Binged the whole thing yesterday. Thought it was GREAT.
However, can anyone help me come up with a compelling reason for (Episode 5 Spoilers):
the nanofiber evisceration of everyone on the Judgment Day. They say gas wouldn't work because the ship is too ventilated. Ok, whatever. Cant blow it up because they need the evidence. A strike team wouldn't work because it'd leave casualties on both sides. But it seems like they took a big risk they wouldn't destroy the evidence accidentally with the route they took, either by slicing it or in the subsequent fires.
Still seems to me that a strike team would've been the best option. Block the boat in the channel, Get forces on the boat, then set up a killbox with guys firing down on people trying to flee. The way they did it created an unforgettable spectacle, but it's also one of the few decisions the characters made that seemed purely FOR spectacle.
Binged the whole thing yesterday. Thought it was GREAT.
However, can anyone help me come up with a compelling reason for (Episode 5 Spoilers):
the nanofiber evisceration of everyone on the Judgment Day. They say gas wouldn't work because the ship is too ventilated. Ok, whatever. Cant blow it up because they need the evidence. A strike team wouldn't work because it'd leave casualties on both sides. But it seems like they took a big risk they wouldn't destroy the evidence accidentally with the route they took, either by slicing it or in the subsequent fires.
Still seems to me that a strike team would've been the best option. Block the boat in the channel, Get forces on the boat, then set up a killbox with guys firing down on people trying to flee. The way they did it created an unforgettable spectacle, but it's also one of the few decisions the characters made that seemed purely FOR spectacle.
I've just finished episode 5 literally, and I had this same thought. Like the chances they weren't gonna cut the "bible" too didn't seem low. Like they may as well had just scuttled the ship and arrested the guy as he was tryna escape or something like that
I don't know the books nor have I finished the show, but alot of it just felt like game of thrones shock value moments...
The ending of the episode more than made up for it though.
I've just finished episode 5 literally, and I had this same thought. Like the chances they weren't gonna cut the "bible" too didn't seem low. Like they may as well had just scuttled the ship and arrested the guy as he was tryna escape or something like that
I don't know the books nor have I finished the show, but alot of it just felt like game of thrones shock value moments...
The ending of the episode more than made up for it though.
There was definitely some script shenanigans with how little they knew of what/who might be on the cargo ship and how CERTAIN they were that were would be good digital loot to be had. Plus finding Evans there, pulling out that red box, and spending weeks on it as if it could have anything other than his porn stash
Still, it was visually compelling, shocking in who was on the ship (I wonder if there was more graphic shots of the kids that were made but nixed at the last minute), and a cool sci-fi weapon. I'm curious if monowire could do that, or if it would heat up and melt well before cutting that much fast moving mass.
Im at episode 7 now and I really like it but it seems there a shitton of plot holes.
How the hell did they get those VR headsets even build. You expecting me to believe that 'dumb' alien on that radio would be able to explain that to a human?
And why do these 2 orbs or whatever theyre called again, not just sabotage everything the humans try if it's all knowing...
There was definitely some script shenanigans with how little they knew of what/who might be on the cargo ship and how CERTAIN they were that were would be good digital loot to be had. Plus finding Evans there, pulling out that red box, and spending weeks on it as if it could have anything other than his porn stash
Still, it was visually compelling, shocking in who was on the ship (I wonder if there was more graphic shots of the kids that were made but nixed at the last minute), and a cool sci-fi weapon. I'm curious if monowire could do that, or if it would heat up and melt well before cutting that much fast moving mass.
it was definitely visually compelling, just much like GoT i feel sometimes not seeing is more visceral than seeing where D&D like to go all in, it was also a lot of CG blood and gore so like after the first 2 people it kind of turns into CG sludge, probably for the better to be honest, if they did that super practically it would of just been disgusting.
I just find like it would of been just as effective if we'd seen two chops. then external of the boat and screaming, then like the final shot can be the dude tryna run with the bible.
That's just me though, i have always found the way these guys direct to be a little bit over the top. i know i am alone in that camp, i mentioned waaay before that i also didn't want it to just turn into porno for 10 minutes either which thankfully it hasn't done that either.
Jist finished this, wife and I realy enjoyed it. Hope we get the other books turned into the series aswell but knowing Netflix they might just fuck it off. Thinking of giving the books a read.
Really really liked it, the cast is great, the settings is great, the story is really interesting. Visually its great. Honestly what a surprise after so much shit i watched lately. Will for sure watch season 2.
Jist finished this, wife and I realy enjoyed it. Hope we get the other books turned into the series aswell but knowing Netflix they might just fuck it off. Thinking of giving the books a read.
This is one of their higher cost show. It needs viewers, if viewers aren’t there they’ll canned it. So spread the word if you like it.
Got couple coworkers to watch and they liked it too.
Edit: Avatar got another season, it got mixed reviews but it’s still getting viewers. One Piece got viewers and it’s getting another season. 1889 no viewers so it got canned!
This is one of their higher cost show. It needs viewers, if viewers aren’t there they’ll canned it. So spread the word if you like it.
Got couple coworkers to watch and they liked it too.
Edit: Avatar got another season, it got mixed reviews but it’s still getting viewers. One Piece got viewers and it’s getting another season. 1889 no viewers so it got canned!
Finished it, had to read up on the whole story because I was very interested and knowing Netflix it will take another year to even start season 2 production (if it ever happens). After reading it all I highly doubt they'll convert the 2 books into extra seasons. Especially book 3 seems like a CGI fest which will cost a shitton to do nicely.
Also finished today. It was fun, but seemed pretty weirdly dumb in places, I assume it is mostly due to adaptors and it was not as dumb in the books.
Will watch S2 though.
Speaking of weirdly dumb, how about Jin running into Wade's office in a panic:
"How do we slow down the probe after getting it up to speed?!?!"
Apparently she thought of every other concern the group had in her initial presentation but no one mentioned that? Did the writers put that in there so viewers could think, "Whoa, I'm smarter than the world's best and brightest!" I hope someone got fired for that blunder (jk).
Speaking of weirdly dumb, how about Jin running into Wade's office in a panic:
"How do we slow down the probe after getting it up to speed?!?!"
Apparently she thought of every other concern the group had in her initial presentation but no one mentioned that? Did the writers put that in there so viewers could think, "Whoa, I'm smarter than the world's best and brightest!" I hope someone got fired for that blunder (jk).
I'm not at that part yet but did they really determine the alien fleet is moving at 1% lightspeed because they just took "8 years for return signal, thus they are 4 ly away, they say they will be here in 400 years so 4/400=0.01=1% lightspeed!"? IIRC they had to do an acceleration burn and a deceleration burn w/ flip halfway, which is what I'd expect this show to have as well, but perhaps not. And they have not actually talked about locating the Song-Ti home star system yet, obviously they know the direction it is, so a 3 star system just 4 ly away should be readily visible to at least confirm their side of the story. The strange "you humans....lie? You can't be trusted so we will kill you instead" heel turn seems od given the VR sim is ENTIRELLY a "lie" and the (smoking hot) sword chick straight up says she is hiding their true appearance because "it would disturb you"....hello..who is lying now?
Anyway, quibbles only because the rest of the show is pretty good. Just some of the usual not respecting the audience science reduction stuff.
Binged the whole thing yesterday. Thought it was GREAT.
However, can anyone help me come up with a compelling reason for (Episode 5 Spoilers):
the nanofiber evisceration of everyone on the Judgment Day. They say gas wouldn't work because the ship is too ventilated. Ok, whatever. Cant blow it up because they need the evidence. A strike team wouldn't work because it'd leave casualties on both sides. But it seems like they took a big risk they wouldn't destroy the evidence accidentally with the route they took, either by slicing it or in the subsequent fires.
Still seems to me that a strike team would've been the best option. Block the boat in the channel, Get forces on the boat, then set up a killbox with guys firing down on people trying to flee. The way they did it created an unforgettable spectacle, but it's also one of the few decisions the characters made that seemed purely FOR spectacle.
Same passage in the chinese series.
EDIT -Fuck, they made the video "members only" for some reason, when barely two days ago it was a free for all. I'll look for a mirror.
The USA version chose (poorly) to spectacularize/dramatize the scene with dying children for "additional moral ambiguity", with people screaming, crying and running around... when the entire point of the plan was that this system would kill the entire crew of the ship with hardly any time to notice what was going on and to alert anyone.
There are also few additional factors the USA version didn't address, like the impossibility to produce above a certain metrage of nano-cable by the time the ship would reach the canal, which severely limited what part ofthe ship they could hit, where they needed to lay the ambush, and the minimum distance between cables which was set at 50cm.
Same passage in the chinese series.
EDIT -Fuck, they made the video "members only" for some reason.
The USA version chose (poorly) to spectacularize/dramatize the scene with dying children for "additional moral ambiguity", with people screaming, crying and running around... when the entire point of the plan was that this system would kill the entire crew of the ship with hardly any time to notice what was going on and to alert anyone.
There are also few additional factors the USA version didn't address, like the impossibility to proiduce above a certain metrage of nanocable by the time the ship would reach the canal, which severely limited what part ofthe ship they could hit, where they needed to lay the ambush, and the minimum distance between cables which was set at 50cm.
Sounds like the average transit speed in the panama canal is 8 knots/9ish mph which is a pretty good running speed so for a ~800-1000 foot long ship it would be about a minute from bow to stern. It was a horrific scene when stretched out because you can only imagine how those folks felt with this invisible force coming for them but it would have been equally freaky to see rooms of people essentially cut down suddenly. I think they wanted a "red Wedding" type moment and this certainly was that.
Breakdown of the series from a Chinese perspective:
On a side note, one thing I found somewhat ironic about this Netflix series is how a common criticism about the books is about how "characters don't have that much depth and introspection" and fundamentally exist only to drive the plot forward...
And then a show like this almost proves as that was for the better, because in a series so focused on "big ideas" and long timescales, the little daily dramas of the obnoxious Oxford 5" are fucking insuffewrable to witness.
So finally finished it... first of all. I still think it's Moronic they went full Netflix in the first ep but Netflix is gonna Netflix.
But more importantly I think overall it is a decent enough show. Eps 1-5 were great, good buildup and conspiracy, interesting ideas etc.
6-8 kinda drop the ball and the quality falls off quite a bit... now maybe it's the issue with the books I don't know. But the general plot starts to have more holes than Swiss cheese. There is alot in 6-7-8 that just makes no sense or if you start to question it even slightly it falls apart.
Overall, as I said decent enough, a good watch. But I just think it jumps ship very quickly the last 3 eps
Breakdown of the series from a Chinese perspective:
On a side note, one thing I found somewhat ironic about this Netflix series is how a common criticism about the books is about how "characters don't have that much depth and introspection" and fundamentally exist only to drive the plot forward...
And then a show like this almost proves as that was for the better, because in a series so focused on "big ideas" and long timescales, the little daily dramas of the obnoxious Oxford 5" are fucking insuffewrable to witness.
Im at episode 7 now and I really like it but it seems there a shitton of plot holes.
How the hell did they get those VR headsets even build. You expecting me to believe that 'dumb' alien on that radio would be able to explain that to a human?
And why do these 2 orbs or whatever theyre called again, not just sabotage everything the humans try if it's all knowing...
That seems to be exactly what the orbs are trying to do.
Not your post, but as for the Aliens being “puzzled” why humans would lie, because the Aliens “wouldn’t do that”, that just seemed to be the Aliens lying themselves.
Watched the series and it was alright. Characters seem more fleshed out than the books. I don't think the focus on them is really hurting the scale of the topics discussed yet. The first book was largely focused on Trisolaran / San Tee shenanigans. It wasn't until The Dark Forest that time scales really came into effect, and people will see why the San Tee said they'd, "Teach humanity to fear again."
Looking forward to seasons 2 and 3. The first season did a decent job of setting up the ground work, and I expect things to really pick up the pace.
Also, given how the show handled the destruction of Judgement Day, I'm curious how they'll handle Australia as well as the climax to book three.
I suppose you have to go along for the ride with any story but...
Given the science of entangled pairs, I get the fold em out to be larger bit and wrapping the globe, but when they're just two tiny protons how exactly were they everywhere simultaneously and affecting people's vision/comms etc.
Same goes for the VR helmets, tech generations in front, yet arrives on Earth without a 400 year delay?
I feel like the show is already past the point of explaining any of the cool sci-fi/tech here. Ep5 is jumping the shark, isn't it?
I suppose you have to go along for the ride with any story but...
Given the science of entangled pairs, I get the fold em out to be larger bit and wrapping the globe, but when they're just two tiny protons how exactly were they everywhere simultaneously and affecting people's vision/comms etc.
Same goes for the VR helmets, tech generations in front, yet arrives on Earth without a 400 year delay?
I feel like the show is already past the point of explaining any of the cool sci-fi/tech here. Ep5 is jumping the shark, isn't it?
Nah. The show Is Just skipping on the explanations.
Most of what people are nitpicking about is not even "incongruences" but explicit plot points in the books.
Like the fact that the sophons can potentially be anywhere but not "everywhere", where the visor tech comes from (and for the record making it exceedingly fancy is a Netflix invention, it's supposed to be just a bit ahead of current tech), why the "proton unfolding" looked that way, etc.
Basically... It's the equivalent of the "clever and insightful" remarks like "Why didn't they just use the Eagles?" or "Why didn't they throw the one into the ocean?" in Lord of the Rings.
I suppose you have to go along for the ride with any story but...
Given the science of entangled pairs, I get the fold em out to be larger bit and wrapping the globe, but when they're just two tiny protons how exactly were they everywhere simultaneously and affecting people's vision/comms etc.
Same goes for the VR helmets, tech generations in front, yet arrives on Earth without a 400 year delay?
I feel like the show is already past the point of explaining any of the cool sci-fi/tech here. Ep5 is jumping the shark, isn't it?
I think the idea and the challenge to humanity being posed is that the aliens built two AI run supercomputers with absolute control of one particle each that travel near the speed of light. It’s speed and size is essentially allowing it to interfere with a large number of objects at once from bouncing off individual particles in the accelerator while also drawing numbers in a persons photo receptor and who knows what else because the speed of light is very fast.
This is why one of the workaround solutions posed was to try and build a particle accelerator on the Moon so as to add more travel time.
I’m a bit unclear as to how they can block human visual sight though as something happens right in front of another character using binoculars and he couldn’t see a thing.
I think the idea and the challenge to humanity being posed is that the aliens built two AI run supercomputers with absolute control of one particle each that travel near the speed of light. It’s speed and size is essentially allowing it to interfere with a large number of objects at once from bouncing off individual particles in the accelerator while also drawing numbers in a persons photo receptor and who knows what else because the speed of light is very fast.
This is why one of the workaround solutions posed was to try and build a particle accelerator on the Moon so as to add more travel time.
I’m a bit unclear as to how they can block human visual sight though as something happens right in front of another character using binoculars and he couldn’t see a thing.
The speed of light is like around the world 7 times a second, not everywhere all at once. If they had faster than FTL then they wouldn't need the entangled pairs etc.
EP5 goes into your world is covered in illusion but it's a chicken and egg scenario really.
Finished watching it yesterday and was underwhelmed. The dialogue is wooden, the characters scarcely have a personality between them, the pacing and plotting have all the usual serialised streaming show problems, the CGI was frequently ropey and there seemed to me some pretty conspicuous contrivances in keeping things moving. It wasn't bad per se, but like most of these streaming shows, never elevated itself beyond background noise. First and foremost, there are too many characters and few of them are in any way interesting or relatable. Liam Cunningham gave his line delivery some punch, making Wade the best of them, and John Bradley was likeable as usual despite his character being as disposable as they come. Everything to do with Will was a complete drag and when his purpose was finally revealed late on, it wasn't nearly worth suffering through the dreary crap leading up to it. Good actors can elevate dull material but perhaps outside Marlo Kelly's off-kilter demeanour as Tatiana and Rosalind Chao as Ye (to an extent), none of the others even came close. The worst of them was Eiza Gonzalez, who had one expression and was monotone from start to finish on top of her character being unbearable. When her 'friends' (with whom no chemistry was shared) were making fun of her in a later episode, calling her beautiful but boring and a movie star from bad movies, I couldn't help but sincerely agree with everything they were saying. Her performance is awful and so is her character, whom season 2 will hopefully find deceased of dysentery after the failure of one of her stupid water filters.
In terms of story, it never gets stronger than the opening scene during the Cultural Revolution, which manages to be exciting and striking a way the rest of the series fails to. Despite that, I don't think Ye's hatred for humanity comes through nearly strongly enough to justify her consciously condemning the planet to extinction, nor the young Mike Evans in the few scenes which should be setting up why he'd so devotedly go along with the plan. There also seemed a fundamental problem with the existence of the San-Ti: if the depictions of their planetary conditions in the videogame are basically accurate, how did their species survive long enough to even start developing the technology they'd need for long-term existence? It's established that their technological advances are very slow, yet to survive on a planet which can be effectively destroyed by heat or cold at any moment, and with those moments being completely unpredictable, if they were to stand even the slightest chance of enduring (which they wouldn't), surely their tech would have to evolve unbelievably quickly. The videogame itself goes completely unexplained, both how the headsets were made or got to Earth - the sophons don't seem able to create physical matter, just illusions - and how they were placed in the homes of each human user. My first thought was the Judgement Day cultists, but they all seemed to be on the boat. Speaking of which, episode 5 was a textbook example of spectacle for spectacle's sake, falling apart the moment any thought is given to it. Surely using the nanofibres to carve up the boat put the data drive at huge risk of being destroyed? Then, while the cliffhanger of the sophon spreading across the sky is one of the more exciting ones, by the next episode everything is back to normal and there's little sign even (outside snippets of TV footage) of the rest of the human race reacting to such a monumental event.
(As an aside, I won't classify this as a plot hole given my ignorance when it comes to physics but did wonder: if the humans had a pretty good idea of what would attract the sophons, going by the 'keeping the particle accelerators going and perhaps building one on the moon to keep them busy' line, not to mention inevitable interest in the wallfacers, wouldn't you at least commit some resources to trying to capture one, to limit the San-Ti's surveillance/disruptive ability and perhaps to study or reprogram it? Presumably they emit some sort of energy or radiation and I'm fairly certain humans have the ability to track and contain particles right now, so doesn't it make sense to prioritise disrupting or destroying them over pie-in-the-sky plans to send out interstellar probes and whatnot, particularly with four centuries to spare?)
I can keep going - what was going to happen at the end of Auggie's countdown anyway? Was she just going to arbitrarily die? Why not just kill her from the start, then? Etc. - but my view of the show should be pretty obvious at this point. It's fine to have on in the background during dinner or something but is yet another streaming show with a half-baked premise and quarter-baked characters, more interested in carelessly splatting its potentially interesting ingredients together in hope of convincing its audience that something worthwhile might emerge eventually rather than putting in the work and care to produce something good in the here and now. Hopefully the books are a lot more worthy of their acclaim than the series (this one, at least).
He's an entire invention of the showrunners, by the way. His role in the original story was played by Wang Miao, which was a blend of him, Auggie and the chinese girl.
Everything to do with Will was a complete drag and when his purpose was finally revealed late on, it wasn't nearly worth suffering through the dreary crap leading up to it.
And his character ('s equivalent) didn't even get a mention in the books up to the third and final one. A bit risky to give him this much room in a 8 episodes season without a certainty that his role will be of any relevance (if the series gets axed).
Despite that, I don't think Ye's hatred for humanity comes through nearly strongly enough to justify her consciously condemning the planet to extinction, nor the young Mike Evans in the few scenes which should be setting up why he'd so devotedly go along with the plan.
I also didn't like the way they butchered Ye's character, a she went from a stoic disillusioned person to a bitter spiteful witch.
And the whole ETO (Earth-Trisolarian Organization, the "traitors of humanity") have been oversimplified a lot, too, and reduced to some sort of small cult. In reality there were supposed to be different internal factions at odds with each other.
There also seemed a fundamental problem with the existence of the San-Ti: if the depictions of their planetary conditions in the videogame are basically accurate, how did their species survive long enough to even start developing the technology they'd need for long-term existence? It's established that their technological advances are very slow
Everything you see in the "VR game" is a massive over-simplification. The series points this but it brushes it aside so quickly that it's understandable someone would miss the point. For a start the trisolarians aren't even supposed to be humanoids or live in human-like conditions.
In the fourth non-official book of the series, Redemption of Time, they are described as minuscule insect-like creatures with physical proprieties similar to tardigrades.
On one hand said book was written by someone else and it's considered little more than an elaborate fanfiction. On the other one, the author more or less blessed its publication with a "Sure, go ahead" and that idea matches what we know about their biology.
The videogame itself goes completely unexplained, both how the headsets were made or got to Earth
The headesets were DEFINITELY made on Earth. Nothing of that size traveled from Trisolaris to Earth yet.
I don't even remember the headsets themselves being a major focus point in the book. The implication is that the software is what's remarkable.
Anyway, the point is that San Ti/Trisolarians obviously had an input on how to build them and someone else manufactured them, but they are barely "better VR" by current standards, not some unreplicable alien tech.
- the sophons don't seem able to create physical matter, just illusions - and how they were placed in the homes of each human user. My first thought was the Judgement Day cultists, but they all seemed to be on the boat. Speaking of which, episode 5 was a textbook example of spectacle for spectacle's sake, falling apart the moment any thought is given to it.
The Sophons are literally just computers. They can observe, process data, give information, etc. They don't manipulate matter directly if not to an extent any other computer would if interfaced to something.
They can clearly instruct people on how to achieve specific things, though. Even fi they are wary of giving away too much for obvious reasons.
Surely using the nanofibres to carve up the boat put the data drive at huge risk of being destroyed?
No, it doesn't. It's another explicit plot point in the books and Chinese show that the type of cut the nanowires do wouldn't do enough damage to a data storage to make said data unrecoverable. In the UNLIKELY event they would even cut one directly, with a distancing of 50 cm between each wire.
But then again it was also a specific plot point that this type of attack wouldn't alert the crew until it was too late and people/things would be cut before time to realize what was going on. Netflix made the scene a riot with people running around screaming, things exploding, etc, negating their own premise for the sake of spectacularization.
Then, while the cliffhanger of the sophon spreading across the sky is one of the more exciting ones, by the next episode everything is back to normal and there's little sign even (outside snippets of TV footage) of the rest of the human race reacting to such a monumental event.
These are all valid critiques and I urge any and everyone to READ THE BOOKS as they are fantastic. But I do think the D&D adaptation is catching enough of the flavor in a much more digestible format despite some shenanigans with plot incongruities that could have been resolved at the expense of a couple of characters having some random conversations.
I wonder if this thing was aggressively trimmed from a 10-12 ep script well after they started casting and perhaps even filming. Getting Jonathan Pryce, for example, for what ends up being about 5 minutes of total screen time seems odd. Guy has gotta work obviously but I feel like when you land an actor like that you use him more.
Not having any brains when it comes to physics, the only other explanation I thought of as to why they might have been sent to Earth is that if the San-Ti can interdimensionally compress and unfold a supercomputer particle like the sophons, perhaps they could send the headsets in the same way (send them through space as a faster-than-light particle directed to a specific location, then 'unfold' them into the headset). That wouldn't be possible with living matter, explaining why they'd have to travel by ship.
Re: your spoiler, I picked up that the San-Ti weren't necessarily humanoid, though not at all that they were supposed to be the size or have the intended properties you describe. I'd assumed their size would be more or less within the range of animal life on Earth. The VR games also depict them being mostly exterminated out by the chaotic periods ('if one of us survives', etc), which suggests they don't have those natural properties for survival in the series. That being the case, I still don't understand how, as depicted in the series, any species which can be wiped out by a single chaotic period would last long enough to start developing the technology to mitigate their effects (aka: the de/rehydration), especially given that such periods can occur at any moment, with no apparent warning, and are impossible to plan for.
Not having any brains when it comes to physics, the only other explanation I thought of as to why they might have been sent to Earth is that if the San-Ti can interdimensionally compress and unfold a supercomputer particle like the sophons, perhaps they could send the headsets in the same way (send them through space as a faster-than-light particle directed to a specific location, then 'unfold' them into the headset). That wouldn't be possible with living matter, explaining why they'd have to travel by ship.
It's not so simple. "Unfolding a proton" in a lower dimension is a very specific process in the (pseudo)science of this fictional setting. It's not about "resizing things" at will. Far from it.
The gist of it is something like this:
- even a subatomic particle of the size of a proton when observed in a higher dimensional state has the complexity and information of a far larger body.
- In four dimensions a single particle can be comparable to the complexity of a larger body (say, a building) in three dimensions.
- In five dimensions, it potentially contains the information of a planet observed in three dimensions.
- in six dimensions it has the potential complexity of an entire galaxy in tridimensional space.
etc, etc.
When re-folded to its original tridimensional form and original size, you don't have to think about it as a "miniaturized computer". It's literally just a particle. Only, the "circuits" of the computer have been etched on its surface when it was unfolded.
EDIT - At one point during the saga it's even theorized on a speculative level (without ever becoming a central plot point, to be clear) that there may be entire civilizations that develop entirely (and are consequently wiped out constantly) on a subatomic scale, interaqcting with matter just in higher dimensions than the three we are familiar with.
There are lots of hard science issues the series just can't address. I'm ok with the VR helmets being 'enhanced' by alien tech for increased immersion (EEG stimulation or whatever) that they deemed 'safe' to give us while the major processing is handled by a sophon rather than human tech. The headset needs to look alien for the audience because ANY depiction of VR as being photrealistic is fantasy anyway, so an alien headset helps establish that the game is alien and not just a fancy Gorilla Tag or whatever.
The entire trisolarian plan is bullshit anyway. WE already know about dozens of potentially habitable planets in other solar systems with single stars, nonreal reason the aliens shouldn't know about these things either. Or they could come here and terriform Mars or Venus rather than invade Earth.
Hell, once you have decent telescopes or satellites predicting the motion of 3 suns in a useful period of time is trivial, it's not like they are gonna leave a habitable zone in a matter of hours, more like weeks to months, if not years/decades of warning.
So the trisolarians really are playing a looong game of A.reduced competition and B. An assured stable planet capable of hosting advanced life. But really, they could just build O'Neil cylinders in their own system and live that way if they wanted. Their ability to have prolonged suspended animation clearly makes a multicentury voyage practical in ways humans wouldn't.
There are lots of hard science issues the series just can't address. I'm ok with the VR helmets being 'enhanced' by alien tech for increased immersion (EEG stimulation or whatever) that they deemed 'safe' to give us while the major processing is handled by a sophon rather than human tech. The headset needs to look alien for the audience because ANY depiction of VR as being photrealistic is fantasy anyway, so an alien headset helps establish that the game is alien and not just a fancy Gorilla Tag or whatever.
The entire trisolarian plan is bullshit anyway. WE already know about dozens of potentially habitable planets in other solar systems with single stars, nonreal reason the aliens shouldn't know about these things either. Or they could come here and terriform Mars or Venus rather than invade Earth.
Hell, once you have decent telescopes or satellites predicting the motion of 3 suns in a useful period of time is trivial, it's not like they are gonna leave a habitable zone in a matter of hours, more like weeks to months, if not years/decades of warning.
So the trisolarians really are playing a looong game of A.reduced competition and B. An assured stable planet capable of hosting advanced life. But really, they could just build O'Neil cylinders in their own system and live that way if they wanted. Their ability to have prolonged suspended animation clearly makes a multicentury voyage practical in ways humans wouldn't.
I don't think that's completely true. The trisolarians were openly broadcasting, though I don't remember if they heard us first and were only responding to us. Anyway, I don't think PROOF of Dark Hunters was established until the wallbreaker plot with the space mines led to the destruction of the other solar system, that freaked out the trisolarians as much as it did us. I might be misremembering it though that the real threat was we would suicide ourselves in the same manner to the others (and in fact we do so eventually), not just that others existed
The entire trisolarian plan is bullshit anyway. WE already know about dozens of potentially habitable planets in other solar systems with single stars, nonreal reason the aliens shouldn't know about these things either. Or they could come here and terriform Mars or Venus rather than invade Earth.
Uh. No, we don't?
And none of the potential candidates to host any kind of rudimentary life we are aware of is even remotely as close to Trisolaris (aka Proxima Centauri) as Earth, anyway.
If anything one could argue that in their current situation they would have attempted the journey anyway (even without being alerted of our existence) at some point. No other real option when your home planet is potentially a ticking bomb.
Here are 10 exoplanets regarded as the most Earth-like alien worlds discovered to date.
www.space.com
Whatchu talking about Willis? While I agree that KNOWING a planet can host life at least somewhat similar to yours is a huge help, if you have the tech to send sophons around and can make a 400 year journey, there is really no limitation to just scouting out any and all systems with any prospect of a stable rock upon which to terraform a home.
And none of the potential candidates to host any kind of rudimentary life we are aware of is even remotely as close to Trisolaris (aka Proxima Centauri) as Earth, anyway.
If anything one could argue that in their current situation they would have attempted the journey anyway (even without being alerted of our existence) at some point. No other real option when your home planet is potentially a ticking bomb.
Thats true. The conceit of the book is we are both environmentally similar enough AND in extremely close proximity to be in contention with each other. It's a great premise.
People in this show are far too blasé in the face of bewildering events.
The universe blinking would've created utter pandemonium but everyone just goes back to their daily lives the next morning?
Oxford scientists come across some of the most impressive technology ever and their immediate reaction is, "Oh, cool".
Auggie is told an alien fleet is on its way to destroy Earth and she's completely stone-faced.
The show had hints of greatness here and there but was ultimately pretty flat and underwhelming. Some of the plot holes and contrivances summed excellently up by Xxandaca
and others, really broke the immersion.
Anyway, I just ordered the flexbound trilogy omnibus from Amazon, and I might try watching the Chinese adaptation if and when I can get my hands on it.
It used to be freely available on Youtube with English subtitles and all (and I don't mean as a pirated version, but directly from the publisher, Tencent).
I'm not sure if it's still out there now.
Overall, I thought the show was decent but there are a ton of plot holes that reminded me that "oh yeah, these are the GoT guys".
I doubt I'll watch the second season so I went ahead and read synopses of the three books and I think there's a 0% chance that D&D will stick the landing. That third book is a doozy.
Finished it today. What a shame. Some interesting parts, but too many characters working with a script that worked against itself most of the time.
Hard Sci-Fi watered down for a broad audience just makes for weak sci-fi. It was so bereft of actual interesting science or scientific explanation that left the whole thing feeling like I was watching episodes of Eastenders, albeit with a budget.
