Excuse me Giant Bomb, but I have a question. Why the hell do we call army men in space Space Marines? I mean, I understand that Warhammer 40K did it first and everyone's just referencing it, but if you think about it it really makes no sense at all. Doesn't marine imply water? There is no water in space, and personally I don't really think water and space are all that similar. 
 
Also, Space Marines don't even fight in space, they fight on planets. Wait, do marines fight on the ground too? I don't really know.  
 
Anyways I'm sure someone more knowledgable about Marines and Marining and Mariners and Marinas can fill me in. 

I'm pretty sure that marines don't just fight in water.

Also, it was so that they could make a chapter called the Ultramarines and sell a paint called ultramarine blue.

Space Air Force makes no sense

Space Coast Guard makes no sense

Marines are on ships

Space Marines are on spaceships

They're called Space Marines because space is essentially the ocean but you cant just call them marines so you have to add space.

US marines were called marines because they were naval vessel infantry at some point. And the job changed, the name stayed, then some dork invented Warhammer and the rest is history.

Space Air Force makes no sense

Space Coast Guard makes no sense

Marines are on ships

Space Marines are on spaceships

By that logic ships float on water. Therefore using a  "ship" in space doesn't make sense.

SpaceCrafts maybe?

@FourWude: Well, sea ships sail the sea, and space ships sail the stars so...

Starcrafts?

how about this: Astro=space, naut=nautical

an Astronaut is a space sailor, so people who are badass in space get to be Space Marines.

@FourWude: Well, sea ships sail the sea, and space ships sail the stars so...

Starcrafts?

This was probably how Blizzard came up with the name. We're just retreading history at this point.

You know what, fuck it, all space"ships" from hereon should be called 'submarines', because it would make no sense at all.

'DeepSpace Submariners' is what space marines should be called from hereon out. And if I ever invent my own space universe, they'll be damn sure to feature.

For the Emperor!

how about this: Astro=space, naut=nautical

an Astronaut is a space sailor, so people who are badass in space get to be Space Marines.

Probably because Space Soldier sounds stupid.

lets just call them space jarheads and be done.

@Axxol said:

Space Seamen

@supermike6: Marines absolutely fight on the ground. They are amphibious forces. In fact, they even have air units. Marines are really just all purpose warriors. They fight everywhere, and are usually the ones on the front lines. And considering that most fictions consider space fleets 'naval' it's appropriate that Space Marines be Space Marines.

The Marines are absolutely a fighting force in the Middle East right now, even in landlocked countries, they fight. I'm actually trying to join, and my recruiter is trying to get me a job with tanks. So yeah, the US Marines of today are all over. They are often stationed aboard ships, but they also are the US embassy guards, they use tanks, AAVs, and I believe they have air units. I want to say Harriers are totally a Marine thing? I know there are Marine pilots. So they must fly something :p

It really all comes down to "spaceships" vs just plain old "ships" and how that interacts with the term "Marine".

You're thinking too hard.

@Mysterion: Why have I never seen this group until like a few days ago and now it shows up fucking EVERYWHERE? Stop posting Girls generation, pleeeease people.

They probably started out as regular old marines on earth or some other planet, then eventually they started operating in space, and they just added a "space" in front of "marine".

Marines get their name because they are the infantry under the banner of the Navy and would, in the earlier days of the military particularly, enter conflict through the water in some manner. Nowadays, Marines enter in all manner of ways.

In science fiction, space ships get their naming conventions (sickbay, brig, bridge, etc) and their command structure cues from the Navy as their analogue, Star Trek being the most obvious example. So in turn, the military units are also often called Marines.

@Mysterion: I hate cultural trends.

@Mysterion: I hate cultural trends.

WE FIGHT FOR MACRAGGE AND WE SHALL KNOW NO FEAR!

I'd play the shit out of a game called Space Seaman.

Cause space terms use nautical language. Period.

@FourWude said:

@Dany said:

Space Air Force makes no sense

Space Coast Guard makes no sense

Marines are on ships

Space Marines are on spaceships

By that logic ships float on water. Therefore using a "ship" in space doesn't make sense.

SpaceCrafts maybe?

Hulled vessel = ship.

40k didn't do it first by the way; Aliens was I believe the first one to coin the term. 

Marines get their name because they are the infantry under the banner of the Navy and would, in the earlier days of the military particularly, enter conflict through the water in some manner. Nowadays, Marines enter in all manner of ways.

In science fiction, space ships get their naming conventions (sickbay, brig, bridge, etc) and their command structure cues from the Navy as their analogue, Star Trek being the most obvious example. So in turn, the military units are also often called Marines.

@FourWude said:

@Dany said:

Space Air Force makes no sense

Space Coast Guard makes no sense

Marines are on ships

Space Marines are on spaceships

By that logic ships float on water. Therefore using a "ship" in space doesn't make sense.

SpaceCrafts maybe?

Hulled vessel = ship.

2. An aircraft or spacecraft.

SpaceCraft.

How does your face make any sense at all... huh... HUH!?! You probably didn't think about that!

Derp!

Because it sounds cool.

These guys are called space marines because. Like ryanwho notes, the app has superseded original conditions. Their story is apparently intimately wrapped up with that of the emperor hisself, yet just a facet of that universe.

@supermike6 said:

There is no water in space, and personally I don't really think water and space are all that similar.

Theres quite a bit of water in space.

Never doubt The Corps, son.  
 
@Mysterion:   Makes perfect sense to me.  Where do I enlist?

Starriors?

Because Space makes everything better, just like Guile's theme and Vinny.

Given the function large spacefaring vessels fill in most fictions, it makes sense to think of them as ships, and thus they fall under the Navy. From there, the servicemen who are stationed on those ships are generally Navy if their duties are concerned with ship operation, or Marine if they are combat units who protect and/or deploy from the ship.
 
The term "Marine" does originate from the the idea of fighting on the sea, aboard ships, but it is not limited to that in the modern world. We had Marines fighting on the ground in the Middle East, for example. When extending today's definition into a world where we have colonized other planets, it isn't a stretch to have the troops who deploy to fight on those planets be Marines.