The aliens of 3 Body Problem, called San-Ti in the series and Trisolarians in Liu Cixin’s novel, are intriguing. They are not directly visible in season 1. Will we see them in season 2? Maybe, but we will have to overcome certain challenges.
That’s it, you have completed the last episode of season 1 of the Three-Body Problem ? We have no doubt that you have plenty of questions in your head. What will happen to Saul? Is he indeed going to be a “Clogger”? What fate awaits Will Downing in his space capsule? And, above all, what do the “San-Ti” look like?
In the series, we never directly see what the San-Ti look like – the name given to the alien race who are determined to leave their too chaotic star system to settle on Earth. They are systematically seen in virtual form imitating humans — adults, children, men and women. They also copy the human voice.
The appearance of the San-Ti (who are called Trisolarians in Liu Cixin’s novel) is however briefly mentioned in episode 5, called The last judgementwhen Thomas Wade (played by Liam Cunningham) and Jin Cheng (played by Jess Hong) enter the virtual reality (and sensory) game designed by the San-Ti.
As they advance in the virtual environment, they come across a woman, who is in fact a member of this species. She appears in a warrior outfit, with a sword on her back. What we know at this time is that it is an avatar and the game master of the game The 3-Body Problem. All intruders are quickly eliminated.
Then comes an exchange between the two humans and the creature, named Sophon (and played by actress Sea Shimooka): “ Who is she? », asks Thomas Wade. “ It’s an AI…unless it’s one of them », says Jin Cheng. Disturbed by the appearance of their interlocutor, Wade then asks himself: “ Do they look like us? »
The answer does not take long: “ We are very different from you. This appearance is intended to reassure you », retorts this woman. Thomas Wade relaunches it: “ How do you look? » A short silence follows and, with an enigmatic smile, Sophon responds: “ You won’t like it. » We won’t know any more, the discussion moving on to something else.
Will we see the San-Ti (Trisolarians) in The 3-body problem ?
Given the development of the first season, and the choices in the adaptation of the novel, the future season 2 of 3 body problem theoretically offers a window of opportunity to show the true appearance of the San-Ti. After all, the Trisolaran invasion fleet will have moved a little closer and, thanks to the ellipse, we may make a temporal leap. However, it remains a little more likely that their arrival will be carefully kept for seasons 3 and 4, which will focus on the third book.
The showrunners will find themselves, in any case, faced with a dilemma: there is no clear description of the appearance of the Trisolarians in Liu Cixin’s novel trilogy. And it has long been a source of discussion among fans, like the many topics of discussion on the internet, notably in the sub-forum dedicated to the story on Reddit.
The main characteristic that we know is their ability to dry out so that we can roll up and store the representatives of this species like pieces of paper — they can also rehydrate to return to their normal shape. It’s an ability that is told in the books and shown in the series.
We also know that their thinking is “transparent”, that they cannot hide their ideas or lie – this is why they end up being afraid of the human species. They are technologically very advanced — cf. the development of intellectrons, two protons linked by quantum entanglement to communicate instantly in the universe.
The absence of indication is also noted in fan encyclopedias. This is the case of Villains (“ the physical appearance of Trisolarians [est] left to the imagination in the trilogy “) and Alien Species (” The Trisolarians never physically appear in the books, leaving their appearance unknown beyond sketchy details and deductions “).
It should be noted that there has already been a television series adaptation of the novel, aimed at Chinese audiences. Thirty episodes were produced for local TV by Tencent Video. The episodes were released in 2023 and there was a visual proposal to represent the Trisolarians. Here they look like ethereal beings, without a clear face.
The Baoshu track with The Redemption of Time
However, there is a possibility, which is a possibility given by the novel The Redemption of Time. Written by Baoshu, another Chinese author, it is described as a continuation of Liu Cixin’s trilogy. It’s actually a kind of fan fiction that has gained enough notoriety to be entitled to proper publication.
However, points out Villains, in this semi-canon derivative novel, the San-Ti “ are described as small insectoid creatures no larger than an ant or a grain of rice. » Alien Species confirms this presentation. The site adds that these creatures are “ silver » and their shape is similar to an ant or a grain of rice.
The whole question is whether the showrunners of 3 body problem will be based on “ this fan’s novel », according to the description of the French publisher Actes Sud, or if they will start with a new idea. Finally, there remains the third option: show nothing at all. After all, we can also let the audience run wild with their imagination.
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