I don't know if "philosophical space opera" is an official genre, but it's the best term I can think of to describe what it is I like in sci-fi. I'm interested in the science part in a theoretical sense, but I'm far more intrigued by stories that explore the implications of scientific possibilities rather than those that focus on the hard science details. Books that engage with questions of battle and conquest, colonization and power, are far more interesting (and, honestly, better written) than those that are too focused on the future science to look at the people wielding it.
Leckie has done a fantastic job of writing...well, the kind of book I want to read. The stakes are high, the characters are believable, the story is part traditional space opera and part speculative fiction a la Le Guin. This is what I want science fiction to be.
Also, Orbit Books is leading the pack for publishers who publish authors I really enjoy.