Starship Troopers (franchise)

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Starship Troopers
Logo Starship Troopers.png
Official franchise logo
Created by
Original work Starship Troopers (1959)
Owners
Years1959–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.com

Starship Troopers is an American military science fiction media franchise based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein and the satirical 1997 film adaptation by screenwriter Edward Neumeier and director Paul Verhoeven.

Contents

Setting

The series is set hundreds of years in the future, after a collapse of Western democracy and many resulting wars. In this future, human society is now ruled by the Terran Federation, a government 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 a psychic who joins military intelligence). Johnny joins the 'Mobile Infantry', the primary foot soldiers of the Federation (depicted in the book as having advanced armored suits equipped with jetpacks and nuclear weapons). While Johnny is in training, an alien species known as the "Arachnids" attacks Buenos 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

Starship Troopers (1959)

At some point between 1958 and 1959, Robert Heinlein put aside the novel that would become Stranger in a Strange Land and wrote Starship Troopers. His motivation arose partially from his anger at US President Dwight Eisenhower's decision to suspend US nuclear tests, and the Soviet tests that occurred soon afterward. [1] Writing in his 1980 volume Expanded Universe , Heinlein would say that the publication of a newspaper advertisement placed by the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy on April 5, 1958, calling for a unilateral suspension of nuclear weapons testing by the United States sparked his desire to write Starship Troopers. [2] Heinlein and his wife Virginia created 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 Troopers was completed in a few weeks. It was originally written as a juvenile novel for New York publishing house Scribner; 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 Fiction first published Starship Troopers in October and November 1959 as a two-part serial titled Starship Soldier. [5]

Commentators have written that Starship Troopers is 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 in Salon categorized 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

Live-action

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(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

In December 2011, film producer Neal H. Moritz announced plans to produce a reboot of the Starship Troopers film franchise. [10] In November 2016, Columbia and Moritz announced the writing team of Mark Swift and Damian Shannon had 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

FilmU.S. release dateDirector(s)Screenwriter(s)Story byProducer(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, 2017Shinji Aramaki
Masaru Matsumoto
Edward NeumeierJoseph Chou
Max Nishi
Tomi Hashimoto

Television

SeriesEpisodesFirst releasedLast releasedShowrunner(s)Network(s)
Starship Troopers 6October 25, 1988December 17, 1988 Tetsurō Amino
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles 36 + 4 clip showsAugust 30, 1999April 3, 2000 Richard Raynis BKN

Video games

Video gameU.S. release dateDeveloperPublisherPlatform(s)
Starship Troopers [13] 1979Dendron AmusementsDendron Amusements CP/M
Starship Troopers1997MGA EntertainmentMGA EntertainmentHandheld LCD game
Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy October 23, 2000 Blue Tongue Entertainment Hasbro Interactive Windows
Starship Troopers October 27, 2005Strangelite Empire Interactive and Destineer Windows
Starship Troopers: Terran Command June 16, 2022The Artistocrats Slitherine Software Windows
Starship Troopers: Extermination May 17, 2023 (early access)Offworld IndustriesOffworld IndustriesWindows

Cast and characters

List indicator(s)
CharacterAnime seriesOriginal seriesAnimated filmsAnimated series
Starship Troopers Starship Troopers Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation Starship Troopers 3: Marauder Starship Troopers: Invasion Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles
1988199720042008201220171999–2000
Fed Net AnnouncerJohn Cunningham V Stephen Stanton V Corey Burton V Andrew Love V
Juan D. Rico
John
"Johnny"
Rico
Yasunori Matsumoto V Casper Van Dien Casper Van Dien David Matranga V Casper Van Dien V Rino Romano V
Carl Jenkins Yūji Mitsuya V Neil Patrick Harris Justin Doran V Rider Strong V
Carmencita Ibañez
Carmen
Rei Sakuma V Denise Richards Luci Christian V Tish Hicks V
Charles Zim
Charlie
Akira Kamiya V Clancy Brown Clancy Brown V
Yvette Deladrier Mika Doi V Brenda Strong
Emilio Rico
Bill
Shinji Ogawa V Christopher Curry
Mrs. Maria Rico Kazuko Yanaga V Lenore Kasdorf
Smith Alphard
Kitten
Kazuhiko Inoue V Matt Levin
Pat Leivy
Ace
Shō Hayami V Jake Busey
Ian Frankel Tomomichi Nishimura V
Theodore C. Hendrick
Ted
Kazuyuki Sogabe V
Greg Paterson Hirotaka Suzuoki V
T. Azuma Shūichi Ikeda V
S. Cherenkov Masahiro Anzai V
Clea Saeko Shimazu V
Dunn Shingo Hiromori V
Isabelle Flores
Dizzy
Dina Meyer Dina Meyer V Elizabeth Daily V
Shujumi Anthony Ruivivar
Jean Rasczak Michael Ironside Jamie Hanes V
Zander Barcalow Patrick Muldoon Nicholas Guest V
Breckenridge Eric Bruskotter
"Birdie" Byrd Ungela Brockman
Djana'D Tami-Adrian George
Katrina McIntire Blake Lindsley
Lei Sahara Colleen Porch
V.J. Dax Richard Burgi
Pavlov Dill Lawrence Monoson
Dede Rake
(née Deladier)
Brenda Strong
Dix Hauser Boris Kodjoe
Lola Beck Jolene Blalock
Omar Anoke Stephen Hogan
Enolo Phid Amanda Donohoe
Holly Little Marnette Patterson
Bull Brittles Stelio Savante
J. Kirby Nicole Salandra
"Slug" Skinner Garth Breytenbach
A. Sunday Tanya van Graan
Link Manion Cécile Breccia
A. Danner Graeme Richards
M. Hightower Antonio Summerton
Elmo Goniff Joe Vaz
Tony Daugherty  Sam Roman V  
"Ice Blonde" Melissa Davis V
Tia Durer
Trig
Emily Neves V
"Mech" Jovan Jackson V
Henry Varro
Hero
David Wald V
Otis Hacks
Bugspray
Andrew Love V
"Ratzass" Leraldo Anzaldua V
"Holy Man"Kalob Martinez V
Francis Brutto David DeLuise V
Richard LaCroix
Doc
James Horan V
Jeff Gossard
Goss
Bill Fagerbakke V
"Colonel" T'Phai Steve Staley V
Marlow Thomas Wagner V
Miriam Redwing Irene Bedard V
Sanchez R. Lee Ermey V
Earl Walker Michael Harrington V

Reception

Critical and public response

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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert A. Heinlein</span> American author and aeronautical engineer (1907–1988)

Robert Anson Heinlein was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accuracy in his fiction, and was thus a pioneer of the subgenre of hard science fiction. His published works, both fiction and non-fiction, express admiration for competence and emphasize the value of critical thinking. His plots often posed provocative situations which challenged conventional social mores. His work continues to have an influence on the science-fiction genre, and on modern culture more generally.

<i>Starship Troopers</i> 1959 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein

Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction as Starship Soldier, and published as a book by G. P. Putnam's Sons on November 5, 1959.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Verhoeven</span> Dutch film director (born 1938)

Paul Verhoeven is a Dutch film director. His films are known for their graphic violence and sexual content, combined with social satire. After receiving attention for the TV series Floris in his native Netherlands, Verhoeven's breakthrough film was the romantic drama Turkish Delight (1973), starring frequent collaborator Rutger Hauer. Verhoeven later directed successful Dutch films including the period drama Keetje Tippel (1975), the war film Soldier of Orange (1977), the teen drama Spetters (1980) and the psychological thriller The Fourth Man (1983).

<i>Starship Troopers</i> (film) 1997 film by Paul Verhoeven

Starship Troopers is a 1997 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier, based on the 1959 novel by Robert A. Heinlein. Set in the 23rd century, the story follows teenager Johnny Rico and his comrades as they serve in the military of the United Citizen Federation, an Earth-based world government engaged in an interstellar war against an alien species known as the Arachnids. The film stars Casper Van Dien, Dina Meyer, Denise Richards, Jake Busey, Neil Patrick Harris, Patrick Muldoon, and Michael Ironside.

<i>Starship Troopers</i> (board wargame) Science fiction board wargame published in 1976

Starship Troopers is a board wargame by Avalon Hill based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein. It was originally released in 1976 and designed by Randall C. Reed. Twenty years later, Avalon Hill redesigned and re-released a "movie" version in 1997 to coincide with the movie's release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Neumeier</span> American screenwriter

Edward Neumeier is an American screenwriter best known for his work on the science fiction movies RoboCop and Starship Troopers. He wrote the latter's sequels Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars.

<i>Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation</i> 2004 American TV series or program

Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation is a 2004 American military science fiction horror film directed by Phil Tippett and starring Richard Burgi, Lawrence Monoson, and Colleen Porch. It is a sequel to Starship Troopers (1997) and the second installment of the Starship Troopers franchise. The film premiered on Encore Action on April 24, 2004, and was released on DVD and VHS on June 1, 2004. The film received generally negative reviews from critics, who criticized the shift from the first film's action to horror, as well as the lack of returning cast from the first film. It was followed by the direct-to-video prequel Starship Troopers 3: Marauder in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Tippett</span> American film director

Phil Tippett is an American film director and visual effects supervisor and producer, who specializes in creature design, stop-motion and computerized character animation. Over his career, he has assisted ILM and DreamWorks, and in 1984 formed his own company, Tippett Studio.

The science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) was productive during a writing career that spanned the last 49 years of his life; the Robert A. Heinlein bibliography includes 32 novels, 59 short stories and 16 collections published during his life. Four films, two TV series, several episodes of a radio series, at least two songs and a board game derive more or less directly from his work. He wrote the screenplay for Destination Moon (1950). Heinlein also edited an anthology of other writers' science fiction short stories.

<i>Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game</i> Tabletop role-playing game

Starship Troopers: The Roleplaying Game is a tabletop role-playing game produced by Mongoose Publishing in 2005. The game is based upon the 1959 book Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, but it is mostly based on its adaptations, Starship Troopers (1997) and Starship Troopers 2 (2004), and the cartoon series ; the game itself was published under license of Sony Pictures. While it is impossible to seamlessly merge all three different interpretations, this RPG does not pick one over the other, instead merging the three as best it can.

<i>Starship Troopers</i> (OVA) 1988 anime original video by Sunrise

Starship Troopers is a six-part anime OVA produced by Sunrise and Bandai, and released in 1988. It is based on the 1959 book Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein. The OVA was dedicated to Heinlein, who died before the first part of the series was released.

Starship Troopers: The Miniatures Game was a short-lived miniature wargame released in 2005 by UK gaming company Mongoose Publishing. It drew upon Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 Starship Troopers novel, the films, and the TV series as inspiration through a license from Sony. The game was pulled from the shelves in 2007, and formally discontinued a year later.

<i>Starship Troopers 3: Marauder</i> 2008 film by Edward Neumeier

Starship Troopers 3: Marauder is a 2008 American science fiction film written and directed by Edward Neumeier and starring Casper Van Dien, who returned as Johnny Rico from the original film, along with Jolene Blalock and Boris Kodjoe. It is both a sequel to Starship Troopers (1997) and a prequel to Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004) and the third installment of the Starship Troopers film series. The film was released directly to video in the U.S. on August 5, 2008. It received generally negative reviews.

The Heinlein juveniles are the science-fiction novels written by Robert A. Heinlein for Scribner's young-adult line. Each features "a young male protagonist entering the adult world of conflict, decisions, and responsibilities." Together, they tell a loosely connected story of space exploration. Scribner's published the first 12 between 1947 and 1958, but rejected the 13th, Starship Troopers. That one was instead published by Putnam. A 14th novel, Podkayne of Mars, is sometimes listed as a "Heinlein juvenile", although Heinlein himself did not consider it to be one.

Starship Troopers is a 1959 novel by Robert Heinlein.

<i>Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy</i> 2000 video game

Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy, also known as simply Starship Troopers in the U.S., is a real-time tactics video game developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment and published by Hasbro Interactive under the MicroProse label in 2000. The game is based on both the 1997 movie Starship Troopers and the 1959 book Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein.

<i>Starship Troopers: Invasion</i> 2012 film by Shinji Aramaki

Starship Troopers: Invasion is a 2012 American-Japanese adult animated military science fiction horror film directed by Shinji Aramaki. It is the fourth installment of the Starship Troopers film series. The film was released in Japan on July 21, 2012, and in North America on August 28, 2012, as a direct-to-video title.

<i>Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars</i> 2017 American-Japanese sequel film by Shinji Aramaki

Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars is a 2017 Japanese-American adult animated military science fiction film directed by Shinji Aramaki and Masaru Matsumoto and written by Edward Neumeier. The film is a sequel to Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012) and the fifth installment of the Starship Troopers film series. It also marks the return of two original actors; Casper Van Dien reprises his role as Johnny Rico from the first and third films and Dina Meyer reprises her role as Dizzy Flores from the first film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?</span> 1958 essay by Robert Heinlein

Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry? is an essay by author Robert Heinlein, defending continued above-ground nuclear testing by the United States. It was printed as a paid ad in 1958, in response to a similar ad by The National Committee for a SANE Nuclear Policy urging that the U.S. unilaterally end testing.

References

  1. 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.
  1. 1 2 Gifford, James (1996). "The Nature of Federal Service in Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers" (PDF). Retrieved March 4, 2006.
  2. Heinlein 2003, pp. 468–469.
  3. Heinlein 2003, pp. 468–469, 481–482.
  4. 1 2 Samuelson, 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. ISBN   0-89356-199-1.
  5. 1 2 "Biographies of Robert and Virginia Heinlein". The Heinlein Society. Retrieved March 4, 2006.
  6. 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. S2CID   155012971.
  7. Booker & Thomas 2009, p. 215.
  8. 1 2 Cass 1999, p. 52.
  9. Shoales, Ian (November 13, 1997). "Ill Humor". Salon . Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  10. White, James (December 4, 2011). "Starship Troopers Remake Planned". Empire. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  11. "'Starship Troopers' Reboot in the Works (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. November 3, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
  12. Reed, Ryan (November 16, 2016). "Original 'Starship Troopers' Director: Remake Fits Trump Presidency". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
  13. "Starship Troopers 1979".
  14. "Starship Troopers (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  15. "Starship Troopers (1997) Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  16. "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  17. "Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  18. "Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  19. "Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  20. "Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved May 4, 2020.

Sources