This is a truncated version of a longer passage from Sagan’s famous book Pale Blue Dot. Interestingly, one part of the original quote that is left out, in a way, spoils the later books in the series. In the original, full quote, Sagan says: “Ironically, it is our fate to live in the dark.” By the third book, Death’s Head, people are living out in the dark, in deep space.

The story of 3 Body Problem eventually encompasses centuries. It concerns philosophy, meditates on the imagined reality of alien contact, and what it means to be human. Reading the first book ahead of the show is probably a good idea. But, reading Carl Sagan beforehand is a good bet, too.

This is going to be big.