The view that people acquired citizenship and the right to vote through military service reflected the views of "Starship Troopers" author Robert Heinlein. His views were influenced by his years in military service during World War II, and what he saw as the supposed "laziness" of civilians.

In Heinlein's novel, the Mobile Infantry - true to its designation - used suits of powered armor, which have no appearance in the movie. However, this idea inspired the concept of personal high-tech armor in SF, such as Marvel Comics' Iron Man.

In the scene where the infantry first descend on Klandathu, the shot of all the small ships flying down amongst blue bolts of plasma is almost identical to the opening sequence of Quake 2.