40K is a dumb setting full of dumb edgelordy shit except for lulzy stuff like the greenskins. Change my mind.
It is a dumb setting based on the pop culture representations of it but there is a deeper context to it that most people dont see because they just pay attention to things like the orks and rarely dig much deeper.
Examples:
The Emperor was a being that had demigod like powers but he didnt wish for people to worship him, he thought that depending on gods was a weakness to mankind, he wished to create an Empire that was based purely on intellectual knowledge, he thought he could guide humanity to it through a Great Crusade that could unite the different and scattered human colonized worlds into a single body, however, the very nature of him concentrating power and leadership on himself made humanity, ironically made humanity too dependent on him.
Once he "died", the Empire risked imploding, and a religion was formed to prevent that, where, ironically, he is worshipped as a God. His failure was that human beings arent purely intellectual things and we are driven by emotions not purely intellectual constructs, the intellectual constructs are just a post facto rationalization to cover us from seeing our shortcomings.
Ironically, that religion is what keeps the Empire from imploding as it is that justify the immense sacrifices to keep it running, but keeping it has many, many costs, like stifling innovation and destroying freedom. On the Empire, you are a slave, a part of the machine, nothing more, if someone decides you are going to spend the rest of your life on a coal mine, you have zero recourse against it.
The chaos gods arent Evil, they are representations of humanity shortcomings created on the warp, Nurgle, for example, represents desease and decay, ironically it also rewards his followers with the end of pain, they cant feel pain anymore. Each God has a chaotic side and a good side, even if twisted, each rewards their followers with some type of "freedom" that the Empire doesnt provide, they represent the repressed animalistic tendencies of humanity on 40k.
So the Empire, is a rusted and dying machine created with the best intentions but that ended petrified trying to do what it takes to survive, 40k is a highly pessimistic setting, ironically, comedy relief and over the top designs have the goal of creating a style that is easy to identify and also to not go fully edgy depressive stuff, that grimdark background contrasts well with the over the top shit. It ends being unique because of it.
Of course, many people dont like it and would disagree with me but for me, personally, on this day and age where uniqueness is anathema and you must regurgitate the same shit everyone is doing, that alone is worthy something.
