The Expanse - 3x10 Dandelion Sky - Group Reaction

Ello All Beltalowda and Inyalowda! We are back...a little later than usual but back with more of The Expanse! Today we watch Season 3 episode 10 Dandelion Sky. This episode again like the last 9 have left us nothing but speechless. What do you think the Protomolecule is trying to do? I think its trying to warn us. - Nahid
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[@Shirafune161]

"Monkeys and microwaves?" - the book reference! One of my favourite quotes from the novels so far (doesn't spoil the story): Holden was starting to feel like they were all monkeys playing with a microwave. It killed humans, therefore it was a weapon. But radiation killed humans, and a medical X-ray machine wasn’t intended as a weapon. Holden was starting to feel like they were all monkeys playing with a microwave. Push a button, a light comes on inside, so it’s a light. Push a different button and stick your hand inside, it burns you, so it’s a weapon. Learn to open and close the door, it’s a place to hide things. Never grasping what it actually did, and maybe not even having the framework necessary to figure it out. No monkey ever reheated a frozen burrito.

[@HypeLozerInc]

this hits hard 2 years later, im saving this.

[@SultanOfAwesomeness]

I guess you could say that one Martian was totally *floored* by what happened.

[@syngyne]

MCRN spackle

[@Jarsia]

He filled an important spot on that team, now he's filling an important spot on that station

[@sparrowlt]

You break it.. you fix it.. literally

[@ladyevenstar22]

The PM is into recycling

[@knowyourhistory]

Total Mass Effect vibes. It's like when Shepard touches that Prothean beacon and has that apocalyptic vision.

[@nicolasinvernizzi6140]

yes!

[@DerpMuse]

Yeah the Expanse book series is loosely similar to Mass Effect. The author of the books loves Mass Effect. Theres a lot of iterative art, I dont think it was purposely done. the first book, leviathan wakes, is mass effect related as the leviathans were the ones to create the reapers, and the prothean are the other species that left beacons warning the galaxy of future cycle based threats. The advanced cycle based extinction event is common, even seen with stargate also which I can see a source material for both series. sci fi is weird like that.

[@knowyourhistory]

They also confirmed the elevator conversation between Amos and Bobbie was inspired by the Mass Effect elevator loading scenes.

[@aqmohra4]

The whole series has a mass effect vibe. Some episodes even look like cut scenes from a video game

[@jamesverner9132]

Tali and niome have alot in common duty to her people and all that.

[@gpaje]

That Mars team that's after Holden fits the demographics of Mars in the books, which a large part of the settlers were Chinese, East Indians and Texans.

[@lyrilljackson]

that mars team jumped the gun and caused massive casulties and ongoing crisis because what again? what makes them think that holden wants to unleash hell? bad writing and pacing

[@Karthos1000]

That's why Alex has a Texan accent despite an Indian appearance. It's referred to in the books as a "Mariner Valley drawl", which becomes more pronounced when he's nervous.

[@PackedWolf]

LYRILL, perhaps because they think Holden is a Belter terrorist who blew up the Seung Un? And they're scared to death of all this alien shit and are trying to stop anyone from touching anything? That wasn't really them "jumping the gun", more just soldiers doing what soldiers do when shapeshifting alien stuff starts looking threatening.

[@gpaje]

Their actions make sense, Holden is assumed to be a terrorist by everyone (except his crew) at this point, he appears to be talking to himself (as witnessed by the Martian team), then he goes inside an alien building to do who knows what. Seems like a logical reaction by the team chasing him. How did they know the whole ring would go under lock down because of their actions?

[@mannylugz5872]

I also dont understand why the Martians think that Holden is a terrorist. If not for Holden, their home planet would have been decimated by the rogue Earth forces.

[@tonycamas9747]

A little tidbit for y'all: The jumpsuit Melba/Clarissa is wearing does indeed say Savage (not Salvage). The maintenance contractor that Melba (and Ren, and Stanni) work for (hired to service the UNN Fleet on the way to the Ring) is named Savage Industries. Fun fact: The name is a a nod by the writers to Adam Savage, TV "Mythbuster" and host of various other shows, who is a big and vocal fan of the show (you might have noticed his cameo as a member of the Arboghast crew at the very end).

[@IllusiveSpartan]

It reaches out 113 times a second It reaches out

[@Cydonius1]

nothing answers and it reaches out. It is not conscious, though parts of it are. There are structures within it that were once separate organisms; aboriginal, evolved, and complex. It is designed to improvise, to use what is there and then move on. Good enough is good enough, and so the artifacts are ignored or adapted. The conscious parts try to make sense of the reaching out. Try to interpret it.

[@svyatoslavrurikovich8831]

That last bit was entirely a flashback, including that solar system blowing up (not _our_ solar system). The question is, why did this civilization found it necessary to resort to destroying entire solar systems and even closing the ring network altogether?

[@svyatoslavrurikovich8831]

IT'S IN THE FREAKING BOOKS you ignorant dimwit. They're other solar systems in the same galaxy, not parallel universes, and it is entirely a flashback. Sheesh.

[@ChipMatthews]

The clue to whether or not that was our sun being blown up is in the very beginning of the sequence. Everything is rewinding from the present to the past.

[@sepehrfree91]

That was NOT our sun. There was 3 planets (or something) near the star in the picture. The scale isn't correct whatsoever, and the show is too accurate to just make a mistake like this.

[@sparrowlt]

well the show has made serious scale problems before.. The Roci can be seen slingshoting arround some jupiter moons and when crossing over the horizon you can see clearly the Roci going to the other side quite big.. Jupiter has some very small moons but any moon big enough to work for a slingshot.. at that aspect ratio the Roci would be several kilometers, if not hundreds long.. also there is a zoom shot on Ganimede wich shows the domes while still seeing the entire moon.. that would mean the domes were like hundreds of kilometers long..wich is not the case (they were pretty big.. but not that >Deathstar size)

[@blueskybelyr]

I didn't realise how awesome this episode was until now, I feel l like I wanted to see you guys react to every second lol, so action packed!

[@steriopticon2687]

When I watch the show, I find myself wondering how you guys will react to the 'good' stuff. Thank you guys!

[@rngwrldngnr]

Turns out "Dandelion Sky" was the original title of book 3.

[@Spartain14]

Those final shots of the episode are terrifying. The star... the fucking star, man.

[@aichaudh]

"Clarissa?....Explains It All" Cracked me up! :D

[@alex30425]

Damn, I wouldn’t want to be the Martian who became the floor.

[@ChipMatthews]

If you put a hole in the nucleus floor your punishment is to be made into human spackle.

[@SETHthegodofchaos]

If you break something, you fix it. Litterally :S

[@spacecadet2172]

The human race is much better off now that he won’t be contributing to the gene pool anymore. What a fucking idiot.

[@allyourmoney]

I think a big part of the protomolecule's power is in controlling the MASS of objects. There's a particle called the higgs-boson, which in wave form gives matter mass. The implication ( & this is admittedly very pie in the sky ) is if you control the higgs boson you can control mass. Turn the mass all the way down & you cancel out inertia so Miller doesn't go splat when Eros stops spinning. Turn it all the way up & no matter how much you thrust you won't go anywhere---just like the ships and bullets suspended in place. If you inject a very hardy strain of protomolecule into a star it will devour enough energy to multiply & cover that star ( turning it blue). Then it can turn the star's mass all the way up, causing it to implode into a supernova.

[@lyrilljackson]

yeah the whole higgs boson shit from 2011-2013 and with the lhc, we all heard in the physicist community

[@allyourmoney]

You're a physicist, LYRILL?? Awesome!!!!! What's your speculation on how they justify/handwave Eros's apparently thrustless propulsion in season 2? Been dyin' for an actual member of the physicist community to chime in on that.

[@lyrilljackson]

i used to study physics I'm not really a physicist, it just convenient to call oneself even as a student

[@ArjunSidhan]

There's a popular video game series by bioware the mass effect...

[@Geocosmic]

Holden saw everything in reverse order....

[@MP-ru9rx]

YOU TELL 'EM, RANA!!! I believe in your fictional predictive powers!

[@TerenceBradshaw]

Hint: "Now, there's nothing left but *locked doors* and *a bunch of lights on timers* .

[@randomrealistictone2231]

Terence Bradshaw I don't get the lights and timers part.

[@RandomVideoApparatus]

@@randomrealistictone2231 lights = sun's? Timers =doomsday clock?

[@Cydonius1]

@@randomrealistictone2231 the system is powered up or can be powered up

[@Ady-rt1yu]

Holden's vision was playing in reverse. Those solar systems were not being destroyed, but being created.

[@tsogobauggi8721]

Yeah, for some reason everyone of them forgot that it in reverse.

[@STR33TSofJUST1C3]

So a star is being created, then shoots a laser towards the Ring Station? I think it's rewinding, hence the recent events in reverse. But once it reaches the pivotal point, it plays them in proper order. But the question is, what happened first? The rings blowing up; or the blue laser? Maybe they're the same thing, but the blue laser is simply a more detailed record. The rings blowing up could just very well be more lasers being fired at the parent stars. Perhaps that last scene was the very first star being blown up, and scene before that (with the rings blowing up) are the ones this civilization destroyed after that. And last thing, it can't be solar systems being created. For these rings to exist in the first place, there has to be a solar system already. The PM feeds on radiation and biomass. You can't have that without a star, hence a solar system. It's clearly being destroyed. And considering that destroying a star requires a massive amount of energy, the reason cannot be for resources (no resources can be gained by destroying it, nor are there any left once it's gone). So that leaves two options: either this civilization was a race of xenophobic purifiers that wanted to destroy all life; or they were threatened by sth so powerful that destroying star systems was the only way to kill it. Both options are equally terrifying. Especially the fact that these powerful aliens are no longer around. So these extremely powerful aliens either destroyed themselves, or did not succeed in destroying their enemy. If the latter is true, humanity is fucked beyond all hope. If the former is true, and humans find this tech, they're also fucked beyond all hope.

[@26alexxkidd]

"With the cats?"

[@br3wmaster]

Like a fuckin pharaoh…..

[@TealJosh]

The star that turned blue wasn't our solar system. It had bunch of planets way too close to the star.

[@STR33TSofJUST1C3]

Especially considering the fact that Holden saw a record of the past.

[@mkd2839]

Except you can. The scale was waay off

[@danno0b]

My theory on the Ring and The space behind it is that its a Travel hub / like the Main Subway Station...and some kind of catastrophic event happened where it had to lock down the access to the 'other' universes to keep every other universe 'safe'

[@fredrickmallett8741]

It was a red star. Our sun is yellow. The station is dope, you break and you fix it.

[@ngatiramona]

Really loving all your reactions and enthusiasm for this phenomenal show. I'm with the lovely lass on Bobbie being back in the mix, missed her so much! Wonder what will happen now the Martians have an unconscious Holden (unknown to them, falsely accused terrorist) and possibly the new Julie Mao of the Protomolecule, a way to control it. Will Bobbie go against her team to return him to The Rocinante. Loving the Lost mentions too. Bravo team, keep rocking it!

[@Thenormies]

Thank you for the love and support fam! - Nahid

[@CielBlanche]

i don't think the protomolecule cares about humans either way, like miller said, holden is just a tool that can go places

[@sparrowlt]

the PM was never "programed" to deal with inteligent life ..it was suposed to absorve very primitive and basic microbiotic life to build a gate with it ... it simply doesnt know what to do with complex organic sentient beings. it was programed to build a gate and thats all it cares.. that and reporting back its sucess once its done.. wich is why it builds the investigator when nobody replies back to it.. its like if you send an automated robotic lawn mower and it instead the guidance goes wrong , deviates and mows over some kittens..as much horrible it is ..its not that the lawnmower its evil or even a weapon

[@AndrewFedge]

Holden just wasn't prepared to download that much data right into his brain like that. :D I have a feeling next episode ProtoMiller's gonna have to sort it all out for Holden. Again, I'm so glad you all have such fun with this show. It has taken departures from the book, but it's become a wonderful retelling of the story for television. Maaaaaaaan, this entire season has been "I can't believe they're fitting in so much stuff" for me. Yeah, they're short-cutting a lot of stuff because this isn't a 40-episode-season-per-book kind of thing, but they've all juggled stuff into this very tight narrative that is still hitting the high points. I'm still laughing at ProtoMiller being like "I LIKE THE HAT!"

[@Mennenth]

Watching you all speculate is awesome, even though I know whats coming up.

[@suncore598]

My interpretation of Holden's vision is that the civilization that used to live in Ring space had multiple Rings in parts of the universe. But something happened in those areas decreasing the number of Rings, giving the civilization less universal access. They tried to save the last system they had access to by launching that beam at it. But it was too late. Holden is being warned of the threat.

[@randomrealistictone2231]

suncore598 the protomolicule is not senttient.its just following it's program made by the creators. the whole Bubles of solarsystem you saw where other ring gates closing. basically the entire blue area they are in is like a space station to different solar systems. you only need to open the right gates.

[@IllusiveSpartan]

The investigator is a tool just like the roci is a tool, the protomolecule is capable of incredible and unimaginable things but it's inherently dumb because it itself is just a tool. It reaches out.

[@lyrilljackson]

er no it's not dumb, it's mozart to humans as monkeys, tools or not it's protoss level of tool, also you can spoil(not really) the whole show just by spending a few minutes at the wikia, hyperlinking from one concept to another. that's what I always do whether I have or not have a clue about some fandom.

[@mannylugz5872]

Its like the wights in GoT. They are like drones controlled by something more powerful.

[@TealJosh]

Miller is a super computer and Holden is a simple circuit logic board.

[@sirwahthemonke]

it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out- One hundred and thirteen times a second, nothing answers and it reaches out. It is not conscious, though parts of it are. There are structures within it that were once separate organisms; aboriginal, evolved, and complex. It is designed to improvise, to use what is there and then move on. Good enough is good enough, and so the artifacts are ignored or adapted. The conscious parts try to make sense of the reaching out. Try to interpret it.

[@IllusiveSpartan]

L Y R I L L I think you misunderstand the way I use the word dumb here, it's obviously intelligent but it's a programed intelligence and is not free thinking that's why it needs miller. Also I haven't read anything on the wiki just the books, but I only offer my input on what's already been stated In the show.

[@tywinlannister6118]

That was not our sun, it was the past record of their civilization, the protomonocule was reaching out to contact that civilization hence why it created Miller to find out what happend to them. Aparently I can't english...

[@tsogobauggi8721]

This time it was funny to hear all those theories of what the ring is or what is going to happen. :) 30:47 No one paid attention to Rana's bird, and it turned into angry bird. :)

[@sirwahthemonke]

it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out- One hundred and thirteen times a second, nothing answers and it reaches out. It is not conscious, though parts of it are. There are structures within it that were once separate organisms; aboriginal, evolved, and complex. It is designed to improvise, to use what is there and then move on. Good enough is good enough, and so the artifacts are ignored or adapted. The conscious parts try to make sense of the reaching out. Try to interpret it.

[@DemitriX.]

If anyone's confused the "Monkeys and Microwaves" is a reference to the books from Holden's pov "It killed humans, therefore it was a weapon. But radiation killed humans, and a medical X-ray machine wasn’t intended as a weapon. Holden was starting to feel like they were all monkeys playing with a microwave. Push a button, a light comes on inside, so it’s a light. Push a different button and stick your hand inside, it burns you, so it’s a weapon. Learn to open and close the door, it’s a place to hide things. Never grasping what it actually did, and maybe not even having the framework necessary to figure it out. No monkey ever reheated a frozen burrito."

[@trapstar3752]

Honestly when Holden placed his hand to connect to the station, All the images that got shown in that whole sequence kinda reminded me of a scene in fullmetal alchemist, When the Elric brothers tried human transmutation and got took through these portals/doors, it just looked like he got hit with alot of information that the human mind can't comprehend because it's so far beyond anything thats ever been discovered

[@Topplethepyramid]

Haha, i feel like Rana called me out here, since i said you guys should get rid of her in a comment on last week's reaction! I was obviously being sarcastic, nothing but love for my girl Rana!

[@gpaje]

So hard not to give out spoilers, you guys are kinda getting it, so close, so close but not quite.

[@tmot4436]

Yo I just need to say I love you guys first n foremost! But I cant get enough of your on point reactions and you guys feel like family. Cant wait for Season 4 and your uploads. Keep em comin BeltaLoadas! Lol

[@ronindevil]

Miller asked Holden to open a library file to try to reactivate the station and Holden saw a file of what happened. Now the ending is a bit confusing as to who or what destroyed the suns of those different solar systems.

[@namne11]

I can't say anything about your predictions whether right or wrong but it tells me the show is doing an excellent job adapting the books. I'll expand on miller without spoiling it cause Miller explains what he is; but is doing it so fast it's really easy to miss. You guys are still guessing whether it's miller or not so i wont say anything. But as far as why Holden is the only one able to see him, miller explained it this episode. Each individual's brain is very unique and a couple hundered trillion neurons work to make you see, smell, feel, etc..., more neurons firing than there are stars in the universe. Miller has to press the right combination of buttons(the right combination of neurons) just to appear to Holden. If he wants to be seen by someone else, he'd have to double that math and work that he is doing to appear to holden. Which is insane and inefficient and not worth Miller's time.

[@lyrilljackson]

they make it sound like they are one big special happy family where every writer has creative input rights, the book writers are first in for a council with showrunners and head writers but don't have final call, just conseling and noting about 6th 7th book contradictions, while the actors mostly read as they go

[@mycroft16]

It's fun because Miller has been giving a TON of answers since he appeared... but he's trying to convey incredibly complex mathematical and conceptual ideas in a way Holden's amoeba brain can understand. So he's using analogies taken from Miller's life as an investigator. Doors and corners to convey the idea that when entering an unknown space, you have to go slow so you don't get "eaten" by whatever is in the room. I love the writing of these parts as humanity reaches out and tries to grasp something so far ahead of it that it can't even begin to understand anything but the results.

[@Karthos1000]

The Hat is Miller, and Miller is The Hat.

[@belinda35_77]

I'll only say this.. Holden seen the past, present and future :)

[@juansantos-lq2kz]

He seen some shit.

[@Thenormies]

DAAAAAAMN FAAAM - Nahid

[@belinda35_77]

The Normies SO HYPED FOR TOMORROW FAM!!! AHHHHHHHH!!!!

[@Syndor12]

This episode blew my mind. I was sitting there with my mouth open and hands on head for the whole last sequence.

[@kirkdarling4120]

have to have have read enough SF, going all the way back to Heinlein's "Tunnel in the Sky." I haven't read the novels, but I've read enough stuff to get a handle on it. They are in a "stargate" of some such that is supposed to be connected to other stargates. Just like they can look backwards and see the portal to the Solar System, once upon a time they would have been able to see portals to many other systems. But something went wrong and something was attacking all the other systems and destroying there gates--or using the gates to get to other systems. At the last, the protomolecule destroyed one system itself, maybe to destroy the enemy. The protomolecule in the Solar System built its stargate automatically and expect its masters to come through it. But nothing came through it, so the protomolecule sent Miller to find out why its masters didn't show up. So at this point there is a stargate in the Solar System designed by an ancient civilization that no longer exists...but whatever destroyed might, now that another stargate is open.

[@LaurentiuRosu]

It wasn't OUR star system. The builders of that planet/space station/weapon launched the protomolecule to our star system, but on it's way it hit that satelite where they found it for the first time (i have no idea what is called), so out star system has an open door just now, when ... all the builders are gone.

[@STR33TSofJUST1C3]

No, Phoebe *was* the actual probe that these aliens sent to us. It wasn't just a small sample sent our way which collided with a moon, they actually sent a 200km large rock towards Sol that got captured by Saturn's gravity well. The same rock we ended up calling Phoebe.

[@dnovom]

Ok guys. Great comments both in the video and on the comments. I have not read the books and have not explored the wikis that are out there but I usually see an episode several times between broadcasts. I have been paying special attention since Delta V. What follows are my thoughts on what I think is happening. Apart from the episodes the only other source of clues I use are the episode synopsis. They give a lot of information on those. So here we go: 1. The protomolecule is a tool. A very intelligent, (programmed intelligence),tool but a tool created by an ancient and superior civilization to ours. 2. It's purpose seems to be to create a gate entrance to some kind of transportation hub created or discovered by this ancient civilization. 3. The transportation hub has gateways to different parts of the Galaxy or the Universe, (it's not clear to me which but I'm certain it is not multiple universes). 4. The central hub seems to be some kind of traffic station that controls the traffic and keeps a record of all happenings. Proto Miller is created by the protomolecule to investigate why it cannot contact the traffic hub which is the equivalent to the ancient civilization that created it. When Proto Miller cannot contact the hub, it uses the Rocinante and Holden as tools that have physical manifestation to go to the hub to physically access the records of the station. 5. Based on the synopsis of this episode Holden sees "...past, present and future" so my conclusion is that what we see in the end is, indeed, our solar system that is being destroyed in some distant future, (I'm not sure if it is THE future or an alternate future). From Proto Miller's musings it seems that time is a very plastic and relative concept for the protomolecule and its makers. 6. My interpretation of the destruction of other systems is that something or someone is destroying them , not the makers of the protomolecule or the protomolecule itself. They seem to be trying to close gates to avoid the spread of this infection but apparently fail so as a last resort they turn off the transportation hub. I think that what Holden sees is the explanation of what has happened recorded for posterity for anybody that turns the hub back on. I think that Proto Miller will now have a clear idea of what has happened and we should know from him what has happened in a way where we can connect all the dots we saw in this episode. 7. In any case I think that the ancient civilization that created the protomolecule is dead. Destroyed by something or someone which is also responsible for the destruction we see through Proto Miller. That the Solar System seems to be destroyed in the future might indicate that whatever destroyed this ancient civilization is still out and about. 8. As a tool I think the protomolecule is not ethical or moral. It's an utilitarian tool that uses resources to accomplish its objectives. All the bad things that have happened to humans so far in their interactions with the protomolecule have been due to ignorance on the purpose of the protomolecule. All the responses of the protomolecule seem to be based on instinct or pre-programmed responses to different situations. It seem to be very organic in its reactions, much like our immune system. Even the destruction of the Martian attacker seems to be utilitarian as you see that his matter is absorbed. My theory is that it's using that matter to repair the damage done by the grenade. Again all of the above are opinions, not facts. My interpretations could be wrong but I think we have received plenty of clues. It almost feels like a Nerd puzzle. Great series!

[@Rob-rr4yp]

Yasss I been waiting for this all week

[@taiyipan3138]

Been waiting for this for 2 days!

[@TranOfficial]

I think... the protomolecule is trying to warn us

[@allyourmoney]

Whether or not that's our sun in the vision is irrelevant. The fact that it CAN do that to any star---including our own---has been made abundantly clear. It's already done it several times. What they need to do is find out WHY the blue sphere would ever do that to a star. I'm pretty sure Holden will give his impressions in the debrief on the Martian skiff next episode. RIP: Marco Rubio lookalike who ate his gun, Marine Commander Divot McSpackle, Proto Miller ( he gets destroyed & reassembled every 5 minutes or so ) & the many Martian, UN & Belter crewmembers that just got pancaked.

[@OMGitsShrimp]

This is my theory (idk if its right tho): I think there are a bunch of these rings all over the galaxies and theyre all some how connected which is why this one has records from the others. Holden's vision was going backwards so maybe the last thing we saw was the first time the protomolecule destroyed a sun/solar system, which ended up destroying the civilization that created it. Holden saw the other destruction but only screamed at the last one, I'm guessing its because there were alot of deaths? Idk but I can't wait for the next episode!! Im SO HYPED!

[@addickland5656]

no spoilers but what holden saw happened long ago so it can`t be our solar system. otherwise you guys are somehow pretty close with what you think holden saw...

[@dapeach06]

addick land the show does a lot of things differently than the books. I think the normies are right, and it was a warning of what could happen to our solar system

[@DamnBlackHeart]

FYI: I never read the books. But I think the Protomolecule rewind, showing Holden the how it got there, why it's there and what had happen to the ancient civilization that created it. It showed how their sun was dying, taking the rest of the solar system with them. I'm not sure if it was dying (but legit studies estimated that the sun will get so large that its outermost surface layers will reach about 108 million miles -- about 170 million kilometers out, absorbing the planets Mercury, Venus and Earth when it 'explodes'. The whole process of turning into a red giant will take about 5 million years though). But maybe some other ancient alien race attacked them and use their sun to destroy them? Whatever the cause, the protomolecule is a tool that's probably meant to be used to prevent that/save them (though it's possible that it could also be used to destroy everything -- depends on who or what gets their hands on it). Just so that they don't suffer the same fate as the many other systems in the universe had. The Martian Marines attacking Holden in the nucleus trigger it's defense again. There was already a speed limit inside the pocket dimension, that prevent ships, probes, missiles and guns from going too fast. But now it reduce the speed even more to almost a snail pace? That's what we saw as ships were stop immediately and including people running/attacking like Melba/Clarissa Mao when she was about to kill that other woman.

[@Voitan]

"Dandelion Sky" I think the title of the episode hints what the construct is. It shoots streams of protomolecule at solar systems, primarily at suns. Consume their energy, and blows up like a dandelion full of seeds.

[@prophetofgreed]

Voitan Dandelion Sky was the original title of the 3rd book before changing to Abanddon's Gate

[@lyrilljackson]

fancy wording for the normie readers doesn't really mean much it's not like this is actually hard science(hard scifi is a dumb term nobody should use except ones who pride themselves as scifi fans----scifi is as real as the science behind it, take that away it stops being cool, so don't, because you all know what soft scifi means, it means too much humanity metacommentary and religious talks because it's all pseudo intellectual fake news)

[@STR33TSofJUST1C3]

Dandelion Sky refers to the hundreds of rings in the Slow Zone. Like when you blow the seed heads off a dandelion.

[@sweetybnz7482]

In the books Holden (I think it was) suggests Dandelion Sky as a name for the space inside the ring. But instead they went with The Slow Zone.

[@XyloWang]

It was Alex.

[@zaydmn]

only one sentence truly matter. Miller to Holden: "because you exist"

[@legionkahn]

I think what they are in now that null space place is a hub and there are gates all over the galaxy that are turned off and the nucleaus can turn them all back on, and that is what all those other circles were in Holdens visions. Holden is going to end up opening all those closed gates and that is what Miller meant by unlocking the doors.

[@LoSTRaMaiR]

0:15 Micky correctly pronouncing “Dandelion Sky” but when it’s The Witcher he says (“I think his last name is...”) “...Don Dillion”

[@M3A7]

Those were different rings, not universes. Different parts of our universe. The Question is, why did the rings start blowing up, then it shot out, like a reaction. Super stoked for next week!

[@allyourmoney]

Probably just within the same galaxy we're in. I mean, they still have to launch giant meteors at those star systems to get the ring construction started. The whole thing has been unfolding over a couple billion years.

[@rageagaintstheNWO]

You wont really get an explanation. Just some hints in the next season.

[@M3A7]

+Allyourmoney I think it shooting the sun like star was it basically launching itself into space to rebuild. I bet part of that start that blew up is what landed on Foebe.

[@Ulmaramlu]

Dandelions spread far and wide by being BLOWN APART. I think this is how the protomolecule spreads across the galaxy. It spreads to a whole bunch of star systems and then turns the star into more protomolecule that then explodes to scatter the new protomolecule out into the galaxy.

[@brucewayne9531]

First like! been waiting for this guys! Fantastic rendition of the events in the book! except for the swapping of characters, the TV shows is true to the books! The ring is a weapon and a gateway to multiple star systems and the nucleus is the key and Holden unlocked it! I reviewed the last scene in slow motion and that star struck by the blue ray is indeed our sun! I saw the ray pass Jupiter so it's a likely premonition of what the bubble can do!

[@stompdonky]

Why do y'all think it was showing the future? Proto-Miller said they were going to the records room to find out what happened.

[@_zurr]

33:13 It totally is a rumble ball!

[@andykoegelenberg6376]

The ring near Uranus just clenched tightly after something exploded in there

[@ChamithaPriyasankha]

the precursors are presenting with a bunch of gates

[@pjamese3]

I think Miller was absorbed into the protomolecule. What Holden is seeing is a combination of the two. It's mostly Miller (with a different perspective.) The protomolecule will shove too much information into his head to handle and he's a little off as a result. I'm glad the Lieutenant on V's ship wasn't That Guy. (You know, the overly religious type who does something f'd up because he thought God told him to do it...or God was on his side.) Thankfully, he only caused harm to himself because he came up against something beyond his understanding and instead of his faith being the normal crutch that it was, his faith and assuredness in life crumbled facing something that wasn't centered around his understanding of things. If Earth is ever openly visited by aliens - and not "approaching magic" aliens necessarily, but just an alien Starfleet level of tech - many people would start to worship them. Many others would kill themselves due to their perspective in the universe being invalidated by an alien presence. I don't think what Clarise is using is Martian-based. Pierre Mau was one of the richest men on Earth. His daughters were prime kidnapping material - especially Julie (his favorite.) Besides the bodyguards and concealable weapons they undoubtedly had, I think one of Mau's tech divisions could have come up with a body booster that was reusable (after a recovery period) and would be a great aid in escaping kidnappers. I surmise that it works much like the temporary super soldier pills in Jessica Jones. Meaning Clarise can operate at Captain America power levels for a short period.

[@kudabeen]

Looks like a history lesson. The repurposing of the Martian who destroyed to repair itself was incredible and intentioned...The Protomolecule isnt a weapon or enemy, but maybe a key to surviving the things to come...the destructive aspects were all due to man's interference and attempts to weaponize it... the crew on Venus that were just observing they didn't show that they were killed or how they were absorbed...that is a gap

[@albertepstein5721]

They tell us that we should comment to correct them if they're wrong while at the same time they tell each other not to read the comments. Thanks! We get it. You don't care about comments.

[@Thenormies]

We care! Just want to avoid the spoilers fam! - Nahid

[@jakovasour]

I think the PM AI knows there's supposed to be more gates open and needed to access the nucleus's records through Holden (Hence why he was seeing things in reverse) to find out what happened.

[@STR33TSofJUST1C3]

Of course they know. Hence why the Investigator says there are *locked doors.* The locked doors are the other rings seen in the vision.

[@Dennisvdveen]

I feel like the protomolecule is some sort of scout to find alien life. And when it finds intelligent life it builds the the portal to connect to the now extinct civilization. Holden probably saw the older portals and connections to other solar systems. And some extinction event destroyed them all.

[@sirwahthemonke]

it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out- One hundred and thirteen times a second, nothing answers and it reaches out. It is not conscious, though parts of it are. There are structures within it that were once separate organisms; aboriginal, evolved, and complex. It is designed to improvise, to use what is there and then move on. Good enough is good enough, and so the artifacts are ignored or adapted. The conscious parts try to make sense of the reaching out. Try to interpret it.

[@ojeone]

doors and corners. Miller keeps saying doors.so id imagine its other solar systems and the proto goo was sent to give earth a gate way, shit happened and the other doors where closed. 11:45

[@xyr3s]

a dead civilization giving future civilizations warnings of a galaxy killing threat? i guess we gettin that mass effect series after all xD

[@eds1942]

My guess; Two or so billion years ago, an advanced proto-civilization decided that they wanted to colonize other star systems and that the most efficient way to do this would be via a wormhole network that connected to one central Hub. Then they developed the Proto-Molecule to send out to preselected systems that harbored promising looking planets suitable for life. Once the Proto-Molecule reached those planets, it’s purpose was to modify the evolutionary development of life to be more compatible for the Proto-Civilization’s bio-physiology. Once that was accomplished and the Proto-Molecule itself advanced enough, it would set out to make the Ring back to the network’s Hub and upload it’s data to the Hub so that the Proto-Civilization could have access to another star system for colonization. Everything was going fine until someone figured out how to use the network to kill off the connected star systems. Possibly, killing off the Proto-Civilization as well. But how? The Hub and the Rings were designed with safe guards to prevent any hostilities? This is where we come in. The Proto-Molecule probe meant for early Earth got snagged by Saturn’s gravity. A billion years go by, Protogen finds it and starts messing with it. The Proto-Molecule then proceeds to carry out it’s function. Juliet Mao is the first person to survive its genesis. From there, Protogen helps the Proto-Molecule take over Eros. The Proto-Molecule uses Juliet as it’s central CPU. Juliet wants to go back home to Earth and thinks that she’s on her racing ship, the Razor Back. Miller finds Julie, gets himself infected and convinces Julie (and the Proto-Molecule) to go to Venus instead. While on Venus, the Proto-Molecule advances. Determining that our star system is already inhabited with a space faring civilization (us), but that we would be more of a threat to ourselves than for the Proto-Civilization, it sets out to build the Ring and report back to the Hub. But, when the Proto-Molecule communicated with the Hub, it got no reply. So, they needed to go there and access its records to determine what happened to the Proto-Civilization. So, the Proto-Molecule builds an investigator AI (Miller) to find someone amenable and neutral with a ship (Holden), convince them to go to the Hub to access the records so that the Proto-Molecule can find out what went wrong, since only a living being can access it. Holden is shown the logs of the last recorded activity, which reveals that the Proto-Civilization was annihilated a billion years, or so, ago. By the way, if you got this far. Stars like our Sun, are among the most common stars in our galaxy, if not the Universe. And we now believe that most stars harbor (or harbored) at least one planet. Holden might not know that, and he was given a lot of information in a way in which we aren’t accustomed to receiving and processing it, and, Holden was already on the edge of a mental breakdown. I think that in his mind, after he had time to process everything, he might believe that what he saw was a warning, though that rather than the Hub and the Ring being a weapon meant to destroy our system, that it’s main purpose is to serve as a gate way to the stars. So, the message as Holden came to understand it might be; “the Stars are yours, IF you play nice. If not, then there will be serious consequences.” But, the question for the Proto-Molecule, for Miller is; What happened to the Proto-Civilization? Who and/or how were they killed them off?

[@jonathangumpangkum5563]

it's Savage industries, as in Adam Savage. it's an easter egg

[@kevintipcorn6787]

Great discussion but I'm left with one question; Is the protomolecule trying to warn us?

[@jrich749]

It showed him the past, all of the data, that it had recorded......going back in time. That's why he was watching the things in the show going backwards in time...in first person.

[@LeeCarlson]

Mike, if you feel confused, that puts you in the same boat as Holden, or anything else.

[@laythbarzangi8477]

14:46 Did Rana tune out there for a moment? She looked totally bored, what's with the yawning and all. Dude, this is The Expanse and a lot was happening on screen. Pay attention! :)

[@1aler67]

warnings of ancient civilizations sounds like mass effect

[@aldoantunes]

I have a theory... I think the Protomolecule is trying to warn us.

[@randomrealistictone2231]

Aldo Jr minor spoiler. It's not.

[@hakkgurl]

What if the protomolecule is a terraforming device or meant to deliver one. It will explain why it was trying to shoot samples in other solar systems. My guess is that the civilisation that created it was dying so they sent the protomolecule to other worlds to try and make their solar systems like the ones who created it. Hence why the sun was turning blue. The protomolecule probably failed and the civilisation died. But this last strand got caught up and trapped in our solar system. It is now trying to find answers before continuing its mission. Overall, I think the protomolecule is our ally for now until it gets the answers that it needs and then our solar system is fucked. So what holden saw could also be a warning about what is to come.

[@RobertMcCaffreyFilms]

33:13 "...bit into the rumble ball..." great name for it.

[@maaxross9894]

This episode hits different now realizing thats Simu Liu getting rearranged by the protomolecule huh

[@evanbaxter147]

So, at the start, Miller show himself only when Holden was alone. Now he appears in the room, full of Martians.

[@emPtysp4ce]

Dandelion Sky was the working title of book 3 before they settled on Abaddon's Gate.

[@lyrilljackson]

also it's 3 more episodes, like season 2. although it feels like it would be better with 10 episodes and each one longer, since it's going streaming anyways I hope it does that for s4, because they aren't exactly going to release it all out at once like netflix

[@jefforceone]

Maybe the protomolecule is asking for help and what happened to its World being at Miller's and investigator and he said it is a crime scene

[@ShasOFish]

16:45 "If you go into a room too fast, kid, the room will eat you."

[@R4Y2k]

I've seen a lot of SciFi, I've played a lot of SciFi but THIS exceeds everything I've ever seen. How could SyFy even think about cancelling this show? Oo and btw; it IS a warning. Guy that looks like Cas Anvar is right, it might be a living library that gathers knowledge until it finds a way to stop whatever is happening. God, this is even more Mass Effect like I imagined in my wildest dreams. Mass Effect once abandoned a plot where some some weird technology overloads stars to make them blow up in a supernova and kill everything in the solar system.

[@davidg4419]

You guys should try The 100

[@juandesalgado]

Echoes of "2001, a space odyssey".

[@tsogobauggi8721]

20:18 Sokka wants to find a ancient library... :)

[@johanahnovais7391]

I think you guys should watch Once Upon A Time

[@thorkagemob1297]

Shang-Chi is also a Martian Marine. Nice

[@iluvyummywaffles]

As soon as I seen him, I knew he was dead. Also 2nd character from Kim's Convenience that lasted 1 episode. They must film near each other in Canada.

[@Mach1Greeble]

Protomillercule is awesome, Holden never met him with the hat.

[@squaddie67]

Without spoiling, the clues as to what the slow zone is were in some of Millers ramblings. “There’s a bunch of locked doors”. Think of the slow zone as a transport hub, with a whole bunch of junctions, except now they’re all closed but one. Something happened to make the hub/nucleus shut the gates, billions of years ago. “Our” sample of the protomolecule was stuck on Phoebe, by the time it finally got around to completing its purpose, everything that Holden saw was ancient history. The protomolecule doesn’t have a sinister purpose, it’s just following its programming.

[@lyrilljackson]

i mean it was shooting for the sun, so there's a reason to suspect its intentions. but the wikia says the protomolecules belonged to the greatest galactic empire in existence, but some other mystic faction destroyed it. so we don't know if this slow zone belongs to which one. but it did seem like it was used to kill the empire, if they are going with this lore for the tv. if nothing else, it befits a quote someone mentioned earlier in the show" all great civilizations have a tendency to self destruct" i forgot who said that. lemme just quote another thing, i mean this is all meta commentary , epstein's magical "commentary" "recordings" while his death scene plays out in several cuts in that episode was like he said " that's the thing with technology, it changes EVERYTHING" like THAT's the warning. you can't just go into future with optimism, these shit does changes people. whether they are created by good or bad intentions. as long as they still revolve around people, as long as the idea that people matter because we believe we matter, then the matter around us will inversely strike back. all the earther commentary too, and westworld commentary, how earth/human and the old are like stains that have it all"sky and sea and everything good" but don't appreciate it , why? why they reach to the stars and want it as their own? because "foly of my own kind, there's always a yearning for more" this artifact is also reminding of laputa, one of miyazaki's greatest work, how civilizations are greedy and the greater the more inevitably they are to fall down. the tone laputa gets is not so much focused on trying to tell you exactly what happened directly, but in contrast, more focused on the pastoral aspect of those better people that don't get all power hungry and mad driven, and remembers to go back to the earth, in to simpler times. this isn't exactly not known to people, avasarela keeps reminding the fuckbois from the start" let's not blow each other to pieces and all we have left would be sticks and stones" i mean amos's actor mentioned 2001 too in the interview , monolith technological leap, from a stick thrown celebration after beating a fellow homo sapien/ other animals, to a ship thrown in space, it's all the same really, people are still fighting somewhat, it doesn't stop, it simply won't stop, maybe some people will learn to not be a lame remnant of their worse selfs even if they are quantum leaps ahead of protoss. imam also take this chance to plug in my praise for lucy again for 1.5 hours manages to put in some epic mind fuck good near 10 minutes of serene, baroque, moksha like flashback and forwarding etc of history of time and space vs interstellar's 3 hour drama dragfest. when you get a chance to be lifted from the mundane almost meaningless short existence and get a perspective on the much bigger picture you sorta realize the churn means nothing, amos was right to believe in the cap. he does have a drive for reaching greater things, it's just convenient storywritting that he didn't really do anything as "bad" painted as the "bad" guys along the way

[@lyrilljackson]

yo why does my comment keep appearing and disappearing

[@dapeach06]

How can you say that is without spoiling? You're spoiling everything

[@steriopticon2687]

Yes, that was a little spoiler-y.

[@squaddie67]

That wasn't my intention, sorry. But the clues are all there in the episode. I suppose if they had more time to show "the vision" it would have been clearer. I've probably watched the episode 5 times. Crime scene.

[@kiddlemartian9576]

Hey normies! It's "Beltalowda" not "beltalowdas" Beltalowda is already plural.

[@Thenormies]

Thank you Fam! - Nahid

[@mrjackpotz]

whaaaa?? reminded me of 2001

[@hridaymehta77]

I think. I think. I think...it showed how slowly other universes collapsed and protomolecule and our universe were the only ones left...this is protomolecule's attempt to save our universe from eventual annhilation. i think it's a singular mind like Rick and Morty episode where Rick's girlfriend is an entire planet. eventually, we gotta get rid of the protomolecule. * this is not a SPOILER*

[@rngwrldngnr]

11:32 fan of The Enigma of the Amigara Fault, Rana?

[@Vichax_]

Its gotta be a Library! Just Kidding i don't know either :)

[@sirwahthemonke]

it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out it reaches out- One hundred and thirteen times a second, nothing answers and it reaches out. It is not conscious, though parts of it are. There are structures within it that were once separate organisms; aboriginal, evolved, and complex. It is designed to improvise, to use what is there and then move on. Good enough is good enough, and so the artifacts are ignored or adapted. The conscious parts try to make sense of the reaching out. Try to interpret it.

[@AtlantaGuns]

How come no one is rocking Miller’s hat in this reaction? 😂 that sun did it go supernova or was it something else? Also do you think that is a vision or real time? I hope they didn’t blow up earths sun lol

[@paxon57]

Atlanta Guns Hat is awesome. Looks like that star did go supernova or sth, seems like this station may be also some kind of weapon. And it was a vision, rewind in time. All this systems you saw were now locked doors that Miller was talking about. Looks like doors are gates but something blow them up and these closed. Now the gate in the show is only one open.

[@paxon57]

Also last episodes, "It reaches out" "113 times a second" So it's trying to contact this gates to open them however it's not able to so that confirmes these were destroyed. Also there might be 113 of them

[@26alexxkidd]

small spoiler - there were thousands of them,not only 113

[@allyourmoney]

You can buy cheap fedora hats online for like $15. That's good enough for a Miller cosplay. But to do him justice you have to be a bit underweight. ;)

[@ddanielsandberg]

Wait! A billion year old wormhole hub, an interstellar war and gates closing (the locked doors Miller talked about)? Can we open them again?

[@sirwahthemonke]

i've read the books so i don't want to spoil

[@ddanielsandberg]

Funny thing is, I got all the books some years ago but I have only read the first and part of the second and right now I'm happy I haven't read them! :) But if they don't open all the other gates I will be disappointed.