A case for Female Space Marines in Warhammer 40k.

“Dad, are there any girl space marines?”

“I'm Sorry sweet-heart there aren't any.”

“Why not?”

“I don't know, but I can make you one with my spare bits.”

What shitty thing I had to say to my daughter about a hobby I loved. A hobby that she was very interested in learning more about. I didn’t have any Sisters of Battle to show her. But while they are cool and have their own interesting lore, they are not space marines. Thankfully I had some spare parts, because that spark of interest she showed me almost died. It took one female head from another model to make a ‘girl space marine’, and now she paints with me. But the question still remains, “Why aren’t there any female space marines?”

So I asked our resident AI to see what it had to say;

“The reason for the lack of female Space Marines in Warhammer 40k is due to the lore and background story of the setting. According to the fictional universe of Warhammer 40k, Space Marines are genetically engineered soldiers who are created by implanting gene-seed organs into young male recruits. The gene-seed organs are based on the genetic material of the Emperor of Mankind, who is male.”

Or that is what Chat GPT would have you believe. Lore reasoning was not good enough for me. And it turns out, if you dig further you can find some interesting facts about this topic. The true and very human reason there are no female space marines, is deeply rooted in consumerism practices found all the way back in the 1980’s.

The truth is, Games Workshop was always, and is still an inclusive brand that cares about their image, and defends their Intellectual Property fiercely. The proof is in the pudding originally whipped up during their first few runs of Warhammer 40k. You can see in the image below that Games Workshop shipped their Space Marine miniatures with female models included in the collection.

You can see on the top left is Female Warrior Jane, outfitted in the legendary and unmistakable Space Marine armor. Female Warrior Gabs found at the second row from the bottom.

There you have it. So what happened?

The problem was Warhammer 40k was introduced to the market in 1987, when things were very different socially, culturally. Men were the only people buying into Warhammer 40k and sales figures for the female space marines were so dismal that retailers eventually stopped shelving them altogether.

Alan Merrett, a lauded Games Workshop employee from 1980 — 2016, was an author and designer before becoming the Head of Intellectual Property at the company. He still cares about the Warhammer universe, even long after retirement, and wrote on the subject of female space marines:

It’s also worth noting that the lack of female Space Marines has been a topic of discussion and controversy within the Warhammer 40k community, and the creators of the franchise, Games Workshop, have made efforts in recent years to include more diverse representation in their products. For example, in the Warhammer 40k universe, there are other female warriors and leaders, such as the Sisters of Battle of the Adepta Sororitas, and Inquisitors or Rogue Traders, as well as women in other Xenos factions. These female characters are depicted as being powerful and respected within the setting.

But would it kill the franchise if space marines suddenly had a Woman amongst their ranks? Definitely not. Ill probably get some hate for even suggesting it. So i’ll just mention one thing. Age of Sigmar. The fans will understand. The short of it is, Games Workshop is so well loved that not even a famous brand pivot, lauded by the community as attempted suicide, could kill the franchise.

The point is, there are some great stories yet to be told, and with an Intellectual Property that is so strong, the lore must go on. Who knows which direction it will go, but I don’t think Lore can be a crutch for a past mistake anymore.

One thing is for certain. The lore will not be allowed to stagnate as new generations of fans continue to thirst for more stories and more minis. Those future generations include women and daughters who will grow with the franchise.

I bet Roboute Guilliman, the Primarch of the Ultramarines Space Marine Chapter in Warhammer 40k would agree with me. He has talked about the importance of proper guidance and leadership in the upbringing of Space Marines. He believes that the process of creating a Space Marine is not just about physical enhancement but also about instilling values and beliefs that will guide their behavior. Sounds like having a female counterpart might help in this regard. No? Don’t throw your fist through your monitor at me. Its just an observation.

I'm not a lore master by any means. But I do have one case to make that could possibly spark an interesting idea amongst the true Loremasters of the Warhammer 40k universe:

Women are, and continue to grow as, a consumer force in the hobby space.

As old bigots die, and new youth rise into a kinder world, surely we can invite a female space marine into The Grim Darkness of the Future, where There is Only War.