The Expanse Season 7 Released—Even Better Than the Original Vision

The Expanse's Ending and the Unseen Future

When The Expanse TV show concluded after six seasons, it left many fans feeling that the incredible storylines set up for the following season were unfairly denied. With so many cliffhangers and unresolved plot threads, the reality is that if the show had not been canceled, its next season would have taken a drastically different direction from what fans anticipated.

As viewers may recall, and newcomers might find surprising, the Season 6 finale brought much of the conflict and catastrophe in The Expanse to a close, or at least to a tenuous peace. For the first time, the combined forces of Earth, Mars, and the Belt had a chance to create a better future together. However, for those who are more realistic, survival is never that simple. Even the original Expanse novels suggested otherwise.

Instead of following the path of the novels and jumping over the messy reality of post-war humanity, the actual sequel to The Expanse introduced new threats, political strife, and discoveries about the Ring Network that neither the novels nor the show had explored. If Expanse fans are looking for the sequel that the show sets up in its final episodes, then the answer lies in Dragon Tooth.

Season 7 Was Never Going To Be What Fans Wanted

The ending of Season 6 saved the showrunners from having to solve the time jump problem.

The Expanse's Season 6 finale, like the sixth novel in the book series it adapts, ends with the future of its universe completely wide open. With Earth's future still uncertain, the long-brewing wars between Earth, Mars, and the Belters have come to a brutal end. The three factions agree to an uneasy alliance and plan to use the Ring network to expand and supply humanity across the universe. It truly is the dawn of a new age for humankind, thrilling fans to speculate on the next steps. So what happens next?

How do you give fans of The Expanse what they want when the source material changes the characters, the universe, and the state of humanity... without showing any of it actually happening? That’s a question that the TV show would not have answered if it followed its adaptation of the original novels.

With the conclusion of the novel "Bablyon's Ashes" by James S. A. Corey, the story of The Expanse then jumps 28 years into the future for the next book in the series, "Persepolis Rising." The wildest times and most critical decisions and battles have passed, with Earth stable, humans establishing a new frontier, and the crew of the Rocinante deeply changed, significantly aged, and adapted to a human civilization spread across light-years.

For the makers of the TV show, this was always going to be a problem. After all, how do you give fans of The Expanse what they want, when the source material changes the characters, the universe, and the state of humanity... without showing any of it actually happening? The beloved cast of the fan-favorite Roci, for instance, got to spend almost three decades together, leaving Naomi and James on the cusp of retirement. But audiences never got to enjoy or even witness it... fortunately, that's right where The Expanse: Dragon Tooth comes in.

The Expanse Actually Gave Fans The Right Sequel With 'Dragon Tooth'

The Show's Comic Sequel Picks Up Right Where Season 6 Ends

The writers of The Expanse novel series made their drastic leap forward in the timeline for their own reasons, and there are sure to be many fans of the novels who would argue there is value and meaning in the audience “missing” three decades of story. But for fans of the TV show desperate to see the show's many characters facing this new world, reacting to threats both old and new, and establishing a new mission, a faithfully adapted Season 7 of The Expanse TV show would likely have disappointed much of its audience.

But the BOOM! Studios series from Andy Diggle, Rubin, and Francesco Pisa fulfills that exact demand, beginning right where Season 6 ends... and honestly, where audiences would have expected Season 7 of the TV show to pick back up. Building their reputation as pirate hunters, the crew of the Rocinante find themselves in pursuit of a Martian special forces remnant determined to earn their passage to Laconia. Not to mention a more manageable time jump of one decade, and shocking new research into the Ring network, too.

When The Expanse Returns, It Will Have 'Dragon Tooth' To Thank

The Expanse Canon Will Likely Make The Sequel Comics Part of Future Adaptations

It's possible audiences will never know how The Expanse TV show would have solved the time jump problem, forced to either introduce makeup or prosthetics to age the cast by three decades, or even recast completely new actors. But the supervision of James S. A. Corey over Dragon Tooth and the upcoming Amos-led The Expanse: A Little Death means these stories are honored by the creatives behind the series. So any Expanse sequel or movie now has more than the novels to look to for inspiration. Which is even more good news for fans.

Every viewer will have their own opinions on whether a Season 7 that took a three-decade time jump is “the season 7 they want” or not. But there is no denying that The Expanse: Dragon Tooth is a simpler, easier, and more direct continuation of the story TV show fans fell in love with. With record-breaking numbers of fans helping to make these comic sequels a reality, it's clear they've reached must-see status. But for The Expanse TV series, are they also must-adapt stories for any continuation? Only time will tell.

The Expanse: Dragon Tooth is available from BOOM! Studios where comics are sold.