The Expanse had to reduce two storylines to make the episode count work

When The Expanse only got six episodes to tell the story, there were some storylines that had to be reduced. There are two in particular that stand out.

It was disappointing to hear that The Expanse Season 6 would only be six episodes. This was a request by Amazon and Alcon Television, but they did run things by the show first. Was it possible to fit everything necessary into six episodes?

Six episodes would work, but some storylines would need to be reduced. There were two in particular that the creators had to cut down without completely removing.

Pastor Anna and Prax will return on The Expanse Season 6

We will get to see Pastor Anna and Prax return to the show. Their storylines were supposed to be much bigger in The Expanse Season 6, but that’s not going to be the case anymore.

When the reduced episode count came in, the creators realized they would need to reduce these two storylines. The problem was they didn’t want to get rid of them both. It’s the final season, and the final season on TV usually means cameos from characters from past seasons.

However, those cameos need to make sense. The creators had to make it possible to write in Anna and Prax without it seeming forced. It was impossible to do the full stories justice, but their inclusions will at least still make sense.

Who are Anna and Prax?

For those who haven’t seen the earlier seasons in a while, you’ll want a reminder of who the characters are. Pastor Anna showed up in The Expanse Season 3 and was Sorrento-Gillis’s conscience during his earlier years in politics. She wrote the speech that started his political career.

However, she married Nono and left her activist days behind. She became a minister, running the St. Petersburg congregation with her wife.

She was on one of the ships at the time of the initial traveling through the Rings, as they’re created. It’s because of her that trouble with the Rings initially being created could be calmed and the Roci team was able to get back through the Sol Ring.

Prax was introduced in the second season and also showed up in the third season. His full name is Praxideke Meng, and he is a botanist at Ganymede Station. His sole mission is to get his daughter back, and it turns out that his daughter is being used for experiments by Strickland. The experiments were to create a hybrid with the protomolecule.

Prax helps to grow greenery on the Roci. He is remembered fondly, even as he starts to lose some of his humanity with everything he’s seen and been through.

These are just basic reminders. You’ll want to rewatch Seasons 2 and 3 to get through this.

Who would you like to see come up in The Expanse Season 6? Which storylines do you hope haven’t been reduced? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

The Expanse airs Fridays on Amazon Prime Video.