Starship Troopers: All These Years Later

A long-overdue reunion of the Starship Troopers cast at New York Comic Con brought a wave of nostalgia, as stars Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Jake Busey, and Michael Ironside shared behind-the-scenes stories from the 1997 sci-fi satire. The panel, a celebration of the film’s 27th anniversary, offered a candid look at the making of a cult classic.

The cast reminisced about their initial auditions and the unique directing style of Paul Verhoeven. Michael Ironside recalled his initial hesitation to join the project due to the script’s “right-wing fascist” overtones, but was ultimately convinced by Verhoeven’s satirical vision. The actors also shared laughs about the infamous co-ed shower scene, revealing that Verhoeven and cinematographer Jost Vacano disrobed to make the cast more comfortable with the nudity.

Filming the bug-blasting epic was not without its challenges. The cast recounted grueling shoots in extreme heat, wearing heavy Kevlar suits, and acting against green screens with only a tennis ball on a stick as a stand-in for the alien arachnids. Ironside even detailed a near-disastrous experience with sunstroke during his character’s death scene.

Despite the initial mixed reception in North America, where the film’s satire was largely misunderstood, the cast expressed pride in Starship Troopers’ enduring legacy. They noted that international audiences, particularly in Europe, immediately grasped the film’s anti-fascist message. Now, decades later, the film’s commentary on violence and propaganda remains as relevant as ever, solidifying its place as a beloved and thought-provoking classic. The panel concluded with the cast entertaining the idea of a future project, leaving fans with a glimmer of hope for a return to the bug-infested battlefields.