It's the new sci-fi phenomenon of the moment on Apple TV+. The Apple platform has rarely disappointed us, and we have to admit that Murderbot continues the trend. Released on May 16, 2025, the series, created by Chris and Paul Weitz, is inspired by the literary cycle Diary of an AssaSynth by Martha Wells, not without many liberties taken with the original text.
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The difference is subtle, but it deserves to be highlighted. In the series, and although he is presented as a gender-neutral entity, the main character is played by actor Alexander Skarsgård. With his imposing musculature, and despite the fact that the crew often refers to him as “it” (used to refer to a gender-neutral object) in the original version, the series leaves very little doubt about the renegade android’s gender identity.
In the novels, things are not so binary. The hero is never gendered as masculine, since outside of his internal monologues, the other characters use the pronoun “they” to refer to him. A subtlety that ultimately makes sense, since SecUnits do not possess genitals or a sexual identity. Similarly, they are also incapable of feeling the slightest romantic or sexual attraction.
A fragmented narrative
10 episodes is a long time, even if they only last 25 minutes. To meet the needs of a series adaptation, Apple TV+ has greatly stretched the source material. Whereas the first volume of the series can be devoured in less than two hours, the story told by Chris and Paul Weitz takes the time to focus on the trajectories of the secondary characters, and in particular the Preservation Alliance crew.
This structural choice also requires some adjustments: certain introspective passages, which were the strength of the literary story, are transposed by dialogues or more visual scenes, which changes the viewer's perception of the character's interiority. The first freedom concerns the narrative structure. Whereas the first novel, System Failures, focuses on a specific mission and adopts a first-person narrative, the series broadens the scope, allowing for several digressions, notably into the past of Gurathin and Mensah.
A New Character
The series marks a clear break with the novel when it introduces the character of LeBeebee, for the simple reason that the character does not exist (or at least not in this form). In the novels, LeBeebee is the daughter of Doctor Mensah. Appearing in the fifth volume of Chronicles of an AssaSynth, Amena Mensah is a resourceful and curious teenager, who accompanies the main character and plays a key role in his adventures.
In the series, LeBeebee exists, but it is quite clear that the character has nothing to do with the one in the novels. It's also safe to say that the young woman (who is an adult in the Apple TV+ production) will not be present in the following seasons, and that she has no family ties to Mensah. The creators of the series simply took its name, as a nod to the original material.
Giving a glimpse of the world
Because of the adaptation, Murderbot had to put images on the world of Martha Wells. Where the novels leave a lot of room for the reader's imagination, particularly regarding the appearance of the SecUnit and the surrounding technology, the series offers a polished aesthetic and futuristic settings, taking a notable liberty with the original texts.
No need to cry heresy: the creators Chris and Paul Weitz regularly exchanged with the author during the writing phase. Martha Wells is involved in the project as a consultant, to ensure the coherence of the universe and the respect of the main narrative lines. All the liberties taken with the novel have therefore been validated.
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