Why The Shower Scene Is So Subversive

Summary Starship Troopers' shower scene is a subversive moment that reveals the dark hints about the society it takes place in.

The co-ed shower scene highlights the expendability of all characters, regardless of background or gender, serving as fodder for the military.

As the film ages, the satire of Starship Troopers becomes more relevant, critiquing society's obsession with conflict and the dehumanization of enemies.

It might seem like an excuse to include nudity, but the Starship Troopers shower scene is actually one of the most subversive in the satirical sci-fi. Starship Troopers is considered Dutch auteur Paul Verhoeven's last great American movie, and on the surface, it's about a bunch of good-looking soldiers flying to a distant planet to fight a race of super-aggressive bugs. It's packed with bloody action and CGI that has held up surprisingly well, but it was a box-office disappointment. However, over the decades, it became considered a cult classic and exemplary satire, which the shower scene definitely helped with.

Starship Troopers was met with mixed reviews, with some critics slamming it for being a glorification of fascism and war. This was the exact opposite of Verhoeven's intent, with the film drawing on imagery from Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph Of The Will and military propaganda to build the bizarre, "utopian" society Starship Troopers takes place in. The casting of conventionally attractive young actors is no accident either, with leading man Casper Van Dien having previously appeared on shows like Beverly Hills, 90210, as did co-star Denise Richards and Dina Meyer — a decision that was definitely utilized well in the shower scene.

Related Starship Troopers' Secret Meaning Explained: What It Was Really About Starship Troopers is more than a cult classic sci-fi action movie about soldiers killing space bugs, and its secret meaning harshly criticizes the US.

Why The Starship Troopers Shower Scene Was So Effective

The Sequence Was More Than An Excuse For Nudity

For all its colorful action, Starship Troopers is basically an anti-war film, where countless young soldiers are sent off to a war they don't understand or question. This is shown in the famous shower scene, where most of the recruits shower together and get to know one another. Given that it's a Verhoeven movie, some critics assumed it was just a scene to show some nudity, but there's more to it. Firstly, it's a co-ed shower where every race and creed are hanging out as equals, and the other is the dark hints about the world it takes place in.

The Starship Troopers shower scene lets viewers get to know some of the supporting players — before most of them meet grisly fates — while burying hints about the society it takes place in.

The squadmates reveal their personal reasons for signing on, including earning a scholarship or getting off a farm planet. But then another reveals she wants to get into politics — which requires service — and squadmate Katrina reveals she wants to have children, and its easier to get a license after service. These details are easy to miss but hint at the military dictatorship controlling life in Starship Troopers.

Verhoeven also wanted to make the point that despite the fact men and women are showering together, there's nothing particularly sexual about the scene; all the characters are too focused on their careers or serving to have much of a libido. There's a clear message to their varying genders and backgrounds - no matter who a character is, they're equally expendable and simply fodder for the military industrial machine. The Starship Troopers shower scene lets viewers get to know some of the supporting players — before most of them meet grisly fates — while burying hints about the society it takes place in.

Related Sci-Fi Satire: Top 10 Moments In Starship Troopers Starship Troopers is first and foremost an action movie, but there is also a ton of hilarious satire packed into this Sci-Fi epic.

The Shower Scene Is A Great Example Of Why Starship Trooper Has Aged Well

It Was One Subversive Moment In An Incredibly Subversive Satire

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While it was dismissed as overly-cheesy sci-fi on its release, audiences over the years have grown to appreciate Starship Troopers for what it actually is — an incredibly cutting social satire, and one that's only grown more poignant in the decades since it was released in 1997. The shower scene is an example of a subversive moment that's aged particularly well, especially as the gender disparity in the real military is reduced further and further each year. However, it's one of several moments that continue to only get better with time, and far from the only reason Starship Troopers is continually revisited.

With each passing year its critique of the military and society's obsession with conflict becomes harder to ignore.

The best example are the newsreel-style infomercials with their "would you like to know more" slogan that both provide exposition for the world of Starship Troopers and help to segment the narrative. When the movie was made in 1997, the internet was still taking off and on the way to becoming an essential service. However, in the 2020s, when almost everyone uses a smartphone and is online daily, these moments in Starship Troopers are incredibly relatable, and feel just like a targeted advertisement on social media from the real military.

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Secondly, the fact that the enemies are mindless insects is an incredibly apt metaphor for how the media and news cycle describes those the military is facing. A common criticism of coverage of wars and conflicts by news outlets is their propensity to dehumanize whichever side of the conflict the US is opposed to. Starship Troopers took this to its extremes, and it's only become more noticeable in the decades since thanks to subsequent conflicts such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

All in all, the shower scene in Starship Troopers is one more subversive element in an already subversive movie, and with each passing year its critique of the military and society's obsession with conflict becomes harder to ignore.