Things TLs 7-9 would be interesting to see WITHOUT

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

It was only later, as they understood the principles involved (to better engineer their super steam-engines), that they realized they could make a weapon out of them. As a very warlike species, they're grudgingly admiring of humans for figuring out the super-weapon first and then "reverse" engineering the power aspect. I figure it's one of those "in hindsight, that's really obvious" kind of things, but I'm not sure if it's so obvious as to be absurd, hence why I'm asking.

I don't think that's really how it went. We did have nuclear bombs before nuclear power plants, but I think that's got more to do with the technology arising on the way into WWII, and all the early reactors thus being either for research or military plutonium production.

If I'm reading right, a nuclear pile intended to generate power was patented in 1934...