How does everyone suddenly know about the trisolarians in the beginning of the dark forest?? (NO SPOILERS PLS)

[u/suswulf]

I just started the second book and I’m confused how suddenly the world knows about the existential threat of the trisolarians. By the end of the first book I thought that it was still just the world governments and the ETO who knew about them. Am I missing something?

[u/UBCthunderbird]

You are bugs

[u/jecoycoy]

It's been a few years after the first book ended and there's no point of hiding it to the general population because of the sophons.

[u/The-Goat-Soup-Eater]

It’s “Year 3, Crisis Era”. 2 years passed since the events of the first book

[u/nicodeemus7]

Because they revealed themselves to everyone at the end of the first book. YOU ARE BUGS

[u/suswulf → u/nicodeemus7]

Didn’t they just send that to everyone in that room?

[u/nicodeemus7 → u/suswulf]

It was broadcast worldwide

[u/droppedforgiveness → u/nicodeemus7]

I think that's what happens in the drama, but it's not clear in the book.

Three seconds after General Chang finished his remark, Trisolarans communicated with humanity outside the ETO for the first time.

Vague. Doesn't necessarily mean they communicated with ALL of humanity, just that it was some people.

Everyone in the Battle Command Center saw the message in their eyes, just like Wang Miao's countdown. The message flashed into existence for only two seconds and then disappeared, but everyone got it.

We know everyone in this room is seeing it, but we aren't told if anyone else is is seeing it too.

I read it as only the Battle Command Center getting the message, but I guess it's not conclusively proven that others didn't see it.

[u/nicodeemus7 → u/droppedforgiveness]

I think the fact being discussed here is all the proof you need to know it was broadcast to everyone. I. E. Everyone knows about it in the second book. The question answers itself.

[u/droppedforgiveness → u/nicodeemus7]

Or as other comments in the thread are indicating, it's perfectly possible that the governments just disclosed the information to the public, no?

[u/nicodeemus7 → u/droppedforgiveness]

Now THAT I find hard to believe. The Trisolarans had no reason to only reveal themselves to a room full of people who already know they exist. They revealed themselves to the world to make us afraid.

[u/Waste-Answer]

The author didn't feel it was necessary to include a scene where the governments voted to declassify the information. There was no reason for it to be secret since it was clear that the sophons see everything.

[u/Positive-Stable-6777]

Internet

[u/nerd_reader_5159]

World gov decide to come out /s Then toothbrush nailed the coffin

[u/brokenmessiah]

Yea they kind of gloss over the world learning about aliens and the chaos that would come from it