Mars Vs. Earth Vs. Belt: Who Is Stronger & Who Is Right?

The Expanse is a great science-fiction show that explores the future of humankind several centuries from now. In that future, we have different factions that exist well beyond the normal boundaries of Earth because humans have already begun to colonize other planets. That said, the three main factions are Mars, Earth, and the Belters. But who among the three of those factions is the stronger one?

Among the three main factions in The Expanse, the Martians are the strongest because they produce people that have lived through harsher conditions and have technology that is superior. Meanwhile, because of the uniqueness of their situation, the Belters are the weakest among the three.

The thing about The Expanse is that the three main factions each have their own advantages and disadvantages when it comes to their physiology and overall military strength. While Mars has the better technology and stronger people, Earth has the advantage in resources. But for us to understand the three factions, let us discuss them one by one.

Mars

Mars was one of the first places that humans began to colonize when humans decided to settle outside of Earth. However, in the past, Mars was just a simple human settlement that still formed part of the Earth’s jurisdiction. But its inhabitants decided to break free from Earth’s dominion long before the events of The Expanse.

At first, the idea was for the Martians to terraform the planet to make it similar to Earth and to make it more habitable. However, they realized that the cost was too great for them because of how much money and resources they needed to terraform the planet.

So, instead of terraforming Mars, the Martians focused more on building their military power. This proved to be very useful for the Martians, who have learned what it was like to grow up in harsher conditions. As such, they are physically stronger than the people of Earth.

On top of the physical development of the Martians, they have also learned to never take for granted what is given to them. They work twice as much as the Earthers for half of what the Earthers get on a regular basis. That is because resources like water and air tend to be scarce on Mars, and that’s why the people there need to work twice as hard to get what they need. This is exactly why the Martians believe that the Earthers are lazy and have taken for granted what they have given.

In addition to producing stronger and more industrious people, the Martians also have military technology that is far superior compared to what Earthers have. Of course, growing up in harsher conditions allowed the Martians to develop a ruthless personality that is quite common among them. This is what made them the top suspects in the destruction of the Canterbury, which was what started the conflict between the different factions in the first place.

Earth

Earth is, of course, the planet we live on. The Earth is more united than it has ever been in The Expanse, as the lines between different nations have all but disappeared. So, instead of different countries power-playing one another, Earth is governed by one single entity called the United Nations or UN, which is now the planet’s governing body instead of just a collection of different ambassadors from different nations.

The thing about Earth is that it has all of the solar system’s resources, as this is the only planet that is perfectly suited for human habitation in the solar system. As such, Earth is by far the faction that has the most control over the most important resources such as air and water. That is why those who don’t live on Earth hate the ones who inhabit the planet, as they believe that Earthers tend to take for granted the things that they were given without having to struggle to get them.

But the fact that Earth controls almost all of the resources has allowed the planet’s inhabitants to develop an elitist mindset. This means that Earthers tend to look down on people who don’t live on Earth. And this arrogance is what made the other factions hate Earthers. Specifically, the Martians have always been on the verge of war against Earth.

Earth may be abundant in resources, but this faction is far below Mars in terms of its military technology. However, Earthers do have the strength of numbers on their side and the cunning intellect of some of the leaders that are on the UN. This is how Earth has been able to contend with the other factions despite its relative weakness. Of course, as much as possible, the UN wants to avoid war with Mars because they know that they cannot win.

Belt

The Belters are the people who were born in the asteroid belt that is between Mars and the other outer planets. That means that humans have also colonized the asteroid belt in The Expanse. However, the fact that these humans were born in these places is what makes them unique.

Because the gravity in the Belt is low, the Belters tend to be different in terms of their physiological traits. They tend to be long and lean because they grew up without getting encumbered by gravity. But, as a result, they are physically weaker and tend to struggle in places that have real gravity. 

While Mars and Earth are the real powerhouses in The Expanse, the Belters are seen as outcasts or the “others” who are not protected by any real military force. They are often considered less than human and poorly educated by the Martians and Earthers. And that is why Belters are seen as expendable humans.

Due to the fact that the Belters are often oppressed by the Martians and Earthers, the Outer Planet Alliance (OPA) was formed. Then again, the OPA is often seen as a terrorist group with its own rogue agenda. However, the OPA still aims to find a way to help the Belters stand on par with both Mars and Earth instead of acting like they are inferior.

All that said, the Belt is the weakest out of all of the three main factions because the Belters neither have any real military force nor resources to throw at Mars and Earth. This is why they are often seen as the “others” in the larger narrative of the political struggles in The Expanse.

Who Would Win?

All that said, if we were to talk about pure and all-out military battles between the three factions, it is no secret that Mars is by far the strongest military force. Not even Earth, with all of its resources and people, can stand up against Mars in a full-blown war. This is why the UN always tries to find a way to avoid war with Mars because it knows that the Earthers will lose.

Despite the fact that the Earthers lack the military strength to contend with Mars, it is still true that Earth is abundant in people with amazing political talents and cunning strategic minds. This is why the leaders of Earth always find a way to not only avoid war with Mars but also gain some sort of advantage. This is the only true area that Earth has an advantage over Mars.

Meanwhile, out of the three factions, the weakest is the Belt because the Belters have nothing to throw at the Martians and Earthers. This is why the OPA often does acts of terrorism, as doing so is the only way for the OPA to force Mars and Earth to hear the demands of the Belters.

Who Is Right?

The thing about The Expanse is that none of the factions has any real claim to what is right. Each faction in The Expanse sees things differently and has its own agenda in the greater scheme of things.

For example, Earth is looking to try to power play the other factions because of how abundant the planet’s resources are. Meanwhile, Mars has a rivalry with Earth because of how technologically advanced the Martians are despite their lack of resources.

Then there are the Belters, who are often seen as the victims. But just because the Belters are the victims, it doesn’t mean that what the OPA is doing is right as well.

So, all that said, it becomes a matter of perspective when we are talking about who is right or who is wrong in The Expanse. It’s really similar to the political field that we are seeing in the real world, as there are power players that tend to bully smaller nations that often fight back using rogue-like tactics. There are victims on both sides in a war between factions that have their own way of seeing things.