Sunday Musings - But What Is A Space Marine?
If you asked someone on the street to describe a space marine, chances are they’d imagine a beefed-up soldier in powered armor, blasting aliens with weapons that probably require their own zip code. And they wouldn’t be far off. But the story of space marines is way messier, richer, and frankly more entertaining than just “muscle guys in space suits.”
The phrase “space marine” might sound like a modern invention, ripped straight from the lexicon of video games and tabletop battles. Yet, it actually dates back to a 1932 short story by Bob Olsen called Captain Brink of the Space Marines. Yes, it was a pun, riffing on a 19th-century tune about horse marines, and featured marines of the “Earth Republic Space Navy” on a lighthearted alien rescue mission. Think less grimdark and more Saturday morning cartoon — but with the seeds planted.
Fast forward a few years and various science fiction authors flirted with the concept, but it was Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel Starship Troopers that really crystallized what a space marine could be: a tough, no-nonsense, militaristic infantryman, riding into battle with all the grit and grind of a classic Marine but strapped into spaceships and powered armor. Heinlein’s marines weren’t just soldiers; they were a symbol of citizenship, discipline, and the eternal military-industrial complex, wrapped in shiny sci-fi packaged into extreme right-wing bull-headedness.
But the jump from pulp fiction to tabletop gaming wasn’t immediate. The first known Space Marines game was Space Marines itself, a sci-fi miniatures wargame created by A. Mark Ratner in 1977, published by FanTac Games. If you’ve never held one of those tiny plastic soldiers, let me assure you: painting them requires patience rivaling that of a Zen master. The game’s first edition even linked to Dungeons & Dragons and Metamorphosis Alpha rules — yes, the universe’s tiniest crossover event.
The game evolved, saw a second edition published by Fantasy Games Unlimited (FGU) in 1980, and gave rise to figures sculpted by Stan Johansen — some of which survive in production decades later. If the minuscule size of these figures intimidates you, remember: those little guys have inspired sprawling universes, and apparently a level of obsessive detail only rivaled by people who alphabetize their spice racks.
By the time Aliens (1986) came around, space marines were firmly entrenched in pop culture. James Cameron’s portrayal of the Colonial Marines transformed them from background muscle to genuine characters — flawed, funny, and memorably doomed (because, spoiler, they don’t all make it). The actors even read Starship Troopers to prepare, which may or may not have made them dream of bug battles instead of lines and takes.
Speaking of Starship Troopers (1997), Paul Verhoeven’s film famously reinvented the book’s dour military sci-fi into something more campy and satirical. Casper Van Dien and Denise Richards may not have embodied Heinlein’s mindset, but they did capture the essence of the space marine as a kind of working-class hero who gets to blow up alien bugs and still look good doing it. It’s like Navy SEALs with laser guns, whilst lampooning Heinlein's chest beating storytelling.
If film cemented the space marine’s image, video games blew it up — sometimes literally. From the humble 1998 Starcraft marines, those iconic pixelated power-armored soldiers that looked like they could flatten a city block, to the musclebound juggernauts of Warhammer 40,000, space marines have dominated the digital battlefield.
Now, here’s where things get spicy. In 2012, Games Workshop — the titan behind Warhammer 40K and its genetically enhanced Space Marines — decided to assert ownership over the term “space marine.” In a move that sent shockwaves through the sci-fi community, Amazon briefly removed an independently published e-book titled Spots the Space Marine by M.C.A. Hogarth, following a takedown request by Games Workshop.
The reasoning? Games Workshop claimed that “space marine” was their trademarked intellectual property. The kicker: the phrase “space marine” has been floating around sci-fi circles since at least the 1930s, used by numerous authors, games, and movies well before Games Workshop ever pressed plastic figurines. This triggered a perfect storm of outrage among authors, fans, and even the Science Fiction Writers of America, whose then-president John Scalzi publicly defended Hogarth and shamed Games Workshop on social media.
Amazon reinstated the book fairly quickly, but the whole debacle raised serious questions about trademark law in creative spaces. Can you trademark a term that’s been common genre parlance for nearly a century? Apparently, you can try, but good luck convincing half of fandom to take that seriously without a hearty dose of eye-rolling.
Beyond legal squabbles and tabletop skirmishes, space marines have become something of a cultural meme — a shorthand for a particular type of sci-fi warrior that embodies more than just futuristic combat. They are the blue-collar heroes of the cosmos, the grizzled veterans and fresh-faced recruits who represent humanity’s raw grit amidst the vast, cold stars.
This archetype taps into a deeper narrative: the eternal soldier fighting in an endless war, the brotherhood forged in the fires of battle, and the clash between high technology and primal survival. From Heinlein’s philosophical troopers to the sarcastic banter of Aliens’ Marines (“Game over, man!”), space marines resonate because they’re relatable underdogs with machine guns, not distant starship captains brooding on cosmic mysteries.
They also serve as a blank canvas for cultural anxieties and hopes — a place where writers and creators explore themes of militarism, loyalty, and the human cost of conflict. Sometimes they’re idealized; other times, they’re grim caricatures. Sometimes they’re a little ridiculous — and sometimes they’re just the right kind of ridiculous to carry a franchise, a tabletop game, or a blockbuster film.
In memes and fan culture, space marines get lovingly poked at for their over-the-top gear and improbable survival rates, yet they remain beloved. After all, who doesn’t want to be the last guy standing on an alien battlefield, blasting bugs into the next dimension while wearing armor that could house a small family?