Which characters in The Expanse could possibly replace Alex Kamal for season 6? As The Expanse heads into its final stretch, Amazon's ambitious sci-fi extravaganza finds itself in a tricky position. Since debuting in 2015, The Expanse has revolved around the crew of the Rocinante - a mish-mash of races and personalities from across the Sol system, thrown together and thrust into the middle of an interplanetary war. Together, James Holden (Steven Strait), Naomi Nagata (Dominique Tipper), Amos Burton (Wes Chatham) and Alex Kamal (Cas Anvar) have put aside their differences to fight for peace, all while developing a strangely heartwarming familial bond.
That core quartet remain together throughout the Expanse novel series, but real life circumstances necessitated a change for the live-action TV show. Ahead of The Expanse's season 5 premiere (but after completion of filming), multiple reports emerged accusing Anvar of sexual misconduct and harassment. An internal investigation was carried out by The Expanse's production company, Alcon Entertainment, and when a sixth and final season was confirmed in late 2020, the announcement stated Alex Kamal would not be returning. The Expanse season 5's final episode abruptly killed off the character.
The Expanse will now move forward with the central trio of Holden, Naomi and Amos, but the Rocinante still needs a pilot to replace Alex in season 6, and there are a few candidates who could step into that vacancy.
Bull
Following Alex's death in The Expanse's season 5 finale, the show appears to establish Bull as his official successor in the Rocinante's pilot seat. When Holden goes chasing Marco Inaros without his usual crew, it's Bull who offers to drive the bus. Holden warns him that, as a retrofitted Martian gunship, the Roci isn't an easy horse to tame, but Bull allays the captain's fears with a formidable display of piloting skill. During battles with the Zmeya and the 5-ship Free Navy ambush, Bull acquits himself as a highly capable potential replacement for Alex Kamal, and also becomes more amenable to Holden's orders as The Expanse season 5 progresses. At the start, the duo act coldly towards each other, working together with no small amount of reluctance. In the finale, however, Bull refrains from referring to Belters as "skinnies"on Holden's order and executes a command to fire on the Chetzemoka, referring to Holden as "captain" while he does so. The death of Fred Johnson leaves Bull at a loose end, and he's shown drinking from Alex's coffee cup in The Expanse's season 5 finale - almost certainly a visual nod toward his future.
Drummer
If the Rocinainte needs a familiar face in The Expanse season 6, there are few characters as established and popular (with the exception of Avasarala, who isn't best suited to space travel) as Cara Gee's Camina Drummer. A friend and associate of Fred Johnson, Drummer has long been an advocate of peace between the Inner planets and the Belt, but ultimately came to believe Fred was a little too subservient to his friends on Earth. Drummer then struck out alone and reluctantly joined Marco Inaros' Free Navy, but revealed her true colors in The Expanse's season 5 finale. Camina now has no choice but to join the fight against Marco, and with her own crew split, it makes sense to join the Rocinante crew, given Drummer's pre-existing friendship with them. Drummer also admitted to loving Naomi in season 5, which could be an interesting avenue to explore further.
With that said, Drummer appears to have her own storyline going on in The Expanse's final season. Mirroring Michio Pa's arc from the novels, Drummer could become an ally of Earth's, but as the leader of a Belter faction, not the Rocinante's pilot.
Bobbie
One of the most important aspects of Alex's future replacement in The Expanse will be their heritage. The whole point of the Rocinante is to represent Sol's trio of factions - Earth, Mars and the Belt. Since Alex Kamal was the ship's sole Martian, his successor must also hail from the Red Planet, so as to maintain the symbolic significance of Holden's crew. Bobbie is already a de facto member of Team Rocinante, having shared adventures with the crew previously, and was particularly close to Alex, giving her a narrative reason to fill his position. As a former Martian marine, it's also feasible that Bobbie is a skilled enough pilot to handle the Roci.
In The Expanse's season 5 finale, Bobbie appears to get a new job on Luna as a delegate of UN Secretary General Avasarala, but this storyline was likely mapped out before Alex's exit became necessary. Now that the Rocinante and the UN are aligned against Marco Inaros, Bobbie could fulfill her Avasarala duties as part of Holden's crew.
Clarissa
One confirmed addition to the Rocinante crew in The Expanse season 6 is Clarissa "Peaches" Mao. Holden's former adversary has served her time in jail (or some of it, at least), and is now seeking redemption for her horrific actions in season 3. Amos wants to give Clarissa that second chance, and helped evacuate her from Earth before chaos descended upon the planet completely. After tricking Holden into letting bygones be bygones, Amos officially announces the addition of Clarissa to the Rocinante crew ahead of The Expanse's final season, but while Clarissa is the new fourth member of the crew, she's not necessarily a direct replacement for Alex. Clarissa's skills lie more in engineering and ripping people apart than piloting, and she's about as Martian as the Statue of Liberty.
Leveau
When Holden and the Rocinante depart from Tycho Station in The Expanse season 5, Bull isn't the only makeshift addition to the team. Played by George Tchortov, Leveau serves as a loyal aide to Fred Johnson, and can often be found guarding the character in season 5 (poorly, as it turns out). After Fred's death, Leveau jumps aboard the Rocinante as an extra crew member. Very much a background character, it's not clear exactly what Leveau does during his time on the Roci, nor whether he's a proficient pilot. The Expanse also leaves Leveau's future unclear; will he remain on the Rocinante crew, or seek pastures new?
Rather than adding a bona fide new crew member to the Roci's existing dynamic, The Expanse might choose to focus squarely on Holden, Naomi and Amos. In this scenario, the ship would need a smaller character who could sit in the Roci's driving seat and ferry the gang around without taking the spotlight. Leveau would be ideal for this role - getting Holden and his friends from A to B with minimal fuss.
Delgado
Getting to the rank outsiders, could Admiral Delgado be in for a radical career change in The Expanse season 6? Played by Michael Irby, Delgado begins season 5 as one of Avasarala's few allies, but when the UN's ruling cabinet convenes, the two friends come to blows. The military-minded Admiral wants to hit the Belt with as much firepower as possible, whereas Avasarala believes hurting civilians will only push more Belters towards Marco Inaros. The moral tug-of-war is won by Avasarala, who soon takes over as Secretary General. While she offers Delgado a job, he seems intent on pursuing Marco on the frontlines of battle, rather than making moves from behind a desk. When The Expanse season 5 ends, it's not entirely clear which path Delgado is planning to take, but if he really wants to venture out and personally pull the trigger on Marco, he could do worse than quitting the UN completely and joining the Rocinante as their new pilot. The idea of a former Earth Admiral taking orders from James Holden is a little odd, but Delgado is almost certainly capable of flying ships thanks to his distinguished career.
Samantha/Samara
Although Samantha Rosenberg appeared previously in The Expanse, her single episode cameo is a fleeting affair, but the character has a much larger role in the books, where she's known as Samara. A Belter engineer on Tycho Station, Sam is is probably as hurt by Fred Johnson's death as Bull and Leveau, giving her a motivation to join the Rocinante. The Expanse hasn't revealed enough about Sam to prove whether she's capable of flying a ship or not, but she fits the mold of a Leveau-esque familiar face who could helm the Roci without intruding on the existing cast.