Catch these Game of Thrones and Doctor Who references on The Expanse?

The Expanse tucked some references to shows like Game of Thrones, Doctor Who and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air into a recent episode. What connects them all?

The Expanse is a show that pays attention to detail. The Amazon Prime Video series is a sprawling sci-fi potboiler, part mystery, part political thriller, part pessimistic futurist odyssey. There are lots of things to keep track of, and other, smaller details you might miss while you’re at it.

For example, one Redditor noticed something interesting in the fifth episode of season 5, “Down and Out.” Apparently, Earther power broker Chrisjen Avasarala has some very interesting contacts in her phone:

"S05E05- Has anyone noticed that Chrisjen Avasarala seems to have Doctor Who on speed dial? from TheExpanse"

On of the names on there it “Clegane, G,” which should ring a bell for Game of Thrones fans. Gregor Clegane was the Mountain, the very big, very angry brother of the Hound who died in the show’s final season.

We also see “Who, Dr” on there, an obvious reference to Doctor Who. What do these names have in common? One user figured out that they’re all the names of characters who have been recast. The Doctor is famously recast every few seasons, while three different actors played the Mountain That Rides on Game of Thrones: Conan Stevens, Ian Whyte and Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson.

The other names fit, as well. Redditors figure that “Banks, V” is a reference to Aunt Vivian from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, who was played by Janet Hubert for the first few seasons and Daphne Maxwell Reid thereafter. And “Arjun” is Avasarala’s husband, played by Brian George in the first three seasons and by Michael Benyaer in the fourth and fifth.

We’ll keep an eye out for more details like this. We know the show will have them.

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h/t RadioTimes