Editing Nobledark Imperium Imperial Society and Culture (section)

== Aspects of Steel ==

ASPECTS OF STEEL (selected passages from the article Entertainment In The Imperium: An Overview, available from the Rhetor Imperia’s Socio-Analysis Indices, or Trazyn The Infinite’s Necron-nomicon)

A holo-film series of the old “buddy-Arbiter” genre, its ten installments (although not even the producers will acknowledge the studio-mandated attempted reboot that was the sixth film), five mini-series, and whole host of graphic novels and literary works, all focusing on an investigation team consisting of a young and brash Aspect Warrior, and a cynical, retired Space Marine assigned to the (fictional) Arbites Department of Special Investigations. Originally lauded by critics for its flipping of the traditional Eldar/Human stereotypes and its accurate showing of inter-species relationships in the Imperium, the series also features large explosions, cheesy (yet memorable) dialogue, and sensible tactics, all wrapped together in a near-propagandistic package whose tone has been described as, in the words of one reviewer, “Imperium, FUCK YEAH!”. Major characters in this series include:

'''Brother Yakov''' — The last survivor of the (fictional) Steel Heralds chapter, Yakov is a world-weary, cynical man seeking revenge against the mysterious forces that destroyed his chapter while he was on leave. He often gets the best lines — most of which are improvised by his actor, who is an actual Astartes who was forcibly retired from frontline duty. Yakov is the stabilizing force of the series, bringing hard-earned wisdom to the other characters.

'''Aspect Warrior Loriel Zig''' — Young, brash, and slightly naïve, Zig's often ill-considered actions tend to make the plot more complicated. He joined the Arbites because — in his own words from the first film — “I have a burning need for GREAT JUSTICE!”  (The famous response from Yakov? “The Medicae have many treatments for burning sensations.”)

'''Senior-Sister Katana''', of the Convent of The Watchful Sword — Obsessed with Brother Yakov, who fought beside her mother in the ambush that wiped out the Steel Heralds, this young hot-shot from a Convent Securitas is a capable investigator. However, her desire to prove herself to Brother Yakov often leads to her investigations working at cross-purposes to his. Part rival, part ally, all unrequited love interest, Katana often pushes Yakov into uncomfortable situations, while he tries to mellow her out. Her character has become more nuanced over the film series, going from a one-dimensional stalker who, in her words, "is the kind of person that get called to put rebel Astartes down" to a more competent, if still quirky, associate. The producers are well aware of the fans that want them in a relationship, and constantly torment them with teases such as almost-kisses and failed seduction attempts. The closest the pair have ever come to having an actual romantic moment is when the two held their helmets together right before the big space combat scene of the tenth film.

Interestingly enough, there is an Securitas focused Convent named the Watchful Sword, and it does count amongst its sisters one Senior-Sister Katana. The real Sister Katana looks and acts nothing like the character and refuses to change her appearance to match. That job, she argues, belongs to her younger sister Tanto, who does look and act like the character, but is a Hospitaller.

'''Rilus Vespid''' — Introduced first in the failed reboot that was the six film after representation issues were raised, he was just about the only part of said film that was actually liked by audiences and was therefore reintroduced in the seventh (with a slightly modified backstory). Rilus is a Tau Inquisitor of the Minor Ordo Altum, and has that very Tau cynical optimism. He often teams up with Katana, and his character alone has tripled the number of explosions seen on-screen as he uses drones to drop detpacks on his enemies. His actor is just as good at improvising lines as Yakov’s, leading to them combining forces to use the official sets and props to film their own parody of the series in the middle of filming the eighth film.

'''The Shattered Banner''' — The conspiracy that serves as the driving antagonist of the series, seeking to break the Imperium apart as it thinks the entire setup is too large to succeed.

'''Explosions''' — Seen so often that even the cast references them as a character in actor commentaries. Currently the biggest explosion of the series comes from the climax of the tenth film, where the main characters smuggled an Exterminatus warhead onto a Chaos-corrupted battlecruiser trying to crash into Craftworld Alaitoc, and used the ensuing shockwave to propel themselves to safety atop a hull plate.

In greater Imperial culture, the series is best known for its very memorable lines, which often find their way into even the Emperor’s speeches (he has, intentionally or otherwise, quoted the entirety of Brother Yakov’s “Fuck The Apocalypse” speech from memory on three separate occasions). One line that has been quoted by almost every Astartes alive is: “Nowhere in the Codex Astartes does it say that I have to put up with your shit”, to which nearby Eldar respond with: “Yeah, but you have to put up with yours until the new filters get here”. If nothing else, this series has still earned its place in history.