The trisolarans knew about the dark forest nature of the universe before we did.
I thought that the main character's MAD gambit only worked because both civilizations were ignorant of the dark forest nature of the universe, something MC only gained insight into by becoming the saddest "horny for my wife guy" in the universe.
The opposite. It works because they both know it’s true. The nuclear option is sending out a signal to the universe which would give away the location of both planets.
Right. But he sent out a message with a set of coordinates and said "watch this space." If the trisolarians already knew then this is sloppy exposition, action taken just for the readers at home.
I think they only reason they had him on their kill list -- and the only reason he was chosen as a wall facer -- was because they had listened in on a conversation where he had been given the basics of the idea. I interpreted that as they knew, then he figured it out and demonstrated a way to weaponize it.
I thought that the main character's MAD gambit only worked because both civilizations were ignorant of the dark forest nature of the universe, something MC only gained insight into by becoming the saddest "horny for my wife guy" in the universe.
The opposite. It works because they both know it’s true. The nuclear option is sending out a signal to the universe which would give away the location of both planets.
Right. But he sent out a message with a set of coordinates and said "watch this space." If the trisolarians already knew then this is sloppy exposition, action taken just for the readers at home.
I think they only reason they had him on their kill list -- and the only reason he was chosen as a wall facer -- was because they had listened in on a conversation where he had been given the basics of the idea. I interpreted that as they knew, then he figured it out and demonstrated a way to weaponize it.