I’ve really enjoyed both the TV show and books for “the Expanse” series. A big part is the sophisticated, mid-future (~200 years) world building. Class relationships are more developed than in most sci-fi stories (excepting ‘the Dispossessed’), and makes me wonder if it’s a good framework for exploring/illustrating socialist ideas.
The big class issues are depicted among the interplanetary diaspora, but there’s also interesting dynamics within Earth society.
- Mars: A highly regimented society whose dominant ideology is focused on building a self-sufficient new world that leaves behind the decadence of Earth.
- Belters/Outer planets: Populated by an oppressed working class (dominated by Earth and Mars) with anarchist tendencies. Much of the economy is built around mining and hauling, often organized by corporations, but sometimes independent single-ship operations that function like little communes. The main characters are belters.
- Earth: About 1/3 of the 30 billion inhabitants survive on a social welfare scheme called ‘basic’ that seems to provide necessities but no cash. The economy is still fundamentally capitalist, with immensely powerful industrialists and a massive UN bureaucracy running the world. Ambitious people can take entry level jobs, which in addition to wages, provide credits that will gain them entry into free higher education, and access to more influential positions.
The Belters get a lot of attention in the series, but the ‘basic’ folk on earth are largely overlooked and presented as an underclass that the characters often struggle to rise above (to the point that they will even migrate off Earth). The book leaves the impression that the people on basic are idle and caught up in their petty squabbles, vices, and criminality. However, I think it could be possible to describe a rich, and even influential culture arising from the ‘basic’ masses. One obvious candidate would be religious movements. You could also have a vibrant arts scene, where there’s freedom to develop skills without needing to serve the market. Philosophy and math could thrive. Even science and tech could thrive, to the extent that expensive equipment is not required. Anyway, I’m thinking of interesting stories to write within this environment. The belters obviously offer better options for drama and adventure, but I think there’s something potentially interesting in basic too.
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My only exposure to this series was through the TV series, and while I was intrigued with the rich presentation of class struggle, I was ultimately quite disappointed by what was made of both it and everything else when it suddenly ended , i felt, prematurely and unsatisfactorily. I could see it going on and becoming an increasingly complex series for many more seasons and wished it would, but it already had problems finding funding, and the books ended the show, so…
And as a presentation of socialism, I don’t really see that. It was mostly a criticism of classism and of capitalism. Socialism appeared to exist to some degree on earth, but it didn’t work there as intended, but there wasn’t a lot of well recent criticism of it exactly. Self determinism seem to work well on Mars, but it was unclear whether socialism or capitalism was a system of economics there or not or what system of economics was dominant in the belt.
Ultimately, economic discourse and criticisms seem to take a backseat to critique on classism military complex power strugglesin the series.
I agree, I didn’t get the impression they were trying to make a point with it, but rather that the story was trying to create a believable environment. I think the author and directors did a good job of presenting that world.
Earth struggles with unemployment, Mars had to be incredibly disciplined and rigid due to the harsh environment and focused on a strong military -very Spartan in a way, and then the belters as the exploited resource providers.
I found it to be a compellingly made world and the way shit absolutely hits the fan when the blue grenade goes off in the room, so to speak. It was a great watch!
