>>96498264
>>96498286
Depends? 40k had some elements of satire but overall it was serious, more importantly it never had any coherent theme, Priestley just wanted to create atmosphere of mystic and ancient setting, with thousands years of history and secrets and various cultures and per his own admission, despite being the person who wanted to create science fiction-style game among James Workshop, he never had any particular control over the setting and in his opinion, James both when he worked and afterwards made the Imperium and the galaxy in general "too same-y" and turned his "varied and diverse" universe into "one big war front" and Priestley complained that at the time, business didn't want nor could handle "more sophisticated or varied message".

So, ultimately, even the person who's idea was to create 40k ultimately lacked creative control over it and what will be approved and printed into the game books. Certainly, the longer 40k went on, the more gritty and dark the presentation of the setting became and the worse the factions became, when in Rogue Trader, Imperium planets regularly traded with Eldar and Imperium had no problem with Half-Eldar serving in various organisations within Imperium, Imperium in later works became more and more xenophobic and genocidal, certainly the longer the franchise existed the Imperium became more tyrannical, heinous and evil and there was even written a story where, when Emperor starts the Great Crusade a cursed clock chimneys to announce Humanities end. Even then, it's rather depatable how much this development is result of intentional course taken by James writers and how much is just their standard incompetence and general retardation, James thought would definitely prefer to claim that such was always intentional critique and themes on their part.