What do the countdowns mean in 3 Body Problem?

With countdowns appearing for select individuals and scientists dying en masse, a great mystery begins to present itself at the start of 3 Body Problem on Netflix. But what does it all mean?

Half a decade removed from Game of Thrones’ divisive final season, showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss are looking to rebound in a big way with their next gargantuan undertaking. Continuing with novel adaptations, their latest effort focuses on Liu Cixin’s acclaimed sci-fi novel trilogy.

Focusing on humanity’s biggest threat imaginable and the fallout from one of Earth’s most shocking revelations, the story spans generations as a true larger-than-life epic. Now adapted for the silver screen with a Western audience in mind, 3 Body Problem‘s reach is more considerable than ever.

But from the very first episode, viewers may be left confused. Starting with dozens of dead scientists and bizarre countdowns only select individuals can see, it’s a lot to wrap your head around. What does it all mean, you’re wondering? We’ve got you covered with the full rundown. Warning – spoilers ahead!

What do the countdowns mean in 3 Body Problem?

The countdowns in 3 Body Problem link back to the San-Ti, a non-human life form, trying to get Earth to “stop its science.”

After a brief intro in 1966, the Netflix adaptation of 3 Body Problem begins properly in 2024. Across Europe, a number of high-profile scientists have been reported dead and it’s Da Shi (Benedict Wong) investigating the matter to uncover any links between the cases.

Among those dead, the first we see is a “leading candidate” for the Nobel Prize in physics, who just so happened to gouge his own eyes out.

Next, we see Vera Ye, daughter of Ye Wenjie, jumping into a Cherenkov Tank at Oxford University, ending her life in the process. “Do you believe in God?” Her final question to Saul Durand.

So what exactly led to these suicides? Why are so many intellectuals killing themselves in a short span of time? It can all be tied back to the countdowns.

While we see a countdown pattern splattered on the walls in blood during the opening scene, our first proper look at a countdown in motion comes through the eyes of Auggie Salazar (Eiza González).

Deeply ingrained in the scientific community for her innovations on nanofibers, Auggie first notices a countdown timer while out at a bar with longtime friend and fellow scientist Jin Cheng. Her countdown has just four days remaining.

Later on after the service for their friend Vera Ye, Auggie heads out alone and interacts with a mysterious woman, a woman who somehow knows about the countdown only she can see. Warning of a similar fate to dozens of other now-dead scientists, she informs Auggie “You don’t want it to get to zero. Nothing good ever happens.”

To put an end to the ever-present countdown in her eyes, Auggie is told to “put an end to [her] work. No more nanofibers. You shut down the lab. Simple.”

After proving her research correct with a highly important nanofiber test, rather than elation, Auggie’s panicked reaction says it all. She demands her team end all work on nanofibers in just a few moments, the countdown disappears.

“Either they quit like Auggie, or they quit like Vera Ye,” Wong says in Episode 2. As we see in Episode 3, the countdown can immediately return should work restart, leaving no alternative.

So how exactly does this countdown work? Where does it come from? Who controls it? Why is it targeting scientists in particular? These questions and more all remain a mystery through until Episode 5. It’s only here that we finally understand the truth behind it all.

In the final 10 minutes of Episode 5, we discover the real culprit, the San-Ti. This ominous alien race is barrelling toward our solar system with the worst of intentions. As their home plant is dying and their “species is doomed,” they’re heading to Earth with a goal in mind: “We will teach you how to fear again.”

Looking to eradicate humanity, viewing us as “bugs,” the San-Ti’s plan is already in motion. Two Sophons have been wreaking havoc around Earth for weeks by the time of this revelation. These impossible-to-comprehend supercomputers can’t be seen nor heard, yet they’re “everywhere, anywhere, always watching.”

It’s these Sophons that have been ‘killing’ Earth’s science and displaying the countdowns in the eyes of key scientists. Projecting the timers as a warning, they’ve been manipulating progress, ensuring no new advancements come to pass. They’re entirely limiting the evolution of humanity.

“The answers to your questions will become chaotic and meaningless.”

So all along, it’s been the San-Ti pulling the strings, causing scientists to kill themselves as their entire life’s work crumbles around them.

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.