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.
Development of Starship Troopers began in 1991 as Bug Hunt at Outpost 7, written by Neumeier. After recognizing similarities between Neumeier's script and Heinlein's book, producer Jon Davison suggested aligning the script more closely with the novel to garner greater interest from studio executives. Despite these efforts, development was slow, with studios hesitant to fund the costly project right up to the start of filming. Principal photography took place between April and October 1996 on a $100–110 million budget, of which nearly half was spent on the extensive computer-generated imagery (CGI) and practical effects required to vivify the Arachnid creatures.
Released on November 7, 1997, Starship Troopers faced critical backlash, with reviewers interpreting the film as endorsing fascism and disparaging its violence and cast performances. Despite initial box office success, ticket sales slowed down amid negative reviews and unfavorable word of mouth, culminating in a $121 million total gross against its budget, which made it the 34th-highest-grossing film of 1997. The disappointing performance of Starship Troopers was blamed, in part, on competition from a high number of successful or anticipated science fiction and genre films released that year, its satire and violence failing to connect with mainstream audiences, and ineffective marketing.
Since its release, Starship Troopers has been critically re-evaluated, and it is now considered a cult classic and a prescient satire of fascism and authoritarian governance that has grown in relevance. The film launched a multimedia franchise that includes four sequels—Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004), Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008), Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012), and Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)—as well as a 1999 animated television series, video games, comics, and a variety of merchandise.
Plot
In the future, Earth is governed by the United Citizen Federation, a stratocratic regime founded generations earlier by "veterans" after democracy and social scientists brought civilization to the brink of ruin. Citizenship is exclusively earned through federal service, which grants rights—like voting and procreation—that are withheld from ordinary civilians. Humans, who are now capable of interstellar travel, conduct colonization missions throughout the galaxy, bringing them into conflict with a race of highly evolved insectoid creatures dubbed "Arachnids" or, derisively, "bugs".
Against his parents' objections, teenage jock Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry to remain close to his girlfriend, spaceship pilot Carmen Ibanez. Their psychic friend Carl Jenkins joins military intelligence, while Isabelle "Dizzy" Flores—who is in love with Rico—deliberately transfers to his squad. Carmen ends her relationship with Rico due to their diverging career paths and her growing feelings for a fellow pilot, Zander Barcalow. During training, Rico impresses his drill sergeant, Zim, earning a promotion to squad leader. However, Rico makes a mistake during a training exercise, which leads to the death of a squad member and the resignation of another, resulting in Rico's demotion and flogging. Disheartened, Rico quits, but re-enlists after learning that an asteroid sent by the Arachnids has destroyed Buenos Aires, killing millions, including his parents.
An invasion force is deployed to Klendathu, the Arachnids' home planet, but military intelligence underestimates the Arachnids' defensive abilities, leading to hundreds of thousands of human casualties. Badly wounded, Rico is rescued by Lieutenant Jean Rasczak, his former high school teacher, but is mistakenly reported dead, devastating Carmen. Following his recovery, Rico, Dizzy, and squadmate Ace Levy join Rasczak's elite unit, the Roughnecks. After Rico defeats a gigantic "Tanker Bug" on the disputed planet of Tango Urilla, he is elevated to the rank of corporal for his valor and begins a romantic relationship with Dizzy.
Responding to a distress signal on the Arachnid-controlled Planet P, the Roughnecks discover an Arachnid-ravaged outpost and are ambushed by the bugs. Carmen and Zander recover the surviving Roughnecks by dropship, but not before Dizzy is fatally impaled by an Arachnid and Rico mercy kills the mutilated Rasczak. The group returns to the fleet assembled in orbit above P, where Dizzy is eulogized.
Jenkins, now a colonel, reveals the Roughnecks were deliberately ordered into the trap, justifying it as a necessary sacrifice to confirm the existence of a "Brain Bug", an intelligent Arachnid strategically directing the others. He assigns Rico command of the Roughnecks and field-promotes him to lieutenant, instructing him to return to P and capture the Brain Bug. As the battle commences, Carmen's ship is destroyed by the Arachnids; she and Zander escape in an escape pod, but it crashes into an underground tunnel system. The pair are captured by the Arachnids, and the Brain Bug consumes Zander's brain, killing him and absorbing his knowledge. Rico directs his squad to complete their mission while he, Ace, and their squadmate Watkins rescue Carmen and hold the Arachnids at bay with a miniature nuclear bomb.
The Brain Bug escapes while the Arachnids attack and fatally wound Watkins, who sacrifices himself by detonating the bomb while his teammates escape. On the surface, they learn that Zim has captured the Brain Bug and the assembled troops rejoice as Jenkins psychically detects it is afraid. A propaganda broadcast details how the Brain Bug is being invasively studied to learn its secrets and ensure humanity's victory. The ad encourages viewers to enlist and do their part in the war so they can become like Carmen, now captain of her own ship, and Rico, who enthusiastically leads his troops into another battle.
Cast
Casper Van Dien as Johnny Rico, a school sports star turned infantryman Dina Meyer as Dizzy Flores, Rico's former classmate who joins the Mobile Infantry to stay close to him Denise Richards as Carmen Ibanez, an aspiring starship pilot and Rico's girlfriend Jake Busey as Ace Levy, an infantryman Neil Patrick Harris as Carl Jenkins, a psychic who joins military intelligence. Clancy Brown as Sergeant Zim, Rico's drill sergeant during training Seth Gilliam as Sugar Watkins, a member of the Roughnecks special forces unit Patrick Muldoon as Zander Barcalow, Rico's rival who is romantically interested in Carmen Michael Ironside as Jean Rasczak, a former teacher turned squad leader
Infantry characters include Blake Lindsley as Katrina, Tami-Adrian George as Djana'd, Eric Bruskotter as Breckinridge, Matt Levin as Kitten Smith, and Anthony Ruivivar as Shujumi. The rest of the cast includes Rue McClanahan as a biology teacher, Marshall Bell as General Owen, Brenda Strong as Captain Deladier, and Dean Norris as Commanding Officer. Christopher Curry and Lenore Kasdorf appear as Mr. and Mrs. Rico, while Bruce Gray and Denise Dowse appear as Sky Marshals Dienes and Meru. Corporals Bronski and Birdie are portrayed by Teo Smoot and Ungela Brockman, Sergeant Gillespie by Curnal Aulisio, and Robert David Hall portrays a heavily disfigured Recruitment Sergeant. Amy Smart appears as a pilot cadet, and Timothy Omundson portrays a psychic.
Cameo appearances include producer Jon Davison as an Angry Survivor of the Buenos Aires asteroid attack, and writer Edward Neumeier as a handcuffed prisoner standing before Federation judges. Verhoeven's assistant, Stacy Lumbrezer, appears as a smiling woman during a psychic advertisement, and Paul Sammon, author of The Making of Starship Troopers, appears as a man feeding a cow to an Arachnid.
Production Development as Bug Hunt at Outpost 7 Since the release of RoboCop (1987), producer Jon Davison had aimed to develop another project that would reunite key members of its creative team, including writer Edward Neumeier and stop motion animator Phil Tippett. Neumeier and his co-writer Michael Miner had struggled to develop new story ideas in the intervening years and, realizing their partnership was no longer effective, Neumeier began working alone on a story treatment titled Bug Hunt at Outpost 7. His treatment was intended to be a comedic, jingoistic, and xenophobic war film pitting the heroes against insects—chosen due to his wife's fear of them—set against the backdrop of a teenage romance story.
In December 1991, Neumeier brought his treatment to Davison at Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, which also headquartered TriStar Pictures, with whom Davison had a pre-existing development deal. Davison realized the treatment bore similarities to the 1959 science fiction novel, Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein. The novel had received a strongly divided reception on its release for promoting military power and necessary violence while criticizing liberal social programs, but had remained a popular work. Neumeier and Davison considered directly adapting Starship Troopers, but Davison assumed the film adaptation rights would already be taken and encouraged Neumeier to continue with his treatment, retitled Outpost 7.
By late 1992, Neumeier had completed the Outpost 7 treatment, alternatively known as Bug Hunt. Davison presented it to TriStar executive Chris Lee, who rejected it. Neumeier and Davison learned that the rights for Starship Troopers were available and instead pitched an adaptation of the novel using elements of Outpost 7. Lee was more receptive, and the pair also gained support from other executives, including TriStar head of production Mike Medavoy, who had supported their work on RoboCop. The rights to Starship Troopers were purchased and Neumeier began adapting Outpost 7 to more closely fit Heinlein's novel.
Development as Starship Troopers
Progress was slow as TriStar regularly replaced executives, including Medavoy, and high cost or risk projects, like Starship Troopers, were more closely scrutinized. Davison spent much of 1993 securing several key crew including Tippett and RoboCop director Paul Verhoeven. Neumeier and Davison said Verhoeven was their only choice to direct Starship Troopers because they determined the fantastical creatures, genre, and political subtext suited his creative sensibilities. Verhoeven recruited Alan Marshall as a producer, having worked with him on Basic Instinct (1992) and his most recent project Showgirls (1995). Despite Verhoeven's previous successes leading into the early 1990s, he was in need of a promising project as his efforts to develop the pirate adventure Mistress of the Seas and the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring Crusade had failed. Showgirls would go on to fail financially and earn him the worst reviews of his career.