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.

Head of security for Royal Charter Energy (RCE) on the Ilus/New Terra expedition. A ruthless and calculating former soldier who believes the frontier demands brutal pragmatism, willing to kill colonists and manipulate situations to establish corporate dominance.

Charismatic and ruthless leader of the Free Navy, a radical Belter faction. Responsible for the asteroid strike on Earth that kills billions. A man of genuine political grievance and monstrous methods, whose belief in his own vision is absolute and whose love for his son is the only thing that complicates his certainty.

A high-ranking Martian military officer with a long-term strategic vision. A calculating and patient leader who positions himself to shape humanity's future beyond the Sol system.

A colonel in the Laconian Imperial Navy and former MCRN officer. One of the most capable and dangerous soldiers in the empire, assigned to hunt down Teresa Duarte and the underground resistance. Practical, professional, and entirely willing to do whatever the mission requires.

A charismatic and politically astute OPA faction leader based on Ceres station. A Belter nationalist who operates in the grey area between diplomacy and coercion to advance the interests of the Belt.

A Methodist minister and activist from Earth. A compassionate and principled woman who becomes involved in events aboard the Behemoth as humanity faces the unknown beyond the Ring.

Laconian admiral and military commander. Takes effective control of the Laconian empire after High Consul Duarte becomes incapacitated, struggling to hold the empire together.

A Ganymede refugee and father who relocated to the colony world of Ilus (New Terra). A welder by trade, he is protective of his family and deeply mistrustful of the corporate and UN interests that follow settlers to the new world.

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.

A Belter who rises from security chief at Tycho Station to captain of her own ship to president of the Transport Union. Pragmatic, loyal, and capable of enormous violence when the situation calls for it. One of the series' most consistent moral anchors in the later books.

A senior officer aboard the OPA Behemoth, known by his nickname Bull. A practical, no-nonsense Earther who joined the OPA and earned respect through competence rather than birthright.

Colonial coordinator and leader of the Ilus/New Terra settlement. Represents the colonists in negotiations with RCE and mediator Holden, working to protect the settlers' rights to the planet they have claimed.

RCE security officer assigned to the surface team on Ilus/New Terra. Serves under Murtry and follows his orders loyally, including monitoring the Belter ship Barbapiccola.

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.

Daughter of the magnate Jules-Pierre Mao, who frames Holden for a terrorist attack in a misguided attempt to restore her family's honour. After her imprisonment she joins the Rocinante crew, carrying significant guilt and a body modified for violence she is trying to leave behind.