Rougnecks Vault

First things first: Starship Troopers was a novel written by Robert A. Heinlein in 1959. Paul Verhoeven tried to adapt the novel into a movie in 1997. Two years later, Sony tried to spin a television series off the movie called Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles (also known as Starship Troopers: The Series).

People who were familiar with the novel were generally disappointed with the movie. People who saw the movie first and read the novel later weren't impressed with the book. Then Roughnecks came along and invented a happy medium between the two.

Roughnecks had it all -- state-of-the-art 3D animation, extraordinary conceptual design, incredible art direction, plus great scripts that not only adapted the novel well but explored the universe Heinlein had created in greater detail. Unfortunately, Roughnecks also had a lousy time slot between five and six in the morning on the BKN Network. The show inspired a small and devoted following online, but simply aired too early in the morning to ever attract a huge ratings audience.

Roughnecks was an expensive show to make. Eventually the money ran out and the show was canceled. Unfortunately, the money ran out prior to the end of the show's first season. Sony was contractually obligated to produce 40 episodes, but due to the budget limitations of the project, four episodes had to be scrapped and four clip shows were substituted instead.

Episodes 33, 38, 39 and 40 were scripted, the voice work was recorded, the scripts were storyboarded, but the shows were never animated. The end result was that the climactic three episodes intended to wrap up the first season NEVER AIRED!

Not only did Roughnecks not have a 2nd Season, it never even had proper closure to the first one! The small but devoted online community mentioned earlier decided to take matters into their own hands and write their own 2nd Season for Roughnecks. The fact that you are here reading these words is a testament to their dedication and their love for this show. FEEL THE LOVE!

Q: Will the "2nd Season" Fan Fiction Project actually be turned into a 2nd TV series?

A: NO! Not a chance! Given the opportunity to develop an actual Second Season of Roughnecks, I'm sure the fine folks at Sony would have come up with something much different, something much better, and something aimed at a much more general audience than the rabid band of Roughnecks fans who are the intended audience for this site. This project was created by fans for fans! If you're not a fan, you should find more constructive ways to spend your time (and by the way, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?).

Q: How did the 1st Season end?

A: Technically, it didn't! No one can say for sure how the series would have ended, but during the question and answer session at the ComiCon 2001 Roughnecks Panel, Greg Weisman (writer and story editor for Sony) answered the question this way:

After a little prompting from Carl, Rico and Dizzy decide to pursue a relationship. But as S.I.C.O.N. attempts to retake Oahu, Honolulu, City Hall and S.I.C.O.N. HQ, Rico becomes dangerously overprotective of his new "girlfriend." After the victory, Rico and Diz sadly agree to table their feelings until the war's over. Seconds later, Sky Marshal Sanchez arrives at S.I.C.O.N. HQ to congratulate his men. Suddenly, a huge pit opens up under the building -- and Sanchez is taken down into the pit by the Bugs.

S.I.C.O.N. HQ is destroyed by the Bugs and the entire headquarters sinks underground into a huge caldera five miles across dug by the bugs. SkyMarshall Sanchez is captured. The final battle to destroy the Bug Queen will be waged under the earth. S.I.C.O.N. forces move underground, passing though the "Circles of Hell" like Dante's Inferno, finding villages and prisoners of war in the successive underground layers.

150 Marauders designed to fight in lava start the final assault on the Bug Queen as she lures them into the deepest levels of the huge cauldra that was once S.I.C.O.N. HQ. The first 100 will clear the first level so 50 can pass to the second; they in turn will enable 10 Marauders to pass to the next level. These will in turn enable one Marauder (probably Rico) to reach the Queen for the final showdown!

Q: Who contributed to the Roughnecks Vault?

A: Several members of the RoughneckChronicles.com online community:

Project Creator / Coordinator: Rodimus
Poject Mastermind: BabyDoc
Editor in Chief: Mr. Hook

Here's a list of the authors who wrote the episodes:

200 First Encounters - Smoke / Babydoc
201 Absent Friends - BabyDoc
202 A Bell in the Night -Fixx Panel
203 Reunion - Bob Bitchin
204 Dead Drop -Mr. Hook
205 The Guide - BabyDoc

208 Dead Run - Liberator CDN
209 Out of the Frying Pan - C_E_Fox
210 The Stone Speaks - Mr. Hook

212 Atlantian Dreams - Crazymoon / BabyDoc

214 Voices of the Dead - Spitz

220 A Wolf in the Fold - Mr. Hook

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Original Artwork contibutors:

BabyDoc
Mr. Hook
T'Clar

Q: Who is in charge of the project?

A: The "2nd Season" Fan Fiction Project was the brain child of RoughneckChronicles.com webmaster, Rodimus, and two prominent RC Forum fanfic contributers, Smoke and BabyDoc. Mr. Hook is now the self appointed "editor" of the project simply because if he didn't do it, no one would. As you can see, Mr. Hook rules with an IRON FIST! I shall rule you ALL with my fist! YOU! Obey the fist!

Q: What sort of changes has Mr. Hook made to the stories?

A: Mostly formatting and typo corrections which fall into the following categories:

1. Reformatting italicized or bold text to ensure consistency with other episodes.
2. Adding paragraph breaks for easier online viewing.
3. Altering name spellings, location names, military titles, etc. to promote continuity.
4. Occasional fixes in grammar or spelling to minimize confusion.
5. On rare occasions, adding new paragraphs to infuse continuity where it was found lacking.

Additionally, all of the "scene changes" or "page breaks" indicated in the original scripts have been replaced with this exclusive graphic courtesy of the Roughnecks Vault:

Isn't it pretty? I designed it myself.

If you have questions or comments about how your material was edited, please email misterhook@mail.com

Q: Are you still accepting fanfic contributions to this site?

A: In a word: YES! Please click here to see how you can help!

Q: May I submit my own Roughnecks Artwork here?

A: Mr. Hook may be willing to consider additional artwork under the following conditions:

1. It has to meet Mr. Hook's standards of quality control.
2. It should relate specifically to the "2nd Season" Fan Fiction Project to some degree.
3. It should be original artwork.

Q: Is the Roughnecks series available on DVD or VHS?

A: It's called amazon.com. Do the math.

Q: What order should the DVD "campaigns" be watched in?

A: This is the order the DVD's should be watched in:
(but skip the clip-shows on the "Trackers" disk and save them till last)