Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Expanse: Season Four Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker January 19, 2024

'The Expanse: Season Four' arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal. The season's ten episodes are spread across three Blu-ray discs with special features spread across all three discs. A DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 tracks accompanies the 1080p image. Neither a slipcover nor a Digital Code are included.

After being canceled by the SyFy channel, fans took to the internet to try to save The Expanse and secure more adventures for the Roci's crew and the other characters inhabiting Earth, Mars, and the Belt. Their actions were ultimately successful and Amazon picked up the series and production on the fourth season began. Despite its new home, thankfully The Expanse: Season Four gives viewers more of what they've come to expect from the series - modern geopolitical issues thrust hundreds of years into the future coupled with excellent character development and storytelling. Here, among other salient issues, the series focuses on the rights of the corporation versus the rights of the individual, forced relocation of settlers, and the careful molding and manicuring of political figures meticulously packaged for public consumption. Never preachy or heavy-handed, instead the season opts to merely hold up a mirror to the issues as the characters wrestle with finding the best way forward in situations that are never black and white.

This season, the face of evil is brought to life by Burn Gorman whose Adolphus Murtry represents the RCE on Ilus. He is both riveting and repellant in his efforts to remove the Belter settlers from the planet so that the mineral-rich planet can be exploited to the fullest, netting him and those loyal to him, a huge payday. Even as those on the planet faces crisis after crisis and everyone must work together to overcome them, he never truly quits working toward his ultimate goal. Tom Jane also returns in his role of Proto-Miller in some of the season's most visually interesting and critical moments. Amos (Wes Chatham) and Alex (Cas Anvar) are both allowed the opportunity to explore their softer, human sides through several important relationships in some of the more touching character arcs as the rest of the cast fights for personal or political survival.

The following ten episodes comprise The Expanse: Season Four and are spread over three discs. The summaries found below are reproduced from the interior art and may contain spoilers, so proceed with all due caution.

Disc One:

New Terra: The crew of the Roci investigates a strange protomolecule ruin on an alien planet. Bobbie copes with civilian life on Mars. Drummer and Ashford battle with piracy on the Belt.

Jetsam: Avasarala is blindsided while on a visit to Mars. The Roci crew continue their protomolecule investigation while tensions between the RCE and the Belters reach a tipping point. Drummer and Ashford track down a terrorist.

Subduction: New alien threats emerge on Ilus as Naomi battles health challenges on the planet. Bobbie searches for a missing person on Mars. Avasarala faces a new challenge in the UN.

Retrograde: Drummer and Ashford confront a dangerous person from Naomi's past. Murtry hunts down a target. Bobbie makes a life- changing confession.

Disc Two:

Oppressor: As tensions in Ilus reach a boiling point, Holden reveals a secret. Avasarala debates Nancy Gao while an emergency on the Roci forces Alex and Naomi into action.

Displacement: The Roci crew prepares for an incoming disaster on Ilus. Ashford and Drummer close in an enemy within the Belt. Bobbie takes on a dangerous job.

A Shot in the Dark: Naomi and Alex work to keep the Barbapiccola in orbit amidst a power outage. Avasarala faces a tough decision. Holden and Elvi race to find a cure for a disease spreading on Ilus.

The One-Eyed Man: Avasarala faces fallout for the UN's military mission. Ashford and Drummer make big decisions about their future within the OPA. A spreading illness on Ilus takes a toll on Amos. Ales and Naomi's attempt to rescue the Barb turns desperate.

Disc Three:

Saeculum: Holden and Miller race to save Ilus. Murtry puts his endgame into motion, putting the Roci crew's lives at risk.

Cibola Burn: Ashford closes in on an enemy while uncovering a dangerous plot. Avasarala faces a crossroads in her personal and political life. The Roci crew works to reestablish life on Ilus in the wake of a deadly catastrophe.

The Expanse: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

As fans of the series have no doubt come to expect, The Expanse: Season Four is granted a very strong transfer. The most significant issue that I detected was some very slight banding that rose to the surface only occasionally and very briefly. It never grew to the level of being egregious, it's simply worth noting. Other than that issue, the presentation here is very strong within the parameters of the program's intended look. Colors again are cooler and skew a bit blue. Skin tones here are consistent and healthy-looking within the color scheme. Fine detail levels are very high with many environmental particulars readily apparent and open for inspection on the surface of the planet, inside and out of the artifact, and aboard the Roci. As is typical, the visual effects provide some of the most visually stunning moments this season. The bright blue blast as the engines come to life and the luminescent slime trails of organisms on the planet add considerable interest and color to what is a very dark series. Display screens both large and small also provide welcome shots of color. As previously noted, The Expanse: Season Four is very dark as we spend considerable time in space and underground. Thankfully, black levels are always very good but never absorb detail.

The Expanse: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

In what appears to be standard for the series, The Expanse: Season Four is outfitted with with a great English DTS HD-Master Audio 5.1 track that can be quite boisterous but isn't lacking in finesse. Sound effects carry sufficient weight to add a high degree of realism to simple actions like Bobbie's footfalls as she climbs a ladder on Mars' exterior during one of her missions and brings a powerful crunching bass into play for the sequence with the tsunami. Smaller moments fare very well also, such as the hushed conversation between Holden and Amos as the two discuss a medical crisis on the planet. Dialogue is always clear and intelligible no matter the onscreen action with which it has to compete. Music, whether in the background or allowed to swell into prominence, is crisp and precise. Surrounds are frequently called upon to add immersive depth in mundane scenes like press conferences, camps, and bars, as well as to more extraordinary moments like battles, natural disasters, and encounters with Proto-Miller. English SDH subtitles are also available.

The Expanse: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Special features are spread across The Expanse: Season Four's three discs as follows:

Disc One:

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 401: Actor Steven Strait (Holden) leads a discussion about the RCE and Naomi's character. (3:21)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 402: Actor Steven Strait leads a discussion about life on Mars, the characters of Bobbie Draper and Alex Kamal and others. (3:17)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 403: Actor Burn Gorman and others discuss the character of Murtry and Avasarala. (3:49)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 404: Actors Frankie Adams (Bobbie), Cara Gee (Drummer), and Dominique Tipper (Naomi) discuss the show's numerous strong female characters. (3:11)

Disc Two:

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 405: : Actor Burn Gorman discusses the character of Murtry and the paternalism he and Holden feel for the settlers, Wes Chatham (Amos) and Cas Anvar (Alex) discuss their relationships. (4:08)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 406: : Cara Gee, Frankie Adams, and others discuss Marco, politicians, the Belt, and more. (4:06)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 407: : Wes Chatham, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, and others discuss their characters' backstories. (3:21)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 408: : Cara Gee, Burn Gorman, and others cover Fred Johnson, the use of power, and other topics (4:10)

Disc Three:

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 409:: Naren Shankar (Executive Producer) discusses the episode's title, Ty Franck (Co-Executive Producer/Writer) talks about Proto-Miller, and Chatham and Tipper join in.(4:06)

Roundtable Talks: After Show Episode 410:: Chatham talks about his character's grief, Shankar and Frank cover the protomolecule, and Frankie Adams recounts a pivotal scene. (3:55)

A New World on Mars: Frankie Adams provides a quick overview of how the look of Mars was created, the lives of the Martians, and the challenges they faced. (2:52)

It Reaches Out: ProtoMiller's Point of View: The focus here is how the protomolecule was created, Proto-Miller - how he looks and speaks, and the associated images. (2:44)

Script to Screen: The Rocinante's Landing: Dominique Tipper narrates the Rocinante's first-ever landing on an alien planet while effects shots, at various stages of completion play out. (3:54)

Art Meets Science at Blue Origin: Caitlyn O'Keefe Dietrich (Head of Communications) talks about moving people and industry out into space, as the cast and crew visit Blue Origin and discuss the rules of space, the impact of gravity on every scene, how science inspires fiction and fiction inspires science, settling space, and the vision of the future. (4:07)

The Expanse: Season Four Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Modern geopolitical issues continue to play out in the future as The Expanse logs a very successful and gripping first season on Amazon Prime. The Expanse: Season Four offers rich character development for Amos, Alex, Bobbie, and particularly for Avasarala, as their personal storylines not only help flesh them out but also drive and define the main action of the season. Fans of the series will certainly want to add this release to their collections as technical merits are strong, the special features are interesting, and the season demonstrates the same commitment to a high level of storytelling and acting that those who have been around since the first season have come to expect. Highly Recommended.