It’s widely accepted that the highly regarded trilogy of Chinese science-fiction books commonly referred to as “Three-Body,” in which Earth is threatened by technologically advanced aliens, represents historical Chinese concerns about Western dominance.

This is why it’s kind of funny that the novels are going to become even more popular than they were 17 years after the story was first serialized, thanks to a high-profile American adaptation that Netflix will release later this year.

Many of Liu’s conversations seem to have been taken directly from the book to the screen, though it’s difficult to tell for sure due to translation issues in both formats. 

Most of the main plot issues are resolved in roughly the same ways across the course of 20 episodes as they are in the novel. That might be all that matters to Liu’s ardent supporters. The show’s and the book’s similarities might be more troublesome for a wider audience.

The show’s primarily Non-Chinese cast suggests that it makes significant alterations to the novels’ plot, despite the fact that Liu Cixin, the author of the books, is a consulting producer on the Netflix series and has endorsed it.  is that it is, in general, accurate to the first novel in the trilogy, “The Three-Body Problem,” on which it is based, even though he doesn’t appear to have been involved with the Chinese series.

Preview

The setting of Liu’s “The Three-Body Problem” is Beijing in the middle of the 1980s, with flashbacks taking place forty years earlier in the countryside.

High-ranking scientists have been committing themselves, and a mismatched team led by the reserved physicist Wang Miao and the Rabelaisian investigator Shi Qiang is investigating.

It seems mysterious at first. Investigating a plot that stretches back to the Cultural Revolution and Wang’s habit of donning virtual reality goggles to play a sophisticated, cosmically expansive computer game will be crucial to determine what caused the fatalities.

The story has relevance because of its melancholy, themes of environmental degradation and the threat of human extinction, and metaphor of the resentment and hopelessness that the Cultural Revolution generated.

What distinguishes it, though, is how science propels the action at every point rather than serving as a background or foundation.

This is reflected in Liu’s writing style: the book flows structurally like a mathematical proof, with arguments concerning science, nature, and society building upon one another to reveal a conclusion that has been hinted at but not revealed from the start. Wang’s solution to the puzzle resembles a synopsis of scientific and technical developments.

Release Date and Where to Watch

On March 21, 2024, Netflix will begin streaming “3 Body Problem,” the much-awaited science fiction television series with eight episodes, each filled with mysteries, catastrophes, and the fate of the Earth on the line.

When will foreign countries be able to see 3 Body Problem episodes:

• United Kingdom: 2:00 AM, Wednesday, March 21, 2024.
• Canada: 9:00 PM, Tuesday, March 20, 2024.
• Philippines: 10:00 AM, Wednesday, March 21, 2024.
• Australia: 1:00 PM, Wednesday, March 21, 2024.
• Germany: 3:00 AM, Wednesday, March 21, 2024.