The ExpanseandBattlestar Galacticaeach found success thanks in part to a key trait baked into the DNA of both shows. While Ronald D. Moore’s rebootedBattlestar GalacticaTV showwas based on the original 1970s series, it took a very different approach to the sci-fi genre while airing between 2003 and 2009. Six years later,The Expansearrived as a spiritual successor, bringing the same ethos to science fiction and an equally philosophical outlook on humanity.
WhileBattlestar Galacticaenjoyed more mainstream attention, both shows were lavished with critical acclaim before earning cult followings that have lasted long after each show’s respective finale.The ExpanseandBattlestar Galacticaare similar enough that you could bet your last slice of space lasagna that fans of one will enjoy the other, but each series also feels unique enough to stand apart in a crowded arena. Curiously, one strict rule unites these titans of modern sci-fi - a rule that proved as instrumental toBattlestar Galacticaas it later did toThe Expanse.
The Expanse & Battlestar Galactica Both Avoid Introducing Aliens Outright
The Expanse Inherited Battlestar Galactica’s Strict Policy On Alien Invaders
For a long time, the presence of aliens was a near-certainty in any self-respecting sci-fi franchise, with the twin juggernauts ofStar TrekandStar Warspopularizing the notion that every corner of space is crammed with pointy-eared logicians or little green mentors with terrible syntax. Even the original 1978Battlestar Galacticasubmitted to the trope by introducing a selection of otherworldly species and creatures during its run.
This allowedThe Expanseto deal with the remnants of an alien species, not the species itself.
WhenBattlestar Galacticareturned in the 2000s, it took the exact opposite route, placing a “No Aliens Allowed” sign firmly on the studio door. Adama actorEdward James Olmos expressed open disdain for the idea of extra-terrestrials onBattlestar Galactica(viaNBC), and while suggestions of an “anti-alien” clause in his contract remain unconfirmed, the sentiment behind it was very real. As such,Battlestar Galacticaadhered staunchly to a landscape composed of only humans and their robotic creations.
As Ronald D. Moore expanded his cyclical mythos, it became apparent that humans/Cylons/human-Cylons existed on other planets in centuries long past. Fortunately for Olmos, these fallen civilizations ultimately belonged to the same species asBattlestar Galactica’s main characters, and the rule against aliens remained unbroken.
Battlestar Galactica’s Spiritual Successor Was This Underappreciated Sci-Fi That Ended Too Soon
Battlestar Galactica changed sci-fi forever, and found a spiritual successor in another series that was not as widely known and ended far too soon.
The Expanseadopted a very similar philosophy.Taking place predominantly in Earth’s solar system kept the focus on humanityduring the early stages, but when the sci-fi weirdness eventually arrived inThe Expansecourtesy of the Protomolecule, it was revealed that the ancient empire responsible for creating it had been wiped out thousands of years prior. This allowedThe Expanseto deal with the remnants of an alien species, not the species itself, keeping the tone more grounded than if Holden and co. had been chased around the Belt by blue, phaser-toting aliens looking to steal their Protomolecule back.
How Aliens Would’ve Ruined The Expanse
Holden’s Life Was Difficult Enough Without UFOs Showing Up
The Expansethrived due to its strong characterization, amazing visuals, and compelling story based on the book by James S.A. Corey. A fewtentacle-covered creatures would not have suddenly turnedThe Expanseinto an unwatchable mess, but aliens would still have put a big dent in the show’s appeal.
The Expansewouldn’t be a terrible show with an added spoonful of alien, but it would cease to beThe Expanse.
Plausibility was a not-insignificant strand inThe Expanse’s formula, and at the core of that formula sat one question: “How does humanity react to a discovery it fundamentally doesn’t understand?” The entirety of seasons 1-6 revolved around various human factions attempting to exploit the Protomolecule for political or personal ends, then inevitably failing in a variety of spectacular ways. Toss aliens into the mix, and the story stops being about humans' infinite capacity for self-destruction and becomes an “us vs. them” scenario.
95%
The Expanse
More problematically, the Protomolecule would cease to matter as a plot device. Right up untilThe Expanse’s ending, the Protomolecule was a holy grain of a MacGuffin - the gift left behind by a technologically superior race.If the Protomolecule’s creators were actually present, the blue goop would lose all relevancebecause the alien species itself becomes the big discovery capable of changing humanity’s future.The Expansewouldn’t be a terrible show with an added spoonful of alien, but it would cease to beThe Expansein any recognizable form.
How Aliens Would’ve Ruined Battlestar Galactica
Not A Frakking Alien In Sight
The presence of aliens would have damagedBattlestar Galacticatoo, albeit for different reasons. With his reboot, Ronald D. Moore sought to move away from the fantastical world ofStar Trek, but with its story set elsewhere in the galaxy and Cylons making themselves a nuisance as early as episode 1,Battlestar Galacticarequired slightly more suspension of disbelief thanThe Expanse. Still, that extra leeway was nowhere near enough to accommodate aliens.
Cylons either looked exactly like humans, or took the form of metallic robots with weapons attached - hardly a far cry from current technology in the real world.
The issue wasn’t one of aliens being implausible, sinceBattlestar Galacticacovered far more space miles thanThe Expanseever did. A third species might have even made sense within the context of humanity’s battle against the Cylons. Perhaps the robotic allied themselves with another race looking to overthrow the Twelve Colonies, for example. The problem would purely be the stark change of tone an alien presence inevitably triggers forBattlestar Galactica.
Battlestar Galacticawas the antithesis ofStar Trek. Adama never had a central command chair because it made more sense for him to stand in the thick of the CIC giving orders, meaningless technological jargon was kept to a minimum, andships like Galactica and Pegasus fired warheads instead of futuristic lasers. Alas, all of that grounding and grit would have been meaningless if aliens got involved, not because Galactica encountering an alien civilization during its journey was beyond the realms of scientific possibility, but simply due to how movies and TV shows typically present aliens onscreen.
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.
Covering actors in prosthetic attachments and dressing them in outlandish costumes always brings with it a new level of fantasy - exactly whatBattlestar Galacticawas desperately trying to avoid. There is no realistic way to portray civilizations from other planets because writers, directors, and costume designers have no real-world comparison to reference. Everything ends up looking more “fi” than “sci,” and that’s before the impossible-to-answer questions begin, like “why is this mysterious alien civilization speaking perfect English?”
With the Cylons,Battlestar Galacticaavoided such obstacles. They either looked exactly like humans, or took the form of metallic robots with weapons attached - hardly a far cry from current technology in the real world. And since Cylons were made by humans, speaking the same language was never a plot hole.
Battlestar Galactica & The Expanse Both Broke The “No Aliens” Rule (Sort Of)
While the banning of alien life forms was a rule that servedBattlestar GalacticaandThe Expansewell, the two shows would both bend it to breaking point in their own unique ways.Every sentient being inBattlestar Galacticatraced back to Kobol one way or another, but the series did include a handful of angelic beings whose origin was never established. The presence of some higher entity, whether that be a god or an alien race, was very strongly hinted at, especially inBattlestar Galactica’s tantalizing final scene.
The dark gods would have become far more prominent ifThe Expanseseason 7 and beyond had happened.
Whether this constitutes alien involvement is left to the viewer’s discretion, andThe Expansepulled a very similar trick. While the Protomolecule’s creators died eons prior to the story,The Expanse’s later seasons introduced an unseen threat from beyond the known galaxy- a force of dark gods who were both powerful enough to wipe out entire empires and annoyed enough to try. Just likeBattlestar Galactica,The Expanserefused to drop the “A” word outright, wisely letting the audience decide what to call these villains. And because the dark gods never materialized physically, any issues of alien silliness were skillfully dodged.
Ultimately, however, there was an undeniable element of humans vs. aliens toThe Expanse’s story, even if only as a background plot. The dark gods would have become far more prominent ifThe Expanseseason 7 and beyond had happened, but as far as seasons 1-6 are concerned,Battlestar Galactica’s “no aliens” legacy is kept alive. Just.
Battlestar Galactica
Cast
Battlestar Galactica is a science fiction television series that premiered in 2004. The plot follows the crew of the aging Battlestar Galactica as they protect a small fleet of human survivors from the renewed threat of the Cylons, in a quest to find the mythical 13th colony, Earth.
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.
