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Netflix's 3 Body Problem is an epic science fiction adaptation helmed by Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and DB Weiss under the co-creation of Alexander Woo. Fans will undoubtedly discover several changes to the adaptation of Liu Cixin's award-winning sci-fi novel.
Before the Netflix 3 Body Problem series, the novel, which was first published in 2007, had undergone adaptations for Chinese viewers, but this marks its first adaptation for English-speaking audiences. In turn, there have been many major tweaks, including changes to characters, expansions, and additions, shifting locations, and variations in chronology.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for 3 Body Problem. Reader's discretion is advised.
Differences between Netflix and Original novels 3 Body Problem explored
3 Body Problem creators have introduced strands from the following novels promptly and made the Netflix production more international than anticipated. So far, reviews are positive for the series.
1) The chronological order of the Novels
In reference to The Wallfacer Project, it is important to note that several aspects of this chronology are quite unlike the book series. The overall storyline of the series is indeed based on the storyline of the first book in the 3 Body Problem series; however, some elements are derived from future novels, such as Project Staircase.
The implementation of the Wallfacer Project takes place in the second book, The Dark Forest, and the individuals selected for the project display major variations. In the series, Saul is selected together with a renowned military book author and a soldier.
Within the books, there are four Wallfacers, including a former United States Secretary of Defense, the previous President of Venezuela, and a Neuroscientist who has been awarded the Nobel Prize. Regarding the continuity of the Wallfacer Project concerning the novels, only time will reveal the truth. However, it is presumed that if there is a second season, the storyline will need to be streamlined for television.
2) Advancing the plot setting outside China
The setting of the book 3 Body Problem is mostly in China, whereas the series has been significantly expanded to include a larger global perspective.Undoubtedly, the plot relies heavily on the presence of China as a backdrop, beginning with the tragic events that initiate Ye Wenjie's narrative, and extending to the enigmatic Red Coast Project and its far-reaching repercussions.
However, the 3 Body Problem series takes place in both China and the present-day cities of London and New York, with a dual focus on 1960s China.
3) Ye Wenjie
The narrative of the lady who sent a tragic signal to the San-Ti was adapted for the show in a shortened form, with few alterations. Both the novel and the program commenced with the public humiliation of Ye Wenjie's father during the Cultural Revolution in China.
Reflecting on this disgraceful episode in history has significant importance; when released in China, Liu's work strategically concealed those facts inside the narrative. The author has confirmed that he first intended it to serve as an introduction.
The individual faces legal consequences for having a copy of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring while being detained in a labor camp.
As a result, they are assigned to participate in the covert project centered on transmitting messages using solar energy at Red Coast Base.
Although the program has neglected to mention it, the book reveals that Ye not only gets married but also murders a guy she encounters to safeguard the secrecy of the message she conveys.
Later in the story, it is revealed that Ye, who is also a character in the program, has a daughter who dies by suicide. However, the explanation for this is only disclosed in Death's End.
The individual in question is the leader of the Earth-Trisolaran Organization (ETO) and engages in a pivotal conversation with the figure known as the Wallfacer in the second book.
4) Portrayal of Augustina Salazar and Da Shi characters
The novel's rough, suspicious, chain-smoking detective, Da Shi (Benedict Wong), is equally recognizable. Before joining Wade's secret government agency, he is a freelance investigator in the first and second volumes.
Former Chinese military officer. Only Wang Miao appears in the first book as Da Shi's nanotechnology specialist.
Auggie (Eiza Gonzalez), a French scientist who sees the countdown in her field of vision, works alongside him. The San-Ti/Trisolarans are harassing Auggie and Wang to discontinue their cutting-edge research.
The Sophons fake background radiation, making the stars flicker, but Wang must travel to a faraway research facility to do so.
The book describes how 40 unseen cables cut up the ship, but the exhibition is more graphic. The largest change in the novel is that Evans, when Ye first meets him in the logging camp, advocates pan-species Communism that gives all animals human rights.
5) The Oxford Five Scientists
The Oxford Five refers to a tightly-knit cohort of scientists who formed a bond during their time as students at university. They include:
- Jin Cheng (Jess Hong)
- Auggie Salazar (Eiza Gonzalez)
- Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo)
- Will Downing (Alex Sharp)
- Jack Rooney (John Bradley)
Jin is a composite of several characters from the novels. Her narrative closely resembles that of Wang Miao, the protagonist of the first book. Like Wang Miao, Jin engages in the 3 Body Problem game and eventually becomes a member of the ETO.
Several story moments are faithfully recreated, especially the encounter with Ye Wenjie.
Auggie's position as a specialist in nanotechnology seems to align with other aspects of Wang's narrative. In subsequent episodes, Jin's narrative bears a closer resemblance to Cheng Xin's (as shown in the third book, Death's End), especially to the Staircase Project.
This project involves Jin's endeavors to devise a strategy for humans to deploy a probe to get information about the Santi.
Regarding the Staircase Project, Will's narrative closely mirrors the journey of the character Yun Tianming in the book. This includes his battle with a life-threatening sickness, the moment when Will purchases a star for Jin, and his unfortunate outcome due to the collapse of the Staircase Project.
Although Saul's persona may not seem initially analogous to any of the characters in the novel, it soon becomes evident that he serves as a replacement for Luo Ji, particularly once he is designated as a Wallfacer.
John Bradley's Jack Rooney, who provides much-needed comedic relief, has no clear literary counterpart. As predicted, the original books center on huge concepts and suspense, but the series breaks up this tension with some surprising humor.
According to Comicbook, a significant plot spoiler is that John Bradley's character, Jack Rooney, dies at the end of the third episode of 3 Body Problem. This event was unexpected since it was not foreshadowed in the books.
3 Body Problem is available to stream now on Netflix.
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