11 of the Most Memorable Moments from ‘The Expanse’

Throughout the past six seasons of Amazon Studios’ The Expanse, there have been plenty of moments worth talking about — from speeches to jumps out of airlocks without suits to deaths that made us cry.

In honor of the underrated show, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, we decided to relive our 11 favorite scenes — in no particular order — from the sci-fi epic.

“I am that guy.” (Season 3 Episode 6)

Indeed, he is. Topping many fans’ lists is likely this badass Season 3 scene with Amos (Wes Chatham), in which he prevents the kindhearted Prax (Terry Chen) from killing the villainous Dr. Strickland, telling his pal that he isn’t “that guy.” Prax leaves, and Strickland, thinking Amos has spared him, thanks the mechanic…only for Amos to say he is “that guy” and shoot Strickland without a second thought.

Drummer’s speech (Season 3 Episode 9)

On the precipice of their journey through the Ring, Drummer (Cara Gee) gives a speech to her crew—and creates one of the show’s most thrilling moments. From her passionate delivery to the thumping of her people’s boots on the deck and the pounding of their hands on the railings, everything blends together perfectly. Yeah, we’d follow Drummer through the Ring, too.

Miller meets Julie (Season 2 Episode 5)

He belonged with her. Throughout the first few seasons, Miller’s (Thomas Jane) faith in and deep affection for Julie Mao (Florence Faivre) was evident during his investigation into her disappearance and even after her death. So, while it was heartbreaking, it made sense that he chose to stay on Eros and die with her—or rather, her protomolecule-resurrected self.

Marco Inaros is defeated (Season 6 Episode 6)

After Marco’s (Keon Alexander) devastating asteroid attacks on Earth, his enemies allied against him. After Marco lost support, his main weapons were neutralized, and his fleet crippled, he tried to use the Ring Gates to destroy the Rocinante, but Naomi came up with a plan that would use the entities in the Ring Gate against the incoming ships. With the Free Navy slowly approaching the Gate, they detonate the Giambattista by firing all their weapons at once, exceeding the energy threshold of the Ring Gate. The move wakes up the entities, which begin destroying the Free Navy ships. As a result, Marco was consumed by the Ring entities, disappearing in a flash of light.

Miller’s return (Seasons 3 and 4, various episodes)

“Doors and corners, kid. You go into the room too fast… the room eats you.” As we know, Miller’s death wasn’t totally final—the character of Miller was gone, but Holden (Steven Strait) continued to see him in various forms as “The Investigator,” a protomolecule-induced hallucination. This made for some pretty hilarious moments when Holden was having terse conversations with someone invisible to everyone else… and for a phenomenal scene on Ilus.

The destruction of the Arboghast (Season 2 Episode 13 )

This event revealed the protomolecule’s advanced capabilities and forced Avasarala, played by Shohreh Aghdashloo, to grasp the full scope of the danger. The United Nations science vessel The Arboghast arrives at Venus to investigate the Eros impact site when it suddenly appears in distress while passing through a cloud of sulfuric acid. As it tracks a Martian ship that seems to vanish, the vessel goes silent as its deck floods with protomolecule matter. In a horrific and stunning moment, The Arboghast is disassembled down to its last screw, leaving its entire crew adrift above Venus and killing them all. The scene is shocking and terrible, yet impossible to look away from.

Setting foot on Ilus (Season 4 Episode 1)

This was a monumental moment for both the characters and the show. Season 4 was the first to come from Amazon Studios, which saved The Expanse from cancellation by Syfy, so the mere fact that this scene existed was cause for celebration. But beyond that, the Roci crew landing on a new planet on the opposite side of the ring gate was emotional and moving; especially for Naomi, who, as a Belter, had never set foot on a planet before.

“This is the warship Rocinante” (Season 2 Episode 12)

In the episode “The Monster and the Rocket,” the Rocinante crew — comprised of Holden, Alex, and Prax — tracks the protomolecule hybrid, which causes conflict between the crew, while Naomi works to save refugees. During the tense standoff between Martians and The Weeping Somnambulist, Jim Holden demands an open channel and gives an ultimatum: “This is the warship Rocinante. You are aware of our capabilities more than anyone. We’re escorting a vessel of refugees away from your AO. Any ship that opens fire on us will feel the sum total of our state-of-the-art Martian Arsenal ramped up its a**. We’ll all die together. This is our only and final warning. Stay clear.

The Canterbury “Flip & Burn” (Season 1 Episode 1)

One of the best “scientific” moments on the show occurs in the first season, when the Cant does its iconic 180 “flip and burn.” It’s one of many “here comes the juice” scenes, but it showed how committed The Expanse was to the details of its sci-fi world right out of the gate—and on top of that, it’s just cool.

Bobbie sees the ocean (Season 2, episode 10)

Most of Bobbie’s (Frankie Adams) time on Earth is memorable, but this scene, in which she finds joy in experiencing Earth’s ocean, stands out. By itself, the score is incredible; but it’s also a phenomenal moment for Bobbie’s character, setting up her connection with Avasarala and her questioning the “dream of Mars.”

Drummer and Ashford (Season 3 Episode 11)

All of Ashford and Drummer’s interactions as they’re trapped between the metal components of an excavator are pure gold (like Drummer’s “If this is one of your teaching moment, I prefer for bleed out in silence”). But the most impactful moment arrives at the end, when Drummer figures out a way she can get the device to move…and breaks her spine to set Ashford free. It’s a testament to Drummer’s selflessness—she knows her ship needs a captain, and she can still give it one in Ashford—as well as Ashford’s kindness and faith in Drummer, as he tries to keep her spirits up throughout the episode and calls for a medic for her right away.

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