Trump's new Space Force uniforms based on 'fascist' sci-fi classic. Would you like to know more?

The United States armed forces are often parodied or serve as the inspiration for many Hollywood films, but it's typically not the other way around.

With the Space Force, for example, the entity saw a near-immediate parody after its founding in 2019, with actors like Steve Carell and John Malkovich tapped to do the deed.

'It's afraid.'

Verhoeven-core

Five months after President Donald Trump and his administration founded the Space Force in December 2019, Netflix launched a comedy series based on the new agency.

Although "Space Force" portrayed members with their own unique dark-blue dress uniforms, this was a bit of creative license. In reality, Guardians have worn "modified Air Force uniform[s]" since the Space Force was established.

That has been changing. The Space Force unveiled a prototype of its own service dress uniform in 2021 and spent the following years refining the design. In January, the service formally introduced the finished uniform and outlined plans for its rollout.

Now Trump appears to have something else in mind.

On Sunday, the president posted an image to Truth Social depicting a proposed “next generation” Space Force dress uniform.

“Inspired by the discipline and functionality of the Starship Trooper uniform,” the image read, “modernized for the Guardians of the Space Domain.” Its colors were identified as Space Gray, Midnight Black, Silver Gray, and Satin Black.

But the apparent inspiration for the design quickly attracted attention.

The reference is to “Starship Troopers,” Paul Verhoeven’s 1997 science-fiction satire, whose futuristic military aesthetic deliberately borrowed from Nazi imagery. Verhoeven has said he intended the film to depict a fascist society whose inhabitants did not recognize themselves as fascists.

Forbes was among the outlets to note the resemblance, calling the style "Sci-Fi Fascist."

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Cult following

"Starship Troopers" has developed a cult following, thanks in part to its bizarre humor, memorable lines, bloody action sequences, and hordes of giant alien bugs.

The film takes place in a distant future in which Earth is controlled by a single government known as the Terran Federation. Full citizenship — including the right to vote — is reserved for those who complete a term of federal service, which for the film's main characters means joining the military.

Citizenship also carries other privileges. At one point, a character says she wants to serve because it will make it easier for her to obtain a license to have children.

The society is deliberately depicted as an outwardly prosperous and harmonious but deeply militaristic regime, complete with government propaganda, constant appeals to sacrifice, and an enemy — the alien “bugs” — against which humanity can unite.

Director Paul Verhoeven told Interview magazine in 2017 that he “wanted these people to be like proto-Nazis, proto-Aryans.”

A year later, Verhoeven told the Guardian that he had deliberately borrowed imagery from Leni Riefenstahl's Nazi propaganda films, including “Triumph of the Will,” while filming the movie's propaganda sequences.

“I was using Riefenstahl to point out, or so I thought, that these heroes and heroines were straight out of Nazi propaganda,” Verhoeven said. “No one saw it at the time.”

“I thought Neil Patrick Harris arriving on the set in an SS uniform might clear it up.”

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Clothes call

Despite that satirical intent, the movie is perhaps best remembered by fans for its gleefully over-the-top propaganda sequences and endlessly quotable lines, including “I'm doing my part!” and “It's afraid!” For many, the film has become a beloved sci-fi action comedy whose militaristic excess is part of the joke.

The Space Force, meanwhile, continues with its years-in-development uniform roll out. An Honor Guard version, featuring distinctive light-blue accents, made its public debut last month.

It remains unclear where Trump's “Starship Troopers”-inspired design fits into those plans. While the president's post described it as a “next generation” uniform, it did not say when it would be introduced or whether it would replace the service dress uniform already being rolled out.

“Our service dress uniform represents the unique identity of Guardians, blending heritage with a modern design that reflects our unity and mission,” then-Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said in January. “From the start, Guardian feedback shaped its design and fit. I know the force will wear it with pride.”