Tooniversary: Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles (1999)

The movie, "Starship Troopers", was adapted from a novel by noted science fiction author Robert Heinlein in 1997. Two years later, Sony decided to revisit the characters, albeit with a few alterations, in an animated series that was troubled from the word go.

Much like MTV's Beavis & Butt-Head six years earlier, Roughnecks: The Starship Troopers Chronicles ran into production issues early, such that in some areas, episodes were being repeated too often too quickly. 40 episodes were ordered, but only 36 were completed, with 4 flashback episodes added to complete the order. A bit of a cheat, but clearly the handwriting was on the wall.

1999 wasn't a good year for actor Rino Romano. He was also cast in another troubled series, Fox's Spider-Man Unlimited, but the problem there was Fox pulling the series abruptly because of a desperate need to counter-program Pokemon over on WB. Romano was at the head of an ensemble that included toon vet E. G. Daily and a couple of actors not associated with toons----R. Lee Ermey ("Full Metal Jacket") and Rider Strong (Boy Meets World). The series was cancelled after 1 season, ending with a cliffhanger, as other action toons before it did, which was never resolved.

Here's the intro:



Rating: C.