The EXPANSE - The Protomolecule Explained

This mystifying blue substance is the heart of the events that shape the story of the Expanse. The protomolecule first showed up in the series in season 1. It first arrived in the Sol system on any icy moon Phoebe that was caught in Saturn’s gravity. When Mars surveyed it they found silicate anomalies, and entered into a partnership with the Earth corporation Protegen. Mars and Protogen created a long term research project and station on Phoebe. The scientist Anthony Dresden was in charge of studying the protomolecule and he realized it was extrasolar in origin.

The protomolecule influences events through the first three seasons of the Expanse even before Detective Miller (Thomas Jane) and the crew of the Rocinante know of its existence. Miller is tasked with searching for Julie Mao who would become infected by the protomolecule while she was aboard the protogen ship the Anubis. She makes it to Eros station where she dies, and she becomes patient zero for Dresden and Protogen’s experiments there.

In the Expanse season 1 we learn that the protomolecule is extraterrestrial technology, and humanity thinks it must be a weapon. It has the ability to hijack life forms, and it has a prefabricated mechanism for the manipulation of living systems. The scientists want to continue testing the protomolecule on more complex life forms to better understand what it’s trying to do.

In season 2 we see the blue goo given a large amount of biomass and sufficient energy to evolve in the closed system of Eros station. When Fred Johnson and the crew of Rocinante try to use the Nauvoo to direct it in the sun, they realize that it has evolved into something they can’t comprehend. It is able to maneuver out of the way of the Nauvoo in a way that we can’t understand, and then starts to accelerate towards Earth. Eventually Miller is able to contact the imprinted consciousness of Julie Mao to help direct the station towards Venus instead.

In the Expanse season 2 & 3 we learn about other experiments that involve injecting humans with protomolecule in an attempt to create super soldiers. These hybrids are impressive, but they aren’t useful for the different faction’s objectives because they can’t be controlled. We also see the final product of the Eros Incident. After crashing on the surface of Venus it continued to build until we saw a squid-like mechanical structure emerge from the planet. It travels beyond Uranus and constructs a ring that is 1000 km in diameter. In part two of this series we will discuss the ring gates, the ring gate station, and the additional information we learned from Illus in season 4.

Let us know what theories you have about the protomolecule, and how you think that part of the story will end. If you’ve read ahead in the book series, please make sure to mark any book spoilers.

This Expanse protomolecule video explains everything you need to know about this alien substance. It explains the history of discovery, and a discussion on how it made it to our solar system.

It's answers the questions:
What is the protomolecule in the Expanse?
Where does it come from?
What happened to Julie Mao?
Is the protomolecule alien?
Is it a weapon sent to destroy Earth?

The Expanse stuff:

0:00 Intro
1:38 History Of The Protomolecule (Season 1)
5:08 Eros Experiment
7:08 How Protomolecule Works (Season 2)
9:04 The Protomolecule Hybrids
9:47 Venus To Beyond Uranus (Season 3)
10:43 Final Thoughts

#theexpanse #theexpanseseason5 #screamingfirehawks #theexpanseseason4 #expanseonprime

[mkl]

This show was phenomenal. I am a sci-fi guru, especially when it comes to space. I am 62 years old and this is the best sci-fi show I have ever watched.

[bigtugaever]

This show is criminally underrated. i mean insanely so.... one day.

[onubohrok]

The best thing I can think of for how Julie was seemingly so special is because the protomolocule was designed to hijack primitive, organic life. It didn't expect to encounter intelligent, nor even *conscious* life.
The protomolocule was able to use Julie as a host long enough to learn how to decrypt our consciousness and use it, likely to locate Earth. During that, Julie was left intact, "Infecting it back".

More so, it has learned how to assimilate human consciousness seemlessly now. IE proto-Miller.

[_WiseMass]

Who agree with me that Miller was above every character in Expanse. He died twice, sacrificing his life to save humanity. I think he was the best of all!

[afoolandhismoney]

One of the best shows to come out in a long time.

[paulhewes]

I always think of the Protomolecule as a construction tool that was aimed to use the primordial ooze on earth when it was trapped by Saturn's gravity. it was to import the materials on Earth, use them to construct the ring gate and CPU setup for the Sol system to be part of the Precursor's network of colonies. I imagine they shot out millions of these construction tools that took 100s of light years to arrive at their destinations in an automated fashion, and they didnt even realize Sol's was stopped before whatever killed them killed them.

[nanettepolvino]

Thank you for making this. The Expanse is a complex series with a lot of moving parts, and the linkages between them are not always apparent. This video really helps explain a lot of that, so that a binge re-watch will make a lot more sense.

[lorensims]

Nice overview of the protomolecule. What fascinated me was that it was a very creepy bit of nano-technology that brought out the very creepiest in everyone who learned about it.
My very favorite scene in the whole series is when Miller meets Julie and gets to talk with her, convincing her to steer away from Earth. Some of Julie's lines (because the kids figured out how to listen in) keep showing up later in the series at the most delightful moments.

[bartolomeestebanmurillo]

Big plot twist is how Holden explains that the protomolecule isn't some insidious weapon, it doesn't give a damn about humanity, it's just very advanced cement building a road.

[HarryL]

The expanse is under represented. Really good show but nobody knows about it.

[WillBeUnknownToYou]

I just discovered this show and I’m absolutely hooked.

[cwame]

Have only just discovered your channel (can't believe how many people are NOT reviewing the Expanse!) I am enjoying your content and really appreciate your approach of taking things as they are revealed in the show and not spoiling the books beyond what has been shown. The good thing about finding your content so late, though, is that I can now watch a ton of it all at once!

[KH-sdkr]

Great run down. Thanks. I’ve been watching the Expanse since the beginning and never really understood the protomolecule.

[Pammellam]

I never completely understood the proto molecule. This has helped a lot!

[TheNothingNetwork]

This show is severely underrated. Top notch sci-fi..

[lmamakos]

This is a really great treatment of WTF the protomolocule/blue-goo is. Thanks for summing this all up!

[razorwireclouds]

Easily the best sci-fi book series I've read in my life. Each book got better and better. I was hanging on the edge of my seat, gasping in awe... or laughing my head off — the writing was just stellar (pun not intended).

[rpk]

It's so long between seasons that I'm going to watch the whole thing from the beginning. It is a good show. Great SiFi !

[jasonpalmer]

I’m just watching it for Carmina Drummer 😜😜😜

[PetePeppers]

Let me know if you have any questions about the protomolecule, and what else you'd like to see in this series.