Top 10 Things That Happen Next on 3 Body Problem (In The Books)
#10: Timelines and Characters Combined
First off, the fact is that even if you’ve read the books… the series will keep you guessing. As became apparent in the first season, “3 Body” the show is not a like-for-like adaptation from page to screen. There are three books in Liu Cixin’s original trilogy, but Netflix has already combined some key elements from books two and three. Characters in the show are blurred mashups of characters in the book; for example, Jin is a combination of Wang Miao and Cheng Xin. Meanwhile, the unveiling of Saul as a Wallfacer in the final episode of season one not only aligns him with Luo Ji in the books… but ties the action directly to book two, “The Dark Forest”.
#9: The Dark Forest
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More than just an ominous sounding title, though, the Dark Forest is also the key premise underpinning most of everything that comes next. In short, it’s a really kinda pessimistic view of the world (and the universe) in which all intelligent civilizations must treat space as though it were a dark forest that they, themselves, are striving to survive within. This means keeping as quiet as possible, while also being ready to strike as soon as you see another civilization on your patch. And, ultimately - if loosely - this is where the action in “3 Body” is headed. Whereas in season one, it was all about making first contact… in future episodes, it’ll be much more about the long-term impact of those first couple messages.
#8: Hibernation
No doubt the foundations have already been laid for this, but we haven’t yet seen it in full use. In the books, human hibernation is arguably the most important piece of near-future technology of all, because it’s what enables Liu Cixin’s characters to scale across the centuries. And all signs are that it’ll be exactly the same in the show. So far, Wade is the one who’s really pushing the agenda, tying in hibernation tech with his wholly unflinching “only advance” mantra. He hints at the significance that hibernation will soon have during one scene with Jin, in particular. But, ultimately, if the series stays true to the books, then it won’t just be Wade who will dabble with suspended animation.
#7: Future Worlds
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In what was one of the more controversial moves away from the original text, “3 Body” the show sets the majority of the story outside of China and in the UK. Going forwards, however, there’s really no telling where we’ll be… only that we’ll most likely travel a century or two into the future. Largely thanks to his use of hibernation, Liu Cixin breaks his book trilogy down into a number of key eras, such as the Deterrence, Broadcast and Bunker eras. And, at the end of season one of the show, there’s still almost all of that to come. Everything that’s happened so far falls within either the Common Era (before San-Ti contact) or the early Crisis Era (immediately after first contact). But, what happens next will take us far beyond the present day.
#6: Lots More Sophon
As easily one of the most engaging, enigmatic and just generally badass characters in the show, every Sophon scene so far has been a killer moment. And, the good news is, there’s a lot more where that came from! As an artificial representation of the approaching San-Ti - who, remember, view the rest of us as little more than bugs in their way - Sophon might easily have been an all out villain. But, actually, she’s a figure who you kinda root for despite yourself. If the show follows the books, then her relationship with Jin, especially, should grow into something much more significant. But, of course, a tightening link between her and Wade has already been teased in the meantime.
#5: Saul, the Wallfacer
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It took Saul a little while to step out from the shadow of his friends, but when he finally did it was a real penny-drop moment for anyone who’d read the books but hadn’t already caught on. As an unknowingly elected Wallfacer, Saul is a character called Luo Ji on the page. And now that he is a Wallfacer, boy oh boy is his life gonna change! The show has already done a decent job of showing exactly the bizarre predicament he finds himself in, when literally everything he says is taken to be part of the plan inside his head - even his attempts to stand down from his duty. But, from now, and whether he likes it or not, Saul is tasked with literally saving the world. And that should be the major storyline in the next season, at least.
#4: The Great Escape
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Clarence’s son, Reg, has very limited screen time in the first season… but it could be that we’ll be seeing more of him in the future. In one scene with his father, Reg reveals that he’s partnered with Denys Porlock (Auggie’s unlikeable colleague) to launch an apparently legit company promising to enable investors to escape Earth, if the going gets tough. Clarence isn’t exactly convinced… but Reg’s idea will likely prove more than just a throwaway scam. In the books, escapism becomes a big problem as various ruling powers try to manage the mentality of humankind as a whole. To escape is to admit defeat, which the authorities don’t want to do. So eventually, Reg, a side character so far, could become a straight-up enemy of the state.
#3: The Importance of Jin
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By the end of season one, Jin finds herself at the center of pretty much everything that’s happening. She was the first to play the game; the one to solve the game; and the one to rumble the San-Ti sympathizers. She stepped up as the head of Staircase, became begrudging partners with Wade, and she managed to send (and lose) her unrequited lover’s brain in space. And yet, her story is only just beginning! Again, her relationship with Sophon is set to grow and, although Staircase has seemingly failed, she’s destined for more in the far, far future. Namely, and again if the action follows the books, then she might one day come to be known somewhat ambiguously as the Swordholder.
#2: The Role of Raj
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Although his book-to-screen comparison isn’t quite as clear cut as it is with some of the others, it’s a good bet that Raj (in the show) is a character called Zhang Beihai in the books. Both are dedicated soldiers and determined to follow orders. Both have a seemingly unshakeable belief that humankind can (and will) overcome any alien force. While Raj’s hard line hasn’t exactly endeared him to many people (besides Wade) so far, however… if his character continues to mirror Zhang Beihai then there are some key moments of potential redemption coming up. For now, yes he is going to the moon. But, actually, he’s also set to travel much, much further away than even that.
#1: The Droplet
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At the end of season one, we clearly know that the aliens are coming. But still, that’s kinda all we know. When Wade asks what they look like, he’s told he wouldn’t like it. Even to their sympathizers, the San-Ti are little more than a disembodied voice through a radio. But, in the books it all gets a lot more real when humankind discovers an incoming probe - the droplet - that’s heading straight for us at even faster speeds than expected. As such, the droplet should become the key object in future “3 Body” episodes. And, through it, we’ll see revelations concerning extra dimensions in space… as well as the spark for an explosive deep space battle, which comes to be tagged as the Doomsday Battle, in the books.
What are you most looking forward to when “3 Body Problem” returns? Let us know in the comments!
