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Colonel Nielssen
On the Tours, Johnnie serves under Captain Blackstone of Blackie’s Blackguards during his apprenticeship cruise. Blackstone serves as an important father figure to Johnnie, lavishing attention and advice on him to help shape him into an outstanding officer. Blackstone himself wears many hats and gracefully balances obedience to doctrine and the chain of command with clear, independent thinking; Sergeant Zim respects his “hunches” because they often keep his men out of trouble. While he does overrule Johnnie several times during the mission, for the most part he’s willing to step back and let him call the shots during “Operation Royalty,” and he’s impressed enough by Johnnie’s performance to recommend him for officer.
Captain Blackstone Quotes in Starship Troopers
The Starship Troopers quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Blackstone or refer to Captain Blackstone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 13
Quotes
“Try to figure where the Bugs are going to break out. And then stay away from that spot! Understand me?”
“I hear you, sir,” I said carefully. “But I do not understand.”
He sighed. “Johnnie, you’ll turn my hair gray yet. Look, son, we want them to come out, the more the better. You don’t have the firepower to handle them other than by blowing up their tunnel as they reach the surface—and that is the one thing you must not do! If they come out in force, a regiment can’t handle them. But that’s just what the General wants, and he’s got a brigade of heavy weapons in orbit, waiting for it. So you spot that breakthrough, fall back and keep it under observation. If you are lucky enough to have a major breakthrough in your area, reconnaissance will be patched through all the way to the top. So stay lucky and stay alive! Got it?”
“Yes, sir. Spot the breakthrough. Fall back and avoid contact. Observe and report.”
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Captain Blackstone Quotes in Starship Troopers
The Starship Troopers quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Blackstone or refer to Captain Blackstone. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 13
Quotes
“Try to figure where the Bugs are going to break out. And then stay away from that spot! Understand me?”
“I hear you, sir,” I said carefully. “But I do not understand.”
He sighed. “Johnnie, you’ll turn my hair gray yet. Look, son, we want them to come out, the more the better. You don’t have the firepower to handle them other than by blowing up their tunnel as they reach the surface—and that is the one thing you must not do! If they come out in force, a regiment can’t handle them. But that’s just what the General wants, and he’s got a brigade of heavy weapons in orbit, waiting for it. So you spot that breakthrough, fall back and keep it under observation. If you are lucky enough to have a major breakthrough in your area, reconnaissance will be patched through all the way to the top. So stay lucky and stay alive! Got it?”
“Yes, sir. Spot the breakthrough. Fall back and avoid contact. Observe and report.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
