Quote Originally Posted by Eldan View Post
They aren't commies, though. They have a rigid caste system with a hereditary ruling class.
My understanding is that, at least in the latest incarnation, the Ethereals exert a great deal of Brave New World-ish thought control. They don't butcher as casually as the Imperium does, but it's still a rigid oligarchy where anything resembling freedom is sharply curtailed. And it still doesn't stop them from planetary genocide.

So they aren't "good guys" but there's a strong argument they're the least evil faction by WH40K standards. I think the idea being they're the youngest faction and therefore haven't fully grasped the horrors of the Warp and the true darkness of the universe they live in. Sort of like the way humans were back when the Emperor was trying to start his kingdom of peace and rationality before it went all pear-shaped and turned into the rigid theocracy we all know in the 40th millenium.

Respectfully,

Brian P.