The Expanse season 6 can give Camina Drummer's story a fitting ending while also subverting a long-hated TV trope. The strong-minded Belter figure portrayed by Cara Gee represents an amalgamation of several personalities from The Expanse novels written by James S.A. Corey (the pen name for Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham). Introduced in season 2 as Outer Planets' Alliance leader Fred Johnson's second-in-command, Drummer has since evolved into one of the Amazon series' most compelling characters, emblematic of The Expanse's Belter underclass long-exploited at the hands of Earth and Mars. In its final season, The Expanse can pay off Drummer’s arc of pain and sacrifice and subvert harmful tropes by granting a light at the end of the tunnel to its foremost LGBTQ character.
Drummer rose to prominence in season 3 when Fred appointed her as captain of the retrofitted warship, the Behemoth, on its journey to the Ring Gate. After breaking from Fred at the end of season 4, Drummer settled with a polyamorous family of Belter pirates as emerging OPA terrorist Marco Inaros executed numerous asteroid attacks on Earth. Drummer's faction was soon forced to join Marco's Free Navy, breeding tension within her family—which culminated in an explosive betrayal of Marco in the season 5 finale “Nemesis Games.”
Since her introduction in The Expanse, Drummer has endured one hardship after another with scarcely a break in between. Her inherent righteousness has compelled her to make sacrifices for the greater good, even if it means her life. Now free to choose her own path at the start of season 6, Drummer and what remains of her faction are poised to wage their own crusade against the Free Navy. Drummer’s grief-stricken past paves the way for her to vanquish Marco’s forces and ascend to the Belt’s highest command at The Expanse’s conclusion.
Drummer's claim to vengeance stems from Marco’s involvement of her in his war against the system’s twin powers, threatening death if she failed to comply. Although in season 3 Drummer vows, “I sacrificed too much of my life to adopt the tradition of my enemy,” season 5 saw her appease Marco for the sake of her family’s protection. Eventually taking matters into her own hands by refusing to destroy the Rocinante, her rebellion prompted two of her spouses, Oksana and Bertold, to leave the group, while Marco killed Serge, who Drummer provided as part of their crew exchange. Considering the additional factors of Drummer’s vote saving Marco from execution in season 4, his killings of Fred and Ashford, and his mistreatment of The Expanse's Naomi, Drummer’s anguish will drive her to rally neutral Belters against Marco and deal the blow that forever ends the Free Navy’s bid for power.
Drummer’s arc illustrates a character vastly underappreciated by those around her, who repeatedly takes a bullet for others and receives nothing but more pain and suffering in return. This, paired with the heartbreak from nearly everyone close to Drummer either dying or leaving her paints a grim, yet all too familiar, portrait of LGBTQ representation in TV. Drummer's ultimate triumph would subvert the "bury your gays" trope that subjects LGBTQ individuals to endless suffering and denies them happy endings. On the personal side, it’s uncertain whether a family reunion is in store for Drummer, but prosperity in The Expanse’s finale following her spell of misfortune would provide the necessary closure for her story.
Drummer especially warrants further leverage given how others have previously undermined her authority, even having her command usurped in season 4 after she was temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Even as the leader of her faction in season 5, Karal—the crew member Marco planted on her ship—sparked conflict notably by turning Oksana against Drummer. Although she vowed to stay out of politics upon leaving the OPA, Drummer should helm the Belt in the future given her experience under Fred and Anderson Dawes—who she watched fail to liberate Belters from their never-ending plight. In The Expanse season 6, Drummer can lead by her own standard without caving to those with ulterior motives.
The Expanse season 6 premieres December 10.