Are Tyranids really the bad guys we think they are? One 40K theory says they are the victims of something far, far worse.
Warhammer 40,000 is full of bad guys and “evil” factions. A huge number of factions are out to destroy civilization or the material realm. However, a lot of people will point towards Tyranids as the real “big bad” or end-game threat of the setting. A relatively recent arrival to the galaxy, they’ve managed to push many of the major races to the brink with what is thought to be a relatively small amount of their power. Should they “win” and consume the galaxy, nothing will remain. Neither Chaos, nor the Imperium nor any other faction would survive. However, one theory posits that Nids are not the big threat they appear. Rather than invaders, they are refugees. Let’s take a look at this one.
The Official Line
Officially, Tyranids are a new arrival to the 40K Galaxy. First contact, with Hive Fleet Behemoth took place in late M41, only a few hundred years before the current setting. It’s clear that Nids have been active in the galaxy long before that, with probing units, like Genestealers pre-dating this. In fact it seems that Hive fleets were active as early as M36 and there may have even been some much earlier attacks that left infiltration organisms scattered across the cosmos.
Putting aside the question of first contact, there is little debate about what Tyranids do. They have come from outside the galaxy and seek to consume all life (biomass) in this one. Where they originated from is unknown beyond “not here”. Some claim they have devoured thousands of galaxies, but there is little to support this. It’s also not clear if all Nids are coming to the 40K Galaxy, or if this is merely a portion of the endless wandering race. Overall, they seem driven to find new worlds and locations to destroy and devour, and constantly move to do so. The Hive Fleets are driven by some imperative that humans cannot truly understand.
Could They Be On The Run?
One theory however posits that the Tyranids are not truly trying to invade the 40K galaxy. The theory here is that the Tyrandis are not going anywhere to attack, but rather they are running from something. Something out there beat the Tyrandis, most likely in their home galaxy, and drove them to flee across inter-galactic gulfs to escape. Their migration is not to attack but rather blind panic to escape from whatever is chasing them. Our Milky Way galaxy and all it’s inhabitants are just in the way of them trying to flee.
Pit Stop Or Allies?
So what are Nids doing here? Well, there are two branches of this theory. The first is the Tyranids are using the 40K galaxy as a pit stop. They need to refuel and replenish their ranks. Maybe they once had a more sustainable lifestyle, but now they have to strip everything and carry it with them. The galaxy is just a quick gas station on their flight. It’s also possible their need to destroy comes from not wanting to leave anything behind for whatever they are fleeing.
It’s also possible that the Nids came here looking for allies in their fight. Maybe they somehow hoped to have a peaceful interaction with the races of the Milky Way and gain aid in their wars. While this is a little far-fetched, it is possible. First contact just went… really, really badly. The Hive Mind after all isn’t great an communicating with others, and pretty much none of the 40K races were ever going to welcome extra-galactic xenos. Maybe GSC and other early infiltrates were attempts to communicate. Foolish ones to be sure.
The Theory Could Work
Now this theory could be true or not. There’s not really any way to prove or disprove it at this time. Moreover, it doesn’t have much effect if it’s true or not. The Tyranids are here, and the fighting is happening. There is also rather little evidence to actually support the theory. However I kind of like it. I think the idea of the Nids actually being a tragic race that came here on the run and mostly peacefully and then just had a really bad first contact is a very grimdark 40K vibe. The potential that the Imperium’s xenophobia caused the Tyrannic Wars fits in with the setting really well. The idea that there is something out there a lot, lot worse than the Nids that could eventually arrive is also pretty 40K, but at the end of the day we will likely never know.
The Silent King saw something out in extra-galactic space that disturbed him enough to return to the galaxy and muster the Necrons from their slumber. But whatever he saw, he’s not talking.
Let us know what you think about this thoery down in the comments!
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Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.
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