The Expanse’s New Season 6 Villains Explained

What do we know about the new Laconian villains set up for The Expanse season 6? From Jules-Pierre Mao to Sadavir Errinwright, The Expanse‘s heroes have faced plenty of dastardly villains over the past five seasons, but current antagonist, Marco Inaros, is easily the most despicable. Marco has radicalized much of the Belt and declared war on the Inner planets, while also finding a way to kill off any of his own people who don’t fall in line. Mentally torturing Naomi and emotionally manipulating Filip, Marco’s evil isn’t limited to the political sphere – he’s a cruel and selfish cult figure with a tyrannical approach to leadership.

When The Expanse season 5 ends, Marco’s master plan is still unfolding. He might’ve failed to blow up the Rocinante, but the Free Navy now occupy the Ring Gate, giving Marco a strong foothold in the Sol system from which to continue his ongoing war against Earth and Mars. As more Belters flock to his side, Marco is in a stronger position than ever before, and will almost certainly continue as main antagonist in The Expanse season 6. With that said, the recent finale also sets up another set of baddies ahead of the final season.

Bobbie Draper has long suspected Marco to be working with Martian defectors, and her accusations are proven true in The Expanse season 5’s finale. The Martian co-conspirators are now an entirely separate faction, and look set to cause even more trouble next season. The episode also accelerates the slow-burn reveal of The Expanse‘s lingering extra-terrestrial threat, with the Unknown Aggressors making their first appearance proper. As the Laconian Empire rises and aliens with God-level powers emerge, what’s going on with The Expanse‘s new villains?

How The Laconian Empire Began In The Expanse

In its final episode, The Expanse season 5 unravels the Martian conspirators supplying Marco Inaros with warships, and as Bobbie theorized, Admiral Sauveterre is deeply involved. However, this insidious scheme has clearly been in the works for some time. Amazon’s The Expanse hasn’t yet fleshed out the full story, but based on the information available, a broad timeline of events can be plotted. After the Protomolecule opened the Sol Ring Gate in The Expanse season 3, colony ships began flocking through the barrier, settling on empty, habitable planets such as Ilus. Both Earth and Mars sent survey teams to explore these new systems – Murty and the Royal Charter Energy group, for example. This must’ve been when Mars identified the Laconia system as a habitable location. Rather than sharing this knowledge with the Martian government, however, it seems the enigmatic Admiral Duarte (mentioned by Sauveterre in the finale’s closing moments) decided to keep Laconia a secret and begin relocating his supporters from Mars to this exciting new world.

Laconia’s appeal isn’t limited to the breathable atmosphere – the system is also home to disused ships built by the Protomolecule’s creators many centuries ago, and The Expanse season 5’s final credits linger on an image of one such vessel, ominously whirring into life with a blue glow. Unfortunately for the colonists, the Laconian machinery required a blob of Protomolecule in order to function. Enter Marco Inaros, who knew The Belt still held a Protomolecule sample and was willing to procure it in exchange for weapons. Since the Laconians were abandoning Mars anyway, they were happy to palm off old MCRN ships and missiles, and the damage Marco would inflict upon their old enemies only sweetened the deal. With a tube of Protomolecule and the expertise of Paolo Cortazar (who Marco also handed over to the Laconia faction), Duarte can make the most of those inert alien technologies waiting for him beyond the Ring Gate.

What The Laconian Empire Want

Despite the allegiance between the defectors from Mars and Marco Inaros’ Free Navy, there’s no love lost between the two sides. This is merely a mutually beneficial arrangement. The likes of Sauveterre still look down upon Belters, but they see Laconia as a step-up to bigger things. As such, they’re happy to let Marco enjoy the scraps of the Sol system if he can prove useful to their cause in the short-term. Similarly, Marco and his people still hate the Inner planets, but they can only act upon that anger with weapons. Since the Laconians will soon be departing Mars permanently, Marco doesn’t see working with the departing Martians as problematic. Marco summarizes the relationship perfectly when he declares to Sauveterre “you have your system, we have ours.” The deal is over, and the two sides need never associate again. Laconia has even set mines at the entrance of their Ring Gate to ensure their privacy.

But why are Sauveterre and Duarte so desperate to colonize Laconia that they’ve abandoned their beloved Mars? The Expanse has already highlighted how the opening of the Ring Gates proved devastating for Mars. As colonists flooded out, Mars’ future (or lack of one) became obvious. According to Alex Kamal, Sauveterre is a dedicated, dyed-in-the-wool Martian who takes patriotism to the extreme. Alex doesn’t realize that these hardcore patriots have come to loathe what Mars now stands for. In Laconia, dedicated Martians see a new opportunity to build the civilization they always wanted – without compromise or disappointment. This is shown in how Sauveterre threatens to shoot Babbage over a mere bracelet. Another key advantage is how Laconia will be built in a fraction of the time Mars took thanks to the Protomolecule technology already in place there. Effectively, the Laconia Empire is to Mars what the Free Navy is to The Belt – an extreme, violent distortion of a once-wholesome ideal.

How The Laconians Could Factor Into The Expanse Season 6

The Laconians’ role in The Expanse season 6 is complicated by the show ending earlier than the books. Since The Expanse season 5 largely covered Nemesis Games (book 5), season 6 should take inspiration from book 6, Babylon’s Ashes. Admiral Winston Duarte is a major villain in this novel, and he stands alongside Marco Inaros as the Free Navy’s war intensifies. However, there’s no sign of the Protomolecule ships and the full might of the Laconian Empire until after a 30-year time jump in book 7, Persepolis Rising. Therefore, if The Expanse is to pay off the big Laconia tease at the end of season 5, the show’s final run must draw from later books. Potentially, Marco Inaros will be defeated in the first half of The Expanse season 6, and the second half will introduce the Laconia Empire as new main villains, burning through the biggest beats of books 6 and 7 within one season.

Of course, the presence of a giant Protomolecule shipyard in The Expanse‘s season 5 finale gives a fairly big clue as to what Duarte and the Laconians have planned long-term. Ships that big and advanced aren’t meant to sit idly by deterring would-be invaders. Furthermore, the Laconia system was targeted by the Martian defectors purely because of its militaristic potential. Inevitably, the Laconian Empire will one day return to the Sol system packing a mighty grudge and some serious heat.

Have The Unknown Aggressors Finally Awoken?

The Laconian Empire aren’t the only new villains set up for The Expanse season 6. Way back in season 3, James Holden learned that the ancient alien race who created the Protomolecule were wiped out by a mysterious species of aggressors. In season 4, James Holden found a weapon that belonged to said race, and every time he passes through a Ring Gate, he feels their presence getting increasingly angry. Clearly, these aliens are not huge fans of the Protomolecule. Before season 5’s finale, viewers had only seen The Expanse‘s hidden villains in holographic representations, visions, or through the remains of a war long since ended. But now, The Expanse‘s overarching enemies have finally made their move. As Sauveterre’s Barkeith passes through the Ring Gate on its way to Laconia, the Unknown Aggressors simply wipe them out of existence with minimal fuss and no mess. Similar to the Laconian Empire, The Expanse may be forced to resolve this otherworldly storyline faster than the original books.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3630 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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