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Space Marines

They shall be my finest warriors, these men who give themselves to me. Like clay I shall mould them and in the furnace of war forge them. They will be of iron will and steely muscle. In great armour shall I clad them and with the mightiest guns will they be armed. They will be untouched by plague or disease, no sickness will blight them. They will have tactics, strategies and machines such that no foe can best them in battle. They are my bulwark against the Terror. They are the Defenders of Humanity. They are my Space Marines and they shall know no fear.


Targetdrone.gif This article is about the genetically engineered Imperial troops. For other uses of Space Marine, see Space Marine (disambiguation).
Adeptus Astartes
(Space Marines)
Adeptus Astartes.jpg
Space Marines symbol
Parent Agency: Adeptus Terra
Headquarters: Decentralized, various Fortress-Monasteries
Leader: Decentralized, various Chapter Masters
Armed Forces: ~1,000 Space Marine Chapters
Established: Post-Horus Heresy, M31
(preceded by Legiones Astartes)

The Adeptus Astartes (commonly known as Space Marines, and colloquially as Angels of Death) are one of the most elite and feared fighting forces in the Imperium of Man. The primary unit of organisation in the 41st millennium is the Chapter, a self-contained army fully equipped with its own transport, non-combatant support staff, etc. There are around a thousand Chapters, each comprising a thousand Space Marines. There are far too few Space Marines to form the Imperium's main military forces; instead they operate as highly mobile strike forces. They are entrusted with the most dangerous missions, such as lightning raids behind enemy lines, infiltration, and tunnel fighting.[5] Through selection, training, and conditioning, Marines are physically, mentally, and spiritually superior to any other Imperial soldier.[4]

History

 
Space Marines battle the forces of Chaos[9]

Originating from the Thunder Warriors, the first Space Marines were created from the genetic material of the Primarchs after they were spirited away from the Emperor by the Gods of Chaos in the aftermath of the Unification Wars. Twenty Legions of Space Marines were created, each from the genetic material of a specific Primarch. The first Astartes were created only by the massive effort of the Emperor and countless Terran scientists of Amar Astarte's Biotechnical Division[24] who worked deep within the Himalazia Mountains. The original Astartes gene-seed was unstable and caused its subjects to degrade rapidly, but once it was stabilized by samples provided by newly rediscovered Primarchs, long-term stability was achieved.[13]

The Legions took part in the Great Crusade, during which the lost Primarchs were rediscovered and given command of their respective Legion. The Crusade, lasting for two centuries, ended with the treachery of one of the Primarchs, Horus, who led at least half of the Legions in a rebellion known as the Horus Heresy against the Emperor. In the final battle for control of the future of mankind, Horus was slain by the Emperor. With the rebellion defeated, those Legions which had sided with Horus were driven into the Eye of Terror.

The Legions which had remained loyal were eventually reorganised according to the dictates of the Codex Astartes, in the event known as the Second Founding. Each Legion was divided into several autonomous Chapters, which remain the primary unit of the Space Marines to the current day.

Successive foundings over the millennia have created new Chapters. There are now around a thousand Chapters in existence, each Chapter ultimately descending from one of the loyalist Legions. Later in the closing days of the 41st Millennium the resurrected Roboute Guilliman and his Mechanicum researchers oversaw the creation of a new generation of Astartes, known as the Primaris Space Marine.

To some extent, the Chapters maintain the traditions and character of the Legion they descend from. Chapters adhere to the Codex Astartes in differing degrees, some regarding any deviation from it as virtual heresy; others, notably the Black Templars, Blood Angels, Space Wolves, and Dark Angels, only following the Codex in the broadest matters.[1][3b][5]

Organisation

They shall be pure of both heart and strong of body, untainted by doubt and self-aggrandisement. They will be bright stars in the firmament of battle, angels of death whose shining wings bring swift annihilation to the enemies of man. So shall it be for a thousand times a thousand years, unto the very end of eternity and the extinction of mortal flesh.


 
Organisation of a Space Marine Chapter since the introduction of Primaris Space Marines[20]
Main article: Chapter

The Adeptus Astartes is comprised of autonomous Chapters, each of which is a complete army in itself, possessing its own transport, Warp-capable spacecraft, non-combatant personnel, and fortress-monastery based on a planet or fleet. There are roughly a thousand Chapters, each led by a Space Marine with the rank of Chapter Master. A Chapter's fighting force numbers a nominal 1000 Marines, divided into ten companies, each of which is commanded by a Captain. Companies are further divided into squads of ten battle-brothers, each commanded by a Sergeant.[4]

The Chapter Masters owe their allegiance to the Emperor. Ultimately, the Chapter is subject to the orders of the highest-ranking among the Adeptus Terra, although only in a general sense.[6]

Chapters are monastic communities in nature; for most of the Marines, the Chapter is their world, and the only contact they have with outsiders is in battle.

Tactical Organisation

Main article: Codex Astartes

The traditional Codex Chapter is tactically organised into a number of different types of squad.

The squad types are equipped and trained to fulfil a specific battlefield role, each of the three types designed to complement each other on the battlefield to make a far more effective whole. In addition to these three squad types, veterans can be formed into Veteran or Terminator Squads, while the initiate Marines are formed into Scout squads.

Terminator squads are drawn from the entire chapter's best and most experienced warriors. The veterans wear the uniquely powerful Terminator Armour. These squads are formed when circumstances necessitate the concentration of the Chapter's most capable warriors and potent equipment into one or more heavily-armed and powerful units.[7]

Ranks

 
Space Marine heraldry as per the Codex Astartes

All Space Marine Chapters loosely utilise the same types of ranks. Many non-Codex Astartes chapters, however, will often use different names for these positions.[14b]

  • Chapter Master — The highest attainable rank of Space Marine, commanding their entire Chapter.[14b] Some Chapters, like the Iron Hands, do not maintain a Chapter Master.[15]
  • Captain — The second highest rank of a Chapter, they command a Company or its equivalent. Many Captains are given an honorific Master title.[14b]
  • Lieutenant — These serve as the right hand to their Company Captain, typically commanding one of the Company's two demi-companies.[18b]
  • Sergeant — Command Squads within each Company. Sergeants within the Chapter's 1st Company are known as Veteran Sergeants.[14b]
  • Battle-Brother — Standard Space Marine rank for a fully inducted warrior. May include honorific duties such as Honour Guard, Company Champion, or Standard Bearer. The most experienced Battle-Brothers serve in the Chapter's 1st Company as Veteran Space Marines, who may wear ancient Terminator armour.[14b]
  • Vanguard Space Marine - Covert-operation experts typically drawn from the 10th Scout Company. A Chapter will normally maintain 100 of these specialists.
  • Neophyte — Space Marines in training who have not become fully accepted Battle-Brothers. They are utilised in a Chapter's Scout Squads as a part of their training.[3a]
  • Aspirant — Humans selected to be inducted into a Chapter and undergo genetic modification.[4]

Specialist Ranks

 
Space Marines of the Ultramarines Chapter[18a]

In addition to their standard ranks, Space Marine Chapters also maintain a variety of specialist roles.[14a]

Chapter cult

Main article: Chapter Cult

As part of a Chapter, space marines are also members of its Chapter cult - a body of beliefs and practices integral to every single Space Marine Chapter.[66][67][68] Each cult is typically ministered by an inner priesthood of Chaplains.[66][1]

Equipment

 
A Firstborn Space Marine of the Ultramarines
Main article: Space Marine Armoury

The primary individual weapons of the Space Marines is the boltgun and its pistol variant, the bolt pistol.

The distinctive Power Armour is worn by all Marines in battle. Some members of the Chapter's first company may instead be armoured in the heavier Terminator Armour. Carapace armour is worn by Scouts instead of power armour. There is also a fourth type of armour called Artificer armour, worn by most Marines who have served three centuries for the Emperor or performed a notably brave action in battle.

Each Space Marines Chapters has its own distinguished colour scheme. Unlike the Astra Militarum, Space Marines do not typically use camouflage because Adeptus Astartes combat doctrine does not incorporate concealment in battle. Bright and bold colour schemes lower enemy morale, announcing the arriving of the noble Chapter to the battlefield. The exceptions to the main colours may still exist for some of the Chapter's Companies - for example Deathwing company of the Dark Angels Chapter use white colour scheme and the Ravenwing — black.[17]

In the same time Chapter's vehicles may be painted in different colours until the large bands of areas painted in the Chapter colours.[17]

Recruitment and Training

Main article: Creation of a Space Marine
 
Space Marines in battle[51a]

Recruits are chosen from the best warriors among humanity. Naturally, this makes Feral Worlds prized recruitment grounds, as such harsh and primal conditions produce the best warriors. However, Hive Worlds are considered the ideal source of potential recruits, the populace of the lower levels composed of some of the most murderous scum in the human Imperium. Whole gangs of hive scum are sometimes hunted down and captured for recruitment. Among the most valued traits in a recruit are aggression and psychotic-level killer instinct. Much more rarely, certain Civilised Worlds are also recruited from.[4][6]

The potential recruit is first subjected to testing, including tissue compatibility tests and psychological screening. Relatively few get past this initial selection process. Those that do pass are termed "neophytes", and the process continues with the surgery, indoctrination, conditioning, and training that will make them Marines.

The surgical process takes a great deal of time. The recruit receives implants, along with chemical- and hypnotherapy, and training necessary for allowing the functioning and development of the implanted organs. The implants transform their bodies and minds and give them inhuman abilities - making them capable of spitting acidic venom, absorbing the memories of the dead by eating their flesh, raising them to heights of up to three metres tall,[50] darkening their skin to protect it from radiation, and operating for long periods without sleep by switching off parts of their brains at a time. After this implantation process and the associated training, the recruit becomes an "initiate".

Intense indoctrination and conditioning strengthens the recruit's resolve and increases mental capabilities, honing them into dedicated and merciless warriors. After more general training, they join the Chapter as full "brothers".[2]

Biology

Space Marines are men in the same way a knife is a piece of metal. Space Marines are forged, not born. They are the finest weapons of the Emperor's will.


Main article: Creation of a Space Marine#Implants
 
The many implants and abilities of a Firstborn Space Marine[3a]

Space Marines represent the pinnacle of Imperial bio-engineering. They are larger, stronger, faster,[51b] and more durable than average humans. Most also display higher cognitive abilities, such as very accurate powers of recollection and a capacity to process information within mere nanoseconds.[53][62b] Space Marines have frightening strength, which when augmented by power armour allows them to act as living battering rams capable of smashing through fast-moving light vehicles or crush human heads into pulp.[55] Space Marines also display superior vision, hearing, smell, sun/radiation resistance, and taste than standard humans. They have far greater resistances to heat and cold and can even survive for a time in the vacuum of space.[2]

Space Marines are extremely durable, capable of eventually regenerating from wounds that would quickly kill a normal human, require little sleep, and are further enhanced with an additional Black Carapace armoured skeleton as the final stage of their implantation process.[2] The strength and endurance of Primaris Space Marines is even greater than those of Firstborn.[56]

Fully armoured, a Space Marine typically stands 2.1 meters (6'8") to 3.0 meters[50] (9’10") tall and weighs 500-1,000 kilograms (1,100-2,200lbs). Due to the nature of the zygotes that make up Astartes Gene-Seed, all Space Marines are male.[52] Space Marines live far longer than average humans. Dante, one of if not the oldest currently active known non-Dreadnought Space Marines, is over 1,100 years old.[54]A former High Marshal of Black Templars, Ludoldus, appears to have lived even longer while he was still alive, having served for over 2000 years.[16b][16c] A member of the Salamanders from the days of the Great Crusade, Gravius, later became stranded in space and was not rediscovered for some 10,000 years. The Marine was still alive in an inactive state, though withered and frail to the point of warranting being given a merciful death upon rediscovery.[57] Some Space Marines may initially believe their memory to be eidetic, but even their most glorious memories as an Astartes might be forgotten over the centuries.[69][71] This all lends to the theory that Space Marines while subject to gradual aging are "functionally immortal", though since they all inevitably die in battle one day there is not enough sufficient data to come to any firm conclusions.[58]

Besides their base augmentations to strength, speed, endurance, etc. Space Marines also display a number of remarkable abilities due to their many implants and genetic engineering. These are outlined in detail in the Creation of a Space Marine article but most infamously include:[2]

  • A secondary heart and additional lung[2]
  • A far more robust digestive system and greater tolerance to poisons[2]
  • An ability to spit acid[2]
  • An ability to learn the memories of an organic lifeform by consuming their brain matter[2]
  • An ability to enter a state of suspended animation as a means of staying alive while grievously wounded or isolated for potentially years after.[2]

Daily Routine

Main article: Daily rituals of a Space Marine

Space Marines have very organised daily routines including combat training, prayer, and indoctrination sessions with very little free time. This lends itself well to the disciplined and monastic nature of the Space Marines.

In Society

The average Imperial citizen often views the Astartes as gods-among-men, being subjects of myth and legend.[52b] Alongside this, the Ministorum venerates them as the God-Emperor's descendants and greatest heroes who birthed the Imperium.[52f] It is a grave religious taboo to even touch a weapon meant for the God-Emperor's Angels of Death.[52e] The common person might be taught the names of the greatest Space Marine heroes and their greatest deeds, as they are retold from millions of pulpits across the entire Imperium.[52b]

Very few mortals will ever see a Space Marine, as their numbers are trivial compared to the seething mass of humanity. The best chance an average human will have to see one will be if cataclysmic forces threatening the greater Imperium comes to their world, or if they are part of similar Imperial forces sent to fight in such catastrophic wars. The subsequent chances of then conversing with an Astartes during such engagements are equally minute. A common human who does interact with even the lowliest of Battle-Brothers are likely to be awestruck in the extreme, unable to speak and forgetting themselves. They will typically be held in high regard and shown great deference, even the highest-ranking of officials bowing their heads in respect.[52b]

However, the reaction of extreme abasement and divine awe isn't universal to every human. Those who engage with Astartes with some degree of regularity,[63][70] whether it be a Chapter Serf, military commander or Inquisitor, will grow accustomed to the presence and mannerisms of these transhuman brotherhoods. Demographics above or on the peripherals of Imperial society, such as nobles or hive scum, or others who largely disregard the frippery of Imperial propaganda might see the Astartes for what they are, tools of war. Some might not offer them any more fear or respect than that due to an expert soldier with a well-crafted weapon.[63]

Behaviour

Space Marines are children, grown into god-like bodies, without a man’s comprehension of humanity. This makes them inherently dangerous creatures. Their stunted psyches work on levels no human can quite comprehend: simplistic and passionate one moment, complex and inhuman the next.[72]

Space Marines are insular and live in a world of martial prowess, their every need attended to by slaves and serfs, where loyalty to the Chapter and bravery in battle are revered above all things. If any might find common ground with an Astartes, it will be those who excel at the art of war.[52g] The manner in which a Space Marine interacts with common Humanity varies wildly from chapter to chapter, as well as might be influenced by their Chapter's Legion of lineage. Most are aloof and entirely focused on their own mission, setting themselves and their goals apart from ordinary people. Most tend to only see other Space Marines as equals to themselves. The standards of a Space Marine tend to be so high that only heroes of legend might be counted amongst their friends, beyond the bounds of Adeptus Astartes ranks.[52b] A standard human must prove themselves worthy of an Astartes' notice, typically through skill-at-war or something related. In some exceedingly rare occasions, a human might earn the notice of a Space Marine. Some Space Marines might even offer aid or support in situations outside of active combat, such as offering a valuable piece of knowledge to aid in training, or other specialist knowledge the individual Space Marine might have to aid those they will likely be fighting alongside. However, even this will likely be delivered in their blunt and reserved inhuman way, at least to some degree.[65]

The interpersonal skills of most Space Marines are significantly blunted or completely atrophied, in regards to communication with baseline humans. The processes that transformed them into transhuman warriors results in a brain no longer well suited for the nuance of human communication. For the vast majority of Astartes, they observe the niceties of baseline communication like an giant, exceptionally deadly child. This fact strains most interactions between them and baseline human associates. However, there are some Space Marines who prove to be an exception to this rule. Some Astartes never truly forgot what being a mortal human was like - such as the Space Wolves - or have taken time to relearn it.[62a]

Primaris Space Marine

 
A Primaris Space Marine of the Ultramarines Chapter[22]
Main article: Primaris Space Marines

In the closing days of the 41st Millennium the Imperium was able to field a new generation of Space Marine thanks to the efforts of Roboute Guilliman and Belisarius Cawl. Known as the Primaris Space Marine, they have been distributed among the many loyalist Chapters. Since the introduction of Primaris Space Marines, the original template Space Marines are referred to as Firstborn.[21]

Notable Active Space Marines

 
Space Marine deployments.
 
Primaris Space Marine forces[19b]
 
Space Marine of the Ultramarines in Power Armour

Development History

 

The following information is not to be regarded as officially sanctioned and/ or is not written from an in-universe point of view. A detailed explanation of the term "Trivia" as used in the Lexicanum can be found here.

 
1985's LE2 Space Marine limited edition model[45]

Space Marines have their origins in Games Workshops 1985's LE2 (Limited Edition 2) single character miniature alongside a Space Orc which predated even the release of the 1st Edition by two years.[45]

The Space Marines were subsequently one of the original factions for 1987's Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader alongside the Imperial Army, Eldar, Orks, and Tyranids.[44a] During the 1st Edition, they were described as 1000 independent Chapters collectively dubbed the Legiones Astartes.[44b] Twelve Chapters were named in the original Rogue Trader rulebook: the Dark Angels, Flesh Tearers, Flesh Eaters, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, White Scars, Blood Angels, Blood Drinkers, Crimson Fists, Iron Hands, Rainbow Warriors, and Silver Skulls.[44c]

During the earliest days of Warhammer 40,000, the Space Marines were depicted as brutal, hyper-violent, and ideologically deluded.[47] Moreover, the concepts of founding Legions and Primarchs did not yet exist, and many Chapters had radically different lore. For instance, the Ultramarines were said to have been established in the Third Founding in M32 in White Dwarf 97.[46]

1990's Realm of Chaos: The Lost and the Damned established the concept of the twenty Founding Legions, Primarchs, and Chaos Space Marines as well as containing the first concrete description of the Horus Heresy. The 2nd and 3rd Editions and later the Index Astartes articles of the early 2000s firmly established the modern idea of Space Marine lore and army makeup.[48]

Space Marine lore largely remained static from the early 2000s until the end of 7th Edition in 2017. During the Gathering Storm series of campaign books, larger and newer Primaris Space Marines were introduced[49] while prior Space Marines were designated Firstborn.[21]

See also

Sources

Uncited


Modern Imperial Organizations
Adeptus Terra Adeptus Administratum (Adeptus Astartes • Departmento Munitorum • Astra Militarum • Ordo Tempestus • Imperial Fleet • Imperial Navy • Merchant Fleet • Praeses Mercatura • Navis Nobilite • Officio Assassinorum • Estate Imperium • Templars Psykologis • Officio Sabatorum • Officio Medicae • Officio Agricultae • Officio Logisticarum • Departmento Exacta • Astra Cartographica • Logis Strategos • Departmento Colonia • Departmento Processium • Departmento of Final Consideration • Departmento Contagio • Departmento Gradio • Questio Logisticus • Rogue Traders • Imperial Commanders) • Adeptus Astra Telepathica (Sisters of Silence • League of Black Ships • Scholastica Psykana) • Adeptus Astronomica • Adeptus Arbites • Adeptus Custodes • Questor Imperialis (House Guard) • Adeptus Fidicius • Synopticon • Officio Communicatus • Officio Propagandum
Adeptus Mechanicus Cult Mechanicus • Collegia Titanica • Legiones Skitarii • Questor Mechanicus (House Guard) • Centurio Ordinatus • Ordo Reductor • Legio Cybernetica • Auxilia Myrmidon • Prefecture Magisterium • Basilikon Astra • Divisio Linguistica • Explorator • Sect Missionarius Mechanicus • Collegiate Extremis • Astynomia • Adnector Concillium • Auxilia Technologica Astartes
Adeptus Ministorum Holy Synod • Adepta Sororitas (Sisters of Battle) • Schola Progenium • Missionarius Galaxia • Creed Temporal • Frateris Militia
Inquisition Ordo Malleus • Ordo Hereticus • Ordo Xenos • Ordos Minoris
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