The Message of "Starship Trooper"

I noticed in one of Krazy Ivan's signature blocks he had a quote from the movie "Starship Trooper". Who has seen this movie and what message is it trying to convey? I believe it fits in well with today's climate.

Message?

Like Showers are better co-ed or To get rid of bugs, you have to kill the Queen?

I don't think there's any terribly heavy messages in most of Heinlein's books. It's simply good storytelling: good guys win against incredible odds, teamwork wins out over single heroics, the system is ALWAYS broke but you can always figure a way to deal with it and within it.

You can tell his books with a "message." They're dreadfully preachy.

Like Showers are better co-ed or To get rid of bugs, you have to kill the Queen?

Those are the messages that I got out of it, hehe....

That and this...when you are at a SEVERE disadvantage with a melee foe, you don't go in fighting hand to hand....you bomb the # out of them! Duh!

I think that he's pointing more towards the "citizenship" angle, and service to the society, etc. as it relates to the seeming impending doom of another Bush administration, but that's really making it deeper than it is....

[edit on 9-7-2004 by Gazrok]

There's the whole facism theme in Starship Troopers (the book and the movie), the blind patriotism, media propoganda, and warmongering. You know, just like the US is 2004.

Of course there's a world government in Starship Troopers, something the people who run the country and their supporters would hate.

Originally posted by Flinx
There's the whole facism theme in Starship Troopers (the book and the movie), the blind patriotism, media propoganda, and warmongering. You know, just like the US is 2004.

Of course there's a world government in Starship Troopers, something the people who run the country and their supporters would hate.

This is along the lines of my impressions. Seemed to me to be formated in the WW2 propoganda style. I see it as a satire in effect more than overall (there was alot of storyline and action not directly related to the satire)

This is what I see as extreme capitolism. The kind the might have persisted had the Communists not fallen. In order to defeat them we must have had to become at least partly like them.

Just an idea.

The book and movie was a satire on how a gov't can use so much propaganda and use people's citizenship and patriotism to further their cause.

The young people were continually recruited in the name of patriotism of the planet to go light years away and fight the bugs. The bugs may probably never have gotten to Earth and if they had done so it would have been 1,000's of years later.

Be careful of your gov't.

Actually the bugs had already hit, destroying a little at first...that's how they knew of them in the first place....

Interesting parallel...

Originally posted by Gazrok
Actually the bugs had already hit, destroying a little at first...that's how they knew of them in the first place....

Interesting parallel...

Jesus, I never thought of that. The attack on Buenos Aires and the reaction to it seems alot like....certain events in the past years.

That movie was hilarious though...the little kids stomping on bugs was a great bit. If only the so-called sequel was as good.

A war with giant bugs that are sentient. And we send Ground troops? Maybe the book was a great read, but anyone with a military background, hell a Camp Fire Girls background, just said "huh!?!"
Fascism is the way of the world folks; we're a Chernobyl -cum -Reichstag away from what's been already implemented kicking into hyperdrive.
US vs. EU vs. Asia Pac, anyone?

Originally posted by Flinx
Of course there's a world government in Starship Troopers, something the people who run the country and their supporters would hate.

Nah, cuz we would run the world govenrment

Starship Troopers....awesome. Starship Troopers 2....not awesome.

The message this movie wants to convey? get naked, kill bugs, attack the giant, blubbering ------ bug. (the common name for the bug was a little too...raunchy to be spelled out. heheh)

Jesus, I didn't even realize that there was a Starship Trooper 2!!!


I think we're missing the bigger picture here folks...Its a Paul Verhoeven flick. Almost every movie this guy makes its saturated with fascist, Orwellian overtones...Robocop, Total Recall????

this crazy European's been hitting the mark for years. And in a pretty gory way.

I consider showgirls and basic instinct roadbumbs in an otherwise intersting career...oh well, they can't all be gold....

Originally posted by Voice_of Doom
Jesus, I didn't even realize that there was a Starship Trooper 2!!!

There is! ITS HORRIBLE! I got maybe 15 minutes into and stopped. Its mando uncool and it makes me cry.

this quote if from the BOOK by robert a. heinlein. they never said this in the movie. but thank you for noticing.

I still can't believe you people actually like that movie--its on my list of all time worst movies EVER. oh well, i think the message was kill something/anything in a "blockbuster" and you'll make big bucks.

Originally posted by Saphronia

I still can't believe you people actually like that movie--its on my list of all time worst movies EVER. oh well, i think the message was kill something/anything in a "blockbuster" and you'll make big bucks.

If bugs were trying to kill me I would gladly kill them. With no mercy. Just nuke their planet....hehe

[edit on 10-7-2004 by TACHYON]

Originally posted by Byrd
I don't think there's any terribly heavy messages in most of Heinlein's books. It's simply good storytelling: good guys win against incredible odds, teamwork wins out over single heroics, the system is ALWAYS broke but you can always figure a way to deal with it and within it.

You can tell his books with a "message." They're dreadfully preachy.

Actually, the book (really the book, not the movie) was an introspective on political philosophy, using interstellar war as a backdrop. Written in 1959, the "Bugs" resemble a Communist society because they function as a mindless collective (it is also easier to sell wholesale destruction when waged upon a less than human adversary). The premise of individual rights having to be earned (in the book, yeah, the thing with pages... the right to vote could only be garnered through military service) is an interesting juxtaposition in today's world of handing them out like candy (think Iraq)... perhaps there was more thought on Heinlein's part, than credit is given.

An interesting review.


[Edited on 10/7/2004 by Mirthful Me]

well i kinda like the idea with getting certin benefits for military service.


like heres an idea. instead of getting all thoses benifits from registering for the draft (college loans, elegibility for federal jobs and so.) just make those only avabile for people who join the military. or get rid of the draft, make everyone do atleast 2 years in the service then give them the benefits from the draft.


thats what i think.

From what I understand the idea was that ater being continually sent into unwinnable situations the military rose up and took over. The idea being that noone who hasn't experienced war should be able to send others into war. The justifiction for the "service equals ctizenship" was that by voting you are exercising force to make a decision and noone who hasn't earned the right to use force can do so. I believe the quote was something like "Voting is an exercise of force because all authority emanates from the ultimate authority which is violence."
While I thnk its not a political system that would work in the real world I wouldn't mide a meritocracy where people had to earn the right to vote.