The T’au are a relatively young people in Warhammer 40,000. They were discovered only a few millennia ago, but they are now a growing threat to the Imperium and other races. However, they actually desire peace. MyMMO explains what these ‘space communists’ are all about.
Initially conceived as a sci-fi counterpart to the lizardmen of Warhammer Fantasy, the T’au Empire now has a character of its own. Driven by the goal of serving the “Greater Good,” the Empire spreads further and further.
The T’au are one of the youngest races in the lore of Warhammer 40,000. About 6,000 years ago, in the 35th millennium, a exploration fleet of the Imperium of Mankind discovered the planet T’au. At that time, a quite primitive species lived there, barely in a Stone Age state.
The T’au are a humanoid race, slightly smaller than humans, with blue-grey leathery skin and no noses. They live for only about 50 years, but over time, they have developed several highly specialized sub-species with unique traits.
Today, the T’au possess some of the most advanced and dangerous weapons in the entire galaxy, with a level of advancement that overshadows every other race.
From the Stone Age to Star Trek in 6,000 Years
After the discovery of the T’au, warp storms forced the Imperium to retreat before the planet could be ‘cleansed.’ Subsequently, there was no further contact with the alien people for several millennia.
Upon the next encounter, humans intercepted an unknown spaceship whose crew matched the descriptions of the T’au from over 6,000 years ago. In just 6 millennia, the T’au have evolved from the Stone Age to a sci-fi species.
By comparison, the human Stone Age lies several million years behind us and only ended roughly 9,000-5,000 years ago (via Prehistoric Archaeology). You know where we stand today.
During this time, the T’au have further expanded, colonized new planets, and integrated peoples into their Empire, even humans. Each ‘sphere’ was supposed to open new territories, which proves to be difficult for the people. They lack something important.
A People Without Sorcery and Warp
The Warp, or the Immaterium, is the realm of Chaos, but also the realm of souls. Every being with a soul has some resonance here, with different species glowing more or less strongly.
The strongest glowing souls belong to the powerful Eldar, virtually space elves, who immediately attract any demon. Humans, on the other hand, are more like a small flicker, and the T’au have such a weak connection to the Warp that they essentially do not exist there. This brings two major disadvantages for the people:
- The T’au have no means to wield sorcery, as it requires a connection to the Warp.
- They also cannot travel through the Warp on their own, as this requires special psychers who are simply not present among the T’au.
Unlike the Dark Eldar, they also have no webway for fast travel. This significantly restricts T’au expansion, as they rely on conventional means of travel. Accordingly, their Empire is quite small.
However, the T’au have scientists who can conduct research in astonishingly short timeframes, thereby gaining access to new technologies. They can now even make short jumps or, albeit experimentally, travel faster than light.
Interestingly, in recent developments, there is indeed a Warp entity that serves as a god for the T’au. However, this is mostly fueled by the allies of the species. The people are still not completely cut off from the Warp.
Mant’au and T’au’va
The core philosophy of the T’au is the T’au’va, or the “Greater Good.” All T’au strive for this, regardless of their origin, and their entire endeavor is designed to achieve the T’au’va.
For the people, the T’au’va is not perfect but the best way to achieve perfection. In contrast stands the Mant’au, or roughly: great evil. The term stems from a civil war among the T’au in ancient times, in which many tribes waged war against each other.
Today, Mant’au represents things that oppose the Greater Good. There are even peoples regarded by the T’au as “mant’au” with whom they cannot envision peace. These include the perpetually war-hungry Orks and the Tyranids, who wish to consume everything.
The Society of the T’au: The T’au live in a caste system, with each caste pursuing distinct tasks that serve the Greater Good. During their development, representatives even physiologically adapted to their field. The people were united only with the appearance of the “Celestials.” These strange representatives of the T’au radiate such natural authority that all others follow them unconditionally. Here is an overview of the castes:
- Fire Caste: Fighters, the strongest and most aggressive of the T’au, literally bred over centuries.
- Earth Caste: Scientists, technicians, and engineers responsible for construction and maintenance, as well as for developing new technologies. Also, workers who provide for agriculture are members of the Earth Caste.
- Water Caste: Diplomats, politicians, and bureaucrats who serve as merchants and mediators between peoples.
- Air Caste: The spacefarers and fleet masters of the T’au. The Air Caste keeps the star empire connected. Air Caste T’au have a lighter skeletal structure due to their constant presence in zero gravity.
- Heavens Caste: Virtually the nobility and spiritual leaders of the T’au. No one questions their authority.
In the Darkness of the Distant Future, There is … Peace?
The goal of the T’au is actually to spread their T’au’va and they initially stand open to all other peoples. They attempt to persuade outsiders through diplomacy and lead them to join the Empire.
Many peoples have thus joined the T’au. The most well-known are the Kroot, but there are also humans among their allies. For the T’au, there are only those who follow the T’au’va and those who still need to be convinced or eradicated.
If diplomatic attempts fail, the T’au spread their philosophy through violence and their superior weapons. They pursue a destructive strategy with the idea: If there are no enemies left, it is easier to populate a planet.
Are the T’au Really Communists?
No, not really. The idea that the T’au are “Space Communists” is an old meme from the community, stemming from their pursuit of the “Greater Good.” Their caste system alone contradicts this.
However, the communist meme persists stubbornly.
Although the T’au are an extremely young race, their technological advancement has made them a danger, primarily to the Imperium, to which their star empire borders. On the other hand, however, there is an ancient species that is slowly waking up: A race in Warhammer 40,000 could simply eliminate the greatest threat to the world, but it has been sleeping for 60 million years.
