What Is The Dark Forest Theory In 3 Body Problem? How It Nods To The Second Season
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It’s a mind-bending sci-fi show that premiered on Netflix on March 1, loosely based on a Hugo Award-winning Chinese novel by Liu Cixin. One of the central themes is the dark forest theory in Three Body Problem and it could set up for the show’s second season.
In Three Body Problem, a young woman’s fateful decision in 1960s China reverberates across space and time into the present day. When the laws of nature inexplicably unravel before their eyes, a close-knit group of brilliant scientists join forces with an unorthodox detective to confront the greatest threat in humanity’s history.
Spanning multiple continents, cultures, and timelines, the series is purposefully global in nature. “This is very much a story about humanity, and humanity’s struggle with a seemingly unsolvable mystery that snowballs into a full-on existential crisis,” David Benioff explained to Netflix’s Tudum. “So we wanted to represent, as much as possible, all of humanity. We wanted people from all over the world. We tried to make this a very diverse, international cast to represent the idea that this isn’t just one country’s struggle; it’s a global struggle to survive.”
The show’s creators explained that while the show tries to stay true to the book, certain things had to change because of how it translated, or didn’t, to the screen. “Some things work great on the page because I’m inside this guy’s head, and I know exactly what he’s thinking,” Benioff explained to The Verge. “But then when I pull that scene off the page and put it on the screen, I don’t have any way to understand what he’s thinking. I need to find some other way into his mind and into his motivations other than just them being delivered in writing on the page.”
Alexander Woo added: “In the case of these books, the lead characters often don’t intersect. They have their own independent storylines, and sometimes they just disappear and never come back again. But from all of our experience adapting books to television, the one thing that we feel is at the heart of any great series that gets under your skin is the characters. That’s what makes you want to watch the next episode and make sure you count the days till the next season.” With all that said, here’s an explainer of the dark forest theory in Three Body Problem.
What is the dark forest theory in Three Body Problem?
Henry Gao, a law professor at Singapore Management University explained that the dark forest theory in Three Body Problem could be the reason why the show has garnered such a cult following. It could also nod to a second and third instalment of the show.
“[Three Body Problem‘s] narrative consists of two parts. The first part is that ‘imperialism is determined to destroy us,’ and the second part is that in the world, we must rely on strength to speak, and if we fall behind, we will be beaten,” he explained to Voice of America. “And the dark forest hypothesis in The Three-Body Problem clearly reflects this view, so it’s not surprising that nationalists have embraced it.”
The Dark Forest Theory originates from the science fiction novel The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin, which is the second book in the Three-Body Problem trilogy. In the context of the novel, the Dark Forest Theory is a speculative hypothesis about the nature of the universe and the behavior of civilizations within it.
The theory suggests that the universe is akin to a dark forest where every civilization is like a hunter hiding in the darkness, fearful of revealing its location to other hunters. This fear arises from the assumption that any advanced civilization poses an existential threat to others and therefore, the best strategy for survival is to remain hidden and avoid broadcasting one’s presence.
It concludes that it’s safer for civilizations to remain silent and avoid detection by others and suggests that while the universe might be teeming with life, each civilization is acting in self-preservation mode, hiding in the darkness like hunters in a forest.
As it’s the title of the second book in the trilogy, this is the strongest indication that we might get a second, if not third season. The showrunners are certainly keen on telling more of this story. “[We] want to spend the next five or six years of our lives working on bringing them to the screen. That’s a pretty strong feeling,” Benioff told The Verge.
Three Body Problem is available to stream on Netflix.
Three-Body Problem Boxed Set
A secret military group sends signals into space in hopes of establishing contact with aliens―and succeeds. Picking up their signal is an alien civilization on the brink of destruction who now readies to invade Earth. News of the coming invasion divides humanity like never before. Some want to help the superior beings take over a world they see as corrupt. Others prepare to fight the invasion at all cost. The Three Body Problem trilogy is a ground-breaking saga of enormous scope and vision.
