Starship Troopers reboot

[Anonymouse]

Oh dear. I forgot to note the URL, but one reviewer reckons the reboot is doomed to fail because it isn't satirical as Verhoeven's was.

I am honestly sick and tired of reading comments about "fascism" in Heinlein's novel. He complained in Expanded Universe (I forget which one) that people seem incapable of reading English, and I agree. The facts are:

1) In a fascist society no-one votes. They do in the novel.
2) It might glorify the infantryman somewhat, but that's because he deserves it. The term "military grade" does not, as too many people think, mean top-notch gear - it means the cheapest and most basic equipment that can still do the job.
3) It is NOT automatically true that veteran = discharged soldier. They are not necessarily synonymous. A cook on a starship will be subjected to minimum risk, and someone in R & D (which Carl was in the novel) at even lower risk, but they would still be entitled to vote at the end of their two-year term...and their vote would count equally as much as that of a 50-year veteran with both legs blown off.
4) The whole idea is that every politician and voter has proved through arduous (but not necessarily dangerous) service that they place the welfare of the group ahead of personal advantage (a key point; it would do no good for people to vote rationally if the politicians were not similarly constituted). I doubt there are many politicians who can say that and mean it.

The problem, I suspect, is that the detractors don't like the idea of having to qualify for the vote, preferring our current 'warm body' policy...and look where that got us, in the UK or in the States - we have Starmer, they have Trump.

Verhoeven should have read the entire novel...after studying English in more detail than he apparently did.

[ianch99]

"Would you like to know more?"

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/mo...ks-1236163598/

Also, if I remember correctly, being a teacher or a Civil Servant enfranchised a Citizen., as they counted as Federal Service (after two years).

And if you read Heinlein’s corpus more broadly, you will find those who roll their eyes at the space marines, principally the officers of the Interplanetary Patrol, one of whom takes a very dim view of Matt Dodson’s request to transfer there.

Gosh I loved Space Cadet. Read it over and over again at school.

Heinlein is not in any way uncritical of the characters and scenarios he creates.

First Heinlein I read as a young teenager was Orphans of the Sky (the protagonist was called Hugh, by sheer coincidence) - I’ve read all his books, even his later, more self-indulgent ones - I don’t believe RAH was a fascist (I think he leaned anarcho-Libertarian-light, but believed in "society", albeit with rights earned, rather than bestowed).

My favourites are the Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Citizen of the Galaxy, Tunnel in the Sky, Podkayne of Mars, Friday, Glory Road, The Door into Summer, and the aforementioned Orphans of the Sky.

[Anonymouse]

Aaarrgghhh, the Guardian is at it again! How many more times: SERVING IN THE M.I. IS NOT MANDATORY TO ACQUIRING THE FRANCHISE! THOUGH AN EX-SOLDIER IS DEFINITELY A VETERAN, A VETERAN IS NOT NECESSARILY AN EX-SOLDIER! GET IT RIGHT, FOR CHURCHILL'S SAKE!!!

I mean, come on, guys, you're the Guardian, so I'd expect you to be able to read!

Not sure why you’d assume a Grauniad journalist can read? I’d go so far as to say their political/social agenda requires a degree of illiteracy.

Chill dude, its just a film (in fact, just a possible film atm).

[Pierre]

Filed under, Not necessary.

But, could still be good.

Similar to RoboCop. The original was a perfect movie and did not need a sequel, let alone a remake/boot.

But I thought the reboot/make was a decent effort and entertaining and did enough differently with the story.