The Expanse TV Series & How It Can Help Us Fight Authoritarianism

The Expanse is one of the most politically sophisticated sci-fi series of the last decade, offering a complex, realistic portrayal of power, oppression, and resistance in a future where humanity has colonized the solar system.

The show explores corporate greed, authoritarianism, colonialism, propaganda, and grassroots resistance movements, making it a crucial anti-authoritarian text disguised as space opera.

By studying the dynamics of The Expanse, we can learn how authoritarian systems rise, how they maintain power, and most importantly, how they can be dismantled.

Let’s break it down.

The Belt as a Case Study in Colonial Oppression

The more you share, the more your bowl will be plentiful. But if you hoard, your bowl will be empty. —Belter proverb

The Belters—the working-class, exploited inhabitants of the asteroid belt—are a direct allegory for colonized and marginalized peoples throughout history.

• They mine the resources that fuel Earth and Mars, but receive nothing in return.
• Their labor is essential, yet they are treated as expendable.
• Their language, culture, and identity are mocked and suppressed by the Inner Planets.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Colonialism has always relied on exploitation. The Expanse mirrors real-world histories of imperialism.
• Authoritarian systems dehumanize workers to justify their suffering.
• When people are treated as second-class citizens, resistance is inevitable.

"Earth has millions who do not have enough to eat. Mars has a paradise they can't step foot on. And here in the Belt, we have nothing. But we are rich." —Drummer

If an economy depends on the exploitation of a group, that group will eventually rise up and those in power will fight to crush them. When survival is controlled by corporations and governments that exploit you, you have no choice but to resist.

Earth & Mars: The Struggle Between Stagnation and Militarization

“We were born on a rock that's got no air. Every breathe we take is earned. That's why Mars needs to be strong." –Bobbie Draper

Earth = Corrupt Bureaucracy & Decay

A once-powerful civilization now suffering stagnation and overpopulation, where corporate bureaucracy has replaced innovation, and militarization is used to maintain control rather than expand vision. Earth is no longer the future. Earth is a bloated, decaying empire in decline, living off the resources and labor of the Belt. Its ruling elite ignore systemic collapse as long as their way of life remains untouched. It controls the Belt through economic and military power, not diplomacy.

Mars = Militarized Nationalism

Mars is a militarized corporate-state trying to hold onto its power. It was founded on a dream of terraforming, but that dream has been hijacked by military control. Martian citizens sacrifice personal freedoms in exchange for discipline and strength. Their government prioritizes militarization over prosperity making them a rigid, authoritarian state. The Martian ethos is discipline, strength, and sacrifice in service of a larger vision. Survival on Mars is not a given, and the military ensures both security and progress.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Empires in decline use force to maintain control—Earth mirrors real-world superpowers clinging to dominance.
• Militarization is often a tool of authoritarianism—Mars shows how a society can be trapped by its own nationalist myths.
• Both Earth and Mars exploit the Belt—even when they oppose each other, they maintain colonial rule together.

Empires don’t last forever. When a system relies on oppression to function, it’s already doomed to collapse.

The OPA: Resistance vs. Terrorism

“The Inners see us as slaves, and they treat us as slaves. And if we resist, if we fight back, they call us terrorists. But we are fighting for something that every Earther and every Martian was given by birth: a home.” – Fred Johnson

The Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) is the Belt’s resistance movement, but not all factions agree on what resistance should look like.

• Fred Johnson’s OPA: Wants to negotiate for Belter rights through diplomacy. He becomes a symbol of structured resistance, seeking legitimacy and equality for Belters through coalition-building and negotiation.
• Anderson Dawes’ OPA: Uses revolutionary violence to gain power. He is a charismatic and Machiavellian figure, that represents the political wing of the OPA, willing to manipulate, coerce and kill to gain leverage for Belters.
• Marco Inaros’ OPA: Becomes an outright terrorist, using populism and fear to justify genocide. He weaponizes charisma, fear and media control to gain power.
• Drummer's OPA role: Fights for Belters, but refuses to become like the Inners in the process. Part of the OPA under Fred Johnson, later acting as a high ranking OPA officer, she becomes disillusioned with the OPA's growing corruption and militarization.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Authoritarian regimes always label resistance as “terrorism.”
• Not all resistance movements are ethical and some become as oppressive as the system they fight.
• Revolutions can be hijacked by extremists. True liberation requires careful strategy.

Successful resistance movements must balance force and diplomacy without becoming the thing they oppose.

Corporate Power & the Dangers of Unchecked Capitalism

"You don't win by being right. You win by being in control of the game." –Jules-Pierre Mao

The most sinister authoritarian force in The Expanse isn’t Earth or Mars, it’s corporate power. When corporations gain too much power, they become indistinguishable from governments—except with less accountability. The show ruthlessly deconstructs the myth that corporations are neutral entities.

"The only people who can make the pain stop are the ones who are making money off it." —Amos

• Jules-Pierre Mao and Protogen Corporation experiment on human beings to maximize profits with no regard for ethics all in pursuit of profit.
• Corporations don't just influence politics. They are politics: funding wars, controlling life-sustaining resources and governments and politicians, serving the interests of the ultra-wealthy, not the people.
• Scientific progress is privatized and only the elite benefit, while the masses suffer.
• Use private security forces as corporate militaries.
• Exploit workers and suppress resistance through economic control.
• Monopolize resources and force people into dependence.

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• Late-stage capitalism erodes democracy and the wealthiest corporations wield more power than elected leaders.
• Human lives are treated as disposable when profit is prioritized.
• Science and technology can be used for oppression if controlled by the elite.

Capitalism, left unchecked, leads to corporate feudalism. Where democracy is just a performance, and real power belongs to the wealthiest.

Propaganda and Media Manipulation

"You give people a story they want to believe, and they'll be apart of it, even if it kills them." –Amos

Throughout The Expanse, information is manipulated to serve those in power.

Earth

Earth suppresses reports of Belt abuse to maintain its image as a “civilized” power. They deliberately portray Belters as dangerous to keep people from sympathizing with them. The brutal truth: If Earth's citizens actually knew how much suffering their luxury required, they'd either have to fight the system, or justify it.

"You think people on Earth want to hear that their whole way of life is built on suffering? That every time they breathe, a Belter dies a little?" –Chrisjen Avasarala

The OPA is not a monolith

The OPA starts as a rebellion against oppression, but as they grow more powerful, they begin to use the same propaganda tactics as Earth and Mars. They glorify violence when it suits them and justify actions as "necessary for the cause.

The OPA weaponizes Belter identity to radicalize recruits. When you're ignored long enough and negotiation stops being an option, we see the shift from pleading for rights to seizing power by force.

Anderson Dawes embraces the concept of mutually assured destruction as a means of achieving equality. He believes that diplomacy without the threat of violence is meaningless under capitalism and imperialism.

"You talk about peace, but peace slinks away when no one is watching. The only thing that keeps Inners at bay is the fear that we'll throw rocks." —Anderson Dawes

Fred Johnson critiques the OPA's history of fragmentation and violence. He's advocating for political infrastructure and leader that can negotiate, strategize, and demand rights without destroying everything. He wants to turn it into a legitimate government.

"We can't just keep fighting over scraps. The Belt needs leadership, not just rebellion." —Fred Johnson

Marco Inaros is the ultimate revolutionary populist, but he's also self-absorbed and twists the OPA's cause to serve himself. He doesn't just want equality—he wants to flip the power dynamic so that the Inners suffer like the Belt has.

"The Inners live fat and happy while we scrape by for every breath. They will never respect us until we make them fear us." —Marco Inaros

Drummer believes in justice, but sees how the OPA is becoming just as ruthless as Earth. Belter liberation means more than survival, it means building something better.

"You don't get to speak for the dead while you murder the living." —Drummer

How this connects to authoritarianism:

• The media is often a tool of power, not a check on it.
• Authoritarians rewrite history and control public perception.
• Propaganda can turn genuine resistance into blind extremism.
• Authoritarianism isn't just dictatorship. It can exist in democratic systems (Earth), militaries (Mars), and even revolutionary movements (OPA).

It isn't just about force. It's about controlling narratives, fear and resources. Who gets to speak is just as important as as controlling what is said.

False narratives don't have to hold up under scrutiny, they just need to maintain control. Controlling the story is as important as controlling the battlefield.

What The Expanse Teaches Us About Fighting Authoritarianism

"The only justice we get is the justice we make." —Belter saying

The Expanse is ultimately about how power operates and how to fight it.

• Oppression breeds resistance. The Belt’s struggle mirrors real-world colonial and labor movements.
• Nationalism and militarism are traps. Mars shows how an obsession with “greatness” can destroy a people.
• Unchecked corporate power leads to tyranny. When profit rules, democracy dies.
• Not all resistance movements are just. Some revolutionaries become what they once fought against.
• Controlling the narrative is essential. Authoritarianism thrives when people believe its lies.

In the fight against authoritarianism, there is no singular solution, only constant struggle.

"The only difference between a war hero and war criminal is who gets to write this history books." –Amos

Power protects itself. It lies, adapts, and destroys. But it's not invincible. It can be fought with truth, unity, subversion, or fire, but it must also be fought consciously, or we become what we resist.

The Expanse shows that resistance isn’t just about fighting oppressors—it’s about building something better in their place.

Or, as Drummer puts it:

“You know what I love most about war? The promise of an end.”