Analysis of American socio-political parallels in Starship Troopers (1997)
Starship Troopers portrays a dystopian vision of new-world “America” in the midst of a narrative that is frighteningly familiar to the historical reality of the country, war. Whilst the conflict between the Terran Federation and Arachnids cannot be interpreted as a direct satirical representation of one particular historical battle, there exist several connotations of ideological dispute that can be garnered from the film.
Director Paul Verhoeven expands on, and somewhat manipulates, Robert A Heinlein’s original novel narrative of political satire to create a more centralised projection of American globalisation. The Terran Federation thus depicts the totalitarian potential of America whilst intertwining it with an element of fascism. As Brian E. Crim suggests, the film represents “a synthesis of an all-powerful media and an authoritarian government”, which results in a conglomeration of ideological and aesthetic dictatorship.1 Particularly representative of this political notion is the use of Nazi “SS” style uniforms for the military leaders, including Neil Patrick Harris’ character, which creates a stark juxtaposition with the actor’s previous television character Doogie Howser, the fresh-faced physician. Thus by placing an Americanized political body within the boundaries of a fascist military framework, the film “places the audience in the uncomfortable position of identifying and sympathizing with a society it is conditioned to despise”.2
Furthermore, the film echoes the initial novel’s narrative of using bugs as the human opposition in a formulaic narrative model inspired by war-films of the 1940s/1950s. This augments the political allegory by inciting connotations of the Cold War conflict of the mid-to-late Twentieth Century. Indeed bugs can be interpreted as a conceptual representation of Communism and Communist forces due to “their discipline and unshakeable devotion to a collective”.3 Therefore the socio-political parallels that the film engenders result in the creation of a social commentary of the political position and military stance of America within global affairs. Such assertions depict the continual permeation of political allegory throughout popular culture and ultimately demonstrate how science-fiction film can be used to relay issues that are relevant to modern day society.
- Mark Davison
Director Paul Verhoeven expands on, and somewhat manipulates, Robert A Heinlein’s original novel narrative of political satire to create a more centralised projection of American globalisation. The Terran Federation thus depicts the totalitarian potential of America whilst intertwining it with an element of fascism. As Brian E. Crim suggests, the film represents “a synthesis of an all-powerful media and an authoritarian government”, which results in a conglomeration of ideological and aesthetic dictatorship.1 Particularly representative of this political notion is the use of Nazi “SS” style uniforms for the military leaders, including Neil Patrick Harris’ character, which creates a stark juxtaposition with the actor’s previous television character Doogie Howser, the fresh-faced physician. Thus by placing an Americanized political body within the boundaries of a fascist military framework, the film “places the audience in the uncomfortable position of identifying and sympathizing with a society it is conditioned to despise”.2
Furthermore, the film echoes the initial novel’s narrative of using bugs as the human opposition in a formulaic narrative model inspired by war-films of the 1940s/1950s. This augments the political allegory by inciting connotations of the Cold War conflict of the mid-to-late Twentieth Century. Indeed bugs can be interpreted as a conceptual representation of Communism and Communist forces due to “their discipline and unshakeable devotion to a collective”.3 Therefore the socio-political parallels that the film engenders result in the creation of a social commentary of the political position and military stance of America within global affairs. Such assertions depict the continual permeation of political allegory throughout popular culture and ultimately demonstrate how science-fiction film can be used to relay issues that are relevant to modern day society.
- Brian E. Crim. “”A World That Works”: Fascism and Media Globalization in Starship Troopers.” Film and History 39 (2009). Accessed November 01, 2013.
- Ibid.
- Ibid.
- Mark Davison
Comparison of sci-fi novel and sci-fi film visual media
These two images are of the Starship Troopers book cover (1959) and film poster (1997) respectively. The transition from the novel artwork of Starship Troopers to the movie poster advertisement exhibits the development of the science fiction genre in the medium of film. Whilst almost forty years separate the two visual representations of the narrative, there remain similarities in terms of the depiction of military figures and an indication of futuristic sci-fi elements. However, the film artwork exhibits how modern popular culture has progressed in the late-Twentieth Century to apply human and racial elements to its visual manifestations, as shown by the portrayal of the military troops as white Anglo-Saxons.
1. [Starship Troopers book cover]
Robert A. Heinlein – New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons (1959)
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1610216603&searchurl=an%3Drobert%2Bheinlein%26amp%3Bfe%3Don%26amp%3Btn%3Dstarship%2Btroopers
(Accessed December 14, 2013).
2. [Starship Troopers movie poster]
TriStar Pictures (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3865029632/tt0120201?ref_=tt_ov_i#
(Accessed December 14, 2013).
- Mark Davison
1. [Starship Troopers book cover]
Robert A. Heinlein – New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons (1959)
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=1610216603&searchurl=an%3Drobert%2Bheinlein%26amp%3Bfe%3Don%26amp%3Btn%3Dstarship%2Btroopers
(Accessed December 14, 2013).
2. [Starship Troopers movie poster]
TriStar Pictures (1997)
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3865029632/tt0120201?ref_=tt_ov_i#
(Accessed December 14, 2013).
- Mark Davison