‘3 Body Problem’ Attempts To Answer Humanity’s Philosophical Questions

When the reality you face is bleak and you believe the worst of humanity, what would you do if given the power to alter the course of the world for billions of people? This is one of the many dilemmas explored in “3 Body Problem,” a sci-fi Netflix show based on the acclaimed Chinese book series “Remembrance of Earth’s Past” by award-winning author Liu Cixin following humanity’s discovery and preparation for an invasion by (spoiler alert!) aliens who are already in the midst of a 400-year journey to reach Earth. 

The sci-fi epic is helmed by the creators of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, and the executive producer of “The Terror” season 2, Alexander Woo, as showrunners, meaning the novels’ character-driven plots, fantastical elements and astrophysical concepts were in good hands to bring the adaptation to a grander and global scale. 

3 Body Problem. (L to R) Executive Producer/Writer Alexander Woo, Executive Producer/Writer David Benioff, Executive Producer/Writer D. B. Weiss in episode 101 of 3 Body Problem. Cr. Ed Miller/Netflix © 2024

While the Netflix series is not the first adaptation of Liu’s work, previous adaptations include a live-action Chinese series by Tencent Video and a web series completely animated using the video game “Minecraft,” this version (under the blessing and advisory of Liu) expands the trilogy past its original Chinese borders, setting the show primarily in England and employing actors from around the world. “We wanted to represent, as much as possible, all of humanity,” Benioff says in the Netflix press packet. “We tried to make [the show] a very diverse, international cast to represent the idea that this isn’t just one country’s struggle against the threat of aliens; it’s a global struggle to survive.” 

The first season saw scientists Jin Cheng (Jess Hong), Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), Augustina Salazar (Eiza González), Will Downing (Alex Sharp) and Jack Rooney (John Bradley), known as the Oxford Five, as they become entangled in a cosmic conspiracy with dire consequences. Aiding their pursuit to save the world are counter-terrorist officers Clarence “Da” Shi (Benedict Wong) and Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham), who had been investigating the mysterious deaths of prominent scientists around the globe. And at the crux of the conflict is Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng and Rosalind Chao), the mother of the Oxford Five’s professor and mentor, and the disillusioned astrophysicist who incites the story’s events.

3 Body Problem. (L to R) Liam Cunningham as Wade, Jess Hong as Jin Cheng, Sea Shimooka as Sophon in episode 105 of 3 Body Problem. Cr. Ed Miller/Netflix © 2024

While being a show about an alien invasion, “3 Body Problem” actually tackles the existentialism of the situation, rather than just the science and action that traditional “Independence Day”-esque films would focus on. The choices posed to the characters aren’t easy, often making them grapple with morality, philosophical dilemmas and the literal fate of humanity while exploring what humanity does to and for each other. Who decides the fate of the world? Do the ends justify the means? What do we owe to future generations? These are but some of the questions asked in Liu’s work and extrapolated in the Netflix adaptation. 

On one hand, Wenjie’s nihilism is spurred on by her experiences during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, where she saw first-hand how people could turn against one another. When she invites the extraterrestrials (known in the series as the San-Ti) to conquer Earth, she even suggests that “we cannot save ourselves.” It was the goal of acclaimed filmmaker Derek Tsang, who directed the first two episodes, to get audiences to understand Wenjie’s decision. “We get to see what she went through,” he explains at the official Television Academy “3 Body Problem” panel. “It’s very important for [us] to side with her even though, in the end, she pushes the button.” Chao, who played Wenjie in the present day, shares with Character Media how she understood her character’s motivations: “She had a narrow vision of what was going on in the rest of the world. She saw her world was collapsing […] so in her mind, that was the only way to save humanity and save Earth as she knew it.”

3 Body Problem. Zine Tseng as Young Ye Wenjie in episode 102 of 3 Body Problem. Cr. Ed Miller/Netflix © 2024

The other side of the spectrum sees the investigators and the Oxford Five’s efforts to thwart the invasion, including a ploy to cryogenically freeze themselves to fight the San-Ti when they land in the distant future. Though many would resign to the inevitable, these characters mobilize and sacrifice their time, genius and even lives to save the world. Hong who plays Jin, offered insight to her character. “She’s a very instinctual person and even though she’s a hard science snob, […] she believes that we can make a better future if we can answer every question in the universe,” Hong says. “Jin is very perseverant, and once she finds a problem to solve, she locks onto it and becomes almost obsessive.” Wong also describes his character as equally single-minded, telling Men’s Health: “[Clarence] is his job, and he takes his job home, to the detriment of his family. But that element tells me this guy just cares about one thing: the greater good.” 

3 Body Problem. Benedict Wong as Da Shi in episode 103 of 3 Body Problem. Cr. Ed Miller/Netflix © 2024

The series pins these two factions – the ones who believe the San-Ti will save humanity and the ones who believe humanity can save itself – as oppositional, but their ultimate goals are the same: to save humanity, whatever it takes. One of the major draws of the books is the morally gray lines these characters cross, from Wenjie’s belief that humans cannot save themselves or even the San-Ti who are traveling to Earth not just for some conquest, but because they are refugees in search of a new home after planetary disasters. “[‘3 Body Problem’ is] about how we react to an Earth-ending crisis, and what we can do to come together and try to overcome that,” Tsang say. “That’s very relevant to the times that we live in, because we’re finding ourselves in an increasingly divided and fragmented world.” As flashy as the special effects and promise of epic sci-fi action are, the story is rooted in the polarizing choices made by the characters.  

As of writing, the first season of “3 Body Problem,” is proving to be a serviceable introduction to the rest of the series, garnering six Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series, despite criticisms in The Verge and IndieWire for the show’s pacing and ambition. But much like how Earth’s heroes are hopeful in their pursuit to save humanity, showrunners Benioff, Weiss and Woo are determined to see the saga to its end with two more seasons greenlit at Netflix.