Board Thread:Warhammer 40k General Discussion/@comment-6078851-20150114163201/@comment-6078851-20150116180517

in regards to the potentiality of the tau threat: they would probably never be a significant threat to the imperium if the current state of affairs were to continue, at least they wouldn't be a threat for a very long time. but emps is about to kick-it soon and with his death goes the astronomican and the imperium as we know it will crumble (about time too :P). now, there will be many mini-empires striving to survive, and a couple may even have primarchs to lead them and they may even flourish for a time, but the vast majority of the human race which populated the imperium will either be killed by the many xeno's rushing in to fill the void left by the imperium, or will have to find sanctuary. this collapse of the imperium could result in the mass migration of humans (if they have the means) to the tau empire.

i've heard people say how they think the tau empire will eventually become somewhat like the imperium, imperium 2.0 if you will. if humans flee to the tau in a post-emps/imperium migration, their numbers, as well as more than a few technologies they would provide for the tau (like warp-drive tech) for sanctuary, could result in an exponential growth of the tau empire in terms of manpower, technologies, and ability to conquer.

it could be that in the not-so-far-off from distant future, there is only war, but human empires are small and vulnerable and the galactic collossus is the tau epire :P