Space marine

"For the Warhammer 40,000 army, see Adeptus Astartes"

Space marines are fictional soldiers that operate in outer space. Space marines are common in military science fiction-themed action movies and action games. Historical marines fulfil amphibious roles: ship defence, landing parties, and general high-mobility deployments. By extension, space marines defend spaceships, land on planets and satellites, and deployments that require rapid deployment throughout space.

History

The first space marine unit, the Galactic Marines, was used in E. E. Smith's "Lensman" series, published starting in 1937.Fact|date=June 2008

The phrase "space marines" first appears in Robert A. Heinlein's "Misfit" ["The parade ground voice of a First Sergeant of Space Marines cut through the fog and drizzle..."] (1939) and is again used in "The Long Watch" ["Space marines, arms reversed and heads bowed, stood guard around [the coffin] ..."] (1940). Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" is considered the defining work for the concept, despite the soldiers not being referred to as marines in the novel; for example, the actors playing the Colonial Marines in "Aliens" were required to read "Starship Troopers" as part of their training prior to filming. [cite web| url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090605/trivia| title=Internet Movie Database: Aliens Trivia| accessdate=2006-03-04]

Playing a space marine in action games was popularized by id Software's "Doom" series, first published in 1993. It is a convenient game back-story as it excuses the presence of the character on a hostile alien world with little support and marine weaponry. Some critics have suggested it has been overused to the point of being an action game cliché. [cite journal |last=Adams |first=Ernest |year=2001 |month=February |title=Dogma 2001: A Challenge to Game Designers |journal=Gamasutra |url=http://www.designersnotebook.com/Columns/037_Dogma_2001/037_dogma_2001.htm |accessdate= 2007-11-13 |quote=4. There shall be no...space marines]

Characteristics

In film and television space marines often appear in squads, while in action games the protagonist marine is often alone (although this is more due to game limitations) or transferred between different units as the game progresses. In their amphibious role, marines are usually transported by "drop ships" and/or "drop pods", and are supported on the ground by infantry fighting vehicles or lighter vehicles.

Marines are usually equipped with a science fiction assault rifle, similar to a modern firearm only superior in some manner, or some form of fictional man portable laser rifle. Fireteams often include an automatic rifle, such as a smart gun. Flamethrowers may be deployed against aliens with a susceptibility to fire. Sniper rifles are seen more rarely.

Clothing ranges from spacesuits and powered exoskeletons to battledress similar to that worn by contemporary armed forces.

Non-fiction aspects

The United States Marine Corps's Project Hot Eagle considers the use of spacecraft to 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 to take care of business within 2 hours." [cite web| url=http://www.defensetech.org/archives/001815.html| title=Marines in Spaaaaaace!| publisher=Defence Tech.org| date=September 19, 2005| accessdate=2006-04-03]

Appearances in fiction

*"Aliens" Series (1986-1997) - United States Colonial Marines
*"Babylon 5" (1994-1998) - EarthForce Marine Corps (also known as "Gropos" or "GROund POunderS")
*"Battlestar Galactica" (2004) - Colonial Marine Corps, Colonial Marine Corps Reserve
*"Command & Conquer" series(1995-present) Global Defense Initiative
*"Doom series" (1993 - present) - the United States Space Marine Corps
*"Falkenberg's Legion" series (1976-1993) - The CoDominium Marines
*"Ground Control" (2000) - Crayven Corporation's Marines unit.
*"Halo Series" (2001-Present) - UNSC Marine Corps, UNSC ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) Corps.
*"Heritage Trilogy", "Legacy Trilogy", "Inheritance Trilogy" (1998-present) - United States Marines Corps, United Star Marine Corps
*"Honorverse" (1993)
*"Killzone" series (2003-present) Interplanetary Strategic Alliance Marines
*"Lensman" series (1937) - Galactic Marines
*"Mass Effect" (2007-present) - Human Systems Alliance Marines
*"Metroid" (1986) - the Galactic Federation Marine Corps
*"Moonraker" (film, 1979) - US Astronaut Marines
*"Outwars" (1998) - Colonial Marines
*"Quake series" (1996-present) - the Space Marine Corps
*"Rolling Thunder" - (2008) - Martian Naval Corps
*"" (1995) - United States Marine Corps Space Aviator Cavalry
*"Space Marines" (1996) - A United Planets Marine hostage rescue team battles space pirates
*"Starblazers" (1972) - Ground combact units found on the 11th planet.
*"StarCraft" (1998) - Confederate Marine Corps later succeeded by the Dominion Marine Corps. Other corps include the Alliance Marine Corps, the United Earth Directorate Powered Infantry and numerous more.
*"Starfire series" - Federation Navy Marine Corps
*"StarFist series" - Confederation Marine Corps
*"Stargate Atlantis" - US Marines are attached to the Atlantis Expedition as security forces, referred to as 'Space Marines' by Expedition members.
*"Star Trek" - StarFleet Marines, a non-canon organization but popular in fan based fiction
*"Star Wars" - Galactic Marines of the Grand Army of the Republic originally known as the 21st Nova Corps was an elite unit that was created as the Grand Army of the Republic diversified during the Clone Wars.The unit was commanded by Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi and Clone Commander Bacara.
*"The Mote in God's Eye" (1975) and related novels - Imperial Marines
*"TimeSplitters 2" (2002) - Space Marines (Sergeant Cortez & Corporal Hart)
*"" (2005) - Space Marines (Sergeant Cortez)
*"Traveller" (1977) - Star Marines, Imperial Marine Force, Solomani Marine Corps, Zhodani Consular Guard
*"Turok (video game)"
*"Warhammer 40,000" (1987-present) - Imperial Space Marine Chapters, and also to an extent Chaos Space Marines.
*"Wing Commander Franchise" (1990-1999) - Terran Confederation Marine Corps

ee also

* Marines
* Space navy
* Project Hot Eagle

References