Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation 2004

On a distant world, a small Federation squad and a cluster of psychic soldiers find themselves pinned down as relentless Arachnids close in. General Jack Shepherd [Ed Lauter] /ed-lauter makes a ruthless, strategic stand that buys time for a handful of his troops to slip away. Among the survivors are the steadfast Sergeant Dede Rake [Brenda Strong] /brenda-strong, the clairvoyant Lieutenant Pavlov Dill [Lawrence Monoson] /lawrence-monoson, the devoted Private Jill Sandee [Sandrine Holt] /sandrine-holt, her partner Private Duff Horton [Jason-Shane Scott] /jason-shane-scott, Private Billie Otter [Cy Carter] /cy-carter, and the psionic Private Lei Sahara [Colleen Porch] /colleen-porch. They push forward with grit, trying to stay ahead of the encroaching threat while keeping each other alive.

Seeking safety, the group finds shelter inside an abandoned structure that houses the disgraced Captain V. J. Dax [Richard Burgi] /richard-burgi, someone who had killed his commanding officer and was left for dead. With no reliable communications and no immediate backup, the survivors huddle under dust-laden skies as dust storms rage and arachnid ambushes pick them off one by one, slowly whittling down their numbers while hope for a rescue fades.

Inside the tense refuge, Dill’s mind becomes a battleground of its own. He is plagued by visions of humanity’s demise at the hands of the Arachnids, and those apocalyptic dreams begin to undermine his command. His tension with Sahara grows sharper, especially after Sahara suffers nightmares and a troubling loss of control following puberty, a turn that leads Dax to step in and take command from the beleaguered Dill, perceived as an ineffective leader.

Just when the atmosphere seems most dire, a flicker of news arrives: General Shepherd is alive and returns with three unlikely saviors—comatose Private Charlie Soda [Kelly Carlson] /kelly-carlson, the enigmatic Technical Sergeant Ari Peck [J.P. Manoux] /jp-manoux, and the medic Corporal Joe Griff [Ed Quinn] /ed-quinn. With their help, the group reestablishes a shaky line of contact to the Federation and steels itself for a long, uncertain wait until a fleet dropship can reach them.

As the tense days stretch on, several survivors begin to act strangely. Horton and Sandee’s behavior becomes erratic, and Sahara’s health wanes as she experiences recurring nightmares and episodes of vomiting. A psychic vision surfaces after she brushes Griff’s hand, prompting Rake to suggest that Sahara might be pregnant. This revelation adds another layer of complexity to their already perilous situation, but it also hints at dangerous psychic possibilities for the future.

Meanwhile, a new breed of Arachnids is revealed—one that can invade a host by entering through the mouth and then propagate inside the brain. This terrifying development pushes Sahara and Dax to share their concerns with a guilt-ridden Dill, who finally confesses the burden of his earlier decisions and tries to repair the rift between him and Sahara by acknowledging the toll of his past leadership failures. Sahara also reveals that pregnancy can occasionally trigger a temporary return of psychic abilities, a fact that could alter their fortunes.

Complications escalate when Dill discovers that Shepherd himself has become infected. Dill attempts to corral Soda along with several infected soldiers for dissection and study, but an infected Horton kills him, and the act is blamed on Dax, who is detained as a result. The group’s precarious alliance fractures under accusation and fear.

In a brutal turn, Rake is ambushed and infected by Horton and Otter. She fights back with adrenaline shots that blunt the parasite long enough to wound Sandee, kill Horton, save Sahara and Dax, and then sacrifice herself to protect the others. Sahara uses her renewed psychic powers to read the mind of the Arachnid that infected Rake and uncovers their larger plan: to weaponize Shepherd to sabotage the Federation and wipe out humanity.

With this knowledge, Sahara and Dax lead a final effort to purge the infected troops. They confront the infected Shepherd on the roof just as the base’s pulse defenses falter, and Dax arrives at the last moment to shoot the now-contaminated leader, ending his threat. He then helps get Sahara onto the dropship, but chooses to stay behind, sacrificing himself to the Arachnids so the rest can escape.

Back on Earth, a year has passed. Sahara—now discharged from federal service—appears at a recruiting seminar with her newborn son, recounting her harrowing experience and insisting that Dax’s selfless act saved her life and others. The Federation has edited Dax’s final words to obscure his disgraced past, turning his legacy into a recruitment tool. As Sahara departs, the recruiting officer makes a morbid joke about her son’s potential fate, and she bolts, fleeing into an uncertain future.