10 Best High Sci-Fi Universes In Fiction
1. Warhammer 40k
Star Wars certainly has the popular vote, but Warhammer 40k is still the cream of the crop thanks to how overwhelmingly grand, unique and expansive its lore is. It may be a tabletop game at the surface, but it's so much more.
The core of the universe can be very loosely divided up into three segments. One of those is alien races, home to plenty of fascinating creatures like the thoughtless Tyranids and war-hungry Orks. Then there's chaos, made up of intelligent metaphysical embodiments of The Immaterium (an alternate dimension of pure psychic energy) and governed by The Chaos Gods. Finally, The Imperium of Man, a xenophobic religious oligarchy serving the barely living corpse of The Emperor.
Each of the races involved in this property could fill a whole franchise on their own. There is so much detail to unpack in this universe that most players will only scratch the surface. During a game, you take part in barely even a fraction of what's happening in the lore, proving the immeasurable scope of the universe. It paints sci-fi, not as an uplifting and joyful experience, but instead like a macabre and hopeless reality.
There are indeed no limits to the depth of this fictional world. Just like the constant warring of the 41st millennium, the reaches of this property are never-ending. To deny its place at the top of this list would be "Heresy!".