Hanging Out with the
Starship Troopers at Comic-Con

Say what you want about the 1997 sci-fi action movie, Starship Troopers, but I loved it. I agree it's not a great film, but it was still a whole lot of fun. The story was good, the cast wasn't bad, and the world-building was top-notch. It's definitely one of my favorite B-movies ever.

You can't ignore that cast, either. Casper Van Dien was great as Johnny Rico, and Denise Richards, Neil Patrick Harris, and Clancy Brown are also in it—actual movie and TV stars. So the film still had a fair number of big names.

I'm not ashamed to admit I watched my Starship Troopers DVD countless times in high school. Only two of my friends liked it as much as I did, and we've even made it a tradition to watch it every time we meet up.

In October 2024, the cast finally reunited with a panel at New York Comic Con. It took 27 years, but my friends and I were thrilled to see them all together again. We were determined to get their autographs on our Starship Troopers movie posters.

Most of them were there: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer, Seth Gilliam, and Michael Ironside. I was pretty sad that Neil Patrick Harris and Clancy Brown didn't attend, but that's okay. I knew I still had other chances to meet them and get their autographs, too.

Comic Con setting up this panel and reuniting most of the leads was already enough for me. It felt like my friends and I were the only three people in the world who'd seen the film, let alone remember it. But the panel drew a huge crowd, and we all screamed our lungs out when they stepped out on that stage.

I enjoyed hearing them talk about the film, how they made it, and what it means to them today, but I loved getting their autographs even more. It was a pleasure to finally meet the cast and ask them to sign our posters. Denise Richards was warm and gracious, and Casper Van Dien was one of the most delightful celebrities I ever met.

Seeing the fanfare they received almost got me emotional. I was so happy to see the movie, especially its cast, get the love it deserves.

A year later, I finally met Neil Patrick Harris and Clancy Brown, and also got their autographs on the same poster. I met Harris at the stage door during his Broadway run in Art at the Music Box Theatre in New York City in fall 2025. He was as charming as Barney Stinson himself, and so nice, too.

I met Clancy Brown a few months later at a Hollywood industry event my industry friend invited me to. I told him how much I'd wanted to meet him and get his autograph, and he was kind enough to spend a few minutes with me. I have to admit that I was pretty emotional when I finally met him, but he was so nice about it. He's still the best celebrity I've ever met in person.