But it was Dyson himself who made the initial imaginative leap, who first saw the ultimate, logical consequences of an energy budget that suffers from annual inflation. A Phase III civilisation, exploiting the energy resources of a galaxy, does not exist in our own vicinity. If it did, we should already know about it. Science fiction writer and physicist Stanley Schmidt has suggested that the colossal explosions observed at the heart of some galaxies, may be 'industrial accidents'. It seems probable that black-hole technology will be the basis of all Phase III civilisations.
Energy is where both science and science fiction begin.
With ample resources we may reach the stars in real life, as well as in our imaginations.