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Agreed. TV series like that need to focus on a small number of key characters that you can see develop throughout.

Though the scale of the Imperial Guard (and the Imperium) would make for a nice episode of Hammer and Bolter.

Start off at the single soldier hopelessly outmatched against some enemy, then sort of pan out to what that guy getting got means to his squad/platoon.

Then zoom out earlier, to see the platoon commander recieving his orders under fire, outlinging why it was so critical to take that hill.

Then we go out again and earlier still, with high command set up within a ruined ballroom in a bombed out city recieving some strange orders, and reworking their battle lines to reclaim the space port so a regiment can be evacuated and sent elsewhere.

Then finally we end up in a Munitorum scriptorum, with adepts scurrying frantically between scribes and servitors. Until two bump into each other, and one grabs one of the others scrolls by mistake. He files the ones he should have done, but is left with one extra - which he shoves in with the previous one. We get a glimpse of the regiment name on the scroll, before the whole set of files lurches to the side as some huge orgyn servitor lifts it onto it's back and carts them away.

We then pan upwards to reveal that this is just one of thousands in this facility...

It'll definitely be interesting whether Eisenhorn is allowed to get a little more out there after the first few episodes or even the second series (if the first even gets made!), given that it's going to be coming on the heels of other 40K shows.
It'll be an entry point for a lot of people, but possibly not the first 40K thing on that platform.

On what platform?
Eisenhorn is going to networks.
All the In house stuff is just staying with them.

Unless you mean something else?

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Eisenhorn is definitely the right choice for this first foray into mass market media.

Not really. Something like Cain would be much better - not only military comedy is much more relatable and familiar genre than space KGB agents doing stuff, but Eisenhorn isn't even good 40K. It's certainly an OK story, but Abnett takes so many liberties with the setting (magic language straight from D&D, anyone?) it literally looks like something barely inspired by 40K, not part of it, and if someone is hooked and wants more of that then reading any other 40K story is going to turn them off. It's like making Tolkien movie by filming Conan the Barbarian, except Conan is at least vaguely kinda the same genre as The Hobbit, unlike Abnett and most of 40K.

It's a pity GW doesn't seem to like Mitchell or give the Cain series credit for the boost they give the whole franchise...

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
So we can then see Astra Militarum at the squad level, rather than having to explore its structure. They can drop in and drop out individual representatives of different areas with relative freedom - allowing us to explore 40k in a series of snippets..

Or you know, you can cut out superfluous intermediaries and go straight for the IG. Especially seeing Cain with his focus on human interactions and small scale combat would be vastly easier to film on a budget than most of the 40K, and GW has only one shot at making this to be a big hit if they want to not make it failed one off (just look at how the Ultramarines movie, also by Abnett, killed 40K media for a decade). And you could even do introduction to Inquisition in form of the Amberley and her exploits, and if that takes off, you can make Amberley spinoff or hell, even Eisenhorn. Jumping straight into the murkiest water is about as good decision as prices on Admech stuff from this week

I'm sure we can get some war scenes maybe as a lead up to our episodic "heresy of the week" show. Maybe the backstory of some veterans who get caught up in some cult that Eisenhorn busts.

Actually, I'm pretty sure one of the stories in one of the books was actually exactly this. There were some mysterious killings happening. Eisenhorn suspected cult activity. But it eventually turned out to be some IG veterans who were semi-randomly killing people they believed to be heretics and had formed their own little Imperial cult to root out this "treachery", still fighting the war in some fashion.

Cain only works when you’re familiar with the usual brutality of the setting.

He’s a Commissar beloved by his troops. Without knowing his other Commissars are trigger happy Emperor Bothering lunatics, his relationship lacks any context.

His feats of ridiculous derring do and his lack of awareness of his genuine heroism also requires an appreciation of just how sticky those situations are. Example? Taking out Korbul, thus crippling an entire Waaaagh - accidentally. If you don’t know Ork Kultur? Yeah that again is without context.

 Irbis wrote:
but Eisenhorn isn't even good 40K. It's certainly an OK story, but Abnett takes so many liberties with the setting (magic language straight from D&D, anyone?) it literally looks like something barely inspired by 40K, not part of it, and if someone is hooked and wants more of that then reading any other 40K story is going to turn them off. It's like making Tolkien movie by filming Conan the Barbarian, except Conan is at least vaguely kinda the same genre as The Hobbit, unlike Abnett and most of 40K.

Lawl whut?

That is definitely an unpopular opinion dude. Abnett's work is generally accepted by the community as the best 40k fiction, and the Eisenhorn/Ravenor trilogies are the best of his work. He takes liberties without compromising the core aspects of the setting. Unlike many other authors.

Maybe it seems different because he deals with the more civilian aspects of the setting. Most other authors just focus on war stories of combatants. Abnett fleshes the setting out by looking at what the "normal" people are doing, and how they react when the more treacherous parts of the setting collide with their lives.

 Mad Doc Grotsnik wrote:
Cain only works when you’re familiar with the usual brutality of the setting.

He’s a Commissar beloved by his troops. Without knowing his other Commissars are trigger happy Emperor Bothering lunatics, his relationship lacks any context.

His feats of ridiculous derring do and his lack of awareness of his genuine heroism also requires an appreciation of just how sticky those situations are. Example? Taking out Korbul, thus crippling an entire Waaaagh - accidentally. If you don’t know Ork Kultur? Yeah that again is without context.

.
I think this is one reason BL books don't see a huge surge in customers outside of their core market (in general, there are a few exceptions). When you read a BL book very few describe "models". Even units and machinery core to the situation might get very little to describe their visual nature because GW expects you to either be aware of the unit already or to be aware enough to spend 5 seconds googling it on the gw website (hint hint it looks cool - maybe buy one). You don't tend to notice this as a die-hard fan because its all common knowledge. Even if you've not seen a leman russ you've got a good idea roughly what it is and what it will do and what army it fits into.

Danny76 wrote:
On what platform?
Eisenhorn is going to networks.
All the In house stuff is just staying with them.

Unless you mean something else?

I thought Hammer and Bolter is being developed in house, but Eisenhorn requires a totally different set of resources and skills and is looking for a production company to make it.
I've assumed both would then be looking to be picked up by someone else to actually air.

No I thought it’d be GW just self publishing under their new arm.
Either straight DVD sales. It even putting up in their site/s for free (gasp, doubt it).

As some of the new animated things are film length, H&B is the series of shorts, but to be fair if it’s like Love Death Robots then they could be short shorts.

It’s difference between Somethings rights being optioned by others like the show. And something being developed by a team created etc.
but to be fair, everything’s conjecture..

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Irbis wrote:
but Eisenhorn isn't even good 40K. It's certainly an OK story, but Abnett takes so many liberties with the setting (magic language straight from D&D, anyone?) it literally looks like something barely inspired by 40K, not part of it, and if someone is hooked and wants more of that then reading any other 40K story is going to turn them off. It's like making Tolkien movie by filming Conan the Barbarian, except Conan is at least vaguely kinda the same genre as The Hobbit, unlike Abnett and most of 40K.

Lawl whut?

That is definitely an unpopular opinion dude. Abnett's work is generally accepted by the community as the best 40k fiction, and the Eisenhorn/Ravenor trilogies are the best of his work. He takes liberties without compromising the core aspects of the setting. Unlike many other authors.

Maybe it seems different because he deals with the more civilian aspects of the setting. Most other authors just focus on war stories of combatants. Abnett fleshes the setting out by looking at what the "normal" people are doing, and how they react when the more treacherous parts of the setting collide with their lives.

While I like the Eisenhorn series, I've never been a fan of some of his creative inventions, many of which change the fundamental nature of 40k.

One of those is enuncia. It was a pointless creation that seemed more putting one's stamp on the setting than for any practical reason - warp sorcery would have worked just as well and not ignored the settings metaphysics.

But a language that works like psychic power, only requiring that you know the words to generate the effect and had none of the downsides if psychic power is so ridiculous and undermines the consequentialism of warp power in 40k it's absurd.

If a concept In a story could emobdy the modern usage of Mary Sue, it would be enuncia.

It serves no function what so evernthat sorcery couldn't have filled and causes far more prolems.

Literally anyone that could vocalise the words can wield the power. Tyranids, tau, necrons. A computer that says the words. The idea that a sound released from a voice box could generate this sort of thing is dumb regardless, but when you have so much other material to work with in 40k it just looks like someone trying to insert their own clever ideas without looking at the consequences of them.


If a tv show were to retcons anything I hope it would be what enuncia is. Because if it gets popular, then the world is going to see 40k as a place where people foos ro Dar! Their enemies with an ability that was a throw away plot device that has massive consequences but not impact on the world...

I don't see how it breaks the setting. Words having power related to the warp is canon. The True Names of Daemons are just one example. Perhaps Enuncia is the language that the True Names of daemon's are part of, and that is why the True Name of a daemon has power over the daemon.

The Warp depends upon Belief and Thought. Words are Belief and Thought given form as sound waves. Much like how the Ork Gestalt functions because Orks believe that it does. The idea of a secret language that has the ability to summon warp power is hardly silly or ground breaking.

Its not common knowledge in 40k because, well, nothing about the warp is common knowledge. Its all secrets and instability.

Eisenhorn is bad 40k stories in the way that they dont show the "there is only grimdark war" setting. Its pretty straight forward sci fi (ok, pretty good sci-fi stories).

My bet is Eisenhon either do a voice over/diary kind of thing where he casually explain how the Empire of mankind work (like he explain for the reader things like various types of inquisitors in the books),
and/or has a more tutoring relationship with some of his hangarounds so they can establish the setting for viewers unfamilliar with 40k.

Have only just heard about this!

Wow!

About fething time!

Eisenhorn is absolutely the right choice, because at its heart it is wonderful story telling with great characters, and ultimately that's what a drama will succeed or fail regarding.

Dan Abnett, with his strong history of both 40k and script writing for some fairly major sci-fi franchises outside of 40k- you would have to think he would have involvement in this, again the right choice.

And I can absolutely imagine Jason Isaacs in the role.

I would also accept Karl Urban (although always imagined him as a Jaq Draco..)

"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

 Yodhrin wrote:
"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

Agreed. Making yet another sci-fi IP just another thinly veiled reflection of 2016 politics is a huge mistake. The 40k universe is not politically correct. You have a brutal authoritarian fundamentalist superstitious society under which most humanity lives and it is, for most worlds, the BEST option assuming it isn't also the only option. In a universe where other lifeforms want to literally eat you body (nids) and soul (demons), it's the lesser of two evils. If you're going to be worked to death under slave like conditions by a brutal overlord, at least the imperium is human unlike doing the same under orks and they'll at least give you an hour off a day to attend (mandatory!) services. No one in the Imperium cares about your skin color, sexuality, or gender as they've got bigger things to worry about. The witch hunts are focused on looking for actual witches and the only immutable characteristics that are discriminated against are things like extra limbs growing out of weird spots. Making the tv show woke would be the second most stupid thing they could possibly do (the first being toning it down to pg rating).

 warboss wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:
"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

Agreed. Making yet another sci-fi IP just another thinly veiled reflection of 2016 politics is a huge mistake. The 40k universe is not politically correct. You have a brutal authoritarian fundamentalist superstitious society under which most humanity lives and it is, for most worlds, the BEST option assuming it isn't also the only option. In a universe where other lifeforms want to literally eat you body (nids) and soul (demons), it's the lesser of two evils. If you're going to be worked to death under slave like conditions by a brutal overlord, at least the imperium is human unlike doing the same under orks and they'll at least give you an hour off a day to attend (mandatory!) services. No one in the Imperium cares about your skin color, sexuality, or gender as they've got bigger things to worry about. The witch hunts are focused on looking for actual witches and the only immutable characteristics that are discriminated against are things like extra limbs growing out of weird spots. Making the tv show woke would be the second most stupid thing they could possibly do (the first being toning it down to pg rating).

40K is not politically correct and it shouldn't be, but it can still be political and originally was as it was created as a parody of macho conservatism.

 Crimson wrote:

 warboss wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:
"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

Agreed. Making yet another sci-fi IP just another thinly veiled reflection of 2016 politics is a huge mistake. The 40k universe is not politically correct. You have a brutal authoritarian fundamentalist superstitious society under which most humanity lives and it is, for most worlds, the BEST option assuming it isn't also the only option. In a universe where other lifeforms want to literally eat you body (nids) and soul (demons), it's the lesser of two evils. If you're going to be worked to death under slave like conditions by a brutal overlord, at least the imperium is human unlike doing the same under orks and they'll at least give you an hour off a day to attend (mandatory!) services. No one in the Imperium cares about your skin color, sexuality, or gender as they've got bigger things to worry about. The witch hunts are focused on looking for actual witches and the only immutable characteristics that are discriminated against are things like extra limbs growing out of weird spots. Making the tv show woke would be the second most stupid thing they could possibly do (the first being toning it down to pg rating).

40K is not politically correct and it shouldn't be, but it can still be political and originally was as it was created as a parody of macho conservatism.

Disagree. It is a parody of Totalitarianism in general, not specifically conservative Totalitarianism.

 Grey Templar wrote:

 Crimson wrote:

 warboss wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:
"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

Agreed. Making yet another sci-fi IP just another thinly veiled reflection of 2016 politics is a huge mistake. The 40k universe is not politically correct. You have a brutal authoritarian fundamentalist superstitious society under which most humanity lives and it is, for most worlds, the BEST option assuming it isn't also the only option. In a universe where other lifeforms want to literally eat you body (nids) and soul (demons), it's the lesser of two evils. If you're going to be worked to death under slave like conditions by a brutal overlord, at least the imperium is human unlike doing the same under orks and they'll at least give you an hour off a day to attend (mandatory!) services. No one in the Imperium cares about your skin color, sexuality, or gender as they've got bigger things to worry about. The witch hunts are focused on looking for actual witches and the only immutable characteristics that are discriminated against are things like extra limbs growing out of weird spots. Making the tv show woke would be the second most stupid thing they could possibly do (the first being toning it down to pg rating).

40K is not politically correct and it shouldn't be, but it can still be political and originally was as it was created as a parody of macho conservatism.

Disagree. It is a parody of Totalitarianism in general, not specifically conservative Totalitarianism.

It has and always should be a vehicle for insane gak to go down in an insane way.
40k = The anti-disestablismentartianism society for the establishment of politics...its not supposed to make sense.
if it exists in the real world, it is perfectly ripe for the picking of worst traits that you should never-ever-EVER! take at face value.


If they can work in some of the pure bat-gak insane stuff that 40k is famous for and tell a good story that has a relatable feel...score.

With all things 'TV' isnt this still at the stage where it can be canned and nothing of importance is lost?

How long did the option have to expire before this was moved to 'in development'.

Forgive my scepticism.

Well, I think we are at a point similar to what happened in the early 90s. In the early 90s, VHS cameras became cheap enough along with access to basic editing software that anybody could make a video, get a few hundred/thousand copies made, and have it on a shelf somewhere.

I think a similar thing is happening right now with TV shows and online streaming. We're gonna see an explosion of "Internet TV" shows because its become more accessible and even large firms are willing to gamble on more niche content.

 Grey Templar wrote:
Well, I think we are at a point similar to what happened in the early 90s. In the early 90s, VHS cameras became cheap enough along with access to basic editing software that anybody could make a video, get a few hundred/thousand copies made, and have it on a shelf somewhere.

I think a similar thing is happening right now with TV shows and online streaming. We're gonna see an explosion of "Internet TV" shows because its become more accessible and even large firms are willing to gamble on more niche content.

I certainly hope they're shooting for a bar a bit higher than a modern version of the one set in the early 90's by movies like Samurai Cop. YMMV.

I should hope so.

Yohdrin - can I ask where you have read that re. Jason Isaacs? Also - I know the actor has a big input into portrayal of a character, but isn't it down to the script writer, directors etc to ensure that the actor is in line with their imagining? (Or is he a forceful person that would be a kind of 'Jonny Depp turning up for Pirates of the Caribbean as Keith Richards in Pirate form', kind of thing?)

 warboss wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:
"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

Agreed. Making yet another sci-fi IP just another thinly veiled reflection of 2016 politics is a huge mistake. The 40k universe is not politically correct. You have a brutal authoritarian fundamentalist superstitious society under which most humanity lives and it is, for most worlds, the BEST option assuming it isn't also the only option. In a universe where other lifeforms want to literally eat you body (nids) and soul (demons), it's the lesser of two evils. If you're going to be worked to death under slave like conditions by a brutal overlord, at least the imperium is human unlike doing the same under orks and they'll at least give you an hour off a day to attend (mandatory!) services. No one in the Imperium cares about your skin color, sexuality, or gender as they've got bigger things to worry about. The witch hunts are focused on looking for actual witches and the only immutable characteristics that are discriminated against are things like extra limbs growing out of weird spots. Making the tv show woke would be the second most stupid thing they could possibly do (the first being toning it down to pg rating).

It's from the guy that has been doing Man in the High Castle, which is literally covering the imagned Fascist and Imperial Japanese control of the world, telling that story - so I'm sure they can tell a story set in a universe without having to consistently relate it to current events.

Although it's interesting that you mention reference of current events re. 40k. Not so much in the last couple of decades, but remember that 80s politics and Thatcher's Britain was a background reference for the whole dystopian, grim-dark concept from the people that initially made 40k. Both in the game and a lot of things it took influence from (inc. 2000AD, which still actually follows this pattern).

I guess when you have a perceived change in the world, and a potential slide towards things that are still almost impossible to write about in terms of scale of human suffering, artists and writers will always find some way to act as a 'pressure valve' and relay some of that angst.

 Pacific wrote:
Yohdrin - can I ask where you have read that re. Jason Isaacs? Also - I know the actor has a big input into portrayal of a character, but isn't it down to the script writer, directors etc to ensure that the actor is in line with their imagining? (Or is he a forceful person that would be a kind of 'Jonny Depp turning up for Pirates of the Caribbean as Keith Richards in Pirate form', kind of thing?)

From his own gob prior to the release of Star Trek Discovery. And the issue is less the actor having actual control, and more that any producer who would hire an actor who says, to paraphrase him only a little, "I don't care about your silly canon and anyone who does is a joke to me", publicly, is clearly either incompetent or making a statement themselves. In Isaac's case I think he felt comfy speaking out in that case because the atmosphere around the production side of STD season 1 was still very much "not your daddy's Star Trek": I suspect he'd have been a lot more circumspect on sharing his views if the people running the whole affair hadn't been taking the attitude that dumping some or all of the existing fanbase was fine because they were going to get a new, hip, cool audience with blackjack and hookers, but I do believe they were his views specifically, and so do a lot of people who're into sci-fi stuff.

 warboss wrote:

 Yodhrin wrote:
"40K is like a modern Star Trek because it's a metaphor for a lot of things that are going on today" - eeeep, that's a big ol' oof there chief.

I could really, really do without all three of my favourite IP's going Current Year, and Warhammer is the only one left.

Also casting Jason Isaacs in this is a great way to make a solid percentage of your potential audience dismiss it out of hand. The man famously doesn't give a gak about source material for adaptations, and holds any fans who do in complete disdain.

Agreed. Making yet another sci-fi IP just another thinly veiled reflection of 2016 politics is a huge mistake. The 40k universe is not politically correct. You have a brutal authoritarian fundamentalist superstitious society under which most humanity lives and it is, for most worlds, the BEST option assuming it isn't also the only option. In a universe where other lifeforms want to literally eat you body (nids) and soul (demons), it's the lesser of two evils. If you're going to be worked to death under slave like conditions by a brutal overlord, at least the imperium is human unlike doing the same under orks and they'll at least give you an hour off a day to attend (mandatory!) services. No one in the Imperium cares about your skin color, sexuality, or gender as they've got bigger things to worry about. The witch hunts are focused on looking for actual witches and the only immutable characteristics that are discriminated against are things like extra limbs growing out of weird spots. Making the tv show woke would be the second most stupid thing they could possibly do (the first being toning it down to pg rating).

It's from the guy that has been doing Man in the High Castle, which is literally covering the imagned Fascist and Imperial Japanese control of the world, telling that story - so I'm sure they can tell a story set in a universe without having to consistently relate it to current events.

Although it's interesting that you mention reference of current events re. 40k. Not so much in the last couple of decades, but remember that 80s politics and Thatcher's Britain was a background reference for the whole dystopian, grim-dark concept from the people that initially made 40k. Both in the game and a lot of things it took influence from (inc. 2000AD, which still actually follows this pattern).

I guess when you have a perceived change in the world, and a potential slide towards things that are still almost impossible to write about in terms of scale of human suffering, artists and writers will always find some way to act as a 'pressure valve' and relay some of that angst.

That's the sticking point for a lot of people though - the place for artists to do that is not an existing IP with established themes and messages of its own. There are some aspects of the times we're living in now that are similar to the times that inspired 40K, but there are far more aspects that are very different, and the way artists approach Current Year issues through media has changed(and not for the better IMO). When 40K was conceived, the primary avenues for going after current affairs were ridicule, derision, and irony. When GW wanted to have a pop at bureaucracy they created the Administratum, a farcical parody where whole planets are eaten by the baddies because one of the fifty bajillion clerks labouring endlessly on Terra put the wrong stamp on a form and filed their request for aid in the wrong pile of paperwork. It's dark, sure, it's pointed, certainly, but it's also laced with humour and aimed at a broad concept rather than any specific recognisable political event. Over the years the humour element has declined somewhat and as 40K has become more po-faced it's possible to argue that the political aspect has faded as well, but regardless of how much still exists or what aspect of the setting you examine, it's always big broad concepts - organised religion, willful ignorance, reliance on technology, xenophobia, the human tendency to solve issues with violence etc - that are being referenced/criticised.

That's no longer how things are done. Now fiction that comments on current affairs is typically much more specific in its inspirations, and makes a big deal out of ensuring the reader knows it. Satire and irony have fallen out of favour lest an artist be accused of insensitivity. Look at Star Trek: Picard(and this was, to a degree, a case of the actor having too much power, since they had to basically let him rework the show ground-up to secure his participation) - Patrick Stewart didn't just want to make a show about the idea of xenophobia, he wanted to make a show about Brexit, specifically, and from his own modern day political perspective. In isolation there's nothing wrong with that desire, but in order to make that show and directly relate it to current events in the context of Star Trek, they had to trash core, defining concepts of the setting like the Federation being a post-scarcity utopia, and the convention that any members of the Federation who break with their high minded ideals actually are isolated and numerically insignificant bad-apples, because in order to make it about Brexit in particular and from his own perspective, the government have to be the baddies, and the Federation are the government in Star Trek.

If they want to make a 40K show that follows the stories in the Eisenhorn novels and depicts the setting on its own terms, and allow viewers to then draw the relationships to current events out of that narrative on their own, brilliant. But the experience of recent years has led to a degree of cynicism when people making TV shows out of established IPs start talking about how much they relate to Current Year issues, because time & again they've shown what they mean by that is there's just enough of a pretext in the existing material for them to hamfistedly cram very obvious and very specific call outs to current events into the show whether that actually works within the established material or not.

The 40k setting is like Judge Dread set in Michael Moorcocks mulitverse.
So its a very dark humor and satire, set in an omnious and serious universal conflict between Law and Chaos.
Focus should be on the dark humor, but it would fall flat without the wider scope of the universe and aspects of "cosmic horror" as Lovecraft might have said .

I hope they do the stories justice as Eisenhorn are some of the most fun I've had reading 40k.

Maybe if this goes well we'll get a First and Only show or one that follows Cain's shenanigans.

Thanks Yodhrin, that's some interesting info there. I must say I hadn't realised that about Picard - it was probably helped that I hadn't read about any of the production pre-amble and so didn't ascribe that element to it. It might have affected my enjoyment of it if it had, so am actually quite glad about that.

I suppose there will always be some imprint of current times and events on whatever creative material is made, either consciously or unconsciously on the behalf of the writers. Hopefully Eisenhorn will have enough going on in terms of background and setting that it won't need any artificial introduction of themes (the setting of someone essentially being judge, jury and executioner by themselves - and with the ability to destroy entire worlds down to their own discretion no less! - should paint a stark enough picture on its own).