WARNING: The following contains mentions of sexual harassment and assault, as well as minor spoilers for Season 5, Episodes 1-3 of The Expanse, now available on Amazon Prime Video.

The Expanse Season 5 is here, and it is being met with the same critical acclaim as previous seasons. The show is due to reach its planned finale with Season 6, but it's been confirmed that not every character will be present in the final season. Rocinante's pilot Alex Kamal, played by Cas Anvar, will not be returning, and the circumstances behind his departure have nothing to do with The Expanse's planned story. Instead, they have to do with the sexual harassment allegations Anvar is facing.

Season 5 will feature Kamal prominently, as was the case in prior seasons. The first three episodes have already shown Kamal attempting to reconnect with his estranged family, following his return to Mars. It's also shown him reuniting with former Martian marine Bobbie Draper, as she continues her investigation into the smuggling of Martian tech to the Belters.

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While a major character so far, when Season 6 rolls around, Kamal will disappear. How it will be handled is unknown, but the real-life actions of Anvar have necessitated his departure. As reported by ScreenRant, a series of sexual misconduct allegations against Anvar began in the summer of 2020, which have prompted an internal investigation from the production company, Alcon Entertainment, through an independent firm.

This was not an action taken lightly. Anvar has been accused of instigating a series of encounters in which he sexually harassed many women. These incidents were said to have primarily occurred across a large number of conventions and public appearances, but according to cast and crew, none of these incidents happened on-set during production. Those who came forward provided not only first-hand accounts of their experiences, but they have also backed up their claims with screenshots and transcripts.

According to the allegations, the women met him under the auspice of being fans and were subsequently harassed both in-person and via direct messages. Reportedly, Anvar's intent was to pressure these women into sexually explicit encounters, insulting and verbally abusing them when he was refused. There are also claims of physical assault by Anvar from women who met with him in-person outside the convention appearances.

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Behavior of this fashion is shameful in any environment, and there is no situation where it should be tolerated. The internal investigation finished, with the final decision being to fire Anvar, with no plans to recast the character. Unfortunately, The Expanse Season 5 wrapped filming before the allegations were made, and Season 6 has yet to begin production. This means, that Kamal will go from being an active participant in The Expanse's narrative to suddenly disappearing.

How the writers handle this remains unclear, beyond the fact that the role of Kamal will not be recast. One thing is certain though, this has hit fans hard. Still, the decision to fire Anvar was the correct choice. Harassment of any kind is unacceptable, and the production company behind The Expanse took a course of action it deemed appropriate for this matter.

An adaptation of the novel series of the same name by James S.A. Corey, The Expanse stars Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo and Frankie Adams. New episodes of Season 5 premiere Wednesdays on Amazon Prime Video.

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