There are two kinds of realism in science fiction: scientific accuracy (which is always debatable when it comes to space travel), and social insight. If you’re lucky, you’ll get one. And if you’re watching The Expanse, returning for its second season tonight on Syfy, you’ll get whopping doses of both. Plus you’re in for one helluva ride.

Based on the bestselling novels by James S.A. Corey, pen name for the crack writing team of Ty Frank and Daniel Abraham, the series follows the adventures of an interplanetary ice hauler crew 150 years in our future. On a hum-drum run between the asteroid mines of the Belt and water-hungry colonies of the inner system, they find themselves drawn into a conspiracy that could spark a war between Earth and Mars. But from the earliest moments in its first season, it was obvious that this show wasn’t going to be your typical space adventure. Sure there are explosions, zero-gravity antics, glowing blob zombies, and swashbuckling heroes, but there is also a rich, rewarding social world to explore.