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I was thinking about this the other day: can someone turn down the offer to become a Space Marine? Maybe they just don't want to join, or they don't like the "very real chance of dying becoming one" condition, or they're too attached to their genitals, but whatever the case can they voluntarily decline the offer to become a Space Marine? Or do the guys beat them over the head with a club and then drag them back to the homeworld for the conversion process?

Those who compete to be accepted into the few that form the initiates would not. ( UM, BA, etc )
SW are too drunk to realize it, so can't opt to decline...

Maybe its considered a duty to the God-Emperor to become a SM?
Maybe some recrutement worlds suck so much, everything is better than to stay there as human?

I thought you actually have the choice to join them and then the best in he group are chosen to become Space Marines after couple o tests....Correct me if I am wrong please.

they are either honored for the task and compete to join or they a stoneage humans that are grabbed and memory scrubbed.

I would imagine that the SM are, in this case, similar to the SoB:

You stay because you want to stay, not because you are forced. They have no use for false piety and people who's hearts aren't in it.

If a kid on a recruitment world doesn't want to compete in the Proving, I'm pretty sure they don't force him to. Of course, being selected to even try out for the SM is a great honor, and rather prestigious for the family of the kid, so turning such things down probably carries its own social burden, but I doubt they'll execute some 12 year old with a bolt-round to the back of the head because he would rather be a grox-wrangler than a Space Marine.

SW recruits are usually recently dead or dying when they get picked up so i doubt they are in a condition to argue even if they wanted to.

Well, I really don't think it's a choice, for one, that would be to turn down your duty to the Emperor, and then they'd throw you in with the IG, anyway, so, the logical solution here would be to turn SM, as the risk of dieing, while "very real," is less than that of the mass slaughters the IG get on each of their worlds, even their victories are hollow ones in many cases, so becoming a Space Marine is just a good choice, so why turn it down in the first place?

For most aspirants, it's an offer that you can't refuse.

First of all because it's a great honor to be chosen, and in honor-bound cultures refusing an honor that has been offered is in itself a great insult. You're turning down the opportunity to serve the Emperor, really?

Second, Marines often recruit from feral/death Worlds, underhive gangs, and so on. The alternative to becoming a warrior for the Imperium is therefore typically a life that is nasty, brutish, and quite short.

And that just covers the instances where aspirants come forward more or less voluntarily. I somehow doubt you get even that option with the Flesh Tearers or the Carcharodons.

some chapters give Aspirants a choice along the way to either continue their training or stop and become chapter serfs.


The Space Wolves pick their recruits from, essentially, dead teenagers(that they quickly revive)

the initiates can't go back to their old lives, but they do have opprotunities to leave(Ragnar could have left the chapter easily during his last trial and even contempleted doing so)



the DAs do give their initiates the option to not join. those who decide against are killed as a mercy so they don't return to their families in shame(Angels of Darkness)



You would be a fool to refuse the honor is the bottom line.

most marines pick from willing volunteers anyway(Blood Angels, DAs) using competition type events.