i recently read the war of kings series and had no clue who 75% of the people in it were, yet im a huge thanos fan. the main problem is that i really dont enjoy the whole space stuff. during war of kings i was overly confused about what was actually going on and why i should actually care. and can someone explain whats up with the talking badger

I just finished the first issue of Thanos Imperative, and I was like you... except with even less prior knowledge because I know next to nothing about Thanos. That aside, I still liked the issue. I will say, that although I like space stories, I generally don't care for Marvel/DC space stories as they are kind of... I'm not sure the word I'm looking for. Corny? Silly? They have a weak basis in science and seem to be making stuff up as they go a long, especially when it comes to throwaway alien species. 
 
Well, forgiving those things, I was able to enjoy the comic. Its an interesting story, even without knowing the characters that well, and there are a few surprises thrown in there that I really liked. Thanos is definitely a bad-ass, and its always cool to see a "villian" working with the good guys towards a mutually beneficial end.
 
I have no idea what is up with the badger. There is also a talking dog. =/

He's a raccoon - Rocket Raccoon and he's actually quite a bad ass, not to mention good comic relief. The talking dog Cosmo is pretty interesting as well.  
 
I can see how it would be hard to follow if you aren't immersed in the cosmic scene. Guardians of the Galaxy has been pretty awesome since the beginning and so has Nova. A lot of other characters involved are the Inhumans, who recently took over the Kree Empire and defeated the Shi'ar Empire in the War of Kings. They are all working together with the Guardians and the Nova Corps against the creatures from the Cancerverse (an alternate reality located at the other side of the Fault - a fissure in space-time caused at the end of the War of Kings).  
 
After War of Kings was Realm of Kings, which pretty much leads into the Thanos Imperative - where they will all need Thanos' assistance if they do not want the beings of the Cancerverse to destroy their universe. This includes evil alternate reality characters of many popular characters lead by Lord Mar-Vell (Captain Marvel) and his Revengers and Defenders of the Realm.  
 
I think it's going to be awesome, so I suggest you read it. 

Cosmic Marvel has been pretty consistently awesome lately and as jloneblackheart mentioned above Thanos Imperative looks like it will continue that trend as both War & Realm of Kings have helped set the stage pretty well.
 
And frankly anything which features the Guardians of the Galaxy in it is instantly amazing. By far the best 'team' Marvel has right now, makes the Avengers look like numpties!

" @jloneblackheart:  So, if I wanted some back-story, the War of Kings and Realm of Kings TPBs would be where to start? Because I do like Thanos Imperative so far. "

yeah pick up the TPBs if you want the back story

Marvels Cosmic line has been the best comics in the last few years IMO. Ever since Annihilation it's been consistently solid. Great action packed but still character driven stories. Nova and Guardians of the Galaxy are brilliant.
 
All the events have been great. Conquest the weakest of the bunch for me. Thanos Imperative is definitely up there with Annihilation.