When they say space is the final frontier, is that a threat? Netflix’s 3 Body Problem episode six, “The Stars our Destination,” was written by Alexander Woo and directed by Minkie Spiro.
Content warning: please note that 3 Body Problem (and by extension this recap) includes discussion of suicide. You can reach the Suicide Prevention Lifeline by phone at: 800-273-TALK (8255).
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous episode of 3 Body Problem, “Judgment Day.”
“The Stars Our Destination”
New reports show panic around the world in the wake of the San-Ti message to Earth. The reports specify that the arrival will be four centuries hence. We see Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo) and Will Downing (Alex Sharp) watch together, while Thomas Wade (Liam Cunningham) watches alone. Jin Cheng (Jess Hong) opens her shutters to take in the destruction outside her window. She’s joined by her boyfriend, Raj Varma (Saamer Usmani).
An organization called “The Stars Our Destination” (TSOD) runs advertisements as Auggie Salazar (Eiza González) walks the streets of London. Posters advertising TSOD have been vandalized with a graffiti statement: “We’re not bugs.” It’s reported that religious cults that worship the San-Ti have begun to emerge. Da Shi (Benedict Wong) is shocked to find a line of people who have hanged themselves from the light posts along the Thames.
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At “The Black Palace,” headquarters of the Strategic Intelligence Agency in London, Da Shi shows Jin into the cell holding Ye Wenjie (Rosalind Chao). Da Shi informs Jin that Ye Wenjie hasn’t spoken since her Lord told us all we’re bugs. Jin tells Ye Wenjie she’s lucky the cell has no windows or screens. She asks what Ye Wenjie thinks it’s like out there. Jin continues that many are terrified, committing suicide. This includes people who were part of Ye Wenjie’s organization.
Jin asked why Vera had to die. She asks if Ye Wenjie ordered Jack Rooney murdered. She demands Ye Wenjie not just sit there staring at her, but to tell her why.
Stop Hammer Time
Ye Wenjie says that on the stage where her father was killed was a poster. “A man with a hammer smashing Jesus, Buddha and a Rock and Roll Record.” Its slogan: “Destroy the old world. Forge the new world.” Ye Wenjie says it’s the only thing she agreed with the Red Guards about.
Jin accuses Ye Wenjie of betraying humanity. Ye Wenjie insists that she called so they can save us. Jin asks if Ye Wenjie still believes this. Ye Wenjie admits that she does not. She says the San-Ti learned the truth about humanity: “We lie. We deceive. There’s a darkness in us that they cannot understand.”
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Jin asks if Ye Wenjie never questioned the wisdom of inviting a more advanced species to Earth. Ye Wenjie says she was willing to risk everything after she saw the path we were on. Jin asks who gave Ye Wenjie the right to make decisions for all of humanity. She says Ye Wenjie was a great physicist but she’ll be remembered as a traitor. Ye Wenjie asks how Jin will be remembered. “As someone who fought back,” Jin says.
At Wychwood Manor (IRL, Bramshill House, reportedly “one of the most haunted houses in England”), Wade and Varma set up a base of operations. Wade addresses an assembly of “Nobel laureates and jealous fucks who think they should be,” telling them to make themselves comfortable, as this is where they’ll be planning how to defeat the San-Ti.
Wychwood Manor
Wade states that in spite of what a “depressingly large number of Neanderthals seem to believe,” the San-Ti are real, and are coming. One of the experts asks if the Sophons can’t see everything humanity says or does. The expert continues, highlighting the incredible feats of which the San-Ti are capable. But Wade points out that there are things they can’t do, such as lie. Furthermore, they only have two Sophons.
Another expert underscores that these are proton-sized sentient computers. But Wade says it took all of their resources to build them, and they can’t move fast enough to create more. The first expert underscores that the Sophons are undermining research. Wade says they need to further develop the tech they do have. He also says they need to learn more about how the San-Ti accomplish things.
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Wade says the best way to learn about the San-Ti is from the source. The expert asks if Wade plans to aim a telescope at their homeworld. But Wade plans to launch a probe to intercept their fleet. He equates the probe with the Sophons the San-Ti sent to Earth. He says they need to learn things like the size of their ships, their weaknesses.
The expert says it would take 398 years for the probe to reach the fleet. Wade says the fleet is traveling at 1% light speed, so that should be their goal. The second expert says it would take 100 years of development to achieve this. Wade asks why the San-Ti can accomplish it if humans can’t. The first expect says, “We are not them.” Wade agrees: “No, you’re not.”
From the Earth to the Moon
In a plush room, Wade tells Jin that he hears she’s planning on fighting back. He says he plans to do the same. Wade states that there are only two Sophons. To keep them as occupied as possible, he’s ordered every particle accelerator on the planet to work around the clock. He asks Jin how busy she thinks that will keep the Sophons. Jin says “not very,” as a Sophon can circumnavigate the globe in an eighth of a second. Wade points out that there are 2000 accelerators.
Jin says if experiments around the globe are scheduled properly, they might be able to keep one of the Sophon’s busy indefinitely. Better still if they can build an accelerator on the moon: it takes three seconds to get there and back. While that will leave the other Sophon free to continue flickering the skies or displaying retinal countdowns, keeping one Sophon busy will still be a huge drain on the San-Ti’s resources. Wade says Jin’s working for him already.
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Wade says he’s launching a probe to intercept the San-Ti. He continues that he has some of the best engineer’s in the world on the project, “but they’re all fixated on feasibility.” Wade challenges Jin to find a way to get a probe to 1% light speed (or faster) using existing technology.
On the shore of the Channel, Will turns down Saul’s offer of marijuana. Will says the pain isn’t so bad at the moment. Saul tells him he doesn’t need to be stoic. Will admits he’s considering the possibility of an afterlife. Will tells Saul he wants his corpse to be put through a wood chipper.
Nuclear Pulse Propulsion
Saul asks if she’s okay. She says she is.
Jin addresses the experts at Wychwood, “During the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese Navy built a gunpowder rocket with smaller missiles stored inside.” This resulted in “a medieval weapon that caused 20th-century damage.” Therefore, there’s a historical precedent for achieving advanced results with existing technology.
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To achieve 1% light speed, an immense amount of energy will be required. Jin proposes using nuclear weapons to supply this. One of the experts accuses her of watching too many Vin Diesel films. Plus, getting a probe off the ground with nuclear weapons inside will be difficult due to weight. Jin has already considered this. The probe itself will be as light as possible, making it easier to accelerate. Her borrowed idea is “nuclear pulse propulsion.”
1000 nuclear devices will be located throughout the path the probe will take to reach the San-Ti fleet. She says these could be placed by existing spacecraft. The probe will have a small mass and be attached to a solar sail. As the probe passes the nuclear devices, it will accelerate. After 1000 bombs, the probe will reach 1.1% light speed. She compares the bombs to steps on a staircase. The experts point out that the idea is novel but untested, may violate nuclear arms treaties and will cost trillions. Jin says treaties can be amended. She states their job is to solve a scientific problem, and the money is someone else’s problem.
Apocalyptic Beer Run
The experts are skeptical. One of them says the only feasible way to achieve 1% lightspeed is decades of research. Wade states that Jin’s proposal is the only one to suggest the speed is reachable within his lifetime. Wade says they’re going to find Jin an office.
At a market, inventory is running low. Saul comments on how irrational it is to horde biscuits when the aliens won’t arrive for 400 years. Will is distracted by a news report on TSOD, which has been selling stars in the Milky Way galaxy to rich folks for “donations in the eight-to-nine-figure range.” Saul doesn’t get this, either. Will characterizes it as a fundraiser for the space program. Saul is skeptical, but Will says at least they’re doing something.
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The clerk points out that some people are worshiping the aliens, “that’s something.” Auggie says the money should be put towards helping people who are alive now, not funding a war four centuries hence. Will says it’s more exciting to imagine a War of the Worlds in the future than to deal with current problems. Saul asks for any beer, and the clerk says he heard the pub might get some that night.
Will asks if he can preorder five bottles of the next shipment of “really good” whiskey. The clerk informs him it will be unavailable until the new year. Will says that by that time, he’ll be unavailable as well.
Three Minutes for the 3 Body Problem
At Wychwood, Varma and Wade speak. Wade asks him to open a window. Varma says the window is sealed shut and Wade is testing him to see how he will react. Wade walks over and opens the window himself, without trouble. He tells Varma he now has two minutes.
Varma says he thought he comported himself well in Panama. Wade asks if he’s looking for commendation and suggests he return to the Navy. Varma says he wants to work for Wade. Furthermore, he says Wade needs to realize that “someone with a background in nuclear engineering and naval strategy should be on your space fleet team,” not working on administrative tasks.
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Varma has known about the space fleet team for two weeks. Wade says he should have come then. Varma didn’t want to overstep. Wade says people who don’t want to overstep have no place on his space fleet team. Varma demands to be put on the team. Wade says it’s done, and continues that Varma will love it on Mare Imbrium (on the moon). This is where they’re building a base to build the ships. The lower gravity should prove helpful.
The Tale of the Scientist and the Goldfish
Jin arrives at the vacation home with a bottle and a goldfish (in a bag, in a bowl). Jin asks if Auggie’s done ghosting her, and asks where Auggie was. Auggie is surprised Varma didn’t tell her. But Will interrupts. Will quips that the goldfish is food, but Jin presents it to him as a housewarming gift. He says he loves the little fellow already. Will names the fish Pushkin, a poetry reference.
Later, Auggie conveys her surprise that Jin is “working for that fascist fuck again.” Jin says she knows how Wade comes across, but he’s a fighter. But Auggie insists that Wade is a murderer. Jin insists that the eye in the sky was the San-Ti’s declaration of war on humanity. Slamming glassware, Auggie asks if Varma has told Jin anything about Panama. She suggests Jin question him to see if he’ll be honest with her.
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Nevertheless, Jin says the San-Ti are on their way, and she has to do something. Auggie counters that they’re four centuries away. She points out that everyone Jin knows will be dead before the San-Ti arrive, along with several subsequent generations. Jin asks if Auggie is just going to pretend the San-Ti don’t exist.
Auggie asks Jin what she’s working on for Wade. Jin says she needs a radiation sail with an area of five square kilometers but with a mass less than five kilograms. Auggie refuses to help.
No! No Nanosail
Jin says everything depends on the nanosail, and only Auggie can build it. She continues that they have unprecedented resources to accomplish this. Auggie points out that the last time scientists were given unprecedented resources, they caused Hiroshima. Jin says she’s not designing a weapon. Auggie replies, “Not yet.”
Early the next day, Jin joins Will on the beach. After a few moments of silence, Jin says Will could have told her. Will says he didn’t want to worry her. Jin says she would have been furious if Will had died without her knowing he was sick. She asks Will if he wants her to stay a few more days. Will says he won’t stand for it, telling her to go save the world.
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Jin folds a piece of paper into a boat and hands it to Will. Then she folds a second boat. She says to imagine that one boat is Will and the other is Jin. Next Jin brings both boats to the water and the current sweeps them away together. She sits back down beside Will. They smile as they watch the boats vanish.
Twenty minutes after Jin has left, Saul greets Will in the living room and asks how he and Jin left things. “Same as always,” Will says. Nevertheless, Saul asks if Will plans to take his feelings for Jin to the grave. He suggests Will go to London and tell Jin how he feels. Auggie joins them. Will points out that Jin has a boyfriend. Auggie says, “Fuck him.”
Panama Fallout
Soon, Will is aboard a train heading to London. He medicates and looks out the window.
Jin and Varma are riding in a car. Jin asks Varma why he didn’t tell her what he’s been up to, especially when they’ve had the same security clearance for a week. Varma says they haven’t seen each other. She asks how he can be okay with killing a thousand people. Varma says those people murdered scientists. They halted research so the San-Ti can murder the rest of humanity.
Varma asks if Jin realizes her work is part of war. Jin says not to compare what she’s doing to his work. Varma says someone has to do the dirty work. He points out that Auggie’s nanofiber made it possible. Jin says Auggie is gutted by the action and drinking away her guilt. Varma says they’re all fighting the same war.
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In the middle of the night at the beach house, Saul escorts a vomiting Auggie to the toilet. Saul tells Auggie it’s okay as sobs.
Jin and Varma arrive at their destination. Varma apologizes for not telling her sooner. Jin says maybe he’s right and she shouldn’t be working for Wade. But Varma says Jin’s work is the one thing she can’t give up on. They embrace. From across the street, a dejected Will watches them hug. Then he walks away without speaking to Jin.
The 3 Body Problem Prisoner
Da Shi enters Ye Wenjie’s cell. She’s reading a book. She suggests Da Shi try reading. Da Shi says all he’s done the past few weeks is read. He’s referring to the transcripts between Evans and their Lord. Da Shi notes that Evans never mentioned Vera to the San-Ti. He takes this as evidence that they are indeed meaningless bugs. So if they don’t matter, why can’t Ye Wenjie tell them why Vera jumped.
Ye Wenjie admits she got careless in her messages to Evans. Vera’s computer acumen allowed her to read the correspondence. But Vera never broached the subject with her. “She didn’t even leave a note,” she says.
Ye Wenjie says she has yet to be charged with a crime. She says she will submit to no more visits or questioning.
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Da Shi smokes a cigarette and watches Ye Wenjie’s cell via security feed. He receives a message from Wade: “Granted.” Da Shi tells his assistant they’ve been cleared to release the prisoner in 12 hours. Da Shi wants her tailed, with reports on her movements every four hours.
The next morning over breakfast, Auggie tells Saul that he looks good with more weight. She insists she’s honest about liking how he looks. Saul is offended. Auggie ameliorates him by allowing him to say one mean thing to her. He tells her she’s beautiful, “but in a boring way.” Will says the trek to London wasn’t a waste and that Jin doesn’t need him, she needs Auggie. Will says that he believes Auggie should help Jin, no matter who she’s working for.
The Release
At Wychwood, Jin pops a beta blocker. She says Wade won’t like what she has to tell him. She informs Wade that with the acceleration caused by the bombs, there’s no way to slow down the probe. She says they’d only have a few minutes to gather information on the fleet. Furthermore, they must assume that due to the Sophon, the San-Ti know the probe is coming. However, Wade is confident they won’t destroy the probe, they’ll pick it up. He says they aren’t sending a camera, they’re sending a person.
A released Ye Wenjie walks the streets of London. She moves to donate money to a charity who are collecting money “for humanity,” but apologizes when she finds her wallet empty. Da Shi’s assistant tails her.
At Wychwood, Auggie arrives by taxi. She instructs the gate guard to tell Wade she’s arrived.
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Ye Wenjie arrives at home. She clears the rotten fruit from the Vera memorial and lights some candles. Da Shi’s assistant stands outside and watches the house. Inside, Ye Wenjie addresses the San-Ti, knowing they can hear her if they want. She observes that the San-Ti no longer trust them, as they are liars.
Ye Wenjie acknowledges that the San-Ti are now coming to wipe out humanity all because of her, the first liar they met. “I’m an old woman whose old beliefs have led us down this terrible path.” However, Ye Wenjie says she still has some ideas in her. She concludes that in four centuries, there may be either a fair fight… or no fight at all.
Two Boats and a Star
Will looks out over the Channel from the beach. Then he wades into the water. He sees the two boats. Now much larger than they were, the boats are still floating in tandem. Will leaves the beach. In the next scene, he arrives at the TSOD building. He watches a full-wall screen showing a montage of inspirational human imagery.
RELATED: Read all of our 3 Body Problem recaps by clicking here.
Will tells an employee that he’s there for an appointment. The man offers to explain the TSOD mission to him. But Will says that won’t be necessary. He says he’s there to buy a star.
All 8 episodes of 3 Body Problem are currently available for streaming on Netflix.
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