The Black Templars in ‘Warhammer 40,000,’ explained
The Black Templars in Warhammer 40,000 have a simple mission statement: “The galaxy is the Emperor’s, and anyone or anything who challenges that claim is an enemy who must be destroyed.”
Nobody knows the true size of the Templar fighting force, but estimates range around the 5,000 mark. Their war cry, “No Pity! No Remorse! No Fear!” perfectly sums up their attitude in battle and their psychotic hatred of all things unhuman.
The origins of the Black Templars are steeped in mystery. After the chaos caused by the Horus Heresy, the first Chapter Master of the Templars emerged – Sigismund. Already a veteran commander, Sigismund relished command of this new elite fighting force. He would constantly preach to his already fanatical men, repeatedly telling them that “zeal makes all things possible, duty makes all things simple.”
To prove his loyalty in those dark times, Sigismund immediately set about declaring a Crusade. Little did he know it would last for the next 10,000 Standard Years. Now in the present time, warriors in the unit sport bolt guns and chainswords to bring what they see as the light of the Imperium of Man into the darkest recesses of the Galaxy. Soldiers in the order are called battle-brothers, and see themselves as the best of humanity. The Templars tend to shun psykers (those with psychic powers), seeing them as less than human and unclean.
Anyone wanting to join the Templars must already be a zealous warrior. The brutal training program eliminates the weak and the half-committed, leaving only an elite core. Constant rounds of psycho-indoctrination and scripture recitals condition the recruits’ minds to kill all xenos and heretics on sight, and feel good about doing it. A Black Templar never questions their
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