It was almost too stupid to be real. Last week, the Trump Administration unveiled new uniforms for the United States Space Force with a more-than-surprising caption: “Inspired by the discipline and functionality of the Starship Trooper uniform.” Now, a “Starship Trooper” isn’t a real military force. In fact, it’s not even a fake military force. It’s the title of a 1959 novel about a futuristic military force (who are not directly called “Starship Troopers”) which, in its 1997 film adaptation, was a very obvious commentary on fascism.
The film’s political intention (which is based on a more subtle and debatable intention in the novel) is something its director, Paul Verhoeven, is used to being overlooked. As far back as the film’s initial release, people latched onto it solely as a big-budget, sci-fi action blockbuster, which it was. But the whole thing was also an over-the-top satire. Space Force clearly missed that with its reveal, so Verhoeven is setting the record straight yet again, almost 30 years later.
“It’s an honor, isn’t it?” Verhoeven joked when asked about the uniforms by the Hollywood Reporter. “When [the Trump administration] talks about Starship Troopers, they should be aware that it’s based on the style of Leni Riefenstahl. I don’t know if this president is aware that the movie says these [characters] are fascists without knowing that they’re fascists. That’s the point.”
Riefenstahl, of course, was a German filmmaker who rose to infamy through her blatant pro-Nazi propaganda. Her style is used all throughout Starship Troopers, culminating in Neil Patrick Harris’ high-ranking official wearing a very, very SS-coded uniform. One that the Space Force uniform seems most directly linked to.
For the U.S. government to be so proudly announcing it’s using uniforms based on a film, while also completely missing the point of that film, is kind of perfect. After all, as Verhoeven says, the characters in Starship Troopers don’t know they’re fascists either.
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