Propaganda

Propaganda plays a vital role in the “Starship Troopers” universe, with the very first moments of the film being an ad urging the citizens to do their part for the war.

The ad claims the Arachnids are launching meteors at Earth without offering evidence; however, the marketing is effective and further radicalizes young recruits against them.

Constant War

With propaganda constantly showing the Arachnid threat, the United Citizen Federation government justifies its perpetual war and secures its control over the people.

Whatever issues society may have can be blamed on the Arachnids, as the Federation feeds the people lies to fuel hate and ensure their blind loyalty to

the government.

Dehumanize

The Arachnids appear mindless, but they have some level of intelligence and can learn to adapt. It isn’t the Arachnid’s intelligence the Federation admires, though.

The Arachnids are described as having “no ego” or “no fear,” which makes a bug the “perfect selfless member of society” — something the Federation wants for its citizens.

Citizenship

Rather than gaining citizenship from being born into the Federation, the government awards those who serve in the military the right to vote and partake

in democracy.

Rasczak asks Johnny, “What’s the moral difference, if any, between a citizen and a civilian?” As the film continues, it appears that neither man truly understood the question.

Punishment

With society being steered toward violence, corporal punishment is a standard practice throughout the film, with characters disciplined through methods like lashing.

Capital punishment is also part of the United Citizen Federation’s culture, as the audiences can hear a narrator promoting, “Execution tonight at 6, all net, all channels.”