Starship Troopersis an Americanmilitary science fictionmedia franchisebased on the 1959novel of the same namebyRobert A. Heinleinand thesatirical1997 film adaptationby screenwriterEdward Neumeierand directorPaul Verhoeven.
| Starship Troopers | |
|---|---|
 Official franchise logo | |
| Created by |
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| Original work | Starship Troopers(1959) |
| Owners |
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| Years | 1959–present |
| Print publications | |
| Novel(s) | Starship Troopers(1959) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) | Starship Troopers(1997) |
| Animated series |
|
| Television film(s) | Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation(2004) |
| Direct-to-video | |
| Games | |
| Traditional | |
| Role-playing | Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game(2005) |
| Video game(s) | |
| Miscellaneous | |
| Pinball | Starship Troopers(1997) |
| Official website | |
| starshiptroopers | |
Setting
editThe series is set hundreds of years in the future, after a collapse ofWestern democracyand many resulting wars. In this future, human society is now ruled by the Terran Federation, agovernment run by military veterans.Military service is voluntary, but required to earn the full rights of citizenship, such as holding office and voting.
Much of the series focuses on the experiences of Juan "Johnny" Rico and the lessons he learns enlisting in military service along with his hometown friends, Carmen Ibanez (a love interest who becomes a pilot) and Carl (who, in the films, is shown as being apsychicwho joins military intelligence). Johnny joins the 'Mobile Infantry', the primaryfoot soldiersof the Federation (depicted in the book as having advanced armored suits equipped withjetpacksandnuclear weapons). While Johnny is in training, an alien species known as the "Arachnids" attacksBuenos Aires,resulting in the death of Johnny's family (only his mother in the books, his entire family in the film). After this, the Federation goes to war and the series follows their attempts to defeat the "bugs", especially by capturing part of the Arachnid ruling class.
Novel
editStarship Troopers(1959)
editAt some point between 1958 and 1959,Robert Heinleinput aside the novel that would becomeStranger in a Strange Landand wroteStarship Troopers.His motivation arose partially from his anger at US PresidentDwight Eisenhower'sdecision to suspend US nuclear tests,and the Soviet tests that occurred soon afterward.[1]Writing in his 1980 volumeExpanded Universe,Heinlein would say that the publication of a newspaper advertisement placed by theNational Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policyon April 5, 1958, calling for a unilateral suspension ofnuclear weapons testingby the United States sparked his desire to writeStarship Troopers.[2]Heinlein and his wifeVirginiacreated the "Patrick Henry League"in an attempt to create support for the US nuclear testing program. Heinlein stated that he used the novel to clarify his military and political views.[3]
Like many of Heinlein's books,Starship Trooperswas completed in a few weeks. It was originally written as ajuvenile novelfor New York publishing houseScribner;Heinlein had previously had success with this format, having written several such novels published by Scribner. The manuscript was rejected, prompting Heinlein to end his association with the publisher completely, and resume writing books with adult themes.[1][4][5]Scholars have suggested that Scribner's rejection was based on ideological objections to the content of the novel, particularly its treatment of military conflict.[4][6]
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fictionfirst publishedStarship Troopersin October and November 1959 as a two-partserialtitledStarship Soldier.[5]
Commentators have written thatStarship Troopersis not driven by its plot, though it contains scenes of military combat. Instead, much of the novel is given over to a discussion of ideas.[7]In particular, the discussion of political views is a recurring feature of what scholar Jeffrey Cass described as an "ideologically intense" book.[8]A 1997 review inSaloncategorized it as a "philosophical novel".[9]Critics have debated to what extent the novel promotes Heinlein's own political views. Some contend that the novel maintains a sense of irony that allows readers to draw their own conclusions; others argue that Heinlein is sermonizing throughout the book, and that its purpose is to expound Heinlein's militaristic philosophy.[8]
Films
editLive-action
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starship Troopers | November 7, 1997 | Paul Verhoeven | Edward Neumeier | Jon Davison Alan Marshall |
| Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation | April 24, 2004 | Phil Tippett | Jon Davison | |
| Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | August 5, 2008 | Edward Neumeier | David Lancaster |
Future
editIn December 2011, film producerNeal H. Moritzannounced plans to produce arebootof theStarship Troopersfilm franchise.[10]In November 2016, Columbia and Moritz announced the writing team ofMark SwiftandDamian Shannonhad been signed to pen the screenplay.[11]Verhoeven expressed skepticism at the proposed remake, citing reports that it draws heavily from the original militaristic 1959 novel.[12]
Animated
edit| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starship Troopers: Invasion | August 28, 2012 | Shinji Aramaki | Flint Dille | Shinji Aramaki Joseph Chou Shigehito Kawada |
Joseph Chou |
| Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars | August 21, 2017 | Shinji Aramaki Masaru Matsumoto |
Edward Neumeier | Joseph Chou Max Nishi Tomi Hashimoto |
Television
edit| Series | Episodes | First released | Last released | Showrunner(s) | Network(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starship Troopers | 6 | October 25, 1988 | December 17, 1988 | Tetsurō Amino | — |
| Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles | 36 + 4 clip shows | August 30, 1999 | April 3, 2000 | Richard Raynis | BKN |
Video games
edit| Video game | U.S. release date | Developer | Publisher | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starship Troopers[13] | 1979 | Dendron Amusements | Dendron Amusements | CP/M |
| Starship Troopers | 1997 | MGA Entertainment | MGA Entertainment | Handheld LCD game |
| Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy | October 23, 2000 | Blue Tongue Entertainment | Hasbro Interactive | Windows |
| Starship Troopers | October 27, 2005 | Strangelite | Empire InteractiveandDestineer | Windows |
| Starship Troopers: Terran Command | June 16, 2022 | The Artistocrats | Slitherine Software | Windows |
| Starship Troopers: Extermination | May 17, 2023 (early access) | Offworld Industries | Offworld Industries | Windows |
Cast and characters
editList indicator(s)
- This table shows the principal characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film or video game, or that the character's presence in the film or video game has not yet been announced.
- AVindicates a voice only role.
Reception
editCritical and public response
edit| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starship Troopers | 63% (63 reviews)[14] | 51 (20 reviews)[15] | C+[16] |
| Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation | 33% (6 reviews)[17] | — | — |
| Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | 50% (6 reviews)[18] | — | — |
| Starship Troopers: Invasion | — (4 reviews)[19] | — | — |
| Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars | — (4 reviews)[20] | — | — |
References
edit- ^Both Neumeier and Verhoeven are involved on the writing of the movie; the former received the screenplay credit. Four of the five films that form the main continuity of the movie universe (including the first movie itself) were written by Neumeier.
- ^abGifford, James (1996)."The Nature of Federal Service in Robert A. Heinlein'sStarship Troopers"(PDF).RetrievedMarch 4,2006.
- ^Heinlein 2003,pp. 468–469.
- ^Heinlein 2003,pp. 468–469, 481–482.
- ^abSamuelson, David N. (1979). "Starship Troopers". In Magill, Frank N. (ed.).Survey of Science Fiction Literature: Volume V.Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey,US: Salem Press. pp. 2173–2177.ISBN0-89356-199-1.
- ^ab"Biographies of Robert and Virginia Heinlein".The Heinlein Society.RetrievedMarch 4,2006.
- ^Crim, Brian E. (2009). ""A World That Works": Fascism and Media Globalization in Starship Troopers ".Film & History.39(2): 17–29.doi:10.1353/flm.0.0105.S2CID155012971.
- ^Booker & Thomas 2009,p. 215.
- ^abCass 1999,p. 52.
- ^Shoales, Ian (November 13, 1997)."Ill Humor".Salon.Archived fromthe originalon May 14, 2009.RetrievedMarch 27,2010.
- ^White, James (December 4, 2011)."Starship Troopers Remake Planned".Empire.RetrievedJanuary 27,2012.
- ^"'Starship Troopers' Reboot in the Works (Exclusive) ".The Hollywood Reporter.November 3, 2016.RetrievedJune 7,2017.
- ^Reed, Ryan (November 16, 2016)."Original 'Starship Troopers' Director: Remake Fits Trump Presidency".Rolling Stone.RetrievedDecember 20,2017.
- ^"Starship Troopers 1979".
- ^"Starship Troopers (1997)".Rotten Tomatoes.Fandango Media.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
- ^"Starship Troopers (1997) Reviews".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
- ^"CinemaScore".CinemaScore.Archivedfrom the original on April 13, 2022.RetrievedApril 16,2022.
- ^"Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
- ^"Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
- ^"Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
- ^"Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)".Rotten Tomatoes.RetrievedMay 4,2020.
Sources
edit- Booker, M. Keith; Thomas, Anne-Marie (2009).The Science Fiction Handbook.Singapore: John Wiley & Sons.ISBN9781405162067.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 16,2016.
- Cass, Jeffrey (April 1999). "SS Troopers: Cybernostalgia and Paul Verhoeven's Fascist Flirtation".Studies in Popular Culture.21(3): 51–63.JSTOR23414533.
- Heinlein, Robert A.(2003).Expanded Universe.New York City, New York, US: Baen.ISBN0-7434-7159-8.OCLC223822885.