Do humans beat the San-Ti in 3 Body Problem?

3 Body Problem sees humanity face off against its biggest threat — an alien race lightyears away headed straight to Earth. But who wins in the end?

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are back after taking the world by storm with Game of Thrones, and now they’re looking to wow audiences with another book to TV adaption.

Netflix’s 3 Body Problem is based on Liu Cixin’s acclaimed sci-fi novel trilogy and follows a cast of brilliant minds as they discover humanity’s greatest threat — an ominous alien race called the San-Ti headed straight toward them.

While the San-Ti may be lightyears away, that doesn’t impact the severity of humanity’s plight against them. The first season is packed full of tense moments with eight episodes to get viewers hooked, but who comes out on top in the end?

It may go without saying, but obvious story spoilers for 3 Body Problem on Netflix from this point on. Do not continue reading if you want to experience the journey unspoiled.

Does humanity win against the San-Ti in 3 Body Problem?

We don’t find out if the humans win against the San-Ti in 3 Body Problem.

For those hoping for a conclusion to the war between humanity and the San-Ti, we’ve got bad news. With three books in Liu Cixin’s original series, Netflix‘s 3 Body Problem just scratches the surface of what’s to come.

David Benioff and D.B. Weiss set up the first season to explore how the San-Ti came to choose Earth as their new home after receiving a message from Ye Wenjie. The first season also introduces a group of friends who will lead the way in the upcoming war: Jin Cheng (Jess Hong), Saul Durand (Jovan Adepo), Auggie Salazar (Eiza González), John Rooney (John Bradley), and Will Downing (Alex Sharp).

By the end of episode 8, things have truly started rolling with John having been killed and the San-Ti declaring that humans are nothing more than “bugs.” It also becomes known that two Sophons are monitoring and manipulating all happenings on Earth, setting up a difficult challenge for those hoping to get the jump on the San-Ti.

To tackle the issue, Saul is chosen as a “Wallfacer” to complete “the most difficult mission in human history.” Alongside General Hou Bolin and Professor Leyla Ariç, Saul is invited to join the Planetary Defense Council (PDC) and think of a plan against the San-Ti without ever saying a word about what he has in mind; “They cannot read our minds.”

Meanwhile, Will agrees to hurtle through space as just a brain after discovering that he is dying. The plan lies in the hope that the San-Ti will pick him up to study humans, simultaneously allowing Will to gather as much information about them as possible.

Episode 8 follows as Jin’s plan is put into action and she and Saul watch their friend depart into space. In order to speed up Will’s travel, multiple nuclear detonations are used to propel the spacecraft. However, things take a devasting turn when equipment failure causes Will to go off course, leaving him seemingly doomed to hurtle through space for millions of years.

Left broken-hearted and defeated, Jin and Saul are given a pep talk by police officer Da Shi (Benedict Wong) to not give up just yet; “People hate bugs. Been trying to get rid of them forever… look around, they’re not going anywhere… Let’s get back. We’ve got work to do.”

This is where season 1 finishes off, with the San-Ti still headed to Earth and the group of friends now down two members. However, the war is only just beginning and there is still much to come, assuming Netflix greenlights a second season.

With two more novels to adapt, humanity’s fight against the San-Ti is far from over and viewers will need to exercise patience to see who ultimately comes out on top — or you can just read the books.

3 Body Problem is now available to stream on Netflix. Read our review, find out more about the cast, whether you need to read the books before, and catch up with other amazing TV shows to stream this month.