Starship Troopers (1997): Would you like to know more?
We’re suiting up for Paul Verhoeven’s gloriously un-subtle space satire—where propaganda pops like bubblegum, the bugs aren’t the dumb ones, and “service guarantees citizenship.” We talk giant arachnids, bigger egos, and why so many people somehow missed the joke.
What we cover
- The Federal Network effect: recruitment ads, newsreels, and how the film weaponises UI/UX to sell fascism with a smile.
- Rico’s journey: classroom ideology → boot-camp brutality → battlefield meat grinder (medic!… too late).
- Co-ed everything: showers, squads, and the film’s on-purpose glossy, soap-opera casting.
- Verhoeven’s satire dialled to 11: why it’s meant to be pretty and brain-dead—and why that still stings today.
- Effects that hold up: Tippett’s creature work + 1997 CGI that still rips (and rips people in half).
- The brain bug finale: “It’s afraid.” Why that triumphant cheer is the darkest punchline.
- Book vs film: Heinlein’s straight-faced militarism vs Verhoeven’s neon-lit mockery.
Why this episode?
Because it’s a perfect “did you get it?” movie—one that works as a pulpy bug-hunt and as a razor-sharp critique. We go deep but keep it rowdy: football flips, knife tricks, Ironside growls, and the most cursed workplace shower chat in cinema.
“If you mistake the recruitment ad for the message… congratulations, trooper—you’re already enlisted.”
🎧 New to Bad Dads? This is a great entry point: big laughs, big ideas, zero homework. Hit play, do your part, and join Rico’s Roughnecks (temporarily).
We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com.
Until next time, we remain...
Bad Dads
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