Alien vs Starship Troopers: Which Is Better?

Starship Troopers vs Alien! The two franchises have introduced us to some of the most exciting alien species, warriors, and firearms in fiction. They have spawned multiple spin-offs,  prequels, video games, and catchphrases like “They mostly come at night…Mostly.”

And “The Only Good Bug Is A Dead Bug.” From Xenomorphs and Arachnids to Colonial Marines and Mobile Infantry, in this Faceoff, we examine the similarities between the two universes to find out which has the best characters, scenes, spaceships, and whatnot.

So without any further ado, let’s join the interstellar exterminators in a world of bravery and gore, where everyone fights and nobody quits.

Alien vs Starship Troopers: Which Is Better?

Alien vs Starship Troopers: Which Is Better?
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Starship Troopers chronicles the adventures of Rico, Carl Jenkins, and Carmen, a trio of teenage cadets. Lured to enlist by the thrill of travel and adventure on distant planets, these unsung heroes are unaware that the battle of the bugs is about to re-erupt, sending them all to the front lines of the First Interstellar War. As members of Lieutenant Razak’s ‘Roughnecks,’ these three ordinary teenagers find themselves in extraordinary circumstances, infiltrating alien worlds to battle monstrous bugs one-on-one.

Ridley Scott’s science-fiction films follow the crew of the Nostromo. In the distant future, in deep space, on their way back to Earth, the crew of The Nostromo is intercepted during cryo-sleep by a distress signal. The crew is hunted by an unknown and deadly organism they pick up to return to the Company.

General John D. “Johnny” Rico vs Ellen Ripley

General John D. “Johnny” Rico is an Argentinian space trooper general in the Mobile Infantry of the United Citizen Federation. During his life, the heavy-hitting warrior John Rico has become one of the most representative icons of the United Citizen Federation. Johnny inspired courage and valor in every battle as a freedom fighter, gallant soldier, and brave man. He is an exemplary character for all men and women of the Federation.

Lieutenant First Class Ellen Ripley was a civilian adviser to the United States Colonial Marine Corps and a hugely influential figure in humanity’s encounters with the species Xenomorph XX121. Later promoted to Lieutenant First Class and attached to the Colonial Marines as a civilian adviser, she would go on to have several more encounters with the creatures over the following decade.

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Jean Rasczak vs Corporal Dwayne

A former soldier, Jean Rasczak had lost an arm in a conflict, therefore, turned to teach in a high school before the Arachnids attacked Earth. He became the commander of the Roughnecks. Corporal Dwayne Hicks was a member of the United States Colonial Marine Corps, part of the 2nd Battalion Bravo Team. He has fought the Xenomorph infestation at the colony. Hicks is an alien attack survivor alongside t Ellen Ripley and Rebecca Jorden.

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Private “Dizzy” Flores vs Private First Class Jenette Vasquez

Johnny Rico’s high school classmate. Flores is a wilful, strong character, tactic-minded soldier, and leader. Her romantic feelings for Johnny were her primary motivation for joining the Mobile Infantry. Private First Class Jenette Vasquez is a Smartgun operator with the United States Colonial Marine Corps. Some would describe Vasquez as being overconfident. Her unorthodox behavior makes her think outside the box and one of the better sharpshooters in her platoon.

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Carmen vs Arthur Dalla

Carmen wants to be a pilot more than anything. She’s an excellent captain of her own starship. Carmen has a strong individual character. Arthur Dallas is a quiet and laid-back Captain. When forced into a decision, Dallas is prone to making rushed, unwise choices under pressure. Despite this, Dallas showed bravery and responsible leadership during a crisis.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Military Units

The Mobile Infantry is the ground military component of the Federal Armed Services of the United Citizen Federation. The primary military arm of the Federation Army is comprised of volunteers from all administrative regions of Earth and other Federal worlds.

The United States Colonial Marine Corps (USCM) specialize in force projection. They operate independently in environments far from home for extended periods thanks to their technological prowess and sizeable space fleet at their disposal.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Space Stations

This Luna Base is an artificial planetary ring, which allows the massive interstellar craft to dock with it easily. It can store ships of almost any size. The defense mechanisms of the Lunar Base are Missile defense turrets and other small turrets. The Gateway Space Station orbits Earth. It functioned primarily as a loading station for cargo being transported to and from Earth.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Battleship

The USCSS Prometheus is a revolutionary battleship and, at the time of its launch, was the most advanced and expensive faster-than-light space exploration vehicle ever constructed. It was billed as an official United States Commercial Starship in 2091. The John A. Warden (Ship ID: 7902) is a Federation ship that was in service during the Second Bug War. Several years into this war, the John A. Warden was captured by the Arachnids and crash-landed onto Earth in an attempted invasion.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Dropships

The DR-4 Viking is a dropship that was used by the Fleet of the United Citizen Federation for transportation of Mobile Infantry troops. These ships have been used in missions during the conflicts with the Arachnids during the First Bug War. The UD-4 has the ability to take off and land vertically from unprepared sites, and can also operate as a ship-to-ship transport. Additionally, the Cheyenne has many variable weapons hardpoints, and a fixed internal cannon, allowing it to be used in a gunship role in support of ground troops.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: The Extraterrestrials

The more you think about it, the more you realize the alien species are the real stars of their universes The Warrior Bug is the basic grunt of the Arachnid species. They were used on every front by the Arachnid species in all conflicts as the Warrior is able to be reproduced in much larger numbers than other Arachnids and as it is the only Arachnid to be the standard, general-purpose infantry, whilst the other types are more specialized. Xenomorphs are parasitic aliens that literally blend into their surroundings and kill anything that comes into contact with them. The Warrior is one of the primary assault organisms of the Xenomorphs. It is fast, reasonably tough, and a savage combatant. Even in death, the Warrior is dangerous, bursting apart when killed and drenching nearby enemies in acid.

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Like wasps or bees, both alien societies are eusocial, with a fertile Queen breeding a host of subordinate castes. Considering how dangerous and hostile both societies are, you can only ask yourself what would happen if they encountered each other. The Queen, or Queen Bug, is one of the leadership castes of the Bugs and plays a vital role within their hierarchy. Queens are one of the largest, strongest, and most intelligent Xenomorph castes and their appearance differs from that of smaller variants, with a pair of extra arms growing from their chest and a large head crest extending rearwards from their skull.

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The Control Bugs are a species of Arachnid that gains control of human hosts, killing them and manipulating their bodies like puppets to serve the Arachnids. The Facehugge is a parasitoid form of the species Xenomorph XX121 that hatches from an Ovomorph. It is the second stage in the Xenomorph’s life cycle and exists solely to implant a Chestburster within a host creature via their mouth.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Planets

Arachnids are fierce insectoid lifeforms that kill anything in their path and have conquered many planets across space. Planet-P is a planet in the Arachnids’ home system, colonized by thousands of Arachnids, including warrior bugs, Tanker bugs, and flying Hoppers. Acheron is a moon, 39 light-years away from Earth, that was colonized by humans. The main colonist base, Hadley’s Hope, housed 158 people. It suffered a full-scale Xenomorph outbreak, as a Xenomorph Queen established a hive in the colony’s Atmosphere Processor, and the Xenomorphs killed or captured, cocooned, and impregnated nearly all of the colonists.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Firearms

The Morita Sniper Rifle is just a regular Morita rifle with a large variable-power scope. It is the main weapon of Private Watkins in the Starship Troopers movie. It is also briefly used by Lt. Rasczak, who takes Watkin’s rifle and shoots his RTO who has been taken by a flying Hopper Bug, and then says: “I’d expect anyone in this unit to do the same for me”. It is the same basic weapon with the addition of an advanced scope capable of tracking and zooming in on a target. The Ithaca Model 37 is an American-made pump-action shotgun. Corporal Hicks notably carried a cut-down version of the Model 37 during the mission to Hadley’s Hope. The gun was actually an old family heirloom handed down through generations of Hicks’ family, thus explaining the presence of such an antiquated 1937 weapon in 2179.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Tactical War Machines

The F-76 Thunderbolt is a Tactical Airspace Control (TAC) fighter and the main starfighter/bomber of the United Citizen Federation Fleet. The M577 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is a type of light armored tactical response vehicle, employed by the United States Colonial Marine Corps. It is a lightweight troop transport designed to operate as a multi-role vehicle and capable of being dropped into combat by dropship.

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Alien vs Starship Troopers: Power Armors

If you’re human planning to take on extremely lethal aliens, your best chance is by wearing a full form-fitting powered armor. The M11 Babar “Marauder” is the first combat power armor issued to the Mobile Infantry. The metal that comprises the outer armor is impenetrable to all warrior bugs’ attacks and the Mechs are equipped with two weapons on their arms. These weapons include a flamethrower, a heavy machine gun, and a Vulcan Rotary Cannon. The Caterpillar P-5000 Powerloader is a commercial mechanized exoskeleton used for lifting heavy materials and objects. Power Loaders are equipped with hydraulic “claws” that can be used to hold and manipulate a variety of objects. The most famous use of a Power Loader was when Ellen Ripley used one in a ferocious hand-to-hand battle with a Xenomorph Queen aboard the USS Sulaco.

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See also: Star Wars vs Star Trek: Which is better?

A musician and film buff. I'm a Film graduate of The Sam Spiegel Film and T.V. School program. Creative writing by nature, a very curious girl, exploring all geek fandom.