The EXPANSE - The Ring Gates, Ring Station, & Ring Builders Explained

The first 1000 people to click the link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/petepeppers1220
The Expanse Ring Gates, Ring Station, and Ring Builders explained. Protomolecule series part 2. What was the ring that it made? Please subscribe! - bit.ly/PetePeppers
The protomolecule was sent to Sol system by an advanced alien civilization that we refer to as the Ring Builders. This name comes from the fact that after absorbing enough biomass by hijacking the lives of the population of Eros station, the protomolecule constructed a giant ring beyond Uranus. It did this by crashing Eros into the surface of Venus, continuing to build, and then eventually emerging as a giant mechanical craft that resembled a squid. This flew out past the inner planets and completed its final assembly as a wormhole ring gate.
This is part two of the series. You can watch part one here - • The EXPANSE - The Prot...
Part 3 on the investigator is here - • The EXPANSE The Invest...
When you pass through the ring you transit to an area known as the ring hub. The location of the hub is unknown, but it connects 1300 gates into the Ring Network. These gates all lead to habitable systems and their existence changes things drastically for the characters in The Expanse. The network was shut down when humanity first discovered it, but with the help of James Holden the protomolecule created Miller is able to turn it back open. After that the gates are open for transit between systems.
The entire Sol System in The Expanse will never be the same after the Ring Network appeared. Now that there are 1300 habitable systems to colonize through the rings, Mars and their generations long terraforming project are no longer viable.
The Ring Gates, the Ring Network, and the Ring Station were all created by the Ring Builders. Their civilization was far more advanced than humans, and they were able to use protomolecule probes to create the network. This all happened two billion years ago in the Expanse universe. Holden learns from Miller that they were wiped out by unknown aggressors. They created a hive mind he can access, but he learns that they’ve been rendered extinct.
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 the ring gates, the ring station, the ring network, and the ring builders. It explains the history of protomolecule technology in the story, and a discussion on how the ring gates change our solar system.
The Expanse stuff:
First three books box set - amzn.to/36A2HPv
Cibola Burn - amzn.to/38BKq6f
Nemesis Games - amzn.to/2JXUkr6
Babylon’s Ashes - amzn.to/37GjFOl
Persepolis Rising - amzn.to/39LiH6d
Tiamat’s Wrath - amzn.to/2IsbjBu
🚀 Leviathan Falls Pre-order - amzn.to/3xfRpND
🚀 Memory’s Legion Pre-order - amzn.to/3vaWVQk
Seasons 1 - 3 - amzn.to/2PIsgXU
Seasons 4 - 5 - amzn.to/30L6R6Q
The Vital Abyss - amzn.to/3tFxAyn
Strange Dogs - amzn.to/36Vo2FL
The Churn - amzn.to/3q3ApqP
If you want to leave me a tip for my work 💰 paypal.me/petepeppersYT
👉Follow me on Twitter - / petepeppers
👉Follow me on Instagram - / pete.peppers
👉Join me on Patreon! - / petepeppers
👉Like my Facebook Page - / petepeppersyoutube
About The Expanse:
The disappearance of rich-girl-turned-political-activist Julie Mao links the lives of Ceres detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane), accidental ship captain James Holden (Steven Strait) and U.N. politician Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo). Amidst political tension between Earth, Mars and the Belt, they unravel the single greatest conspiracy of all time.
The Expanse Season 5:
The future of The Belt has begun as Marco Inaros wages Armageddon against the Inners for a lifetime of oppression and injustice. Season 5 will begin on December 16th, 2020 with the first three episodes being released. After that the episodes will release weekly.
0:00 Intro/Holden Abaddon’s Gate
1:42 The Creation of the Ring Gate
2:12 Sol Gate Details
2:58 The Ring Gate Network
3:45 The Hub
4:22 The Ring Station
5:31 The Ring Gate Builders
6:35 What Happened to the Builders?
7:29 Holden’s Vision
11:22 Illus
#theexpanse #theexpanseseason5 #screamingfirehawks #theexpanseseason4 #expanseonprime

[@hernethehunted7130]

Just discovered this show, and have binged my way through all 5 seasons. This is officially my favourite TV show of all time ❤️

[@PetePeppers1]

I enjoy it too.

[@michaelcrawford678]

Me too...binge watched all 5 and cant wait for 6 to be released in december...

[@Piti2X]

Did the same thing too in june 2021 hopefully season 6 comes out soon and we get more info on the aliens and the aggresors

[@TheNecropolis20]

at Piti 2x - there needs to be some Aliens in the series I mean like real aliens..ones that the characters can interact with.. Telling us about the Ring Gate builder civilization is nice... but i want to see Aliens on screen interacting with the characters / the cast.

[@devonjones102]

I’m jealous I found out about this when the first season came to Amazon prime. Such a nail bitter lol

[@Grimloxz]

The Expanse is like this generation’s Babylon 5 - an overwhelmingly quality sci-fi production that doesn’t get its due while it’s around.

[@leonleon2276]

It’s because it’s on Amazon. Amazon isn’t that’s good. It would get more eyes if it was on Netflix. They should sell it. And let someone else continue the seasons. They got lazy here, ruining season 6 rushing it and cramping it all into just 6 episodes.

[@Grimloxz]

@@leonleon2276 Yes, almost like what happened in Babylon 5 Season 4.

[@leonleon2276]

@@Grimloxz yeh but here, they just skipped loads of potential story out. I mean they could have had two whole episodes on that new planet with the dog things that made that kid into a zombie , I mean they way they showed bits of that story, it was for nothing. They may aswell just left it out…..

[@jakeg3733]

Watching this show felt like the first time I watched Battlestar Galactica. It is so well done. The story, characters, acting, all of it. It has surpassed Battlestar as the most scientifically accurate sci-fi around and you just don't see quality like this coming from the film industry anymore

[@2MuckinFuch]

@@jakeg3733 Better Call Saul, Peaky Blinders, The Expanse, Mandolorian all equally brilliant, timeless shows... and all releasing episodes in 2022 says you do indeed see the film industry churning out quality just as much if not more than anytime in history.

[@LeeCarlson]

From the books, we know that the Station only "attacks" the Martians that attacked in in order to scavenge materials necessary to rebuild what the attack damaged/destroyed.

[@RoadHead62]

I haven't read the books yet, but that was the exact conclusion I came to while watching the episode.

[@robertwinslade3104]

Great to see a channel working hard to build hype for this fantastic show. It's criminally underrated and the larger the audience grows, the more likely it is that we'll get to see the entire story adapted in some form

[@PetePeppers1]

I think season 5 and the weekly release schedule will renew interest in it.

[@silentkilla14]

Why is this show so underrated and not really spoke of that much? There should be hype over it as it’s literally one of the best series on the sci fi genre that also has many book fans so it’s quite disappointing that Amazon hasn’t marketed it properly! Great video btw... just subbed

[@PetePeppers1]

I imagine season 5 will give it a boost in popularity. It is completely underrated. Thanks for the sub.

[@geoffreycannon2197]

Because it is exclusively on amazon prime. Makes it very hard to watch if you don't have a subscription.

[@daphnebliss-rosval4309]

@@geoffreycannon2197 150 million people have Prime...

[@SuperCoon88]

@@geoffreycannon2197 The Boys is very popular and talked about so I doubt that. It’s much more likely that Amazon just hasn’t spent enough money advertising it.

[@djsonicc]

One particular reason is that it doesn't tick certain 'boxes' like other shows. It doesn't pander to certain demographics, it doesn't push agenda, therefore a lot of places don't report on it.

[@artildawn]

"There was a button. I pushed it."

[@PetePeppers1]

"That really is how you go through life, isn't it?"

[@jayb8934]

@@PetePeppers1 That exchange made me laugh out loud!

[@somedude4805]

That was the best line in the whole damn series, IMO. Had me ROLLING! Too perfect being delivered by Holden, at THAT point in the show.

[@V3rciS]

There's simply no better show. Loooove the expanse.

[@roloskywalker_]

Agree

[@Liquid_Luigi]

Agree

[@GonzoGolf]

Theres lots of better shows but it is pretty good

[@lespaulmelonburst]

I came from Battlestar Galactica. IMO, it’s still the superior show. Highly recommended

[@unknownwarrior5672]

@@GonzoGolf i'd love to have a list of better shows than the expanse lol. Could you also say why they are better without spoiling them?

[@LoneTiger]

Imagine you are a tier 3.7 civilization, you have mastered faster than light travel, have colonized thousands of worlds and is relaxing on a beach when a tiny probe with a viral component lands on your home and turns your world into blue goo that takes off and opens a gateway to a subspace hub of other ring gates. Oh and their owners of this hub are maybe a tier 2.8 civilization that ha not mastered faster than light travel and say "Hey we just claimed your system so be nice and get out." As a more advanced civilization I would be quite pissed with the ring builders one.

[@kaarelkahu212]

Im pretty sure the tier 3.7 civilisation would have some counter against protomolecule.

[@Diomedes01]

@@kaarelkahu212 In fact, the unknown aggressor aliens that destroyed the ring builders were likely a tier 3+ civilization. It appears they exist 'outside our realm', which means they have access to the multiverse. And they easily decimated the ring builder civilization.

[@sethdrake7551]

protomolecule: *colonizes your planet* T3+ civilization: *thinks the protomolecule out of existence*

[@sverebom7069]

I don't think that you can place the "goths" on the kardashev scale for they seem to exist outside of our universe, maybe in some form of higher multiverse. We don't even know how they "evolutionized". Did they start like the Protomolecule or something humanlike o evolve from there to a point at which the could easily wipe the protomolecule from the face of the universe? For all we know they could be a natural defense mechanism or force of nature of that higher universe in which the Builders have nested the Ring Space (thus triggering that force / defense mechanism). Attention! Book/laconia spoilers incoming: Anyway, imagine being a type 0.6 civilization and suddenly a 2.8 civilization comes around to hijack your physiology as the new hardware to run their hive mind operating system on, then load the hive mind backup that is stored in the Adro system, and from there continue the fight against the goths. I'd call that a bad tuesday.

[@saralewis8480]

I will jus say I miss Miller character

[@MemequisitorDominus]

I like how the video just gets right into the content instead of the bland intro most people do. Keep up this format and ill keep coming back :)

[@PetePeppers1]

Think I might do that more often, thanks for the feedback

[@MemequisitorDominus]

@@PetePeppers1 you have some quality Expanse content if you get ahead of the curve a produce some summary video's of the book's I bet that would get a ton of traction :) It's you and Alt X Shift who have the only decent Expanse content in the search engine

[@PetePeppers1]

After we get through season 5 will do some speculation videos with more book related stuff. Probably do more of that around the release of Leviathan Falls as well.

[@Catatomica]

I haven’t read the books and have only watched the series. Here’s my speculation knowing only what we’ve seen so far in the show. We know that there are over 1000 ring gates, each leading to a star system with at least one habitable planet with a breathable atmosphere, comfortable temperature, and comparable gravity to Earth. Even if the presence of these habitable planets is a coincidence, the odds are quite literally astronomical. The Builders must have been purposefully searching for Earth-like planets and used the ring gate network to travel to/from them. Holden being able to activate the remaining ring gates also hints that humans and Builders share more in common than our preference in planets. Think about it, would a hyper-advanced civilization just allow anyone to inadvertently access their interstellar wormhole network? This is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen, and the temptation to pick up the books to find out more will be extremely hard to resist!

[@PetePeppers1]

Holden is able to do it for Proto-Miller. That's the only reason he had access and opportunity. It's not clear how they found the systems with habitable planets. Later in the final trilogy we get an idea where they are in relation to each other, but not insight into how they were first discovered. Could be a case of sending millions or billions of Phoebe style rocks out, or something else.

[@thedachmo]

I think it's likely that the Builders just sent out proto molecule to systems with planets in the Habitable or "Goldilocks" zone. Why specifically such systems is unknown. Perhaps because they also intended to live on the planets they repurposed? Also an interesting point: in this video he explains what I think many missed; that Illus/New Terra had a purpose within the wider network of ring systems. What other purposes could systems have? And are that ALL habitable? If not, why not? I think in terms of letting humans in, I don't think the builders considered that they needed any other security other than what the ring station provides and presumably some sort of fleet to defend systems. I don't think they really anticipated competition seeing as the PM was designed to pretty much remove it.

[@seditt5146]

Considering PM was designed to take single cells to highly evolved creatures it stands to reason that any planet finally able to connect to the gate indeed is habitable as it would become that way as the gate was attached to the network. Just a thought. It sat in our system for billions of years until something could activate it.

[@sverebom7069]

You can deduct lot more just from the show. What did the Protomolecule do all the time? It did not just build the sol gate. It gathered information, disassembled everything to learn what use it can take from whatever it was that it disassembled. That's how the builders evolutionized (Attention! entering spoilery and speculative territory now). They were a slowly evolving species that through the protomolecule attached itself to fast evolving species and copied the evolutionary achievements of these species. In a way they were like the Borg, just without the "Bring order to the chaos" mindset. It's just their natural existence and how they interact with the world of matter, without any sentient intention or prejudice. The "close the circuit" thing on the Ring Station was not a test to check if holden is like them. Quite to the contrary the Builders were asking "Do you come from the quantum realm like us or our enemies? Or are you made of matter configured in a way suitable to our plan?". In other words, holden could have put his dick in it to pass the test. The following vision was probably an experiment to see if his matter is compatible with what the builders needed. From Sesason 4 you can even deduct, what it could have been that the Builders wanted from humanity. Remwmber that sphere on Ilus? Everything that runs on the protomolecule died on ccontact, but Elvi could pass through it unharmed.

[@Adrian-zd4cs]

I miss Miller... Haha! As a series watcher only, I really appreciate all this extra content/explanation! Thanks!

[@DerEineGoran]

Great video man! This whole alien mystery is part of what made me really interested in the series. The gaps that are present regarding the Builders really make you wonder. How is it that Phoebe failed to reach its target while all the others that built the gates in the other 1400 systems did? There's a couple of possibilities imo: it was a cosmic coincidence where the Builders' trajectory physics made a tiny mistake but I think the second possibility is more likely - the protomolecule on Phoebe probably had an AI on it that could guide the asteroid and readjust its course but by the time it reached the Solar System, the Unknown Aggressors destroyed all of the Builder hivemind and it became inert and got stuck in Saturn's gravity. Some other things I wonder. Why do the Builders need habitable or lifebearing worlds at all? From what we know they were a species that uploaded itself into a computer hivemind. They could live in structures on lifeless planets or in outer space. Why the focus on life? The series implies the protomolecule needs life to develop further but it's kind of odd that a hyperadvanced society needs microbes or the like for its machinery to do something. That leads me to believe that it doesn't. Eros' protomolecule didn't need a planet's worth of biomass to do what it set out to do (unless there was more to its design and intention for Earth and other worlds) so I think part of the Builders' motivation is, after sending these ring builder probes to life-bearing worlds, to let the planets evolve intelligent life and then assimilate it into its hivemind. That is what happened to Eros' inhabitants. Makes sense considering the Builders' seemed kind of bored chilling for billions of years. lol. Other possibility is that they really are dependent on life for the development of this tech to an extent so they seek out lifebearing worlds to expand themselves. Then what they do with the rest of life on the planet is anyone's guess. Maybe they want new beachfront property for physical bodies they might build. lol I think part of the reason the Unknown Aggressors grew pissy at the Builders is because the Builders seem to have a penchant for messing with the laws of reality. Eros literally cheats physics and the whole ring gates also mess with it. But it seems like the Builders have been building these gates for a while now so why did the aggressors wait so long to attack? Maybe they thought the Builders would realize they were fucking something up on their end and try to fix it but nope. Another thing is that I think the central hub in the slow space zone that humans can access probably isn't the only hub and these 1400 worlds are only a fraction of their empire. Makes sense considering they destroyed star systems to stop the aggressors. I also wonder where their homeplanet is and how long it took the asteroid to reach the solar system. It would be pretty funny if one day the Builders get brought back only to realize that they were saved by a bunch of primitive monkeys using tin cans for transportation. lol. Can't wait to see how this all ends!

[@themc.kennyshow6585]

Honestly such a beautifully made comment my guy. Really thought provoking. You seen S5 yet?

[@zach942]

i feel like the station is beyond just AI, in warframe the orokin had technology to convert living beings into data and called them cephalons due to AI being too much of a risk. i feel like since the aliens are hivemind like, it could be controlled by the hivemind itself, in just a sort of hibernation mode only stirring to deal with what it perceives as threats

[@heinrichmirgrautsvordir6613]

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE BOOK!!! Thats an interesting thought but unfortunately not the authors intended answer. Basically the Romans (Gate builders) havent achieved ftl travel. They need a point to conncect to. Imagine it like an airport. They send out the protomolecule to systems with organic matter. Once its there the protomolecule uses the organic matter as building blocks for the gates. Once its finished building, the ring comes online and connects to the ring space station, allowing interstellar travel. The "airport" is finished building and now planes can land there. That is the main use of the proto molecule.

[@sachathehuman4234]

if you read the books, the resion the goths killed off the builders was because the ringspace was a protrusion into another universe and it was siphoning energy out of that universe to keep them open. it is unlikely the leviathan has any consistent physical form as the entire species can be considered one organism made of different specialized units. and considering their evolutionary history it is possible that the protomolecule - specifically what was inside phoebe - is more of a seed than a bullet, and its the leviathans way of reproducing where it goes through all of its evolutionary stages in order to mature as the gate and rejoin the mother organism. i dont see why the leviathan would have more than one ring network as that would greatly reduce the efficiency of supply routes running between networks and require a lot more effort than just popping another ring on the existing network. the books also address the issue of fitting enough rings in the space as when the goths trigger a gamma ray burst that destroys two rings, the slow zone shrinks to keep the distances the same

[@johnroach9026]

The Romans built their "FTL" gate network by pretty much cheating and placing a gate network within another universe, where they could travel between systems at sublight speeds. Given how they're pretty much scouting out life by peering through telescopes, and taking a shot at lightyears of distance, it seems fair enough to say that even a slight error could push Phoebe wildly off path, and with no way to correct it once its far away from any of their outposts. As for an intelligent AI guiding Phoebe, I doubt that would be the case, since if that did happen, it'd be a far more profound plotpoint in the books, Protogen would undoubtable faun over legitimate intelligent tech than a goo which turns you into organic sludge. I think that the fate of Phoebe was a fortunate coincidence than a legitimate error. With the Builders needing habitable worlds to live on, It is pretty clear that they did somewhat rely on physical mediums for elements of their hive mind - Ghost Miller even says that the fact that Holden has a body gives him special status in interacting with Gate Builder tech, and the central hub of the Hive Mind was on the ring station itself, presumably a large portion of it dedicated to housing the "brain", adding further to the idea that physically existing is status. The worlds they colonised were presumably used to harvest resources (as in the case of Ilus with its large lithium deposits) or else be there for growing and expanding the reach of their own species, almost paralleling the human drive to explore space and colonise alien worlds. With their focus on life, I think that was just the way their technology developed, more along the lines of how we base our technology on metal. Transitioning away from it and onto some new, strange technological base would be jarring to say the least. Adding onto that is that biotech is their way of traveling the cosmos, by hijacking whatever single-celled organisms lived on potential host worlds. A million and a half people on Eros seems pretty overkill to achieve that. I think it is less about assimilating conscious life, and more about taking biomass and repurposing it into interstellar transport, like how a human would mine metal to turn into a plane. That'll be the case a thousand years from now, we'll still be flying around in boxes of metal since that is what our technology has been for millennia The "Goths'" primary aim for wiping out the Builders is pretty much them getting pissy at the Slow Zones existence - its constantly leeching energy from their universe to power the Ring Station and the Gates in ours, and had been doing so for billions of years. It probably took time for the effects of the leeching to become noticeable, and for the Goths to take action against them - its like how we took centuries to figure out that climate change is happening, and we're only just building solutions against it. It's like that, on a universal scale. The Builders messing with physics definitely looks like god-magic to primitive monkeys like us, but they were ultimately still bound by physics, Eros when it moved heated up by about 2 degrees C, having moved 200km in a couple seconds. Their efficiency is off the charts, but still within the realms of possibility physically. Also, yes, 1400 worlds is definitely only a fraction of their empire. In the closing chapter of one of the books, it is mentioned offhand that the 2 furthest systems apart are only 1000 lightyears away, about 1% of the entire galaxy if we take it by volume. It is definitely implied that the Ring builder empire was much, much larger. It was originally quoted that the Station had the power of "a million suns", which may just be hyperbole, or a literal statement of the size of the empire. As an interesting side note, that is about the number of planets that could harbour life if only 0.1% of planets within the habitable zone of stars evolved anything at all. With that, I'm going to guess that the "million suns" idea is closer to reality than not, which means that the Builders had control over the entire galaxy, and had been reduced to practically nothing as the Goths hive-mind cancelling effects spread across it. If I had to take a guess, I'd say that the region inhabited by mankind in the series was the furthest edge of the Gate Builder empire, meaning their homeworld would probably be across the galaxy from Earth's reference. Although once humanity does go beyond their inhabited space, they're going to find a lot of burnt up suns and a lot of dead worlds. Its safe to say that the fermi paradox has been solved in the nastiest way possible - literally nowhere else can harbour life except the tiny bubble that the gate system encompassed

[@spacezoo5079]

It's not a mystery where the hub resides. It's a separate dimension accessible anywhere in our universe via ring gate

[@brianwhedon8442]

I see a lot of people comparing the rings to stargates but the whole ring system and the higher dimension within function almost identically to Hyperspace and Jumpgates in the Babylon 5 universe.

[@mossadon]

People often repeat that which they know before forming new thoughts.

[@ozmozis6073]

This was a very cool synopsis of the story. Thanks for making this. Liked it a lot.

[@futureboy314]

hey man, I really appreciate the recaps before the next season drops. Keep up the good work!

[@PetePeppers1]

I'm really excited for season 5. Expect to make a lot of content throughout.

[@user-mb4xy2cz3t]

3:31 You can actually see it's other side at the beginning of episode 8, season 3. So from the back side you're not seeing "buble-space" you see right through the ring, you see stars.

[@navykip]

Thank you Pete for the videos. You really help explain all the things that are confusing about the expanse.

[@nfldend501]

The Alien Civilization sounds like the flood vs the forerunners

[@gerardovelazquez724]

its probably a good comparation, but i believe that the builders in trying to destroy the stars in other systems they created something by accident that in turn fucked them up. it seems like it from the scenes were they shoot a star and then it appers to attacked them back or are dont remeber correcty snd they could have atacked those stars because that think that tacked them

[@Azilythe]

​@@gerardovelazquez724 More like their von neumann probe construction life-form got into a place it should not have been. I imagine if the proto-molecule got trapped in inter dimensional space with nothing to contact it about progress, and no way for it to be contacted, it would effectively continue to "not stop the work," deconstructing ships that went through the ring, making it seem like there was an out-of-control infestation coming from the systems where ships were destroyed. Being a civilization as big as they were, it was likely: the severing of the gates from the infestation would have likely cut them from resources they needed and made them die out; they destroyed the gates on their end and survived as satellite colonies; and/or the nexus core killed those still connected.

[@lucid-dy3vd]

i think what happoned is they started using rings but in doing so they unleashed sumthing unexpected because i think when you go thrugh a ring your going thrugh there world

[@johannesmohner8695]

Exactly my thought as ai see there are also rings now, protpmelecul is tested as weapon, same as flood on Installation 04, open space, much races and planets. Bi weapons ...also really good story. Sad that they all have to steal from each other

[@nachtschattenwolfW40k]

More like C'tan vs Deamos.. including some flood.

[@Baliken100]

You're freaking awesome at this bro! very VERY VERY very very very good job lol I'm obsessed with this show, to death. I can't get enough of these videos because I feel like you learn something new because somebody else sees/ interprets something different. keep it up and thank you

[@PetePeppers1]

Thanks for the feedback, plenty more to come.

[@gerrard5676]

I truly believe its a pause. A show this perfect has to be completed. I also hope that you will do reviews for better call saul season 6 when it comes out. Really enjoyed coming to your channel after an episode from BCS or Expanse. All the best to you

[@PetePeppers1]

I'll be doing 5 and 6 of the Expanse and definitely 6 for Saul.

[@asmkalrizion7078]

I'd put my money on ring space being something like a pocket dimension, proto molecule being to them like graphene is to us but independent, self replicating, and to an extent, intelligent.

[@TimTomChips]

It's a pocket of our universe inside the place that the aggressors inhabit. Like a circular 2D plane sticking out into our world would be. The station siphons energy from their world and uses that to maintain the ring space and power itself.

[@logicplague2077]

@@TimTomChips It's really no wonder that the UA's were pissed at the Builders. From their perspective, the Builders invaded their universe and are stealing energy from it, doing only god knows how much damage to their universe in the process. The ring space is like a void bullet in their universe, but worse.

[@wnose]

9:00 i wonder if the station needed to scan Holden so it could open the rings with the right kind of habitable planets. So if a lizard type species had been scanned then a whole different set of rings would have been opened.

[@senpai1628]

God awful marketing team of Amazon has kept people from discovering this great show , now it's getting cancelled after 6th season. I hope Netflix picks it up, the goth storyline is incredible.

[@gerardovelazquez724]

they say its getting paused, the problem is that the books "end" this timeline there, then there is a time jump of around 20 years. so many things change, for the last 2 books

[@senpai1628]

@@gerardovelazquez724 I know it's difficult to adapt those last books but would you like to see the show end on a cliffhanger?

[@senpai1628]

@Dan Correia well the last book is going to be published this year, so there's zero chance of producers screwing up the last seasons . Got didn't enjoy the same luxury

[@chrisortega7521]

I think they clearly showed on screen that the gate can only be accessed one way. When the Belter pilot activated it, they showed us a “fly by” scene in which one side of the gate looked like normal space, but the other had the event horizon that we see them travel through.

[@pfcrow]

Yes, but what they never showed is what happens if you fly through it in the other direction. If it just works like normal space, then you could defend the ring easily by putting a ship behind the ring. It could shoot at anything entering the ring, but would be invisible to anything entering the ring. It's missiles would appear to the other side as being fired from inside the ring, not from the other side.

[@EdwardChan.999]

@@pfcrow I think it makes more sense for it to works both ways, would be weird if you can only enter a gate from "the front" but not the back. Say two gates A and B are connected, each have "a front" and back side, then Af Bf, and Ab Bb. In this setup, two ships should be able to enter a gate from opposite faces without crashing, since the gate is 2 dimensional...

[@pfcrow]

@@EdwardChan.999 That's clearly not how it's depicted in the show. And since the gate space seems to have nothing outside the sphere, going through the other way would presumably be like trying to fly out of the sphere space without using a cube, which we're led to believe results in destruction. Now it's not what the show depicted, but what would work best is to have the other side of the gate connect to the sphere space on the exact opposite side of the sphere. So instead of 1300+ exits from the sphere space, there would be 2600+, as they would all be pairs. If I were writing the books, I might go with that. Or just have going through the gate the wrong way be the same as flying into the sphere-space outer wall. I haven't read the books, so I don't know if they addressed this at all.

[@MysteicVoltronus]

There is so much Mass Effect in this or vise versa.

[@PetePeppers1]

The writers were just in a discussion about this on Twitter the other day - twitter.com/JamesSACorey/status/1339824545071386625?s=19

[@Random_alias_JP-tl5xz]

Thx for your content. Answers my questions i always had enjoyin this awesome series.👍

[@PetePeppers1]

No problem, will be putting out a breakdown of the three episodes after they come out.

[@TheRussianLondoner]

Awesome video, THANKS

[@timezone5259]

There is one more thing I hope you would talk about in a future video and that is the Fermi paradox Form what we have learnt till now, the proto molecule re-purposes unicellular organisms to build the ring and soon learn how to do the same with multi cellular life. However in the books and the tv show we have not seen any intelligence critters in any of the systems This would mean that the rare intelligence at least and rare technologies at most are the major points of of interest and rarity in the universe. I would really like to hear and see your thoughts of this

[@breakerofrocks]

I would support a video concerning how the technology of non-human origin in the series relates to the Fermi Paradox, and while not intending any pedantry, I feel I should offer here that the protomolecule does not 'repurpose unicellular life' but rather recognizes the capacity for self-replication in any thing with which it comes into contact and then appropriates that capacity, gaining (bio)mass and developing in complexity until it has reached a threshold for both at which point it travels to a given distance from the system's primary (or single star) and then creates the look, form and function of the Ring. Note I use the verb appropriate for what the protomolecule does to any self-replicating things it makes contact with, though a less diplomatic person could rightfully argue 'hijack' is what really conveys what the protomolecule does, and that using either 'appropriate' or the bowdlerized 'repurpose' is an effort in or at obfuscation. Whatever the gate builders were, believers in the sanctity and purity of life forms of any kind (which are seemingly all self-replicating systems everywhere in the universe) they are NOT. Cheers!

[@PetePeppers1]

Without future book spoilers it does seem that the builders stifled natural evolutionary processes in the systems connected to the ring network. By the start of book 5 the powers that be have at least sent probes through gates, and haven't seen any signs of advanced intelligent life.

[@jamesrmore]

@@breakerofrocks the authors both have biology degrees, I believe, but they caution to keep it wiki-level. For all the intense studying seen at protogen we have yet to look at it under a microscope, let alone an electron microscope. We can speculate and have fun doing it. Does it have magnetic, electrical or gravimetric properties? Does it bring new elements to the table or use familiar ones? It must convert matter to energy once it reaches a certain level of sophistication. What is it's basis of replication? Some kind of quantum storage for it's basic instruction set which must be gigabytes. What level of AI? Does it have limited consciousness? It seems to do a pretty good Turing test with Miller. And finally, how does one ever get any privacy when you're hijacked by a "hive" mind? The human mind is a messy place, indeed. We can certainly hope it makes some improvements. Amos v2 ;>

[@jamesrmore]

@@PetePeppers1 although as Elvi points out, there logic for testing consciousness is pretty petty and costly.

[@PetePeppers1]

@@jamesrmore yeah, it seems like sending millions of "phoebes" out to see what comes back might be the best strategy for constructing the network

[@deanadewall8400]

Great video, keep it up! Looking forward to the next one.

[@PetePeppers1]

We'll see how much of the protomolecule story they include in season 5. Will definitely continue this series.

[@kevindelaney1951]

Good job. Nice explanations. Looking forward to your Season 5 efforts. Season 5 will be the best yet, if not ever, imo. I’ve read all the books. Awaiting the last book.

[@PetePeppers1]

People aren't ready for season 5. Can't wait to finally see it all play out.

[@tracymetherell8744]

Well explained

[@haze_520]

I thought that in the season that the ring gate opens, they do show a shot of it from the back and it just looks like regular space but like it's underwater almost.. maybe I'm remembering wrong.

[@PetePeppers1]

Part 2 of the protomolecule series. Want to see where they go in season 5 with the bullet/unknown aggressors before I do part 3. Let me know if you have any questions about the ring gates. Part 1 is here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/aGGwZKWIZ9WJjdE Part 3 on the investigator is here - kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpKkmKGfj7ybmJI

[@obelisk21]

I always thought it was the most scientifically inaccurate thing about this series that they describe the alien tech as a molecule. They appear to be nanites of some type that can repurpose other raw materials to assemble new structures. I know Protogen named it after their company but why not call it Protonite or something like that. If they originally thought it was biological from a behaviour perspective it behaves like a bacteria. Either way, a molecule is just a structure of 2 or more atoms that do not have inherent instructions on how to reproduce.

[@haterhayder]

The ring Gate can be entered from either side, and looks the same from both sides, but you come out the same direction at the other end. we learned this in the most recent episode.

[@ryansta]

What have you got against the Primates pal ? Did one steal your banana as a kid ? Break your favourite toy ? This all, use a microwave thing. Use a bloody microwave,, we've been in a rocket and gone to space ! have you been to space at all ? no ? Didn't think so. Granted the monkeys are still plugging away at that whole Shakespeare thing, but in time they'll get it. You not seen Planet of the Apes ? So unless you want to meet four Gorillas and a Baboon in a dark alley one night, i'd leave off us.

[@seriously1184]

@Pete Peppers Have you made Part 3 yet? Please let me know. Thanks

[@Pammellam]

@Pete Peppers Can you remind me which episode in Season 3 shows to proto molecule structure leaving Venus?

[@somedude4805]

New fan. Cool vids, man.

[@benjaminlamptey1867]

Mr. Peppers sir, I salute you. Your content is delightful. You've got a new Notification Squad member.

[@hudsonb631]

Really good breakdown!

[@PetePeppers1]

Glad it was helpful!

[@olechristianandersen4590]

I love this and I love the series. Awesome video keep it up

[@PetePeppers1]

Thanks. More to come.

[@olechristianandersen4590]

@@PetePeppers1 i wanted to know is the books also called the expanse?

[@PetePeppers1]

@@olechristianandersen4590 it's the Expanse series but each book has its own title. There are links to them in the video description.

[@ZakhadWOW]

One cannot help but feel grave dread at the future of the tech system, given the final novel's revealed title: "Leviathan's Fall" considering the initial novel referring to Leviathan awaking when the PM is allowed to finally do it's work... Given the critical revelations of the tech's limitations and vulnerabilities in "Tiamat's Wrath" (notice I'm not revealing any details) I cannot be the only one speculating wildly about a potential reveal of the "Bulletmakers".

[@JimmyRoche420]

I came here to see what Holden saw in the vision in the centre of the ring 💍. I really wish this show was re started to tell us the other books. Iv never read any Im not a reading type. But I love the show. It's awesome 👌

[@southerner66]

I just have to say: A mysterious Ancient race with powerful technology that builds circular gates that link to distant star systems . . . Sounds vaguely familiar ;-)

[@GregoryWonderwheel]

"Worm holes" is not technically the correct name, because there's no worming twisting of time and space. The ring is some kind of space-time dimensional portal without worming vortexes.

[@nicolezhang8116]

It reminds me of Mass Effect to an extent, and that’s why I can’t help but feel the Ring Network might be a trap of sorts.

[@psyclonyx]

Thanks for these videos! Very few make expanse content like this!

[@PetePeppers1]

No problem. Thanks for watching.

[@coolsilver2353]

It’s basically a huge Stargate 😆

[@Joshua_N-A]

Can the Donnager defeat Ra's ship? Can the Martian marines commandeer Ra's ship without casualties?

[@DeathBYDesign666]

@@Joshua_N-A I highly doubt that they could defeat a ha'tak without energy based weapons and shields. Humanity itself would only be a type 1 civilization and them at least type 2, not a chance in hell.

[@Liquid_Luigi]

I love the expanse, is a shame that we lost Miller my fav

[@YannMetalhead]

Good video.

[@SurfTrekTonics]

The hubs should exist in sub space at every gate simultaneously to maintain the wormholes from closing. Like folding space to connect the gate networks on four spatial dimensions is hard to imagine, but a black hole is actually a sphere that on a larger scale makes the ring gate network hub able to exist at every gate at the same time. Okay I just confused myself but somehow that is the reason....

[@logicplague2077]

It doesn't look the same from both sides, you can see this at one point in the show. From the side facing sunward, you see the wormhole, from the other side you just see stars.

[@TibetanHusky8]

Dang, I thought I understood the story, but after this video, I realized I only know about 10%. Thanks!

[@PetePeppers1]

No problem, glad it was helpful.

[@MirorR3fl3ction]

As interesting as the proto-molecule is as a scifi plot device, i kinda wish the world of the expanse didnt have any aliens at all simply because its such so realistic in the way it handles spaces battles and infrastructure. I do really appreciate that a few key aspects of the protomolecule are at least "plausible", like that its a von-neumann probe and that it doesnt actually break the speed of light but rather uses wormholes for ftl, and can only reduce the speed of light not exceed it. The sentience/consciousness/hive mind aspects are where i loose my suspension of disbelief, but thats passable given how good the rest of the show is constructed imo

[@_martian101]

nah without alien arc it'll be so boring, the fact that such development start in 23th century is already very unrealistic, in real world by 2100 we'll have superintelligent AI but in this series there's no such thing, every space infrastructures build by human labors and theyre's even slavery, this is unbelievably slow progress, forunately the alien interference has give them a way to reach thousand stars as they should be

[@KillRhythm]

Another cool vid, Pete. I don't follow theory stuff for The Expanse, so I dunno if this is out there... Wondering if there are no unknown aggressors. Maybe they're somehow escaping the death of the universe... Deleting entire systems to maybe affect expansion or contraction. Some stuff from the last two books got me on that track. This story hasn't been too cliche up until now so I hope it doesn't turn into an ultimate evil kinda thing.

[@ZakhadWOW]

1370ish systems wouldnt even bea a tiny quark in a grain of sand in a drop in a bucket to affectin universe expansion/contractions.. it might have a TEENY TINY effect in the Milky Way... but one would have to focus on the giant mass blackhole/uberRadiation wave emanating from the galactic center. Larry Niven wrote 5 more novels expounding on that informatiion to follow up on the foundations of his Puppeteer species from the RINGWORLD universe.

[@UltimaSigmarAlonso]

But the death of the universe will take very very very long no lifespan can be that long

[@us89na]

I think they're more like the Photino Birds (sun eaters) in the Xeelee books by Steven Baxter.

[@RonSommar]

Babylon5 was my youth, this show allows me to dream on.

[@InsomniacDoggo]

The ring gates are basically just Ori Supergates from Stargate 👀

[@adeosinowo3197]

Exactly what i thought when i 1st saw it.

[@Dan-un2pq]

These are clearly more complicated Creating an extra dimensional space linking over 1000 super gates constantly in such a way that using it angers some kind of quantum super beings into taking stabs at intelligent life across the galaxy Seems like more work than just linking two locations with some super conductors

[@johannesmohner8695]

Stargate, or halo rings....sinilar story

[@jorgepeterbarton]

But with Pah Wraiths from DS9

[@InsomniacDoggo]

@@johannesmohner8695 Halo rings ARE NOT a similar story. Those are super weapons designed to wipe out all life in the galaxy. The are not interstellar travel devices.

[@shaggycan]

3:55 best definition is a sub-spatial manifold. Sub/Hyper would be interchangeable terms.

[@ZakhadWOW]

well, with Book 9 finally revealing details about the ring builders, I truly doubt ANYONE conceived of them as what the reveal is. o.0

[@elnico5623]

The slow zone seems huge, and it really is, the sun wouldn't fit inside for example, but it's close

[@SMDoktorPepper]

Now I wonder what the proto molecule is still doing to Venus.

[@cernstormrunner7263]

Probably techno-forming it into something like Illus.

[@ronaldwhite1730]

thank - you .

[@paulbabcock2428]

I understand there are over 1000 rings and I figure Sol gate/ring is just one of them. But I totally don't understand how/where/when these gates connect to each other. If one enters Sol gate which gate does one exit from? There have been cases of humans entering Sol gate, then exiting a particular gate , and returning back thru Sol gate. So there must be some method of choosing which gate one goes thru, but I totally don't understand how this method works.

[@aedanbranson]

The gates don't connect to each other, they instead all connect to a shared hub space.

[@BOBXFILES2374a]

All kidding aside, I have Season 1 on DVD and it is some of the best "hard" sci-fi ever. "Remember the Cant!"

[@mpjstuff]

The Expanse is the best sci fi to ever be on the TV screen. And rivals any movie for production values and attention to detail. There was one "run-of-the-mill" shot where the main characters are on a ship, and it's suddenly on a tram, and then it's connected into a hub and taken to a destination. Meanwhile, they are chatting like they were on a subway. The mechanical connections were seamless. There might have been a few patent-worthy inventions in the mechanisms. It was as well executed and slightly more realistic than Iron Man's armor being assembled while he is walking -- which was, up to that point, the most masterful "it could happen" visualization of construction I'd witnessed. That was "just another scene" in The Expanse, and we haven't even gotten to their ability to have an alien menace that you don't know is trying to kill you or just make a hyperspace bypass. Every character is awesome. The writing and the intelligence and respect for the viewer -- is a breath of fresh air. After this, everyone in Hollywood might discover that science fiction fans are smart and we've been waiting for this kind of shit.

[@pschroeter1]

In March I watched all five seasons of The Expanse. Now in May I'm three-quarters the way through The Game of Thrones. I absolutely love both series, but can tell you I only understand about half of what's going on in either of them.

[@rippermcmakin]

As long as your enjoying life buddy. Keep it up

[@unknownwarrior5672]

but that's exactly why these shows are absolutely masterclass. The fact that there are so many different factions, storylines, characters, motivations is exactly what makes the mystery around these shows work so well. They really are what "immersion" is all about because instead of a basic and straightforward story or show like stranger things or the 100, where you can sleep through episodes and still figure out what's going on, GoT and The Expanse are my absolute favorites because when you watch these shows, you get the feeling of listening to a bedtime story and get fascinated by every aspect of it. They really take you to a fictional world (or somewhere in space if you think about Expanse). It's really crazy how you can have shows with so much happening, you think they are just side quest, but then you figure out that every "side event" eventually collides with a main one. Got being mostly political but on the other hand you have literal ice zombies and an intelligent one controlling the pack. You have the Expanse where its basically Earth vs Mars vs The Belt, and as if this wasn't already a lot of drama, you get alien technologies and different dimensions. I love when shows make me wonder wtf is going on. Sorry about the long rant lol but i hope you agree. Both shows are even more fascinating upon rewatch when you start connecting the dots you missed the first time.

[@adeerkhan4211]

The Expanse to me is the best sci-fi with realistic and logical future technologies.

[@ivanabah2237]

When is part 3 coming

[@computergenerated3833]

The unknown aggressors sound kind of like the flood. “The builders were running from something; burned entire solar systems, like they were cauterizing a wound.”

[@anthony449]

I'm watching this video to help me imagine it in the books cos my brain cant wrap my head around what it looks like and how it workz

[@naxilus]

please clarify something for me. at around 8:20 in this video is shows the station hurling destruction through the gate. Is that the ring builders trying to destroy the unknown attackers who wiped them out ? or is it the unknown attackers destroying the ring builders with their own station. please explain

[@PetePeppers1]

The Gate Builders destroyed their own system trying quarantine it more or less. It didn't work because Unknown Agressors figured out how to destroy them after that.

[@jayreed9370]

One thing I think is missed frequently. There isn't and probably never was a planet Ilus. The entire thing down to the smallest level is one big machine.

[@PetePeppers1]

It was a planet. The ring builders just modified it.

[@Lowlander-ci7is]

Is the slow zone a bubble in the bulk between dimensions?

[@aqareu875]

Hyperspace?

[@logicplague2077]

It is a bubble of our universe within the universe of the UA's, with the central station taking energy from their universe to power itself and the rings.

[@todd.goslin6190]

That wasn't a giant mechanical squid-looking thing. Clearly that was the Flying Speghetti Monster ye of little faith!!

[@richardfinlayson1524]

The books are pretty good, haven't seen the series though. Not quite up to the Alastair Reynolds standard but very enjoyable.

[@markeastlack4180]

Wasn't it still the Investigator in the Ring Station? I thought the real Miller consciousness didn't show up until Ilus/New Terra

[@Flippy_Nips]

Someone please explain why Marco Inaro is so important in this TV universe? Why do we have to suffer him in season five when there's a better story in the ring world's?

[@PetePeppers1]

He's important in the books because the opening of the ring gates made a person like him possible. That's part of the reason Avasarala sent Holden and the Roci to Illus hoping it would be a disaster, and that would slow down colonization efforts. Because they found a peaceful resolution to the conflict the exodus from Sol is starting, but the story isn't really about the colonization of the planets. It's more about people and how they're affected by these big changes.

[@Flippy_Nips]

@@PetePeppers1 ok so in the grand scheme of things, humans are basically abandoning Earth & Mars thanks to Marco. As of this writing, they don't make that clear in the TV show though.

[@PetePeppers1]

@@Flippy_Nips they are abandoning Earth and Mars because they see an opportunity in the new worlds. Marco sees the instability that creates as an opportunity. By the time season 5 is finished it should all make more sense.

[@jasonharrison601]

any way to do the books or audio books of books 7-9?

[@scooota6191]

Season 5 dropped inAustralia @ 10 am 6 pm at NY time. First three no spoilers but fucking awesome.

[@armandovanhaaren7028]

Does it connect to other hubs ?

[@Lantalia]

RE 'the other side' missing a gate when exiting the hub leads to destruction, you can't _get_ to the other side of the gates in the hub.

[@shalaska9863]

A wormhole (einstein/rosen bridge) is the folding of spacetime, there's no way to fold spacetime within our solar system without changing the harmonic resinence of the planets, let alone 1300 wormholes, the gate is just an interesting story arc that pushes the story forward.

[@muldie101]

Wait what happens if you go under the rings and explore behind them in the sphere? Isnt the sphere another line to cross?

[@Cyborgdelta1]

They said in S5:EP2 at 23:50 you can pass through on ether side

[@pratapnavayan360]

I enjoyed this video more than show.👍

[@PetePeppers1]

That's good, I think.

[@Sonofsol]

Can you please do a video on the “Goths”? I’d love to hear some theories on what or who they might be, their world, etc.

[@PetePeppers1]

At some point I will do a book theories video. Maybe closer to the release. We'll see how much they talk about the bullet in season 5, probably make a non-spoilery one for that.

[@neosildrake]

One of the best Sci-Fi series ever. Up there with Battlestar Galactica Remake and Fifefly. The Science is so much more "understandable" without needing 3 degrees in astro/quantum physics for the technobabble á la Star Trek, and the characters are much more relatable and dynamic.

[@praveenveeranki578]

11:27

[@danielleshovlin5369]

"a monkey never heated up a burrito " but do you KNOW this?

[@RCTPatriot75]

I've seen an orangutan drive a golf cart.

[@williamwarren5616]

My one and only complaint about this show is I thought they could’ve done a better job physically portraying the ring entities. To me it just looked like fiery strokes just erasing the image on the screen. A bit underwhelming. But man!!! What a great show. I think I’ve must have looked at the entire series probably seven or eight times

[@jediturt1e428]

What if the ring builder were a ancient human or they could be the aggressor with DNA being let like in chief in halo which causes the destructive reaction.

[@damonreynolds6775]

I remember being disappointed by the 'Rings'. The Expanse essentially rehashed the 'Stargate' premise - a network of potentially dangerous rings for interstellar travel, built by an extinct alien race. Think they too were wiped out by powerful enemies. Thankfully it holds it's own with lots of other great original content.

[@xloveangel97x]

I thought I was the only one who got the stargate feeling. 🤣

[@nilo70]

New here , kinda like this .

[@gilbert60453]

The death of Alex has killed the hype

[@danwimberly1450]

Actually n the show it says the gates r 2 target other star systems where the dark presence may b. That's why the protosphere station can blast w/ that much energy.

[@PetePeppers1]

They can do that, but the ring network existed before the Unknown Agressors showed up. They tried "disinfecting" systems by destroying them before shutting the network down completely to quarantine.

[@saladtop8499]

Imagine the unknown aggressors were The Flood

[@kellymkwananzi9769]

Exactly sounds like some Halo..thought about this way back when I was watching the series

[@saladtop8499]

@@kellymkwananzi9769 yeah to me learning about the builders makes me feel way back in 2007 learning about the Forerunners

[@wilmagregg3131]

actually it really sounds like the xeele series a hyper advanced nigh godlike technological race rander hopeless agasint a truly eldritch threat that they could not destory fast enough even the massive ring gates refrence the final scenes of the novel as the last solid matter species escape threw a gargauntuan ring to a new universe as there old was consumed by the photino or dark matter birds

[@EricMSouza]

It remembers Dune at a lot of points.

[@ObsidianLazarus]

What killed the creators of the protomolocule? What were they killing suns for?

[@bufflikejesus3268]

The builders and others are like the others from got, they are the real threat but everyone wants to fight each other then the bigger incomprehensible existential threat.

[@amko6358]

The ring network?? Sounds alot like Mass Relays from Mass Effct.

[@420blackbirds8]

My theory is it's not a gate. Humans see it as primitive a tool because humans are primitive so we see it as a gate. These alien see it as a collective conscious existence hub. Meaning, this is how they can exist everywhere at the same time. The ring is where they exist in physical form but their conscious exist on all these universes. We are the mouse in their home.