An Appreciation of That Weird Football Scene inStarship Troopers

Before Johnny Rico goes off to become a germ - busting legend in the mobile infantry of Starship Troopers , he ’s the star of his high school’s — well , let ’s call it “ place football ” team . It ’s weird , it ’s ridiculous , and even in the short time its portray , the sport makes dead no sense . And that ’s why we love it .

Just so we can all be on the same varlet , here ’s the scene .

( So good . )

Okay , have ’s lead off by looking at it jolly seriously . This vista actually does a lot for the movie ’s tale , while also put up and give out a lot of character information in an entertaining mode . We get the first interactions between Zander and Carmen . It stick in Zander as a rival for Johnny . We get a ribbing of Dizzy ’s leadership abilities , and it also preface the summercater move that becomes weirdly crucial to his career , but more about that below . That ’s a lot of important information pack into a seemingly discarded scene .

But the tantrum is also kind of maddening , in that space football game makes no goddamned good sense .

manifestly , what Johnny and the others are playing is some kind of version of scene of action football , although the indoor field come out to be a maximum of 40 yard tenacious . That ’s presumptively why it ’s a mellow - scoring secret plan , considering each team has almost 40 points when the movie picks up in the fourth quarter . But then three touchdowns are scored on three subsequent plays with ostensibly no one on defence force . So what you have to enquire , what was everyone doing the respite of the game ? It ’s also left that each 1000 marker is three yards instead of five , that each sexual conquest is five points rather of six , and do n’t get me start on the clock management . It ’s like someone just randomly tweak a few football rule to make it feel more manic . Which , ultimately , it does .

Argentina’s President Javier Milei (left) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., holding a chainsaw in a photo posted to Kennedy’s X account on May 27. 2025.

Also , Starship Troopers commence in Argentina . Why they ’re not playing space European football ( or even regular European football game ) is a mystery , although since Caspar Van Dien is also run an Argentinian in the movie , it ’s clear some liberties have been ingest .

Besides , like the rest of Starship Troopers , its ridiculousness make it fun . Their uniforms are absurd . The football is enshroud in chrome . Then there ’s the fact gravity is apparently not normal in this arena . Every single strike outcome in a reaction that would make the all - time NFL play up lurch . And Johnny Rico can also leap in the air with superhuman power .

However , Johnny still manages to do the “ Flip Six Three Hole ” twice later the movie when he ’s not in a infinite football arena : first in training , when he uses it to capture the flag , realize him the berth of squad loss leader ; then he utilise it again to destruct the Tanker Bug . I guess the power to basically float in midair is just something in his physical arsenal . Or maybe director Paul Verhoeven just desire another layer of folly for his fun , yet seditious , movie . I ’d say it ’s likely both .

William Duplessie