Abstract

James Holden, second in command on the Canterbury, just watched it explode while on an away mission. Naomi relinquishes her implicit claim for captainship, telling a wounded Holden, “Being in charge is a shit job.” Throughout Holden's psychological disintegration following Eros, Naomi is more emotionally stable and reliable. Naomi even betrays Amos’ blind trust in her leadership. Naomi's story highlights the intersections of race, class, and gender, and it clarifies the cost of resistance. The concept of intersectionality illuminates the ways Belters are subjected to different forms of oppression and discrimination not just as individuals, but as a collectivity. The Belters on Ilus are simultaneously another race and an oppressed working class. The intersection of Naomi's gender and identity as a Belter causes great suffering, leading her to attempt taking her own life.