Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Starship Troopers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Militarism
Citizenship
Moral Decline and Discipline
Communism vs. Moral Individualism
Summary
Analysis
Johnnie’s new ship, the Tours, carries six platoons (the Roger Young only carries one), and it’s fast. The Navy prefers these regimental transports because they use crew more efficiently, but the M.I. likes fast corvettes to get them in and out of the action. There’s some friction between the Navy—which thinks it can fight and win any war with its advanced weapons—and the Army. Because the Sky Marshall must serve as both an infantryman and a Naval Officer, Johnnie trusts him.
Johnnie’s newest ship is named for the Battle of Tours, which occurred in 732 C.E., proving that examples of valor can be found in all eras of human military history. French forces, led by the exemplary soldier Charles Martel, held back an invasion by the Umayyad Caliphate, which at that time stretched from India to Spain. The French forces won, despite being vastly outnumbered, and the battle turned the tide of the Umayyad advance into Europe. Invoking this battle thus foreshadows the shift in the war’s trajectory that the operation on Planet P will make. The distinction between the Army’s priorities and the Navy’s illustrates different attitudes towards war—for the Navy impersonal power is more important, but the M.I.’s personal attacks seem to be the government’s method of choice. At the very least, these parallel services must put aside their rivalry and function together cohesively during the war.
Themes
As an officer, Johnnie can go “North of Thirty” into the females’ area of the ship. Women are important to the M.I., both as good pilots and for morale. Hearing a woman’s voice as he’s about to drop reminds a cap trooper of what he’s fighting for. Johnnie is one of eight M.I. officers who join the fifteen Naval officers for mess, which is a social and formal event. Johnnie has much to learn about the distinctions between officers aboard: Army “captains” are called “majors” so they don’t share the skipper’s title.
Now that Johnnie is an officer, he can cross the formerly impervious boundary between the men’s and women’s parts of the ship, which gives him occasion to consider why women are so important to the military. Their beauty and sex appeal are more important than their previously noted flight skills because these provide the right inspiration for cap troopers. When he was a boot, Johnnie didn’t need to know about the niceties of rank, but among officers it’s very important to understand and respect the hierarchy, both because of the respect due to one’s superior officers, and to prevent any potential confusion about the chain of command.
Themes
The senior Army and Navy officers sit at opposite ends of the mess table with the junior officers seated by descending rank. As the most junior Army officer, Johnnie sits next to the Skipper, Captain Jorgenson. He’s supposed to seat her—and because no one warned him, he embarrasses himself by neglecting her at his first meal. The Skipper isn’t too strict or aloof. When she learns that Second Lieutenant “Rusty” Graham is tutoring Johnnie in math, she takes over this task herself.
Johnnie’s embarrassment at the mess table illustrates how much he still has to learn. But it also shows the dignity that rank confers on a soldier: none of the other officers mock him for his mistake, and the Captain herself doesn’t hold it against him. Her willingness to tutor such a junior officer in math also shows the sense of kinship and mutual aid in the Federation’s military.
Themes
Johnnie’s boss, Captain Blackstone, commands Company D and the “rump battalion” formed by the six platoons aboard ship. Their battalion commander is Major Xera, who flies with A and B companies in the Normandy Beach, and only assumes direct command when the whole battalion drops together.
Johnnie’s concern to explain the organization of the battalion contributes to the realistic portrayal of military organization and service in the book. It also hints at the current state of the war, which is chaotic—ongoing losses mean that the Blackguard’s complement of soldiers is low, as noted by its “rump” or remnant designation.
Themes
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Blackie’s Blackguards are in the Third Regiment of the First Division, just like the Roughnecks. But in action, Johnnie only sees the closest soldiers in “his” regiment. He could spend a whole career in the 3rd Regiment and never see the regimental commander. Until he got his orders for OCS, Johnnie didn’t even know the name of the Roughnecks’ company commander.
Johnnie’s explanation of military organization offers another reminder that a soldier is only responsible for—and usually only aware of—his own small corner of the action. Earlier, when he and Mr. Rico were reunited, they realized they’d been in some of the same battles, even though their platoons hadn’t encountered each other.
Themes
M.I. legend says that a platoon once got lost on R&R because their company commander was reassigned, and they were forgotten. Johnnie could believe it, in part because the M.I. doesn’t have a lot of officers to keep track of things. In the M.I., if there are 10,000 soldiers, all of them fight. Conversely, some armies of the past had more support positions than active soldiers. In the M.I., the soldiers who fill the few necessary “desk jobs” are usually disabled.
Another difference between the M.I. and armies of the past is the ratio of officers to soldiers. In addition to requiring all officers to be battle tested, the M.I. requires them to wear many hats, because their ethos emphasizes the importance of fighting. Johnnie has already noticed the high prevalence of disabled soldier-officers who fill the few absolutely necessary non-combat roles, like teaching officer candidates.
Themes
They do the non-combat jobs that civilians simply can’t do—the ones that require the fighting spirit that distinguishes the soldier from the civilian. In the M.I., everyone works and everyone fights. Civilians take care of the “soft, safe” jobs so that the cap soldier climbing into his suit knows that everyone else in the M.I. also makes drops. This shared experience binds the M.I. together so that they don’t need as many officers.
Johnnie has already listed many examples of the “everyone works, everyone fights” ethos of the M.I., and this is another point of its distinction from 20th and 21st century armies. For example, Migliaccio was the Roughnecks’ first section leader and their chaplain. The camaraderie of shared experience contributes to positive morale among infantrymen.
Themes
Johnnie knows a lot about the M.I.’s “Divisional Wedge” because of an extra assignment in Military History that asked how many officers an M.I. division requires. Excluding units attached from other corps, only 317 out of 11,117 men in an M.I. division are officers—about 3%. Some officers, like a general, need a staff of officers, and many “wear more than one hat” to make sure all the roles are filled. And even the general drops.
To be absolutely clear about the M.I.’s low number of officers, Johnnie lays out the numbers. Notably, he considers what the M.I. requires—the bare minimum necessary to keep the organization running. To accomplish this small divisional wedge, many officers fill multiple roles, and many non-commissioned officers (sergeants) also take on officers’ responsibilities.
Themes
Any team larger than a platoon should have a deputy commander, but this would push the officer ratio up to 5%. In the past, some armies commissioned up to 20% of their soldiers. These armies often lost wars because “officers” who don’t command fighting men wasted their time with “fiddlework” like morale, athletics, recreation, public information, and nursery. In the M.I., necessary non-combat roles are extra duty for combat officers. As the war wears on, it exacerbates the shortage of officers in the M.I. The Tours’ strike force should have thirteen officers, but it has only seven—including Johnnie.
Just by the number of required staff positions, in fact, the M.I. should have almost twice as many officers as it does. But even this much larger number would be dwarfed by the ratio of officers to soldiers in armies of the past. History teaches Johnnie that the caliber of a military’s officers is more important than their number. The job of the army is to enact the government’s decisions by force and Johnnie has already said that the infantryman’s trade is slaughter. Thus, many of the jobs in historical armies (recreation, morale) are a useless waste in Johnnie’s eyes. The Terran Federation’s army, by implication, is fiercer and more focused than those of the past.
Themes
The 1st platoon’s commander, Lieutenant Silva, is in the hospital with “twitching awfuls” and Captain Blackstone rearranges his staff so that Johnnie is “in charge” of the first platoon. But although this places Johnnie in the chain of command, Blackstone makes it clear that he himself and his fleet Sergeant—temporarily reassigned as the 1st platoon’s sergeant—will be calling the shots.
The book opened with Johnnie’s shakes, and when the cap troopers undergo drop training, those who can’t bring themselves to enter the capsules or tubes are compassionately discharged. Silva’s “twitching awfuls” is another example of this widespread problem. The fact that even an experienced officer can fall prey to what might be described in contemporary terms as PTSD again indicates the brutality of the war and the corresponding depth of commitment that successful officers have for protecting their society.
Themes
Johnnie takes his job very seriously, but he has much to learn about delegating authority. Captain Blackstone must remind him that it’s the sergeant’s job to prepare the troops for action, not the lieutenant’s. Johnny’s stiff demeanor with Blackstone also betrays his inexperience; a good officer looks and acts relaxed and happy.
Blackstone doesn’t like Johnnie’s stiff demeanor because a scared or tense officer is bound to alarm his troops. This connects back to Johnnie’s respect for Zim’s precision and Frankel’s gusto during basic training (Chapter 9).
Themes
Captain Blackstone asks Johnnie what he needs to attend to in the 1st platoon. Johnnie has noticed that Brumby has been the acting section leader for two months but hasn’t been promoted to sergeant. Johnnie worries that he’s been acting sergeant for too long to go back to being just a private. Unsure why Lieutenant Silva didn’t promote him, Johnnie wants to promote or transfer Brumby before the next drop because if he remains unpromoted, his frustration makes him a risk to the team.
Blackstone asks Johnnie to step into his leadership role long before the troops drop into their first mission, because understanding and taking care of the men is an important part of the officer’s job. This recalls the familial relationship between the Roughnecks and their “parents” Jelal and Rasczak. Johnnie is sensitive towards Brumby’s feelings, just as he was sensitive toward Ace’s when he was promoted ahead of the more experienced man. To ensure that his troops are all ready to fight, Johnnie wants to make sure they all feel that their work is appreciated.
Themes
Blackstone challenges Johnnie to explain why Silva hadn’t transferred Brumby when they were last at Sanctuary if he’s a risk. On reflection, Johnnie realizes that Silva would have already transferred him if he weren’t promotable. But he doesn’t see why Brumby wasn’t promoted earlier. Blackstone explains that he had been asked to supply two sergeants for reassignment; by not promoting Brumby before they visited Sanctuary, he and Silva were able to keep him in their battalion.
Blackstone—yet another father figure for Johnnie—tests his knowledge and instincts, and Johnnie yet again proves that he’s not only a good soldier but that he’s officer material. Blackstone and Silva have had to work the system a little, delaying Brumby’s promotion to keep their platoon intact at this pivotal point in the war. This speaks to the importance of camaraderie among team members and points to the differences between the humans and the Arachnids. A soldier isn’t as easily replaced in his unit as an interchangeable Bug warrior.
Themes
Blackstone is pleased with Johnnie’s assessment of the situation, although an experienced officer would have been able to do it faster. He tells Johnnie to officially recommend Brumby for promotion, and Johnnie suggests further promotions to keep the chain of command filled up tight. Blackstone supports Johnnie’s decisions, especially because he knows that many of the soldiers will die before they have much time to enjoy their promotions. The only limit is that Johnnie can only promote troopers who’ve dropped to Private First Class.
Officer-to-officer, Johnnie and Blackstone speak candidly about the dangers of the war—promoting people isn’t just important to prevent mishaps like the episode with the Chesapeake that Nielssen raised earlier, but also because the likelihood of surviving long enough to enjoy the promotion is getting smaller and smaller. A newly graduated recruit has the lowest rank—Private—and the first promotion (to Private First Class) is reserved for those who have proved their mettle in battle because a soldier’s job is to prove his virtue on the battlefield.
Themes
Johnnie remains worried about equipment: it will be hard for Cunha and Navarre to warm up or tune up all 50 of the suits necessary for the next drop in time. Blackstone asks him how he’ll make sure it happens, and Johnnie volunteers to help, since he assisted in this work when he was a corporal. Noting that he doesn’t know of a regulation that prevents an officer from getting his hands dirty, Blackstone approves the plan.
Johnnie worries that the suits won’t be ready in time, despite their importance to the cap troopers (see Chapter 1 and Chapter 7). He’s willing to help because he lives up to the M.I.’s “everybody works, everybody drops” ethos and symbolizes his concern for taking care of the men under his command.
Themes
Johnnie has never been so busy. In addition to working on the suits for 10 hours a day, he studies math and still must eat, shower, shave, and inspect the troops. As the most junior officer he’s also the “George,” or the person responsible for extra jobs like athletics, mail censor, referee, stores officer, and more. Rusty Graham was previously the George, and due to his negligence, Johnnie discovered missing items from the platoon’s stores. Captain Blackstone chewed Rusty out for the oversight but kept him in his position to delay having to balance the account anytime soon.
Johnnie’s inability to selectively focus on his most important tasks betrays his immaturity at the same time as it demonstrates his desire to prove himself worthy. He’s afraid to disappoint Blackstone, Nielssen (who assigned him the math homework), or his men (who need the extra “George” jobs done on occasion). Johnnie was lashed for negligence during a training drill (Chapter 7), and his refusal to cut corners like Graham shows how deeply he’s internalized that painful lesson.
Themes
Even simple “George” jobs take up hours. Between ten hours of suit maintenance, three of math, one and a half of meals, one of personal hygiene, three of “fiddlework” and “George” work, and eight hours of sleep, Johnnie has 26 hours of things to accomplish in 24. He can only skimp on sleep, which he does until Blackstone orders him to cut out the math and “keep a sense of proportion.” His most important duties are making sure the equipment is ready and preparing himself to fight. Skipping exercise and sleep aren’t helping him prepare.
Johnnie explained in Chapter 4 that sleep was the key to happiness and the cap trooper’s most precious commodity. Yet, it’s the first thing that he cuts when he’s faced with an insurmountable amount of work. His fear of disappointing others has caused him to lose sight of what’s important: keeping himself in top condition to practice the soldier’s vocation. Blackstone, instead of punishing or mocking him, gently helps him to understand the magnitude of his miscalculation and sets him back on the right path. The harsh discipline of basic training is for immature recruits, but Johnnie’s demonstrated his capacity for growth already as a cadet.
Themes
Blackstone orders Johnnie to exercise from 4:30-6:00 each day and to be in bed by 11pm, and helps Johnnie reassess his priorities to make this work. Math homework can wait. His hard work won’t matter if Johnnie dies in action or fails the apprenticeship; he can save the homework for his trip back to Sanctuary. Blackstone formally relieves him of the rest of his superfluous duties and sends him to bed.
Blackstone’s sense of proportion carries a grim reminder that nothing is guaranteed in the world of the M.I.: he could fail his apprenticeship voyage, or he could be killed in action. By emphasizing academic subjects like math instead of operational readiness, he’s got his priorities backwards.
Themes
One week later, the Tours arrives at its destination, and Johnnie sees the orders. The troops won’t drop; they’ll ride down in retrieval boats, because the Second, Third, and Fifth M.I. Division have already gained control of Planet P’s surface. Military intelligence believes that the Bugs are developing Planet P as an advance base for attacking the Federation. The Navy could easily obliterate it with bombs, but this mission is a raid to capture prisoners for the Psychological Warfare Corps to study.
This mission is different from any of the others Johnnie’s been on. It is, however, precisely the kind of job that M.I. are cut out for, according to Zim’s definition in Chapter 5. It would be easy for the Navy to obliterate Planet P and render it useless as an advance base, but the Commander in Chief wants Bug prisoners, and capturing them will require coordination, individual intuition, and valor.
Themes
Worker Bugs are easy to capture; warriors can be captured if they’re injured seriously enough. But both are basically “animate machinery.” The Federation needs to study the brain caste. Also, they hope to exchange prisoners. No one’s captured a brain Bug and no trooper who’s gone down into their holes has returned. But the Bugs have captured hundreds—or thousands—of human prisoners, whom they hold on Klendathu. Presumably, they’re as curious about human psychology as the humans are about them.
Calling the Arachnids “animate machinery” belittles the species, but it also serves to emphasize the differences between their hive mind and human individualism. The fact that warriors are easy to capture but yield no useful information because they’re not making decisions for themselves seems to support the “machine” idea, but the Federation doesn’t have any understanding yet of how the Bugs operate.
Themes
It may be an evolutionary weakness to expend lives trying to rescue these prisoners. The Bugs certainly don’t help their fallen members. But it’s a part of human nature to try to help the vulnerable few, even at great personal risk. The Bugs won’t trade warriors for warriors, but the Federation hopes that they might value the brain caste—or queens—enough to consider an exchange.
Johnnie acknowledges that the very human impulse to rescue their captured comrades may be an evolutionary weakness. The book has raised several questions about the balance between individual and communal good, including the example of the colonists on Sanctuary (Chapter 11) who are destined to be left behind by evolution unless they choose to irradiate themselves regularly. But it never provides a final answer to the question. Like the cap troopers, readers must accept the Federation’s decisions on faith.
Themes
The third objective is to develop methods for bringing the fight under the surface. At this point in the war, the troopers and the Bug warriors are evenly matched on the surface, but the M.I. hasn’t had any luck going into their tunnels. Planet P is a test of whether they can learn how to “root them out.”
Johnnie’s language debases the Arachnids when he describes a species so advanced that it has achieved interstellar flight as an infestation of “bugs” that must be “dug” and “rooted” out of the ground. The Arachnids’ appearance may contribute to this language, but describing the enemy as subhuman or “other” is a key propaganda tactic employed in genocide.
Themes
The troopers hear the briefing awake and under hypno- preparation in their sleep. The mission is important, but it’s also “just another Bug hunt.” The Navy has cleared the surface and ships orbit the planet to guard and supply the ground forces. The Blackguards are charged with capturing Bug “royalty” if possible, relieving another company, protecting any units from other corps in their area, maintaining contact with the rest of the M.I. units, and killing any Bugs that “[show] their ugly heads.”
The Federation forces brief the soldiers so thoroughly because mission success depends on their cohesive performance and understanding of the mission’s goals—especially in a situation where quick, individual thinking will be required to capture brain or queen Arachnids.
Themes
When the Blackguards land, Johnnie has scouts locate the far corners of the platoon’s patrol area and sends his sergeant to contact the Fifth Regiment’s patrol. Johnnie’s plot is 40 miles long and 17 miles wide. The battlefront is to their right and rear, and the Roughnecks might be off in that direction, too. Or maybe not; the situation on the ground never matches the plan exactly.
The platoon’s patrol area is large, which suggests that the battle planners consider Arachnid activity to be manageable. However, Johnnie knows all too well from Operation Bughouse that the situation and the plan never quite match up. Rather than trusting the intelligence he’s received in briefing, his priority is to establish his own understanding of the current situation.
Themes
Johnnie pulls his mind from the Roughnecks back to the Blackguards. He must locate the platoon leader he’s relieving, establish the patrol area’s corners, communicate with the platoon leaders that surround his area, and spread his own platoon out over their territory. Warning them to be mindful of the departing Chang’s Cherubs in the area, he orders Cunha and Brumby to spread out their sections. He sends the Sergeant to put a new beacon on the anchor corner.
Johnnie risks distraction when he thinks about his former platoon—and his Father—who are somewhere else on Planet P. But he calls his mind back to the matter at hand, again demonstrating how well he internalized the painful lesson of his flogging during basic training (Chapter 7). He won’t do anything to risk the lives of the men under his command.
Themes
Johnnie really wants to talk to Chang because he’s worried about what he sees. Either the “brass” were too optimistic about their plan, or the Blackguards were given the worst spot. Johnnie’s already seen half a dozen suits on the ground, indicating casualties. Only a few men are returning for retrieval, and their actions are uncoordinated.
The number of causalities Johnnie notices, in addition to the fact that the bodies are still on the ground, suggests some gaps in the operational plan. The uncoordinated actions of the surviving Cherubs suggests that they’ve lost their commander and sergeant and have no one left to give them orders.
Themes
The Battle Plan also says to leave any Bug tunnels open. The strategy is simple and logical, if there are enough troops to support it: allowing the Bugs to keep coming up will drain their reserves. The higher-ups estimated that they’d expend 70-90% of their warriors before they stopped attacking the surface. Only at this point will the troops go down the holes to capture the Bug “royalty,” whose underdeveloped physiques will make them easy prey.
It will be easier to capture the brain if they’re not well defended by warriors, so the Federation forces must first deplete the Arachnids’ reserves. Unfortunately, doing so requires treating the cap troopers more like expendable Arachnid warriors, sacrificing as many as necessary to reduce the forces lurking underground. Johnnie finds this plan unnerving, and it’s notable that the leadership in charge of planning and running the mission are orbiting the planet rather than having boots on the ground.
Themes
This plan means that Johnnie stands on 680 square miles of land that might be filled with unstopped Bug holes, and he wants to know where each one is. If there are too many, he plans to plug a few anyway for his men’s safety. There’s no answer from Chang’s platoon because its chain of command has broken. Abe Moise—one of Johnnie’s classmates—is the only officer still alive, and his report is confusing. Warning Johnnie that the situation is what he can see, Blackstone sends him off to check out Square Black One.
Johnnie won’t exactly contradict his orders, but he’s willing to cheat a little if it will protect his men while still fulfilling the mission objectives. The ability to make independent decisions is one of the differences between human soldiers and Arachnid warriors. Johnnie’s concerns about the situation are confirmed by Moise’s report and the fact that Chang and his sergeant both died on Square Black One.
Themes
Johnnie’s sergeant can’t put a beacon on the corner because it’s occupied by a crater big enough to swallow the Tours. The Bugs like to use land mines, although the craters are usually smaller. He’s placed an offset beacon instead. Johnnie has him send Cunha’s squad to patrol the crater and spread Brumby’s out to cover the ground. Johnny starts to worry about spreading his men out so far; each is covering 17 square miles, and a Bug hole is only five feet across.
The crater is another suggestion that the situation on the ground is worse than Johnnie has been led to expect, as its size and radioactivity indicate that the Arachnids are using some heavy weaponry to defend themselves. The size of Square Black One, especially relative to the number of men patrolling it, increases the danger, hinting that exemplary performance will be required from the men if they’re to survive.
Themes
The crater is radioactive, but a suit will protect a soldier from radiation for a while. Johnnie wants his men to set up ground listeners near it, fearing that the Bugs would send their warriors through lethal radiation to reach them. His sergeant suggests reorganization of the men’s positions to avoid leaving the newly-promoted ones at particularly dangerous points in their Square. Johnnie suspects that Blackstone is eavesdropping on their conversation, so he asserts his right to command the platoon.
Johnnie relies on his sergeant, just as Nielssen and Blackstone have urged him to do, but when they have a difference of opinion, Johnnie goes with his own gut over the sergeant’s suggestions. It’s important for him to assert his right to command his platoon. He’s reenacting his experience in the Roughnecks with Ace, where he needed to assert the authority that he had been given over an older and more experienced man.
Themes
Leaving the newer officer in place, Johnnie orders an hourly replacement of the crater watch, a quick initial patrol sweep to identify potential Bug holes, and then a slow patrol to make sure they’ve all been located and to check for any surviving Cherubs. The sergeant’s only suggestion is that the initial patrol use snoopers, which can see the warm vents from the Bugs’ holes.
Thinking on his feet, Johnnie figures out a way to cover the territory while also protecting his men to the best of his ability. The sergeant suggests only a small change, demonstrating his approval of Johnnie’s plan. Johnnie is doing a good job proving himself thus far.
Themes
Johnnie switches to the wide circuit and listens as the sergeant conveys his orders to the men with precision and panache. He watches them spread out on his radar display and notices that there’s no chatter from the well-disciplined and experienced platoon. They could get along just as well without him, and for a moment, he wishes he wasn’t responsible for so many people and could go back to the Roughnecks as a plain sergeant.
The sergeant’s precision offers a subtle clue to his identity, although it won’t be revealed until later in the chapter. The quick, silent efficiency with which the platoon follows his orders exemplifies military discipline at its finest and speaks highly of the sergeant, Blackstone, and Lieutenant Silva, who have prepared their men to run like a well-oiled machine. Johnnie wishes to go back to being a boot because it’s hard to be in command. But it’s hard because he’s worried about the men’s safety, so his authority over them is perfectly balanced by his sense of responsibility for them, proving Major Reid’s truism about power (that responsibility is its opposite).
Themes
Square Black One is flat and barren, which will make it easier to spot any Bugs. Still, the platoon is spread so thin that each spot lies unobserved for three or four minutes at a time. They’re also limited to close-range weapons to avoid friendly fire. Johnnie would trade this patrol for a strike any day, but he doesn’t waste time moaning as he goes out to inspect the crater.
Johnnie and the men in the platoon need to rely on their training and discipline to confront a dangerous and difficult mission. The usual things that would protect them (long range weapons, plugging unguarded Arachnid holes) are out of the question. This moment strikes at the heart of Zim’s statement (Chapter 5) that a cap trooper should be a dangerous man, no matter what weapons he has at his disposal.
Themes
Although the troops had been conditioned for a 40-hour mission, it’s quiet and the time passes slowly. Johnnie tries many things to keep his men alert. He escorts Major Landry and the special senser when they arrive at Black One. The senser asks Johnnie to “freeze” his men while he visits several spots and generates a map of the Bugs’ passageways. He isn’t in armor and doesn’t seem concerned about breathing the radioactive air.
Johnnie’s ability to do things by the book makes him a good leader, but he’s also concerned about keeping up the men’s vigilance and morale. Their swift response to the freeze command recalls the Hendrick episode and shows how real, trained soldiers—as opposed to undisciplined recruits—behave.
Themes
Before the senser’s unit leaves, they hand Johnnie a dimensional map of the Square with the Bugs’ tunnels marked on it. One big artery lies under their feet, connecting the surface to a Bug colony far underground. Johnnie releases the men from their freeze, pulls the listeners from the crater, and redeploys them over the colony and along the “highway.” Blackstone orders him to put a few listening posts over “empty” areas. Johnnie wonders if he can trust a map that seems to have been made by magic, and while Blackstone reminds him it’s official, he also tells him to pay attention to any noises that fall outside of the marked areas.
Johnnie and Blackstone are united in their delicate balancing act between the official word of the higher-ups—represented by the senser’s map—and their own, individual instincts. Of course, these instincts have been honed by training and tested by battle, but their caution in accepting the map shows the importance of individual intelligence and determination even in the context of a group operation.
Themes
Burrowing Bugs sound like frying bacon. Blackstone tells Johnnie that the men should take turns listening and sleeping. Two sapper companies are coming to stop up the tunnel where it comes closest to the surface. After that, Blackstone, Johnnie, and the rest of the men will have to wait and see what happens. Either the Bugs will break through to the surface, or the troopers will go down into their tunnels.
Given the nature of the operation, the most important job the men can do is wait, vigilant in case there’s action. During these quiet moments, Blackstone continues to mentor Johnnie. The Bugs’ sounds can be referenced against domestic noises like cooking—a stark reminder that, despite technological advances, the troopers must still rely on their senses, too.
Themes
Johnnie repositions his men quickly after talking with Blackstone, then uses hypnotic suggestion to put half of them to sleep in their suits. The sergeant suggests that he sleep also, and when Johnnie refuses—he can’t imagine sleeping knowing that there are so many Bugs beneath his feet—Blackstone uses a hypnotic command to put him to sleep.
Johnnie still feels an instinctive dislike for the Arachnids; he can’t imagine sleeping if they’re crawling around under his feet. Blackstone eavesdrops on his conversation with the sergeant and puts them both to sleep by hypnotic suggestion. He shares his quiet omniscience with Rasczak, who also had an uncanny ability to keep tabs on his men. Overruling Johnnie and the sergeant also offers a reminder of why military redundancy and chains of command are important—sometimes a cooler or more experienced head must prevail.
Themes
Blackstone wakes Johnnie up over an hour later. He resents having been put to sleep against his will and suspects that it happened because the sergeant is the one really calling the shots. He tells Johnnie that if the Captain put them to sleep, he must have had a good reason. But Blackstone put him to sleep as well. Johnnie checks in on each of the listening stations; he can hear the Bugs “chittering” below the surface—but not cutting through the rock.
Putting Johnnie and the sergeant to sleep is also a sign of Blackstone’s intuition, which the sergeant has learned to trust. Yet again, Blackstone’s actions highlight the necessary balance between individual intuition and military protocol; the cap troopers have insight that the Arachnid warrior lack.
Themes
The “Bug boulevard” sounds like heavy traffic moving through at regular intervals. Johnnie calculates that a load, traveling at 110 miles per hour, goes past every minute. Blackstone has made his own calculations, which are close enough to Johnnie’s.
Johnnie uses his head—and practices his math skills—while he listens to the Bug activity. Blackstone corrects him, but without causing Johnnie any shame. He doesn’t expect Johnnie to know everything, and he provides the backup to ensure the safety and success of the mission without stepping on Johnnie’s authority.
Themes
Johnnie makes it to one of the “outside” listening posts. The man posted there thinks the pickup might be broken; when Johnnie listens to it, he hears frying bacon. He wakes his whole platoon and makes a report to Blackstone. He struggles to keep the panic out of his voice, but Blackstone sounds pleased. He tells Johnnie to try to figure out where the Bugs will break through—Johnnie suspects it will be at a spot called Easter 10. The troops should keep their distance, because if the Bugs come out in force, they won’t stand a chance, but the General could bomb them from orbit.
When Johnnie finally hears burrowing Arachnids, it’s from one of the listening posts he and Blackstone set up outside of the areas identified on the senser’s map. Their intuition has given them valuable lead time against what was clearly meant as a surprise attack. The panic Johnnie feels betrays his youth and inexperience, especially compared to Captain Blackstone. But, like with his shakes in the drop tube, he can still carry out his duties despite his anxiety.
Themes
Johnnie and his sergeant rearrange the troops, pulling the platoon closer together so they’ll have a better chance of defending each other if necessary. Johnnie wonders if the Bugs are driving a new horizontal tunnel just under the surface. He asks Blackstone what he should do if the Bugs do surface. Blackstone orders him to hunt Bugs anywhere else but where they break through, because they need the tunnels open. He reminds Johnnie to hunt Bugs instead of medals, which Johnnie promises to do.
As he and the sergeant rearrange the troops, Johnnie continues to be bothered by the odd location of the tunneling noises; his best guess is that they’re making a new pathway to pop up and surprise the troops from an unexpected angle. While this moment certainly is dangerous, the more tunnels they leave exposed, the greater the chance that the M.I. will be able to infiltrate their hives and capture brains or queens.
Themes
Johnnie turns his attention back to his men, making sure their suits have fresh charges of air and power. The sergeant suggests three men to relieve the listeners with Johnnie. When the sergeant suggests scouts, Johnnie realizes that the current men, in slow marauder suits, would have been extremely vulnerable if the Bugs broke through. Hughes relieves the other listeners, and for 37 minutes he and Johnnie monitor the sound of frying bacon growing louder.
In the moments before the action begins, Johnnie and the sergeant turn their attention to the suits—the men’s only source of protection against the gathering attack. Johnnie’s forgotten how some of the soldiers are made vulnerable by their slow marauder suits, but the sergeant—a professional with much more experience—hasn’t. His correction of Johnnie shows how much the young man has yet to learn, while at the same time Johnnie shows his merit by catching on quickly without having to be lectured.
Themes
Everything turns chaotic as the Bugs surface in many places at once. As Johnnie relays reports to Blackstone, the ground falls out from under his feet, and he’s “engulfed.” It didn’t hurt; he only fell 10-15 feet, and then he was carried back to the surface on a sea of Bugs. Johnnie’s first reaction is to retreat, but he checks himself mid-jump when he realizes that there are no warriors among the group. He wonders if it’s a diversion from the real attack, and Blackstone passes his report up the chain of command.
Compared to his first action against the Arachnids on Klendathu, Johnnie has come a long way; when the ground opens up under his feet and even when he's engulfed by a swarm of alarming, spider-like creatures, he keeps his head. He even has the presence of mind to recognize the strangeness of the situation as he jumps away, and when he realizes that the swarm is made up of workers instead of warriors, he trusts the intuition that tells him it’s a distraction. His presence of mind and his instincts demonstrate his own virtue and suggest that the humans are superior to the Arachnids because they can make individual assessments like this of the situation as it’s developing, rather than relying on a central brain for control.
Themes
Johnnie sees two bright flashes to either side. Blackstone isn’t answering his call, and his sergeant’s beacon suddenly blinks out. As Johnnie heads towards the sergeant’s last position, Cunha reports that the sergeant is “reconnoitering a hole.” Johnnie watches the entire first section disappear from his display as they follow the sergeant into the tunnels.
Earlier, Johnnie fretted that the Blackguards could do just as well on their own as under his command. Without downplaying his authority, the split-second decision of the sergeant and Brumby to explore one of the Bugs’ diversionary tunnels demonstrates the power and importance of independent decision-making within the framework of the organized battle plan.
Themes
Cunha’s section lost three men when the Bugs broke through. He doesn’t know how many Brumby’s lost. The shock wave from the sapper’s explosion finally hits Johnnie, stunning nearby Bugs and giving the troopers a brief advantage. Johnnie uses it to flame Bugs and inspect the three holes. One is filled with rubble, and another shows no signs of further Bug activity, although Johnnie still assigns men to watch it.
A few men have died, but since the sergeant and Johnnie had the forethought and vigilance to tighten up the ranks, the troopers were able to contain their losses through mutual defense. And, despite the shock of the surprise attack, the professional soldiers calmly assess their losses and the new situation.
Themes
The Bug tunnel runs twenty feet below the surface. Two of the holes were diversions to cover the attack from this main tunnel. Cunha points out the direction the sergeant and Brumby’s section went. Johnnie can’t see anything in the dark, but he swallows his fear and prepares to go after them. Seconds after he jumps into the hole, Cunha and his section follow him down.
Johnnie swallows his fear to make good on the promise that the M.I. never leave anyone behind: if the sergeant and Brumby’s section are in the tunnels, he’s responsible to get them back to their retrieval boat on time or die trying. He doesn’t ask anyone to go with him, making this an act of personal bravery. But Cunha and his men—model soldiers all—follow him immediately and without question.
Themes
Johnnie and the second section leave two men to guard the hole, and they proceed as quickly as their suits allow in the low tunnel. The must use their snoopers, confirming that the Bugs must see by infrared. When they come to an intersection, Johnnie considers the doctrines for being underground. But no one has ever returned to say how well they’ve worked (or not), so Johnnie must make his own decisions. The section will stay together, and he won’t allow any of them to be captured.
While the Federation has provided some guidelines for underground action against the Bugs, Johnnie must assess and react to the situation on his own, since no one has been able to report how accurate the Army’s guesses have been. He trusts his instincts to keep his men together as much as possible while leaving a few soldiers behind to ensure that their exits remain useable.
Themes
Johnnie calls Brumby, who answers. He and his men are lost, and they haven’t found the sergeant. When Johnnie calls the sergeant on his private channel, he answers, suggesting that Johnnie find Brumby’s section and then return to the surface. He’s in a position where the Bugs can’t reach him, but he can’t escape either. When Johnnie gives him a direct order to report his location, he answers “precisely and concisely.” He’s two levels down and almost exactly under the section.
Remarkably, Brumby, his section, and the sergeant are all alive. The sergeant’s reluctance to respond arises from his dangerous position, suggesting that he doesn’t want the men to risk their lives attempting to rescue him. But Johnnie (a truly virtuous soldier) won’t leave him behind. For the second time, the sergeant’s precision is highlighted, suggesting that this trait is more than just the quality of a well-trained and experienced soldier.
Themes
By comparing Brumby’s path to the map, Johnnie and the first section proceed towards their comrades. At the same intersection where Brumby’s section fell under attack, Johnnie and the troops also encounter Bugs. Brumby’s section followed the noise of the fight and rejoined. They’ve sustained four casualties, including Brumby. Johnnie and Cunha consolidate the survivors into one section of four squads and continue towards the sergeant’s location.
Underground, Johnnie no longer has the luxury of listening devices to warn him of the Bugs’ movements, so he and his men are surprised by a party of Arachnid warriors just like Brumby was; however, by rejoining forces, the two sections are able to overpower their attackers. And, just like Blackstone predicted, Brumby didn’t get long to enjoy his promotion. Despite the loss of four more men, Johnnie and Cunha reorganize and swiftly continue their search for the sergeant.
Themes
The fight against the Bugs that have besieged the sergeant doesn’t last for long. The sergeant told Johnnie what to expect: he’d captured a brain Bug, which he was using as a shield. The cap troopers attack from behind. Johnnie feels excitement as he realizes that they’ve achieved the mission’s objectives. But he hears frying bacon, and the roof falls in on him.
Because the cap troopers now have the element of surprise on their side, they’re able to quickly overcome the Arachnids that have the sergeant pinned down and return, victorious, towards the surface with their sergeant and his brain prisoner. Johnnie’s injury in the tunnel collapse cuts his command short and illustrates the role that chance and accident—as well as training and preparation—have in war.
Themes
Johnnie wakes up in a temporary sick bay on the Argonne, suffering from nitrous oxide poisoning and radiation exposure, broken ribs, and a concussion. He’ll never know why Brumby followed the sergeant into the hole.
Like the rest of the ships, the Argonne is named for a famous battle; the Allies’ Argonne campaign in France was both the largest and deadliest action for the United States in World War I. The historical battle reflects the size and importance of the battle for Planet P. Because he died valiantly, Brumby’s rationale for following the sergeant into the tunnels will remain a mystery. But in the end, it doesn’t matter much: he died honorably, in action, and his death contributed to achieving the mission’s objectives.
Themes
But Johnnie did eventually learn why the sergeant had gone in. He heard Johnnie’s report to Blackstone that the first breakthrough was a feint, so when he saw warriors coming from the main tunnel, he realized that the Bugs were making a desperation push and no longer had sufficient forces. Concluding that they were running low on reserves, he saw the opportunity for one man raiding alone to find and capture one of the six brain Bugs taken on Planet P. He received a field commission for his actions. Johnnie always knew that, as Blackstone said, he was getting “the best sergeant in the fleet,” because he is Sergeant Zim.
The sergeant is, in fact, Zim, and his participation in the final phase of Johnnie’s training provides a neat symmetry to Johnnie’s story. The fact that no one knew the two men had a history indicates their ability to approach each other as professional, although Johnnie’s respect for Zim is evident even when he’s just identified as “the sergeant.” Zim’s ability to quickly assess the situation and drop into the tunnels adds more evidence to the argument that the moral individualism of well-trained soldiers is superior to the Bugs’ social structure—which is limited by their reliance on a smaller number of brain Bugs to make decisions for the collective.
Themes
Johnnie remains on the Argonne for a month, during which time he broods and worries over Operation Royalty. He knows he didn’t run things as well as Lieutenant Rasczak would have. His injuries were from an accident and not from fighting. He didn’t know how many casualties there’d been, but the platoon shrunk from six squads to four. He doesn’t know that Blackstone survived. He wonders how he could pass his apprenticeship if he survived but his examiner died. But after he’s released from bedrest, he goes back to studying math to keep his mind off of things, and when he makes it back to OCS he learns that he’s passed the apprenticeship.
Johnnie’s angst over the action derives from his feeling that his injuries aren’t “real,” because they didn’t happen at the hands of an enemy, and his sense that he hasn’t lived up to Rasczak’s example. However, the operation was a success, and his was one of the only platoons to have captured a brain Arachnid. His isolation from the platoon—he’s been rescued aboard a different ship and has no idea if Captain Blackstone is even still alive—exacerbates his distress, because a cap trooper lives and dies by his comrades. Being cut off so suddenly from the Blackguards seems more alienating than when he thought he had become an orphan. Based on Johnnie’s earlier math, the platoon lost at least 20 men on Planet P, underlining the magnitude of risks soldiers are willing to accept in pursuing Federal Service.
Themes
When he gets back to Sanctuary, Johnnie’s roommate Angel greets him. The other cadets thought he had died because it took him so long to return. Angel left just after Johnnie, made three drops, and has been back a week. When Johnnie says he didn’t make any drops, Angel is envious of his “luck.” Johnnie eventually graduates. He reflects that his “luck” has been people: Angel’s tutoring that helps him pass math; Carl’s and Mr. Dubois’ examples; the support of his Father, Blackstone, Brumby, Ace. And most of all, Zim, who now has a permanent rank of First Lieutenant.
Johnnie graduates from OCS on his own merits—he has earned his passing grades and proved his readiness to command men on the battlefield under Captain Blackstone. Yet, he is deeply aware of his dependence on and debt to the role models in his life, from his friend Carl to the many senior officers who mentored him as he trained and served. He’s earned his commission, but he’s a soldier, and his military family has played an important role in helping to achieve his success.
Themes
The day after graduation, Second Lieutenant Johnnie Rico and his classmate wait at the landing field for their ships. Johnnie’s dearest wishes have come true: he’s being sent back to the Roughnecks while his Father is still there. To manage his excitement and nervousness, Johnnie reads the list of ships in orbit—there are a lot because some big action is coming. He sees ships named after famous battles, and after honorable soldiers from past generations.
In an extremely fortuitous turn of events, Johnnie finds himself assigned to his beloved platoon to complete his training under Lieutenant Jelly. For Johnnie, home is where the Roughnecks are, and the fact that his actual Father is one of them is merely a bonus. The list of ships—again, all named after famous battles or notable soldiers—connects Johnnie’s story with a long and noble military history.
Themes
Johnnie tells his classmate that one should be named after Ramón Magsaysay, but he’s never heard of him, because each country has its own version of history. Johnnie whispers to himself in Tagalog a phrase that translates roughly to “Home is where the heart is;” although he grew up speaking Standard English, at home his family also clung to the tradition of the “old speech.” Johnnie continues to read ship names until he hears the song of the Roger Young’s beacon. He’s finally going home.
Ramón Magsaysay is a historical example of the ideal soldier-citizen according to Mr. Dubois’s—and Johnnie’s—definitions. Coming from humble roots, he served with distinction in the Pacific Theatre of World War II before launching a successful career and eventually becoming President of the Philippines in 1953. He was a vocal opponent of communism—in alignment with the book’s cold-war condemnation of communism as a political theory—and his administration was respected for its integrity and public service. Not only does he provide an exemplar of the soldier-turned-model citizen that provides the model for the Federation’s limited form of government, but his story lies close to Johnnie’s heart because he himself is Filipino. This final revelation underscores the utopian vision of united humanity. And, like his countryman Magsaysay, Johnnie earns his place in the Federation by demonstrating excellent character, impeccable virtue, and unquestionable devotion to the duties of citizenship.
Themes
