3 Body Problem Season 2 Will Have The Show’s Red Wedding Moment (But It Won’t Hit The Same)

Spoilers are ahead for future 3 Body Problem seasons’ source material.

If it’s green-lit, Netflix’s 3 Body Problem season 2 will feature the sci-fi series’ own version of Game of Thrones‘ brutal Red Wedding. However, 3 Body Problem’s shocking moment won’t quite hit as hard — or be as brutal — as the iconic Game of Thrones sequence. Alongside True Blood‘s Alexander Woo, Game of Thrones collaborators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss translated The Three-Body Problem, Liu Cixin’s Hugo Award-winning novel, to the small screen. Needless to say, viewers of both HBO’s fantasy epic and Netflix’s series can’t help but draw comparisons between the creators’ projects.

For example, by killing off John Bradley’s Jack in an early episode of 3 Body Problem, the Game of Thrones creators even delivered a death that viewers had assumed would happen during the Battle of Winterfell. Of course, 3 Body Problem is vastly different from Game of Thrones in terms of its concept: Ye Wenjie, an astrophysicist who makes a fateful decision while working for the Chinese military on a secret project during the ’60s, opens the door to an extraterrestrial invasion of Earth. However, Weiss and Benioff’s penchant for shocking moments has viewers hoping for some narrative structure overlap.

David Benioff & D.B. Weiss Have Teased 3 Body Problem’s “Red Wedding” Moment

Game Of Thrones’ Red Wedding Was One Of The Series’ Most Brutal & Iconic Moments

While Netflix has yet to green-light 3 Body Problem season 2, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have already teased their hopes for future outings. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the co-creators even referenced one season 2 moment where “things wildly escalate,“ prompting them to compare it to Game of Thrones‘ iconic Red Wedding bloodbath. In Game of Thrones season 3, episode 9, “The Rains of Castamere,” Edmure Tully and Roslin Frey marry, but their guest, Robb Stark (Richard Madden), his banner-men, and several other key characters are massacred.

In some ways, the so-called Red Wedding led to Game of Thrones‘ downfall: the bloodbath worked because it was so harrowing, so unexpected, not because of the brutality itself. Put simply, it upended expectations by proving that no one in Westeros was safe from treachery. Robb, who didn’t wed one of Walder Frey’s daughters as promised, attends the nuptials with his pregnant wife, Talisa. During the reception, the doors are locked, with the Freys (and Roose Bolton) unleashing shocking violence upon the Starks. Undoubtedly, the Red Wedding changed the trajectory of the show unlike any other episode.

3 Body Problem Season 2’s Droplet Space Battle Scene Will Be Its Red Wedding

The Sci-Fi Series’ Red Wedding-Level Moment Is Breathtaking

It’s hard to imagine a more harrowing television sequence, but it’s clear that the 3 Body Problem showrunners believe that one moment will thoroughly shock fans. The 3 Body Problem season 2 moment likely centers on a minuscule, maneuverable, and unmanned San-Ti (Trisolaran) ship-class known as a droplet. Able to reach Earth faster than other San-Ti craft, the droplet is intercepted by a human fleet, who believe it to be a peace offering. However, the single droplet is able to annihilate most of the 1,000-ship-strong human fleet in a matter of minutes (via Fandom).

3 Body Problem’s “Red Wedding” Will Be Great, But Won’t Beat Game Of Thrones

Despite Some Great Visuals, It Won’t Be As Shocking As Game Of Thrones

There’s no denying that the droplet moment in 3 Body Problem will be absolutely jaw-dropping. With the human fleet lulled into thinking that the beautiful San-Ti tech is a symbol of goodwill, the ensuing violence certainly comes as a shock. However, the droplet’s destruction of a human spaceship fleet likely won’t be as visceral as watching the Red Wedding. After all, during the truly shocking Game of Thrones moment, the show’s apparent hero is killed, his pregnant wife is gutted, and his mother’s throat is slit — all in the span of a few minutes.

Given that the Red Wedding doesn’t just center on soldiers or a spaceship fleet, it’s the more wrenching scene. There’s something disturbingly intimate about “The Rains of Castamere,” with everyone being killed in close-quarters combat. Not to mention, the build up to the massacre is truly chilling: Catelyn Stark, Robb’s mother, starts to realize the signs of betrayal. With the doors locked, and their tables surrounded, the Starks have nowhere to run. While 3 Body Problem‘s droplet moment will have a similar feel, it won’t top the Red Wedding.

Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Fandom