3 Body Problem: What Do The San-Ti Look Like?

Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is an adaptation of Cixin Liu’s acclaimed sci-fi trilogy Remembrance of Earth’s Past. It introduces a new alien civilization, known as the San-Ti, who often adopt a human persona to communicate, but what do they actually look like?

The first season of 3 Body Problem was released on Netflix in March 2024, but it wasn’t long before the series was renewed for further seasons, allowing it to complete its adaptation of the book trilogy. The Netflix show, which comes from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and Dan Weiss, and True Blood writer Alexander Woo, makes some changes to its adaptation of the Three-Body Problem book, choosing to tell an ensemble story through a group of scientists and friends known as the Oxford Five. The premise remains the same in both stories: after scientists begin dying mysteriously the world learns that an alien civilization is coming to Earth and that they must prepare for their arrival.

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Who are the San-Ti?

The San-Ti are the extraterrestrial civilization that Earth makes contact with in 3 Body Problem. They are first revealed in Episode 2 of the Netflix series, when Dr. Ye Wenjie, a scientist working for the Chinese military in the 1970s, figures out a way to use the sun to amplify radio signals and uses it to broadcast a message to the universe. She receives a response from an alien pacifist, warning her not to respond. "If you respond. We will come. Your world will be conquered,” the pacifist warns. But Wenjie does respond. Having experienced the cruelty of humanity firsthand, Wenjie invites the aliens to invade, believing humans incapable of being saved. "I will help you conquer this world,” she tells them.

Throughout Season 1 of 3 Body Problem information about this alien civilization is revealed. The aliens, named the San-Ti in the Netflix series or the Trisolarians in Liu’s novels, hail from a planet named Trisolaris which is situated in a star system containing a three-body problem. This causes events known as Chaotic Eras on their planet, which are periods of extreme and uninhabitable weather. To survive this, the San-Ti have developed a method of dehydrating their bodies which can be placed into water when a Chaotic Era ends, bringing them back to life.

When the Trisolarians receive Wenjie’s message they send an invading fleet to Earth which presumably contains their dehydrating bodies. Ahead of their arrival, the San-Ti sent a pair of sophons, aka super-advanced intelligence systems, to communicate with humanity and prepare for their arrival in approximately 400 years. The San-Ti’s communication with humans is largely done through written messaging or via radio, meaning there’s no clear indication of what they look like physically in the series. The sophons also choose to appear in human form when communicating in the VR game. When Wade (Liam Cunningham) asks the sophon what the San-Ti really look like, it responds “You wouldn’t like it.”

What do the San Ti Look Like in the 3 Body Problem Books?

Season 1 of 3 Body Problem adapts only the first novel in Cixin Liu’s trilogy, meaning there’s plenty more to come in the series, particularly from the San-Ti. However, looking to Liu’s books doesn’t give much clarification on the aliens’ appearance. Similar to the series, the Trisolarians in the books are described as beings who can dehydrate their bodies, and can communicate through thoughts. Episode 4 of 3 Body Problem established that the San-Ti have difficulty understanding the concept of lying, perhaps because their telepathic communications would make it impossible to do so.

Further hints suggest the aliens can control lights on their bodies, which might suggest some kind of bioluminescence. Some fan theories suggest the San-Ti are microscopic and might be similar to tardigrades thanks to their ability to dehydrate their bodies. The San-Ti were successfully able to develop sophons the size of subatomic particles, so nothing is stopping them from being the size of bugs. It would also be ironic considering the San-Ti intimidate humanity in Episode 5 of 3 Body Problem with the threat “you are bugs.”

Will We Learn What The Aliens Look Like in The TV Show?

Unfortunately, a proper description of the San-Ti’s appearance is never provided in Liu’s novels, which leaves it up to the viewer to decide how they are depicted. It’s unclear how this may be handled in the TV series, which is a visual medium, but co-showrunner David Benioff hinted at this in an interview with Mashable saying “My guess is the three of us might have three very different images of what the aliens look like.” The producer also seemingly acknowledged the theory that the San-Ti are insect-sized, saying “We don’t even know how big they are. It’s possible they're the size of ladybugs." Whether the question of the San-Ti’s appearance is ever answered may be dependent on how future seasons of 3 Body Problem unfold.

3 Body Problem Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

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