I loved 3 Body Problem on Netflix. It’s not a newly released series, but it was on my watchlist for the longest time.

The series follows the familiar trope of everything bad originating in Asian countries, while the developed countries work extra hard to save the world, even if it means resorting to some questionable measures.

But putting that aside, the show is incredibly engaging and entertaining. It keeps you hooked with its stunning visuals, innovative presentation and constant sense that something bigger is happening beneath the surface.

As someone who has watched quite a few shows and movies about aliens, 3 Body Problem felt different from the usual, sudden and direct “We are here to invade you” storyline.

There is much more going on here.

The show brings in politics, science, religion, human psychology and, most interestingly, people who believe that humanity cannot be saved from itself. It presents different viewpoints on human tragedies without dehumanizing either side. Each side believes it is right in its own way, something that feels relevant to the world we live in today, where nuance hardly exists anymore.

And then there is the alien question.

I, for one, find it almost impossible to believe that we are the only intelligent life in such a vast universe. The universe is simply too enormous for me to accept that humans are the only beings who have somehow managed to evolve, survive and become intelligent.

Why haven’t we encountered anyone else yet? There could be countless explanations. Maybe intelligent civilizations are too far apart. Maybe they exist at completely different points in time. Maybe we simply haven’t developed the technology to detect them.

Or maybe, as the show suggests, we have no idea what we might be dealing with.

I also find the idea that an extraterrestrial civilization could be far more intelligent than humans completely plausible. We tend to assume that because we are the most technologically advanced species we know, we must be at the top of the intelligence ladder.

But we only have one example to compare ourselves against: us.

What if something else has had millions of years more to evolve?

That possibility is one of the things that makes 3 Body Problem so fascinating to me.

The series is definitely worth watching if you enjoy science fiction and alien stories. Just don’t expect the first season to answer every question. There is a lot more to come, and a new season is on the way.

Streaming on: Netflix
Episodes: 8
Runtime: Approximately 50 minutes per episode