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[Tack]

I keep forgetting that’s not a soul-drinker specific thing.
But yeah. Technically all of the secrets should have been laid bare with enough zombiechomping.

[Grim Portent]

come to think of it, couldnt a sm om nom on an ethereal and gain its memory?

Probably, the memory uptake isn't perfect and they really don't like doing it though. The Tau are also really good at keeping Ethereal bodies out of enemy hands and pretending they never died in the first place, so I doubt the opportunity has ever come up at a time when the marines felt it was necessary.

[nenjin]

Also I thought SDs had a mutation to the organ which made their recall more intense and detailed.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

My assumption would be that the braineater quality only really works on humans and is lossy even then.

[Grim Portent]

My assumption would be that the braineater quality only really works on humans and is lossy even then.

It canonically works on aliens too, but it's usually only used to gain knowledge of how to do things like drive xenos vehicles in desperate situations. Memories gained are usually temporary and partial, as well as very unpleasant for the Astartes mind to process.

Also according to Siege of Castellax ork brains taste terrible.

[sprinkled chariot]

When Fabius Bile orchestrated Lucius the eternal and whole emperors children noise marine band sudden release in Comorragh to spook of Haemonculi,
he used his ( whatever this astartes organ for getting info out of eaten stuff ) to read books and parchment scrolls in haemunculi archives by EATING THEM.
So it is probably effecient enough to read scientific literature.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Fabius Bile is somewhat of an outlier. In many ways.

[Tack]

Turns out he hacked his.

[smjjames]

My assumption would be that the braineater quality only really works on humans and is lossy even then.

It canonically works on aliens too, but it's usually only used to gain knowledge of how to do things like drive xenos vehicles in desperate situations. Memories gained are usually temporary and partial, as well as very unpleasant for the Astartes mind to process.

Also according to Siege of Castellax ork brains taste terrible.

Considering that they're supposed to be wierd fungus-like (and yet not remotely fungus-like) organisms....

[Rolan7]

Same, I'm surprised they have brains at all.  I'm sure they die from headshots, but only because that's what they expect to happen.  If they notice.

[Akura]

And their name isn't Ghazghkull. Then they just become the prophet of their entire race.

[Egan_BW]

Have you ever like, wondered why the emperor built brain-eating into his supersolders? Just because he can, basically?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

It's an immensely valuable espionage ability. Let's you skip right past all the torturing people for information and wondering if you know the truth. Just eat Putin's brain.

[Grim Portent]

The in universe explanation is probably something to do with learning passcodes and how to operate machinery as well as some tactical/strategic information. It's quicker to eat a guy's brain and learn the way to open a door or shut off a defense system than it is to hack it or blow it up.

From a meta-perspective who knows. The Astartes were originally gangs of marauding thugs who grew organs in slaves and served as a form of militarised police a lot of the time. Not sure if the unique organs were all from Rogue Trader days or not, but it wouldn't surprise me.

[nenjin]

It's just one more tool in the toolbox to make them the ultimate soldier. They don't just know their enemies by the weapons or tactics they use. They can know them through and through, brain to balls.

I suspect use of the organ fell out of favor though in the latter years of 40k, what with HERESY being more central than ever to the 40k universe. I can't imagine getting any closer to a moral threat than eating it and experiencing something else's perspective.