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Do the chapters only take the gene seed from the fallen of their own chapter? I figure since it's so important, they might take some from the fallen of other chapters, or maybe even chaos space marines (unless that is tainted too)

I ask because in the Ultramarines movie (not giving anything away in the story) the Ultramarines see fallen Imperial Fists, and I figured the apothecary could have maybe taken their gene seed too.

Thoughts?

Only their chapter.
It is genetically unique to a chapter much like a family shares genetics.
A chapter might extract the gene-seed of another chapter and return it but apart from that.
Renegades will steal gene-seed from dead loyalists to use in creating new marines.

The Space Marines take it as a matter of survival of their species to recover gene-seed. The gene-seed of a given Chapter is highly individualized as it is comes originally from the Primarch. Which makes the marine Chapters as different from each other as the Primarchs were to their brothers. I'm sure it has occurred more than once where one Chapter of Space Marines rescues the gene-seed of another as a point of honor. I don't think they would want to use another Chapters gene-seed because the initiate would become a marine from the donors Chapter and not their own.

The Chaos forces, however, steal the gene-seed in order to grow individuals with little regard to preferences for Chapter as the marine will be transformed further by chaos anyway. At least this is how I see it.

The Gene Seed is what defines a chapter. If you take an Ultramarines gene seed and use it, the result will be an Ultramarine. -- Unless the practice of taking it and using it to make a marine differs from how the Ultramarines normally produce their marines, there's a chance that it could deviate causing an anomaly, resulting in an entirely new chapter

Ah, okay. That makes sense. Thanks for the quick replies!

purplefood wrote:It is genetically unique to a chapter much like a family shares genetics.

It's nowhere near the same as that.

In humans, only using DNA from your own family to reproduce is harmful to the progeny.

Melissia wrote:

purplefood wrote:It is genetically unique to a chapter much like a family shares genetics.

It's nowhere near the same as that.

In humans, only using DNA from your own family to reproduce is harmful to the progeny.

Yeah the whole increased risk of mutations thing.
What I meant was each gene-seed is as close in genetics to another gene-seed as 2 members of a family might be.
At least, that's how i see it.

Basically each space marines is a clone with differences.

Asherian Command wrote:Basically each space marines is a clone with differences.

So not a clone...
They are like brothers which goes a long way towards explaining their creepy bromance.

To further break it down, Space Marines within a chapter have two sets of genetics. The set from their parents, and the set from the Primarch. Both have extensive lineages that would get too complex to try and explain. At a very basic level, all marines in a Chapter are at least step-brothers as one set of genetics is a constant. If siblings are made an Astartes, they would remain true brothers to each other and step-brothers to the others.

How often this occurs is open for debate. I would imagine this is frowned upon as the only genetic diversity is carried by the donor so a duplicate would diminish the 'health' of the gene-seed in some way.

purplefood wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:Basically each space marines is a clone with differences.

So not a clone...
They are like brothers which goes a long way towards explaining their creepy bromance.

I love their bromance! Its awesome.

Asherian Command wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:Basically each space marines is a clone with differences.

So not a clone...
They are like brothers which goes a long way towards explaining their creepy bromance.

I love their bromance! Its awesome.

Awesome isn't the way i would describe it...
Latent homosexual maybe... not that there is anything wrong with it.

purplefood wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:Basically each space marines is a clone with differences.

So not a clone...
They are like brothers which goes a long way towards explaining their creepy bromance.

I love their bromance! Its awesome.

Awesome isn't the way i would describe it...
Latent homosexual maybe... not that there is anything wrong with it.

They are more like brothers than homosexual partners.
OR soldiers on the field for example in WW2.

You never know... maybe they're modelled after this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Band_of_Thebes

Gene seed comes from the Primarchs who were all produced from the Emporer.

The gene seed of every chapter is identical except for changes introduced by mutations, Chaos influence, and whatever tinkering the Emporer might have done in the first place.

If i understand fluff correctly, for most chapter foundations geneseed is not modified ie remains same as if it still wasl in original Legion (or in donor chapter), but over the time mutations etc take their toll (not talking now of Dark Founding and other instances when AM are messing with it).
So for less genetically distant chapters difference can be of no importance.
But geneseed+chapter lore IS the chapter. So as long as there is geneseeds (and enough SMs for High Lords to not write-off chapter), chapter survives no matter what other material resorces it lost.
By same means using others geneseed (not of sibling chapter at least) is very difficult as you get marines whose basic reactions and quirks will be unknown to your chapter's lore.Imagine what a problem dealing with Wulfen's Curse or Black Rage can be for unprepared (say ultramarine-dervived) chapter,or how lack of blood connection to Primarch in ultra geneseed will be damaging for chapter of Blood Angel origin.(Though numerous sucessors of ultra-stable ultramarines possibly CAN use each others geneseed, but then - it'll be some kind of secret deal not advertised to those not directly involved)

IF geneseed in movie - i think that IFs just died too long time ago for geneseed to remain intact as gathering geneseed of fallen brothers of different chapteris surely both honourable and rewarding deed.

Asherian Command wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:

purplefood wrote:

Asherian Command wrote:Basically each space marines is a clone with differences.

So not a clone...
They are like brothers which goes a long way towards explaining their creepy bromance.

I love their bromance! Its awesome.

Awesome isn't the way i would describe it...
Latent homosexual maybe... not that there is anything wrong with it.

They are more like brothers than homosexual partners.
OR soldiers on the field for example in WW2.

If you say so...
I wasn't in WWII myself.

FOrget what I said, lol.

a Apothecary would definitly extract the Geneseed of a marine from a different chapter if he came accross it.

this happens quite often. sometimes it can be a long time before the chapter comes to collect.