Starship Troopers general thread

[Husky_Khan]

Starship Troopers predicted the exact social troubles we are suffering right now.

In what sense?

 

[Lanmandragon]

In what sense?

"Social scientist's bringing democracy to it's knees I'd Imagine.

 

[Navarro]

I mean, if Verhoeven wanted to actually paint the TF in a darker light he could have replaced that inane detour with the flying bugs with the attack on the Skinnies, which has them attacking an alien city and casually lobbing nukes at factory districts in what's explicitly described as a "terror raid" ...

I still can't believe it. Verhoeven had a scene that was PERFECTLY cut out for his intentions - portraying the TF in a more negative light (having them do to an alien city what happened to Buenos Aires) and implying that the Bugs being mindlessly evil was just Govt. propaganda (if they can form an alliance of some kind with humanoid aliens ...) - and he cuts it completely out of his movie!

I suspect that Heinlein's thing about the female navy was due to the general idea against having women be front line combatants. It's still kind of a thing, given the double standard in the fitness tests.

The issue with that is that PA, especially of the ultra-advanced type Heinlein postulates that lets you fly around shooting Hiroshima-level nukes, really makes fitness less important.

 

[Guncannon]

You know, political messages and stuff aside, this movie has held up pretty well IMO. That brain drain scene haunts me to this day.

 

[Navarro]

You know, political messages and stuff aside, this movie has held up pretty well IMO. That brain drain scene haunts me to this day.

Yeah, it's pretty good as a brainless action movie. It's just that when it tries to be more than that it falls apart.

 

[Guncannon]

Yeah, it's pretty good as a brainless action movie. It's just that when it tries to be more than that it falls apart.

Wasn't there a kids show based off it too?

EDIT: There was: Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles - Wikipedia

 

[Husky_Khan]

Wasn't there a kids show based off it too?

EDIT: There was: Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles - Wikipedia

"Beat feet troopers!"

I think that the Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles was one of those wondrous cartoons that appealed to juvenile teenagers and the like who didn't want their Western cartoons too rounded at the edges and still not too stupid. It was literally young adult military science fiction. And it was glorious then and (dated) glorious now.

I'd put it in the same category as cartoons like Exo-Squad and Shadowraiders/War Planets where they were really ahead of their time and were kind of a Western animation that tackled genres that was probably really commonly tackled in Japanese anime and the like.

Ten thousand troopers versus one million bugs... that Pluto Campaign sure wasn't fun.

These cartoon Troopers were also more aware of the concept of combined arms if not their inherently faux satirical political existence.

 

[Guncannon]

These cartoon Troopers were also more aware of the concept of combined arms if not their inherently faux satirical political existence.

Yeah I'm reading up on it now and it definitely seems like these troopers would have kicked ass if they were in the original movie. That's gotta be embarrassing when your kids spin off counterparts would beat you in a fight.

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

Yeah, it's pretty good as a brainless action movie. It's just that when it tries to be more than that it falls apart.

It's good as a non brainless action movie, if you can look past the paper thin veneer of campiness it works as an entirely unironic good action film.

It's just not what it was *supposed* to be.

 

[Captain X]

They also have Marauder which has both an obligatory nude scene, BUT also transforms the Fascist Terran Federation into the HOLY Terran Federation after the new Skymarshal realises how potent a weapon in the war religion can be!

Its pure fucking class on a budget.

It's a shame none of that nudity came from Jolene Blalock. 😞

 

[Captain X]

I mean, the only bone the "it's a genius satire" guys have to work with is the fan theory that the meteorite strike the bugs caused was actually done by the TF ... which is hinted at nowhere in the film.

My theory was actually that the TF sent the "Morman extremists" to a planet with bugs to both provoke a war with an enemy to keep humanity united against, as well as to eliminate an ideological enemy and enable them to keep demonizing them in the future by effectively blaming them for starting the war. At least if you want to actually take the angle that the TF was fascist. It kind of works, until the film does everything to show you the TF isn't really all that fascist beyond imagery.

 

[Navarro]

My theory was actually that the TF sent the "Morman extremists" to a planet with bugs to both provoke a war with an enemy to keep humanity united against, as well as to eliminate an ideological enemy and enable them to keep demonizing them in the future by effectively blaming them for starting the war. At least if you want to actually take the angle that the TF was fascist. It kind of works, until the film does everything to show you the TF isn't really all that fascist beyond imagery.

At least it's better than the "Buenos Aires was an inside job" theory, which starts to look plausible right until you realise that FTL travel clearly exists in this universe.

 

[Captain X]

Well, the thing there is that the movie always depicted the asteroid at sub-light speed, both when the Roger Young randomly encountered it, and when another one like it was blasted just outside of the atmosphere.

 

[ATP]

"Social scientist's bringing democracy to it's knees I'd Imagine.

Indeed.Only in book we have Happy End with military taking power and creating meritocracy,when in reality we have Biden.
Well,good ending always was part of fairy-tales,not reality.

 

[FriedCFour]

Seems like they fight so much that field promotions are common, they use commissions that accelerate the process (neither of which are represented in the books or movie) or the whole thing is BS and the skymarshal is just appointed by commitee and claimed to have such a qualification for propaganda purposes.

Battlefield commissions can’t get you past the rank of Lieutenant or maybe captain. Battlefield promotions are presented in the book. If you can make general in 20 or so years in both fields, which is not an unreasonable amount of time, you’d be about 60 or so when eligible for sky Marshall provided you do so. It’s presented as something few people truly pursue.

 

[FriedCFour]

You see that in a lot of science fiction where the author doesn’t really understand how the military, specifically the officer core and NCOS, work.
They just think because you’re a Major you must know more about this subject then a Sgt or it’s because you were so awesome! Despite that’s really not how it works.

Dude literally served in the military, in the officer corps.

 

[Christi]

Dude literally served in the military, in the officer corps.

I wasn’t talking about Heinlein but science fiction authors in general.
And even then it’s a dumb qualification that you must go from enlisted to General than start
over and make to Admiral to become Sky-Marshal. It sounds nice. In practice it’s dumb and makes no sense. An admiral having to start over and lead troops in field is dumb. Their bodies would not be able to handle the lifestyle needed and fighter pilots are age restricted as well. Finally they already understand politics, strategy and tactics. It would make much more sense to to become either an admiral or general. Then appoint someone with the skill set you lack as your assistant Sky marshal, advisor, staff officer etc.
So Ill stand by that comment and add he should know damn well better.

 

[Bear Ribs]

Lemme note that Heinlein was extremely fond of life-extension technologies in his sci-fi. I don't believe it's explicitly spelled out in Starship Troopers, Rico's dad signs up for the Mobile Infantry when Rico's fair along. He'd have to be at least in his 40s, probably 50s by that point and that's well outside where most militaries would want a foot soldier starting his career if they're not extending lifespans.

 

[Christi]

Lemme note that Heinlein was extremely fond of life-extension technologies in his sci-fi. I don't believe it's explicitly spelled out in Starship Troopers, Rico's dad signs up for the Mobile Infantry when Rico's fair along. He'd have to be at least in his 40s, probably 50s by that point and that's well outside where most militaries would want a foot soldier starting his career if they're not extending lifespans.

Or they needed man power and relaxed standards.
Let me note it’s still fucking stupid with life extension technology. It’s wasting a General/Admiral for some feel good bs about rising from the ranks.
Instead of actual leading they are now starting over at the bottom because it makes a good story instead of just hiring someone who knows what they’re doing.
Which is what a real leader would do instead prideful and wasteful “I rose to the rank of general and then admiral.”
Hell, I’d love to fight people who adopt this nonsense. While my experienced Admirals and Generals are planning assaults and leading my forces.
You waste time sending your best Admirals and Generals to start over in another service to learn something they frankly won’t be good at because it requires to different skill sets. They won’t be leading forces they have experience and skill with.
But hey the Sky Marshal was a Admiral and a General and that sounds cool.

 

[Bear Ribs]

Maybe it was just Heinlein showing how woke he was. I mean, the MI is all male and the Navy is all female so logically speaking the Sky Marshal has to be Trans by definition...