An adaptation of James S.A. Corey’s The Expanse novels, the series takes place in the far future, where humanity has colonized the solar system and divided itself into competing governments: The United Nations of Earth, The Martian Congressional Republic, and finally, The Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose affiliation of those living in the asteroid belt and on the moons of the gas giant planets.

Resources in the world of The Expanse are scarce, with both Mars and Earth reliant on the work of “Belters,” those that live in the OPA region, mining, harvesting ice, and sending water back to the inner planets. Countless sci-fi shows have included class struggles, but in the gritty and ramshackle world of the Amazon Prime series, it’s up front, in your face, and never really goes away, even once the power balance starts to shift.