"Has the universe ever winked at you?"
It's the cryptic question alien-worshipper and Earth-Trisolaris Organization member Tatiana (Marlo Kelly) poses to Auggie (Eiza González) in Netflix's 3 Body Problem. And it's the one in the back of the nanotechnologist's mind when she and fellow "Oxford Five" member, physicist Saul (Jovan Adepo), find themselves staring at a sky full of stars blinking across the world.
SEE ALSO:What exactly is the three-body problem in '3 Body Problem'?In episode 1 of David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, and Alexander Woo's sci-fi epic, based on Liu Cixin's books, the world sees the night sky flickering simultaneously, prompting widespread news coverage and watercooler chats the next day. As it's happening, Saul decodes the stars using a strange breakfast cereal toy code-cracker Tatiana gave to Auggie, finding it matches the numbers in Auggie's countdown.
But what exactly happened here, and how did the stars suddenly flicker?
It's flickering all over the world.Credit: NetflixIn episode 2 after the phenomenon, Saul tells Dr Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao) his theory about the blinking stars: "It's bullshit. It never happened." When Wenjie questions this, noting that the entire world witnessed the blinking lights, Saul doubles down. "Sure, everyone on Earth. But you know who didn't see it? Webb, Hubble, CHEOPS. None of the satellites saw it. You know why? Because it never happened. It was a deepfake."
Saul's bang on the money, though he hasn't figured out who created such an illusion. So, who did? It all comes down to the sophon, the technology deployed by the impending alien race, the San-Ti, who responded to Wenjie's transmission sent in 1968. In episode 5, when Jin and Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham) speak to the San-Ti AI warrior through the VR headsets, they tell them the aliens have created a sentient supercomputer by focusing energies on a single proton, then creating "a mind as large as a world".
In episode 5, the San-Ti demonstrate the sheer power of the sophon, reflecting the world upon itself and fashioning a giant eye in the middle of it all, informing the "bugs" of Earth they're under constant surveillance by an alien race. It's Christopher Nolan's Inceptionmeets George Orwell's 1984and it scares the shit out of the human race, as intended. The flickering stars seem like mere party tricks, a glimmer of the San-Ti's sinister intention to make humanity "learn how to fear again."
"In place of truth, we give you miracles," the San-Ti warrior explains. "We wrap your world in illusions. We make you see what we want you to see."
This item, given to Auggie by Tatiana on their first meeting for the purposes of looking at the stars, is a strange one. Right out of a box of Toasty-O-Sters breakfast cereal, the code-cracker allows Saul to figure out the stars are flashing numbers that correspond with Auggie's countdown. It's not Morse code, as Saul explains, but instead he cracks an alien code using this tiny piece of plastic. Auggie mentions the cereal Toasty-O-Sters hasn't been made since 1963, which is five years before Wenjie sent her first message to the San-Ti.
So why on Earth are the San-Ti, a technologically advanced alien race, using an out-of-production 1960s cereal toy as their chief means of communication with one scientist on Earth?
But ANYWAY, now you and the world knows the blinking stars aren't just a cosmic phenomenon. They're a direct threat.
How to watch:3 Body Problemis now streaming on Netflix.
TopicsNetflix
(责任编辑：熱點)
How Hyperloop One went off the rails
Mike Pompeo's tantrum inspired a big boost in NPR donations
E3 2020 has officially been canceled (UPDATE)
Vivo's new Apex concept phone has zero ports and a 7.5x optical zoom camera
Dramatic photo captures nun texting friends after Italy earthquakeTwo astronauts just installed a new parking spot on the International Space Station
UPDATE: Aug. 19, 2016, 2:04 p.m. EDT 。 Astronauts Kate Rubins and Jeff Williams are back in the Inter
...[详细]A guide to using TikTok's algorithm to watch videos you actually like
The popular mobile video app TikTok is a gold mine, featuring everything from dancing to angry voice
...[详细]Humane Society will give you a bad custom drawing of your pet for a $15 donation
Fine art is often an investment, but there are some affordable options out there. For example, a $15
...[详细]Billie Eilish looking confused AF at the Oscars is a real meme mood
Billie Eilish may be a singer, but if she ever decides to go into acting she already has the "confus
...[详细]Here's what 'Game of Thrones' actors get up to between takes
Warning: Contains some mild Season 6 spoilers right at the end (the video is spoiler-free). 。LONDON -
...[详细]Mike Pompeo's tantrum inspired a big boost in NPR donations
The Secretary of State may not be thanking NPR for his week atop the headlines, but NPR can definite
...[详细]PlayStation 4 DualShock finally has cost
I ask you, fellow video game nerds: Whomst among us doesn't crave more buttons to press?There's noth
...[详细]A guide to using TikTok's algorithm to watch videos you actually like
The popular mobile video app TikTok is a gold mine, featuring everything from dancing to angry voice
...[详细]Nancy Pelosi warns colleagues after info hacked
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warned fellow Democrats on Saturday to change their cellphone num
...[详细]4 wholesome browser games to play if you love plants
In a perfect world, we'd all be able to stare at the perfect pothos on our windowsill for at least 1
...[详细]Olympian celebrates by ordering an intimidating amount of McDonald's
Mike Pompeo's tantrum inspired a big boost in NPR donations