Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-46.162.84.254-20130704080553/@comment-66.206.224.153-20131221180900

I'm going to agree with a couple people here that have pointed out that the Imperium of Man is currently the dominant force in the galaxy. SpartanD14 is correct in saying that the Imperium is slow to react to threats (Hive Fleets have gone unchecked far too long), but the danger of an enemy force knocking on Terra's door and actually overthrowing the empire is (relatively) low.

However, there is a tremendous elephant in the room as far as speculation on the future of humanity is concerned: the Golden Throne is failing! Keeping the death of the Emperor secret will be impossible, as the entire Imperium will immediately notice the absence of the Astronomicon. Chaos, my friends, will thrive.

The Eldar and Orks are not going to be in a position to fill the resulting power vacuum anytime soon. Nobody quite understands how to handle the Necrons, but they are not massive enough to become top dog either. The Tau need to unite what's left of humanity after the Emperor's death if we're to have any chance of halting Chaos's progress as they come pouring out of the Eye of Terror in the absence of order and force coherence.

With all that said, let's get real. The Tyrannids are going to eat everything unless they're somehow destroyed at the source.

In summary:

Right now - The Imperium of Man

Post-Emperor - Chaos (Tau underdogs)

Post-Post-Emperor - Tyrannids