The world wasn’t prepared for Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers. In Germany, the satirical sci-fi war film encountered a federal testing agency for media harmful to minors (BPjM), which was still relatively sensitive in the 1990s. The concerns about today’s cult classic have now been dispelled. Nevertheless, you only see a shortened version on television today.
War against insects: That’s what Starship Troopers is all about
Touchstone/Buena Vista
Starship Troopers
In the 25th century, democracy has been abolished and people have to conscript into military service in the authoritarian federation. What begins as a teen film by three young friends (Casper van Dien, Denise Richards and Neil Patrick Harris) soon becomes an ultra-brutal war satire. Because humanity is fighting an interstellar battle against giant beetles with millions upon millions of soldiers as cannon fodder.
Starship Troopers is still being edited on television, even though the film is no longer on the index
In 1999, two years after its release, the uncut version of Starship Troopers ended up on the index in Germany. The reasons given were the film’s harsh depictions of violence and a supposedly pro-militaristic attitude. This interpretation of the content was criticized at the time.
The film was re-examined in 2017. The result: The unabridged version received an FSK 16. The problem: This change has not yet reached the TV stations. According to editing reports, the old version, shortened by over 6 minutes, is still being shown on German television. 39 scenes were either changed or removed entirely. But there is an alternative.
When and where is Starship Troopers on TV and where is the uncut version available?
RTL2 shows Starship Troopers at 10:50 p.m. Unfortunately there is no repeat, but you can watch the film on Disney+. Additional advantage: The uncut version is available there.
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