The ExpanseandBattlestar Galacticaare quite often discussed for their similarities, but Amazon’s upcoming replacement for the former actually has far more in common with theStar Trekfranchise. Although theend ofThe Expanseseason 6would seem to mean the show is done, I was thrilled to discover the two authors who penned the source material are also behindThe Captive’s War- another Amazon space opera.I likedThe Expanse’s various nods toBattlestar, but knowing thatStar Trekis a great influence on the authors this time around is very exciting.
Of course, theStar Trektimelineis one of the most expansive in sci-fi history. So, comparing a project to the iconic franchise arguably doesn’t explain much about what it’ll be about, as there are a lot ofStar TrekTV showsand movies. However, the saga boasts many tropes of the genre that it helped to establish and popularize. SoThe Captive’s Warsounds like it will have a vast toolbox at its disposalfor high-concept sci-fi storytelling.
The Captive’s War Is Closer To Star Trek, Whereas The Expanse Was More Like Battlestar Galactica
Amazon’s upcoming space opera sounds like it has borrowed things from the Star Trek franchise
Battlestar Galacticatried its best to be a relatively grounded space opera. There weren’t any aliens, and most of those opposing the human characters were either other humans or artificial lifeforms called Cylons. Similarly,The Expanselargely stayed away from anything that could be considered too beyond the realm of possibility. Alien storylines started to creep into the story, but only in a passive kind of way. Overall, both shows remained focused on the struggles of humanity. Inversely,The Captive’s Warstrays much further from the path.
The ExpanseandThe Captive’s Warstem from separate source material, but both book series are written by a two-author writing team named Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. They are known professionally under the shared pen name, James S.A. Corey.
Onlyone novel in the plannedCaptive’s Warseries has currently been published, and it’s calledThe Mercy of the Gods. The story revolves around a group of humans taken captive by a nefarious alien race known as the Carryx. Because extraterrestrial life isn’t an active focus inThe ExpanseorBattlestar Galactica, the most direct comparison is toStar Trek, which is a franchise so large that there have already been many stories about humans being held captive by aliens. There are sure to be differences too, but it’s a great basis for comparison.
The Captive’s War’s Proximity To Star Trek Ensures It Won’t Just Be An Expanse Clone
Because James S.A. Corey is teaming up with Amazon again to create another space opera based on their source material,it sounds like the formula is set up to essentially rehashThe Expanse. The show did very well for the platform, so I wouldn’t have been surprised if that had turned out to be the case. Thankfully,The Captive’s Warsounds as though it’s going to be a very different kind of space opera toThe ExpanseandBattlestar Galactica, and theStar Trekinfluence should inject new life into Corey’s signature storytelling techniques.
