Paul Verhoeven on U.S. Space Force’s ‘Starship Troopers’-Inspired Uniforms: “It’s Based on Leni Riefenstahl”

On Sept. 6, President Donald Trump posted a design mockup for the U.S. Space Force’s “next generation” military service dress. The severe black-and-gray outfit was accompanied by language explaining that it’s “inspired by the discipline and functionality of the Starship Trooper uniform.”

Starship Troopers, the 1997 sci-fi action film, was a critical and commercial fiasco on release. However, it’s now widely regarded as a cult classic. An Atlantic reappraisal headline termed it “One of the Most Misunderstood Movies Ever,” while The Ringer has argued its “cautionary tale about reckless militarism and the dangers of fascism” was “ahead of the curve.” The film is about a group of gung-ho young soldiers — led by Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris — swept up in an intergalactic war.

The Hollywood Reporter asked the movie’s director what he thought of Trump and his team taking inspiration from Starship Troopers. “It’s an honor, isn’t it?” he said, laughing, before adding: “When [the Trump administration] talks about Starship Troopers, they should be aware that it’s based on the style of Leni Riefenstahl,” the filmmaker who glorified the Nazi movement in propaganda, most famously in 1935’s Triumph of the Will. “I don’t know if this president is aware that the movie says these [characters] are fascists without knowing that they’re fascists. That’s the point.”

The uniforms in Starship Troopers are the vision of the Oscar-nominated costume designer Ellen Mirojnick, who also worked on Verhoeven’s Basic Instinct and Showgirls. Her other credits include Wall Street, Speed, Twister and Fatal Attraction. In recent years she’s repeatedly worked with Steven Soderbergh (Kimi, Black Bag) and Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer, The Odyssey).

Verhoeven says he’s used to Starship Troopers’ satirical intent being misread. The issue arose early on. “Many of the people who were working on the movie were disappointed when they saw the result,” he notes. “I knew what I was doing, but I don’t know if many of the actors and actresses realized.”

Verhoeven adds that the film has been challenging for audiences “because its heroes are, without knowing, Nazis. That’s been a problem. I thought people would understand and laugh about it. But that was not the case.” He pauses. “I’m a Dutch citizen, and I cannot vote. I’ve been here in this country for 40 years and it’s still difficult for me to understand the political culture here in America.”