8 Most Exciting Things To Expect From 3 Body Problem Season 2 (2024)

Spoilers are ahead for 3 Body Problem season 1.

Netflix's 3 Body Problem season 2 is set to adapt the second book in Liu Cixin's Rememberance of Earth series, The Dark Forest. Packed with exciting moments, The Dark Forest deepens readers' (and characters') understanding of the San-Ti threat, which came to a head in 3 Body Problem season 1's ending. After watching her father die in a struggle session during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, Dr. Ye Wenjie is conscripted by the Chinese military and tasked with working on a top-secret project at a remote facility. After intercepting an extraterrestrial message, Ye Wenjie chooses to respond — even though a pacifist member of that species warned her against doing so.

Ye Wenjie's choice, and the fallout, ripple across time and space, shaping all of 3 Body Problem's timelines. In the present day, her daughter — a leading scientist — is one of many to die under mysterious circ*mstances. Still, Dr. Ye Wenjie's faith in humanity was shattered long ago; alongside other cultists, she is preparing for the arrival of the San-Ti — the extraterrestrials who are set to invade and colonize Earth in roughly 400 years. Armed with incredible technology, the San-Ti are capable of intercepting humanity's every communication and plan, setting up a thrilling season 2.

8 The Fates Of The Remaining Members Of The Oxford Five

Saul, Auggie & Jin All Have Unfinished Stories

With two of the five members of the group dead, 3 Body Problem season 2 is tasked with providing Auggie, Saul, and Jin with compelling fates that tie into the larger San-Ti threat. Of every death in 3 Body Problem, Jack Rooney's (John Bradley) might have been the most shocking. Despite studying physics in college with the rest of the Oxford Five, Rooney went on to create Jack's Snacks, a hugely popular snack food company. Intrigued by 3 Body Problem's VR headset, Jack joins Jin Cheng in clearing the game's many levels. Ultimately, he's killed by a San-Ti cultist for scoffing at the alien threat's mere existence.

The terminally ill Will Downs' death is less of a shock, but still has a significant impact on the remaining members of the group. While Auggie's nanofiber project led to episode 5's brutal deaths, Jin was hard at work on the Staircase Project, leaving Saul without a ton to do in the first season of the show. In a way, that's a good thing. Saul hasn't used the VR headset, making him less of a known quantity to the San-Ti, and he's been chosen to lead a top-secret defense project. It remains to be seen how the remaining Oxford Five peers will end up, but their fates are clearly linked to that of Earth at large.

7 Will's Brain Being Intercepted By The San-Ti

The Staircase Project Might Not Have Failed

One of the biggest questions 3 Body Problem season 2 needs to address stems from the first outing's failed Staircase Project. When terminally ill professor Will realizes he won't be alive to help his colleagues thwart the San-Ti threat, he signs his brain over to science. At first, he's hesitant about going all in on supporting humanity; much like Dr. Ye Wenjie, Will is jaded. However, Jin's involvement with the Staircase Project sways the love-struck Will. At the end of the season, a probe carrying Will's brain is knocked off course after being launched into space. It remains to be seen if his brain will reach the San-Ti — or another species.

While Wade and Jin seem to think the project is a failure, Will's brain — adrift in space — is a clear Chekov's gun. Essentially, viewers will be waiting for it to mean something and have larger implications. It's possible the San-Ti will come across Will's brain during their 400 years of travel and wind up studying it to learn more about humanity. Although the second book, The Dark Forest, doesn't necessarily resolve this plot point, it's still possible that 3 Body Problem season 2 will delve into the fate of Will's brain.

6 The Conclusion Of The Wallfacer Project

Saul Is Positioned To Thwart The San-Ti's Invasion

Toward the end of the first season, Saul is chosen to be a Wallfacer and, as such, must devise a plan to stop the San-Ti threat. The major caveat, however, is that he can't share said scheme with anyone else. As illustrated in 3 Body Problem's first season, the San-Ti supercomputers, the Sophons, are able to intercept every form of human communication. Not only that, but the Sophons are able to keep the San-Ti up to speed in real time. Essentially, if two people talk about a plan or write about it, the San-Ti will know about it, and then the aliens will remain several steps ahead of humanity.

Given unlimited resources, the ever-thoughtful Saul is tasked with putting a plan into motion to defend Earth. In the book, the "Saul" of the novel does just that before being cryogenically frozen. Although his initial scheme doesn't seem to add up to anything, Saul's book counterpart is woken up several hundred years later to discover that humanity has created a fleet of ships capable of matching the San-Ti's power. It's possible 3 Body Problem season 2 will shake up the book's approach to Saul's Wallfacer destiny, but the larger plot will certainly be a key focus of the sophom*ore outing.

5 The Droplet Sequence From The Dark Forest

A Harrowing Moment From The Books That Will Be Epic On Screen

Dubbed the Red Wedding sequence of 3 Body Problem, the droplet moment from the second book is a truly brutal sequence that puts the San-Ti's full power on display. In fact, the show's creators have already alluded to the scene's inclusion in season 2. Essentially, the droplet is a minuscule, maneuverable, and unmanned San-Ti (Trisolaran) ship-class. Since it's able to reach Earth ahead of the San-Ti's main fleet, the droplet makes first contact with Earth's ships. While the humans believe the small craft is a peace offering, the single droplet goes on to destroy Earth's 1,000-ship-strong fleet in mere minutes. The brutal scene is no doubt one of the best displays of the San-Ti's true power.

Wade Could Be A Threat Or An Ally To The San-Ti

At the end of season 1, Wade sees 3 Body Problem's countdown. The mysterious Sophon-created clock was used by the San-Ti earlier to dissuade scientists from pursuing their all-important work. A looming threat, the countdown trick is used to stop humans from advancing their technology and understanding of science, leaving Earth vulnerable to the San-Ti invasion. Clearly, the San-Ti see Wade as a threat of some kind, hence the countdown. On the other hand, they could be using the Sophon trick to push Wade into doing their bidding. In The Dark Forest, the San-Ti do adopt some loyal humans who are tasked with betraying their own kind.

3 The Introduction Of The Wallbreakers

The San-Ti Will Attempt To Stop The Wallfacers

In The Dark Forest, the San-Ti openly transmit their thoughts to each other, making them incapable of telling lies or using misdirection. As seen in the show's first season, 3 Body Problem's aliens have a difficult time grasping metaphors or fictional tales. When they learn about these concepts, the San-Ti realize they can't trust humans — or coexist with them. In The Dark Forest, the San-Ti enlist so-called "Wallbreakers" to help them overcome this deficit. The three human loyalists are given an all-access pass to the sophons' knowledge, though they must figure out the Wallfacers' plans using their all-too-human traits of manipulation and deception.

2 Dr. Ye Wenjie's Einstein Joke Pays Off

Saul Uses The Dark Forest Hypothesis To Pressure The San-Ti

In one of her final appearances, Dr. Ye Wenjie makes a weird joke about Einstein that actually carries a ton of hidden meaning. Before leaving London, Ye Wenjie meets with Saul and has an all-important conversation with the Wallfacer. The San-Ti's recent betrayal of Ye Wenjie cultists has left her feeling guilty about welcoming the aliens with open arms. As a result, she tries to guide Saul in the right direction by telling him a metaphorical story that the San-Ti won't quite understand. The joke, which is all about Einstein wanting to play a musical duet with God, ends with angels telling Einstein, "Don't play with God."

Dr. Ye Wenjie subtly presents Saul with the idea of the Fermi Paradox and, thus, the notion of the dark forest. The paradox suggests that many hostile alien civilizations exist in the universe, but stay hidden in the "dark forest" of the universe because they fear destruction by one another. As a result, it's highly likely alien life exists, but all the hiding makes it near-impossible to find concrete evidence. Taking the Fermi Paradox a step further, Ye Wenjie insinuates that other more powerful civilizations exist, which means humanity could alert a more threatening foe to the San-Ti's existence. In essence, there's always a bigger fish.

1 3 Body Problem Season 2 Leaps Forward In Time

The San-Ti Are Still 400 Years Away

In the source material, the counterpart to Saul's character is cryogenically frozen after he puts his Wallfacer plan into motion. This allows The Dark Forest to skip ahead many, many decades and pick up a bit closer to the San-Ti's looming invasion. As of the end of 3 Body Problem season 1, the stakes are a little off. After all, the San-Ti won't arrive for over 400 years, so it's hard to really feel the narrative urgency. By leaning into plot devices like cryogenics, the second outing can make the threat feel all-the-more present and near.

3 Body Problem

Fantasy

Sci-Fi

Drama

3 Body Problem is a Netflix original series from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, along with Alexander Woo. Based on the novel of the same name by Liu Cixin, 3 Body Problem centers on a detective who joins forces with a group of scientists after an unknown force begins killing scientists around the world.

Cast

Saamer Usmani with Shailene Woodley , Jess Hong , Jovan Adepo , Benedict Wong , John Bradley , Eiza González , Liam Cunningham , Sea Shimooka , Tsai Chin

Release Date

March 21, 2024

Seasons

1

Writers

David Benioff , D.B. Weiss , Alexander Woo

Directors

Minkie Spiro , Derek Tsang

Creator(s)

David Benioff , D.B. Weiss , Alexander Woo

Where To Watch

Netflix