It is intended, so far as I can tell, to not too closely mimic current politics. And it does it well. I get the people hating on it for not having enough background, but I think that works out to its favor.
They deliberately screwed around with the state alliances so you couldn't turn it into a mirror of the U.S. culture wars. You're supposed to think twice about having a civil war.
It's a running gag in my friend group. At this point, my wife and I are pretty much the only ones who aren't poly, and yes, we've both been propositioned. We've sort of turned into the therapists in the group. Kind of like the guy who stays sober and talks you through a bad high? We kind of do the same thing for relationships.
Sorry, wanted to circle back to this after doing more homework. And, actually, I think the complaint about "they've always been here" is BS. GW does this with EVERY edition of the game, and often between editions. They are constantly introducing new units that have "always been here" and even entire armies. Hell, since I've been in the hobby, they've brought in at least four entire armies that have "always been here" even when it doesn't make sense for the lore. The introduction of Necrons was one of the biggest retcons I've ever seen in any kind of game. Their introduction was IMMEASURIBLY more of a retcon than this, purely aesthetic addition. Also, seems like the original writers had planned for female custodes AND female space marines from the beginning, but didn't bring them in due to concerns about model sales. Now that AoS has proven they don't have to worry about that, I see no reason not to include them.
See but with those retcons something was gained. Example: Chaos Androids became Necrons, we got a new faction, new models, a new codex, several novels including two of the best current characters in the setting (Trazyn and Orikan) Here, we got a paragraph in a codex, no new models, no new novels, not even swappable heads ffs. As a consumer I can feel cheated by that, and find it lame where I do not find their attempt with the Necrons to be lame because they provided an enjoyable narrative with things to add to the experience. Even the Votaan got their own models and codex when released, and their explanation is not always here but they came back from where they were at, the remnants being the squats and the demiurge who lost and sold out their votaan respectively. They're getting their first real novel participation in the next dawn of fire. They didn't bring them in because of concerns about model sales. That concern and the lack it generated, was made part of the lore and depended upon for an extended period of time. The custodes were drawn from the son's of terran nobility. Changing that is fine, if you make it work narratively. Saying "nah, always was innit?" is cheap and uninspired. Chaos androids who had essentially no lore were traded for necrons with a plethora of it in addition to new models and a new codex. Where the **** is my extra? Where is my novel or short story revealing some neat little tidbit of lore? Where is Kesh's model so the company can make money off this stunt to shunt into the IP? When is Kesh going to get facetime in a novel I could buy so I might enjoy the unique character they've taken the time to create? ADB wanted to write female custodes in MoM so bad he did an AMA specifically revealing he was told absolutely not by both the 'overlord' and the board, wtf is my new ADB novel? Stormcast eternals = mystical angel analogs created out of human souls by a literal god of the fantasy setting who only needs A soul to create this new magical being that gets a new body etc and reincarnates like a warp daemon because spoiler alert it is one now. Space Marines = genetically altered mutants using DNA stolen from real freaky half warp beings that specifically can only be created from male humans who also happen to pass a number of genetic and physical and mental benchmarks. Explicitly not warp creatures, don't reincarnate like warp daemon's because they aren't warp daemons, and use purely physical leverage and strength to include cybernetic enhancements if you're talking Primaris. (Primaris, which released a huge narrative spanning multiple novels, an entirely new line of models and codices, backwards compatible with the existing ****, all so chapters would no longer be on the "this is the last of the X mcguffin's our chapter has had for 10k years" step narratively. ) See how those are different and the lore for one doesn't match the lore for the other? See how regardless of the original reason for that choice, you made a choice and built upon it and if you want to build a bridge to another position you need to BUILD A BRIDGE instead of just blithely telling me a bridge exists and always has existed and why don't I just wander across it?
So you are fine with this retcon as long as they introduce female models for it? That's actually a pretty wholesome take.
Candidly I need more than models. Lore, as in if they're GOING to do it it needs to be more than a paragraph and "always that way innit". Give me "Big E left some homework for the imperial household to crunch through that they finally figured out". Give me a nice short story describing some researcher who is old as ****ing methusalah finally figuring out the equation or whatever after dilligently working on it in secret for like 1000 years just for himself, with his master, etc back to big e doing the same..... Give me the old Sugar.... spice... everything nice...... AHA!!!! CHEMCAL X!!!! OF COURSE!!! And then he dies and his apprentice takes credit for it (gotta keep the grimdark). Then a model, both the joy toy poser type and the actual tabletop. And an appearance in a novel. Custodians are all over dawn of fire, have her go smash some space dwarf ass or whatever. But this half assed **** is just not going to cut it for me. IDK about wholesome man, I don't care about it from some social justice standpoint: I care about it as a consumer. If they make a good story, and cool plastic crack to buy supported within that narrative, for an enjoyable artistic creative (for the painting and assembly) and logic and reason game (clacky math rocks) I'm pleased as a consumer to have new content. If their idea of new content is "swap a stormcast female's head and enjoy your new paragraph of lore, always was that way innit"? I am decidedly displeased as a consumer.