STRAIT TALK

Steven Strait plays James Holden

One of this season’s big themes is “You reap what you sow”. How does that apply to Holden?

Now that Miller and all of his forms are truly gone, Holden is the only one left truly concerned about not just the protomolecule, but also the entities that killed off the builders of the protomolecule. That’s still at the forefront of his mind. Off the top of the season, you get a glimpse into what Holden’s life is like when the world isn’t falling to pieces around him. You get to see him in a much healthier place than you’ve seen him in years previous. He’s settled into his position as a leader. When Naomi goes off and the rest of the crew split apart, his priority is still on the looming danger of what these entities that killed off the protomolecule can bring.

As Holden embraces being a leader, what does that mean for him? Will he be rallying the troops for war?

You see Holden confident in his command of what needs to be done and what the priorities should be, while keeping the entire picture of what’s happening geopolitically in his mind. When he goes off on his journey this year, there’s a lot of conflicting elements within Holden. It’s not just geostrategic or political, but also interpersonal conflicts that he has to organise and prioritise in a way that we haven’t seen from Holden yet.

What new sets blew you away this year?

Oh, man – there are so many! Because of the story structure, there are a lot more environments than there have been in the past. Wait until folks see the way Baltimore’s been rendered this season. And the new ships within Marco’s sphere. You get to see a lot more of Tycho and a bunch of OPA and Belter environments. But also Mars, in a very comprehensive way. They are just so stunning.