Starship Troopers

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Template:Otheruses4 {{Infobox Book

| name = Starship Troopers
| image        = Image:Starship troopers2.jpg
| author       = Robert A. Heinlein
| cover_artist = 
| genre        = Science-fiction
| publisher    = G. P. Putnam's Sons
| release_date = December, 1959
| media_type   = Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
| pages        = 263 (Paperback)
| size_weight  = 3.8 ounces (Paperback)
| isbn         = ISBN 0399202099
| preceded_by  = Methuselah's Children
| followed_by  = Stranger in a Strange Land
}}

Starship Troopers is a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1959. The first-person narrative is about a young soldier named Juan Rico and his exploits in the Mobile Infantry, a futuristic military unit equipped with powered armor. Rico's military career progresses from recruit to non-commissioned officer and finally to officer against the backdrop of an interstellar war between mankind and an insectoid species known as "The Bugs". Through Rico's eyes, Heinlein examines moral and philosophical aspects of capital punishment, juvenile delinquency, civic virtue, and necessity of war.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Starship Troopers won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960 and helped create a sub-genre of literature known as military science fiction. It is on the reading lists of the U.S. Army and Marines, and is the only science fiction novel on the reading list at all four U.S. military academies. Starship Troopers has been adapted into several films and games, most famously the 1997 film by Paul Verhoeven. The novel has attracted controversy and criticism of its social and political themes, which some critics believe are militaristic<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>.

Contents 1 Background: The writing of Starship Troopers 2 Plot summary 3 Characters in "Starship Troopers" 3.1 Major characters 3.2 Minor characters 4 Locations 5 Major themes 5.1 Politics 5.2 References to history 6 Military innovations 6.1 Powered Armor 6.2 Modern ramifications 7 Controversy 7.1 Literary 7.2 Militarism 7.3 A "Fascist Utopia" or Plain Old Utopia? 7.4 Racism 8 Adaptations and influences 8.1 Film and TV adaptations 8.2 Video and board games 8.3 Cultural references 9 Notes 10 Editions 11 References 12 See also 13 External links

Background: The writing of Starship Troopers

Image:StarshipSoldier.jpg

Robert A. Heinlein wrote from a military background because he had been a commissioned U.S. Navy officer and graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. According to Heinlein, his desire to write Starship Troopers dates back to April 5, 1958, when he and his wife read a newspaper advertisement placed by the National Committee for a Sane Nuclear Policy calling for a unilateral suspension of nuclear weapon testing by the United States. In response, the Heinleins created the Patrick Henry League in an attempt to drum up support for the U.S. nuclear testing program. During the unsuccessful campaign, Heinlein found himself under attack both in and out of the science fiction community for his views.<ref>Template:Cite book, page numbers vary depending on edition.</ref>

Heinlein stopped work on the novel that would become Stranger in a Strange Land and wrote Starship Troopers sometime during 1958 and 1959. Starship Troopers was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction in October and November 1959 as a serial called Starship Soldier, and as a novel in December by G.P. Putnam's Sons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although originally written as a juvenile novel for Scribners, it was rejected and was eventually published as an adult novel by G. P. Putnam's Sons.<ref name="Gifford">Template:Cite web</ref> In many ways, Starship Troopers marked a turning point for Heinlein. Beforehand, he had mostly published juvenile novels for Scribner's. However, following their rejection of Starship Troopers, he ended his longstanding relationship with them, and began writing books with more adult themes.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Plot summary

Starship Troopers takes place in the midst of an interstellar war between the Terran Federation of Earth and the Arachnids (referred to as "The Bugs") of Klendathu. It is narrated as a series of flashbacks by Juan Rico, and is one of only a few Heinlein novels set out in this fashion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The novel opens with Rico aboard the corvette Rodger Young, about to embark on a raid against the planet of the "Skinnies," who are allies of the Arachnids. We learn that he is a cap(sule) trooper in the Terran Federation's Mobile Infantry, a 22nd-century unit that is analogous to a combination of the Marine Corps, Airborne forces, and the French Foreign Legion. The raid itself, one of the few instances of actual combat in the novel, is relatively brief: the Mobile Infantry land on the planet, destroy their targets, and retreat, suffering a single casualty in the process.

The story then flashes back to Rico's graduation from high school, and his decision to sign up for Federal Service over the objections of his father. This is the only chapter that describes Rico's civilian life, and most of it is spent on the monologues of two people: retired Lt. Col. Jean V. Dubois, Rico's school instructor in the subject of "History and Moral Philosophy," and Fleet Sergeant Ho, a recruiter for the armed forces of the Terran Federation.

Dubois serves as a stand-in for Heinlein throughout the novel, and delivers what is probably the book's most famous soliloquy on violence, and how it "has settled more issues in history than has any other factor."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Fleet Sergeant Ho's monologues examine the nature of military service, and his anti-military tirades appear in the book primarily as a contrast with Dubois. (It is later revealed that his rants are calculated to scare off the weaker applicants).

Interspersed throughout the book are other flashbacks to Rico's high school History and Moral Philosophy course, which describe how in the Terran Federation of Rico's day, the rights of a full Citizen (to vote, and hold public office) must be earned through some form of volunteer Federal service. Those residents who have not exercised their right to perform this Federal Service retain the other rights generally associated with a modern democracy (free speech, assembly, etc.), but they cannot vote or hold public office. This structure arose ad hoc after the collapse of the 20th century western democracies, brought on by both social failures at home and military defeat by the Chinese Hegemony overseas (assumed looking forward into the late 20th century from the time the novel was written in the late 1950s).<ref name="weuve">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the next section of the novel Rico goes to boot camp at Camp Arthur Currie. Five chapters are spent exploring Rico's experience entering the service under the training of his instructor, Career Ship's Sergeant Charles Zim. Camp Currie is so rigorous that less than ten percent of the recruits finish basic training; the rest either resign, are expelled, or die in training. One of the chapters deals with Ted Hendrick, a fellow recruit and constant complainer who is flogged and expelled for striking a superior officer. Another recruit, a deserter who committed a heinous crime while AWOL, is hanged by his battalion. Rico himself is flogged for poor handling of (simulated) nuclear weapons during a drill; despite these experiences he eventually graduates and is assigned to a unit.

At some point during Rico's training, the Bug War has begun to brew, and Rico finds himself taking part in combat operations. The war "officially" starts with an Arachnid attack that annihilates the city of Buenos Aires, although Rico makes it clear that prior to the attack there were plenty of "'incidents,' 'patrols,' or 'police actions.'"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Rico briefly describes the Terran Federation's loss at the Battle of Klendathu where his unit is decimated and his ship destroyed. Following Klendathu, the Terran Federation is reduced to making hit-and-run raids similar to the one described at the beginning of the novel (which, chronologically would be placed between Chapters 10 and 11). Rico meanwhile finds himself posted to Rasczak's Roughnecks, named after Lieutenant Rasczak (his first name is never given). This part of the book focuses on the daily routine of military life, as well as the relationship between officers and non-commissioned officers, personified in this case by Rasczak and Sergeant Jelal.

Eventually, Rico decides to become a career soldier and attends Officer Candidate School, which turns out to be just like boot camp, only "squared and cubed with books added."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Rico is commissioned a temporary Third Lieutenant as a field-test final exam and commands his own unit during Operation Royalty; eventually he graduates as a Second Lieutenant and full-fledged officer.

The final chapter serves as more of a coda, depicting Rico aboard the Rodger Young as the lieutenant in command of Rico's Roughnecks, preparing to drop to Klendathu as part of a major strike, with his father (having joined the Service earlier in the novel) as his senior sergeant and a Third Lieutenant-in-training of his own under his wing.

Characters in "Starship Troopers"

Major characters

• Juan "Johnnie" Rico - Son of a wealthy Filipino-American family who joined the Terran Mobile Infantry almost on impulse and over his parents' objections. He did his basic training at Camp Currie and was assigned as a Private to "Willie's Wildcats". His first engagement was the Battle of Klendathu. He was then transferred to "Rasczak's Roughnecks" aboard the Rodger Young, where he achieved the rank of corporal and survived several successful battles. He later entered Officer Candidate School at the encouragement of his friend Ace. Rico eventually became a lieutenant after commanding in the critically successful "Operation Royalty". At the end of the novel he is commanding a platoon back on the Rodger Young, with his father as platoon sergeant under him. Heinlein said in several interviews (in print and on National Public Radio) and during science-fiction convention presentations that Rico did not survive the Klendathu drop which follows the final paragraphs of the book.

• Charles Zim - Originally career ship's sergeant, Juan Rico's boot camp instructor and platoon leader at Camp Arthur Currie. He later became the company commander at Camp Sergeant Spooky Smith. Eventually, he was one of the platoon sergeants under Rico's command during Operation Royalty. Zim took the initiative to raid an Arachnid "bughole", and captured the first brain bug. He was given a field commission of brevet captain with the permanent rank of first lieutenant.

• Lieutenant Colonel Jean V. Dubois - Rico's high school instructor in History and Moral Philosophy. He retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Mobile Infantry after he lost an arm. A letter to Rico during Basic Training boosts Rico's spirits and keeps him from resigning (and thus losing his opportunity of ever becoming a full Citizen).

• Sergeant Jelal - Career ship's sergeant, Juan Rico's platoon sergeant aboard the Rodger Young and de facto platoon leader after Lt. Rasczak's death. He eventually made captain, but lost his legs. Nicknamed "Jelly", and anyone who had made one combat drop could call him that to his face.

• Ted Hendrick - Mobile Infantry recruit who questioned the need to learn knife-throwing. Later court-martialed for disobeying orders and striking a superior officer (Sergeant Zim). Sentenced to ten lashes and Bad Conduct Discharge, instead of execution.

• Lieutenant Rasczak - Juan Rico's platoon leader in the Rodger Young. His platoon always called him "the Lieutenant", in tones of awe. He died in a drop after rescuing two of his soldiers; he was the only one in that raid who didn't make the retrieval boat. After the Lieutenant's death, a vote was taken among the cap troopers to rename the the platoon "Jelly's Jaguars" and was passed unanimously; this was vetoed by Sergeant Jelal, and the unit retained the name Rasczak's Roughnecks.

Minor characters

• Career Corporal "Ace" - Squad commander, Jelal's Platoon, Rasczak's Roughnecks. Assisted Juan Rico in the recovery of a wounded Dizzy Flores. When Rico first became Corporal and assistant section leader, he sparred with Ace in the showers to earn his respect. Although Ace won, he acknowledged Rico's intentions and helped him earn the respect of the entire Platoon. Later, Ace convinced Rico to pursue a career in the military, and enroll in Officer Candidate School

• Dizzy Flores - Male trooper of sixth squad, Jelal's Platoon, Rasczak's Roughnecks. During a raid, with Juan Rico acting as assistant section leader, the whole platoon nearly missed retrieval as Rico and Ace recovered the wounded Flores. Testament to the fighting spirit of the Roughnecks. Flores died in the retrieval boat on the way back up to the Roughneck transport: the Rodger Young.

• Private First Class Dutch Bamburger - Juan Rico's closest squadmate during Operation Bughouse, killed in action just before retrieval.

• Captain Frankel - Camp Currie Battalion Commander, involved in the trial of Cadet Ted Hendrick. Given the choice, saved Hendrick from the punishment of execution.

• N. L. Dillinger - Mobile Infantry recruit who deserted service. He was hung for murdering a baby girl after kidnapping her for ransom. The trial was handled by the Infantry rather than the civil judiciary, despite the fact that Dillinger was AWOL.

• Fleet Sergeant Ho - Federal Service recruiting officer who swore in Juan Rico and Carl. He was "on display" with his legs and right arm missing. Johnnie met him after hours and learned that he wore prosthetics except when on duty, the missing limbs being intended to impress prospective recruits with the seriousness of their decision.

• Emilio Rico - Juan Rico's father, a wealthy Filipino businessman. He opposed Johnnie's plans to join the Mobile Infantry, but after the Bug War began and his wife died, he himself joined and eventually became a platoon sergeant.

• Major Reid - Juan Rico's History and Moral Philosophy teacher at Officer Candidate School.

• Carmencita Ibanez - Juan Rico's classmate that he had a crush on. She had a major influence on Rico's enlistment, and enlisted on the same day. Excelling in mathematics, she became a pilot.

• "Carl" - Juan Rico's best friend in High School. One of the major influences on Juan Rico's enlistment, Carl enlisted the same day as Rico, under Starside Research & Development. Carl was killed in action when the research station he was aboard, in orbit of Pluto, was hit by an Arachnid meteor strike.

Locations

• Terra (Earth) - Terran homeworld. Location of boot camp "Arthur Currie".
• Faraway - A Terran colony planet occupied by the Klendathu Arachnids.
• Hesperus - A Terran colony planet.
• Iskander - A Terran colony planet.
• Klendathu - Home planet of the Arachnids. Location of "Operation Bughouse".
• Planet P - A planet occupied by the Arachnids as a forward base, attacked and excavated by the Terran Mobile Infantry in "Operation Royalty". Location of first captured Arachnid leaders, and 3rd Lt. Juan Rico's first command as an officer.
• Sanctuary - A small planet with an orbital stardock. Headquarters of the Terran Federation Mobile Infantry.
• Sheol - An Arachnid colony planet, decimated by the Terrans.
• The Valley Forge - The corvette transport of "Willie's Wildcats", features the retrieval song "Yankee Doodle". It was destroyed in a collision with the Ypres over Klendathu during "Operation Bughouse", but both ships were later recomissioned for the second assault on Klendathu.
• The Rodger Young - The corvette transport of "Rasczak's Roughnecks", features the retrieval song "Rodger Young".

Major themes

Politics

In addition to being a novel, Starship Troopers is also a political essay. Large portions of the book are spent in classrooms, with Rico and other characters engaged in debates with their History and Moral Philosophy Teachers, who serve as stand-ins for Heinlein. The overall theme of the book is to present a favorable view of military life (with its purposefulness and order), as well as disgust with the slack, individualistic life of "civilians". Subsidiary themes include the necessity and use of violence (how the use of force by a nation, through their military, to achieve national goals, is the driving factor of history), and personal responsibility. Heinlein's Terran Federation is a meritocracy, where suffrage belongs only to those willing to serve their society by two years of military or government service, instead of "anyone who is 18 years old and has a body temperature near 37° C."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This is in contrast to the democracies of the twentieth centuries, which according to the novel had collapsed because "people had been led to believe that they could simply vote for whatever they wanted . . . and get it, without toil, without sweat, without tears."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Indeed, Dubois criticizes as unrealistic the famous passage of the U.S. Declaration of Independence about "Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Starship Troopers is also a vehicle for Heinlein's anti-communist views, best summed up by Rico's belief that "[c]orrect morals arise from knowing what man is—not what do-gooders and well-meaning old Aunt Nellies would like him to be."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Characters attack Karl Marx (a "pompous fraud"), the Labor theory of value ("All the work one cares to add will not turn a mud pie into an apple tart...")<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Plato's The Republic ("antlike communism" and "weird in the extreme").<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Heinlein's fears about communism are additionally embodied in the Arachnids, the "the ultimate dictatorship of the hive."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Arachnids are a society of "total communism" adapted to it by evolution. They lay their eggs in the thousands, and send their warriors off to battle without the slightest thought about casualties, in both cases a major advantage over the individualistic Terrans.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

References to history

Starship Troopers describes the historical origins of the Terran Federation as follows:

"[The veterans] had lost a war, most of them had no jobs, many were sore as could be over the terms of the Treaty of New Delhi, especially the P.O.W. foul-up—and they knew how to fight. But it wasn't revolution; it was more like what happened in Russia in 1917 — the system collapsed; somebody else moved in... Some veterans got together as vigilantes to stop rioting and looting, hanged a few people... and decided not to let anyone but veterans on their committee."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

This is an explicit comparison with the Russian Revolution when in the October Revolution Lenin's Bolsheviks overthrew the Provisional Government that had taken power after the February Revolution. It also has some parallels with the development of the Freikorps, far-right paramilitary organizations that sprang up around Germany as soldiers returned in defeat from World War I. Many German veterans felt profoundly disconnected from civilian life, and joined a Freikorps in search of stability within a military structure. This later contributed to the rise of the Nazis. The fictional "Treaty of New Delhi" might also be compared to the Treaty of Versailles. However, there are similar parallels to early United States history, such as Shay's Rebellion and the Society of the Cincinnati.

There are also some likely references to World War II, specifically the Pacific War. Mirroring the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Arachnids begin the war with a surprise attack on Buenos Aires.<ref>Although in the novel, pg 170, Rico's father admits that his factories had already been converted to war production before the conflict began.</ref> During Operation Royalty, the Mobile Infantry occupies the surface of Planet P and has to blast the Arachnids out of their well-prepared underground bunker networks, which are similar to Japanese fortifications on islands like Iwo Jima. Following the First Battle of Klendathu, the Terran Federation is reduced to making hit-and-run raids on isolated Arachnid and Skinny bases, similar to the U.S. Navy between Pearl Harbor and the Battle of Midway. The loss of Rico's ship, the Valley Forge during the Klendathu drop may have been inspired by the loss of Heinlein's former ship, the USS Lexington, which was sunk by the Japanese in 1942.

The Korean War had ended only five years before Heinlein began writing Starship Troopers, and the book makes several direct references to it, such as the claim that "no 'Department of Defense' ever won a war".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Heinlein also refers to the American prisoners of war taken in that conflict, including the popular accusations of Communist brainwashing.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After the Korean War ended, there were rumors that the Chinese and North Koreans continued to hold a large number of Americans.<ref>Template:Cite web. Similar accusations would be made during the Vietnam and Gulf Wars.</ref> Rico's History and Moral Philosophy class at Officer Candidate School has a long discussion about the need to never leave a single man behind, even at the risk of starting a new war. Again, these were fairly popular views in America and it's probably unsurprising that Rico concludes it "doesn't matter whether it's a thousand — or just one, sir. You fight."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Military innovations

Powered Armor

Template:Main

In addition to Heinlein's political views, Starship Troopers popularized a number of military concepts and innovations, some of which have since been utilized. Perhaps its most famous legacy is the concept of the powered armor exoskeleton used by the Mobile Infantry soldiers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> These suits were controlled by the wearer's own movements but powered to augment the actions. A trooper could, for example, jump upwards, and the powered leg joints would launch him off the ground while rockets kicked in for further propulsion. Dropped from orbit in individual egg-shaped heat shields, the troopers would parachute into enemy territory for quick hit-and-run operations. Armed with significant weaponry including flame throwers, high-explosive rockets, and occasionally nuclear weapons, the Mobile Infantry soldier had an arsenal that made him a one-man tank, with skills comparable to a modern-day fighter pilot.

One of the book's major creative feats is the rigorously coherent invention and depiction of the use of heavy infantry delivered to planetary surfaces for operations designed not only to serve political purposes (i.e. terror operations) but also to take and hold positions for intelligence gathering. The concept of Mobile Infantry, whose basic element is the single trooper, highly trained, encased in an armored suit, and delivered to the area of operations in a disposable re-entry pod, is unprecedented in literature, both military and otherwise. The weapons systems, tactics, training, and all other aspects of this futuristic elite force are completely envisioned, from the function of the armored suits to the training of personnel to the operational use of the suits in combat. Tactics are described in detail, and the weapons systems are tailored to the operational imperatives laid down by the plot.

Modern ramifications

While powered armor is Starship Troopers most famous legacy, its influence extends deep into contemporary warfare. Almost half a century after its publication, Starship Troopers is on the reading lists of the United States Army<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the United States Marine Corps,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is the only science fiction novel on the reading list at all four United States military academies. When Heinlein wrote Starship Troopers the United States military was a largely conscripted force, based on mass over maneuver. Today the US Marine Corps has incorporated many ideas similar to Heinlein's concept of an elite all-volunteer, high-tech strike force, while the US Army has also initiated a transformation program which may give it similar capabilities in the near future.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Army has also taken steps towards powered armor warfare with Project Land Warrior, while the DARPA agency has invested $50 million developing an exoskeleton suit for military use.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The influence of Starship Troopers also extends beyond doctrine; some of the more mundane pieces of technology used in the novel that can be found in a contemporary infantry unit are night vision goggles, thermal viewers, and digital terrain maps with unit positions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, references to the book keep appearing in military culture. According to the Urban Dictionary, during the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, U.S. Army Rangers called their Somali opponents "Skinnies" after the aliens Rico fights at the beginning of the book,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and in 2002 a Marine general described the future of Marine Corps clothing and equipment by contrasting it with the Mobile Infantry.<ref>Brig. Gen. James M. Feigley, Marine Corps Systems Command. Quoted in Template:Cite web</ref>

Controversy

To Heinlein's surprise,<ref>Template:Cite book. "I still can't see how that book got a Hugo".</ref> Starship Troopers won the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1960. By 1980, twenty years after its release, it had been translated into eleven different languages and was still selling strong. However, Heinlein complained that, despite this success, almost all the mail he received about it was negative and he only heard about it "when someone wants to chew me out".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Literary

The main literary criticism against Starship Troopers is that it is nothing more than a vehicle for Heinlein's political views. John Brunner compared it to a "Victorian children's book"<ref name="PITFCS">Template:Cite web</ref> while Anthony Boucher, founder of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, remarked that Heinlein had "forgotten to insert a story."<ref name=PITFCS/> Alexei Panshin complained that the novel was overly simplistic — "the account of the making of a [marine]... and nothing more"<ref name="Panshin">Template:Cite web</ref> — and that the characters were simply mouthpieces for Heinlein: "At the end you know nothing of [Rico's] tastes, his likes and dislikes, his personal life. The course of the book changes him in no way because there is nothing to change — Rico remains first and last a voice reading lines about how nice it is to be a soldier... The other characters are even more sketchy, or are simple expositions of an attitude."<ref name=Panshin/> Richard Geib adds "The real life 'warriors' I have known are all more multi-faceted than anyone we meet in Starship Troopers. And the ones I know who have killed are much more ambivalent about having done so."<ref name="Geib">Template:Cite web</ref> He further complained about the almost complete lack of sexuality among the characters and the absence of any serious romance, although as Heinlein would probably point out, Starship Troopers was originally marketed as adolescent literature.<ref name=Geib/>

Militarism

Another complaint about Starship Troopers is that it is either inherently militaristic or pro-military. There was even a two year debate in the Proceedings of the Institute for Twenty-First Century Studies (PITFCS) that was sparked by a comparison between a quote in Starship Troopers that "the noblest fate that a man can endure is to place his own mortal body between his loved home and war's desolation"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and the anti-war poem "Dulce et Decorum Est" by Wilfred Owen.<ref name=PITFCS/> Dean McLaughlin called it "a book-length recruiting poster."<ref name=PITFCS/> Alexei Panshin, a veteran of the peacetime military, argued that Heinlein glossed over the reality of military life, and that the Terran Federation-Arachnid conflict existed simply because, "Starship troopers are not half so glorious sitting on their butts polishing their weapons for the tenth time for lack of anything else to do."<ref name=Panshin/> Joe Haldeman, a Vietnam veteran and author of the antiwar novel The Forever War, similarly complained that Starship Troopers unnecessarily glorifies war.<ref name="Haldeman">Template:Cite web</ref> Others have pointed out that Heinlein never actually served in combat, having been a Naval Academy graduate who was medically discharged for a tuberculosis infection and spent World War II as a civilian doing Research and Development at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Defending Heinlein, George Price argued that "[Heinlein] implies, first, that war is something "endured," not enjoyed, and second, that war is so unpleasant, so desolate, that it must at all costs be kept away from one's home.<ref name=PITFCS/> In a commentary on his essay "Who Are the Heirs of Patrick Henry?", Heinlein agreed that Starship Troopers "glorifies the military ... Specifically the P.B.I., the Poor Bloody Infantry, the mudfoot who places his frail body between his loved home and the war's desolation — but is rarely appreciated... he has the toughest job of all and should be honored."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The book's dedication also reads in part "... to all sergeants anywhen who have labored to make men out of boys."<ref>Berkley Medallion paperback edition. The nitrosyncretic site's "Heinlein’s Dedications" incorrectly uses the "anywhere" word instead of "anywhen".</ref> However, he thoroughly disagreed that Starship Troopers was militaristic, arguing that the military personnel in the Terran Federation were not allowed to vote while on active duty — since "the idiots might vote not to make a drop"<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> — and that the military was thoroughly despised by many civilians. Interestingly, Heinlein also received some complaints about the lack of conscription in Starship Troopers (the military draft was the law in the United States when he wrote the novel).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Heinlein was always vehemently opposed to the idea of conscription and the advent of the modern U.S. all-volunteer military forces appears to have vindicated some of the ideas of Starship Troopers.

A "Fascist Utopia" or Plain Old Utopia?

Another accusation is that the Terran Federation is a fascist society, and that Starship Troopers is therefore an endorsement of fascism/Nazism. These analogies have become so popular that two of the corollaries of Godwin's Law state that once Heinlein is brought up during online debates, it is inevitable that someone will compare the book's society to that of Nazi Germany.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> One could argue that the most famous proponent of these views is Paul Verhoeven, whose film version of Starship Troopers portrayed the Terran Federation wearing Nazi-like outfits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Most of the arguments for this view cite the idea that only veterans can vote, and non-veterans lack citizenship. Ironically, according to Poul Anderson, Heinlein got the idea not from Nazi Germany or Sparta, but from Switzerland.<ref name="weuve"/> Often overlooked in this argument is that "veteran" is used to mean any person completing two (or more) years of civil service. Only a minority of the possible choices for service were military and the risks of military duty meant that the supermajority of citizens had not served their time in the military (being a war story, the novel of course focuses on those who are doing so).

Defenders of the book usually point out that, although the electoral franchise is limited, the government of the Terran Federation is democratically elected. There is freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of conscience. The political system described in the book is multiracial, multi-religious, and multi-ethnic. The protagonist Juan Rico is Filipino and others in his training group are American, Armenian, Japanese, German, and Turkish or Arab, and one or two have recognizably Jewish last names. Many also argue that Heinlein was simply discussing the merits of a "selective versus nonselective franchise."<ref name=PITFCS/> Heinlein made a similar claim in his Expanded Universe.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The novel makes a related claim that "[s]ince sovereign franchise is the ultimate in human authority, we insure that all who wield it accept the ultimate in social responsibility — we require each person who wishes to exert control over the state to wager his own life — and lose it, if need be to save the life of the state. The maximum responsibility a human can accept is thus equated to the ultimate authority a human can exert."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

A more moderate accusation is that Heinlein's society is a utopia, and that his ideas sound good because they're never really tested. This interpretation includes critics like Robert A. W. Lowndes, Philip José Farmer, and Michael Moorcock. The latter wrote an essay entitled "Starship Stormtroopers" in which he attacked Heinlein and other writers over similar "Utopian fiction."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Lowndes accused Heinlein of using straw man arguments, "countering ingenuous half-truths with brilliant half-truths."<ref name=PITFCS/> Lowndes further argued that the Terran Federation could never be as idealistic as Heinlein portrays it to be because he never properly addressed whether or not [non-citizens] have at least as full a measure of civil redress against official injustice as we have today.<ref name=PITFCS/> Phil Farmer also agreed, arguing that a "world ruled by veterans would be as mismanaged, graft-ridden, and insane as one ruled by men who had never gotten near the odor of blood and guts."<ref name=PITFCS/> Heinlein later denied that military service was the only way to earn the franchise and noted that the novel made this point explicitly, several times, for example when Rico is choosing preferences for assignment after enlisting. However, this issue is still controversial, even among the book's defenders, and James Gifford has declared that Heinlein is simply wrong on this point.<ref name=Gifford/> However, one character in the book, a recruiter, tells Rico that any adult may earn the franchise with two years of service, and that the government is required to find some duty for them to perform which is within their physical and mental capabilities. The objective is that all voters have earned the franchise through service rather than simply by reaching an arbitrary age.

Another controversial point is corporal punishment. The Terran Federation uses whippings for military discipline and also in civilian criminal justice. Characters speak of spankings or paddlings being used in child rearing. As the book was written at the beginning of Dr. Benjamin Spock's influence on the raising of children in American and European cultures, this is more a reflection on the practices of the time and of cultures in other parts of the world today which do not hold to the philosophy of Dr. Spock and his adherents.

Racism

The supposedly racist aspects of Starship Troopers involve the Terrans' relations with the Bugs and the Skinnies, who are viewed by some as stand-ins for the Japanese, Chinese, or Russians. Some people are also uncomfortable with the idea of an inter-species war, viewing it as similar to a race war. Richard Geib suggests that Heinlein portrayed the Arachnids as lacking "minds or souls... killing them seems no different than stepping on ants."<ref name=Geib/> Both Robert Peterson and John Brunner believe that the nicknames "Bugs" and "Skinnies" carry racial overtones, Brunner using the analogy of "gook"<ref name=PITFCS/> while Peterson suggested that "not only does the nickname "Bugs" for the arachnids of Klendathu sound too much like a racial slur — think the derogatory use of the word 'Jew' — but Heinlein's characters unswervingly believe that humans are superior to Bugs, and that humans are destined to spread across the galaxy."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> However, as "bug" is even today a generic term encompassing insects and arachnids, the use of the label is natural given the described physical attributes of the Klendathu Arachnids.

However, Robert A. W. Lowndes argues that the war between the Terrans and the Arachnids is not about a quest for racial purity, but rather an extension of Heinlein's belief that man is a wild animal. According to this theory, if man lacks a moral compass beyond the will to survive, and he was confronted by another species with a similar lack of morality, then the only possible result would be warfare.<ref name=PITFCS/> In any case, the Arachnids are clearly not stupid (as Rico says, "Stupid races don't build spaceships!")<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and in several places the novel expresses admiration for the efficiency of the Arachnid species. Additionally at the end of the novel, the main character Juan Rico is revealed to be Filipino, which contradicts accusations of racism against Asians.

Adaptations and influences

Film and TV adaptations

Image:Starship troopers movie posterjpg.jpg Template:Main articles The novel has been recycled into comics, books, films, and television series, the best known being Paul Verhoeven's 1997 Starship Troopers. The film began development with the working title Bug Hunt,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but then a friend of Verhoeven pointed out the similarities between his script and the book. The license was subsequently negotiated and the script edited to conform more to the book. However, according to the Internet Movie Database, Verhoeven claimed he never finished reading the novel, getting both bored and depressed after the first few chapters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This explains the great dissimilarity between the two, and the volume of the uproar amongst Heinlein's fans when the movie was released.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The film dealt with the novel's political themes through merciless satire, using visual allusions to propaganda films such as Triumph of the Will and wartime news broadcasts. However, this satire was embedded in slickly produced action sequences with clever special effects.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some wonder whether the satire went unnoticed by the audience who may have treated the movie as a simple gung-ho action movie.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starship Troopers was also adapted into a series of comic books by Dark Horse Comics in 1997 and 1998 and although it was explicitly based on the films, the later issues featured a suit of powered armor similar to that of the book.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Other treatments more or less closely based on the book include a Japanese OVA series and accompanying manga made in 1988, entitled Uchû no Senshi, an animated series called Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles, and a 2004 sequel to the first movie, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation.

Video and board games

Template:Main articles

Image:Klendathu.gifStarship Troopers was first made into a strategy/simulation board game by Avalon Hill in 1976. The design was a straight-forward attempt to bring to life the political-military system described in the book.

In 1982 a programmer named Leo Christopherson wrote a game called Klendathu for the Tandy Color Computer. Oddly enough, even though the game was created 15 years before the theatrical incarnation of Starship Troopers, the bugs bear a closer resemblance to its depiction of the arachnids than what was described in the novel. The gameplay was simple in nature, with the objective to earn money by burning bugs.

In 1997 Avalon Hill released another totally different game, based on the movie, named "Starship Troopers: Prepare for Battle".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Blue Tongue Entertainment via Atari released the computer game Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy in 2000, a top-down real-time tactics wargame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2005, Mongoose Publishing released a roleplaying game with a corresponding miniatures wargame, based on the "universe" of Starship Troopers (including the novel, movies, and television show).

Cultural references

Template:Main

Starship Troopers influenced many later science fiction stories, setting a tone for the military in space, a type of story referred to as military science fiction. John Steakley's novel Armor was, according to the author, born out of frustration with the small amount of actual combat in Starship Troopers and because he wanted this aspect developed further. Conversely, Joe Haldeman's antiwar novel The Forever War is popularly thought to be a direct reply to Starship Troopers, and though Haldeman has stated that it is actually a result of his personal experiences in the Vietnam War, he has admitted to being influenced by Starship Troopers.<ref name=Haldeman/> Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is also thought by many to have been either a direct response to or influenced by Starship Troopers. Card has flatly denied this, saying that he never read the novel and was influenced by The Forever War.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Harry Harrison wrote a satirical book called Bill, the Galactic Hero which he described as "a piss-take on Heinlein's Starship Troopers"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> John Scalzi's novel Old Man's War is, according to the author, explicitly patterned after Starship Troopers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In recent years, John Ringo's series Legacy of the Alldenata (also known as the Posleen series) featured a more explicit homage to Heinlein's book.

The 1986 James Cameron movie Aliens incorporated themes and phrases right out of the novel such as the terms "the drop" and "bug hunt" as well as the cargo-loader exoskeleton. The actors playing the Colonial Marines were also required to read Starship Troopers as part of their training prior to filming.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starship Troopers is also thought to have influenced numerous computer and boardgames, including Tribes,<ref>A training mission in Tribes 2 uses the phrase "on the bounce" from the novel</ref> Terra Nova: Strike Force Centauri,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Fallout 2, Halo, Starcraft<ref>Heinlein was thanked in the credits of Starcraft.Template:Cite web</ref> and BattleTech. Also, the TV series "Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy," in a possible reference, used the suits from the movie to form the military for their ship, Terra Venture. The progressive rock band Yes had a song entitled Starship Trooper from their 1971 release, The Yes Album.

Notes

Editions

References

• Angelo, Carlos. Robert A. Heinlein, Dean of Science Fiction Writers.

• {{cite news

| first=Roberto de Sousa
| last=Causo
| pages=XX
| title=Citizenship at War
| date=February 21, 1998
| publisher=O Jornal da Tarde
| url=http://www.wegrokit.com/causost.htm
}}

• Starship Troopers: The PITFCS Debate: A two year debate about the novel in a Science Fiction publication occuring immediately after its publication.

• {{Citepaper

| Author=Gifford, James
| Title=The Nature of Federal Service in Starship Troopers
| PublishYear=Year Unknown
| URL=http://www.nitrosyncretic.com/rah/ftp/fedrlsvc.pdf
}}

• {{cite book

| last = Heinlein | first = Robert A.
| authorlink = Robert A. Heinlein
| title=Expanded Universe
| publisher=Baen
| year=2003
| id=ISBN 0-7434-7159-8
}} Contains Heinlein's comments on the writing and the politics of Starship Troopers, as well as the polemical speech "The Pragmatics of Patriotism" on the moral basis of the military.

• Template:Cite web

• Moorcock, Michael. Starship Stormtroopers, Cienfuegos Press Anarchist Review, 1978.

• {{cite book

| last = Panshin | first = Alexei
| authorlink = Alexei Panshin
| url = http://www.enter.net/~torve/critics/Dimension/hdcontents.html
| title = Heinlein in Dimension
|publisher=Advent Publishers
|year=1968
|id=ISBN 0911682120
}}

• {{Citepaper

| Author=Panshin, Alexei
| Title=Rite of Passage and Robert Heinlein
| PublishYear=Year Unknown
| URL=http://www.enter.net/~torve/critics/HeinleinRoP/ropcontents.html
}} Describes a correspondence with Heinlein over "Starship Troopers" in 1959.

• {{cite journal

| first = James | last = Pinkerton
| authorlink=James Pinkerton
| title=Starship Trooperization
| journal=Tech Central Station Daily
| year=May 2003 | volume= | pages=
| url=http://www.techcentralstation.com/051203B.html
}}

• Weuve, Christopher. Thoughts on Starship Troopers. Examines some of the issues surrounding Heinlein's version and Verhoeven's version.

See also

Template:Wikiquote

• Rodger Young

External links

• Template:Isfdb title
• Starry-Eyed Internationalists" versus the Social Darwinists by Rafeeq O. McGiveron. Examines Heinlein's transnational governments, including the Terran Federation.
• Militarism and Utopia in 'Starship Troopers' by Robert Peterson. Argues that Heinlein's Federation is a fascist government.
• Citizenship at War by Roberto de Sousa Causo. Review from a Brazilian newspaper.
• SciFi.Com book review by Craig E. Engler.
• Gotterdammerung.Org book review by Branislav L. Slantchev.
• SFReviews.Net book review by T. M. Wagner.
• "STARSHIP TROOPERS" by Robert A. Heinlein. An opinion by Richard Geib.
• "Thoughts on Starship Troopers" by Christopher W.

Template:Heinlein (Novel)Template:Featured article

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