Amazon’s 6-Part Sci-Fi Series Is So Good, It Could Easily Have 3 More Seasons

There’s nothing more frustrating for sci-fi fans than premature TV show cancellations. From the travesty of Firefly only having one season in the 2000s through to streaming shows like Altered Carbon and The Peripheral being axed early, the genre seems to have always suffered from beloved series being held back from telling their full story.

While this is vexing, there are, of course, many sci-fi shows that manage to see their narrative through. Then there’s the strange middle ground of series that technically do reach the planned end of their run, though fans feel they should have gone further. No TV show epitomizes this quite like Prime Video’s The Expanse.

Across six seasons between 2015 and 2022, the show delivered a satisfying story and a reasonably complete ending. However, many viewers walked away with the sense that the saga wasn’t truly over, and they were absolutely right. The Expanse adapted only the first six novels from the nine-book series by James S.A. Corey, leaving an entire trilogy of books untouched. The show has gone on to become considered an iconic staple of modern sci-fi TV, and the fact that there’s still more story to tell makes a strong case for it to return.

There Are Still Three Books For The Expanse To Adapt

A key reason so many fans want The Expanse to return is that Prime Video’s adaptation still has more source material to bring to screens. Seasons 1-6 covered the events of the first six novels, leaving the last three (Persepolis Rising, Tiamat’s Wrath, and Leviathan Falls) untouched. To the show’s credit, the endpoint chosen by Prime does work. The conflict involving Marco Inaros (Keon Alexander) and the Free Navy reaches a satisfying conclusion, with the majority of character arcs wrapped up.

However, fans familiar with The Expanse novels know that season 6 of the TV show effectively ends at the midpoint of the larger story. Several important plot threads that had quietly been building in the background were never fully explored. For example, the mysterious developments on Laconia were introduced but never paid off. In the novels, those seeds eventually grow into one of the most important storylines in the entire series through the rise of the Laconian Empire.

By largely sidestepping those future developments, The Expanse TV series was able to create a stronger sense of closure than the books themselves provide at that point in the narrative. It was a smart decision given the uncertainty surrounding the show’s future, but it also means some of the most exciting material remains untouched.

The final trilogy of The Expanse novels dramatically expands the scale of the story while pushing deeper into the mysteries surrounding the Protomolecule builders and the entities responsible for their destruction. As good as The Expanse already is, some of the best parts of the novels have yet to reach the screen, making the case for additional seasons incredibly strong.

There’s Still Time To Continue The Expanse

There’s always a fear among fans that every year since The Expanse concluded makes its return less likely. Reviving a TV show years after its original end presents a lot of challenges, especially when it comes to casting. Actors naturally age, and when a story is meant to continue directly from where it left off, significant gaps between seasons can become difficult to explain. Productions can work around those issues, but doing so often requires careful writing and a certain degree of suspension of audience disbelief.

Fortunately, The Expanse novels contain a built-in solution to the problem. There is a 30-year gap between novels 6 and 7. That means the versions of Holden, Naomi, and the rest of the Rocinante crew are significantly older in the final trilogy of books. By the time book 7, Persepolis Rising, begins, many central characters are well into their 60s. Whether Amazon decides to revisit the series tomorrow or several years from now, the transition into the next chapter could still feel completely natural.

Of course, practical considerations remain. Producing a show as visually ambitious as The Expanse is expensive, and any continuation would need enough audience demand to justify the investment. There is certainly evidence that fans remain eager to see the final books adapted, but enthusiasm alone doesn’t guarantee a green light.

Even so, the existence of that 30-year time jump means there is no urgent deadline. If Amazon ever decides to return to The Expanse, the story is perfectly structured to accommodate the delay. With three acclaimed novels still waiting to be adapted and no aging-related obstacles standing in the way, the possibility of seasons 7, 8, and 9 remains just as appealing today as it was when The Expanse season 6 concluded.

Release Date

2015 – 2022-00-00

Network

SyFy, Prime Video

Showrunner

Naren Shankar, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

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  Dominique Tipper

  Naomi Nagata

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