Colonel Nielssen Character Analysis in Starship Troopers

Fleet General Nielssen serves as the Commandant of the Officer Candidate School on Sanctuary, having taken a temporary pay cut and rank assignment of colonel to qualify. Because of this he exemplifies the ideal soldier—one who’s so dedicated to military service that he skips a comfortable and honorable retirement to continue to play an active role in the military long after he’s disqualified for combat roles. A disabled combat veteran, he spends most of his time in a wheelchair, although he’s able to stand and walk for brief periods like parade and inspection. He worries about the safety and success of his cadets, and he dispenses a great deal of advice when giving them their temporary commissions and sending them on their training missions. He respects Johnnie enough to trust that he’ll be able to break the string of bad luck that’s plagued the temporary commission pips that he himself broke in on his apprenticeship cruise many years prior.

Colonel Nielssen Character Timeline in Starship Troopers

The timeline below shows where the character Colonel Nielssen appears in Starship Troopers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Colonel Nielssen is a fleet general who accepted a temporary rank of colonel to be Commandant. He... (full context)

To illustrate the importance of the chain of command, Nielssen points out his assistant, Miss Kendrick, without whom he couldn’t run the school. Nevertheless, if... (full context)

Nielssen explains that the cadets are temporarily commissioned so they can legally take and give orders... (full context)

Colonel Nielssen asks if they’re ready to take the oath. When they answer after only a brief... (full context)

Nielssen quizzes Hassan on the largest number of command levels lost in a battle—four levels at... (full context)

Colonel Nielssen finally swears Johnnie, Hassan, and Birdie to their new temporary ranks. Before handing out their... (full context)

Nielssen retrieves a box of insignia pips, previously worn by a cadet who’s now a captain,... (full context)

...his pips, Johnnie asks where he can learn more about the unfortunate naval officer from Nielssen’s story. He should look up the Battle between the Chesapeake and Shannon in the Naval... (full context)

Nielssen offers Johnnie the choice of breaking in a fresh pair of pips or a pair... (full context)