So, Why Do The San-Ti Think We’re Bugs, Exactly?

Buckle up, everyone; Netflix has gifted the internet its new favorite soundbyte/obsession, as its original programming has done so many times before.

With 3 Body Problem having premiered and wrapped up all in one breath as of last Thursday, the phrase “you are bugs” has begun its promotional duties for the ambitious sci-fi series.

But what does “you are bugs” even mean?

What does “you are bugs” mean?

Spoilers for Netflix’s 3 Body Problem ahead

First, the essentials; “you are bugs” is the phrase that the San-Ti, a highly-developed extraterrestrial race, broadcasted to all of humanity in and around the second half of 3 Body Problem‘s first season. The words serve as an omen for the San-Ti’s current intentions of wiping humanity out of the universe.

Then comes the question of why the San-Ti want to do this in the first place, and why they landed on “you are bugs” as their declaration of what’s currently looking like a one-sided war.

That answer can mostly be chalked up to being the result of a miscommunication (or perhaps the San-Ti coming to understand us better than we do ourselves) on account of Mike Evans, one of the highest ranking members of the San-Ti devotees. During one of his conversations with the San-Ti, he refers to opponents of the devotee organization as “pests,” which the San-Ti take to mean actual bugs.

Mike explains his usage of the term “pest,” explaining that said opponents are, to him, “annoying, inconsequential, easy to eliminate,” as one describes a bug. This, despite the San-Ti pointing out that those opponents are human, not bugs; go figure.

It’s around this time that the San-Ti become aware of humanity’s ability to lie and deceive, which in turn leads them to the conclusion that humanity cannot be trusted, and can therefore not be a species that can co-exist with the San-Ti and the rest of the universe.

Hence “you are bugs,” because we’re annoying, inconsequential, easy to eliminate, and the San-Ti are dead set on eliminating humanity right now.

(featured image: Netflix)