Let's see — how do we explain this "protomolecule yule log" that Amazon Prime Video has put forth ahead of Season 5 of The Expanse? See, the protomolecule is this blue goo thing that hitched a ride on Saturn moon Phoebe. Its purpose, it turns out, is to figure out how to create a portal to the beings that sent it out into the universe in the first place. Only, to do so means it sort of accidentally on purposes kills everything it encounters in the first place.
Got all that?
We've got a full explainer on The Expanse that'll get you all caught up on the first four seasons before the first three episodes of Season 5 drop on Dec. 16. (Unlike Season 4, which landed all at once, new episodes will be released weekly after that.) But that's the gist it of, and it's sort of the gist of this blue flame/protomolecule thing that Amazon just put out in the form of a yule log, complete with space sounds in the background.
It's done up with the sort of furniture you find in video feeds in The Expanse, including exposure time, focal length and distance, iris aperture, and white balance. Maybe there's some sort of code there if you stare at it long enough.
But probably not.
There also aren't yet any more clues as to what to expect from Season 5. We know asteroids are headed for Earth. We know there's a good chance Mars is playing a part in the conspiracy.
And we know the penultimate season should be a good one.
