I'm not sure how that changes the point about "the Imperium would help their allies." The Imperium have helped the AdMech (who are part of the Imperium but are more of allies and retain their own sovereignty and territories) and the AstarteS (who also can have their own domains/planets and are more or less independent frfom the Imperium proper.)
The Mechanicus are intimately entwined with the Imperium, note they don't have a Squat on the Council of High Lords, or indeed in any position of authority. The Mechanicus are totally, completely different from the Squats, similarly the Astartes, who despite being independent from the Imperiums usual control heirarchy, are firmly under its boot as soon as the "local", (and I use that term loosely), authority decides they are going to do something about it. Huron Blackheart and the Astral Claws are the most notable example, he got away with literal murder, right up until he vapourised the Imperial Investigation fleet, sent to find out why he was in arrears.
The Squats traded resources and licensed designs with the Imperium, and Squats being part of the Imperial guard kinda went away after Rogue Trader.
From what I've gathered, manyn were once apart of the Imperium, then they left. That doesn't preclude them being absorbed back into the Imperium (the remnants at least.) In modern editions they would simply be "just another mutant" type, albeit a more stable one than others.
I don't think theres a problem with theorising that squat remnants might have been absorbed into the Imperium, but firstly, theres no specific mention of it, secondly, theres likely never going to be one, with the Demiurg shaping up as the Dwarves in Space, and a client race/ally of the Tau.
Certain things yes (Like the Ordo Malleus depiction), but I don't see how the squats that allied with Sagramoso would be a case, but that's more IMHO of an exception (and can be explained as someone who is only a little familiar with the Inquisition labelling all three branches as Ordo Malleus because they thought thats what it was - one cannot always ruel out human stupidity. Or maybe it was deliberate misinformation.
They have repeatedly refused to release the book, despite giving heavy love to the mans previous work, its a damn shame that the entire thing gets tossed, but frankly, it was just fucking weird, and doesn't fit anymore.
I should also note that for analytical purpsoes, I tend not to give a flying fuck what the "Intellectual propertY" implies,
Thats fine, and a perfectly valid opinion, but I would point out that its pointless to include information we know to be very overtly and carefully disavowed, without any wiggle room, both in universe and out. Its like the Baneblades, we KNOW that the 1000 ton version used to exist, and its fine to theorise that there might be a 1000 ton superheavy like that still around.
But it isn't the Baneblade, its something completely different, and no amount of wiggling is going to change that. So why on earth would you try and make it fit back in to your analysis ? Clear case of retconning, game over.
The Squats are the same, they won't be playing a significant part in 40k for the forseeable future, and they aren't likely to be resurrected, not with another race blatently designed to have their aesthetic.
And in the case of GW, I rarely if ever give much attention to their iP
Just because the canon can be twisted to include every possible fragment, doesn't mean you should.
On a more serious note, I could say a good deal of what BL publishes could, in a certain interpretation, fly in the face of the IP, too
That would be, on first guess, the opposite of what you espouse ?
sides which, Ian Watson is IMHO an early pioneer in the 40K MOAR GRIMDARK! philosophy
How so ? His work includes pretty much the basic information of the Imperium and the 40k universe, he doesn't so much evolve the setting in any particular degree as much as he is one of the early authors.
Squats are pretty well traveled after all, and I see no reason why they wouldn't be wanting to expand/colonise as well.
Why should they ? These are Space Dwarves remember, (Ork and Squat Warlords has them actually PREFER the term Dwarves) Dwarves don't do expansion and colonisation, they've also got densely grouped, resource rich worlds that they rarely fully exploit or populate. Hence the multiple city/states, or Strongholds, that they can have on a single planet.
And just browsing the net, it seems like when they were developed in earlier WD magazines and such they did expand and settle throughout the galaxy (there's even mention fo the Squats trying to re-discover lost worlds.)
Yeah, theres
a long lost stronghold, full of mythical shit. Can't remember its name from O&SW, What did I tell you, its fucking dwarves man, they probably buried the fucking thing and can't find it
but once a few homeworlds/strongholds get totally wiped out why the fuck would they stay the corse, stubborn or not?
I don't wish to sound like a broken record....but fucking Dwarves man! The Squats are described as an immensely stubborn and proud race, the the point that its a completely inhuman attribute, which funnily enough, Imperials can't comprehend. It might be fucking stupid, but
by Grimnir and Grungi's hairy nadgers, those fucking bugs aren't going to beat Warlord Hargrimm the OrkBasher of the League of Grendel out of his own Hold!
At the very least they'd be evacuating their important people and civilians.
Their most important people would be FIGHTING, I seem recall some sort of militia aspect to the squats as well, which makes it unlikely they are gonna flee. Squat leaders get stuck the fuck in, but unfortunately also tend to be heads of the civilian goverment (i.e. Clan leaders, Ancestor Lords etc)
We are talking tiny stragglers, running the gauntlet of disrupted warp travel, without Navigators (canonically the Imperiums biggest advantage over alien races vis a vis FTL travel) as well as tyranid invasion.
Unless, of course, the Tyranids magically managed to simultaneously ambush all the Squat worlds at once.
They don't have to, the very nature of the squats would lend itself to them getting crushed, defeated in detail. This isn't the Imperium, with its million worlds.
Good point. And there's the aforementioned expeditions, I believe.
I think the kicker is that they've got supposedly the best, unequalled by any other race, method of spaceship propulsion. One would expect them to have built a few ships with it
Hell, the whole "shadow in the Warp" thing would be a big tipoff.
It also tends to make people with psychic powers
die screaming And at this point is unexpected in this portion of the galaxy.
Not fast, no, but nor will the Tyranids, for numerous reasons (Having to find them, taking time to "consolidate" resources, rebuild troops, etc.)
The Nids don't exactly have react though do they ? The way the invasion is described is essentially, " Suddenly, FUCKING TYRANIDS!!?"
Its annoying, but the Squats are well placed to get eaten, I wouldn't be astonished if the local Ork and Imperial presence lured the Nids, and the Squats just got obliterated as a coherent race in the process.
You wouldn't get a character named 'Biff' in modern BL stuff.
ITS BIFFING TIME!
"More Juvenile?" Than a universe with chainsaw swords and space cathedrals and whatnot? Its the sense/element of absurdity that I rather like about 40K - it shouldn't take itself too seriously, after all. That was oine of the enjoyable things about Space Marine. IW on the other hand, tried to be "too" serious I think and fucked up royally.
Biffing time isn't even in the same ballpark as Chainsaw swords and gothic space architecture. For all its more lunatic aspects, the early 40k setting has every single one of the Grim Dark aspects that the Space marine novel includes.
Are there any details of that?
Its in Codex space Marines, its nothing special IMO, just setting Sicarius up to be AWESOME so they could flog his new ( and way cooler than the lightning claws version) model.
As I recall, he gets called back to fight the Black Crusade, which is something I feel ambiguous about, because its part of the trend of letting the Tau off thats being written into things now.
On the one hand, its funny, because you can beat the Tau fanboys (possibly one of the worst elements in general 40k nobhead fanboys) with how their bluies are saved by authorial fiat. On the other hand, I think its a bit lazy, and is becoming overused.
The Grimdark is going to absurd lengths if you ask me. 
