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Just throwing this one out there. It doesn't matter what race. Just try to name a tv show/movie they might have and describe it.


I'll try one.

Titanicus. The epic story of love and friendship as the warhound and the princeps get seperated and reunited. Rated PG for slight chaos and xenos.

Gaunt's Ghosts films. Played by Sean Bean.

"Steel Rain" by The Spess Mehreens Featuring Commander Boreale is the chart topping song right now

Oh man, I love that song!

Survivor: Catachan Island Outwit. Outlast. All pray to the God Emperor!

Once again the series is being hosted in a place that people already live.

I stopped watching after season 3. I don't think they will ever top the Barking Toad wiping out the entire island.

On a serious note, they'll have the same stuff we have. Sitcoms, soap operas, commercials...

Naturally all the media is monitored, more or less depending on the planet.


The Imperium is a harsh and brutal regime, but they actually have very few rules.

1) Worship the Emperor

2) Pay the Tithe

3) Obey Imperial authorities without question

4) Don't fraternize with Xenos or Heretics



The various Imperial planets have every government type humans have experimented with. Monarchies, Dictatorships, Democracies, etc...

Media could have anything, so long as it doesn't blaspheme the Emperor's name or defame his Imperial Authority(which includes those who operate the Imperium) and don't encourage associating with Xenos.

I gotta disagree, too much distraction takes away your thought to your duty.
I'd say what they do have is mainly propaganda and ecclesiarchial sermons and hymns.

False, nowhere is it said that is all they do on every single planet.

I'm sure its true in some places, but the Imperium is so huge that anything is possable.

The whole gammit of worlds and entertainment is laid out for you to pick from.

And a source for that? Its not false, its your opinion, as my first post is MY opinion.

In Blood Reaver on the spacestation the entertainment channel was described very much like that as hymnals and instructional sermons etc

I very much doubt the Imperium endorse their equivalent of the X factor or any other mind numbing dross we get these days.
I'm sure that individual planets might have a few shows, but my guess is they are far exceeded in length and quantity by propoganda.
Everyone has a job to do and if there not working, then they need. To be saying thanks to the Emperor, not watching 'The Price is Right'

I'd imagine they would have some kind of colosseum whether they put it on tv is another thing and what planets they do it on, again its a big old 40k world.

People, you gotta realize that the people in the Imperium are well, people; they need entertainment, and yes, many planets do have localized entertainment and TV shows/movies; there planets that none of that exists just as there are planets where people still walk around in loincloths and prefer a spear over a lasgun. They're not Space Marines and can't spend every hour thinking about how they're going to serve the Emperor.

The Imperium is a big place and a single rule does not apply. Grey Templar has it right in which the various planets are free to govern their people as long as they follow the Imperial Cult(even this rule is very flexible as various versions adapted to the local cultures are accepted) and pay the Tithes based on their type of planet.

It should be noted that the Governers HATE extremists; in the 13th black crusade book, there was an article on how the Imperial Guard had to be called in to quell a bunch of fear mongering doomsday prophet flagellants.

PresidentOfAsia wrote:
People, you gotta realize that the people in the Imperium are well, people; they need entertainment, and yes, many planets do have localized entertainment and TV shows/movies; there planets that none of that exists just as there are planets where people still walk around in loincloths and prefer a spear over a lasgun. They're not Space Marines and can't spend every hour thinking about how they're going to serve the Emperor.

The Imperium is a big place and a single rule does not apply. Grey Templar has it right in which the various planets are free to govern their people as long as they follow the Imperial Cult(even this rule is very flexible as various versions adapted to the local cultures are accepted) and pay the Tithes based on their type of planet.

It should be noted that the Governers HATE extremists; in the 13th black crusade book, there was an article on how the Imperial Guard had to be called in to quell a bunch of fear mongering doomsday prophet flagellants.

I agree people need entertainment. Yet that does not mean the state provide it. People will make their own entertainment regardless, bars, clubs where they can go and get a few glasses of amasec after work, or music.
I see the imperium as a whole being much like victorian era Britain. A few rich merchants and mill owners on the top, while for the most part the workers lived in squalor, entertainment was not provided by the state, but that doesn't mean it was absent. It just made by the workers themselves rather than provided for them. Of course every planet is unique, but I still stand by that public broadcasting woulkd likely be functional rather than frivalous.

 Eetion wrote:

PresidentOfAsia wrote:
People, you gotta realize that the people in the Imperium are well, people; they need entertainment, and yes, many planets do have localized entertainment and TV shows/movies; there planets that none of that exists just as there are planets where people still walk around in loincloths and prefer a spear over a lasgun. They're not Space Marines and can't spend every hour thinking about how they're going to serve the Emperor.

The Imperium is a big place and a single rule does not apply. Grey Templar has it right in which the various planets are free to govern their people as long as they follow the Imperial Cult(even this rule is very flexible as various versions adapted to the local cultures are accepted) and pay the Tithes based on their type of planet.

It should be noted that the Governers HATE extremists; in the 13th black crusade book, there was an article on how the Imperial Guard had to be called in to quell a bunch of fear mongering doomsday prophet flagellants.

I agree people need entertainment. Yet that does not mean the state provide it. People will make their own entertainment regardless, bars, clubs where they can go and get a few glasses of amasec after work, or music.
I see the imperium as a whole being much like victorian era Britain. A few rich merchants and mill owners on the top, while for the most part the workers lived in squalor, entertainment was not provided by the state, but that doesn't mean it was absent. It just made by the workers themselves rather than provided for them. Of course every planet is unique, but I still stand by that public broadcasting woulkd likely be functional rather than frivalous.

I agree that public broadcasting would be more functional then frivolous, but I believe that the Imperium would allow some entertainment on it just as how American public broadcasting allows networks such as PBS to be entertaining and yet educational(in other words functional; I wonder how an Imperial Sesame street would turn out). Also, there has been recorded instances of mega corporations existing on hive worlds, so I'm pretty sure they have their television networks. One way I can imagine entertainment is to imagine it as a mix of ww2/1950's propaganda. PSA's and commercials with futuristic elements(Think of the ads in Borderlands).

Tyranid vs. Predator... tank?

There is probably a world somewhere that pays their Blood Axe clan a trukkload of guns just to get live coverage of big pitfights.

The only reason this hasn`t worked with Dark Eldar is because they take far too much interest in program`s crew...

I think Dark Eldar pitfights would be a little too disturbing for human audiences.

I always thought the tv would be like starship troopers -a massive propaganda machine.

Would you like to know more?

Oh and

"Imperial prison break"
They spend the entire first season plotting to escape

Arbitrator Foreboding, mentioned in the Cain novels. "The Imperium never sleeps."

Of course movie marines exist!
Lots of Imperial citizens love to watch "Thunderhawk down", "Save brother-captain Ryan" and "we were spess marheens"

I always liked the idea of Attack Run from the Cain series. Also the Imperium could probably do a good rendition of the East German drama concept that Bill Bailey came up with Das Ist Verboten!

They must have some equivalent to GI Joe, so young children can grow up properly indoct-educated and ready to serve in the Imperial Guard

 Admiral Valerian wrote:
They must have some equivalent to GI Joe, so young children can grow up properly indoct-educated and ready to serve in the Imperial Guard

IG Joe?

 ChaoticBob wrote:

 Admiral Valerian wrote:
They must have some equivalent to GI Joe, so young children can grow up properly indoct-educated and ready to serve in the Imperial Guard

IG Joe?

Close enough

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujtp-70zQME

Possibly something along the lines of this old(?) DPRK cartoon.

Learn geometry, kids. Geometry kills xenos!.

There's no such thing as interstellar TV/news/media, the only way planets communicate across such distances are by Astropath and this is highly difficult/unreliable/regulated by the Imperium.

Entertainment will be localized to the planetary conditions/culture of that individual world. Though I imagine the Ecclesiarchy on the world or w/e will bring along prayer videos honoring the Emperor/Primarchs/whatever.

I'd imagine that most popular entertainment is very similar to the afternoon cartoons of 1980s America, which are "cool" and, also, right-wing propaganda extolling the virtues of Free Market Capitalism, the American Way, Interventionist military actions and the evils of Communism. Except, you know, Imperial.

 Harriticus wrote:
There's no such thing as interstellar TV/news/media, the only way planets communicate across such distances are by Astropath and this is highly difficult/unreliable/regulated by the Imperium.

Entertainment will be localized to the planetary conditions/culture of that individual world. Though I imagine the Ecclesiarchy on the world or w/e will bring along prayer videos honoring the Emperor/Primarchs/whatever.

Not quite true. I'm sure that starship captains could make money by distributing popular entertainment shows along with their physical cargoes. Easy to carry and potentially lucrative.

I'm sure The Hunger Games is the 'civilised' 40k worlds version of Celebrity Big Brother.

Mind you, I wouldn't mind if it was our version of Big Brother either...

A sealed house, a dozen or so "celebrities", an assortment of hidden assault weapons and the viewers vote on who is next into the Xenomorph chamber

Hmmm... I wonder if Ant and Dec are looking for work just now...