Starship Troopers (franchise)
Starship Troopers is an American military science fiction media franchise based on the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert A. Heinlein and the satirical 1997 film adaptation by screenwriter Edward Neumeier and director Paul Verhoeven.
Setting
The series is set hundreds of years in the future, after a collapse of Western democracy and many resulting wars. In this future, human society is now ruled by the Terran Federation, a government run by military veterans. Military service is voluntary, but required to earn the full rights of citizenship, such as holding office and voting.
Much of the series focuses on the experiences of Juan "Johnny" Rico and the lessons he learns enlisting in military service along with his hometown friends, Carmen Ibanez (a love interest who becomes a pilot) and Carl (who, in the films, is shown as being a
Novel
Starship Troopers (1959)
At some point between 1958 and 1959,
Like many of Heinlein's books, Starship Troopers was completed in a few weeks. It was originally written as a
The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction first published Starship Troopers in October and November 1959 as a two-part serial titled Starship Soldier.[5]
Commentators have written that Starship Troopers is not driven by its plot, though it contains scenes of military combat. Instead, much of the novel is given over to a discussion of ideas.
Films
Live-action
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starship Troopers | November 7, 1997 | Paul Verhoeven | Edward Neumeier | Jon Davison Alan Marshall |
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation | April 24, 2004 | Phil Tippett | Jon Davison | |
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | August 5, 2008 | Edward Neumeier | David Lancaster |
Future
In December 2011, film producer
Animated
Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producer(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starship Troopers: Invasion | August 28, 2012 | Shinji Aramaki | Flint Dille | Shinji Aramaki Joseph Chou Shigehito Kawada |
Joseph Chou |
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars | August 21, 2017 | Shinji Aramaki Masaru Matsumoto |
Edward Neumeier | Joseph Chou Max Nishi Tomi Hashimoto |
Television
Series | Episodes | First released | Last released | Showrunner(s) | Network(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Starship Troopers | 6 | October 25, 1988 | December 17, 1988 | Tetsurō Amino | — |
Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles | 36 + 4 clip shows | August 30, 1999 | April 3, 2000 | Richard Raynis | BKN
|
Video games
Video game | U.S. release date | Developer | Publisher | Platform(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Starship Troopers[13] | 1979 | Dendron Amusements | Dendron Amusements | CP/M |
Starship Troopers: Terran Ascendancy | October 23, 2000 | Blue Tongue Entertainment | Hasbro Interactive
|
Windows |
Starship Troopers | October 27, 2005 | Strangelite | Empire Interactive and Destineer | Windows |
Starship Troopers: Terran Command | June 16, 2022 | The Artistocrats | Slitherine Software | Windows |
Starship Troopers: Extermination | May 17, 2023 (early access) | Offworld Industries | Offworld Industries | Windows |
Cast and characters
List indicator(s)
- This table shows the principal characters and the actors who have portrayed them throughout the franchise.
- A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film or video game, or that the character's presence in the film or video game has not yet been announced.
- A V indicates a voice only role.
Reception
Critical and public response
Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore |
---|---|---|---|
Starship Troopers | 63% (63 reviews)[14] | 51 (20 reviews)[15] | C+[16] |
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation | 33% (6 reviews)[17] | — | — |
Starship Troopers 3: Marauder | 50% (6 reviews)[18] | — | — |
Starship Troopers: Invasion | — (4 reviews)[19] | — | — |
Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars | — (4 reviews)[20] | — | — |
References
- ^ Both Neumeier and Verhoeven are involved on the writing of the movie; the former received the screenplay credit. Four of the five films that form the main continuity of the movie universe (including the first movie itself) were written by Neumeier.
- ^ a b Gifford, James (1996). "The Nature of Federal Service in Robert A. Heinlein's Starship Troopers" (PDF). Retrieved March 4, 2006.
- ^ Heinlein 2003, pp. 468–469.
- ^ Heinlein 2003, pp. 468–469, 481–482.
- ^ ISBN 0-89356-199-1.
- ^ a b "Biographies of Robert and Virginia Heinlein". The Heinlein Society. Retrieved March 4, 2006.
- S2CID 155012971.
- ^ Booker & Thomas 2009, p. 215.
- ^ a b Cass 1999, p. 52.
- Salon. Archived from the originalon May 14, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
- ^ White, James (December 4, 2011). "Starship Troopers Remake Planned". Empire. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
- ^ "'Starship Troopers' Reboot in the Works (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. November 3, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (November 16, 2016). "Original 'Starship Troopers' Director: Remake Fits Trump Presidency". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 20, 2017.
- ^ "Starship Troopers 1979".
- ^ "Starship Troopers (1997)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
- ^ "Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation (2004)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ "Starship Troopers 3: Marauder (2008)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ "Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
- ^ "Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
Sources
- Booker, M. Keith; Thomas, Anne-Marie (2009). The Science Fiction Handbook. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781405162067. Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
- Cass, Jeffrey (April 1999). "SS Troopers: Cybernostalgia and Paul Verhoeven's Fascist Flirtation". Studies in Popular Culture. 21 (3): 51–63. JSTOR 23414533.
- OCLC 223822885.