In the sequel to Paul Verhoeven's loved/reviled sci-fi film, a group of troopers taking refuge in an abandoned outpost after fighting alien bugs, failing to realize that more danger lays in wait.
In this sequel, we're sent back to the battlefield, as the Federation's best mobile infantry unit's are slowly being overpowered by the killer bugs. They're light years from the nearest reinforcements and are trapped on a remote outpost. Though they've set up protection around the post, the enemy's in the outpost, in a way which they never thought of.—Film_Fan
With the battle against the multitudes of unstoppable Arachnids reaching a pivotal point after the events in Starship Troopers (1997), a handful of General Jack Shepherd's elite roughnecks take shelter in an abandoned outpost. As the battle-hardened soldiers fight a losing battle, stranded on a remote, desolate planet crawling with alien insects, disgraced war veteran Captain V.J. Dax joins the fight against the bugs. However, with the Federation's Fleet Rescue unable to provide aerial extraction and the indestructible enemy closing in on the besieged warriors, the Starship Troopers are about to discover that there's more to the multi-legged adversary than meets the eye. Is all hope lost?—Nick Riganas
The Arachnid attack on Buenos Aires resulted in the crushing of Arachnid forces on Tango Urilla and a captured Brain Bug on Planet P. Now, with the momentum of the victory behind them, the mobile infantry units push deeper into the Arachnid Quarantine Zone and take the fight to the bugs. The Sky Marshall declares total war against the bugs on every planet in their solar system and beyond.Recruitment activity picks up across Fleet, Military Intelligence and Mobile Infantry Units.
On a planet inhabited by Arachnids, a squad of soldiers find themselves pinned down and surrounded on all sides by Arachnid forces. Even with their new laser gun technology and assistance from psychic soldiers, the Arachnid assault overwhelms them. General Jack Shepherd (Ed Lauter) decides to make a last stand with four of his best soldiers to allow the majority of his surviving troops to escape.
The plan works and the soldiers escape, including Sergeant Dede Rake (Brenda Strong), psychic Lieutenant Pavlov Dill (Lawrence Monoson), Private Jill Sandee (Sandrine Holt) and her lover Private Duff Horton (Jason-Shane Scott), and Private Lei Sahara (Colleen Porch).Shepherd had assigned Lieutenant Dill to take command and guide the troops to an abandoned outpost called Hotel Delta, which was half a kilometer away from their current position. Hotel Delta is in the shape of a tower with a single entrance, which can be easily defended.
Despite reaching relative safety of Hotel Delta, the team is whittled down by deadly storms and arachnid ambushes, including the only member of the platoon with a radio, Corporal Thom Kobe (Brian Tee). Kobe is killed, but the squad manages to retrieve his body, including the damaged radio set.Lieutenant Dill is unable to command his soldiers as he receives traumatic visions of utter annihilation. He takes his anger out on Private Sahara, who is revealed to have been psychic but lost reliable control of her psychic abilities during puberty.
The remaining refugees find themselves sheltering within Hotel Delta 1-8-5, an old and abandoned structure containing Captain V. J. Dax (Richard Burgi), a disgraced soldier who killed his commanding officer and was sealed in a furnace. Dax was left in a holding cell as a prisoner, when the position was abandoned. He attracts attention of the unit by banging on the metal door of his cell, the noise of which reverberates through the structure. When Dax is found, he says that the CO of the base was a coward and his actions cost several lives.
Electricity is restored to the base. As a deadly dust storm kicks up, they find themselves without communications or back-up for a lengthy period of time.A huge number of Arachnids surround the base and attack. Dill is completely useless under pressure and fails to direct his troops. Sarah decides to free Dax as he knows the base and relies on his knowledge to save the troops.Dax takes command, to the annoyance of Dill, and the two develop enmity. Dax sees Dill as an incompetent commander, while Dill sees Dax as a traitor to the Federation. Dax activates the perimeter defense system of Hotel Delta which wipes out the attacking Arachnids by dropping bombs on them from the top of the tower.
Once the perimeter is cleared, Dax goes out with Sarah and one more trooper to set up the electric pulse fence.Soon after defenses for Hotel Delta are set up, General Shepherd and three soldiers return. While the troops there first think that all but one of their comrades has reached safety, it becomes clear that all their comrades, but Shepherd have died, and Shepherd has been rescued by three soldiers including: the comatose private, Charlie Soda (Kelly Carlson); the strangely behaving technical sergeant Ari Peck (J. P. Manoux); and the medic, corporal Joe Griff (Ed Quinn). With the help of the newcomers they solve their technical issues, including lack of communication, and wait for a Fleet drop-ship to rescue them.
Shepherd's arrival puts Dill back in command, and he promises to punish Sarah for releasing Dax. Dax intervenes and warns Dill to stay away from Sarah. Shepherd also relies on Dax for perimeter security and says that until charges are proven, according to him Dax is innocent and an office of the Federation.
Soda tries to seduce Dax, who punishes her by asking her to do 100 push-ups to expend her "energy".At the base, Soda strips naked and uses her nudity to seduce Horton and kisses him, and Sandee finds a new significant other in Griff, causing tempers to flare; however, both Horton and Sandee soon act strangely, as do many other survivors.
Sahara seems to have become ill as she has nightmares and wakes up vomiting. Sahara accidentally brushes Griff's hand, and she has a psychic vision. She goes to Rake for advice and tells her what has happened. Rake suggests that Sahara is simply pregnant, which can cause visions, make girls temperamental, and make them think that "they know it all".
Eventually private Sahara and Dax, the male ex-hero of the federation, find themselves facing a new breed of Arachnid, a bug that infests the human body by entering through the mouth and propagating inside the brain. They go to Dill with their news and make amends with him, also learning that he made bad decisions only because of the visions he was having and that he feels incredibly guilty over the loss of men under his command during the escape. Sahara tells Dill that she has been receiving parts of the vision as well, and Dill tells Sahara that an occasional side-effect of pregnancy is a temporary return of the psychic abilities lost at puberty.
Soon after making amends, Dill captures several infected soldiers to be studied, but as he insults them another infected soldier kills him with the knife that Dax had given him. The murder is blamed on Dax, as his name was inscribed on the knife, and he is imprisoned.Eventually a drop-ship arrives to find all the troopers infected, including Shepherd who, if returned to Earth, may infect the leaders of the Federation.
After Dax is imprisoned, Rake is ambushed by the infected Horton and Otter, who infect her by forcing the control bug down her throat. Otter then attempts to infect Sahara but is caught and takes multiple hits to the head. Rake takes multiple adrenaline shots to hamper her control bug long enough to wound Sandee, kill Horton, and save Sahara and Dax; she then kills herself before the bug can take control.
Sahara uses her restored psychic abilities to read the mind of the Arachnid that had attempted to control Rake's mind and discovers the bugs' plan: use General Shepherd to infest High Command, allowing the bugs to wipe out the human race and cause Sahara's vision to come true. Sahara and Dax kill the rest of the infected troops and make it to the roof to confront the infected Shepherd just as the pulse fences fail. Shepherd is about to be rescued when Dax kills him. He gets Sahara onto the ship and tells the bewildered crew that she holds information vital to the survival of the Federation. He then refuses to get onto the ship ("Murderers don't go home!") and dies in a blaze of glory, fending off bugs.
Planet Earth, one year later. Sahara, now discharged from the military, attends a recruiting seminar with her newborn infant son to speak about her experience, and of Dax's actions which she credits for saving her life. Although Dax is labeled a Hero of the Federation, his death is shrouded in propaganda as the Federation uses his end as a means of recruitment.
As Sahara leaves the recruiting station, the recruiting officer approaches her to thank her for attending and also tells her to raise her son well, as "We need fresh meat for the grinder." Sahara is visibly alarmed and flees the recruiting station, which has no effect on the recruiter.
