> Robert Heinlein’s original 1959 science-fiction novel was militaristic, if not fascistic. The novel was certainly militaristic, because the protagonist is in

> Robert Heinlein’s original 1959 science-fiction novel was militaristic, if not fascistic. The novel was certainly militaristic, because the protagonist is in the military, and also in the middle of a war. The society described in the book does not in any way appear to be fascist, however. I think it is completely reasonable to ask whether such a system really could exist without being fascist, but the fact is, as described, it's not. In the novel, the human government requires 2 years of service before adults get the right to vote. One important aspect of the system is that if someone wants to serve, then the government has to take them. Even if you were blind, if you wanted to serve, the government would have to find something for you to do for two years. And afterwards, you'd have the right to vote. In the book, most Earth adults have not served and consequently can't vote. But on some other planets, almost all adults have served and have the right to vote. Lots of movies have done a disservice to their source material, but in the case of Starship Troopers it has always seemed particularly unfair to me. I know that lots of people (not all) who have read the book feel the same way.