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SO, I was just thinking, are space marines rendered infertile by their transformation?

Because I know Salamanders have families, and space puppies are a raunchy bunch


If they are fertile, would their offspring be simple humans?


Von Chogg

There is nothing that says they become infertile. But given that Geneseed appears to mess with your Genetics it is possable that they would simply be incompatable.

If they were not infertile they would only produce normal humans.

Oh gawd, this won't end well.

Absolutely no idea. But I have a feeling that most Astartes consider such ideas like sexual relationships as distasteful. These guys - well most of them - are monks in all but name. Although if they do, I'm pretty sure their altered genes make them genetically incompatible with normal Humans. Probably explains why the Primarchs have no natural-born children of their own before they joined their legions. The Emperor I'm not so sure. He had a normal Human body AFAIK when He wasn't in armor, and there's the Sensei (no, its never been retconned, just unmentioned) from previous editions so...

Being as they've increased in size, where would they find a mate.?

Its more like, have no interest or desire for sex.

They have been brainwashed in the most severe possable way. Anything that isn't conductive to warfare is purged. "Its all in the mind" if you will.

loki old fart wrote:Being as they've increased in size, where would they find a mate.?

Russ didn't seem to have a problem.

Space Marines I have no idea (Eldar?), but the Primarchs had the Emperor's ability to alter their size (in theory - the only one we know for sure is Magnus, and maybe Russ).

Russ had mates?

Great White wrote:Russ had mates?

Never stated, but given his reputation, he probably did.

Tadashi wrote:

loki old fart wrote:Being as they've increased in size, where would they find a mate.?

Russ didn't seem to have a problem.

Space Marines I have no idea (Eldar?), but the Primarchs had the Emperor's ability to alter their size (in theory - the only one we know for sure is Magnus, and maybe Russ).

But were not talking primarks, were talking marines.

loki old fart wrote:

Tadashi wrote:

loki old fart wrote:Being as they've increased in size, where would they find a mate.?

Russ didn't seem to have a problem.

Space Marines I have no idea (Eldar?), but the Primarchs had the Emperor's ability to alter their size (in theory - the only one we know for sure is Magnus, and maybe Russ).

But were not talking primarks, were talking marines.

In which case the only females large enough for Astartes to mate with would be Eldar. Not that it would ever happen.

I would believe Eldar would be too small.

Great White wrote:Russ had mates?

No. He Drank a lot and fought a lot. That's it. Games Workshop has never even eluded to the possibility, so you can bet it didn't happen.

Great White wrote:I would believe Eldar would be too small.

No, they should just the right size. Bulk-size they're smaller, but I'm pretty sure their height and resulting proportions would be closer to Astartes. But as I've said, it would never happen.



This would happen first.

Haha. Yep your probably right. I like the Inquisitor in the bottom right corner.

Great White wrote:Haha. Yep your probably right. I like the Inquisitor in the bottom right corner.

Funny thing is, the Emperor seems real happy about it. You can see Him dabbing His eyes in the background. Not to mention the other Astartes and the Sisters. And that wasn't an Inquisitor, that was a priest.

Tadashi wrote:

Great White wrote:Haha. Yep your probably right. I like the Inquisitor in the bottom right corner.

Funny thing is, the Emperor seems real happy about it. You can see Him dabbing His eyes in the background. Not to mention the other Astartes and the Sisters. And that wasn't an Inquisitor, that was a priest.

Nope, it's an Inquisitor. You can tell from the funky I on his gloriously large hat.

Coolyo294 wrote:

Tadashi wrote:

Great White wrote:Haha. Yep your probably right. I like the Inquisitor in the bottom right corner.

Funny thing is, the Emperor seems real happy about it. You can see Him dabbing His eyes in the background. Not to mention the other Astartes and the Sisters. And that wasn't an Inquisitor, that was a priest.

Nope, it's an Inquisitor. You can tell from the funky I on his gloriously large hat.

Whoops! Missed that! My bad...

Oh boy, this thread again.

As with nearly everything in 40k, there is no "right" answer to this, as so much hinges on one's personal interpretation of the setting. It comes down to what you, as a single person, think fits your perception of the background the best.

As for my own opinion: No, I do not believe Astartes are "fertile". The Emperor created them as a temporary boost to human military efforts, not as the next stage of human life and to replace the Imperium's populace. As such, the very thought of a Space Marine procreating without any sort of control from the Adeptus Terra would be anathema, a reason to call down the Inquisition upon the Chapter in order to prevent even the possibility of a Marine Chapter getting the idea to breed with the population of their fief in order to artificially increase recruitment numbers.

In fact, I would even go as far as to say that Space Marines are physically incapable of performing the act. The Adeptus Astartes were engineered to be tools of war, nothing more. Unintentional side effects such as atrophy (do you know what happens to the genitals of bodybuilders?) left aside, capacity for sex plays no role whatsoever for their intended purpose and may actually be a hindrance, be it because it interferes with their self-control or even just because it's wasted space to accomodate for in the armour or because it's a completely useless organ that may get injured, so better to cut it off right away. Is it not said that their power armour incorporates waste recycling systems, after all? Would you think it to be more 40k if this refers to plastic bags or diapers, or rather if it were a tube directly inserted into a plug at a place one occupied by a Marine recruit's dong?

Lastly, it's just more grimdark this way. Sex is both fun and natural, and in my personal opinion either feels wrong for Astartes. To me, capacity for sex is one of the sacrifices that have to be made by the Marines. They are no longer human; they are the personification of the God-Emperor's wrath. In terms of narrative balance, it's also a price to be paid for their various superpowers.

Of course, not having a massive dick may go against the concept of mega-masculinity that some may find appealing in the Marines, so I understand why this assessment may be unpopular.

Of course that is purely speculation that they would remove those body parts. The phallus does also have a role in removing waste, even if atrophied.

And I thought the idea that bodybuilders's parts shrunk was mearly an illusion because everything else was bigger?

WEll people of the same height as SM's In real life often indeed still have sex. You can get inventive in positions if you really want to. SM's would still be able to do so, Most I feel do not have the desire to do so, but some could. I do not think the gear does not work, I mean there is a need for it and no reason to even try to remove it or alter it. Training could do much to remove, if not the desire, then the need to act upon it.

It gets more iffy as by the current time line many geneseeds produced oddities in their chapters. It would not be to out of line that even if the Genseed normally stopped desire, that some chapters seeds no longer did so.

Grey Templar wrote:Of course that is purely speculation that they would remove those body parts.

Yep, there is nothing in the studio sources that indicates they were removed - or kept.
Everything in my post was mere speculation based on subjective conclusions, as well as the aforementioned personal preference.

As for the phallus playing a role in removing waste, I suppose an artificial plug would do the same job, only better (lower risk of injury, improved interfacing with the suit). I was also thinking of 40k's habit of having people with tubes stuck in their bodies as I was typing that, though.
Anyways, the female gender proves that it works just as well without an external device. Well, except for the standing/sitting thing.

Grey Templar wrote:And I thought the idea that bodybuilders's parts shrunk was mearly an illusion because everything else was bigger?

Nah, penile shrinkage can have several causes, but in case of bodybuilders it would be hormone imbalance and steroid abuse.
If such things apply to Marines or not is, again, left to the individual's fantasy and preferences. In spite of the excessive chemical treatments, gene-therapy and surgery, anything that would decrease penis size can be brushed off simply by declaring it "space science", should one wish to discard such potential consequences.
According to some sources, penile shrinkage may also result out of excessive exercise, triggered by prostate enlargement affecting circulation, as well as strain to the lower region caused by certain kinds of movement, which become aggravated by increased muscle sizes. It's hard to find accurate material on this topic, though - the most I see on google right now is personal experiences by affected sports people, when I would greatly prefer an actual expert's opinion.

You do list another interesting aspect, however, in that even unaltered Marine penises may look "weird" in comparison to the rest of the body if they retain their original size, which might even become problematic if the Astartes would try to grab it (for urinating, you perverts ). This can of course be averted by once more citing space science as the cause of the Marine's genitalia increasing with the rest of his body.

I'm of the opinion that the process has made the SM infertile for reasons of control. This way there is no chance of their altered genetics getting transferred to other unsanctioned humans.

I also believe that the process of bulking out the SM to include their muscle, bones, to accomidate their new bionics and strength probably increased everything the same ratio.

These guys did not start life 8-10 ft tall. They were made that way. As such I think everything bulked out correctly and the chances of finding a mate of appropriate accommodations would be difficult.

As for the sexual act itself, like others have said, these guys are monks and probably just don't get the urge with the exception of a few chapters that didn't force the urge into submission because of individual philosophies.

Jayden63 wrote: 8-10 ft tall

Where do these numbers keep coming from?

I thought the common height was 7-71/2 feet?

All in who the artiest/writer is as far as I can tell. But yeah7-8 foot rang seemed right to me as well.

More than likely as stated before is that there is no desire.

Not to mention this game is meant for teens and kids in England so you not going to find any mention of Russ plowing many a Maiden and what not.

Oh goddamnit, not this thread again...

But more on topic, they wouldn't be compatible with human beings due to their genetic alterations.

A part in The Emperor's Gift (which is a really brilliant novel btw) seems to imply that Astartes still retain their fruit and two veg, but have no sexual desire. Or the vast majority have no sexual desire/awareness at least.


*i wouldn't call this a spoiler as its an incredibly minor point within the whole, awesome, novel.*

If an Astartes had a family, it would be a distraction and a potential tool against them to be exploited.

Personally I think it's down to all the condition they receive, Hypno and Chemical therapy for example, that makes them the way they are, just as they feel no fear they don't feel the need to stare at breasticles.

It probably still works properly, they just don't have sexual desire like us mere mortals.

Just Dave wrote:A part in The Emperor's Gift (which is a really brilliant novel btw) seems to imply that Astartes still retain their fruit and two veg, but have no sexual desire. Or the vast majority have no sexual desire/awareness at least.

Yeah, what Dave said.