"Starship Troopers" is a military science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven produced in 1997. This film does not only focus on life in the future and new civilizations and realities of the 23rd century, but it is also centered around the darker side of the role of government and authority, disturbing social spaces, and total absence of choice for ordinary people.
The film depicts life of people in the distant future, particularly in the 23rd century. "Earth, three hundred years into the future, is under the rule of the Federation world government. Multi- nationalism has finally become multi-planetarism. Utopia appears to be in humanity's grasp" (Ndalianis 9). At this particular time, all people have equal opportunities to obtaining education. Poverty and racial discrimination were completely eliminated and filed as a history.
However, the reality is not that bright and promising as it might at first sight. In "Starship Troopers" high school students are actively encouraged to do into the military service in order to become true citizens. But there is one thing that these kids are not aware of: in the nearest future they will be engaged in a full-fledged war against alien insects that endanger the security of entire humanity. Therefore, alien insects symbolize the source of the greatest evil, while Federation institutions and authorities are perceived by citizens as blessing and good as they help ensure the safety of humanity. Speaking from this perspective, one should agree that according to Baudrillard, "our current society has replaced all reality and meaning with symbols and signs, and that human experience is of a simulation of reality".
Taking into consideration that alien insects are perceived as unspeakable evil which must be removed, people are ready and willing to do anything in order to conquer this evil when the Federation tells them to do so. In the meantime, "institutions, authorities and the media are unquestioned and, indeed, there seems to be little reason to question the Federation because the power it embodies works for the good of all people" (Ndalianis 9).
According to Debord, it is also very important to take into account "the central importance of the image in contemporary society". Therefore, in order to have the positive image people in "Starsgip Troops" are ready to exert every effort to invade and colonize the planet of alien insects. Although these bugs are perceived as evil, the majority of people do not realize that "the Bugs are actually protecting themselves against the invasion and colonization of their system by Earth forces" (Ndalianis 9). That is the point where viewers come to a conclusion that, according to Debord "social life is not about living, but about having. In simple words, lives of all people are centered around what they need and what they must have.
Speaking from this perspective , "Starship Troopers" also focuses on the paramount influence of media on people's lives, behaviors and attitudes. One of the most striking examples of mass media influence is "scenes like the parallel representations of the Klendathu attack, seen both from the mediated perspective of a news broadcast and the actual event taking place" (Ndalianis 9). These scenes clearly demonstrate how media sources, that are actually unquestionable by citizens, perform a derealizing function and show how reality and objective truth is distanced and alienated from ordinary people.
"Starship Troopers" can be with good reason referred to as a powerful film, which involves not only science fiction matters related to life in the future, but also crucial social issues, such as the role of government authorities and mass media in lives of ordinary citizens.
Works Cited
Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. Ann Arbor: U of Michigan, 1994. Print.
Debord, Guy. The Society of the Spectacle. New York: Zone, 2006. Print.
Ndalianis, Angela. "Paul Verhoeven and His Hollow Men." Screening the Past 13 (2001): 1-17. Print.
