Paul Verhoeven has said he dislikes science fiction despite directing several of the genre’s most influential modern films. The apparent contradiction matters because RoboCop, Total Recall and Starship Troopers helped define his Hollywood reputation, even though he viewed the genre largely as a professional trap rather than a personal passion.

In a 2002 interview, Verhoeven said studios repeatedly sent him science-fiction and action projects after RoboCop, making it difficult to escape that association. He nevertheless singled out RoboCop, Basic Instinct and Starship Troopers as the three American films he most stood by, while suggesting Total Recall was better than many of the scripts offered to him.