List of characters in Starship Troopers

This is a list of characters in the novel "Starship Troopers". Some of the characters may also be found in the film "Starship Troopers" and "" in altered form.

Major characters

* Juan Rico — Son of a wealthy Filipino family who volunteers for "Federal Service". He ends up in the Mobile Infantry. He does his basic training at Camp Arthur Currie in the former U.S., and then he is assigned as a Private to "Willie's Wildcats". His first big combat experience (other than raids) is the Battle of Klendathu. He is then transferred to the platoon called "Rasczak's Roughnecks" aboard the spaceship "Rodger Young", where he earns the rank of corporal and survives several battles. He later enters an Officer Candidate School upon the encouragement of his friend "Ace". Rico eventually became a lieutenant after commanding a platoon (as an intern) during the successful "Operation Royalty". At the end of the novel, he is in command of "Rico's Roughnecks", back on the "Rodger Young", with his father as a sergeant there.

* Charles Zim — Juan Rico's boot-camp training instructor and a company commander at Camp Currie. Originally a career "Ship's Sergeant", he becomes the Company "First Sergeant" of Rico's unit during "Operation Royalty", and he voluntarily drops in rank to become Rico's "Platoon Sergeant". Zim takes the initiative to raid an Arachnid "bughole", and he captures the first "brain bug" taken by the MI. He was given a field commission, and he rises to the rank of brevet captain with the permanent rank of first lieutenant by the end of the book.

* Lieutenant Colonel Jean V. Dubois — Rico's high school instructor in so-called "History and Moral Philosophy". He had retired as a lieutenant colonel in the Mobile Infantry after he lost an arm. A letter to Rico during Basic Training boosts Rico's spirits and helps to keep him from resigning (and thus losing the opportunity to become a full Citizen). Many readers have felt that Dubois serves as a stand-in for Heinlein throughout the novel.

* Lieutenant Rasczak — Juan Rico's platoon leader in the "Rodger Young". His platoon always calls him "The Lieutenant", in tones of considerable respect. He dies in battle while recovering two wounded Troopers.

* Sergeant Jelal — A career "Ship's Sergeant", he is Juan Rico's platoon sergeant aboard the spaceship "Rodger Young", and the "de facto" platoon leader after Lt. Rasczak's death. He eventually is made a captain, but he loses his legs in an unspecified battle. He was nicknamed "Jelly" and anyone who has made a "combat drop" could call him this to his face. After the Lieutenant's death, the Roughnecks vote unanimously to rename themselves "Jelly's Jaguars", after their new lieutenant, but Jelal vetoes the notion.

Minor characters

* Career Corporal "Ace" — Squad commander, Jelal's Platoon, Rasczak's Roughnecks. Assists Juan Rico in the recovery of Dizzy Flores, a wounded Trooper. When Rico first becomes Corporal and the assistant section leader, being promoted past Ace, they fight in the showers over Ace's lack of respect. Although Ace wins, he acknowledges Rico's seniority, and helps him earn the respect of the entire platoon. Later, Ace persuades Rico to pursue a career in the military and to enroll in Officer Candidate School.

* Dizzy Flores — (Male, although depicted as female in the movie version) Member of "squad six" in Rasczak's Roughnecks. Wounded in the first action of the Roughnecks under the command of Jelal: the raid against the "Skinnies" described in the first chapter of the book. Dizzy is recovered by his squad leader "Ace" and the assistant section leader Juan Rico, but dies due to wounds during transport to the Roughnecks' spaceship, the "Rodger Young".

* Private First Class Dutch Bamburger — Senior squadmate who Rico is assigned to for his first drop. Dies while showing Johnny the ropes in Operation Bughouse.

* Captain Frankel — Camp Currie Battalion Commander, involved in the trial of Recruit Ted Hendrick. Saves Hendrick from execution by a creative manipulation of the charges and jurisdiction of the court martial summoned for the trial.

* N. L. Dillinger — Mobile Infantry recruit who deserts. He is hanged for murdering a baby girl, after kidnapping her for ransom. Though AWOL, his execution is handled by the Infantry rather than by the civil judiciary, since Dillinger was still considered an active-duty member of the MI.

* Fleet Sergeant Ho — Federal Service recruiting officer who had lost his legs and right arm while serving. He swears-in Juan Rico and Carl. He appears without his prosthetics to administer the oath to new recruits, as a demonstration of the possible consequences of service.

* Emilio Rico — Juan Rico's father, a wealthy Filipino businessman. He opposes Johnnie's plans to join the Mobile Infantry, but after the Bug War begins and his wife is killed, he finds that his position as a "producing-consuming economic animal" (his own words) has become untenable. He is then sworn-in to Federal Service as a cap trooper and eventually he becomes a platoon sergeant in the Mobile Infantry.

* Major Reid — Juan Rico's blind "History and Moral Philosophy" instructor at the Officer Candidate School.

* Carmen Ibanez — One of Juan Rico's high school classmates. Rico had a crush on her, and she is a major influence on his decision to enlist, joining on the same day that she does. Since she excels in mathematics and gymnastics, she becomes a (Space) Navy spaceship pilot. While combat troops are universally male, the Navy can and often does recruit women as ship crewmen, both because some women make some of the better pilots, and for reasons of morale.

* "Carl" — Juan Rico's best friend in high school. His example is one of the influences that prompt Juan Rico to enlist. The two of them enlist on the same day, and Carl is assigned to the "Starside Research & Development" instillation on Pluto. Later in the novel, Carl is killed when the Pluto research facilities are destroyed by the Arachnids.

* Ted Hendrick — The Mobile Infantry recruit who questioned the need to learn knife-throwing. Later court-martialed for disobeying orders and striking a superior officer (Sergeant Zim). Sentenced to ten whip lashes and a Bad Conduct Discharge, instead of being executed. He thereby loses his chance for the "franchise" (right to vote) and his intended career in politics.

Characters in the film series

*Private Ace Levy — Rico's friend from basic training. His ambition was to go career and become an officer, but he freezes up while taking command in the Klendathu invasion. He survives the failed attack and is reassigned to the Roughnecks with Rico and Dizzy. His fate following the first film is unknown.

*Colonel Carl Jenkins — Rico's best friend in high school. He has psychic abilities, and he joins military intelligence as opposed to research and development. (There were unnamed people with some psychic ability in the novel, and so, that was merged in with this character.)

*Sgt. Breckinridge — Member of Rico's training unit. He came from one of the farm planets, and he called the Mobile Infantry "a pure picnic by comparison". Breckinridge is killed during a live-fire exercise under Rico's command: he states that his helmet is malfunctioning, and while Rico takes it off to inspect it, a fellow recruit accidentally shoots Breckinridge in the head.

*Shujumi — Member of Rico's training unit. He had been accepted into Harvard University, and he joined the Federal Service so that he would not need to pay tuition. Shujumi is killed during the Klendathu invasion. He runs up to a group of bugs, firing wildly, and is ripped apart.

*"Kitten" Smith — Member of Rico's training unit. An aspiring writer, he is killed during the Klendathu Invasion.

*Djana'D — Member of Rico's training unit. She hopes to go into politics following her term of service. However, she accidentally kills Brechinridge during the live-fire exercise, and she resigns from the Mobile Infantry, thus losing her chance of ever becoming a full Citizen.

*Katrina McIntire — Member of Rico's training unit. She joins the Federal Service so she could get a license to have children. She is killed during the Klendathu invasion: while fleeing the battle, she falls into a bug hole and is dragged away.

*Captain Deladier — Captain of the spaceship "Rodger Young". She is killed while trying to escape the ship after it is hit, fatally, by bug plasma.

*Zander Barcalow — Carmen's immediate superior on the spaceship "Rodger Young". He played "football" in high school, and he was a player on the opposing team in Rico's final game, where he met Carmen. After joining the spacefleet, he makes sure that he becomes her superior, and he make his romantic intentions known. At the end of the film, Carmen and Zander escape the destruction of the "Rodger Young", but they land in a bug cavern. Zander's brain is then sucked out by a "brain bug".

*Sky Marshal Omar Anoke — Supreme Commander of the Federation Forces in "". He converts to the Bugs' religion, and he is killed by the "Bug God" Behemecoatyl.

*General Dix Hauser — Another friend of Rico's. They served at Terran Command for a year. Dix marries Lola after Rico rescues her from OM-1.

*Captain Lola Beck — Love interest of Rico and Dix, and the personal pilot of Sky Marshal Anoke. She marries Dix after she is rescued from OM-1.

*Admiral Enolo Phid — Director of Fleet Intelligence. She discovers that Sky Marshal Anoke converted to the Bugs' religion and suppresses a distress call sent by Captain Beck. General Hauser interprets this as a power grab and but later learns the truth. After Anoke is reported to have died in a terrorist attack, Admiral Phid is appointed the new Sky Marshal.

*Holly Little — Flight attendant aboard Captain Beck's ship, the "Geronimo". She is very religious, and she becomes a chaplain after being rescued from OM-1.

*Elmo Goniff — Former Mobile Infantry soldier who becomes the leader of a peace movement. He is later executed with 51 of his closest friends.