The process of transforming a new recruit into a warrior of the Adeptus Astartes is among the
most challenging and complex operations that the Imperium of Mankind is still capable of
performing. It remains a dangerous procedure with many of its underlying principles barely
understood, and even an otherwise healthy applicant might suffer from unpredictable
mutations, or other adverse effects on their physical, mental or spiritual well being.
According to those familiar with the process,
the first requirement of any Space Marine applicant is that they be biologically male.
But this has understandably led to the question: why? Why are there no female Space Marines?
The official line on the matter is that:
“The process by which Space Marines are created relies inherently on the hormonal and biological
make-up of the human male, meaning that only males can be subjected to the transformation.”
Ah okay, so there it is, case closed right? There are no female Space Marines
due to limitations inherent to the process. Well not really.
The most important thing to remember when analyzing the grim darkness of the
42nd Millenium, something which sadly many people seem to forget or ignore,
is that every bit of information we have, every slice of text, every image,
every piece of footage, everything is coming from a source that is biased, misinformed,
or outright lying. This universe can never be condensed into a neat and tidy encyclopedia
where every bit of data is attributed to some peer-reviewed journal or first hand account. The
history of the Imperium and the galaxy it inhabits is a blend of legend, myth, contradictions,
deception, and forgery. In the Grim Darkness of the far future, objective truth does not exist.
If you read the aforementioned quote and decided to accept it at face value,
good for you. The Imperium is always in need of easily persuaded, uncritical,
souls to work as Leech Harvesters and Mine Thralls. But for me, the more interesting way to
interpret this universe is to never fully trust anything you’re being told.
So when available sources claim the process of creating Space Marines is only successful in men,
and in almost every instance artwork and footage depicts
the Astartes universally as men, I am inclined to believe that yeah,
female Space Marines don’t seem to exist. But do I take this as unshakable evidence? No.
Genetic engineering is one of the few areas of scientific advancement that survived the Age
of Strife, more or less intact. It is likely the only field of study in which the Imperium can even
approach the marvels and miracles of the Golden Age of humanity. This is precisely why the Emperor
used it as the basis of the Thunder Warriors, Custodes, and eventually the Space Marines. The
idea that the Imperium’s Biotechnical divisions were able to create genetically modified warriors
who can spit acid and acquire a subject’s memories by eating its flesh, were somehow thwarted
by comparatively minor differences in human hormones, well I don’t buy it, not completely.
I am also aware that Imperial organizations work tirelessly to suppress information and
that the decision of what information necessitates suppression often comes down to the archaic and
nonsensical opinions of zealots and the insane. And furthermore, it is often very difficult to
ascertain what is being deliberately suppressed and what the Imperium has just gotten wrong.
The earliest encounters with the Necrons saw them labeled as Chaos Androids, while until recently,
it was deemed as incontrovertible that the Squats had been rendered extinct by the Tyranids. Even
the Imperium’s own history is often misunderstood. There were times when the prevailing narrative was
that Horus was not the Emperor’s favored Primarch, but rather an especially competent general,
and his Heresy lasted only 7 days and 7 nights. Who knows what we might discover tomorrow?
With all this in mind, my personal interpretation is that female Astartes almost certainly existed
during the time of the Great Crusade. I think the Emperor in this progressive era had fully
mastered the creation of Astartes, regardless of gender. Perhaps even some famous figures from this
era were in fact female. At some point during the history of the Imperium possibly because of
complications with implanting gene-seed, but more likely because of some ignorant proclamation by
the Ecclesiarchy or another Imperial institution, the idea of recruiting female Space Marines fell
out of favor. Today, if any still remain within the Chapters, they are a rarity. Furthermore,
I believe that with the slightest bit of effort the Space Marine chapters could accept female
recruits, but the Imperium has become so entrenched in religious dogma and ignorance,
that it’s become unable to question and possibly disprove what it considered to be the absolute
truth. The Imperium senselessly wasting 50% of its own available manpower, if you’ll pardon the term,
because of some ancient misunderstanding, is the kind of tragedy this regime is built on.
Now admittedly, this is my personal headcanon or fan-fiction if you prefer, and it’s based on even
less evidence than the conclusion that there are no female space marines whatsoever. I’m sure you
can poke holes in my opinion just as easily as I did in the official stance of the Imperium.
But that’s what I enjoy about this universe, it invites differences of interpretation.
But again, I can’t put any more stock into my own interpretation
than I would in anyone else’s. The universe just doesn’t work that way.
Is it possible there were never any female Space Marines? Yes.
Is it possible there are female Space Marines somewhere out there in the galaxy? Yes.
Is it possible there could be an entire Chapter
consisting only of female space marines? Absolutely.
Is it possible that this all female Chapter is in fact the Ultramarines? Or the Black Templars
or the Space Wolves? There’s a lot of evidence to the contrary, and I can be 99% certain that
Marneus Calgar is indeed a man, but the very nature of this universe means it's impossible to
say with absolute certainty. Maybe in our current era being 99% certain about something is enough
to arrive at a justifiable conclusion, the 42nd millennium is a time in which we need to forget
the promise of progress and understanding, and the power of science and technology.
And this extends to every aspect of the far future. Did Horus kill Sanguinius
before his final confrontation with the Emperor? Maybe, I’d even go so far as to say, probably.
But if someone told me that during the Siege of Terra, Sanguinius fell to the black rage,
killed Horus and then tried to kill the Emperor, and that this was suppressed
by the High Lords of Terra to preserve the honor of one of mankind’s greatest
heroes, there is nothing I can do to definitively prove that person wrong.
Likewise, nobody can disprove that Space Marine Chapters out there might have unlocked or retained
the technologies allowing for the successful transformation of female recruits. Or that
female Space Marines remain common across the chapters and this has just been suppressed by
the Inquisition for whatever reason. There are an endless number of reasons as to why female Space
Marines might exist and none of them conflict with the essential nature of the universe.
And if you disagree with me, if your interpretation of the grim darkness of the
far future is different from mine, well, this might be the only time I admit this, but your
interpretation is every bit as valid. If you can look honestly at the 42nd millennium and come to
the conclusion that female space marines don’t belong there, not out of any place of misogyny
but a genuine belief that it just doesn’t make sense given what we know. I respect your position,
and if tomorrow some higher authority decreed that there are in fact female space marines 100%,
full stop, I would without reservation defend your right to ignore that decree,
and to continue to interpret this universe in whatever way makes is most interesting to you.
But by extension, I would ask that you extend that same mindset to me, and everyone else.
Whether I say that female space marines exist, or that Sangunious killed Horus, or that the entire
universe of the 42nd millennium is actually within a bottle kept by a Wizard in Reikland.
What I truly love about the grim darkness of the 42nd millennium is that its very nature precludes
the possibility of someone, anyone coming in and telling you what is right, what is wrong,
and that there is only one way to experience it. And while I certainly understand and even
appreciate having an iron-clad history, a firm and uncompromising canon or continuity
if you will, there are also times when it's refreshing not to have to deal with that.
Wouldn’t it have been nice to have the option to say that Rey is not Palpatine’s granddaughter,
or that the War against the Night king was way cooler than whatever
this is? And have those opinions be totally valid?
Now I have no doubt that I have failed to convince most or even any of you. But let’s
make a deal. If you decide to argue with me in the comments, include the following phrase
somewhere in your argument. “You will die as your weakling father died.” You
will have the satisfaction of tearing me down with a badass line, and at the very least I,
and everyone else will know that you watched this entire video, were open to what I had to say,
and that your argument is being made in good faith. Just keep the rest of it civil.
But if you think the idea of female space marines just being a possibility according
to one interpretation is some kind of betrayal, if this discussion has caused you to decide that
the woke moralists over at the Templin Institute have finally gone too far, if even now you are
furiously hitting the unsubscribe button, well, the tree of any youtube channel must from time
to time be nourished by the blood of misogynists and as the saying goes, “you will not be missed”.