Starship Troopers
by Robert A. Heinlein
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Ace (New York): 1959. Paperback: 208 pages. ISBN-10: 0-441-78358-9 Suggested retail price: $6.50 (US) Tags: army; government; made into movie; navy; Philosophy; Science Fiction; utopia; virtue Tactical strength: [6/10] |
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In Starship Troopers, Heinlein spends most of the text describing his utopia -- a society where only retired military veterans get to vote and hold political office. In theory, governments fall because the voting populace looses moral virtue. As a qualifying test, or "poll tax," Heinlein believes that those who have voluntarily risked their lives for the populace have proven moral virtue and should have the power to control the government. An early form of finding those who believe "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one."
The story revolves around Johnnie Rico, who joins the army against the wishes of his rich parents. Johnnie doesn't qualify for much and gets assigned to the mobile infantry (MI). Johnnie goes to basic training, goes to war, goes to officer candidate school, and decides to become a career military officer. Heinlein doesn't really develop Johnnie's character, since Johnnie only exists as a medium for Heinlein's message. I found the story just interesting enough to carry me through some of the more lengthy philosophy dumps. Please don't misunderstand me. I like philosophy and especially utopian plans, but more recent writers tend to hide their philosophy more carefully in character-based stories.
If you have seen Paul Verhoeven's movie Starship Troopers, you have seen merely Heinlein's story with almost all the philosophy carefully removed. But the combination of story and philosophy make Troopers a classics that will stay in print for years to come.
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