Despite the controversy, "Starship Troopers" had wide influence both within and outside science fiction. Ken MacLeod stated that "the political strand in fiction can be described as a dialogue with Heinlein". Science fiction critic Darko Suvin wrote that "Starship Troopers" is the "ancestral text of U.S. science fiction militarism" and that it shaped the debate about the role of the military in society for many years. The novel has been credited with popularizing the idea of powered armor, which has since become a recurring feature in science fiction books and films, as well as an object of scientific research. Heinlein's depiction of a futuristic military was also influential. Later science fiction books, such as Joe Haldeman's 1974 anti-war novel "The Forever War", have been described as reactions to "Starship Troopers". The story has been adapted several times, including in a 1997 film version directed by Paul Verhoeven with screenplay by Edward Neumeier that sought to satirize what the director saw as the fascist aspects of the novel.