History Main / SilentRunningMode

* ''RedDwarf'' did a version of it, when every system aboard ''Starbug'' but for the bare minimum needed to survive was switched off in an attempt to hide from a simulant's scanners. Their cover was blown when a robot (who was the robot equivalent to an alcoholic) bumped into a control panel, turning some of the ship's electronics back on.

* Mildly invoked in the episode "Justice" from {{Smallville}}. While infiltrating a LexCorp complex, Green Arrow turns off his communication feed with Watchtower by saying, "Switching to silent running." Presumably, this is so he can [[spoiler: plant explosives throughout the complex without having to listen to potential objections from Chloe.]]

* Included in the SilentHunterSeries, and frequently necessary for survival.

* The ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Balance of Terror." a virtual [[RecycledInSpace remake]] of the 1957 film ''The Enemy Below''.

*** In StarTrekDeepSpaceNine, the show's main CoolShip, the ''Defiant'', had a cloaking device. Since in the earlier seasons the BigBad Dominion had weaponry that could easily destroy Federation starships, the Defiant's only real defence upon being approached by a Jem'Hadar ship was to cloak, go to SilentRunningMode and pray they weren't noticed.

* One of the common concepts of the tactics used in the ''HonorHarrington'' books is that the spaceships used in the battles are virtually invisible when the "wedges" that normally propel them are powered down, and the rare obedience to physics means that a powered-down ship is not motionless and can coast on a ballistic course with virtually no chance of detection. They're almost incapable of maneuvering, though. Honor uses this trick, along with a ridiculous amount of luck, to get the drop on a Havenite fleet guarding the Cerberus system, from which she and a few hundred thousand [=POWs=] and Peep political prisoners are attempting to escape.

Sometimes the only way to survive against the enemy's ships is to be as stealthy as possible. In this situation, the ship and crew tries to be as quiet as possible, knowing that the slightest sound and/or energy reading could be picked up by the enemy's sensors and draw their fire.

* In an episode of ''SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'', Space Ghost is putting on a murder mystery dinner set in a submarine. At one point ([[MushroomSamba high on natural gas]]) he yells, "We're in ''silent running'' here. Moltar, we are in silent running!" (''louder'') "Do you understand the concept of silent running?!"

* In the Sixties the CIA realised they needed a stealth helicopter for infiltrating countries like North Korea. Although realising a completely silent helicopter was impractical, they took a standard Huey and worked on reducing the noise signature of each component -- modification included replacing analogue components with early electronics and adding an extra rotorblade. Eventually they came up with an aircraft that when flown at a particular speed, along with nap-of-the-earth flying, was unlikely to be detected unless you were specifically listening for it.

* In the sixties the CIA realised they needed a stealth helicopter for infiltrating countries like North Korea. Although realising a completely silent helicopter was impractical, they took a standard Huey and worked on reducing the noise signature of each component -- modification included replacing analogue components with early electronics and adding an extra rotorblade. Eventually they came up with an aircraft that when flown at a particular speed, along with nap-of-the-earth flying, was unlikely to be detected unless you were specifically listening for it.

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This trope was also RecycledInSpace, and many a CoolShip has been called upon to do submarine-style silent running. Often this depends on the unrealistic conviction that [[SpaceIsNoisy there is sound in space]], but it could be denoted as [[StealthInSpace minimizing heat discharge or something similar to prevent detection by sensors]]. Not to be confused with the film ''SilentRunning''.

For submarines, silent running is TruthInTelevision, as all (or nearly all) submarines are designed to be as silent as possible. This trope was also RecycledInSpace, and many a CoolShip has been called upon to do submarine-style silent running. Often this depends on the unrealistic conviction that [[SpaceIsNoisy there is sound in space]], but it could be denoted as [[StealthInSpace minimizing heat discharge or something similar to prevent detection by sensors]]. Not to be confused with the film ''SilentRunning''.

* The only time anyone was able to destroy a minbari battleship in ''[[BabylonFive Babylon 5'', Captain Sherridan was hiding his light cruiser in an asteroid field. He then had the nuclear warheads on board modified into mines, while the battleship kept searching for them. The human ship then send out a distress call, which immediately gave away their position and had the minbari chase right after them.

* ''WingCommander: TheMovie'' had a ship trying to hide on the surface of an asteroid; they even bombed it with depth charges! Also, the Executive Officer of the ship was played by the same actor who played the captain of the German submarine in ''Das Boot''.