Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinleinby Robert A. Heinlein
Hacker ApprovedRanked 28 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend it for its thought-provoking ideas on democracy and government and its readability. Critics say its militarism and right-wing tone undercut its satire.
People recommend it for its thought-provoking ideas on democracy and government and its readability. Critics say its militarism and right-wing tone undercut its satire.
23 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 18
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 9 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 18 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.6 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Admired as Heinlein's work
“it's all about Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers etc”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Book Review: There Is No Antimemetics Division” “Heinlein's prose applies in spades WRT your assertion”
Comment from 15 Dec 2025 in “Kids Rarely Read Whole Books Anymore. Even in English Class” “I am with Heinlein 100% here.”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “British drivers over 70 to face eye tests every three years” - Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Are We Idiocracy Yet?”
Thought-provoking on democracy and government
“I really enjoyed Heinlein's exploration of what is needed to sustain a healthy democratic form of government”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Space Force Uniform Is Inspired by Quasi-Satirical Film 'Starship Troopers'” “The book, however, represents a weightier piece of analysis in its own right”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “A Man Who Reads Books for a Living (One Every Two Days)” “provided lots of food for thought”
Comment from 20 Nov 2025 in “Mysterious holes in the Andes may have been an ancient marketplace” Works as satire or entertaining film
“Standalone (and keeping the "this whole thing is a propaganda movie" thing in the back of your head), Starship Troopers is a great film.”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “A Man Who Reads Books for a Living (One Every Two Days)” “an in-your-face critique of facism while at the same time scoring as a "quality" popcorn flic”
Comment from 5 Oct 2026 in “In the wake of Tippett Studios’ closure, a digital archive appears online” “it read as excellent satire when I didn't know it wasn't meant to be”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “British drivers over 70 to face eye tests every three years”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Heavy militarism and glorified violence
“The militaristic aspects of the novel as regards a distant, dehumanized enemy”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “British drivers over 70 to face eye tests every three years” “does have an awful lot to say about the virtues of militarism”
Comment from 9 Aug 2026 in “Silicon Valley misreads science fiction and undermines democracy” Right-wing tone and flattened politics
“the movie flattened the exploration of the political themes from the book”
Comment from 7 Apr 2026 in “Are We Idiocracy Yet?” “the film/book are unironically right wing coded”
Comment from 7 Feb 2026 in “Hackers (1995) Animated Experience”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Starship Troopersby Robert A. HeinleinThis page | 18 | 5 | 78% | 9 | — | Approved |
What people said
23 of the 26 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“an in-your-face critique of facism while at the same time scoring as a "quality" popcorn flic”
“I really enjoyed Heinlein's exploration of what is needed to sustain a healthy democratic form of government”
“does have an awful lot to say about the virtues of militarism”
“Standalone (and keeping the "this whole thing is a propaganda movie" thing in the back of your head), Starship Troopers is a great film.”
“The book, however, represents a weightier piece of analysis in its own right”
“This is why, for example, Paul Verhoeven's Starship Troopers is bad satire”
“I like it for what it does”
“I forced myself to suffer through it recently”
“it's all about Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers etc”
“As a fan of Heinlein's book”
“the movie flattened the exploration of the political themes from the book”
“because I believe the technology and culture depicted in the setting is interesting”
“It's well worth your time and energy.”
“The movie is an inspiring story about people making the right choices in a difficult situation.”
“The militaristic aspects of the novel as regards a distant, dehumanized enemy”
“it read as excellent satire when I didn't know it wasn't meant to be”
“I am with Heinlein 100% here.”
“the film/book are unironically right wing coded”
“Over time I came to appreciate it for what it actually was, and now think it is fantastic.”
“capture a particular ethos in a cheesy & over the top way”
“Heinlein's prose applies in spades WRT your assertion”
“You may enjoy the book Starship Troopers.”
“provided lots of food for thought”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.