‘3 Body Problem’ Book Ending Explained

3 Body Problem is the latest sci-fi TV show creating waves online, with an alien invasion storyline capturing audiences’ imaginations. Starring Rosalind Chao, Eiza González, Benedict Wong, and Jonathan Pryce, among others, the Netflix series is loosely based on the Chinese novel of the same name by Liu Cixin.

The D.B. Weiss, David Benioff, and Alexander Woo-created series premiered on March 21 and has been the No. 1 series on Netflix U.S. ever since. However, audiences might be confused about how the show ended, and the book’s ending might help answer some of their questions.

***SPOILER ALERT: This post spoils the ending of the book and the first season.***

At the end of the 3 Body Problem, the readers find out that the Trisolarans have sent the Sophones to hamper humans’ study of advanced physics (for the uninitiated, Sophones are proton-sized supercomputers that possess the ability to intercept all forms of human communication). The Trisolarans can do this because they have access to technology that can open multidimensional space at a sub-atomic level.

They are specifically able to hinder mankind’s scientific advancement by tampering with the results of subatomic research, which in turn can help humans go toe to toe with the Trisolaran multidimensional technology. The aforementioned tactic by the Trisolarans points towards the fact that they don’t want humans to have competing technology once they invade.

However, there is one major difference between the book and the TV show: the Trisolarans (so named in the book because these aliens have a star system with three suns) are actually referred to as ‘San Ti’ in the Netflix series. As per the show, ‘San Ti’ means “three-bodied person” in Chinese, although in real life, it alludes to the 22-23 anime adaptation of Dark Forest (based on the second book of the trilogy).

Considering there are 3 books in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy (3 Body Problem, The Dark Forest, and Death’s End), fans can probably expect a 3 season run for the series. Netflix hasn’t commissioned the second season yet, but the show creators recently hinted at getting pre-production up and running once they get the green light from the streaming giant.

(featured image: Netflix)