Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 11, 2023

Starship Troopers is a 1959 military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein (pictured). The first-person narrative follows Juan "Johnny" Rico through his military service in the Mobile Infantry, most of which takes place during an interstellar war between humans and an alien species known as "Arachnids" or "Bugs". Interspersed with the primary plot are classroom scenes in which Rico and others discuss philosophical and moral issues, including aspects of suffrage (restricted in Rico's society), civic virtue, juvenile delinquency, and war; these discussions have been described as expounding Heinlein's own political views. A coming-of-age novel, Starship Troopers also critiques the US society of the 1950s, arguing that a lack of discipline had led to a moral decline. Starship Troopers brought to an end Heinlein's juvenile novel series. It became one of his best-selling books, and won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. The story has been adapted several times, including in a 1997 film version.