Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation is the 2004 direct-to-video sequel to the 1997 feature film Starship Troopers. It had a $7 million budget as opposed to the $105 million of the original. Even though the film received only a direct-to-video released in the United States, it was granted a theatrical release in Japan and Spain. It has almost no relationship to the novel Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein, unlike the first Starship Troopers film, which was loosely based on the characters and storyline of the book (though much different in tone). None of the characters from the original film appear in this sequel (except for in recycled footage), although the actress Brenda Strong appears in both films as different characters. The film was directed by Phil Tippett, who is also the founder of Tippett Studio, the visual effects company that created the creature and miniature effects for the original film. A further sequel, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder,and Starship Troopers: Invasion has since been released.
