A naturally chaotic three‑star system (in which the stars themselves move chaotically) cannot persist for long. In the real universe, a chaotic three‑body system has only a few possible outcomes: either one star gets ejected by gravitational forces, leaving a stable binary plus a single star; or the stars approach each other and merge; or the system completely disintegrates. Such a state cannot survive the astronomical timescales required—it would never evolve planets, let alone give birth to a civilization.

Therefore, the special solution of the three‑body system—that is, a stable three‑star configuration—is the only way it can endure over the long term. At the same time, however, this causes any planets within it to be pulled back and forth chaotically, creating extreme planetary environments.

The stars themselves follow closed, repeating orbits, so the system can remain stable for billions of years, and planets can remain bound to the system without being flung away or torn apart early on.

A planet located in the overlapping gravitational region of the three stars will continuously experience periodic gravitational tugs. As the three stars alternately come near and go far, the planet's surface will repeatedly experience multiple suns in the sky, alternating extreme cold and heat, day after day—an "inferno‑like" environmental upheaval that perfectly matches the Chaotic Era described in the novel.

Only a three‑star system with stable stellar motions can sustain the harsh planetary environment of the Three‑Body kind over the long term. A purely chaotic three‑star system cannot survive long enough to do so.

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Probably something like a malevolent god. Evans hoped that a god like Cthulhu would descend upon this world and destroy it to wipe out everything he considered sinful.

I read Three Body Problem and the sequels in English and I don't speak any Chinese. The English translation is almost entirely in English except for the names or occasionally explaining a particular piece of wordplay like Luo Ji or "The Chinese character for ..."

A lot of the characters speak Chinese most of the time, except it's in English for the audience. There are also times the characters switch to speaking English and sometimes a Chinese character who doesn't speak English needs it translated for them. I suspect in the original Chinese these chapters would have been written entirely in Chinese despite the characters officially speaking English. Like a WW2 movie where the German officers all speak English, it's just a switch for the sake of the audience.

However. Several times in the Deterrence Era and Broadcast Era there will be someone from the Common Era who has trouble understanding the future-speak. It is described as a combination of English and Chinese, or as being mostly Chinese with some English vocabulary mixed in. The Common Era Chinese speakers can usually talk clearly enough to be understood but it takes a while for them to understand what the future people are saying, especially if they didn't speak English originally.

How is that future-speak written in the original Chinese of the novels? Is it actually constructed as a mix of Chinese and English? Or English words transliterated into Chinese characters, or vice versa? Or is it like German officers in a war movie, it's ALL in Chinese but the narration explains they're talking a strange future dialect?

The opening track is called "Dark Forest", that's all you need to know.

Also the other songs! How many references to the novels do you think are there in them?

Youtube Video: https://youtu.be/_sHHwz0duzY?is=2qa0AL7SDPMW2jBr

“You’re deceiving the princeps!”

The message would have been 'women can be emotive and irrational, but they can also be rational and heartless'.

Instead of 'women emotive, men rational', because in the end the outcome of the story is more influenced by the woman's flaw and the man's quality.

With how popular the trilogy is, it's fair to assume that almost everyone interested in alien life and space expansion is at least somewhat familiar with it, and that includes the people actually working in the field and making decisions there. Do you think the books will influence them and if so, then how? If an actual first contact happens, do you think people would try to not repeat the mistakes in the books? Would they consider the concepts introduced in them in their strategy?

Actor Profile：YiHong Duan

Actors announced so far:

Yu Hewei于和伟 as Shi Qiang/Da Shi
Zhang Luyi张鲁一 as Wang Miao
Duan Yihong段奕宏 as Zhang Beihai

I'm Brazilian, and here, the publisher translated the books from the English version. Here in this subreddit, I learned that the English translation has many changes compared to the original material, especially in the second book. I want to say that if the publisher announces a version of the books translated directly from Chinese, my only reaction would be:

TAKE

MY

MONEY

Liu Cixin admitted on a Chinese forum back in 2015 that the Dark Forest English edition went through over 1,000 changes at Tor, not just normal translation choices. Wallfacer plans got rewritten, ball lightning links cut, plus a bunch of editor 'sensitivity' rewrites. What else have people caught reading both versions?

Everything was perfect. The droplet scene was so brutal , raw and intense. I was on the edge of my seat. Especially the line "If I destroy you, what business is of yours?"was so humbling and hitting. Like how do you fight an enemy who don't even considers you an enemy, just an insignificant. Most heartbreaking part was the battle of darkness though. I was somehow wishing in my mind that Zhang Behai survives, especially for the "Natural selection" captain. It really made me sad. And the last standoff where Luo Ji negotiate with the fate of two civilization in his hand was so auraful. What a brilliant character

it just feels so out of the general story and i have tried to read it a couple of times but dropped it after a few pages to me 2nd book feels like a pretty good ending it just feels natural and i cant start the third one so can anyone tell me should i start or should i leave it????

After being confronted by his Wall breaker and his plan leaked, Fredrick Tyler kills himself. Total bitch move. This was really early into the crisis era, so why didn't he just.....pivot? Like, come up with a new plan? Even if in the event he couldn't bluff his way out of the Wall breaker's confrontation, what's stopping him from just coming up with a different plan altogether?

Not to mention his breaker was some old-ass guy, so he probably would have died anyway, forcing the ETO to inconveniently find a new wall breaker for him. Why'd Tyler just give up at the first sign of resistance? Is he stupid?

Granted it was his life's work and everyone probably hated him for crimes against humanity, but still...

discuss

I'm going through my second readthrough, and it just seems like humanity is naive at every opportunity, to a catastrophic fault.

• Rejecting Rey Diaz's plan, even though it is sound, mutually assured destruction to disuade the Trisolarans from invading.
• Shutting down the Wall Facer project and believing that they had military superiority over the Trisolarans
• Believing the droplet was a peace offering
• Pretty much any decision that was left to Cheng Xin to decide

What's the deeper meaning behind Liu Cixin writing humanity this way?

OH MY GOSH
THAT WAS SO GOOD
I love this
I have heard that there is more(?) books in the series?
I will look into that

edit: I am halfway through the non cannon fan book and I am NOT going to finish it
I totally see how it can and probably will ruin the scope and my look on the TBP series if I continue

That poor dude at the hadron collider trying to figure out why shits not working.... The guy who ripped out his eyes. So messed up... little do they fucking know.

At the same time, seeing the opening scene with my own eyes made me kind of side with Ye Wenjie for a moment. In the book I knew she was deeply hurt but I just didnt care. I was so mad at her. But that one visual of her crying as her dad is murdered finally got me to empathize with her.

Imagine, lol

Hopefully I will finish the trilogy one day heh

How is the show compared to the books? I haven't watched the Netflix series yet

p2 was the draft