Original artwork, not a still
Come on, you apes! You wanna live forever?
— Starship Troopers ‧ 1997
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the satire's sharpest joke: a rousing barracks cry that also reminds you these are expendable soldiers sent against an endless swarm. The line works either as a sincere battle shout or a bleak aside, depending on how much you have noticed about the film, and it is still the line fans quote to rally a team before a hard task.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Starship TroopersShow the scene
In Starship Troopers (1997), Johnny Rico, by now a lieutenant, rallies his troops with this line as they prepare to board dropships. It comes near the end, in a sequence framed as a recruitment newsreel for the Mobile Infantry that closes with the slogan 'Service guarantees citizenship'. The film is Paul Verhoeven's adaptation of Robert A. Heinlein's 1959 novel, and Wikipedia notes that propaganda broadcasts run through it.
Sources (3)
- Wikipedia: Starship Troopers (film)PlotReference checked
- Wikiquote: Starship Troopers (film)quote listReference checked
- Springfield! Springfield!: Starship Troopers transcripttranscriptReference checked
Context reviewed
