History Theatre / Starship

** One mammal says "Pika Pika" and guess what it looks like... [[spoiler:a Pikachu, duh!]]

* CaptainErsatz: Up for [[Franchise/MetalGear Snake]]. Specifically Old Snake from ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4''.

** Joe Walker is a dead ringer for [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4 Old Snake]].

** The Robot War was apparently fought against [[Franchise/TheMatrix Sentinels]], [[Franchise/MetalGear Metal Gears]], [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} Gundam Wing Zeroes]], and [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Autobots]] led by Optimus Prime. According to Up, they were powered by [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Phazon]].

* AlmostKiss: [[spoiler: Bug and February.]]

--->"...Lucky for me, {{God is dead}}. ''When you see him in hell'', tell him [[spoiler: Junior]] sent ya!"

* DidNotThinkThisThrough: Junior pulls the inhibitor chip off the robot [[spoiler: so it will be able to kill the rest of the crew]]. He then tells it to [[spoiler: kill all the humans on the ship]] while he is standing right next to it. Guess what happens next.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler: Happened to Up during the Robot War. ''Vertically''. He apparently survived by becoming a {{Cyborg}}.]]

* IWantSong: Bug's part in "I Wanna Be" is one, but it's turned into the IAmSong at the end of "Status Quo" after Bug [[spoiler: becomes human through a brain leech that psychically links him to a brain-dead Starship Ranger in a cryotube whose ship crashed on Bug World 18 years prior.]]

* LiteralMetaphor: Up's injury that caused him to go soft [[spoiler: involved having his balls cut off.]] It also applies later when Up [[spoiler: kills with his heart... by speeding up his heart rate and causing a surge of blood that causes the mosquitos to explode.]]

-->'''[[spoiler: Junior]]:''' We have a saying where I come from too... God save the Queen.\\

'''[[spoiler:Junior:]]''' ...Lucky for me, {{God is dead}}. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint When you see him in hell]], tell him [[spoiler: Junior]] sent ya!

* TakeThat: An absolutely ''epic'' one is given [[spoiler: to ''Series/{{Glee}}'']]. To clarify, this quite clearly refers to [[spoiler:Creator/DarrenCriss, who had to cut back on his involvement in [=StarKid=] productions after being cast on the aforementioned show]].

* TriumphantReprise: of [[spoiler: "I Wanna Be", after Bug becomes human.]]

* TriangRelations: Type 4 with Bugette as Alice, Bug as Bob, and February as Claire.

** February's introductory dialogue--checking if the atmosphere is breathable, the stability of the planet's surface, and signs of intelligent life--mimics that of [[WesternAnimation/ToyStory Buzz Lightyear]].

* BeYourself: The central lesson that both Bug and Up must learn. Bug has to realize that others should accept him as a bug and that he doesn't have to pretend, while [[spoiler:Up has to learn to move past who he was before he lost his balls and learn how to [[LiteralMetaphor kill with his heart.]]

* BeYourself: The central lesson that both Bug and Up must learn. Bug has to realize that others should accept him as a bug and that he doesn't have to pretend, while [[spoiler:Up has to learn to move past who he was before he lost his balls and learn how to [[LiteralMetaphor kill with his heart.[[

-->'''Junior:''' Thank Dead God I caught you!

'''[[spoiler:Junior:]]''' ...Lucky for me, {{God is dead}}.

* BadassMustache: Up has one. When it becomes apparent to Taz that he isn't the badass he once was, she rips it off and puts it on herself... only for Up to take out another one from one of his pouches and slap it on.

'''''Starship''''' is a science-fiction musical theatre comedy from Creator/TeamStarKid. On a planet of BigCreepyCrawlies, a young bug named Bug is just another worker for the Overqueen, but he dreams of leaving Bug-World behind and joining the Starship Rangers, an elite group of humans who explore the galaxy. Bug has spent his whole life exploring the wreck of a Ranger starship that crashed many years ago, watching their video logs so often that he's even learnt the human language, but after the Overqueen decrees that Bug should become an eggplanter instead, it seems as though his dreams will never come true. That all changes when another starship arrives on Bug-World bearing a new team of Starship Rangers, among them the beautiful [[TooDumbToLive science officer February]]. It's Bug's chance to live his dream of being a Starship Ranger, but first he'll have to face off against robots, scorpions, corrupt traitors and true love in order to save his new friends and his entire world.

** The Robot War was apparently fought against [[Film/TheMatrix Sentinels]], [[Franchise/MetalGear Metal Gears]], [[Franchise/{{Gundam}} Gundam Wing Zeroes]], and [[Franchise/{{Transformers}} Autobots]] led by Optimus Prime. According to Up, they were powered by [[VideoGame/MetroidPrime Phazon]].

* NotSoDifferent: Pincer and the Overqueen. Particularly that while he is a villain because he wishes to feast on human brains, this is actually not that different than the Overqueen routinely snacking on members of ''her own Hive''. Heck, the whole reason Pincer is an outcast from the Hive is because he was assigned Nourishment and fled rather than let the queen eat him! Not exactly the most villainous motivation for ditching your community.

** Bug and February reference WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} with a NotSoDifferent dialogue, only instead of the expected ending where they describe themselves in unison as "trapped", [[BaitAndSwitch February instead says "captured"]].

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: See NotSoDifferent above. The Overqueen eating the bugs of the hive is PlayedForLaughs, even when she devours her right-hand man for no reason, and she's still regarded as the BigGood, while Pincer's desire to eat human brains is PlayedForDrama and pins him as the BigBad.

** After [[spoiler:the mosquitoes die, Brian and Jim lower the puppets to the floor (making death noises the entire time), and then just walk off.]]

** Mega-Girl looks an awful lot like Music/LadyGaga.

** Richard Campbell's alien in the recruitment video looks like WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}.

** Mega-Girl and Tootsie Noodles' designs are based on EVE and WesternAnimation/WallE.

* FantasticRacism: Per the usual clichés, humans and bugs don't think very highly of each other, nor humans and robots. (Bugs and robots don't really interact enough to have an opinion.)
* AFatherToHisMen: Up
* TheFederation: [[FunWithAcronyms The Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration]] is this, with shades of TheEmpire.

* AscendedExtra: Resident EnsembleDarkhorse Jim Povolo, previously known for his much smaller roles, gets much more stage time in this show.

* BattleCouple: [[spoiler:Up and Taz.]]
* BeYourself

** Much of the Krayonder/Specs interaction and [[spoiler:eventual romance]] was cut out of the recorded version but was present in the live-stage version.
** [[spoiler:Taz and Up also.]]

* BlindAndTheBeast: When February and Bug first meet, February has been blinded [[spoiler:by a mammal-wrangler's mucus and so she can't see that Bug is not really human.]]

* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: Buggette wishes Bug luck in getting his bug job:
-->I bet you're gonna get a real great job from the Overqueen like... dung roller. Or dirt piler. Or dung dirtier.

* ArcWords:
** "I'm/we're here to get the job done."
** "One tough son of a bitch."

* FiveManBand: The Starship Rangers.
** TheHero -- Up
** TheLancer -- Taz
** TheSmartGuy -- Specs
** TheBigGuy -- Krayonder, though Taz also qualifies
** TheChick -- Tootsie Noodles and February
** TheSixthRanger -- Megagirl, Bug
* FreudianExcuse: See WellDoneSonGuy below.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Taz (referring to Up): You are a sad, spayed little puppy!
** Roach (referring to Bugette): Then there's the wonder of the caterpillar/ The best show in town - The ending is killer...

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: February seems very assertive in her claim she has ''no gag reflex''.

* FrickinLaserBeams: In a ''musical theatre comedy''.

* JustForFun/XMeetsY: The entire concept was ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'' meets ''Film/{{Aliens}}''.

* AllWomenLoveShoes: February says she'd like Bugworld if it was a planet of shoes rather than insects.

* AllWomenLoveShoes: Referenced by February.

* AliensSpeakingEnglish: Well, just [[spoiler:Bug]].

** Mega-Girl's ominous FingerWag and vulnerability to being slowly lowered into a pit of lava all reference various [[{{Franchise/Terminator}} Terminators]].

Written by [[Creator/LangBrothers Matt Lang, Nick Lang]], Creator/BrianHolden and Creator/JoeWalker, from a pitch by Walker and Creator/DarrenCriss ("''Disney/TheLittleMermaid'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''Film/{{Aliens}}''") and with music written by Criss. It was performed in early 2011 and released on DVD and Website/YouTube on April 30. Within a few days of the soundtrack's release on iTunes, it rose to #3 on the iTunes sales charts in the US, the UK, Denmark and the Netherlands, #2 in Australia, Canada and Ireland, debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Cast Albums chart (beating the record set by ''Me And My Dick'', which reached #11), and even cracked Billboard's overall album sales chart, coming in at #134 after only three days of sales. It's distinct from other Team [=StarKid=] shows because the performance, which took place in Chicago, charged for the tickets, and a DVD of the performance was later released through their online store. You can [[https://www.youtube.com/user/StarKidPotter#grid/user/C6A915952D67F112 watch the entire show on YouTube]] or [[http://teamstarkid.com/starship.html buy the DVD and the soundtrack from their website]].

** Pincer is what would happen if you turned [[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Ursula]] into a male scorpion.

** The entire sequence with Bug and the Mosquito Brothers going to [[spoiler:visit Pincer]] is a direct reference to Ariel visiting Ursula's cave in ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid''.
** Similarly, the song "Beauty" parallels "Kiss the Girl" from ''Disney/TheLittleMermaid''.
** "Hideous Creatures" parallels "Savages" from ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}''.
** Not only that, but Pincer also sings part of the MagicalIncantation song from Disney's ''Disney/{{Cinderella}}''. "Put 'em together and what have you got?"
** Bug and February reference Disney/{{Aladdin}} with a NotSoDifferent dialogue, only instead of the expected ending where they describe themselves in unison as "trapped", [[BaitAndSwitch February instead says "captured"]].

An as-yet unproduced script for a sequel, ''[[Film/AliensVsPredatorRequiem Starship: Requiem]]'' was [[https://www.hypable.com/team-starkid-to-perform-reading-of-starship-spin-off/ presented at a reading]] in 2014. It involves Tootsie Mega-Girl née Noodles having to meet his new bride's [[MeetTheInLaws human-hating family]]. In 2018 Nick Lang revealed on social media that Team Starkid has also been working on the idea of a prequel detailing the much-demanded backstory of Taz and Commander Up, titled ''Starship: On the Wings of Liberty'' (a reference to ''StarCraftIIWingsOfLiberty''), although no details have been released.

An as-yet unproduced script for a sequel, ''[[Film/AliensVsPredatorRequiem Starship: Requiem]]'' was [[https://www.hypable.com/team-starkid-to-perform-reading-of-starship-spin-off/ presented at a reading]] in 2014. It involves Tootsie Mega-Girl née Noodles having to meet his new bride's [[MeetTheInLaws human-hating family]].