Season 3 of The Expanse is rolling along at the moment, with Earth and Mars in all-out war against one another, while the Belt has suddenly become a force to be reckoned with in the solar system thanks to it being in possession of the protomolecule. Stuck in the middle of all the conflict is the crew of the Rocinante. They have all been through the ringer over the past two seasons, but according to actor Cas Anvar, who plays Alex, the ship’s pilot has been on an interesting journey of self-discovery. 

Alex, the Martian with a distinct Texas drawl, was drawn into a situation beyond his control. In that regard, his circumstances aren’t too different than the rest of the crew. But the particulars of his past, and what he’s been running from are. But as Anvar recently told us, Alex isn’t running anymore; he’s found a home and a family aboard the Rocinante, and they’ve helped him find his true calling. 

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In an interview with Screen Rant, Anvar discussed his character’s trajectory by charting the trajectory of Alex over the past few seasons, and the beginning of season 3. For Anvar, the arc is clear: Alex may be in a life-and-death struggle, but he has finally found what he’s “meant to do.” Anvar said:

“Alex has grown a lot since season 1. At the beginning he was this very insecure, very introverted guy. He didn't really know who he was, he was kind of lost. Everybody on the Canterbury was lost and broken in one way or another. We all had our damage, we all had our stories. Alex was running from a lot. He referred to himself as nothing more than a glorified bus driver because he had not found his true calling. He had not found himself. The second he sat his butt down in the Roci seat for the first time in episode 4, something happened to him. Under some incredibly stressful, life-and-death circumstances, he feels at home. And he has that almost maniacal laugh that is kind of an indication of a release. It's like a door had been kicked down and the real Alex has been finally allowed to cut loose. Between seasons 1 and 2 Alex discovers who he is. He finds his place. he finds a family that he actually understands and he realizes this is what he's meant to do; this is what he's always been meant to do but he's been denying it he's been running from it.”

But Alex is also a family man; he has a wife and children back on Mars. Early on season 3 Alex makes an effort to address a situation he’s been reluctant to talk about for two seasons now. Anvar thinks this is also a key part of Alex’s development, one that suggests the character is no longer running from anything in his past.  

“He finally grows enough to face some really hard truths and grow up and become a man and face these things. And in the previous episode he has the courage to actually talk to his family and tell them the truth about everything he has discovered so that is a huge journey for him. In season 2 he was not capable of confronting this. He was confronted about his family back on Mars and Alex didn't want to talk about it; he just said 'I just want them to think I'm a hero and I died on the Donnager.' Amos talked about it several times with him in their little bar scene in seasons 1 and 2 and every time the talked about his marriage or his family it was a confrontation that Alex was not ready to face and now he is. He's become confident and figured out who he is he's realizing his potential and he's becoming the man he was always meant to be. “

Where Alex will go next is anyone's guess, but if the conflict unfolding in season 3 is any indication, this is by no means the end of the changes the character will likely be facing.

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The Expanse continues next Wednesday with ‘Reload’ @10pm on SYFY.