Naomi Nagata’s Ending Is The Expanse’s Darkest Moment

Nothing in The Expanse‘s 6-season history comes close to the darkness of Naomi Nagata’s ending. Preferring a more realistic take on the sci-fi genre, Amazon’s The Expanse (based on the novels by James S.A. Corey) isn’t short on grim realities. With the collapse of civilization on Earth, rich scientists conducting super-soldier experiments on sick children, and Amos Burton being sexually abused in his youth, The Expanse is no space-faring romp. Nevertheless, The Expanse‘s darkest storyline has been steadily bubbling away since the early seasons – the estranged mother-son relationship between the Rocinante’s Naomi Nagata, and the Free Navy’s Filip Inaros.

The Expanse previously revealed Naomi gave birth to a son over a decade before the show’s timeline begins. Unfortunately, Filip’s father is notorious Belter terrorist Marco Inaros, and when Naomi could take no more of her partner’s abusive rhetoric, she fled… leaving Filip behind. Deprived his mother’s guiding hand, Filip grew up strongly in his father’s image, so when Marco forms the Free Navy and seizes a violent hold over the Sol system, Naomi’s son stands proudly by his side. The Roci engineer desperately tries rescuing Filip in The Expanse season 5, but Marco’s influence is too strong, and Naomi leaves the Pella (out of the airlock, no less) alone and dejected.

Failing to pull Filip from his father’s magnetic orbit is a sad enough story by itself, but Naomi’s ending in The Expanse season 6 pays off the build with an even more heartbreaking twist. As The Expanse season 6 (and the TV adaptation as a whole) draws toward its climax, the fate of the system hinges entirely on the whether the Rocinante can stop Marco Inaros setting up base camp at Medina Station. Holden’s crew are drastically outmatched, but it’s Naomi who lands upon the winning strategy of triggering the Ring entities to destroy Marco’s incoming fleet. Of course, this means destroying Filip too, and Naomi is left none the wiser after her son, inspired by their maternal reunion from The Expanse season 5, abandons the Pella before its decimation.

The final chapter of Naomi’s journey represents The Expanse at its very darkest. First and foremost, there’s Naomi’s impossible choice between saving the system and killing her own child – a devastating moral dilemma that even James Holden failed to navigate successfully, when he aborted the missile earlier in The Expanse season 6, fearing Filip’s death could crush Naomi emotionally. Making matters worse, it’s Naomi’s herself who devises how the Free Navy can be beaten. She could’ve kept the Ring entity plan to herself and spared Filip’s life, or perhaps sent her son a warning at the risk of Marco finding out. Naomi did neither, swallowing her personal pain and trauma in the name of sparing the Sol system decades of brutal Marco Inaros leadership. In a sense, Naomi’s selflessness is a redemption – both for abandoning Filip to Marco, and for her part in the villain’s early atrocities. But the gut-wrenching imagery of Naomi consciously ending her beloved Filip’s life – underscored by Dominique Tipper’s silent post-battle screams – is what truly sells the harrowing final notes of her part in The Expanse‘s space opera.

None of Naomi’s pain is lightened by the fact Filip doesn’t actually die, absconding in an escape pod and (wisely) switching his surname to “Nagata.” The Expanse‘s audience might feel better knowing Filip Inaros didn’t get torn apart by the Ring entities at his mother’s behest, but Naomi never finding out only adds to her finale tragedy. Dominique Tipper’s closing voiceover might insist it “doesn’t matter” whether a person knows about the good deeds they commit, but Naomi must still carry the weight of killing her own son for as long as she lives. That weighty emotional baggage alone adds a hefty dose of bitterness to The Expanse‘s otherwise sweet ending.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3624 Articles Published)

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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.

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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