> The sophons were so annoying. So they build these god-in-a-box fundamental particles that would be perfect for scouting out all nearby solar systems for habit

> The sophons were so annoying. So they build these god-in-a-box fundamental particles that would be perfect for scouting out all nearby solar systems for habitable planets, and they instead use them only to give the human race a wedgie. Just a note on this - "Trisolaris" is that species' name for themselves and their star system in the books, but the actual location is Alpha Centuari, which is the closest star system to Earth, just 4 light years (400yrs at .01c). The Trisolarans actually did exactly what you say, used the Sophons to find nearby habitable planets. It's just that the nearest one was already inhabited, so they chose to invade and colonize it instead of finding another further away. Not terribly implausible, especially since the 400yr journey to Earth was already high-risk to the survival of their species, and a longer journey to a further planet would be even moreso. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/alpha-centauri-a-triple-star-system-about-4-light-years-from-earth.html https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/chandra/images/alpha-cent...