Netflix’s mind-bending 3 Body Problem is one heck of a ride, and it’s only getting started. The series, created by Alexander Woo and Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, follows a group of scientists who get entangled with the San-Ti, an alien race headed for Earth. That’s an extremely simplified way to summarize the series, which deals with some seriously complicated ideas, including the titular three-body problem—one I’m frankly not smart enough to explain.
The first season of 3 Body Problem, which continues to sit in the streamer’s most-watched list weeks after its premiere, can’t tie up all of its loose ends. There’s plenty of ground to cover, as the series is based on the first book(-ish) of author Liu Cixin’s dense trilogy, and Season 1 only scratches the surface. It does, however, set up a lot of exciting avenues to explore in future seasons. (While Netflix hasn’t announced a Season 2 yet, based on the show’s reported popularity, it seems pretty likely.)
For those of us who haven’t already read the books or watched the other recent adaptation, these are the seven questions we want answers to most urgently—most of which are serious inquiries, and one of which will haunt me for the rest of my days.
1. What happens when the countdown ends?
A scene of the timer countdown in episode 3 of 3 Body Problem.
Courtesy of Netflix
At the beginning of the Netflix show, scientists are winding up dead. Before they die, they’re confronted with a countdown clock—something that only they, and no one else around them, can see. We know that the way to stop the countdown, as Auggie Salazar (Eiza González) discovers, is to stop scientific pursuits. It’s understood that the countdown is ultimately meaningless, merely a threat to stop scientists from developing methods that could be used to thwart the will of the San-Ti. But that’s not confirmed, and I’m not buying it—there are enough dead scientists to suggest that something, even if it’s psychosomatic, happens at the end of the countdown. Hopefully another season will give us some clarity.
2. Why did Will spend more than $20 million on a star?
Jess Hong as Jin Cheng, Alex Sharp as Will Downing in episode 7 of 3 Body Problem.
Courtesy of Netflix
Perhaps the single most pressing issue in the whole series is the wildest thing that happens this season: Will Downing (Alex Sharp) spends £19.5 million (nearly $25 million) of his inherited fortune to anonymously buy Jin (Jess Hong) a star. By that, we mean Will bought a piece of paper that says Jess owns a star; one can’t possess an actual star. This begs many questions: Why on Earth would a smart person—a physicist, no less—buy a star? Why did he think Jin would care about owning DX3906 (doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, does it)? And why is nobody talking about this? Look, I get the world’s end is impending, but this feels more pressing than that. What’s he intending to do with this purchase?
3. What are the San-Ti planning?
We know the San-Ti are coming, and it’s going to take 400 years for them to get to Earth. Judging by the panic that engulfs the entirety of the human world, you’d think that they’re fully intent on turning the citizens of Earth into mindless slaves to do their bidding. But the truth is that we actually have no idea what the San-Ti are planning.
We do know they’re committed to stopping science from progressing, and their surveillance powers are unmatched, so it’s fair to say their intentions aren’t exactly lovely. But there’s something to the fact that they haven’t obliterated Earth’s technology yet. If they haven’t reduced us to rubble yet when they definitely could, what exactly do the San-Ti want?
4. Will we see more of the video game universe?
Sea Shimooka as Sophon in the video game universe of episode 3 of 3 Body Problem.
Courtesy of Netflix
One of the most exciting parts of 3 Body Problem is the virtual reality game that some of the world’s leading minds are playing. The game is eons beyond what we can imagine in a present-day video game—maybe by the time Grand Theft Auto 7 comes out in a couple dozen console generations, we’ll be able to play a game like this. The game accounts for some of the most exciting scenes in the show, as the opportunities truly feel limitless.
The rules of the game are complex and seem to be different for everyone who plays it. But once Jin and Jack (John Bradley) get to Level Four, it appears to be the end of the game’s journey; the game is essentially a recruitment tool for the San-Ti. But the question remains: Will more people get a hold of the game, and will we get to spend more time in its compelling universe?
5. What do the San-Ti look like?
We only see the San-Ti—or rather, a version of the San-Ti—in the video game universe. In the game, they look just like people, but one game character tells Thomas (Liam Cunningham) and Jin that they appear like humans purely for their benefit. When Wade asks what they actually look like, they say, “You wouldn’t like it.”
That’s unnerving, to say the least. We don’t get any other indication as to what the powerful San-Ti look like. We get a sense of what they’re capable of, but it’s hard to visualize them doing much of anything, which keeps the existential dread level pretty high. Perhaps Season 2 will give us some answers, or at least a clue or two, as to the San-Ti’s appearance. If we wouldn’t like it, I have to assume they’re at least a little revolting to look at and aren’t adorable Winnie the Pooh-like figures. I’m willing to bet they have more limbs than we know exist.
6. What other technology do the San-Ti have?
Liam Cunningham as Wade, Benedict Wong as Da Shi with the San-Ti technology.
Courtesy of Netflix
Based on the video game, the fact that the San-Ti can dehydrate themselves at will to endure the harshest imaginable conditions, and more, it’s clear that the San-Ti have extraordinary capabilities centuries ahead of what mere humans have. While their presence is threatening—they are promising the end of Earth as we know it—I, for one, cannot wait to see what other technologies the San-Ti have developed.
The San-Ti have been through nearly 10,000 civilizations, so you know they’ve seen things you’d never believe. If their video games can push boundaries like we never thought possible, what have they done with stores? Cars? Cities? Though their planet is no more, hopefully, an eventual Season 2 will bring a deeper understanding of San-Ti technology.
7. Will Saul become a Wallfacer?
Benedict Wong as Da Shi, Jovan Adepo as Saul Durand in episode 8 of 3 Body Problem.
Courtesy of Netflix
Poor Saul (Jovan Adepo). Saul spent most of the season on the sidelines, helping take care of his friend Will, mostly staying out of the science of it all. But in the season finale, “Wallfacer,” Saul is stunned to discover he’s been named a Wallfacer; it’s announced at the United Nations Planetary Defense Council, no less. The job has extremely heavy responsibilities, as Wallfacers are expected to come up with a plan to conquer the incoming San-Ti.
He received no warning, so Saul is (very reasonably) hesitant about joining, and he seems quite adamant that he’s not going to do it. But his name has already been announced, thrusting him into the spotlight and irreversibly putting him in danger. Will Saul give in and decide to help save the world, or rebuke the Wallfacer life?
