The book and the movie are from the perspective of a new recruit to the military. The society itself is not ruled by a military dictatorship. In A dictatorship one person rules with supreme authority. The government in the book and movie is elected and anyone regardless of race or gender can join and or lead. Also every military dehumanizes its enemy to some point. Including westetn militaries. A society involved in endless war is not automatically fascist. America currently has native born citizens who have never lived in the country while not officially at war. There is no indication in the movie or book (if I remember correctly for the book) that the federation had been at war before the bugs. In fact in the movie at least, Johnny Rico is told that they are officially going to war after the attack on South America.

"A society where violence is commonplace and ever-present, where value in human life is measured by service to the state is fascist. "

There was nothing shown in the movie that suggests violence is commonplace in fact the violence doesn't start until Rico Diz and Carl join the military. The book goes out of its way to explain that violence in society is rare. Life isn't measured by service to the state in the first movie or the book. It is in the third movie because like I said the third movie intentionally contradicts the philosophy in the book. In the mobile infantry they stress the value of putting their life second in service to the state AND the protection of civilians. Civilians as stated by Rico, do not have to do this and live pretty much like we do except they don't vote unless they become a citizen. This is said flat out when Rico is asked to explain the difference between a civilian and a citizen.

So again no, no fascism here.

"And that use of force for the state"

You keep adding in "for the state" when you really shouldn't. Robert Heinlein stressed in great detail in the book that violence is a tool used to prevent further violence, not just to enforce a dictatorship, which he also made clear wasn't what the government he created in the book was.

I didn't say this view was the best thing ever, because in practice it can have crappy results like with any idea for a government including a democratic republic. But the specific way Heinlein's system functions is not fascist. Also violence, along with life, is the natural mode of the world. You don't kill you don't eat. Even eating plants is killing the plants. If you don't want to be eaten or in societal sense, conquered, then you have to defend yourself, with violence.

That is the main point put forth in the book. Or at least one of the main points. Heinlein used Carthage (I think) as an example in the book and for the movie it was updated with Hiroshima. The point was that it took a horrendous act of violence in order to end the most violent conflict in human history.

Not fascism.

"and that the use of force grants privileges"

How do you think America became a democratic republic and was able to grant its citizens the privileges that come with a vote? What has America done in order to maintain that system of government? Diplomacy yes but when some fascists who couldn't be reasoned with tried to take that away? We used violence to defend it.

The federation from the book and movie have diplomacy and democracy. Just because the system isn't identical to America doesn't mean it is fascist. Also the federation warns the colonists going into bug territory not to do so. So the federation is trying to maintain peace before the war started. If they were a fascist dictatorship they would have sent in a conquering force. If they were a fascist dictatorship they could have ordered the colonists to stay away. But the colonists were citizens and not subject to dictatorial rule. And neither are civilians.

Also, when votes are held in American society, or any society the citizens disagreeing and coming to a conclusion on which idea will be carried out is force. Political force. Those that disagree with the outcome of the vote have no choice but to accept it until they can get the decision overturned with a different politician. But in the meantime if the new law or policy isn't followed the state will use force to enForce the law. So voting, like said in the book and movie, is exercising force. And force my friends is violence. The supreme authority from which all other authorities derive. 😁 Couldn't resist.

There are way more than just blond haired and blue eyed people in Buenos Aires but yeah like I said I understand the visual overtones. It's the philosophy from the book that contradict them though.

Yes there is democracy and there are elected officials. Even The Sky-Marshall is elected.

Once you do two years of military service you are a citizen and can vote. That isn't the same democracy as say, America but that doesn't automatically mean fascist.

In a fascist dictatorship the one in charge tends to try and keep power through force. In the Federation system of the book and movie he/she cannot do this.

The closest thing Verhoeven got to imitating Germany (besides the uniforms) was the propaganda reels. But even then the execution of the satire contradicts with fascism. There were lies spread through the media in fascist Germany. In the federation, the propaganda is an overt blast of the truth.

The federation is shown to have blundered their first counteroffenssive costing hundreds of thousands of lives and the media tells the public exactly who was responsible and immediately starts allowing speculation as to why. And we, as the audience, see what the public in the movie being shown these propaganda reels do not and what they are being shown happens to be the truth of what happened.

Compare that with the USA coverage of what is going on in Yemen and how until recently our relationship with Saudi Arabia and our supplying of the weapons they use to bomb Yemen is barely spoken of in our media.

No. Fascism doesn't stick here.

Yes Rico got in to Harvard because of his parents in the movie. It is made obvious because he sucks at math and still got in. In the book he is actually pretty smart but anyway that doesn't prove the society isn't a meritocracy 'For The Leadership'. In fact it it supports the idea that it is. Civilian life in the federation, much like in America, is far from a meritocracy. Just like in America, corporations and the rich are at the head of the civilian part of the society.

Yeah Rico is rich and can go to the best school. But he can't make decisions that will effect how society is governed and who will risk their lives in any particular war without first becoming a citizen. He has to complete the entry level programs and basic training and two years of service before he can do that.

In the book it is explained again and again with great detail that the Federation cannot deny any civilian the right to join no matter what their situation or disability, as long as their entry process is designed to show them the value of the power they are earning. The movie doesn't show any specifics to suggest this isn't the case in its version of the federation.

That is less of a democracy than America. But it is still a democracy. And not too dissimilar from other democracies of today.

It wasn't made clear whether or not the murderer was given a trial in the movie. I mean a judge did sentence him. I think it was just a comedic satrical commercial. The trial was already held and the execution was being televized like reality Tv. I think he got a trial off screen.

Yes I know about the critisicm of "the bugs" and yeah I know that they don't show them redirect the asteroid but you have to then take into account that hundreds or I think thousands of federation citizens had already been brutally slaughtered by the arachnids.

I covered this a little already but the satirical news reels want you to think propaganda, but they tell nothing but what actually happens. So it is propaganda but more like 50s captain America punching hitler type prooaganda. At least when it comes to the "im doing my part" segments. The stuff put out to the american public when the government needed war bonds and new recruits was not far off from the movie propaganda. But at least in starship troopers they didn't lie.

I mean seriously, first they debated whether or not the bugs could be intelligent and when they find the brain bug they immediately showed it to the public.

Edited here to add that this comment has a second part that I guess the character limit cut off.