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

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

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

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

If history is any guide, the most dangerous thing in war isn't a weapon.

It's the soldier wielding it.

War has always been shaped by technology,

but its deadliest force has never been the sword, the gun, or the tank.

It has always been the soldier.

From knights in plate armor to riflemen in trenches, from paratroopers dropping behind

enemy lines, to special forces in cutting edge combat gear, armies have adapted to new weapons

and tactics. What happens when technology takes the sorter beyond human limits, when power

armor turns infantry into walking fortresses, when neural implants make reaction times

faster than thought, and when entire battalions move with the coordination of a single,

unstoppable force, marching in lockstep and coordinating with impossible precision.

Today we'll explore the rise of the next generation of warriors, storm troopers forged not just by discipline and training,

but by the cutting edge of science and engineering. Last month we explored space marines,

focusing on ship-to-ship combat, boarding actions, and Warhammer 40,000's

adeptus Aestartis.

But there was too much to cover in one episode, so today we ship from genetically enhanced

warriors of the far future to another iconic force, from long ago in a galaxy far away,

Star Wars Stormtroopers.

...