Editing Servitor (section)

==Making a Servitor==
The [[Adeptus Mechanicus]] [[Grimdark|selects folks from the population to convert them into these physically-augmented and lobotomised cyborgs]]. Fortunately for MOST people, the vast majority of servitors are taken from vat grown clone-stock (cloning is something we don't hear about all that much in 40k, except for its [[Fabius Bile|heretical perversions]], but seems to be a fairly stable technology.) Less savory sources of servitors include such criminals as are considered too heinous to be placed in prisons, yet cannot be classified by the Ecclesiarchy as true "[[Heresy|heretics]]". (For which [[Blam|Capital Punishment]] is the first sentence unless repentant. The [[Adeptus Mechanicus|Martian priesthood]], on the other hand, seems to think reduction to servitor-hood a very apt punishment for ''techno''-heresy.)

The population drawn for lobotomy and servitorization(?) upon can range from murderers and rapists unaffliated with Chaos (hopefully; any such taint might wind up with [[Daemon|unexpected complications]]) whose crimes are essentially base and banal, that is, those of revenge, spite, gang violence, apathy to others, etc., all the way down, in at least some places, to people who steal from an [[Ecclesiarchy]] donation box, even coming crashing down to some poor worker who was in proximity to a fuckup or a crime when people started thinking it was best if ''someone'' was punished. Still grimdark. One might expect that in many places the number of crimes that are punishable by servitorhood [[Grimdark|grows in proportion]] to the need for servitors. Although, simply giving workers the augmetics needed for a servitor's job would probably be a lot cheaper and easier than going all the way with the conversion.

[[Space Marine]]s have their own source of servitors: failed initiates. GeeDubs likes to play up how grimdark the Space Marines are by making [[gene-seed]] implantation surgery sound really deadly, but a big portion of "failures" actually survive. Those who survive intact join the [[Chapter Serf]]s, while any vegetables are lobotomized to become servitors. Waste not want not, after all. If you take the time and fuel to pick up those teenagers from that backwater feudal world, you want to get the most bang for your buck. Sometimes literally, in the case of the [[Hunter Multi-Launcher Vehicle]].

[[Games Workshop]] are actually quite consistent about the fact that most Servitors are generally blank-slates that are not even considered people and exist only to fulfil their assigned tasks. Vat-grown servitors (sometimes called ''replicae'') are simply considered property as it would be [[Heresy]] to think of them as real people, whilst former human-servitors are generally mind-wiped unless they were created for a very specific reason, scrubbing away their former personalities and leaving nothing left to relate to.

However, what is not consistent is how much is actually left behind of the mind, as in some novels Servitors are fully capable of sustaining conversations and feeling simple emotions like panic, whilst other stories portray them as absolutely mindless to the point of stupidity; stubbornly performing their tasks even after years of irrelevance or during situations which are extremely not helpful. It should be noted that Tech-Priests have said that the degree of mind wiping required to make someone into a servitor is ill defined and by it's nature a case-by-case thing with a fair bit of grey area. This can be explained due to technical difference between Hive Worlds and the nature of the subjects used to make servitors. Some criminals, especially those guilty of tech heresy, are not brain-dead but left in an "[[TVTropes|And I Must Scream]]" state; [[grimdark|they have their consciousness severed from their motor functions, but left intact. They are doomed to perform their endless menial tasks while being fully conscious and aware of their surroundings.]]

So generally it boils down to whatever purpose they are designed for. Of course, some writers like to dial up the grimderp, having stories where psykers see the state of stunted agony the souls of ALL servitors are subjected and there is at least one novel where a guy who was turned into a servitor but managed to be brought back (almost) to normal revealed all servitors are somehow aware of their lobotomized state. We ''really'' do hope these are just results of lack of coordination within Black Library writing staff otherwise it's just another brick more of unnecessary edginess in everyone's favourite scifi setting.

[[Warhammer 40K: Darktide]] has them operating the Medicae Stations which the players use to heal, and makes it painfully obvious that these servitors are tortured by their continued existence after the station runs out of charges, saying stuff like they can feel their minds slip away or begging the players to take them with them as they're so lonely.