ReportWire

Tag: The Three-Body Problem

  • Here’s Why Ye Wenjie Is Reading ‘Silent Spring’ in ‘3 Body Problem’

    Here’s Why Ye Wenjie Is Reading ‘Silent Spring’ in ‘3 Body Problem’

    [ad_1]

    3 Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix, and it contains a deep cut to the environmental movement that was born in the 1960s. Is the book Silent Spring real? Why does it show up in a show about an alien invasion?

    3 Body Problem tells the story of the alien race the San-Ti (or Trisolarans in the English translations of the original novels by Cixin Liu), which decides to invade Earth when their unstable solar system repeatedly wipes out their civilization. Caught in the chain of events that follow are the brilliant physicist Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao), a group of five young scientists, and a society dedicated to helping the San-Ti take over Earth.

    Silent Spring in 3 Body Problem

    3 Body Problem takes place over two separate timelines: the present day, and 1960s China. In the ’60s storyline, we see a young Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng) surreptitiously reading a copy of Silent Spring that was gifted to her by another prisoner in the camp. When the book is confiscated, it leads to a series of events that finds Ye recruited into China’s program for searching for extraterrestrial life. It also leads to her first meeting with environmentalist Mike Evans (Ben Schnetzer), who eventually recruits people into serving the San-Ti.

    The history of Silent Spring

    Silent Spring is a real book, published in 1962 by biologist Rachel Carson. The book details all the harmful effects of the pesticide DDT, which caused environmental devastation and human illness, and yet was used in abundance in the early 20th century. Carson published the book after her efforts to expose the effects of DDT were rejected, and even after the book’s publication, the chemical industry tried to discredit her work.

    However, Carson’s work succeeded not just in getting DDT banned, but in launching the broader environmental movement. Many consider Silent Spring to be one of the formative—if not the foundational—works of environmentalism.

    So what does Silent Spring have to do with 3 Body Problem? Ye bonds with Mike over a pivotal line from the book—”Nothing in nature exists alone”—after she finds out that a new radio lab the government wants to build will threaten a rare species of bird. Ye also grows disillusioned with humanity’s ability to self-govern, and she and Mike spend the rest of their lives working to bring the San-Ti to Earth.

    But there’s another interesting parallel. The San-Ti threaten humanity by broadcasting the message “You are bugs.” DDT was known for wiping out not just one species of insect, but all kinds. In a way, Ye’s fascination with Silent Spring foreshadows her own part in the potential destruction of humanity.

    3 Body Problem is now streaming on Netflix.

    (featured image: Netflix)

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Julia Glassman

    Julia Glassman (she/her) holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and has been covering feminism and media since 2007. As a staff writer for The Mary Sue, Julia covers Marvel movies, folk horror, sci fi and fantasy, film and TV, comics, and all things witchy. Under the pen name Asa West, she’s the author of the popular zine ‘Five Principles of Green Witchcraft’ (Gods & Radicals Press). You can check out more of her writing at <a href=”https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/”>https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/.</a>

    [ad_2]

    Julia Glassman

    Source link

  • Netflix’s Latest Sci-Fi Puts a New Spin on a Renowned Book Series

    Netflix’s Latest Sci-Fi Puts a New Spin on a Renowned Book Series

    [ad_1]

    What happens when the co-creators of Game of Thrones adapt a world-renowned science fiction novel? You get eight episodes of cosmic intrigue, fantastical technology, and just a touch of gore.

    3 Body Problem, which hits Netflix on March 21, begins with a young scientist in 1960s China named Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao). Ye watches her life and her future go up in smoke as the Cultural Revolution sends scientists to brutal reeducation camps, and a split-second decision Ye makes ends up having world-changing effects. In the present day, research facilities like particle accelerators start spitting out nonsense. One researcher, Auggie Salazar (Eiza González), starts seeing a phantom countdown that seems to have been implanted in her brain, and a mysterious visitor assures her that she doesn’t want to find out what happens when it runs out.

    Then things get really weird.

    3 Body Problem is based, of course, on the novel The Three-Body Problem by Chinese science fiction writer Cixin Liu. The novel and its sequels are a tour de force of computing and theoretical physics, plus a bracing sociological study of Earth and its hypothetical neighbors. What will a civilization do to survive when it’s wiped out again and again by a stroke of cosmic bad luck? What happens when the universe is such a hostile place that the briefest moment of contact can mean annihilation?

    The Netflix series could have focused on the first book, but instead, it weaves in elements of the second and third books, The Dark Forest and Death’s End. The result is a story that’s swifter and more streamlined than the source material. It mostly works as a TV series, if you’re not into the old school hard science fiction of Liu’s novels. Fans of the books may be disappointed at how much of Liu’s scientific thought experiments have been compressed and softened.

    What really makes the series work is the characters, and although they may be slow to grow on you, you’ll be rooting for them by the end. The series focuses on a group of friends and scientists called the Oxford Five: Auggie, Jin (Jess Hong), Jack (John Bradley), Will (Alex Sharp), and Saul (Jovan Adepo). Their bond is the connective tissue of the first season, as they deal with an increasingly disturbing series of events: a colleague’s gruesome fate, an inscrutable VR game, and a chain of events that spirals into global panic. Will’s story is particularly engrossing, as he receives life-changing news that leads him on an unexpected odyssey. Jack provides plenty of comic relief, while Jin and Saul’s stories emerge as a slow burn throughout the season.

    Ye herself, played in the present by Chao and in the past by Zine Tseng, is complicated and charismatic, scarred by trauma and driven by a questionable vision of how to make things right. Some of her actions are objectionable, yet everything she does is understandable, and both Chao and Tseng play her with nuance and heart.

    Benedict Wong plays Da Shi, an ordinary detective caught up in extraordinary circumstances. At one moment, he’s investigating occurrences wilder than any human has ever encountered; at the next, he’s trying to figure out his son’s video game. Liam Cunningham plays as the ruthless Thomas Wade, who works with Da Shi and comes up with an audacious plan to fight the forces threatening humanity. Throughout the series, an eerily tranquil AI (Sea Shimooka) becomes increasingly menacing.

    3 Body Problem is very different than the books it’s based on. Is it as good as them? Maybe not quite, but I’m still looking forward to season 2.

    3 Body Problem, created by David Benioff, D.B. Weiss and Alexander Woo, premieres on March 21 on Netflix.

    (featured image: Netflix)

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    Julia Glassman

    Julia Glassman (she/her) holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and has been covering feminism and media since 2007. As a staff writer for The Mary Sue, Julia covers Marvel movies, folk horror, sci fi and fantasy, film and TV, comics, and all things witchy. Under the pen name Asa West, she’s the author of the popular zine ‘Five Principles of Green Witchcraft’ (Gods & Radicals Press). You can check out more of her writing at <a href=”https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/”>https://juliaglassman.carrd.co/.</a>

    [ad_2]

    Julia Glassman

    Source link

  • Yes, There Are Two Three-Body Problem Adaptations

    Yes, There Are Two Three-Body Problem Adaptations

    [ad_1]

    A still from 3 Body Problem.
    Photo: Netflix

    You don’t have to wait to see Liu Cixin’s sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem turned into TV. Does that mean Netflix is moving up the release date of 3 Body Problem, its upcoming adaptation from Alexander Woo and the creators of Game of Thrones? Nope, that’s still scheduled for March 21. But if you’re okay with overcoming that one-inch barrier of subtitles, another version is actually already available. Three-Body, a Chinese adaptation from Tencent, aired in China last year. As of publication time, it remains available to stream on Rakuten Viki and Prime Video. And per The Hollywood Reporter, Peacock has now acquired the rights to Three-Body for a February 10 drop, just in time for Lunar New Year. NBCUniversal isn’t hiding the fact that the timing is tied to its rival streamer. A press release states, “With all the buzz surrounding Netflix’s English adaptation, we’re excited about the opportunity for sci-fi and Chinese drama fans to watch the Chinese-language original (with English subtitles) ahead of the Hollywood adaptation.”

    Naturally, these two adaptations have their differences — for example, Tencent used 30 episodes to cover the contents of the book, while Netflix will use just 8 episodes. While that seems to suggest that it won’t be as faithful to the plot, there’s at least one aspect you can expect to see more of in Netflix’s take. Derek Tsang, who directed the first two episodes, previously told THR that 3 Body Problem incorporates parts of the book that were set in the Cultural Revolution. Tencent’s version, in contrast, has faced criticism for not showing as much of that real-life period of upheaval and eliminating plot points involving the Red Guard. Which Problem will fans prefer? We bet Netflix and Peacock are both excited for the answer.

    [ad_2]

    Jennifer Zhan

    Source link

  • All The Three-Body Problem Books in Order | The Mary Sue

    All The Three-Body Problem Books in Order | The Mary Sue

    [ad_1]

    3 Body Problem, Netflix’s adaptation of the internationally acclaimed novel by science fiction author Liu Cixin, is premiering this January on Netflix. If the series is half as good as the original book, then it’ll be an epic, mind-bending adventure.

    But what if you can’t wait until January to dive into the world of Trisolaris and its attempt to take over Earth? Looks like it’s time for a trip to your local library!

    Here are all the books in Liu Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past series, so you know which order to read them in.

    Book 1: The Three-Body Problem

    The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu
    (Tor Books)

    The novel that started it all! The Three-Body Problem begins in China’s Cultural Revolution in the 1960s. When disillusioned astrophysicist Ye Wenjie discovers intelligent life out in the cosmos, she makes a reckless decision: she sends them a message. However, Ye’s actions set off a chain of events that culminate in a terrifying threat. The alien race she contacts is on the brink of destruction, and in their search for a habitable planet, they’ve set their sights on Earth. The Three-Body Problem is bursting with fascinating scientific concepts, some real and others fanciful. It’s a cerebral, engrossing read.

    Book 2: The Dark Forest

    Cover of The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin
    (Tor Books)

    In The Dark Forest, the Trisolarans are on their way, and Earth is scrambling to mount its defense. While the Trisolaran fleet makes its way across the vastness of space, sociologist Luo Ji finds himself unexpectedly at the center of the United Nations’ strategy against the invasion. Instead of brute force, though, that strategy involves much subtler methods of resistance. Although the sequel is slower than its predecessor, the concept of “cosmic sociology” is intriguing, and Luo’s explosive revelation at the end will leave you reeling.

    Book 3: Death’s End

    Cover of Death's End by Cixin Liu
    (Tor Books)

    Death’s End continues the series’ meditation on cosmic sociology. It takes place across six different eras of human civilization, stretching from medieval Europe to the far reaches of space in the distance future. As humanity faces the Trisolaran threat and extends its reach to the stars, the series reaches an unforgettable climax.

    Bonus novel: The Redemption of Time by Baoshu

    Cover of The Redemption of Time by Baoshu
    (Tor Books)

    Liu Cixin finished his story with Death’s End, but one fan, writing under the pen name Baoshu, wrote a novel set in the same universe and posted it on a fan fiction forum. That novel was so good that, with Liu’s blessing, it went on to be published in both Chinese and English. The Redemption of Time focuses on one character from Death’s End, Yun Tianming, who disappears midway through the novel. Boashu uses this story to imagine what happened to Yun. The Redemption of Time isn’t critical to understanding the core events of the original trilogy, so you don’t have to read it to understand the rest of the story—but the world of The Three-Body Problem is so fascinating that you might find you can’t help it.

    (featured image: Tor)

    Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

    [ad_2]

    Julia Glassman

    Source link