This article contains spoilers forThe Expanse.
The Expansefeatured excellent performances from many actors who have gone on to even greater successes. The show originally aired on the SyFy network but was picked up by Amazon whenSyFy cancelledThe Expanseafter season 3amid fan outcry and a “Save The Expanse” campaign.The Expansehas a 95% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has built a dedicated fanbase. Despite the ambitious world-building, the show never stopped valuing character development, and this was key toThe Expanse’s success.
The Expanseis set in a colonized Solar System, and while the series is complex and detailed, the main story is about the protagonists uncovering a conspiracy that threatens the peace of the universe. The original novel series is extensive, but the show’s characters are mostly accurate to the source material. The final season introduced new characters toThe Expanse, but most of the core cast took center stage.The show always highlighted the talents of the main actors, many of whom have worked on some major projects sinceThe Expanse’s cliffhanger ending.
9Steven Strait (James Holden)
From A Spaceship To A Courtroom
Steven Strain played one of the few characters in TheExpansewho appeared in every season. James Holden became the reluctant hero ofThe Expanse, captaining the Rocinante after his previous ship was destroyed. Holden’s character arc throughout the six seasons was fairly typical for a hero, and ifThe Expansewere to continue, it could complete his story. That said, the 30-year time could make a recasting necessary.
Strain has swappedThe Expanse’s spaceship for a courtroom, as he is now playing a lawyer, Flynn Calhoun.
AfterThe Expansewrapped, Steven Strain starred in the 2024 thrillerBody Languageand has recently joinedthe cast ofChicago Firefor season 13. Strain has swappedThe Expanse’s spaceship for a courtroom, as he is now playing a lawyer, Flynn Calhoun. His character is dating Violet, who has been aChicago Firemain character since season 4.
8Dominique Tipper (Naomi Nagata)
Joined The MonsterVerse in 2023
The Belter, Naomi, is a skilled engineer and one of the most valuable teammates on the Rocinante. Though she found happiness dating Holden, Naomi’s strained family relationships are some of the saddest storylines inThe Expanse, and her moral dilemma between saving the system or her child is heartbreaking.Naomi’s ending inThe Expanseis one of the show’s darkest moments, and Dominique Tipper was utterly believable in the role.
Dominique Tipper has appeared in several movies and TV shows afterThe Expanse, including the crime drama seriesHeadhunters, the TV mini-seriesTestament: The Story of Moses, and even joining theMonsterVersefranchise. Tipper played Brenda Holland in the 2023MonsterVerseTV seriesMonarch: Legacy of Monsters.
7Wes Chatham (Amos Burton)
Moved To A Different Spaceship
Amos Burton is one ofThe Expanse’s toughest and most potentially brutal characters,as well asWes Chatham’s biggest role yet. That said, some viewers may recognize him fromThe Hunger Gamesfranchise, where he played Castor.The Expansegave Wes Chatham the chance to show his versatility in storylines concerning subterfuge and self-sacrifice, as well as violence.The Expansemight be extremely well respected as a sci-fi series, but Chatham later starred in an even bigger sci-fi franchise.
Rewatching The Expanse Today, Season 1 Almost Feels Like A Totally Different Show
Rewatching The Expanse today, it becomes apparent that season 1 stands apart from the rest of the sci-fi show in terms of its tone and style.
After a one-episode role inNCIS: Hawai’i, Wes Chatham landed what he described to his fans on social media as “a dream come true for me.” Chatham, a hugeStar Warsfan,played Captain Enoch in the Disney+Star Warsspin-off series,Ahsoka. He then went on to star as Jack in the extremely violent serial killer horror movieSquealerand now has two action-adventure TV series in post-production:CrossandThe Wayfinders.
6Shohreh Aghdashloo (Chrisjen Avasarala)
Shohreh Aghdashloo’s character, Chrisjen Avasarala, wasone of the most memorable inThe Expanseand had what is almost certainly the greatest character development arc in the series. Chrisjen beganThe Expanseas a ruthless torturer, but over time became a political peacemaker after losing her loved ones to the wars.Aghdashloo explained in an interview withScreen Rantthat “she is now looking for diplomacy rather than taking revenge or torturing people.”
Shohreh Aghdashloo has a very distinctive and expressive voice, andsinceThe Expanse, she has done voice workin video games, TV series, and movies. In addition to her live-action work, Aghdashloo voiced Lakshmi-2 inDestiny 2: The Witch Queen, Forouzan in theKung Fu Pandaspin-offThe Dragon Knight, and an actual dragon in the movieDamsel, with Millie Bobby Brown. She also returned to the world ofThe Expanse, voicing Avasarala in the gameThe Expanse: A Telltale Series.
5Frankie Adams (Bobbie Draper)
Has An Upcoming Appearance In A Disney Live-Action Movie
The hardened soldier Bobbie Draper first appeared inThe Expanseseason 2 and quickly becamea fan-favorite characterfor never sacrificing her loyalty to what she believes is right. The character had originally been difficult to cast as she has a very specifically described muscular appearance, but Adams' background in boxing gave her an edge over many of the other actors, making herperfect for the role of Bobbie.
AfterThe Expanse, Adams has taken on fewer but larger projects, with a main role in the TV dramaThe Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, which also stars Sigourney Weaver. That said, she has been cast in the 2026 live-action version of the extremely successfulMoana. Adams was one of the first cast members to be announced, and she will be playing Sina, Moana’s mother.
4Cara Gee (Camina Drummer)
Returned To The World Of The Expanse
The Belter captain Camina Drummer first appeared inThe Expansein a recurring role in season 2, but she became one of the main characters from season 4 onwards. By season 6,Camina Drummer was the true hero ofThe Expanse, and a fan-favorite character.Cara Gee toldScreen Rantthat while she is extremely different from her character, she was excited to represent the polyamorous community in a way that has not been done in a mainstream show before.
Gee returned to the world ofThe Expansein 2023, voicing Drummer in the video gameThe Expanse: A Telltale Series, but she has also joined another series.She played Percy Whallach in the dramaBones of Crows, which tells the story of a Cree woman who becomes a code talker in WWII. The movie inspired a spin-off series, where Gee reprised her role. Gee also plays Siana in the post-apocalyptic fantasy dramaSweet Tooth.
3Shawn Doyle (Sadavir Errinwright)
Has Several Very Varied Projects (& Another Major Sci-Fi Franchise)
Sadavir Errinwright is one of the more complex characters inThe Expanse, and he is central to many of the main plots around political intrigue and corruption. ThroughoutThe Expanse, Errinwright grew to be the second most powerful person on Earth. His actor, Shawn Doyle, is no stranger to playing nuanced characters like Sadavir, with a list of pre-The Expanseappearances that includesLie To Me,Desperate Housewives, and his role inBig Love, which would be his career break.
SinceThe Expanseended in 2022, Doyle has played the antagonistic genius, Ruon Tarka, inStar Trek: Discovery, which adds another major franchise to his sci-fi credentials.
Since playing Sadavir Errinwright inThe Expanse, Shawn Doyle’s career has only grown, and he has had more recurring roles in acclaimed TV shows. SinceThe Expanseended in 2022,Doyle has played the antagonistic genius, Ruon Tarka, inStar Trek: Discovery, which adds another major franchise to his sci-fi credentials. He also had a recurring role in three crime dramas in a row (Gray,Something Undone, andAccused) before making a major change and appearing in the comedy TV seriesSon of a Critch.
2Thomas Jane (Joseph Miller)
Currently Starring In A Crime Drama
Thomas Jane already had some extensive acting credentials before playing Josephus Miller in the first four seasons ofThe Expanse.He was known for playing tough, gritty characters with a vulnerable side, like the vigilante Frank Castle inThe Punisher. Few characters inThe Expansefall into easy “good guy” and “bad guy” camps, and Miller is no exception. He began the show as a jaded and corrupt cop and developed into a character who was trying to do the right thing, which plays to Thomas Jane’s strengths.
This Apple TV+ Series Shows How The Expanse Season 7 Could Happen (& Overcome Its Biggest Challenge)
Although The Expanse season 7 may never happen, another space show on another platform has proven how more episodes of the adaptation could be made.
SinceThe Expanseended, Thomas Jane has continued his success as an actor, often taking on producing roles too, like the crime thriller TV seriesTroppo, in which he also stars as Ted Conkaffey. Thomas Jane is also a comic book writer and has recently written a book that he describes as"a love letter to horror"in an interview withScreen Rant.The Lycanfollows a crew of big game hunters who find themselves trapped on an island with a werewolf.
1Nadine Nicole (Clarissa “Peaches” Mao)
Still Acting In TV Sci-Fi Series
The ending ofThe Expanseleft several stories unresolved, and one of these is the fate of Clarissa “Peaches” Mao, who learns that she’s suffering from complex endocrine collapse syndrome, which is a fictional disease in the world ofThe Expanse. Her illness was a change from the original novels, so we were left unsure of what her fate would be. Nadine Nicole was widely praised by reviewers for her portrayal of Peaches' redemption arc and her turmoil toward the end of season 6.
The Expansehas a 95% rating onRotten Tomatoes.
Nadine Nicole has continued to build her career in the sci-fi genre, witha significant role voicing Patty in the animated sci-fi TV seriesException. Like Peaches inThe Expanse, Patty is also a complex character and appears to be a traitor while having good intentions. Nicole has also appeared in the crime dramasThe Rookie: FedsandFBI: Most Wanted. Her next sci-fi series,Xtra Life, is currently in production.
The Expanse
Cast
The Expanse is a sci-fi series set in the distant future where humanity has spread out across the solar system, but the alliances between the three most potent governing bodies have reached a state of the cold war. In the series, a mixed crew finds themselves at the center of a dangerous intergalactic conspiracy that threatens to bring war to the colonized worlds.
