Dreams of Democracy Within Extreme Dystopias

Dreams of Democracy within Extreme Dystopias

A Study of the Imperium of Man

Drömmar om Demokrati inom Extrema Dystopier En Studie av Imperium of Man

Patrick Sundkvist

The Department of Language, Literature and Intercultural Studies English C 15,0 Anna Linzie Johan Wijkmark April 15th 2021

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to analyse several of the extreme dystopian elements found in the Warhammer: 40000 megatext and reveal how these elements display critique towards authoritarian policies and philosophy. I opted for a close reading of several texts and analysed several characters’ relationship to the galactic empire known as the Imperium of Man and found themes of suppression of thought, self-existential crises and wishes for freedom. Through my analysis of the megatext of Warhammer: 40000, I argue that it is the governance of the Imperium of Man that creates these humanitarian issues, and, while not an explicit reference, has been influenced by our own human history.

Keywords: Warhammer: 40000, dystopia, literature, authoritarianism, science-fiction, violence, police, leadership, hierarchy, government, law, punishment.

Sammanfattning

Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera ett flertal dystopiska element som existerar i det fiktiva universumet Warhammer: 40000 och påvisa hur dessa element avslöjar kritik riktad mot auktoritär politik och filosofi. Jag valde en fördjupad läsning av ett antal texter och analyserade karaktärernas relation till det galaktiska imperiet Imperium of Man och fann områden vars fokus var förtryck mot yttrandefrihet, existensiella kriser och drömmar om frihet. I min analys av Warhammer: 40000 argumenterar jag att styrelseskicket som etablerats i Imperium of Man skapar dessa humanitära kriser, vilket till viss del blivit inspirerat av mänsklighetens egen historia.

Nyckelord: Warhammer: 40000, dystopi, litteratur, auktoritär, science-fiction, våld, polis, ledarskap, hierarki, regering, lag, straff.

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal Science fiction has been at the forefront of popular culture for close to a century in literature and movies. It has allowed people to escape into a different fictional world, much like fantasy, that provides entertainment and creative inspiration. However, while science fiction can transport readers to different fictional realities, timelines and worlds, it also explores a potential future. Science-fiction can display what our future could potentially be like and depending on who creates it, the future may be imagined as a utopia or a dystopia. This ability to project a wide range of possible future scenarios has led science fiction to become a genre centralised on criticising political ideas and philosophy. Works of science fiction deal with what is empirically possible in the real world while projecting it into a fictional universe with its own laws, people, and governments (Stroud 7). Novels such as Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We published 1921, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World from 1932 and George Orwell’s 1984 from 1949 set the groundwork for what modern, 20th and 21st-century dystopias look like. These books explore what Moylan (xi) argues to be the modern terrors of humanity. These range from state violence, genocide, repression of thought to the devaluation of life and population suppression that is present in every waking moment. The modern terrors of humanity seem to signal its demise. There is one fictional universe that pushes this extreme dystopian repertoire to its absolute peak: Warhammer: 40000.

What began as a board game in 1987 has expanded into its own fictional universe developed in hundreds of books written by multiple authors that have created a dark, dystopian science- fiction megatext where the extreme, authoritarian values of the world of Warhammer: 40000 are represented for readers to discover (Stroud 1). Warhammer: 40000 is set in the Milky Way galaxy and the main focus lies on the Imperium of Man, an empire that indisputably controls the vast majority of the known galaxy. Ideas such as democracy, liberty and humanism are foreign concepts to the Imperium of Man, who only believe that a powerful military and authoritarian rulership can ensure their existence and survival in the galaxy. These dystopian elements are explained in the closing paragraph of the opening page in every Warhammer: 40000 book to date:

To be a man in such times is to be one amongst untold billions. It is to live in the cruellest and most bloody regime imaginable. These are the tales of those times. Forget the power of technology, for so much has been forgotten, never to be re-learned. Forget the promise of progress and understanding, for in the grim dark future there is only war. There is no peace amongst the stars, only an eternity of carnage and slaughter, and the laughter of thirsting gods

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal (Farrer 5).

The extreme nature of this particular dystopia can create a sense of distance from the notion of dystopian visions as potential futures that can be resisted and deflected. A science fiction scholar named Andrew Milner argues that if dystopias take place in a too far-fetched setting with too many extreme elements in play, the audience will not resist the policies and ideas the work presumably critiques (Milner 121). In this essay, I will argue that the extreme dystopia found in the megatext of Warhammer: 40000 can, behind its facade, be interpreted as a critique against authoritarian rulership very similar to the dystopian literature that preceded it. That the Imperium’s use of extreme tyranny, governmental violence, political indoctrination and systematic, organised, classist oppression allows for a reading of the setting’s dystopian elements as a critique towards authoritarianism.

I chose to read two books and a short story for my analysis in this essay. Matthew Farrer’s Enforcer (2018), where we follow the brutal and relentless Calpurnia who serves within the Imperium’s police force, the Adeptus Arbites, who exerts the wrath of the Imperium upon anyone who dares to defy it. Chris Wraight’s Bloodlines (2020), where Agusto Zidarov display the grim inequalities present between the inhabitants of the Imperium and how its own servants resent its governance. Finally, Nicholas Wolf’s short story Miracles (2019) give us tiny glimpses of how the regular factory worker, Jacen, lives and how oppressed those outside the Imperial hierarchy truly are. I chose these books as they portray parts of the Warhammer: 40000 megatext that tend to be overlooked, specifically those that focus on the life of non- military citizens.

To begin with, I will present the political and social structure of the Imperium of Man as it is complex and of vital importance to its critique against authoritarianism. The bureaucratic system of the Imperium will be discussed in this section as it is a critical factor in how the Imperium is governed. The prime focus will be upon its hierarchy, police force (which will be referred to as the Adeptus Arbites throughout this essay), state church (the Ecclesiarchy) and architecture. These all play an essential role in the colonisation of the people’s consciousness, especially considering what is considered to be signs of human nobility, these being the capacity for “faith, obedience and tradition” (Farrer 843).

In the second part of my analysis, I will discuss how and why the hierarchical system of the

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal Imperium and its extreme, puritanical authoritarianism fall apart in the end. In the Enforcer omnibus (2018), the character Dvarov compares the Imperium to a glacier, being “Powerful, rigid, grinding its way forward beyond anyone’s ability to stop” (Farrer 172). However, glaciers eventually melt and collapse. The extreme oppression of the people and the constant power struggles between each different bureaucratic body display how corrupted and non- functional the Imperium is. Neo-Marxist terms such as ‘false ideology’ and ‘colonisation of consciousness’ are important to the analysis of Warhammer: 40000’s power structure and governance (Tyson 55, 60). ‘False consciousness’ is when an ideal functions to mask its own failures, and the real purpose is to promote interests and personal gain to those in power (Tyson 55). When someone, an agency or nation, ‘colonises the consciousness’ of people it means that those in a higher social position convince those in the lower echelons of society to see their situation in a way that benefits the ruling body (Tyson 60). In this essay, I use these terms in a reading of Warhammer: 40000’s megatext to show that this fictional universe in fact operates to expose the grand failures of authoritarian, undemocratic regimes.

I will also integrate aspects of M. Keith Booker’s reading of Foucault’s Discipline and Punish and Orwell’s 1984 in his analysis of literary dystopias, as my arguments based on my readings of Enforcer (2018), Bloodlines (2020) and Miracles (2019) share similarities with Booker’s analysis. His integration of Discipline and Punish in the reading of 1984 is of great value to my analysis of the megatext of Warhammer: 40000. Firstly, Booker’s argument that the Party of Oceania’s ban on religion in 1984 derives from the competition of power and their similarities. The Party and religion both strive and compete for control, power and influence, thus are not able to co-exist (Booker 71). This competition of power between agencies is present in Warhammer: 40000’s megatext and will be explored in this essay. Secondly, Booker’s analysis of Discipline and Punish in regards to how the Party of Oceania utilise less bodily torture on its people and puts greater emphasis on controlling the minds of their subjects is important when analysing the Imperium of Man (Booker 74). Although the Imperium of Man still extensively utilises bodily torture as punishment, it would rather control the minds of its citizens. I also believe that Booker’s analysis of Foucault’s argument in Discipline and Punish, that control of the other is the key to the mastery of the self, needs to be integrated when studying the Imperium of Man (Booker 72).

Two of Paul Verhoeven’s movies will have an integral part of my analysis of the Imperium and the megatext of Warhammer: 40000, that of Robocop (1987) and Starship Troopers

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal (1997). While Robocop acts as perfect parallel between dystopian law enforcement imagined by Paul Verhoeven and the Imperium of Man of Warhammer: 40000, Starship Troopers can be viewed as a parallel of governmental function. Starship Troopers (1997) displays planet Earth as being ruled by a single government, the United Citizen Federation, which has indoctrinated the people of Earth to follow and support their fascist and militaristic world- government with the use of fear and propaganda. The similarities shared between the Imperium of Man and the United Citizen Federation are many, as Starship Troopers has greatly influenced the development of the Warhammer: 40000 megatext. The expected martyrdom of every citizen in Starship Troopers, who has “accepted the responsibility to defend the body politae with his life” (Starship Troopers 1997), is incredibly similar to the slogans of the Imperial Navy which claim that their soldiers are “The Never-Dying Heroes Of The Imperium” (Wraight 77). After my readings of Enforcer (2018), Bloodlines (2020) and Miracles (2019) it is clear that the worlds of Verhoeven’s Robocop and Starship Troopers should be mentioned when analysing the megatext of Warhammer: 40000.

Finally, I want to mention Allen J Stroud’s article “The Evolving Megatext of Fantasy” which played an important role in how I should approach the universe of Warhammer: 40000. While the article’s primary focus is on J. R. R. Tolkien’s megatext of Middle-Earth, its content can also be applied to the Warhammer: 40000 megatext. For example, readers of the megatext of Middle-Earth and Warhammer: 40000 have to accept the fictional depictions of planets, galaxies and invented historical events that have occurred in these universes (Stroud 2). These layers of engagement from both megatexts have created a well of knowledge for fans who want to unravel all of the fictional world’s lore in the same way historians want to uncover a nation’s history (Stroud 4). Every separate faction within the megatext of Warhammer: 40000 has its own lore. I therefore specifically picked the Imperium of Man as I believe it is the faction that suited my arguments the most, as well as being the most developed within the megatext.

The Imperium of Man is structured as, and inspired by, real-world empires and dictatorships such as the Roman Empire and Nazi Germany. Thus, while the Imperium is the home of billions upon billions, the rule of the few applies. Its hierarchical system is vast and complex and could be studied in its own right, and therefore I will provide an image for reference.

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal

A simplified version of the Imperial hierarchy. It follows a feudal structure that reinforces the Imperium’s autocratic values. Those within these different spheres of power make sure that the Imperium’s existence continues. However, the majority of the Imperial populace do not belong to this hierarchy, thus lacking any form of control over their own lives (Image found on https://warhammer40k.fandom.com/wiki/Imperium_of_Man, accessed November 19- 2020).

While gender and racial inequalities that are present in the real world are seemingly absent in Warhammer: 40000, at the heart of this fictional universe we find extreme classism and elitism that involve all aspects of human life. Monetary differences can be seen in stark contrast in Bloodlines (2020) when the main character Zidarov, who works for the Imperium as an Arbites (Imperial equivalent to a policeman) and holds significant authority over many, describes how the mansions of the wealthy nobles differ from the homes and areas of the everyday man. He casually exclaims that “Once you got to Ravenna, sanctioners (police patrols) were no longer required at all, for these urban palaces had their own armies, their own weapons, their own laws'' (Wraight 32). This type of luxury is co-existent with the poverty of people who live in the lower sectors of the massive cities and find happiness in drinkable

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal water or having lockable doors (Wraight 60). To ensure obedience, the Imperial government uses propaganda that sublimely colonises the consciousness to make the population think what the ruling body believes to be most beneficial. In the case of the Imperium, this can be narrowed down to feeding its insatiable need for military recruits. The Imperial military force, known as the Astra Militarum, plays an integral part in securing that people will see its members as martyrs of the Imperium. Recruitment slogans include: “The Emperor’s Arm Reaches To All Worlds! Subscribe To Military Bond Issues! Do Your Duty! Fund The Never- Dying Heroes Of The Imperium.” (Wraight 77). This type of militaristic reinforcement is clearly an inspiration taken from Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers and the propagandistic “They are doing their part, are you?” (Starship Troopers 1997). In her article “Our Future-Our Past: Fascism, Postmodernism and Starship Troopers”, Florentine Strzelczyk argues that romanticising military life will have a remarkable effect on society as a whole, as seen in Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. This rhetoric preys upon those who can find no other way to ‘contribute’ to their government (Strzelczyk 90). Most importantly, this form of rhetoric affects the minds of the youth, ensuring that the conveyed message reaches those most impressionable. Zidarov’s daughter in Bloodlines, for instance, is indoctrinated by the militaristic rhetoric that acts as one of many cogwheels of the machine that is the Imperium of Man. During a heated discussion over the dinner table, Milija, Zidarov’s wife tells their daughter, who wants to join the Imperial army, that “Of course they’ll tell you it’s all glorious. That you’ll be back after a few years. You wouldn’t go, otherwise.” To which their daughter replies by accusing both of her parents of lacking “faith” and “duty” to the Imperium and then promptly leaves the dinner table (Wraight 139).

Those who govern the Imperium do so by birthright and their hierarchical status, legitimising their power and leadership through legacy. The governmental body not only separates itself from its people by wealth, heritage and power but also claims to be intellectually superior to the masses, which means that they are the de facto leaders of the empire (Napolitano 210). This philosophy extends to other hierarchies as well, since those in inferior positions within the hierarchical system have little to no say against those of higher stature. It is also quite clear that the high Imperial society views those who are completely outside of the system as potential threats to humanity as a whole. One example of this disdain towards the common person can be found in Bloodlines (2020). The Arbites Zidarov speaks with Udmil, a wealthy matriarch of a business cartel, and her acquaintances clearly view other people as inferior and a threat to the future of humanity (Wraight 43). The Imperium goes to great lengths to make

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal sure that the hierarchical structure stays this way, no matter how inhumane, cruel or genocidal it may be. Described in detail, the planet Shexia contains “human-waste-sinks,” places where undesirables are herded to for extermination. Simply put, people whose age and/or injuries prevent them from being ‘productive’ members of Imperial society are chased by “Urban Purity Patrols” into sewage marshes to die (Farrer 407).

While these examples portray how the Imperium utilises force to bend its people to the government’s will, there is only one governmental agency that holds the capital of violence against the Imperial populace. The Adeptus Arbites are the police of the Imperium, and their primary objective has been inspired by the actions of the Gestapo, SA (Sturmabteilung), KGB (Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti) and more, which was to ensure the maintaining of the dictatorship (Neumann 452). The Adeptus Arbites are granted vast amounts of authority and are willing to use it and any other means necessary to enforce the Emperor’s will. Instead of creating a feeling of safety for the people, they are the Imperial government’s weapon against the masses. A maxim that Adeptus Arbites zealously adhere to is “To be just, our law must be cruel” (Farrer 153). The chief weaponry of the Arbites is awe and fear, which are both physical and psychological. One firm believer of this maxim is the character from the Enforcer omnibus (2018) Calpurnia, an Arbitor Senioris who describes the brutality found within her profession as “proper Arbites work.” In short, this work mans to enforce the Lex Imperialis (Imperial law) and execute those who break it (Farrer 315). This extreme sense of duty is also found in Zidarov’s Arbites colleague Draj, who views himself as a cleaner of the streets, a person who wipes away the filth from the city (Wraight 215). This view of violence as necessary and lawful fall in line with what Jean Rasczak, the main character’s teacher in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers (1997), tells his students: “The notion that violence doesn’t solve anything is wishful thinking at its worst.” This wish for violent solutions shows that the Arbites are vicious beasts who bash people aside as they were “jungle growth” (Farrer 86). Verhoeven’s interpretation of Starship Troopers attempts to create a world where a militaristic, fascist state is the only one capable of dealing with impending threats to its existence, which explains the violent nature of the Imperium (Crim 17). Grim violence of the Imperial military doctrine also extends into ‘internal threats’ and law enforcement. The word ‘non-lethal’ is non-existent in the vocabulary of the Arbites since anything but lethal violence is considered too lenient to enforce the Lex Imperia (Farrer 89, 139). This further pushes the point that the Arbites do not act as protectors, but enforcers. The Arbites member Zidarov assures that this is the truth, as he claims that the enforcers do not do anything for those who

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal live in fear of them and ignore the troubles of the citizens (Wraight 266). Calpurnia puts great emphasis on this form of apathy when a group of nobles seem to forget their hierarchical position and suggest that “If these people have forgotten that the reach of the Emperor’s own Adeptus is absolute, then I believe that a roundup of all those party attendees… would send the message more efficiently” (Farrer 44).

While the Imperium seemingly views their physical violence as a necessary evil, I will shift focus to the psychological torture that is at the Arbites’ disposal. There are indeed agencies and people who disagree with the statement that modern internet surveillance by governments, corporations, and authorities would not count towards psychological pressure and trauma against people. However, internet surveillance does restrict freedom of speech and thought through censorship and prosecution (Bernal 2012). The Imperium has also put the Arbites in charge of surveilling the population electronically, and it is within their authority to arrest anyone who is found suspicious of any activity the Imperium deem heretical or illegal. Compared to modern internet surveillance, the Adeptus Arbites know everything that is worth knowing about Imperial citizens and bureaucrats. In the megatext of Warhammer: 40000, personal information about Imperial citizens is used to enforce total population control as well as the control of thoughts (Farrer 141).

Interrogations, a rare occurrence in the Imperium since most trivial crimes that fall under physical law are punished by death, are where the Arbites forces express and display their most psychopathic traits. Duress is commonplace and it is not uncommon for the interrogators to not let the interrogation pause or cease until they have extracted every ounce of information (Farrer 195). The interrogation procedure will cause extreme panic and psychological trauma, as seen when the factory worker Jacen is under suspicion for being the sole survivor of a factory explosion that killed thousands of workers. While hysterically trying to prove his innocence, the enforcer tells Jacen that “... in accordance with the Lex Imperialis I have the Emperor mandated authority to kill you, in this very room.” The continual push to admit guilt or involvement is further exacerbated by the fact that Jacen will be considered guilty and be executed if he does not tell everything he knows (Wolf 15). This form of punishment is incredibly close to what Booker argued for in his reading of Discipline and Punish as what the modern form of punishment is. That the Imperium focuses on controlling the minds of the suspects, similar to one of its inspirations, Orwell’s 1984 (Booker 74). The Adeptus Arbites, therefore, cement themselves not as protectors of Imperial citizens, but as enforcers of the Lex

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal Imperia. Their reach is almost immeasurable and they will prosecute anyone within their authority, meaning most of the Imperial hierarchy. However, the Imperium has more ways of ensuring that their authoritarian doctrine is followed to the letter. They utilise an ancient tool to ensure acceptance of their dystopic and totalitarian regime: religion. While acting as an escape for the every-day cruelties of the Imperium, it is important to note that the religious laws are no more forgiving than the Lex Imperialis. Calpurnia points out to a suspect, who is interrogated for crimes both against the church and state, that “We deal with you as the Law demands we deal with criminals, but they will deal with you as faith demands they deal with heretics” (Farrer 200).

In Warhammer: 40000, religion acts as an opiate for the masses and the citizens of the Imperium crave it more and more the lower in the hierarchy they are. Ironically, places of worship such as the Imperial cathedrals and shrines are not welcoming to those of low standing. One of the people who falls into this category is the lower class factory worker Jacen, who doubts if the Emperor hears his prayers for a better life. When he tells his wife about his doubts, she claims that the only reason to why his prayers goes unheard is that he does not pray enough (Wolf 7). Marxist literary critics argue that authoritarian rulership and the state clergy share common interests, often power and control. They act together to keep those with faith satisfied with their life situation, whatever it might be (Tyson 56). The Adeptus Ministorium, more known as the Ecclesiarchy, is the state church of the Imperium. When a citizen is convicted for covering a statue of the Emperor outside a cathedral in mud, the response of the clergymen is that “A citizen who behaved as they should wouldn’t be up there in the first place” (Farrer 363-364). Religion itself instils fear in members of Imperial society, including the Arbites. While the Arbites can challenge the Ecclesiarchy in many aspects of authority, the cathedrals create an ominous and suppressing aura. While Calpurnia is shown to dominate certain members of the Ecclesiarchy outside and inside the Imperial cathedrals, she displays levels of fear whenever visiting one. In one instance, she trembles with fear and woe of what would happen if she would tread on one of the many marbled tiles decorated with the faces of Imperial saints etched onto them (Farrer 69). Religious tradition is sacred throughout the Imperium and the Eccleisiarchy does not tolerate disobedience. They revere the Emperor as an omnipotent God and any other interpretation counts towards heresy. Everything must be followed to the letter. A prime example of this extreme view is when Calpurnia’s senior colleague, Dvarov, helps to prepare her for a planet-specific holy mass. He orders his servants to prepare a sacred meal in advance to instruct Calpurnia how to eat every

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal dish at the table in the proper way and the servants, like the vast majority of the Imperial people, see it as a scandalous, sacrilegious act that borders upon heresy (Farrer 181). Punishments in the Ecclesiarchy are, by modern standards, unethical, cruel and unjustifiable. One of the minor punishments is to be locked in a cage that is raised high up in the rafters of a cathedral and cry Imperial chants until a reverend decides that you are free from sin (Farrer 365). However, according to the clergymen themselves, only the Emperor himself can judge whether or not a sinner’s contrition has outweighed their crimes (Farrer 367). This creates a perpetual state of guilt for sinners since the Emperor is locked in the Golden Throne of Terra which is inaccessible to vast majority of Imperial citizens and statesmen. From an anti- dystopian perspective, outside the fictional lore, these forms of punishment clearly represent that mistakes are not tolerated in the Imperium. It does not matter if your crimes or missteps are related to piety or the law, you have no chance of proving your innocence unless your office or blood can defend you from accusations.

The Imperium of Man utilises architecture both to display who holds the most power and to remind its citizens where they belong. Its architecture evoke feelings of forced submission and dread for the people who looks upon them. For example, within the city of Varangantua, rotary cannons separate the upper and lower parts of the city, meaning the upper and lower hierarchies of the Imperium (Wraight 40). The spatial arrangements reflect the Imperial ideology of not everyone having the same worth and that some are more worth protecting compared to others, much similar to how the Arbites work in regards to whom they inflict violence upon. This architecture of fear characterises all aspects of society, especially the governmental agencies. The precinct headquarters of the Arbites are structured similar to what a modern military base would be. The Wall and the Bastion are military-like complexes filled with interrogation rooms, courtrooms, dangerous weaponry and every ounce of information needed to suppress the unfortunate citizens of the Imperium (Farrer 54) (Wraight 24). The Warhammer: 40000’s megatext develops with every new installation of novels and short stories that can bring new ways of displaying the Imperium’s ruthlessness that it exerts upon its citizens. It lies in the hands of the authors how far they want to push the atrocities that the Imperium commits.

The militaristic oppression and complete scorn of democracy and free will found in the Imperium is reminiscent to the one present in Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. While not an explicit reference to Verhoeven’s work, it is important to understand the similar aesthetics and

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal ideology the Imperium share with the Federation, including their faults (Williams 25). As such, it appears that the Imperium believes itself to be engineered for perfection in the sense that the violent suppression of freedom will ensure continual dominance. However, force and violence cannot suppress the people ruled by the Imperium indefinitely (Neumann 452). According to my readings of the selected works from the Warhammer: 40000 megatext, it is the doctrine and ideology of the Imperium that will lead to its eventual downfall. The main reasoning for this is because the Imperium believes to have full control of its inhabitants when in reality it is on the brink of internal collapse. However, this form of fictional downfall is not only present in Warhammer: 40000. This is now a relatively common trope within dystopian science fiction that was explored in dystopian literature from the early twentieth century, such as in We and The Machine Stops (Moylan 161).

There are several factors that display the extreme failings of Imperial philosophy and society. Three crucial aspects when it comes to analysing these are the psychological harm that affects everyone, the dissent amongst its billions of citizens and the everlasting power struggles between its hierarchies. These power struggles are not only found in the lower reaches of Imperial society but are present across all hierarchies. Firstly, the rigid focus on duty and your designated place in the Imperium creates a mind that cannot accept and understand negative change. Whereas positive change might differ from person to person, or hierarchy to hierarchy, in the Imperium, it most certainly surrounds the aspects of power and authority. In a place where duty and power are placed above your own well-being, the loss of these are devastating. In the last book in Farrer’s omnibus, we see Calpurnia face this dilemma personally. After a trial overseen by Calpurnia spirals into a bloodbath, her power is temporarily chastised until her trial is completed. During this time, she faces an existential crisis that is a result of the Imperium’s harmful dogma. She contemplates if she actually has a place in the Imperium or if she is now an ineffective organ that serves no purpose that needs to be removed, because “Without my duty, what am I?” (Farrer 676). This is similar, yet completely opposite to the main character’s transformation in Verhoeven’s Robocop, that being the policeman Murphy who becomes a cyborg with a singular purpose: to enforce the law during all of the hours of the day (Robocop 1987). Both Calpurnia and Murphy are therefore machines who enforce the law as they have been instructed. However, as Murphy regain pieces of his fractured memory and remember his past life and name, he manages to break free from just being Robocop and retains his lost humanity. This broke his indoctrination, he is no longer a machine that blindly follows programmed orders, but a

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal person who can act on his own judgement. This is freedom is fully realised in the final scene, when the CEO of OCP, the company that made him into a cyborg, asks what his name is and he replies “Murphy” (Robocop 1987). Calpurnia does not and cannot reach this sense of closure because the indoctrional nature of Imperial society is so deeply rooted in her psyche that she cannot see any opportunity or possibility to break free. The suppression of the physical and psychological self within the Imperium has led to the creation of individuals who cannot act on their own without feeling remorse. Similar to the equally indoctrional and authoritarian world of Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, the oppression of the mind has removed the notion of free will. The young protagonist in Starship Troopers (1997), Rico, ask his teacher for advice about what to do with his future. His teacher replies with the ironic answer “Figuring things out for yourself is the only freedom anyone really has, use that freedom” (Starship Troopers 1997). In reality there is no freedom of choice for Rico, as his mind has been subtly tailored by the rulers of the Federation, much akin to how Calpurnia’s has been by the Imperium. However, if the loss of authority and power, as well as the freedom of choice, creates such a feeble and weak psyche, are Calpurnia and the rest of the Adeptus Arbites not the embodiment of zeal and authority, but a husk of a person and organisation that have been engineered into ‘embracing’ duty and is nothing without it? They are slaves and victims of the Imperium as much as those upon whom they inflict violence.

While being a short article, Neumann’s “Dictatorship and Political Police: The Technology of Control by Fear” (1946) manages to pinpoint the results of the violence inflicted by Nazi Germany upon its own populace. Neumann concludes that force cannot forever suppress a nation, let alone an empire, and this may prove true for the future of the Imperium (Neumann 452). Despite the punishments non-conformity might bring, people will still refuse to be shackled by the chains of oppression. The Imperial people’s unhappiness will transform their suppression into resistance and revolution (Neumann 452). This parallel is not restricted to the dystopian setting of the megatext of Warhammer: 40000, but many of its contemporaries as well. In Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers, which attempts to portray a dystopian world as a utopia, the main character Rico’s father tells him that he would rather subject himself to public flogging rather than letting the army ruin his son’s life (Starship Troopers 1997). While this act might seem minuscule from a macro perspective, this singular act of defiance against the supreme authority of the Federation display the underlying dissatisfaction of citizens. When the population care not for physical punishments, it proves Neumann’s argument to be correct. This also pushes the argument further that the Imperium could face

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal this not only on a planetary level, but on a galaxy wide level as well as time goes on.

While Calpurnia acts as an example of how those with authority are damaged and weakened by the Imperium’s rhetoric and ideology, the Arbites member Zidarov is portrayed as a beacon of reason and hope for freedom and equality. Also a member of the Arbites like Calpurnia, he is vocally critical against the Imperium within his home and mind, refusing to fall prey to the colonisation of consciousness that the Imperium wishes upon every citizen. For example, he lets us know that the wealthy nobles and cartels are the most dangerous on his home planet and would not hesitate to use the cruellest methods to overtake their adversaries and those unfortunate enough to be in their way (Wraight 32). Zidarov being an Arbites gives us a perspective that would be heretical and instantaneously punished if found out, because he is an enforcer of the Lex Imperia. It shows that thoughts of resistance and change have infiltrated a vital organ of the Imperium, that those with authority are displeased with the state of society and how it works. Zidarov believes that the Arbites themselves are a flawed organisation that does not focus on the well-being and safety of the people. The Arbites, according to him, are used only to instil fear and terror into the hearts of Imperial citizens and to exert Imperial might upon them (Wraight 266). Most importantly, he strongly believes that the Imperial state religion is a specifically engineered tool to ensure acceptance of poor life quality and opportunities, as well as to indoctrinate the population into believing that martyrdom will lead to salvation. Despite his knowledge of Imperial re-education camps that supposedly will correct you and ensure that your soul continues on the ‘correct’ path, he believes that everyone has a right to question faith (Wraight 249). The militarism of the Imperium, often seen as a uniting factor against its enemies, is also outright refused by the populace in secret. The Imperial tithe is a tithe that every planet, except planets with special purposes or classifications, must pay. It means that every planet must meet a certain quota of how many people must join the Imperial army. Refusing this service is to refuse the Emperor’s will according to the Imperium. However, Zidarov and his wife Milija are doing everything they can to prevent their daughter from throwing her life away in army. Zidarov and Milija have seen through the Imperium’s facade of awaited heroism and know the horrors that would await their daughter in the army (Wraight 78, 100). The reason to why Zidarov’s attitude towards the Imperium is crucial is because it breaks the dystopian narrative structure of Warhammer: 40000. The megatext tends to glorify the Imperium, displaying it as heroic and the only functional government possible. Thus, Zidarov is an anomaly compared to many other characters who follow the established standard of the megatext. He is a rebel protagonist

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal that cannot accept the tyranny the government imposes upon its populace, while still directly working for it.

Similar to how Zidarov breaks the standard of the megatext of Warhammer: 40000, so does the book Bloodlines (2020) when it comes to the standard of dystopian fiction. It breaks one typical pattern that is highly present in dystopian fiction, which is that of not using the first page or chapter to establish a protagonist’s or character’s refusal of the dominant society. Typically, dystopian novels, by the first pages, attempt to weave the reader into the issues present in the novel and the desperate desire and hope for change from the protagonist (Moylan 147). In Bloodlines (2020), the reader is first exposed to Zidarov’s malcontent with Imperial society and philosophy in chapter four in a discussion with his equally rebellious wife, Milija. Zidarov claims to enjoy her voice when it is filled with “outrage and resilience” against the Imperium (Wraight 54).

While the Imperium deems itself to control everything with an iron fist, which has proven to be largely true, one fatal factor is left out: potential power struggles between its multiple agencies. In Booker’s analysis of 1984, he argues that the reason why the Party of Oceania banned religion was that the ultimate goals of the Party and of religion were too similar. Both would compete for power and energy in the nation which would cause an ideological split that would inevitably spiral into conflict (Booker 71). My readings of the Enforcer (2018) omnibus, Bloodlines (2020) and Miracles (2019) are heavily indebted to Booker’s reading of 1984. The balance of power between the Imperial agencies is incredibly similar to what Booker highlights in his reading of 1984. The constant infighting between every single agency in the Imperium is the result of giving every agency vast amounts of authority that will inevitably lead to conflicts. Combine this with the issue of power and authority being connected to your personality in the Imperium, and national crises can be created from what started as a personal insult. Farrer’s omnibus illuminates the severe pitfalls and negative effects the hierarchical system has upon the people and agencies. It is never clear who holds the most authority since, despite the clear hierarchical structure of the Imperium, power is still ambiguous. The Arbites and Ecclesiarchy are shown to have constant small-scale conflicts between them that range between punishments, enforcement of physical and religious law, and authority over the masses. In the first parts of the omnibus, Calpurnia and a clergyman push each other to the brink. Both try to counter the other’s authority with venomous interpretations of their own authority and place in Imperial society (Farrer 147-148, 150).

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal However, Calpurnia thoroughly state that the Lex Imperialis is unalterable and will punish everyone equally, no matter your place in Imperial society. She expresses that the population needs to understand that the law is equally horrific to all, emphasising that “To stand upon the bedrock of the Law is our greatest duty. To presume to stand above it is our worst heresy” (Farrer 202).

While Imperial maxims describe the Imperium’s purity, dedication to law and order, piety and greatness, all of them can be questioned when putting Imperial society under scrutiny. There are several examples of corruption in Bloodlines (2020) where certain individuals have indeed been above the law, certainly beyond its grasp. One of these examples is Zidarov’s senior officer of the Arbites, the castellan in the city of Varangantua. This castellan is ultimately a pawn of the Jazc cartel, one of many criminal cartels that commit illegal acts throughout the planet. The corruption runs so deep that the Arbites of Varangantua would be insolvent without the aid of the Jazc cartel (Wraight 237, 244). Thus, despite the rhetoric of the Imperium and the Adeptus Arbites being incorruptible and pure, that the law is equal upon all who break it, corruption is ripe. It renders Calpurnia’s saying false and incorrect, and it displays the false consciousness that Warhammer: 40000 presents its readers. At first glance, many who lack the insights of the fictional universe would consider it, much similar to Verhoeven’s interpretation of Starship Troopers (1997), a glorification of fascism and militarism. Yet, when putting the universe of Warhammer: 40000 under scrutiny, it reveals two warnings; not only the dystopian promises of the loss of freedom and democracy but that our history may repeat itself on levels of extremity that has yet to be seen.

The fans of Warhammer: 40000 hold frequent discourses regarding the fictional universe. Onlookers or those not well-versed in popular culture could assume that these conversations would focus on favourite characters and more light-hearted events. Contrary to what might be assumed, these discourse are often focused on the lore, the ethics present in-universe and how the authoritarian Imperium of Man will eventually crumble. A common topic of discussion relates to how the protagonists in the novels focusing on the Imperium are depicted. Generally in dystopian fiction, we can identify the hero based on their more righteous character traits. If I were to draw a comparison between Warhammer: 40000 and another fictional dystopian universe where similar discussions are being held, Star Trek: Deep Space 9 share plenty of similarities. The most striking similarity between the two can be found in the recurring character traits for the protagonists. None are made to be an archetypal heroic character with

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal the traits that fit the stereotype. Yet, we cannot call them anti-heroes either since they indeed have motives and clear ethics that they act upon. These may range from justifying slavery, genocide and purification of the galaxy of anomalies, but they are all considered viable ethics in these universes (Napolitano 201, 219). This, to some degree, disproves Milner’s claim that fictional universes, countries and events that are portrayed too extreme will not sow the seeds of resistance towards said extreme policies. However, there are fans whose vision has been obscured by the Imperial philosophy and excuse the atrocities of the Imperium of Man as being necessary. They claim that the Imperium is the lesser evil in a galaxy where larger threats loom and that the way the Imperium is ruled is the only viable form of governance. Authorial intention is typically not a factor in modern literary analysis, but these previously mentioned discourses between readers show why it is important to understand the intentional message the writers convey. While hidden from many readers’ plain sight, or simply ignored by them, the Imperium is an amalgamation of every free human’s fear and functions as a reminder that we should be critical towards authoritarian regimes. Although, there are no direct calls to action of resistance against a fictional empire, it displays that the authoritarian philosophy that the Imperium is founded upon is resisted and that Milner’s argument cannot be applied to every work of dystopian fiction.

When I began my research for this essay, I was surprised by the lack of studies that revolved around Warhammer: 40000. Contemporary universes such as Star Trek, Star Wars and Starship Troopers are frequently brought up in discourses that revolve around popular culture and how it references religion, politics, and philosophy. I strongly believe that with its coherent and ever-evolving megatext, Warhammer: 40000 should have a place in academic discourses like its inspirators and contemporaries. The Imperium of Man, and the setting of Warhammer: 40000 in its totality, is worthy of further study and should be put under scrutiny from more angles in the future since it is too vast of a subject to be completely described and analysed in a single essay.

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Confidentiality: C2 - Internal Works cited

Primary Farrer, Matthew. Enforcer. Nottingham, UK, Black Library, 2018.

Wolf, Nicholas. Miracles. Nottingham, UK, Black Library, 2019. (Accessed via Fictional E- Book Reader 2020).

Wraight, Chris. Bloodlines. Nottingham, UK, Black Library, 2020.

Secondary Bernal, Paul. “Turning the Tables.” Index on Censorship, vol. 41, no. 4, 2012, pp. 87–91.

Booker, M. Keith. The Dystopian Impulse in Modern Literature: Fiction as Social Criticism. Greenwood Press, 1994.

Crim, Brian E. “'A World That Works': Fascism and Media Globalization in Starship Troopers.” Film & History, vol. 39, no. 2, 2009, pp. 17–25.

Milner, Andrew. “Science Fiction and Dystopia.” Locating Science Fiction, 1st ed., vol. 44, Liverpool University Press, 2012, p. 121. Accessed through Linnaeus University Library in September 2020.

Moylan, Tom. Scraps of the Untainted Sky: Science Fiction, Utopia, Dystopia. Westview, 2000.

Napolitano, Marc. “Reshaping the Universe in an Amorphous Image.” Science Fiction Film and Television, vol. 5, no. 2, 2012, pp. 201, 219. Accessed through Linnaeus University Library in September 2020.

Neumann, Franz L. “Dictatorship and Political Police: The Technology of Control by Fear.” Vol. 61, no. 3, 1946, pp. 451–453.

Stroud, Allen J. “The Evolving Megatext of Fantasy.” The BFS Journal 18, 2018.

Confidentiality: C2 - Internal Strzelczyk, Florentine. “Our Future—Our Past: Fascism, Postmodernism, and Starship Troopers (1997).” Modernism/Modernity (Baltimore, Md.), vol. 15, no. 1, 2008, pp. 87–99.

Verhoeven, Paul, director. Robocop. Orion Pictures, 1987, rented and watched on the Google Play store in October 2020.

Verhoeven, Paul, director. Starship Troopers. Sony Pictures Releasing, 1997, play.google.com/store/movies/details/Starship_Troopers?id=BOXowiEhhK8&hl=sv. Watched October 2020.

Williams, Paul. “Starship Troopers, the War on Terror and the Spectacle of Censorship.” Science Fiction Film and Television, vol. 2, no. 1, 2009, pp. 25–44.

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