In our Monday class, we touched on Heinlein’s use of the History and Moral Philosophy teachers as voices of political commentary and social criticism. As clumsy or obvious as that may have seemed, his choice to do this very much ties into the idea of Science Fiction as an unappreciated genre for commenting on society and our own culture by using distance, alien cultures and/or the passage of time to reflect from a simulated outside perspective.

(By way of a response)

“The hand he had offered me was the one that wasn’t there” (39)

Considering the points that the class made on Monday concerning the definition of Science Fiction, the way this novel presents the present psychology of chastisement and punishment outlined in the lecture given by Mr. Dubois to the History and Moral Philosophy class was very interesting.

One thing that I thought was very clever in the Starship Troopers film was the use of mock-newsreels to set the stage. Not only are they an interesting throwback to older wars, but they're so over-the-top in their obvious propaganda that they really drive the point home of just how entrenched this society is in its culture of " citizenship ".

Because in Hollywood-speak, 'a horrible movie' is called a 'cult favorite' and sequels rule the universe, Sony Pictures in 2004 put out 'Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation', a 'rapid-fire sequel to the cult favorite, [in which] the Federation's best Mobile Infantry unit goes back into action against the Bug horde.' A straight-to-DVD masterpiece!
And, according to imdb, they're making a THIRD one starring the original Johnny. Really? Really?

The bad photoshopped poster is worth a visit.
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/starshiptroopers2heroofthefederati...

I am currently 4 minutes and 15 seconds into the movie Starship troopers, and I am absolutely sure that is has the worst opening sequence I have ever witnessed. Perhaps it is because I just recently saw Cloverfield, which went a little too far down the documentary/shaky-cam road, but the little sequence 'on the battlefield' was RIDICULOUS. Let's even put aside the fact that a trained soldier continues to talk to the camera even though a Bug has (not sneakily at all) come around the corner and is about to snatch the soldier up in his semi-CGI, animatronic-looking maw.

Of the many things we discussed in class, there was one topic that intrigued me the most—perhaps because it was only briefly touched upon. Someone mentioned the apparent paradox that the enemy Bug society is pure communism and yet the human society considers that system ideal. Certainly it is intriguing that the M.I. are fighting against a system they have bought into.

We all know that it's a common trope in science fiction for ideas about divisions of race to be transplanted to racial boundaries – as if the authors are saying, “Look, if they can get along with wookies, why can't we humans all get along among ourselves?” It's such a common device, in fact, that it becomes difficult to recognize when alien species are actually not supposed to represent ethnicities.

Someone in class on Monday had mentioned that in the MI, humans are the (vessel for) technology. I think this is an interesting point, especially in conjunction with the developments of our current military. The United States Army has been implementing robots in the Middle East to prevent unnecessary casualties. Soldiers can now direct these robots, which can detect and disable mines and have the capability of firing back at any hostiles, with remote controls from a safe distance away. There remains that element of human judgment, although in a much more diluted form.

To continue a discussion begun in class today, what is the function of violence in Starship Troopers?

Of note:
-Suffrage was available only to those who completed their 2(+) years of voluntary service.
-Those who wish to serve a term of service can participate in non-overtly-violent ways (as terraformers, technicians, logistics, and human guinea pigs).

So, is violence the only way to gain merit in this society?