Chrisjen Avasarala

The most powerful official in the UN, wielding political strategy as her primary weapon.

Chrisjen Avasarala serves as the United Nations Assistant Undersecretary of Executive Administration, rising to become the UN Secretary General. She stands as the most powerful official in the UN for the majority of her career within The Expanse series. Operating from Earth, she navigates a solar system fractured by tension between the superpowers of Earth and Mars, while managing the volatile independence movements of the Belters.

Quick Facts

Role: United Nations Assistant Under-Secretary of Executive Administration; UN Secret
Affiliation: United Nations (Earth)

Lore & Background

The Expanse is set in a future where Earth, led by the United Nations, and Mars control the solar system in an uneasy military alliance. Amidst substantial tensions between these two superpowers and the oppressed Belters of the outer planets, Avasarala operates at the highest level of Earth's government. She functions within a political landscape defined by resource scarcity, where the inner worlds control biological access while the Belt performs gritty labor work. Her influence extends through the fractured governance of the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) and the militant groups fighting for independence. As the series progresses and humanity gains access to thousands of new worlds via the ring network created by a long-dead alien civilization, her role shifts from managing solar system politics to addressing threats that span over 1,300 star systems connected through the slow zone hub.

Reader's Guide

As a character rooted in Earth's United Nations, she embodies the struggle to maintain order amidst chaos. Her story is one of evolution from a high-ranking bureaucrat to the Secretary General, a position that places her at the center of every major crisis facing humanity. She operates in a world where the lack of gravity has physically and culturally altered the Belters, creating a distinct society with its own creole language influenced by German, Chinese, and Spanish. Avasarala must navigate these cultural divides while managing the military tensions between Earth and Mars.