Leviathan Wakes is the first book in The Expanse, a sci fi-adventure-mystery-drama in space.
In our last video, we explained the cultures and politics of the series . But what happens
in Leviathan Wakes?
And what does it mean?
Eight years ago, a corporation called Protogen explored Phoebe – a small moon of Saturn
. They found that Phoebe is no moon – it’s actually a “weapon” created by aliens.
Billions of years ago, Phoebe was “launched” across interstellar space, carrying a kind
of “virus” called the “protomolecule” . The protomolecule infects and changes lifeforms
for some unknown alien purpose . Protogen executive Dresden tries to control the protomolecule
, to use it, so humans can rewrite their own biology – and to make Protogen rich . Dresden
studied the protomolecule by infecting people on Phoebe, who all died . The molecule seemed
to need more “biomass” . So Dresden and Protogen plan an “experiment” – to infect
Eros, feeding a million people to the protomolecule . They put some molecule on a stealth ship
called the Anubis , and send it at Eros.
But along the way, the Anubis meets Julie Mao.
Julie is the daughter of Jules-Pierre Mao, a powerful businessman.
His company, Mao-Kwikowski, secretly works with Protogen planning the Eros experiment
. Julie wants “freedom” and independence from her rich family , so she leaves home
and joins the OPA – a political group fighting for Belter rights.
Julie works with OPA leader Anderson Dawes on Ceres , and she pilots a “courier ship
called the Scopuli” . Julie finds out that her father is transporting some “weapon”,
so she and the OPA intercept the Anubis . But the Scopuli is overwhelmed – the crew’s
taken prisoner on the Anubis, and Julie’s locked in storage.
Then, the Anubis uses the empty Scopuli as a trap.
They plant a Martian transmitter on the Scopuli and send a distress beacon.
The Sirenum scopuli are the islands of the sirens of Greek mythology, who lure sailors
to their deaths . Cause the Scopuli lures a nearby Belter ship called the Canterbury
– then the Anubis destroys the Cant . But the Martian transmitter they planted makes
it look like Mars killed the Cant . Protogen does this to create conflict between Mars
and the Belt – to “distract” everyone from the Eros experiment . But Protogen underestimates
the Cant – and its Executive Officer, James Holden.
Holden is from Earth, and he served in the UN navy – the uh, Space Force.
But he got disillusioned with the “authoritarian” UNN , so he left and got work on the Canterbury
. Holden’s “An idealist” – he believes in truth , and justice, and doing the “right
thing” . He’s a “natural leader” , self-sacrificing – a classic hero type . When the Cant is
destroyed, Holden leads the survivors – Naomi, Amos, Alex and Shed.
Holden helps bring them together as a team . But he also makes rash decisions – he
tries to chase down the Anubis , to bring them to justice, which’d probably just get
them killed – Naomi has to stop him from being an “idiot” . But then Holden does
something dumber – he makes a broadcast telling the universe that someone with a Martian
transmitter killed the Cant . It is the truth , and Holden believes “People need to know”
. But spreading this news creates conflict between Mars and the Belt – which is exactly
what Protogen wants . Holden’s sense of honesty and justice helps cause a war.
Holden’s also forced to question his sense of romance.
Naomi points out that Holden has a habit of treating every little crush like it’s true
love . It’s only after Holden changes his behaviour that he and Naomi get together f
– helping Holden become a more mature lover, as well as a better leader.
So from the beginning, Holden’s naïve idealism around love and truth and justice are challenged
– especially by the other main character, Miller.
Miller is a detective for private security on Ceres.
And unlike Holden, he believes that “moral flexibility” is “necessary” – he’ll
destroy evidence, make shady deals, if that’s what it takes to gets shit done . Miller has
a complex identity – cause he’s a Belter, born on Ceres, but he works for an Earth-owned
company , policing Belters.
So some Belters see him as a “Traitor to [his] people” . At the start of the book,
Miller finds that the crime gangs of Ceres are strangely inactive lately . And Ceres
security’s riot gear is stolen . We later learn the reason for this is that Protogen
hires Ceres thugs to help run their experiment on Eros – and the thugs take Ceres’ riot
gear with them . This is a problem for Miller when Belters riot over the destruction of
the Cant – thanks to Holden’s broadcast . Miller gets assigned a new job – Jules-Pierre
Mao wants Julie found and taken home . At first, Miller dismisses Julie as a “Poor
little rich girl” . But while investigating her activity on Ceres , he learns to respect
her.
She’s capable, “smart” , and she’s “tough” – learning jiu-jitsu after being
attacked one time.
By joining the OPA, Julie sacrificed a life of “wealth and privilege” for a cause
that she believes in . Miller is a “nihilistic” , empty man – worn down by the corruption
and horror of his police work . But Julie inspires him to believe in something – Miller
believes in Julie.
When Miller gets fired for being unreliable, renegade and drunk , he loses “the career
that [had] defined [him]” . All he has left as a purpose in life is finding Julie .
Meanwhile, Holden and crew are captured by a Martian flagship called the Donnager, but
the Donnager’s attacked by Protogen stealth ships.
Holden’s crew escapes on a Martian ship, except Shed is randomly killed by a stray
gauss round.
Some of the characters and plot of The Expanse began in a pen-and-paper role-playing game
run by Ty Franck.
When the person playing Shed left this game, Shed’s character had to be suddenly removed.
And that’s why Shed’s death comes so suddenly in the story . Anyway Protogen destroys the
Donnager , but Mars thinks the Belt did it – which leads to “war” between Mars
and the Belt . So Protogen’s plan works – their false flag attacks cause a war that
distracts everyone from Eros.
Holden and crew settle in to their new Martian ship – Holden names it “Rocinante”.
This is a reference to Don Quixote, the story of a wannabe knight who attacks windmills
thinking they’re giants.
So the name Rocinante evokes adventure and heroism, but also idealistic silliness – which
pretty much sums up Holden The Roci crew take refuge with Fred Johnson – an OPA leader
whose company is building a giant Mormon spaceship called the Nauvoo.
Through the OPA, Fred worked with the Scopuli, and he gets a message connected to the Scopuli
from Eros – so Holden and crew go investigate .
Miller follows the Roci crew to Eros , and helps them survive an attack by Protogen’s
men.
Then together they find Julie Mao – dead from the protomolecule.
Cause what happened was – after the Protogen ship Anubis captured the Scopuli and destroyed
the Cant, their protomolecule sample leaked – killing everyone on board , except for
Julie, in storage.
Julie broke out, and hid the Anubis , then went to Eros.
But she’d been infected – so she slowly, horrifically, died “alone” . Losing the
Anubis was a problem for Protogen cause they needed that protomolecule sample for Eros.
So Protogen follows Holden to Julie – and uses her infected body as the seed to start
the Eros experiment . For “crowd control”, Protogen uses those thugs from Ceres with
the stolen riot gear – who now call themselves “Carne Por la Machina” – “Meat for
the machine” . They fake an emergency, and lead the people of Eros into “radiation
shelters” – which are actually used to infect everyone with the protomolecule . Infected
people become zombies, Ceres thugs fight, Holden and Miller get irradiated – it’s
a bad time.
And amidst the all suffering and violence, Miller starts to welcome death – he’s
tired and broken and wants “release” from his trauma and pain . His only sense of hope
is his imagination of Julie, the “ghost” of this dead girl he’s never met . [] Miller
and Holden work together and escape Eros alive, but they also clash over their differences.
Holden stops Miller from shooting an infected person – says Miller doesn’t “get to
decide” who lives and dies . Miller criticises Holden for publicly broadcasting sensitive
information . Like, Holden broadcasts evidence connecting Protogen’s ships to Earth – so
then Earth attacks Mars and destroys the moon of Deimos , making the worst war in history
worse . Holden thinks telling everyone the truth is the right thing to do, and the best
way to make peace . But Miller argues that the truth can be dangerous – you’ve gotta
be more strategic to get good outcomes . There is no “right thing” to do – just a whole
lot of “maybe a little less wrong” . So Miller challenges Holden’s “simplistic”
view of the world , and helps him to see the complexity and the shades of grey.
Miller and the Roci crew find the Anubis where Julie had hidden it . And they destroy it
– as symbolic justice for the Cant . They also learn about Protogen’s experiment on
Eros.
So they team up with Fred and the OPA to attack Protogen’s research base, Thoth Station
– Thoth was an Egyptian god associated with science and with judgement of the dead . Holden
Miller and Fred take the station, and confront Dresden – “the architect of the Eros project”
. Instead of fighting or begging mercy, Dresden makes rational arguments why the Eros project
should continue.
He says studying the protomolecule is worth killing a million people , cause the power
to rewrite biology would let humans expand to distant stars.
He says the protomolecule proves there are hostile aliens out there – and humans will
need the power of the protomolecule if they face its creators . And besides, Eros is already
infected – so stopping the project won’t save anyone, it’ll only “Waste the data”
and make those people “[die] for nothing” . Holden is disgusted by Dresden’s cold
logic – but he sees that Dresden may have a point . When Miller sees that people
are listening to evil space Mengele, he kills Dresden on the spot.
And Holden is outraged that Miller would kill someone in cold blood – says it’s inhuman,
and unjust. “What about a trial?”
What makes Miller the “judge, jury, and executioner”?
Miller argues that with Dresden’s power and connections, he was “going to get away”
with his crimes, and continue his experiments – so killing Dresden “had to be done”
. But Holden can’t trust someone who “unilaterally” headshots people he disagrees with . So Holden
kicks Miller out of the Roci crew.
And Miller is devastated.
He’d started to think of the Roci as his “home” , his family.
But now he’s alone – with no home, no job, no friends . He feels that the hard choices
he’s made to survive have cut him off from human connection , left him empty and numb
– he compares himself to Protogen . Miller’s only hope for connection and redemption is
his imagination of Julie – “You belong with me”, she says .
Eros, infected with the protomolecule, does some freaky stuff.
The bodies of the people of Eros are reshaped into Cronenbergian fleshscapes , “like Hieronymous
Bosch made real” . Eros broadcasts ghostly voices made from the audio files and the minds
of the million people it consumed . Holden, Miller and Fred are worried that that this
horrorshow might spread.
So they plan to take the giant Mormon spaceship the Nauvoo, and slam it into Eros, to knock
the whole asteroid into the sun – ending the threat.
Miller sets up bombs on Eros, then chooses to stay there . He feels too “tired” and
“broken” to ever “reconnect to humanity” – Miller just wants to die with Julie.
He watches as the Nauvoo, the “hammer of God” fills the sky, screams towards him,
then misses.
The voice of Eros shouts “DON’T YOU FUCKING TOUCH ME!”, and the whole asteroid moves
– uses some alien force to dodge the Nauvoo . Then Eros starts moving towards Earth, apparently
to infect the population . But Miller realises that the ghostly voice of Eros includes Julie.
The Eros protomolecule’s mind grew from Julie – “it infected her”, and “she
infected it” . Deep in Eros, Miller finds the infected Julie – she’s controlling
Eros, dreaming that she’s flying her ship the Razorback.
When she says ‘don’t you fucking touch me’, she’s remembering that time she was
attacked.
Her memories and personality are intertwined with the alien mind.
So Miller convinces Julie to fly Eros to Venus instead of Earth.
He removes his helmet and lets the protomolecule take him as he and Julie and Eros descend
into the clouds of Venus.
The cynical, nihilistic Miller finds something to believe in . And Holden is left a more
mature and experienced hero – able to question his idealistic view of the world and himself.
This helps him face the dangers of later books – including what emerges from Venus.
So Leviathan Wakes explores different perspectives on how to live in a complex universe.
Rationality and cold realism gets shit done, but love and belief give life meaning.
The Expanse is about futuristic technology and fantastic worlds – but it’s grounded
in the same human passions, flaws and ideals that cause conflict today.
Whether on Earth, or amongst the stars, “the problems we have are the ones we bring with
us” . In The Expanse TV show, Miller finds a data
broker who hides a data chip inside his own leg.
But there are easier ways to protect your data.
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It’s secure, easy to use, and free – so sign up to Dashlane at the link below.
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Thanks for watching.
Thanks to Expanse co-author Daniel Abraham for help with the script, and to History of
Westeros and Brandon for feedback.
Thanks to Patrons invisiblefloyd, Beth Quezada, Terry Thomas, FuzzytheFair, Patrick Brown,
EMac and Hedwig.
Cheers.