Summary

• Starship Troopers critiques society's glorification of violence through dark comedy and satire.
• Director Verhoeven's use of Nazi imagery highlights the dangers of militarism and fascism in America.
• The film condemns fascism and military rule, but its deeper meanings were initially misunderstood by critics and audiences.

The hidden Starship Troopers meaning makes the movie more than just a cult classic sci-fi action movie about soldiers killing space bugs. The film criticizes the United States, spotlighting society, propaganda, and government. It's an action movie with an agenda behind it. When Starship Troopers was released in 1997, critics gave it mostly negative reviews, thanks to the film's gratuitous violence and wooden acting. It has since become a cult classic, and even critics look at Starship Troopers more favorably.

People finally discovered what director Paul Verhoeven was trying to say, masking a dystopian future as an otherwise mindless action film. The original story came from a script called Bug Hunt at Outpost Nine that was later adapted to work with characters from Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 sci-fi novel, Starship Troopers. The movie is quite different from the book. Heinlein's novel has been accused of promoting fascism and military rule, while the Starship Troopers movie has a different message.

Starship Troopers Has Been Misunderstood Over The Years

Many Claim The Movie Is Pro-War

Upon its release, Starship Troopers was written off as an action movie with little need for further analysis. It mostly appealed to adolescents who wanted to see blood and guts. Because of this, it earned only $121 million worldwide against its $105 million budget. Although the acting is cheesy, the film's concept is supposed to be that way. It's bombastic, larger than life. It is a military satire film commenting on nationalism and xenophobia. It's not a film that glorifies violence, but one that condemns it.

Starship Troopers is funny, a dark comedy that shows the dangers of a violent mindset.

However, people misunderstood this idea. Like Verhoeven's Robocop, he's against authoritarianism. Starship Troopers is satire, and keenly aware of its message against right-wing militarism and fascism. Although many scenes seem to glorify violence, they were designed to condemn it. Starship Troopers is funny, a dark comedy that shows the dangers of a violent mindset. When taken at face value, Starship Troopers is a vapid space romp, but look a little deeper and it's so much more.

Starship Troopers Was A Reflection Of Society & Rising Fascism

Verhoeven Said He Wanted To Make Fun Of Fascism

In a 2014 interview with The Adam Carolla Show, Michael Ironside (Scanners), who played a militant officer in Starship Troopers, said he asked Verhoeven why he was making a "right-wing fascist movie?" Verhoeven explained to him his reasoning for the film's design.

"If I tell the world that a right-wing, fascist way of doing things doesn't work, no one will listen to me. So I'm going to make a perfect fascist world: everyone is beautiful, everything is shiny, everything has big guns and fancy ships, but it's only good for killing f****** Bugs!"

Unfortunately, statements like this were not more widely circulated in the 1990s. If they had been, it's possible Starship Troopers would have been taken more seriously. The propaganda film that opens the movie sets the pace and mood for what's to come. It celebrates violence with images adapted directly from Nazi propaganda films, especially one scene that showcases a rally eerily similar to those that were conducted for the Reich Labor Service in Nazi Germany.

It is an advertisement encouraging young people to sign up for the mobile infantry, to sacrifice their lives for the greater good of violence. This over-the-top and overly optimistic attitude spills over into the "real world" of the film, which is reflected in its cheesy acting and the attitudes of the young cadets as they rise through the ranks of the future United States military. The fact Verhoeven chose to use Starship Troopers to portray this message is not surprising.

Starship Troopers is a reflection of society and rising fascism.

He grew up in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands, so he had first-hand experience with authoritarianism, militarism, and rising fascism. He took Heinlein's material and turned it on its head, satirizing these concepts. Instead of making a mindless action movie about soldiers killing space bugs that promotes military ideas, he made a movie that condemns them - from the inside out. Starship Troopers is a reflection of society and rising fascism - the only problem is, not everyone understands this fact.

Nazi Uniforms & Imagery Was Used To Illustrate The US Future

The Nazi Symbolism Was Used Throughout Starship Troopers

In Starship Troopers, both Nazi uniforms and imagery are used to illustrate the future United States, which was done as a way to highlight the possible problems that society faces and where the US may be headed. Verhoeven sees the possible evolution of capitalism into a culture of violence and military rule. At one point in the movie, a propagandized statement says it all: "Violence is the supreme authority!"

Verhoeven took Starship Troopers' first scene, an advertisement for the Mobile Infantry, shot for shot from Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will (1935).

Much of the imagery is also reminiscent of Nazi Germany. As previously mentioned, Verhoeven took Starship Troopers' first scene, an advertisement for the Mobile Infantry, shot for shot from Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will (1935). In addition, the military uniforms are inspired by those used by the Nazis, especially the insignia of the field grade officers (worn by both characters Rico and Dizzy in the film, among others). Some of the uniforms are also similar to Mussolini's Blackshirts.

On top of the Gestapo-like uniforms, the entire world that is portrayed in Starship Troopers is filled with Nazi imagery. The architecture that is seen is inspired by Albert Speer, who was one of Hitler's close allies. The Starship Troopers' cast could be from an Aryan propaganda production. Verhoeven wanted to play with Nazi imagery as much as possible, and that's throughout the film, painting the picture of a future with a military structure and a societal focus on violence.

Did Starship Troopers Successfully Explain Its Real Meaning?

Critics Failed To Understand The Deeper Meanings

Taking away the guns, violence, sex, and flying bug guts, Starship Troopers condemns fascism and military rule. Nevertheless, does this come across to viewers? One of the big problems with Starship Troopers is that it appeals to a younger, action-oriented audience that may not look for deeper meaning. Because of this, critics judged it for its bad acting and gratuitous violence but that's the entire point of the film. Over the years, it has come to be appreciated for the satire it is.

Starship Troopers uses fascism and military imagery to point out certain aspects of American society. In many ways, it's too well-made, throwing off audiences and critics alike. It's meant to unseat audiences and is designed to be misunderstood, to an extent. Nonetheless, seeing the United States slipping into fascism, Verhoeven stated what he set out to do, making a movie highly critical of war and militant rule. Starship Troopers may be one of the greatest anti-fascist films of all time.