3 Body Problem, Netflix, If You Know, You Know

[iodeac 138]

I thought the failed bomb staircase experiment in the last episode hit a lot heavier in the show than in the books. You could really feel the despair and shock when the probe veered off course compared to how it was written.


I really do hope Netflix greenlights a second season.

[atomheartbevo 89648]

10 hours ago, iodeac said:

I really do hope Netflix greenlights a second season.

I had to go out of town yesterday, and started reading the second book, and watched a few episodes of the Tencent version.

I understand why they pushed to get through the first book and into the second book in the Netflix series, the second book is….dense, in a good way,

The Tencent series is closer to the first book, but that includes the bad parts, so it can be a slog.

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

I had to go out of town yesterday, and started reading the second book, and watched a few episodes of the Tencent version.

I understand why they pushed to get through the first book and into the second book in the Netflix series, the second book is….dense, in a good way,

The Tencent series is closer to the first book, but that includes the bad parts, so it can be a slog.

Welp. The Tencent series is on Prime. About to jump down the rabbit hole. 

[atomheartbevo 89648]

On 3/30/2024 at 10:37 AM, billfromlaketravis said:

Welp. The Tencent series is on Prime. About to jump down the rabbit hole. 

I’m going to check the rest of it out. I will say that, as good as the Netflix series is….I’ll try to avoid spoilers, but I think the writers slightly failed in the last two episodes, but I’m not sure how they could have improved it. I talked to a few people over the weekend who had not read the books, and they did not realize the importance of the conversation (the Einstein joke) and the timing between Ye Wenjie and Saul.  I’m curious if the Tencent version covers this better,

 

Spoiler

The Einstein joke is Ye Wenjie’s attempt at telling Saul about the mistake she made and how it could have been avoided, and it’s the solution to Fermi’s Paradox - God was ignoring Einstein until he started playing his violin and then God crushed him.  It’s a joke that only humans could understand since San-ti don’t understand humor or lies (hence Ye Wenjie saying that humor was personal) and it allowed her to tell Saul that she should have followed the advice of the being she was talking to and not responded, and that the reason why nobody has heard from alien civilizations is that nobody wants to alert a potentially hostile alien civilization to their presence (“don’t play with God” or he will be alerted to your presence and crush you).  The San-ti don’t realize that Ye Wenjie is telling Saul a potential strategy which comes into play in the last two books and I’m not going to spoil it now.

The timing thing is that after Saul talked to Ye Wenjie, the San-ti began trying to kill him.  They considered him dangerous but they had no idea what she could have told him. He just had to die.

 

Edited April 1 by atomheartbevo

[A-Tex Devil 2446]

My take having not read the books, but answering some questions upthread to see if I am right?

Spoiler

- The nanofibers were used on the ship because they could wipe everything out, but they could save the computers, right?  They mention they need to do that, but then just jump straight to going to Augie.  Why wouldn't the fibers slice through the computers, too?  Anyway, I think that was it.

- I don't think the Sophon can do anything physical -- it can just read/monitor/change what we see.  I guess it could digitally remove a mountain causing a plane to run into it or something like that.  But my senes is that the Sophon's only can affect people's perception.  Saul's theory of the blinking sky being a deep fake at the beginning was right (and watch Ye's reaction again when he says it).  That's all the Sophon's can do -- deepfake what we are actually seeing.

 

[atomheartbevo 89648]

6 hours ago, A-Tex Devil said:

My take having not read the books, but answering some questions upthread to see if I am right?

 

Spoiler

They couldn’t take the time to storm the ship as there would be resistance and time for the nutters to destroy the computers/drives,

The nano fibers were spaced enough that they would kill the humans but not destroy everything, and would have them in a panic and there’d be nothing to resist and little to no time to respond, given how fast it was.

 

[Frank The Tank 1497]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

  Hide contents

They couldn’t take the time to storm the ship as there would be resistance and time for the nutters to destroy the computers/drives,

The nano fibers were spaced enough that they would kill the humans but not destroy everything, and would have them in a panic and there’d be nothing to resist and little to no time to respond, given how fast it was.

 

Spoiler

I never really understood the strategy there. They didn’t know exactly what they were looking for or where it was. Just documented back ups of all the conversations so far, so presumably in a computer or server(s). Their plan with the nanofibers could have easily destroyed what they were looking for but for blind luck. 

 

[Mother mopar 3318]

Anything good on Netflix for those of who who are not into the 3body stuff.

[Js1 85311]

3 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:

Anything good on Netflix for those of who who are not into the 3body stuff.

Sounds like a question for the Netflix thread and not the 3 Body Problem thread 

[atomheartbevo 89648]

43 minutes ago, Mother mopar said:

Anything good on Netflix for those of who who are not into the 3body stuff.

Cocomelon, Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse, and Band of Brothers are popular with my 8 year-old.

[52-80 19150]

so many easily picked plotholes in the show.  if the aliens wanted to cause massive chaos and destroy civilization, all they had to do was expose everyone's browsing history and private messages.

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4976]

Wtf is there an African slum in the middle of San Luis Potosi? Don't recall ever noticing that driving through. 

[Mother mopar 3318]

Sounds like a question for the Netflix thread and not the 3 Body Problem thread 

You right, wrong thread.

[BabaYaga 15290]

8 hours ago, 52-80 said:

 if the aliens wanted to cause massive chaos and destroy civilization, all they had to do was expose everyone's browsing history and private messages.

I'm out

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

On 4/1/2024 at 5:24 PM, Frank The Tank said:

  Hide contents

I never really understood the strategy there. They didn’t know exactly what they were looking for or where it was. Just documented back ups of all the conversations so far, so presumably in a computer or server(s). Their plan with the nanofibers could have easily destroyed what they were looking for but for blind luck. 

 

Spoiler

It’ll be interesting to see how they destroy Judgment Day in the books. It seems like a shitty plan, but it sure did look cool. 

 

[atomheartbevo 89648]

The Tencent series is not terrible, but feels like it needed to be shorter by several episodes.

[Guadaloopy 10960]

On 4/1/2024 at 10:02 AM, A-Tex Devil said:

My take having not read the books, but answering some questions upthread to see if I am right?

  Reveal hidden contents

- The nanofibers were used on the ship because they could wipe everything out, but they could save the computers, right?  They mention they need to do that, but then just jump straight to going to Augie.  Why wouldn't the fibers slice through the computers, too?  Anyway, I think that was it.

- I don't think the Sophon can do anything physical -- it can just read/monitor/change what we see.  I guess it could digitally remove a mountain causing a plane to run into it or something like that.  But my senes is that the Sophon's only can affect people's perception.  Saul's theory of the blinking sky being a deep fake at the beginning was right (and watch Ye's reaction again when he says it).  That's all the Sophon's can do -- deepfake what we are actually seeing.

 

 

On 4/1/2024 at 4:18 PM, atomheartbevo said:

 

  Hide contents

They couldn’t take the time to storm the ship as there would be resistance and time for the nutters to destroy the computers/drives,

The nano fibers were spaced enough that they would kill the humans but not destroy everything, and would have them in a panic and there’d be nothing to resist and little to no time to respond, given how fast it was.

 

 

On 4/1/2024 at 5:24 PM, Frank The Tank said:

  Hide contents

I never really understood the strategy there. They didn’t know exactly what they were looking for or where it was. Just documented back ups of all the conversations so far, so presumably in a computer or server(s). Their plan with the nanofibers could have easily destroyed what they were looking for but for blind luck. 

 

 

18 hours ago, billfromlaketravis said:

  Reveal hidden contents

It’ll be interesting to see how they destroy Judgment Day in the books. It seems like a shitty plan, but it sure did look cool. 

 

Spoiler

Even if the nanofibers cut through the hardware, the fine cuts would still allow a recovery of much, if not all of the data.  The Judgement Day scene happens in the book almost exactly like it did in the show.  The only difference is that in the book, there was no description of an entire cult society living on the ship, so it was relatively few people who died in the attack.  The show pumped up the magnitude quite a bit.

 

[bluto 4916]

If I were on the ship I woulda just held one of those plastic pkgs that small electronics/tools come in that are impossible to cut with scissors. Snapped those fibers no problem. 

[C-Man 27214]

Wild story about the Chinese gaming company billionaire who brought this series to life is murdered by one of his executives: https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/china/billionaire-three-body-problem-netflix-intl-hnk/index.html

Quote

Lin Qi, a billionaire fan of “The Three-Body Problem,” had big plans to bring his favorite Chinese sci-fi novel to TV, cinema and video-game screens across the world.

Flush with cash after the listing of his gaming company in 2014, the young entrepreneur envisioned turning China’s most beloved sci-fi trilogy into a global pop culture phenomenon in the same league as “Star Wars.”

A decade on, Lin would have been a step closer to achieving his dream when a Netflix adaptation of the Hugo Award-winning book drew millions of viewers worldwide – but the billionaire who helped make the show happen never lived to see it.

Lin, who was named as an executive producer in the opening credits of “3 Body Problem,” was poisoned and killed at age 39, according to Chinese authorities, months after Netflix announced its plans to produce the series in 2020.

The culprit was one of Lin’s own executives, a high-flying lawyer who helped Lin’s Yoozoo Games secure the rights to adapt the highly acclaimed trilogy.

After falling out with his boss, Xu Yao gifted Lin a bottle of what he said were probiotic pills, but which contained a cocktail of lethal toxins he bought off the dark web.

Media reports of the meticulously planned murder have gripped China, where it has drawn comparisons online to the American crime drama “Breaking Bad.” According to Chinese media outlets, it involved the mixing and testing of more than a hundred poisons in a makeshift suburban lab.

Xu was sentenced to death for murder by a court in Shanghai on March 22 - the day after the much-anticipated debut of “3 Body Problem” on Netflix.

To Chinese tech entrepreneurs and fans of the books, the dramatically timed sentence served as a poignant reminder of the loss of a rising star in China’s once vibrant internet industry – and a pivotal figure in the making of one of China’s most successful pop culture exports.

Meticulous scheme

On a winter evening in 2020, Lin was driving home from Yoozoo Games headquarters in Shanghai when he suddenly felt unwell. He checked himself in to the hospital and initially recovered to a stable condition, but died 10 days later on Christmas Day, according to his company.

At least five toxins were detected in Lin’s body, including mercury and tetrodotoxin – an extremely potent poison found in pufferfish, Chinese financial magazine Caixin reported, citing people close to the video game tycoon.

Xu was identified as a key suspect and swiftly detained, according to a police statement at the time.

In its ruling last month, the Shanghai court said Xu had a dispute with Lin over “company management matters” and plotted to poison his boss through edible items over two days. Xu also poisoned beverages in the offices of two executives he had disputes with, causing four colleagues to fall sick, the court said. (The four survived.)

In the months following Lin’s death, Chinese media outlets pieced together a more detailed – and chilling – account of the murder, which involved meticulous planning that lasted months.

3 Body Problem. (L to R) John Bradley as Jack Rooney, Jess Hong as Jin Cheng, Mark Gatiss as Isaac Newton, Reece Shearsmith as Alan Turing, Jenson Cheng as Kublai Khan in episode 103 of 3 Body Problem. 

Netflix

Xu was a huge fan of “Breaking Bad,” an American series about a chemistry teacher who goes into the meth-making business after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, according to Caixin, citing people close to the company.

He set up a lab in a suburb of Shanghai and bought more than a hundred toxins on the dark web to experiment with, often testing mixed poisons on cats, dogs and other pet animals. He then made the lethal substances into a pill, gifting the “probiotic pills” to Lin, Caixin reported.

According to Phoenix News, a Chinese news outlet, Xu held 160 cellphone numbers and set up a trading company in Japan to acquire hazardous chemicals, including the substances he used to poison his colleagues.

Between September and December 2020, Xu swapped the coffee capsules, whiskey and bottled water in the offices of two executives with replacements injected with methylmercury chloride, an acute toxic that can be fatal if swallowed, inhaled or touched, Caixin reported last month, citing court documents.

Falling out

The Shanghai court did not give details on the rift between Xu and Lin, but according to Chinese media reports citing sources in the company, it revolved around Lin’s ambition to adapt “The Three-Body Problem,” part of a trilogy by China’s most celebrated sci-fi author, Liu Cixin.

Lin had long wanted to develop the Three-Body IP into a global cultural franchise, but the rights for adaptations of the books were held by a Chinese business couple who bought them from the author in 2009.

Lin’s determination to secure the rights only hardened after a years-long collaboration with the couple to make a film adaptation fell by the wayside.

In 2017, Xu, an established lawyer educated in France and the United States with a decade of experience working at a Chinese multinational conglomerate, was brought in by Lin to solve the stumbling block.

Xu successfully secured the rights for adaptations. The following year, he was appointed to spearhead a Yoozoo subsidiary, The Three-Body Universe, tasked with developing the Three-Body IP.

But Xu’s performance failed to impress Lin. Soon, he was sidelined, with key projects handed to another executive, Zhao Jilong, one of the executives who would later have his drinks poisoned by Xu, according to Caixin.

Zhao was found to be chronically poisoned, with the mercury concentration in his body exceeding 10 times the safe level, the report said.

Xu’s annual pay was cut from 20 million yuan ($2.76 million) a year when he first joined Yoozoo to around 5 million yuan, according to Phoenix News.

When Netflix announced its adaptation project of “The Three-Body Problem” in September 2020, Lin and Zhao were listed as executive producers, with Xu’s name conspicuously missing.

Yoozoo staff told Caixin the Netflix deal was struck by Lin and a number of young employees. “Xu Yao’s contribution was almost zero,” a source close to Lin was quoted as saying. “Perhaps it was from then that Lin had planned to no longer use Xu Yao.”

In an interview published in November 2020, Xu touted his key role in Yoozoo’s acquisition of the Three-Body copyrights.

“We legal professionals are here to put out fires, break up the deadlock, and must have the courage to be the change maker,” he was quoted as saying.

It would later transpire that at that time, Xu was already planning an act that would forever change his fate, and that of Lin.

A month before Lin’s death, the tycoon told an interviewer that the Three-Body project had the potential to be his life’s legacy, and would likely be on his mind when he said “goodbye to the world when I’m 90 years old.”

“It is said that your mind will be hit by a moment of extreme clarity when you are about to die… So I’m very afraid that what I’ll be thinking before I die is: How did I destroy ‘The Three-Body Problem?”

 

[Buzzrock 14918]

I’d let Eiza Gonzalez use my face as a chair.

Jin has her moments too.

The assassin chick looked familiar but she hasn’t been in much. Looks a lot like the younger sister in Last of the Mohicans.

[Buzzrock 14918]

I gotta say it wasn’t grabbing me until the end of the second episode. But then it took off in a hurry.

It’s fun to see which GoT actors they are bringing back. Liam Cunningham is the shit, I love that guy. If you want to see him be great in something else great watch The Guard, a hilarious crime film set in Ireland and starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Worth your time.

[High Plains Drifter 11035]

On 3/28/2024 at 4:22 PM, hookem2010 said:

I didn't read it and really enjoyed season 1, so hopefully it gets renewed. I'm sure the Saul character does too, since he's supposed to be the smartest person in the show but spent all of season one getting high.

 

and fucking chicks. 

 

 

 

[RomaVicta 29905]

Not much done in 8 episodes. I'm not gripped by fiber-girl's naive takes even though she's irrestibly beautiful. 

It's the GOT guys doing the writing, and you can tell they think they're brilliant by the pauses they put between lines to frame the predictable things the characters say. These guy suck.

It feels kind of like the 21st Century's version of 30 Something. I didn't care about those assholes, either.

Edited April 5 by RomaVicta

[huge 3793]

3 hours ago, RomaVicta said:

30 Something. 

Quite the random comparison.  Bravo.

[rage-a-holic 4382]

8 hours ago, Buzzrock said:

I gotta say it wasn’t grabbing me until the end of the second episode. But then it took off in a hurry.

It’s fun to see which GoT actors they are bringing back. Liam Cunningham is the shit, I love that guy. If you want to see him be great in something else great watch The Guard, a hilarious crime film set in Ireland and starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Worth your time.

Yep, The Guard is a great movie, mostly due to Brendan Gleeson though.

[atomheartbevo 89648]

The Chinese version…I don’t think I can finish it, as I’m having to read a shitload of subtitles while trying to also watch what’s happening on the screen.  21 hours of this?

[Buzzrock 14918]

The Chinese version…I don’t think I can finish it, as I’m having to read a shitload of subtitles while trying to also watch what’s happening on the screen.  21 hours of this?

The amount of subtitles lessens as the series goes on. Stick with it.

[Buzzrock 14918]

Holy shit Big Head!

And that might be Epstein’s old jet.

[Duane Moore 5237]

On 3/25/2024 at 1:23 PM, Helobious said:

I’d let Eiza Gonzalez use my face as a chair.

Hottest scientist on film since a young Denise Richards played Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough

On 3/25/2024 at 10:57 PM, atomheartbevo said:

Quinn (his video is above) also goes over the changes for the Chinese adaptation (Amazon and Peacok) and there are changes.  The Chinese version runs around 22 hours,

Really surprised to see there’s a Chinese adaptation given how hard (and accurately) they portray the horrors of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. 

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

27 minutes ago, Duane Moore said:

Hottest scientist on film since a young Denise Richards played Dr. Christmas Jones in The World Is Not Enough

Really surprised to see there’s a Chinese adaptation given how hard (and accurately) they portray the horrors of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. 

I haven’t seen a hint of Mao in the Tencent adaption. 3-4 episodes in. 

Edited April 6 by billfromlaketravis

[Duane Moore 5237]

21 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

I haven’t seen a hint of Mao in the Tencent adaption. 3-4 episodes in. 

I mean, technically, Mao’s face didn’t appear in the Netflix version either.  Does the Tencent version not depict the struggle session or work camps?

Edited April 6 by Duane Moore

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

Just now, Duane Moore said:

I mean, technically, Mao’s face didn’t appear in the Netflix version either.  Does the Tencent version not depict the struggle session or work camps either?

Neither are in the first 3 episodes. Tencent is pretty focused on why the scientists are committing suicide. The Netflix version is much better. 

[huge 3793]

They definitely show Mao on the Netflix version when talking about pointing the dish at the sun.

[atomheartbevo 89648]

On 4/6/2024 at 1:30 PM, huge said:

They definitely show Mao on the Netflix version when talking about pointing the dish at the sun.

Yep, they show his portrait on the wall, and the commissar literally says Mao is “the Red Sun in the heart of the People” (their capitalized letters) while the camera is in Mao’s portrait.

Edited April 8 by atomheartbevo

[Duane Moore 5237]

I’m 6 episodes in and really enjoying it so far. Have a question that seems like a fundamental flaw in the premise that I’m wondering if they ever answer:

Spoiler

If the San-Ti come from a planet so unstable from the three suns that there is an apocalyptic event on an irregular but constant  basis, how has life, much less an advanced civilization that can travel through space, ever had enough time to flourish?  It just seems like with this many cataclysmic disruptions to civilization (going by what was shown in the VR game) that they would never get that far evolved. 

 

I have a hard time seeing how the dehydration/rehydration strategy works on a macro-civilizational level.

 

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

1 hour ago, Duane Moore said:

I’m 6 episodes in and really enjoying it so far. Have a question that seems like a fundamental flaw in the premise that I’m wondering if they ever answer:

  Hide contents

If the San-Ti come from a planet so unstable from the three suns that there is an apocalyptic event on an irregular but constant  basis, how has life, much less an advanced civilization that can travel through space, ever had enough time to flourish?  It just seems like with this many cataclysmic disruptions to civilization (going by what was shown in the VR game) that they would never get that far evolved. 

 

I have a hard time seeing how the dehydration/rehydration strategy works on a macro-civilizational level.

 

Spoiler

I believe the San-Ti have a written history that can somehow store away and the knowledge of the beings that are dehydrated and rehydrated. So really they’re rebuilding and advancing during the stable eras, and go dormant during the unstable eras. 

Also based on the context clues, they’re much older than humans. 

 

[Superhero 8828]

On 4/5/2024 at 5:20 PM, atomheartbevo said:

The Chinese version…I don’t think I can finish it, as I’m having to read a shitload of subtitles while trying to also watch what’s happening on the screen.  21 hours of this?

I have the advantage of understanding about 80% of the dialogue, but am still looking at the subtitles just so I don’t miss anything.

It’s a bit too stylized with too much CGI for my taste, but still more interesting than other stuff on Netflix and Prime right now. 

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

I am loving the book. It addresses almost every question I have about the San-Ti. I strongly recommend reading it while we’re waiting for Season 2.

[nolongerU2horn 763]

I'm with Paste. The show is just not very good

[Red Five 40852]

Spoiler

My reaction to the ship scene in both the book and the tv show. Like, oh, we're slicing babies in half now.

 

[Pam Cummings 9640]

2 hours ago, Red Five said:

  Reveal hidden contents

My reaction to the ship scene in both the book and the tv show. Like, oh, we're slicing babies in half now.

 

Spoiler

And cats. Don't forget that poor cat. Is it wrong that I felt so much sympathy for the damn cat?

 

[atomheartbevo 89648]

1 hour ago, Pam Cummings said:

  Hide contents

And cats. Don't forget that poor cat. Is it wrong that I felt so much sympathy for the damn cat?

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

3 hours ago, Red Five said:

  Reveal hidden contents

My reaction to the ship scene in both the book and the tv show. Like, oh, we're slicing babies in half now.

 

Spoiler

While the book is much better than the Netflix adaption, the ship scene was incredible to see on film. 
 

For the non-book readers, the ship scene is described from a distance in the book without many details about events inside the ship. Evan’s death is described as oh by the way the rich guy died.

It would be too damned complicated to depict in 8 episodes, but I think the 3 different factions of the ETO n should be explained by B&W. Their visions are so radically different that they’re really 3 separate groups. 
 

The San-Ti perspective chapters would be awesome to see on film. I hope we get to see it. 

 

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

I’m pretty much audiobooks only now. 3 Body Problem (Book 1) is about 9 hours. The Dark Forest (Book 2) is about 21 hours. Death’s End is almost 29 hours. B&W have a shit ton on finished source material to work with. 4-5 more seasons feels right to give it justice.

I would suggest everyone in the thread read the books. The author Cixin Liu is a genius. Death’s End is the best book I’ve “read” in a very long time. 
 

Spoiler

The Dark Forest metaphor and the 3 fairy tales in Death’s End will blow your fucking mind. 

 

Edited May 9 by billfromlaketravis

[Gene Parmesan 4005]

Did Netflix already commit long term to this?  The material may be there for 4-5 seasons, but I don't see it happening.  Not that there isn't worse stuff on Netflix, but this seems kind of expensive to be as meh as it is.  

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

1 hour ago, Gene Parmesan said:

Did Netflix already commit long term to this?  The material may be there for 4-5 seasons, but I don't see it happening.  Not that there isn't worse stuff on Netflix, but this seems kind of expensive to be as meh as it is.  

Not much clarity on even a Season 2. The industry assumption is, hey it’s Netflix and they spent so much on B&W + Season 1 that they have to do a Season 2.

I liked their adaption. It kept the story tight. You’d have to binge all 3 books to keep everything straight. 

[Baboontyme 2810]

I just finished the season last night. I enjoyed it. I know it has been called out but I'm going to piggyback. The using the nanofibers thing to quietly murder everyone onboard and completely destroy a 120000 ton steel ship while being confident that they wouldn't destroy an 8" hard drive was an interesting plot choice. Almost up there with JCVD punching a snake in the face in Hard Target.

[atomheartbevo 89648]

36 minutes ago, billfromlaketravis said:

Not much clarity on even a Season 2. The industry assumption is, hey it’s Netflix and they spent so much on B&W + Season 1 that they have to do a Season 2.

I liked their adaption. It kept the story tight. You’d have to binge all 3 books to keep everything straight. 

The Chinese version on Amazon has been interesting, but I prefer the Netflix version because it was easier to follow.

[billfromlaketravis 11456]

7 minutes ago, Baboontyme said:

I just finished the season last night. I enjoyed it. I know it has been called out but I'm going to piggyback. The using the nanofibers thing to quietly murder everyone onboard and completely destroy a 120000 ton steel ship while being confident that they wouldn't destroy an 8" hard drive was an interesting plot choice. Almost up there with JCVD punching a snake in the face in Hard Target.

Book: 

Spoiler

The nanofibers could cut the hard drive so cleanly that the 3BP IT Team could easily repair it. 
 

Yeah I dunno. This is explained in a “flashback” in the second book. From some Reddit deep dives, the author was pretty open to editors’ notes, so it feels like a correction. 

 

[Baboontyme 2810]

Per Eiza's IG, S2 is a go.