Science Drives Their Drama: 8 Hard Sci-Fi Shows Even Better Than The Expanse
Life aboard a spacecraft
Defying Gravity, a short-lived 2009 series, follows eight astronauts on a six-year expedition through the solar system. Its drama centers on the daily difficulties of keeping the mission going aboard the Antares, a spacecraft portrayed as cramped and dangerous.
Power, temperature control and the crew’s ability to function are part of one fragile system. The series makes engineering problems central to survival and offers an intimate portrayal of interplanetary travel as exhausting work.
An alien mystery unfolds
Another Life follows Niko Breckinridge, played by Katee Sackhoff, as she commands the Salvare on a mission to investigate the civilization behind an alien artifact found on Earth. The two-season Netflix series, like The Expanse, presents exploration as a challenge of interpreting limited evidence while protecting the crew.
The show gives greater attention to extraterrestrial biology and technology than The Expanse does, developing discoveries that challenge assumptions about the unknown. It also explores artificial intelligence through William, the ship’s onboard intelligence, played by Samuel Anderson, and his emerging emotional abilities.
Cloning and human identity
Orphan Black takes its hard science fiction away from space and toward human cloning. The series examines how genetics and circumstances shape identity, with Tatiana Maslany playing more than a dozen clones.
The story begins when Sarah Manning encounters a woman who looks exactly like her. It develops into a mystery involving genetics and scientific ownership, making questions about research personal through the clones’ experiences.
Key points
- Defying Gravity follows eight astronauts on a six-year solar-system expedition.
- Another Life investigates an alien artifact discovered on Earth.
- William, the Salvare’s onboard intelligence, develops emotional capabilities.
- Orphan Black explores cloning, genetics and the forces shaping identity.