The Emperor of Mankind: Is he really the best option?

In the following article, you will find my analysis of the progression ( or regression) of the Emperors Potatocis, Frankus and the Emperor of Man. This analysis will be mostly objective although the conclusion of every aspect may be more subjective because I will be making assumptions, based on the current situation, in the case of the present Emperor. Since people can change, his ruling style may change whereas the ones for Potatocis and the Emperor of Man are set in history.The point of this analysis is to determine which ruler is the best for the people and the Republic/Imperium and what makes their ruling style change. The motivations of all three Emperors will be discussed.

First, we must decide what is the definition of a good Emperor. It depends on what Empire he is ruling. Simple, all three are ruling the Republic or Imperium.

Next we need to think of the conditions, circumstances and beliefs. The Emperor of Man ruled in a dark time where the gods of Chaos influence was omnipresent. Potatocis ruled in a similar time although the threat was lesser because the chaos gods had been restrained but the Ps creature was always trying to destroy the Republic even while he was retrained and in a sleep like state for a long time.

Frankus rules in a time post Ps creature and destroyed the chaos god but his challenge has become the struggle to be good after replacing the chaos gods and overconfidence.

An important thing to know about the Emperor of Man is that he is a Perpetual. This is not the equivalent of Immortal or Invulnerable. Perpetual means that he can live forever but his body can be severely wounded, even to the point of no return. Then what does it mean to be a Perpetual? This means that, if he does die in battle and his mind and body fail, he will die but come back. The cycle will go on forever. Will he come back as a fully grown man or a child? No one knows because this had not happened yet. The Emperor of Mankind sits on his throne, body rotting away but his mind is still strong and he holds the forces of chaos back with psychic energy after the Horrible betrayal of the Horus Heresy. In order to keep the Emperor from dying, 1000 psykers are sacrificed daily, some of their own free will and others must be convinced.

Now, the Emperor of Mankind has never ordered that these psykers be sacrificed so we cannot blame him for that. He also made it clear that he is not a god to be worshiped but instead he is a man, be that a perpetual, with impressive powers.This man had help Mankind make giant leaps in technology, space flight and genetics. He had also created near perfect sons from his gene seed, Primarchs that would defend mankind from chaos and dangerous Aliens. In a time of conflict, chaos and all out war, this man had lead successfully, his troops to convert different planets to the Imperium until the day where one of his sons turned on him and almost destroyed his body.

Let's have a look at Potatocis. Potatocis had the same drive as the Emperor of Mankind. He wanted to conquer new planets in the name of the Imperium. He also had the same powers as the Emperor of Mankind. He was an impressive man. It was believed that Potatocis may have been one of the missing two Primarchs, most likely the second. Since every Primarch is considered a son of the Emperor and created from his pure gene, they tend to inherit one of their father's dominate traits. In the case of Potatocis, it appears to be his love of Mankind and the Imperium and his love of war. Although Potatocis was grateful in times of peace, he would grow restless and decide to go conquer worlds in search of war. This was a weakness that Khorne could have possibly fed on in order to turn him to chaos but thankfully, his love of the Imperium saved him from turning.