Thespace marineis anarchetypeofmilitary science fictiondescribing a kind ofsoldierwho operates inouter spaceor on alien worlds.[1]Historicalmarinesfulfill multiple roles: ship defence,boarding actions,landing parties, and general-purpose high-mobility land deployments thatoperate within a fixed distance of shore or ship.By analogy, hypothetical space marines would defend alliedspaceships,board enemy ships, land onplanetsandmoons,and satisfyrapid-deploymentneeds throughoutspace.
History
editThe earliest known use of the term "space marine" was byBob Olsenin hisshort story"Captain Brink of the Space Marines" (Amazing Stories,Volume 7, Number 8, November 1932), a light-hearted work whose title is aplayon the song "Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines",and in which the protagonists were marines of the" Earth Republic Space Navy "on mission to rescue celebrity twins from aliens onTitan.Olsen published anovellasequel four years later, "The Space Marines and the Slavers" (Amazing Stories,Volume 10, Number 13, December 1936), featuring the same characters using a spaceship withactive camouflageto free hostages fromMartianspace piratesonGanymede.[2]
A more widely known early example wasE. E. Smith'sLensmanseries.While the first story,Triplanetaryand most later sequels (Second Stage Lensmen,Children of the LensandThe Vortex Blaster) do not mention them, passing mentions of marines are made inGalactic Patrol[a](Astounding Stories,September 1937–February 1938) andGray Lensman[b][c](Astounding Stories,October 1939–January 1940), and a more direct mention is made inFirst Lensman(1950): "Dronvire of Rigel Four in the lead, closely followed by Costigan, Northrop, Kinnison the Younger, and a platoon of armed and armored Space Marines!".
The phrase "space marines" appears inRobert A. Heinlein's "Misfit"[d](1939) and is again used in "The Long Watch"[e](1949) which expands on a story from his earlier novelSpace Cadet(1948), in all cases before Smith had used the phrase. Heinlein'sStarship Troopers(1959) is considered the defining work for the concept, although it does not use the term "space marine". The actors playing the Colonial Marines inAliens(1986) were required to readStarship Troopersas part of their training prior to filming.[3]Heinlein intended for the capsule troopers of the Mobile Infantry to be an amalgam of the shipborne aspect of theUS Marine Corpsrelocated to space and coupled with the battlefield delivery and mission profile ofUS Armyparatroopers.
As a gaming concept, space marines play a major role in theWarhammer 40,000miniatures wargame, in which they are genetically altered super-soldiers and the most powerful fighting forces available to the Imperium of Man.[4]In computer games, playing a space marine in action games was popularized byid Software'sDoomseries, first published in 1993. It is a convenient gameback-storyas it excuses the presence of the character on a hostile alien world with littlesupportand heavy weaponry. Some critics have suggested it has been overused to the point of being an action gamecliché.[5]
Trademark controversy
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In December 2012, online retailerAmazon.comremoved thee-bookSpots the Space MarinebyM.C.A. Hogarthat the request of games companyGames Workshop.They claimed the use of the phrase "space marine" infringed on theirtrademarkof the term for their gameWarhammer 40,000.[6]In February 2013, the row received a lot of publicity, with authors such asCory Doctorow,Charles StrossandJohn Scalzisupporting Hogarth, and Amazon.com then restored the e-book for sale.[7][8]
Characteristics
editIn film and television space marines often appear insquads,while in video games the protagonist Marine is usually alone or in very small squads.[citation needed]Depending on the mission, they may be deployed viadropshipor another specialised insertion craft.[citation needed]Theirbattledressvaries between media, ranging from equipment comparable to modern-day fatigues (or just being contemporary, such as the equipment of Colonial Marines in there-imaginedBattlestar Galactica) toenvironmentally sealedsuits of powered armour.Equipment and weaponry is similarly varied, often incorporating various fictional technologies.Directed-energy weaponsare common, though conventional firearms are also used, like the M41A Pulse Rifles the Colonial Marines inAliensuse (which are projectile weapons that use an electric pulse to shootcaseless ammunition). If the marines' armour is particularly bulky, their weapons may be similarly scaled up such as inWarhammer 40,000whereSpace Marinescarry "boltguns," effectively rocket-propelled grenade launchers, as a standard firearm.
Non-fiction aspects
editTheUnited States Air Force'sProject Hot Eagleconsiders the use ofspacecraftto deliver Marines to a target on the ground. "Within minutes of bursting into the atmosphere beyond the speed of sound – and dispatching that ominous sonic boom – a small squad of Marines could be on the ground and ready for action within 2 hours."[9][10]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^"Helmuth is after us, foot, horse, and marines."
- ^"'Don't be a dope,' a captain of Marines muttered in reply. "
- ^"... have a boat-load of good, tough marines on hand..."
- ^"The parade ground voice of a First Sergeant of Space Marines cut through the fog and drizzle..."
- ^"Space marines, arms reversed and heads bowed, stood guard around [the coffin]..."
References
edit- ^Prucher, Jeff (2007),"space marine",Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction,Oxford reference online,Oxford University Press,p. 205,ISBN978-0-19-530567-8
- ^Bleiler, Everett F.andBleiler, Richard,Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years,Kent State University Press, 1998, pp. 315–317
- ^"Preparing for Battle: Casting and Characterization",Superior Firepower: The Making of Aliens,Alien Quadrilogy– Disc 3, 2003,20th Century Fox
- ^Ryder, Mike (2021)."Conscripts from birth: war and soldiery in the grim darkness of the far future"(PDF).Fantastika.5(1).Retrieved12 November2022.
- ^Adams, Ernest (February 2001)."Dogma 2001: A Challenge to Game Designers".Gamasutra.Retrieved2007-11-13.
4. There shall be no...space marines
- ^Barnett, David(7 February 2013)."Superheroes, space marines and lawyers get into trademark fight".The Guardian.London.Retrieved8 February2013.
- ^"Row blows up over ownership of 'space marine' term".BBC News.London. 8 February 2013.Retrieved8 February2013.
- ^Spots the Space Marine: Defense of the Fiddler.Stardancer Studios. 14 December 2011.
- ^"Marines in Spaaaaaace!".Defence Tech.org. September 19, 2005.Retrieved2006-04-03.
- ^Social Policy for Effective Practice, A Strengths Approach.2016-10-16.ISBN9781497006140.