When in “The Taste of Armageddon”, Anan 7 speaks about learning to fight in the proper way, he refers to the simulation of battles run by the computers; this form of war has preserved the planets from damage, but both of the participating sides still have had to disintegrate the people who were pronounced “killed” by the simulated strikes. Having observed the course of the war, Kirk makes the decision to interfere because the simulated war has resulted in just as many casualties as the real one would. The loss of human lives is what drives Kirk as the protector of peace to protest the simulated war. In comparison, Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein seems to demonstrate an attitude that is the opposite of Kirk’s. Throughout the course of the book, the war goes on between the Arachnids or “the Bugs” and the people of Earth. The war results in devastation for both sides.
However, neither of them are willing to stop, negotiate, cease fire, or think about the ruination caused by the conflict. In fact, the ending of the book paints a scene where the Terran Federation decides to consolidate the efforts of as many troopers as possible for an extra-powerful strike on the enemy. The soldiers are motivated by the speech, saying that they are coming for their fellows who were taken prisoner by the Bugs; however, the boat will not come back to pick them up after dropping them, “instead it’ll fetch more ammo and rations” (Heinlein 155). That way, the ultimate intentions of the Terran Federation seem to be oriented toward the continuation of the war at any cost, even if it leads to a massive loss of soldiers’ lives, or devastates the Earth.
Differently put, the Federation seems to agree with Eminiar’s perspective of the need for the armed conflict. The only difference is that the former does not care about the preservation of planets, cultures, or ecosystems. The pacifist point of view of Captain James Kirk is alien to both of these parties.
Works Cited
Heinlein, Robert. Starship Troopers. n.d. Web.