What awaits Amos down on the surface?
And why should we be keeping our eyes on Mars for clues as to what’s to come?
We chatted withExpanseshowrunner Naren Shankar to get the scoop on season 5.
Credit: AMAZON STUDIOS
What are we looking at?
NAREN SHANKAR:You know how it’s worked over the years.
It’s like certain story lines get pulled forward, other stuff gets pushed back sometimes.
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Character elements get combined into other stuff.
Let’s start big picture, and then we’ll drill down on a few things.
If I just walked in and said, “What’s the big crux of season 5?
What’s the big story you’re telling here?”
What would you say to that?
I’ll give you the theme, because that’s probably the easiest way to look at it.
The theme really is about the sins of the past.
Whether it’s Holden’s past with unleashing the protomolecule.
That’s really what the season is about.
It’s like everything comes to a head all at the same time.
We ended season 4 with Marco letting these asteroids off towards Earth.
What do you want to say about that impending arrival?
Well, it’s coming.
So, they’re coming.
Let’s segue from that to Naomi.
What’s Naomi’s mission here?
We see a little bit in the trailer with Marco, and her son.
What is she going to look to do here in season 5?
I’m calling in that favor that we set up way back in season 1.
I’m calling in that favor.
After years of feeling like, “I can’t reconnect.
What is awaiting her when she gets in contact with her son and sees who he has become?
I mean, we saw what happened with that airlock at the end of last season.
He doesn’t bake her a cake.
The two of them are together.
The question marks of, “An Earther and a Belter, can we be together?”
They have chosen each other.
They’ve chosen to be on theRoci.
They’ve gone through a tremendous amount.
That’s true for the whole family.
That’s true for Amos.
It’s true for Alex, the group.
It’s like the most warmest and connected beginning for them that we’ve ever seen.
It’s just their chosen family.
It has that feel to it.
And it feels believable, because you’re taking the time to actually set it up.
Obviously, there’s some long-term stuff happening on Mars that you may be planting some seeds for.
See, this is spoken like a book reader.
There are little pieces of it that are popping through the surface even then.
Those are the stealth composites that Marco uses to coat the asteroids.
As you talk about the Belters, I gather that we are going to be seeing more Belter factions.
I imagine that was pretty fun to put together.
It’s like, you’re seeing every side of it.
We’ve driven down into Earth.
We’ve driven down into Mars.
We’ve driven down into Belt.
We’ve driven down into the independent faction of Holden and theRocigang.
She struck out on her own, trying to create a life for herself in this very tumultuous world.
Well, politics, and war, and strife, they have a way of finding you.
It’s hard to avoid them.
One of my favorite stories in all the books is Amos going to Baltimore.
I’m really excited to see that.
What can you say about his time back on Earth?
I think you’re going to love it.
It’s one of the things that I have been looking forward to doing for years.
We talked a lot about it becauseThe Churnis a fantastic novella.
You’re going to get that.
It really is one of my favorite story lines we did this season.
What can you just say about what he’s facing there, or why he’s going there?
Amos didn’t go back down there.
Reaching back into season 3, when that reporter Monica Stuart was interviewing him.
He said, “Oh, it’s a common name in Baltimore.”
And, “Oh, yeah, how’d you get out there?
You ended up in the lottery really fast.”
There’s a lot of mystery attached to Amos' backstory around Baltimore.
Without telling specifically why he heads back, you’re going to get a lot of answers to it.
Nobody else really knows, but the audience is going to get to go with Amos to experience it.
I don’t want to spoil anything.
[Laughs] She’s down there, I suppose.
I think I know where she is too.
We did see at the beginning of season 4 that she’s in prison.
So we’re really excited for people to see it.
