Editing Tau (section)

==The Tau as an examination of Humans Through Alien Eyes==
''Copied from TV Tropes'' 

As a race, besides the Tyranids, the Tau can be seen as Giant Space Flea from Nowhere in the 40K setting, considering that unlike almost every other race, they have no connection whatsoever with the ancient War in Heaven between the Old Ones and the C'tan, and are total new comers to the galactic stage.
When you think about it, the Tau are basically the embodiment of every single trope/clichés that humanity usually have in most space opera and sci-fi stories.

Just look at the list: The youngest and newest member to the galactic stage, idealistic and wish to explore the galaxy, prefer to use diplomacy when dealing when alien races, have a quick rate of technological and social advancement when compared to everyone else in a stagnant galaxy, being the leaders of a multiracial coalition... etc. Except that this time, these tropes are not embodied by the humans in the setting, allowing us to examine them without our innate bias towards our own species getting in the way.

So the next time you see an Imperium fan dismissing or hating the Tau for being annoying and naive, you are getting a perspective of how humans look through alien eyes in most other sci-fi settings. You will finally understand why the Romulans and Cardassians fight The Federation in Star Trek, or why the Asari look down upon humans as brash and ignorant in Mass Effect.