Hello, SFIA audio listeners. In this month's Nebula exclusive, big alien theory,

we're asking the reason alien civilizations might be rare is because most aliens are huge.

To hear it and every episode early and add free, plus hours of bonus content,

check out go.nebola.tv slash Isaac Arthur and use my code, Isaac Arthur.

It's great to occasionally get away from it all, but what if some people really, really, really,

needed to get completely away from absolutely all?

So a pair of conversations that have come upon our show often are how you hide spaceships or civilizations, and how

civilizations would look if they were principally fleet-based. We explored both in detail in our

episodes nomadic space-based fleets and the Fermi paradox hidden civilizations, but we never

really discussed this combined notion, a civilization on the run trying to stay quiet and escape pursuit.

This is much akin to what we see from the Battlestar Galatica franchise, original or reboot,

and the Quarons from Mass Effect, but I wanted to bring some more realism into the concept.

That's where we get our title for today, escaping the galaxy, because as we'll see as

we examine the issue, that almost has to be your long-term solution.

It's also a good excuse for us to discuss the logistics of launching across the inter-collactic

void, with no intent of returning but surviving to arrive elsewhere.

As usual, we'll stick to inside known science for today's discussion, which means no FTR or

magic cloaking drives. The former release is not a disadvantage for flight either. After all,

if someone kicked your butt so decisively you're willing to flee for centuries at a minimum,

odds are they have the same or better technology as you, especially when you're in flight

and not really in a position to be building lots of labs and research facilities. Out they have the same or better technology as you, especially when you're in flight to not

really be a position to be building lots of labs and research facilities. Outside of science

...