Dhe universe, as imagined by Chinese science fiction author Cixin Liu in his Trisolaris trilogy, resembles a “dark forest” in terms of the interplay of possible and impossible life within it. He answers the anxious question as to why there has not yet been any contact with other residents in this forest with: Be careful. His cosmosociology is based on two assumptions about life congealed into civilization. First: The ultimate goal of civilization is its own survival. Second: civilization grows and must spread. Civilizations – in the sense of a collective that strives to improve its living conditions through technology and progress – are not only in competition on the micro level (in this case the planet Earth), but also in the universe. Liu compares them to hunters in the dark forest who, if they accidentally step on a dry stick, quickly become the hunted.
In the series adaptation, Netflix uses a good amount of “Game of Thrones” personnel and methods (probably so that it rubs off successfully: the authors David Benioff, DB Weiss, three actors and the composer Ramin Djawadi) and a budget of 160 million puts dollars on the screen, this dry stick is a massive radio telescope in Inner Mongolia. It is run by Chinese soldiers who are dependent on scientists they should actually despise: Ye Wenjie's (young: Zine Tseng/old: Rosalind Chao) father was beaten to death in front of Tsinghua University in 1966 because the Big Bang theory was the one he thought existed up to that point “most plausible explanation” for everything. His daughter and “best student” has gone through various hells and encountered various fraudsters there. She no longer believes that humanity can find its own way out of the cycle of violence by clawing its eyes out in search of the right life. And that's why Ye Wenjie intentionally steps on the stick and is heard.
Knowledge costs, progress has its price
In “3 Body Problem” the first contact takes place by telephone. With a well-meaning request to break off contact: “Do not answer!” A warning that both Liu and the series always put before the lure of progress: knowledge costs money. Progress has its price. This is a sideshow in Liu's broad work. In the first season, however, the series focuses on this again and again and with increasingly cruel images. But this is not about inadequate technology assessment, but about diplomacy or its absolute lack on a cosmic level.
It becomes clear early on: Not only has something answered – something is on the way, and the first to sense it are the people largely responsible for the development of civilization. Particle accelerators are going crazy all over the world and are casting question marks on physical certainties. Scientists working on AI or quantum computers are killing themselves. You could say science fiction kills science. What remains is fiction, or as those who have set out put it: “Instead of the truth, we give you miracles.” This is how the post-truth age works.
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