Although The Expanse may have ended its run as a TV show, the franchise’s continued success elsewhere proves why The Expanse season 7, or a movie continuation, must happen. Although The Expanse never became a rating’s leviathan of the sci-fi TV realm, the live-action adaptation of James S.A. Corey’s book series attracted considerable critical acclaim and commanded an audience so passionate that Amazon felt compelled to save The Expanse when Syfy wielded its axe after season 3. Three seasons later, The Expanse season 6 brought the Rocinante’s adventures to a stop once again. Over a year has passed, and a second lifeline is still yet to emerge.
Nevertheless, The Expanse‘s story is very much not over. Although the Expanse season 6 finale functioned as an overall conclusion, with Marco Inaros defeated and a fragile peace forged between the Belt, Earth, and Mars, seeds were overtly sown for material from James S.A. Corey’s last three books. Specifically, The Expanse season 6 laid the groundwork for the Laconian Empire, which would have become the next big threat after Inaros, and continued foreshadowing the so-called Dark Gods, which became angrier with each season, even into the final end credits. Multiple interviews have since revealed that the cast and crew are broadly interested in continuing The Expanse‘s story.
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth Proves Season 7 Needs To Happen (Or A Movie)
The Expanse: Dragon Tooth is a comic book set after season 6, but taking place within the TV show’s continuity, and using the likenesses of the familiar cast. Almost immediately, the Kickstarter campaign for The Expanse: Dragon Tooth broke a BOOM! Studios record, beating Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR, and surpassing all expectations. This feat perfectly demonstrates why The Expanse season 7 must happen in some form. The high demand enjoyed by The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, despite a year of non-activity from the franchise, proves the high demand for more from The Expanse‘s TV universe led by Steven Strait, Dominique Tipper and Wes Chatham.
Although The Expanse: Dragon Tooth is a sequel, it does not adapt Persepolis Rising – the seventh book in the series that would have formed the basis of The Expanse season 7. As a 12-part series, therefore, the comic book would serve as a perfect lead-in for more live-action tales from the Rocinante. Since the adaptation rights are held by Alcon Entertainment, which also produces the Expanse TV show, it is feasible that another distributor could rescue the property sooner or later – just as Amazon itself once did. The immense response to The Expanse: Dragon Tooth should give potential suitors a huge confidence boost regarding the franchise’s future prospects.
Why The Expanse Season 7 Doesn’t Have A Time Limit
Continued interest in The Expanse more than a year after the season 6 finale is encouraging for the franchise’s future, but doubly so because that future has no time limit. The Expanse books six and seven are separated by a 30-year time jump, which the TV show had intended to somehow adapt (via EW). Had The Expanse been canceled anywhere else in its story, there would be precious little scope for comics and other media to fill the void. Thanks to the massive time jump after book 6, however, The Expanse can now continue expanding with releases such as Dragon Tooth, and not encroach upon any potential chance for The Expanse season 7.
Indeed, the extracurricular projects should only help maintain the hunger for more live-action material. Comics and other media can continue plundering the time skip almost indefinitely, with 30 years of fictional history to pull from. If and when it happens, a proper The Expanse continuation could then pick right up with its corresponding book, ensuring the story is equally accessible to those who followed the comics and those who did not. The Expanse‘s franchise future may remain unclear, but its latest record-breaking exploits offer a promising sign of things to come.
The Expanse Is Getting A Prequel Video Game
While there does not appear to be a chance for The Expanse season 7, there is more coming from the show’s fictional universe. This won’t be another TV show, and it has nothing to do with the comic books either. Instead, there is a Telltale game coming called The Expanse: A Telltale Series, and it will play out as a prequel to the TV series. The game was announced in 2022, and it is available for pre-order for the PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, and in the Epic Games Store. The game will follow the show, not the books, and gamers will experience Camina Drummer’s life before the events in the first season.
The synopsis revealed that players will follow Camina Drummer, with Cara Gee reprising her role in the game, as she explores the dangerous and uncharted edges of The Belt aboard the Artemis. The game will see Camina experience a mutiny, explore wrecked ships in a zero-g environment, and battle fearsome pirates along the way. It will leave gamers with the chance to make all the difficult decisions to show how strong Camina Drummer is in this world. The good news is that even fans who haven’t watched The Expanse on TV can jump right in on the game and enjoy it, but those with knowledge of the story will get more out of the prequel game.
