Pilot of the Rocinante and former MCRN officer. A Martian with a warm, garrulous personality that masks genuine melancholy about his failed family life. One of the finest pilots in human space, with an instinctive feel for orbital mechanics and ship handling.

Mechanic and general muscle aboard the Rocinante. A man who grew up in the worst conditions Baltimore had to offer and emerged without the capacity for moral judgment most people take for granted - he outsources that function to people he trusts. Straightforwardly violent when necessary, and deeply loyal to those he considers his people.

Former XO of the ice freighter Canterbury who becomes captain of the salvaged Martian gunship Rocinante after witnessing the destruction of his ship. A relentless idealist with a compulsion to broadcast the truth regardless of the political consequences, Holden repeatedly finds himself at the centre of events that define the course of human history.

A Belter detective working for Star Helix Security on Ceres Station. Burnt out, underpaid, and living in his hat. Assigned to find a missing girl named Julie Mao, he becomes obsessed with the case long after it stops being a job. The investigation costs him everything and leads him to the heart of the greatest conspiracy in human history.

Chief engineer and executive officer of the Rocinante. A Belter of exceptional intelligence and technical skill who carries a painful past involving the Free Navy. The moral conscience of the crew, she is also one of the most capable engineers in the solar system.

Martian marine gunnery sergeant who witnesses something on Ganymede that her government wants buried. One of the most physically formidable characters in the series, she is also one of its most principled - a soldier who cannot stop asking whether the orders she follows are worth following.

UN Deputy Undersecretary of Executive Administration and one of the most powerful politicians on Earth. Foul-mouthed, brilliant, and utterly clear-eyed about how power works. She plays the long game better than almost anyone in the solar system and genuinely cares about the billions of people whose lives depend on her getting it right.

Former UN Marine colonel who became the most wanted man in the Belt after Anderson Station, and then - through a long process of reckoning with what he had done - became the most important non-Belter leader in the OPA. A man trying to build something better out of the wreckage of his own history.

Daughter of industrialist Jules-Pierre Mao and crew member of the Scopuli. A young woman from a wealthy Earth family who rejected her privileged background to join the OPA and fight for Belter rights.

Chief botanist of the RMD-Southern soy farm project on Ganymede, and father of Mei Meng. A gentle, methodical scientist thrust into a desperate search for his missing daughter. His expertise in botany and the slow logic of growing things sits in sharp contrast to the violence of the world he is forced to navigate.

The young daughter of botanist Praxidike Meng. She has a rare genetic immune condition that requires regular medical treatment, making her dependent on specialised care.