heinleinblog

My referral logs show a visitor came here from a Google search for ‘ “starship troopers” stills shower.’ Sorry to disappoint. It’s funny how so many critics of the movie complain about deviations from the book (no powered armor, fascist imagery, sadistic drill instructors, bugs shooting plasma out of their butts into outer space, etc.), but I don’t hear as many complaints about the infamous co-ed shower scene. They must not have minded all that much. While other Heinlein books had plenty of wet and naked frolicking, it was a totally inappropriate in “Starship Troopers,” which tried to represent conditions inside the traditional infantry, albeit in a futuristic setting. I remember cringing at the scene when I saw it at the theater. It seemed like such an invasion of privacy. It certainly didn’t strike me as sexy. I considered that it might be the director’s attempt to demonstrate equality of the sexes and a sense of fraternity among the recruits. But, I’ve concluded that it was simple exploitation.

And no, I will not post pics or videos of the scene.