Sunday Matinee #54 Starship Troopers
A movie with lots of yelling. Lots.
Mark 1:14-20 | Revised Common Lectionary | EnterTheBible.org
Third Sunday of Epiphany | 01.21.204
Context: Jesus starts out in his public ministry calling his disciples. These stories unfold differently depending on which gospel you read, and here a handful of fishermen - perhaps tired of their hard fishing life or very ready to follow a new and exciting teacher or perhaps a bit of both - drop their nets and life is never the same.
16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, "Follow me and I will make you fish for people." 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Starship Troopers | 1997
IMDb | Letterboxd | RRMC
Context: In a futuristic, sci-fi war between humanity and giant, bug-like aliens, Private Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) and his friends are sent to join a new unit. His new commanding officer turns out to be none other than his old high school civics teacher, Mr. Rasczak (Michael Ironside)! The grizzled war vet has few words for these new soldiers as they join the ranks under his command.
Lt. Rasczak: This is for all you new people. I have only one rule. Everybody fights, no one quits. If you don't do your job, I'll kill you myself! Do you get me?
Rico, Dizz, and Ace: We get you, sir!
Lt. Rasczak: Welcome to the Roughnecks!
Cpl. Birdie: Rasczak’s Roughnecks!
Roughnecks: Huh!
Commentary:
In each of the gospels, the four writings that start the Bible’s New Testament, we read of Jesus calling disciples to follow him. The stories often match in the broad strokes, while others are unique to specific gospels or have their own unique details. After all, we don’t all remember things going exactly the same way, you know?
And if you read last Sunday’s entry about Logan, you see what I did there.
In this telling, Jesus calls four fishermen in the Gospel of Mark and they immediately drop their nets to follow him. No hesitation, no conversation, just complete, embracing obedience. I often wrestle with this telling. Unlike John 1:46-51 where we witness Nathanael’s hesitancy to believe anything good could come from Nazareth, these fishermen are ready and willing to follow Jesus without question. I prefer the telling in Luke, which is a bit more fleshed out, particularly for Simon Peter. He and the other fishermen witness a miracle from Jesus and he falls to the ground, crying out to Jesus, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”
He doesn’t think he’s good enough. That goes for a lot of movie heroes. And for many of us.
I have to admit, I truly had to rack my brain to think of an “all in” hero in the R-rated movies that I’ve seen. It’s easy to conjure up the “reluctant hero,” for sure. They don’t want the job (Logan last week) or they have too many questions to say they’re fully in (Mr. White in Reservoir Dogs) or just when they seem like they’re in, they throw some shade (Dutch and Dillan in Predator). The closest I could come up with is The Terminator, and first of all, that’s no hero, and second of all, that’s a robot.
Okay, okay. Cybernetic organism. Living tissue over a metal endoskeleton, got it. You get what I’m trying to say here.
Perhaps it’s the nature of the three-act structure which includes the protagonist making a key decision at the end of Act 1 to embark on the quest after weighing their options, the stakes, and the rewards. After all, a little conflict goes a long way to make a compelling story. I’m cheating here with Starship Troopers, because Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) is ready then reluctant, ready then reluctant. By the time he joins Rasczak’s Roughnecks - orders are orders - he already knows there’s no way out for him. He listens to Lt. Rasczak and trusts him completely, no hesitation. That attitude will pay off for Rico and humankind as the movie unfolds.
Maybe the difference between Rico and the disciples is we get to see Rico’s journey to this moment. We watch him vacillate and when he sees his old high school teacher commanding him to obey orders or be shot, we know that he will follow this man into death. We don’t get to see the disciples’ journeys before this moment. All of that backbreaking labor on the fishing boat day in, day out, or what their faith life has been like. We don’t know if they’ve been ready then reluctant over and again. While that Luke passage is close, we have to read this telling in Mark with the thought that perhaps these disciples truly were ready. They didn’t need to wait anymore. It was time to follow Jesus.
And of course, like the disciples became apostles spreading the good news of Jesus, eventually Rasczak’s Roughnecks became Rico’s Roughnecks. Maybe trust can go a long way.
Where have you been reluctant to walk a certain path? How has trust paid off for you? Who would you follow into any situation because you know they’re a good leader?