Starship Troopers: The Exterminator - Niel Jacoby

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Panel 1: an Exterminator, dressed in all black with a pair of gray night-vision goggles pushed onto his forehead the only real color on him, sits at a computer terminal(think what people from the mid-late 90s would think a 2005 laptop would look like) in his hideout, which has no visible doors and a directional microphone stand passing as a satellite dish in the only window, which is tinted. Each wall except for the one with the window has a seat and a listening station for listening in to the conversations in the neighboring rooms, each numbered. The terminal is the only light in the room and just barely illuminates the room enough for these to be visible.

Caption(terminal): TODD COSGRIFF, EXTERMINATOR, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ECO PARKWAY INTELLIGENCE STATION, AUGUST 12, 2025. WIRETAP FEEDS REPORT NO SIGN OF ARACHNID COLLUSION YET. AM ABOUT TO START LISTENING DUTY, SECOND POST AT .

Panel 2: the Exterminator sits at the post labeled 2, with a pair of headphones on(think the type airplane pilots use, heavy, full ear coverage and sound insulation) and a stenographer's notepad, jotting down notes by hand. We can see that the listening station has a dial for switching between 5 different feeds, these being 5 different apartments. there is a small lamp for the Exterminator to write by. A digital readout in the top left corner shows the time as 0200.

NO COPY

Panels 3, 4, 5, 6: small panels showing the Exterminator switching from feed 1 to feed 2 in 3, from 2 to 3 in 4, from 3 to 4 in 5, and from 4 to 5 in 6.
readout in 3: 0212
readout in 4: 0224
readout in 5: 0236
readout in 6: 0248

Panel 7: we see the steno pad. It says:
1: No suspicion, normal activity
2: Some suspicion of media piracy, recommend installation of information tap
3: hints of harboring Bug agents, will investigate further
4: No suspicion, keeping audio for personal perusal
5: High suspicion of harboring agitators, recommend immediate search of apartment

{in}(informative section): If you're familiar with the latest iteration of the Dick Tracy strip, you'll have seen the Crimestopper's Textbook sections (ex. http://www.gocomics.com/dicktracy/2012/08/19). I'd like this section to be reminiscent of something like that, a sort of blurb of information right out of a manual.

Bug-buster Basics:
THE EXTERMINATORS
(picture of an exterminator listening intently at his station, quickly writing down notes)
The Exterminators are Earth's front line of defense at home against the Arachnid menace. As you know, Bug agents, some of them human traitors, can hide anywhere, so we need to be extra-vigilant in tracking down these sleeper cells. The Exterminators do just that, weeding out the termites in the woodwork of our society. As Founding Father Ben Franklin said, "If one is unwilling to enforce the security and protection of their essential liberties, then it is most assured that they shall have neither liberty nor security."

If you'd like to know more about the Exterminators, ask your guidance counselor about joining the Department of Planetary Security, and she should have pamphlets on hand. If not, go down to the local Federation Recruiting Station, and while you're getting your pamphlet, tell the highest-ranking officer you can find that your school is improperly stocked, and they should be able to get everything straightened out.

Starship Troopers - Boot Camp - R.A. Wonsowski

(OK, i was really struggling for a script this week, and then Full Metal Jacket came on Turner Classic, so...)

SPLASH PAGE.

Art only on the lower third of the page.  Background:  Space Marines staring straight ahead in formation, at attention.  They all look scared, panicked, or concerned.  One is trying desperately not to laugh.  Foreground:  Our newest recruit, PRIVATE CRUZ, is lying in a ball, facing us, protecting his tenders in pain.  Tears are rolling down his face.  Standing over him is GUNNERY SARGEANT ROLLINS.  He is missing one leg, but he is standing without crutches or cane.  His pointing finger is almost in CRUZ's face, and he is screaming at him.

The top two-thirds is the following copy:

GUNNERY SARGEANT ROLLINS:  YOU LITTLE PIECE OF $#!T SCUMBAG!  NO ONE EVER TOLD YOU THAT THE MOST DANGEROUS MOTHER #&C*@R AT AN @$$-KICKING CONTEST IS A ONE-LEGGED MAN?   SWEET VIRGIN MARY, THE BEST PART OF YOU, YOUR MOTHER WIPED AWAY WITH A DIRTY GYM SOCK!  MAYBE TOO MANY DADDIES IN YOUR GENEPOOL!  TELL YOUR MOTHER SHE CHARGES TOO LITTLE!  AND YOU BETTER NOT BE CRYING!  YOU HAD BEST UN#&C* YOURSELF!   AND DOUBLE-TIME!  OR NEXT TIME, I WON'T BE SO EASY ON YOU!  I WILL MAKE YOU HARD!  I WILL MAKE YOU MEAN!  OR SO HELP ME CHRIST I WILL FEED YOU TO THE BUGS MYSELF!  WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE, PRIVATE?  OR ARE WE CRYSTAL?

CRUZ:  (weakly) Sir, yes sir...

GUNNERY SARGEANT ROLLINS:  JESUS HARVEY WALLBANGING CHRIST!  SOUND OFF AS IF I DIDN'T JUST SLAM THEM IN REVERSE!  YOU LITTLE MAGGOT...

CAPTION:  Day 2.

Starship Troopers - The Klendathu Conspiracy - J.D. Coughlan

Set in the movie universe, just after the events of the first film. I haven't seen the other films, so it may contradict them.

Panel 1: Colonel Carl Jenkins, Military Intelligence officer and psychic (played by Neil Patrick Harris in the movie), stands naked in the communal shower room, in the classic troubled man pose -- head down, hand against the wall as water cascades over him.

VOLMER (OP): (small) ...can't wait to find out our first black ops mission.

Panel 2: Corporals Volmer (male) and Weiss (female) enter, talking to each other. Original characters, both young black ops recruits. Both are naked too. No convenient obstructions either; we're all grown-ups here. Weiss is surprised to find Jenkins there (officers' have their own private showers).

VOLMER: Once they pull intel outta--

WEISS: Oh! Colonel. We didn't think anyone was--

Panel 3: Close on Jenkins. He is still looking downward, not at Volmer and Weiss.

JENKINS: It doesn't know a damn thing...

WEISS (OP): S-Sir?

JENKINS: The Brain Bug. It doesn't know a damn thing about Buenos Aires. The asteroid attack.

Panel 4: Wider shot of all three. Again, Jenkins looking down.

JENKINS: And that got me thinking... How the hell could the Bugs coordinate something like that in the first place? From a whole goddam galaxy away!?

JENKINS: Then I started digging... Found out the Federation had their eye on Klendathu for a while, but couldn't justify the expense of taking it...

Panel 5: Two-shot of Volmer and Weiss, reacting with shock.

JENKINS (OP): Then I started thinking... What if Buenos Aires was an inside job?

Panel 6: Close-up of Jenkins. He is looking at Volmer and Weiss (and us) for the first time, water dripping down his face. Grinning a small, non-pleasurable grin.

JENKINS: Would you like to know more?

END OF PAGE

I saw the movie for the first time when I was about 13, so there was obviously one scene that stood out in my mind. I also wanted to highlight the logical inconsistencies and disturbingly prescient 9/11 parallels around the Bugs' "plan" without it being a boring talky page.

Is this Thought Balloons' first all-nude script?

Starship Troopers – Before The Breach – Shaun Richens.

PAGE TWENTY-TWO

4 PANELS.

1,2,3 Form a top row.

4. Takes up the rest of the page.

1. We are looking straight on at the face of young female pilot. She wears a blank look on her face.

         CAPTION:

         War…

2. Same as 1. The pilots face has an eerie blue glow about. Her face has dropped. She looks devastated.

         CAPTION:

         What is it…

3. Same as 2. The blue glow has gotten even brighter and tears have started to fill the pilots eyes.

         CAPTION:

         Good for?

4. We are in orbit above KLENDATHU. A host of CORVETTE TRANSPORT ships are on fire and braking up. The ship closest to us has just been hit face on by a huge blue plasma burst. It was fired from a PLAMSA BUG on the planets surface. The ship catches fire and explosions are going off all around the bridge.

         NO COPY. 

Starship Troopers – One Great Big Giant Misunderstanding – MK Stangeland Jr.

(6 Panels)

Panel 1: Two WORKER BUGS, ‘J-A-3’ and ‘5-T-U’, are standing on a giant rock in the midst of an asteroid field while wearing appropriately-designed spacesuits.

J-A-3: <Man, this is so boring.*>

5-T-U: <Quiet, you. That kind of talk is what got us sent out here in the first place!>

TEXT BOX: *Translated from the language of the Arachnid Empire.

Panel 2: J-A-3 points to a massive-sized asteroid.

J-A-3: <I bet we could make this both faster and a lot more fun if we used that massive rock over there.>

Panel 3: 5-T-U looks at J-A-3.

5-T-U: <That sounds like a remarkably bad idea.>

J-A-3: <Oh, come on, let’s do it.>

5-T-U: <An incredibly, remarkably bad idea.>

Panel 4: J-A-3 begins to wander off.

J-A-3: <I’m going to go do it anyway.>

5-T-U: <Oh please no…>

J-A-3: <Oh, what’s the worst that could happen?>

Panel 5: The massive-sized asteroid is seen flying away from the asteroid field at an odd angle.

TEXT BOX: Soon…

SFX: (From the bottom where flames/jets are seen burning.) Whoooosh!

Panel 6: J-A-3 and 5-T-U are on a different asteroid, watching the massive one fly out into space.

5-T-U: <You just had to ask.>

J-A-3: <Eh. I’m sure no one will ever notice. What are the odds of it actually hitting anything?>

END PAGE

Starship Troopers- Triumph Over Will -Dan Hill

PAGE ONE

1.1


We OPEN on a TIGHT SHOT of a BUG-- specifically the bug from the propaganda video from the movie. You know the one, the one with the school kids taking glee in crushing the bug.


1 CAP (CORTEZ) When the bugs invaded I think I was one of the few humans who admired them.


1.2


ZOOM IN on the BUG. We can see its antenna, mandibles and huge eyes. The thing looks alien.


2 CAP(CORTEZ) They had a singular, unshakable vision.


1.3


We have now ZOOMED OUT to reveal that the images are playing out on a row of several monitors. Sat in front of the monitor, with her back to CAMERA, is CORTEZ. She's in her mid twenties with long black hair, and Roman-esque features (though we obviously can't see them yet).


She's wearing a grey cotton dress shirt (it's hard to tell if it's a mans shirt or not) with the sleeves rolled up and the top button undone. She also wears a pair of black slacks and simple black pumps.


The editing suite is sparsely furnished, grey and functional.


3 CAP(CORTEZ) I could relate.


1.4


CUT TO a TIGHT SHOT looking slightly from the side of CORTEZ. We can see a military man is stood slightly off to the side of her, watching her. This is MASTERS, head of the 'Information' division of the Federation's military. He wears military uniform, is in his mid forties with slicked back black hair and steel blue eyes.


4 CAP(CORTEZ) Never turn from the path you've set out on.


5 CAP(CORTEZ) Never compro--

6 MASTERS No. The focus needs to be on the kids reaction here.


1.5


FIXED PANEL. CORTEZ continues to look at the screen. She's frustrated, gesturing at the screen. MASTERS looks on coolly.

7 CORTEZ But I'm trying to emphasise the 'otherness' of--


8 MASTERS Do it. You're here to shoot.


1.6


CUT TO a shot from behind CORTEZ again as she peers at the monitor. The CAMERA though, is a little bit further back in the room this time. The lights are off in the room, the only glow comes from the monitors, and we can see CORTEZ is alone.


It's later in the day now. CORTEZ is watching combat footage play out on the monitors.


9 CAP(MASTERS) Not think.


1.7


CUT TO a shot looking out from the monitors towards CORTEZ, the white glow of the monitors thrown across her face. She looks old. She looks dejected. She looks defeated.

Starship Troopers – Hiding Spot - Ben Rosenthal

1.  A black panel.  All we can see are the following words balloons.

VOICE 1

Are you sure we’re safe in here?

VOICE 2

It’s a hell of a lot safer in here than out there, McGee.  Here—

2.  The panel has been illuminated by a flair held by Voice 2.  This is Jentson.  Both men are in Starship Troopers battle armour.  McGee looks scared.

JENTSON

Feel better now?  Going to have to be sparse with these flares.  Only have a few.

3.  The light of the flare is dying out.

MCGEE

What was that?

JENTSON

Ddidn’t hear a thing.  Would you relax? We will just stay in here until the battle is over.

4.  Black panel again.

SFX: KRONSH

JENTSON

Now that I heard.  What is that?

5.  Jentson has fired up another flare.  He is looking at McGee whose face is in shock as a bug eats half of his head.  Behind it are numerous other bugs.  They are in a bug nest.  McGee is dead. Jentson has no hope of escape.

Starship Troopers - Would You Like To Know More? - Grant McLaughlin

I'm not terribly picky on the layout on this one.  Just make sure that panels 4 and 5 are set up in a way to maximize the parallelism between them.

1 - Establishing city shot.  It can really be any city.  The important thing is that the focus of the panel is the Federal Network headquarters building.  Never actually seen in the film, I'd imagine it to be a sleek looking skyscraper with "Federal Network" written along the top, along with the Federal Network logo right after it (creative, I know).

PETER (inside building): I don't understand.

LAWRENCE (inside building): Peter...

2 - Interior shot of an office.  It's opulent as heck in an effort to denote the importance of the man who works there: Lawrence Rogers, the head of the Federal Network (new character).  Across from him sits Peter Jenkins, an investigative journalist for the network (also new character).  There are numerous TV screens throughout the background, showing different images from the Federal Network's programming (think of those PSA seen throughout the film).  Peter looks a little off-put at Lawrence's accusations.

LAWRENCE (1): We both know that you don't believe the propaganda that they - that we - have served over the years.

Peter: Sir --

LAWRENCE (2) (interrupting): It's okay, Peter.  An entire race of sentient aliens attacking Earth without rhyme or reason?  It doesn't make sense.

3 - Focus on Lawrence.  If you want, we can see Peter's back, looking towards his boss.  Lawrence flips a monitor for Peter (and the reader to see).  It also shows some of the Federal Network's coverage.  The scene is a number of dead Bugs, perhaps with some soldiers celebrating if it isn't too crowded.  Written on top of the image is "The only good Bug is a dead Bug".

LAWRENCE (1): There's more to it than that.  Something that the Federation doesn't want anyone to know.

LAWRENCE (2): I want you to look into this.  Find the bottom of the rabbit hole.

4 - The panel is focused solely on Peter.  He is in the middle of the panel, looking directly towards the reader.  He looks concerned, but not scared, weighing the matter in his mind.

PETER: Sir, questioning the war is treason.

LAWRENCE (off-panel): I know what I'm asking of you, Peter.

5 - Peter is still the central focus of the panel, but the scene has switched.  Jenkins is now in full Mobile Infantry kit.  He stands alongside a number of other Mobile Infantry soldiers - his new unit.

CAPTION (LAWRENCE): Are you prepared to make that sacrifice to find the truth?

JENKINS ET AL.: Sir, yes, sir!

Why Starship Troopers?

I love Starship Troopers.

It's the human race fighting for its very survival against a horde of alien bugs.  We're terribly outnumbered, outgunned, and outclassed.  But we're not going down without a fight.  It's simple, it's blunt, and it's often quite on the nose, but I absolutely adore it.

At the same time, I will be the first to admit that it is, simply put, bad movie.  But it is a great bad movie.  While director Paul Verhoeven had some high ideas about how the movie could be a satirization of fascism and of hypermilitarization, it really missed the mark on those counts.

Instead, we ended up with some popcorn science fiction of the highest order, full of violence, catch phrases, and gore.  Lots and lots of gore.  The whole thing is cranked up to 11 from start to finish.  The movie is absurd.  And it revels in its absurdity (just look at those public service announcements throughout it!).

Despite how ridiculous everything is, every single person in the movie plays it straight.  This insane world has its own internal consistency that holds true from start to finish.  And what a world it is.  The movie is sprinkled with bits of dialogue, settings, and props that hint at a far wider and more complex world than we ever really get to see.  The Federation and its war machine are intriguing and fascinating in a way that we never truly can understand.

How did the world end up this way?  Who is truly in control?  And why was there such a well-developed industrial military complex in times of peace?  These are only some of the questions that I can find myself asking after watching this movie.

Starship Troopers is definitely a bad movie, but it's one hell of a bad movie.  One of the best that I've ever had the pleasure of watching.  It is filled to the brim with style.  It is a living, breathing world that, while absurd, makes sense in its own strange way.  It could have been better - probably a lot better - but I love it all nonetheless.  Besides, sometimes you just need some testosterone-filled, senseless violence.  And this movie has that in spades.

So let's do this.  Let's take it to those Bugs.  Let's be the next heroes of the Federation.

"Come on, you apes!  Do you wanna live forever?!"