@Cynical Cat

We are talking about a race whose FTL system is a warp drive salvaged from a crashed alien ship and then reverse engineered. The Tau use a skimming drive because they can't make one that allows full immersion despite trying (Battlefleet Gothic). They're FTL speed is a fifth of the Imperiums and thats before we get to the subject of Navigators.

It does make you wonder what the Kroot might manage in that direction with a few generations of dedicated munching...

@Medhia Nox

It's possible that they don't seem superior because the tech they used "technically" isn't theirs to begin with - it might be the Bentusin/Demiurge that are the far superior group.

While the Tau got a certain headstart, most of their tech seems to be of their own design.

The Tau do have forcefield technology, for the record, and are quite capable of deploying it to the battle field in large amounts. Nearly every variety of battle suit (save stealth suits, I believe) can take a shield generator if they choose and Shield drones themselves are actually just mobile, remote controlled shield generators. Mind you, in the Table Top game Shield generators are used as ablative wounds with invulnerable saves for the squad that has them but in other sources they've been represented as actually being able to project a forcefield that can protect the squad it's with.

As to the matter of having an evolutionary headstart, it's true, another race did come along at some point in the past and advance their evolution and likely jump started their tech as well, but the fact remains that their technology continues to advance by their own hands at a rather quick pace. Between two editions Tau rail rifles deployed by their path finders lost gets hot for instance. This stands in stark contrast to the imperium which very rarely makes new advances in technology. Certainly at one point humanity was more advanced than the Tau are now but technological stagnation has caused humankind to back slide. Humans are essentially using what few leftovers we can make work and even when a new STC pattern is located it takes hundreds if not thousands of years for it to be cleared for use by the Ad Mech, making certain that it's not been corrupted and what have you and researching it to make sure humanity even /can/ still use it. That's how badly our knowledge has degraded. And meanwhile, I really don't think the bolter is as amazing as people seem to think it is, nor do I believe grav technology is as widely available in the imperium as you seem to believe it is. Aside from landspeeders there's really not much and the Dark Angels codex makes note of the fact that Samael, master of the Ravenwing, is the pilot of the last known Imperial jet bike, manufacture of more having been lost to time.

My point in all of this is that it's not fair to compare the humanity that was to the Tau as they are now because humanity will (likely) never again attain that level of power while the Tau will inevitably continue to advance and the imperium won't be able to level sufficient numbers against them to ultimately stop them from someday becoming a very serious threat. The Damocles Gulf crusade is fairly good proof of this considering several imperial guard regiments, a fleet element, and forces contributed by 5 space marine chapters were fought to a standstill and forced to negotiate for peace. And then, when the Imperium withdrew to fight the Tyranids, one (maybe more) of the remaining Guard regiments defected to the Tau.

(I'd also like to note that I'm not a Tau fan boy. I play Blood Angels and Dark Angels. I'm quite find of the Imperium, really, but I can see the writing on the wall. The Tau were added to the game to be a more technologically advanced race with an emphasis on shooting. If nothing else the only thing that balances them is the fact that their ballistic skill is a 3 instead of a 4)

My point in all of this is that it's not fair to compare the humanity that was to the Tau as they are now because humanity will (likely) never again attain that level of power while the Tau will inevitably continue to advance and the imperium won't be able to level sufficient numbers against them to ultimately stop them from someday becoming a very serious threat.

I wouldn't exactly call it "inevitable" - if the Imperium ever has its hands free in the bordering sectors, the tau would very likely fall. Then again, this is 40k we're talking about... inevitable, it is.

Cynical Cat said:

Actually, the Medusa Campaign has since updated that. After the events of the Medusa Campaign, the Tau did have the prototype technology to have proper warp engines, and they worked, but they decided that full immersion into the Warp is just too dangerous, and not at all worth the risk. They would basically rather have skimming drives that go slower because they are a hell of a lot safer. Their not having full warp drives by now was a conscious decision on their part.

Brother Praetus said:

"So it begins."

Interesting about the Medusa campaign, I didn't know that. Going slower and safer works for now, especially since changing over would hurt their ship building and the Tau Navy needs every ship it can get. Its going to be something they will have to address in the future (supposing they expand and don't get exterminated by their neighbors).

I didn't say the Tau didn't have forcefield technology, I said it wasn't as good as the Imperium's. It is, as I've said, more widely available to the rank and file. No is denying that the Tau are advancing their technology and that the Imperium is coasting on the on the accomplishments of men dead for fifteen thousand years. The Eldar and the Necrons are also using ancient tech, developed by people long dead. No one disrespects a gauss flayer because of that. As for computers and automation, both the Eldar and the Imperium restrict it greatly and the Tau don't. The Eldar don't use warbots anymore because that's part of what made them decadent and doomed their race and the Imperium has some strong taboos against AI dating from the Age of Strife and the small issue of warp possession. Of course both cultures retain some automation. The Deathwatch itself uses a lot of it. Some watch stations are completely computer controlled and then there's the little matter of the automated Kill Ships.

The Tau might become something great, if they survive and that's a very big if. Orks, Tyranids, and the Imperium are all threats capable of wiping them out but so far they are prospering, but their position is precarious. Of course GW isn't going to either advance the timeline substantially or kill off a popular army so they will remain in this twilight state forever.

By the way, the guys pulling the Tau's string are Eldar. Xenology shows that the Ethereals dominate the rest of the Tau via phermones and that they're almost certainly the creation of an Eldar faction. What the Eldar are up to is anyone's guess.

Cynical Cat said:

It's fairly heavily suggested that the Eldar want to use the Tau against Chaos, since Chaos has been proven to affect the Tau less, since they have a much smaller reflection in the Warp compared to any other race (in general, not including nulls).