Do Space Marines Retire?

[DogWelder]

Do Chapters generally allow Space Marines to pursue non-combat roles separated from the fighting body of the Chapter should it become unsuitable for said Marine to stay on the battlefield any longer?

 

I ask this because the Ultramarines seem to allow this practice with quite a few of their number. Mainly when one of their number gets selected for a political role in overseeing the worlds of Ultramar. In the books every world of Ultramar is revealed to have at least one former-Ultramarine overseer known as a Prefactorum who governs the planet and is typically someone who seems to have been discharged from the Chapter because of a battlefield induced disability that prohibits him from functioning as a Battle-Brother anymore. One example is Praefactor Quintus of Tarentus.

 

Do any other Chapters have a similar system?

Edited August 9, 2017 by DogWelder

[Kinstryfe]

I'm pretty sure it's been mentioned in one or more places that Marines unfit for combat duty are used for duties like you mentioned. I believe it also said they tend to command chapter naval craft and things of that like if they have an affinity for it.

[Black Cohort]

Marines would need to be pretty seriously injured for bionics not to fix the problem.  But a marine in that situation is probably faced with a few options: Deploy on one final mission, Become a recruit trainer, Command a warship, Become a vehicle driver.  Most chapters have a single planet or system under their control, most of the administrators are probably chapter serfs.

[Timur]

An Iron Hand is only released from service when there is nothing left to graft onto, or shove in a chassis. 

 

Only when he is a fine paste or mist does duty end.

[Lexington]

It's a controversial subject. Retired Marines have been mentioned as taking on clerical duties and such before - mostly in 2nd Ed, from what I recall.

 

Since then, the general mortality of an Astartes has become a topic of debate, with a number of sources suggesting that Marines are effectively immortal, and will only die from injuries. However, there are a lot of Marine special characters and the like that are specifically aged, and if something can age, it will eventually die...

[Frater Cornelius]

Only in death does duty end. Even if your duties shift from direct combat to non-combat duty, a Marine never retires as we know it. Next to the most prominent role that is a live combat it is easy to forget other vital roles that Marines are capable of doing when they can not fight anymore. Edited August 9, 2017 by Immersturm

[The Unseen]

It's a controversial subject. Retired Marines have been mentioned as taking on clerical duties and such before - mostly in 2nd Ed, from what I recall.

 

Since then, the general mortality of an Astartes has become a topic of debate, with a number of sources suggesting that Marines are effectively immortal, and will only die from injuries. However, there are a lot of Marine special characters and the like that are specifically aged, and if something can age, it will eventually die...

 

Ugh. Would this die already? Marines aren't immortal. They age, they either die on the battlefield, or live long enough to retire and become a trainer/dreadnought/welded into a pilots seat/take over administrative duties until their bodies finally stop working just like everyone elses, it just takes them several times as long. And probably also volunteer for vital suicide missions like boarding an enemy vessel and planting melta charges on its engines with a 5 second countdown, and such, chapter specific. GW doesn't show it much because its pretty damn boring, who here wants to read about "Veteran Battle-Brother Billy Bob and his achy knees!"

[Frater Cornelius]

^He used to be a Sternguard Veteran, but then took a Bolter round to the knee :D

[Extropian]

Marines do day of age, and age does debilitate them - Recently confirmed in "Perturabo" and then "Black legion".

 

They do retire from combat if too badly injured - Maloghurst the Twisted is a good example. They aren't retired from being a Marine of course, its just their duties shift to non-combat areas.

[sockwithaticket]

Dante says - 'Retirement? What the hell is retirement? I've got a millenia on most you and I'm still turning away Hive Fleets. Of course Genestealers were quicker and had sharper claws in 40,392, the ones you get now are barely worthy of the name.'

Edited August 9, 2017 by sockwithaticket

[Mechanicus Tech-Support]

Oh god, Old man "get off my lawn(Baal)" Dante 

[biglou666]

"Only in death does duty end!"

 

Love that quote, but I suppose occasionally an old or seriously wounded marine would serve better as a dedicated artificer or tactician.

[redmapa]

Grey Knight Librarians that are too old for combat retire and tend to captured demons if Im not mistaken, that or the chapter's relics.

 

I think its more rare to see a marine that WANTS to be retired, they are made for war and their only purpose in their 200+ years of life is endless battle against the enemies of man. Retiring would go against their calling so I assume most old marines simply take missions until they die in glorious combat.

[Trevak Dal]

^He used to be a Sternguard Veteran, but then took a Bolter round to the knee :D

Ouch. Like getting shot by a .50 BMG round in the knee.

 

On bionics, I got to thinking they would be more suitable as battlefield/warzone treatment, with a new arm/eye/whatever being regrown and grafted on when the marine could better recooperate and mend. Because despite the Iron Hands' fetish for going hard, bionics can't be stronger than the flesh they are bonded to (they would cause further damage to the surrounding tissues) now short term to get them back in the fight? Yeah I buy it. But not long term. Know that actual cannon plays up the Gothic body horror with the bionics and all that noise but it's pointless even on a super soldier platform (it's why I think Kat was a bad driver in Halo Reach. I cheered when she became a Unicorn.)

[Calyptra]

Huh. I always assumed they all just eventually get eaten by some weird horrible space thing. (Not the same weird horrible space thing each time. I mean weird horrible space things in general.)

 

After all, their mortality rate is *high*, on account of this being the grim darkness of the etc etc.

[Adeptus]

Off the top of my head, there's no record of a marine dying of old age. So I'd say they never retire.

[Brother Casman]

Off the top of my head, there's no record of a marine dying of old age. So I'd say they never retire.

Given their job, I expect none of them really make it to old age!

[Arkangilos]

Off the top of my head, there's no record of a marine dying of old age. So I'd say they never retire.

But there have been provided examples of them being too old for combat and thus filling non-combat roles. Since they fill non-combat roles, but haven't made it to be older than Dante (who as a Blood Angel has a longer life span, with a higher chance of dying due to other causes), we can infer that they eventually die of old age.

[Timur]

"Old Astartes never die, they just fade away."

      

              -Warmaster MacAurthur

[Black Cohort]

No self-respecting space marine would die old and sickly in bed. If they think their time has come they would either head out into the wilds of whatever death world their chapter calls home or insist on being in the vanguard of one final battle. And no chapter worthy of serving the Emperor would refuse a marine from meeting his end in battle, for each member of the chapter knows that if they were in the same situation they would want to die in battle. It would likely be a moment of great sadness for the chapter, an ancient hero of legend going into battle for the final time. No living member of the chapter would remember a time before he was there, for most he would have already been a veteran of many battles. There is probably a really good short story in telling such a tale.

[Ebon Hand]

Keep in mind that warp travel can play havoc with time. Some Space Marines may not truly as old as they are, while others who should be younger could actually be physically older from remaining in real space much longer.

[Acebaur]

Well given that there are marines who are close to a millenia old and still able to fight in combat makes them effectively immortal. I mean you aren't even a veteran until you have have a century or more of experience. Also the immortal bit is actually mentioned in the Horus Heresy novels so that's where that comes from.

[Ciler]

Talking about the heresy novels, I believe that in Flight of the Eisenstein, the apothecary on Garro's  command squad eventually retires from fighting to become a civilian healer.

 

Also, the notion of retiring from active duty may be a relative one. A wounded marine with a bionic may be "too slow" to operate with his usual squad and retired into a training position but is still probably much faster than your average human, and will undoubtably take arms if the chapter world is attacked, for instance.

[Guest]

Off the top of my head, there's no record of a marine dying of old age. So I'd say they never retire.

Considering Bjorn is kicking Magnus around after 10k years, I would say this is true.

 

They do get slower Grimnar, Ulrik and Dante have all been stated to have slowed down and feel the pain in their joints. They are better skilled though Ulrik killing 9 (?) CSM in a single battle to the younger Ragnars 3(?) kills.

 

"Beware the old man in a profession where men die young"

[Leonaides]

Its not like non combatant marines atent given important jobs. Chapter envoy entrusted with representing the chapter in multi chapter talks/diplomacy - would you send a serf with the authority to commit the chapter to war or sour milennia old relations? Overseeing important defence stations around the chapter homeworld? Training installations or recruitment sweeps? Running the day to day administration of a chapter planet or fleet and trusted to know the things that need to bother the chapter master with... master victualler, master of the household, etc

 

All of these are important jobs and ones a damaged/old and non fighting marine can do. Only in death doesnt mean go get dead when you cant fight, it means you serve until your last breath, in any way you can for your chapter and emperor.