The thing is the imperium is a direct reaction to the horrid universe they live in. They need the empire of man because anything else would lead to chaos or one of the other even more brutal factions destroying the universe.
The Imperium is the best case scenario for humanity given the universe. There are far more horrifying and brutal possibilities than a militant feudal technocracy. It's a Holy Roman Empire in space, with a large amount of freedom given to individual planets that borders on Hoppean utopianism.
The thing is the imperium is a direct reaction to the horrid universe they live in. They need the empire of man because anything else would lead to chaos or one of the other even more brutal factions destroying the universe.
The Imperium is the best case scenario for humanity given the universe. There are far more horrifying and brutal possibilities than a militant feudal technocracy. It's a Holy Roman Empire in space, with a large amount of freedom given to individual planets that borders on Hoppean utopianism.