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From: Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: What Did You Watch? 2024-03-23 (Saturday)
Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2024 08:23:17 -0700
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On 3/26/2024 12:41 PM, anim8rfsk wrote:
> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>> On 3/25/2024 8:50 AM, anim8rfsk wrote:
>>> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>> 3 Body Problem (Netflix) I binged through the rest of the series about a
>>>> pending alien invasion of Earth.  SPOILERS!
>>>
>>> I powered through the entire Netflix series. I looked at the original
>>> Chinese series on the Amazon prime, but there’s no English audio and it’s
>>> way too much to read. I did read Ian‘s Wikipedia articles about all three
>>> series (one unreleased), and the plots and history of the three books, the
>>> first of which forms the basis for the various filmed projects.
>>>
>>> Also, it was recommended to me by our old friend Ob Veeus who is enamored
>>> of the “stunning redhead“ who appears in a later episode. Sometimes I think
>>> Ob Veeus and Ian are the same person.  Apologies to you both.
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> Spoiler Space
>>>> P
>>>> O
>>>> I
>>>> L
>>>> E
>>>> R
>>>>
>>>> S
>>>> P
>>>> A
>>>> C
>>>> E
>>>>
>>>> "Judgment Day"  Episode 5 - In the present day Jonathan Pryce is a
>>>> billionaire on Earth who has known about the alien invasion since the
>>>> 70s and has been working to make to make it happen.  He is in direct
>>>> communication with them and reads them stories and answers their
>>>> questions.  Then one day during a story he explains to the aliens that
>>>> the stories are just made up, not real.  The aliens are confused at
>>>> first because they don't have that concept in their culture.  Once Pryce
>>>> explains the concept of fiction/deception to the aliens they say, "A
>>>> liar is someone who cannot be trusted.  We cannot coexist with liars.
>>>> We are afraid of you." Then they cut off communication. They also stop
>>>> protecting their human allies.
>>>
>>> Of course, they were already on their way to conquer us, so I’m not really
>>> sure this makes a big difference.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> I think those humans were planning on cashing in on being the first to
>> welcome their new overlords.
>>
>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lcUHQYhPTE
>>
>>
>>>
>>>> Meanwhile Benedict Wong and his people are actually really good at what
>>>> they do, and now aware an alien invasion will arrive at Earth in 400
>>>> years, and are making plans to deal with it.  As his boss (Liam
>>>> Cunningham) says,  "We've got 400 years to come up
>>>> with a plan."
>>>
>>> In an earlier episode, when they first said that the star system was four
>>> light years away (which makes it Alpha Centauri, although oddly, nobody
>>> ever says that.) they also said the trip would be 100 years. Both of these
>>> come from the original pilot for the 1964 LOST IN SPACE series. So does the
>>> idea (in the book, at least) that the erratic orbit of their planet sends
>>> it from blazing heat to freezing cold every couple of weeks and
>>> unpredictably. Which is why they want to get the hell out of Dodge.
>>>
>>> There’s also a part in the book that I don’t know if they said in the show
>>> which explains them abandoning their system more clearly. Although it’s
>>> very definitely stated everywhere that you can’t solve the three body
>>> problem ever and can’t make any long range predictions about what their
>>> world will do they in fact have done so and know that sooner or later their
>>> planet’s going to crash into one of the three suns (it doesn’t say if it
>>> will be Chip or Ernie). Again why they have to get out of Dodge.
>>>
>>> There seems to be a lot of contradictions between what they say, and what
>>> we see, along the lines of what you would expect from a dubbed translation.
>>> For instance, one characters life is saved, because he’s wearing
>>> bulletproof fatigues, although clearly, the bullet went right through the
>>> fatigues (they point out the hole) and hit the body armor he was wearing
>>> underneath it.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> There's a scene where the group trying to stop the alien invasion needs
>>>> to take out a tanker ship where Pryce and his followers are living.
>>>> They need to do it in a way that doesn't give them warning or time to
>>>> destroy any data they might have on board.  And the way they do it is
>>>> like nothing I've ever seen before.
>>>
>>> You need to read more Larry Niven. :-) It’s directly from his various known
>>> space works.  In Niven’s RINGWORLD, the opponents use the weapon first,
>>> neatly decapitating one of the protagonists leading to such dialogue as
>>> “you tied a tourniquet around his neck?“ And “wait a minute! He’s got a
>>> spare!“
>>>
>>> Our team then proceeds to take out the other sides entire city! And his
>>> protagonist suffered the same guilt as the inventor here (who also turns
>>> out to be the most beautiful woman in the world) does.  I would also like
>>> to point out that Eiza Gonzalez has turned into a damn fine actress.
>>>
>>>
>>>>  From my perspective it pretty much
>>>> destroyed the ship too, so I'm not sure why gas wouldn't have been
>>>> better.
>>>
>>> This is apparently how they did it in the book as well, and it doesn’t make
>>> any sense in either case. Somehow this destructive method leaves the
>>> computers so that they can be saved. I have no idea why.
>>>
>>> They seem to be afraid that the ship had guards who would push
>>> self-destruct buttons on their computers, with their literal last breaths.
>>> But I don’t know why they wouldn’t do that in the case of any kind of
>>> attack.
>>>
>>>
>>>> That being said, it was a sight to witness as everyone on board
>>>> started to brutally die having no idea why or how.
>>>
>>> This is definitely the visual Highpoint of the series.
>>>
>>>
>>>> However, humanity's
>>>> win is brief.  At the end of the episode, the aliens initiate direct
>>>> communication with Cunningham's character.  And explain to him that in
>>>> 400 yeas time humanity will be more advance than the aliens and would
>>>> easily be able to defeat them.  Therefore, they then inform him they
>>>> have the ability to monitor everything everywhere and they will kneecap
>>>> humanity and prevent any future development.  They then proceed to
>>>> broadcast a world wide message on every screen that humans are "bugs"
>>>> and appear to engulf the planet in a shield.  Roll credits.
>>>
>>> Yikes!
>>>
>>
>> I know!
>>
>>>
>>>> "The Stars Our Destination" Episode 6.  News breaks of an alien invasion
>>>> fleet coming to conquer Earth and the general populace doesn't take it
>>>> very well.  Although the aliens had a lot of secret human followers, and
>>>> now they have humans who are publicly willing to help.  Things weren't
>>>> *as* bad as they looked at the end of episode 5.  The aliens ability to
>>>> directly impact Earth (outside of messing with communications or making
>>>> people see things) is minimal.  Nevertheless, the governments bring
>>>> together all the best minds to develop a plan to fight back.  They know
>>>> the aliens have the ability to see and hear everything they do so
>>>> they'll be no element of surprise.  "Let them listen."  First up how to
>>>> achieve 1% light speed so they can send a probe to intercept the alien
>>>> fleet.  And beginning development of a base on the moon as well as a
>>>> fleet of human ships.  Some of the scientists insist the technologies
>>>> needed are impossible to and given they have 400 years why not wait a
>>>> few decades to develop them.  But Liam Cunningham's character has no
>>>> intention of dying without making a contribution to the now planet wide
>>>> war effort.
>>>
>>> Although later events make his stance puzzling at best.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> "Only Advance" - Episode 7 and "Wallfacer" Episode 8 (the season
>>>> finale).  I binged and the final two episodes blurred together.
>>>> Humanity begins to make preparations for a generational war against the
>>>> aliens.  There are 3 main plans put into place.  One is construction of
>>>> the moon base and space fleet.  The second plan is to send a human brain
>>>> in cryogenic freeze to make personal contact with the
>>>> aliens .
>>>
>>> Niven did this. Twice.
>>>
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