Heinlein's 22nd century earth is at war with an arachnid "bug" race from another galaxy. "They are tough and we are tough and only one of us will win and the other gets wiped out," explains our hero Johnny Rico of the rugged Mobil Infantry, illuminating well the state of mind of the war between Japan and the United States during World War II, as well as the barely restrained ferocity of the Cold War afterwards. Rico's old high school teacher Rasczak plays the stand-in for Heinlein's philosophy of an ?improved? future society which emerges after following the "decadence and collapse of the democracies of the 20th century" after which the surviving veterans take over. Heinlein pays unconvincing lip service to the idea of a free society where civic service is voluntary and civil liberties are respected, but the soul of his argument lies i

The fascist production of symbols in Starship Troopers conforms to the institutional design and intent of the imagined State apparatus. Verhoeven repeatedly employs quasi-Nazi symbols in Starship Troopers to emphasize the sleek beauty of technology and its dominant place within the State?s imperial logics. The Federal State is eager to sacrifice the individual human life for State conquest. The prosthetic hand becomes the metonymic sign of a technologically dependent and soulless empire. It equips its wounded officers, like the enlistment officer at the Federal Building and Johnny Rico?s commanding officer, Rasczak, with cybernetic, ?steel hand? replacements, yet it cares little for their personal disposition. The enlistment officer, who has also lost both his legs, barely manages to hand out paperwork to incoming recruits; Rasczak, the film?s most vocal exponent of the Federal State, asks Rico to shoot him after a Tanker bug rips him in half. Despite his valour, Rasczak?s violent death does not even warrant a memorial service. Thus, technological logics in Starship Troopers promote and drive State security interests; personal fulfilment for the principal characters of the story lies in their heroic self-sacrifice as they enforce that security, whether or not the State ever acknowledges the sacrifice.

Heinlein?s novel and Verhoeven?s film may share a name, but they could hardly be more different in their message. The former creates a fascist utopia, the latter a flawed world of narrow-mindedness. Both beg the question, however, does the human race deserve to win this war of survival?

The Federal Eagle functions as the State logo, adorning buildings and uniforms alike, is eerily similar to the one that graced the architecture and fashions of the Nazis, so prominently displayed in propag

Some common words found in the essay are:
Starship Troopers, Johnny Rico, USS Lexington, Cold War, Games Theory, Buenos Ares, Federal Eagle, Mobil Infantry, Johnny Ricos, Federal Rico, starship troopers, johnny rico, symbols starship, mobil infantry, heinleins world, enlistment officer, symbols starship troopers,
Approximate Word count = 1215
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)