellers), “Inners” is the catch-all term for both inner planet populations.

✗ Airlock breach! The answer is Inners. “Dusters” specifically refers to Martians (from the red dust), and “Wellwalla” is Belter slang for Earthers who live at the bottom of a gravity well. “Skinnies” is what Inners sometimes call Belters (due to their elongated frames from low gravity). “Inners” covers both Earth and Mars.

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Rocinante crew — or just another inner?