How The Expanse’s Version Of Superhumans Work

Here’s how the murky practice of body modification works in The Expanse. The biology of the human race has adapted considerably in the future era of The Expanse. Those born in the Belt struggle to acclimatize to the gravity of regular planets, and are insultingly referred to as “skinnies” due to their more fragile frames. However, not all bodily changes are natural, and The Expanse features several characters who have deliberately enhanced their bodies with dangerous technology. Modification features most prominently in Clarissa Mao’s season 3 arc, but has largely gone unexplored since.

That is until The Expanse season 5, and the reintroduction of Clarissa. Referring to his former enemy as “Peaches,” Amos diverts from Baltimore to visit Clarissa in prison, where she’s kept in an area specifically for individuals enhanced with technology. Marco Inaros’ asteroid attack hits during the Amos and Clarissa reunion, and a jailbreak begins, giving more detailed insight into how the body mod process works in The Expanse.

Human upgrades are carried out via implants (or a series of implants) inside the body, and not all of these are illegal. Holden was fitted with a permanent radiation inhibitor after a close shave on Eros Station in The Expanse season 1, without which he would die, and Camina Drummer walks with the aid of a spinal implant after almost being crushed to death alongside Klaes Ashford. These are examples of body mods legally available in The Expanse, but others can only be found on the black market. Clarissa Mao’s mod sits firmly within the illegitimate category, and is known as an endocrine enhancement implant. According to the scan on Clarissa’s body, her implant is activated by a switch in the mouth that releases hormones and stimulates a specific part of the brain. Clarissa’s perception of time slows, and her body reacts instinctively with heightened strength and reflexes. In the original Expanse books, this is revealed to be a prototype technology for the UN, abandoned because of the extreme dehabilitating aftereffects.

The Expanse season 5 introduces another character with a strength enhancing body mod – Konecheck. This prisoner’s abilities differ from Clarissa’s, both in appearance and practice. Similar to Holden, the implants are more visible in Konecheck’s body, protruding aggressively from his skin (other prisoners can be seen with similar scars and markings). Rather than enhanced fighting, Konecheck’s augmentation appears to be all about raw strength, and he doesn’t turn the enhancement on and off like Clarissa does. All body mods can apparently be negated by inhibitors, which are administered routinely to augmented prisoners in The Pit.

Other body mods in The Expanse include an ID Spoofer. This implant is seen during Joe Miller’s Julie Mao investigation in The Expanse‘s very first season, where a criminal evades detection by digitally altering their identity when scanned. There are also less invasive ways of modifying the human body in The Expanse. Paolo Cortazar and the other Protogen scientists undergo transcranial magnetic hyperstimulation to effectively remove their ability to feel empathy.

Although body mods don’t sit at the forefront of The Expanse‘s narrative, there’s an implant to increase or decease almost any chemical or physical aspect of the human body – with the right connections and enough cash. While most of these are outlawed, Clarissa’s rich father and his shady partners explain how “Peaches” came to be fitted with one. Unfortunately, not even Clarissa can escape the side effects of the implant, and the contraption can’t be removed without causing even more damage. The medical and financial costs of modding one’s body perhaps explain why more characters don’t have one. Interestingly, even though authorities have made body mods like Clarissa’s illegal, they cannot be forcibly taken out without consent (on Earth, at least), due to a body privacy law. Over time, the degradation of Clarissa’s implant will cause her health to deteriorate further. Clarissa has traded her well-being for the power to get revenge on James Holden. Ironically, she’s now using that very power to aid one of Holden’s closest allies in The Expanse.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3630 Articles Published)

Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

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Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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