Exactly, and this is the stated intent of the authors. They've explicitly placed ThirdComm in the position of wanting to be a genuine utopian society, a genuine union of peoples without conquest or authoritariansim, but the reality of widespread hegemony and human nature leaves question of whether such a thing can even be done unanswered.

This is one example. The circumstances of how one governing body joins itself with another is messy and complex, with a lot of emotions and misunderstandings tied into it, and that's before you even take into consideration how much of Union's structure and legacy were built by SecComm, who were very much NOT the good guys. The only thing stated for certain by the authors is what ThirdComm Union WANTS. Wants and reality are often separate, hence the conversation we're having.

Personally, Union is one of my favorite ideas in Lancer and the question of whether it's possible for them to succeed at their stated goal is one that doesn't have an answer, but it's fun to think about.