Now, "Starship Troopers" (1997) is not a great movie, but we will say this for it: It definitely has a theme, fanatical patriotism.
In the movie, the earth is at war with a race of giant alien insects. These are nasty buggers (pun intended). In some of the gorier scenes you're likely to see in a science-fiction movie, they mow down earth's defenders, tearing young, well-armed soldiers limb from limb. And, since cannons must have fodder, the armed forces of earth are in a constant recruiting drive. Socialist-realist advertisements exhorting the young to military service blare from every screen. Military service itself is optional, but only soldiers enjoy full citizenship (if they live long enough to enjoy it). Horrifically maimed veterans are paraded in front of wide-eyed recruits as emblems of what they, too, can hope to achieve. Overall, human society is organized according to fascist principles, but it's fascism with a happy face.
The interesting thing about this movie is that the militaristic propaganda is SO over the top that one assumes it must be meant as parody:
"Violence has resolved more conflicts than anything else. The contrary opinion that violence doesn't solve anything is merely wishful thinking at its worst."
"We're in this war for the species, boys and girls, it's simple numbers. . . .And every day I have to make decisions that send hundreds of people like you to their deaths."
(And remember, this was BEFORE 9/11.)
The characters themselves never seem to be in on the joke, though. And of course, this being essentially an action movie, the heroes win (more or less) at the end, so we're left to conclude that they have done the right thing in allowing themselves to become cogs in this military-industrial machine.
Now, you could say that we're reading too much into this and expending far too much mental energy analyzing something that doesn't call for much analysis. You may be right. Still, this movie has always troubled the Solipsist: What kind of a world was this movie celebrating?
Well, judging from an article about the Explorers Program in today's Times, it's a world much like the one we find ourselves in today. A coed program affiliated with the Boy Scouts, Explorers gives participants the opportunity to get hands-on experience in a variety of career fields. Historically, the programs related to law-enforcement have been very popular. Check out the image:
Some choice quotes from the article:
". . .the gunman [in a training exercise], a disgruntled Iraq war veteran, has already taken out two people, one slumped in his desk, the other covered in blood on the floor.
"The responding officers--eight teenage boys and girls, the youngest 14 [emphasis added]--face tripwire, a thin cloud of poisonous gas and loud shots. . . .They move quickly, pellet guns drawn and masks affixed."
"'This is about being a true-blooded American guy and girl,' said A. J. Lowenthal a sheriff's deputy. . . .'It fits right in with the honor and bravery of the Boy Scouts.'"
"Cathy Noriego, . . .16, said she was attracted by the guns. . . . 'I like shooting them,' Cathy said. 'I like the sound they make. It gets me excited.'"
"The law enforcement posts are restricted to those ages 14 to 21 who have a C average, but there seems to be some wiggle room. 'I will take them at 13 and a half,' Deputy Lowenthal saud. 'I would rather take a kid than possibly lose a kid.'"
Has the war on terror turned our teenagers into Starship Troopers? Or, far scarier, has "Starship Troopers" become a blueprint for American government policy? Are terrorists, drug dealers, and illegal immigrants just so many bloodthirsty insects? Has this ridiculous movie turned out to be a cautionary tale?
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