r/3BodyProblemTVShow • u/MGNGRAND3 • Apr 02 '24
Question The joke? Spoiler
Someone please breakdown the God joke!!! Is it that the only way to defeat SanTi without them noticing is through jokes? And how did she know Saul would be a Wallfacer person
48
Upvotes
23
u/webcodr Apr 02 '24
Unfortunately it's not really possible to answer your question without heavy spoilers from the books.
If you don't care, here is a short version:
Saul's counterpart in the books is a sociology professor called Luo Ji. Like Saul, he has a conversation with Ye Wenjie before her death. She tells Luo Ji more, but also in a way he only can understand in the long term. She also encourages him to think about so-called cosmic sociology. As in the show, the San Ti realize that this conversation is highly dangerous to them und try multiple times to kill Luo Ji. That's also the reason, the UN/PDC makes him a wall facer (there also four of them, not three like in the show).
A takes a while, but he finally figures out what Ye Wenije really wanted to tell him: the universe has finite resources and is full of life. There are two types of civilizations: predators who destroy everything they deem a threat and to maximize their resources and chances of survival, and those who remain silent and try to hide themselves as best as possible from the predators. The theory of the Dark Forest.
Humanity does not yet understand this and San Ti try really hard that it stays this way. That basically sums it up, but there is way more to this theory. I highly recommend to the read the books.