As a non-reader I’m starting to wonder if something happened on Viltrum back before the massive purge. Why did a whole civilization suddenly decide that they needed to all duke it out in a massive civil war until half the population was dead?

I’m thinking some kind of either environmental event or failed Viltrumite experiment removed or massively reduced their ability to feel empathy, leading to their aggression and power hunger to take over and lead to an initial out of control bloodbath (later rationalized into the propaganda about testing each other and only letting the strongest survive etc) and then an explosive expansion before realizing they are spreading themselves too thin and instead sending single viltrumites to undermine and prepare planets.

On some level I think the viltrumites are a lot fewer than Nolan is letting on and are in fact dying out.

I have to say I didn’t even register that dark wings scene was at night while all the others were in daytime in s1e1. Looking back I should have noticed.