[[{{Tron}} http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tron_lines_upgrade.jpg]]
[[caption-width:305:Before and After.]]
When your technology isn't just bleeding-edge, but laser-edged, disruption-fielded-with-motorized-teeth high-tech. PowerGlows, and now so does your tech. A common design scheme used for this glow is a series of lines along the edges or between panels of the machine. Others will have flat surfaces crossed by circuit-like lines that glow when activated, or have occasional pulses of light race down their length in tandem. Others have glowing components such as engines, weapon barrels, forcefield projectors and the like.

Naturally, this is all pretty inefficient. A big waste of power to maintain the glow (assuming this was electricity and not some power source that glowed on its own), and impossible to conceal, but damn, [[RuleOfCool it looks cool]]. When your tech uses this, HardLight systems and {{Holographic Terminal}}s are pretty much prerequisites. It's implied that TronLines indicate some non-electrical (or "differently electrical") form of technology; and those lines are the visible "power" veins.

Of course, Tron Lines are ColourCodedForYourConvenience, usually blue is "good" or at least standard and if it turns red or purple; then the AIIsACrapshoot or else has been [[EverythingIsOnline taken over by some virus or hacker.]]

The ultimate expression of ShinyLookingSpaceships. See also InstantRunes, essentially the [[FunctionalMagic Magic]] version. Equipping your car or computer with neons and strobes counts as TruthInTelevision to some degree, though it's well known these things need their own power supply to get them running.
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Examples:
* Named of course, after the computer world of ''{{Tron}}'', which, being a representation of technology itself, had pretty much everything and every character covered in them. Pictured above is protagonist Jet Bradley of the video game sequel ''Tron 2.0''.
** Naturally, "Space Paranoids", the ''Tron'' themed world of ''KingdomHearts II'' has them as well.
* The ultra-tech [=STRAINs=] in ''SoukouNoStrain'', compared to the [=GAMBEEs=] piloted by the RedshirtArmy.
* Orbital Frames in ''ZoneOfTheEnders''.
* Several ships, especially LostTechnology, in the GalaxyAngelGameVerse.
* Added to most of the Balmarian/Aerogater mecha in ''SuperRobotWars Original Generation: Divine Wars''.
* Most of the Majeran technology (especially anything upgraded by the Paksis) in ''{{Vandread}}''.
* Running Lights under the car can be seen as a way of imitating this in RealLife, as would gratuitous use of neon.
** There are several entire websites devoted to selling products of this nature.
** As a result, every single car in the ''Fast and the Furious'' series has neon lights all over the body. Of course, they need extra batteries to keep them glowing.
** This has even bled into the world of computing, there is no modder unfamiliar with blue [=CCFLs=].
* Alice's more advanced forms in the webcomic ''{{Comedity}}'' have these around her face, and her 'upgraded body' displays them when her holographic clothing generation system isn't covering them. Presumably, as a computer with conscious awareness of her own power consumption, she deactivates them when they aren't needed.
* The Stonehenge base in ''EarthBound''.
**Also, Moonside in EarthBound would count.
* The Tower of The Gods boss in ''TheLegendOfZelda: The Wind Waker'', as well as the controllable statues from the same dungeon.
** And in ''Twilight Princess'', everything remotely associated with Twilight has a sort of Lovecraft+Tron thing going on. The Dominion Rod imparts TronLines to statues, similar to the ones from ''Wind Waker'', when you take control of them.
* A common puzzle design in many games, such as ''FinalFantasyX'' and Simon Tatham's port of ''Net'', involves rearranging blocks and switches to connect glowing Tron Lines from point A to point B, where point B is often the exit door.
* El Vibrato Island in ''KingdomOfLoathing'' is often accrediting to being inspired by the above two examples.
* In ''The Spoils CCG'', the Gearsmith artifacts such as the Runic Cannon or the Runic Whale often have curly glowing runes of power running around their surface.
* {{Automan}} in 'hero mode', his car and his helicopter. (The similitude with ''Tron'' is not unexpected, as the AutoCopter seems lifted directly from the corporate helicopter from ''Tron'' and Cursor is suspiciously similar to the Bit sidekicks of the tank pilots in said movie.)
* ''{{Ben10}}'''s "Upgrade" form does this to whatever he touches.
* The 'Dark Prince' in ''PrinceOfPersia: The Two Thrones'' has a magical version of this going down.
* As does the protagonist of ''BreathOfFire: Dragon Quarter'', whenever he uses his DeadlyUpgrade.
* Cortana from ''{{Halo}}'' is practically made of these.
** Another ''Halo'' exaple: Forerunner artifacts (and the Covenant technology styled after them) often have tiny geometric patterns carved on most flat surfaces. These lines often glow, or have tiny lights flickering behind them
* The Atlantian technology in ''[=~Atlantis: The Lost Empire~=]''.
* ''SkiesOfArcadia'''s [[TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon final dungeon]] is an entire continent covered in these.
* Since ''ScrappedPrincess'''s [[MagicFromTechnology magic comes from technology]], Tron Lines are traced along the air every time a spell is cast.
* The future Batsuit from ''BatmanBeyond'' shows them when interfacing with the Batmobile, or under its surface when damaged.
* The ruins found in ''MegaManLegends'' have this design aesthetic, and its re-appearance in the ''MegaManZero'' series more explicitly spells out a continuity connection between the two.
* Much of the tech in the ''MetroidPrime'' subseries glows, usually so you can tell what happened when you hit a switch; in the case of Samus's cannon, the color of the glow tells you the weapon you're currently using.
** Not to mention the green glowing lines between the panels in Samus' armor.
*** This Troper thought that Samus' final suit in Metroid Prime 1 was exceedingly cool-looking: jet black with red tron lines.
*** Let's not forget the third game. When Samus's Phazon corruption reaches the highest levels near the end of the game, her suit really starts to show those blue lines.
* Every single character and object in ''FinalFantasyVII: Dirge of Cerberus''. What went wrong, Nomura?!
* ''MegaMan'' + ''{{Tron}}'' = [[http://terminal71.com/flash/future.php This music video]].
** An Italian rap song with lots of videogame citations in the lyrics + ''{{Tron}}'' = [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AFI0LYzSIw This other music video]].
* The anime ''Laputa: Castle in the Sky''.
* ''KiddyGrade'''s Lumiere emits these when she invokes her [[{{Technopath}} machine-controlling powers]].
* The Black Omen and some of the Zeal kingdom in ChronoTrigger.
* [[spoiler:Post-TimeSkip Nia]] from ''TengenToppaGurrenLagann'' gets these when she becomes [[spoiler:an Anti-Spiral]].
** The Mugen mech/attack craft as well.
* Eve from ''{{Applegeeks}}''.
* In the game ''CityOfHeroes'', certain of the conduits found in Council installations display the "racing pulse" variation.
* Videogame ''Project Snowblind'''s protagonist has Tron Lines for ''veins''.
** As do the nano-augments in the ''DeusEx'' series which it's descended from.
* In ''InfiniteRyvius'', the Ryvius lights up with Tron Lines when first activated.
* Happens a lot in [[{{dotHack}} .hack//GU]]. Then again, it is in a MMORPG setting, so impracticality doesn't need to count.
* TeenTitans animated incarnation had Cyborg covered with these, outside and (as we saw in a FantasticVoyage episode) inside.
* Justified in ''PhantasyStar Universe'', as the “Tron Lines” woven into all clothing are part of a protection system called a “line shield” — they perform the same effect of looking cool as most Tron Lines, but also perform the function of being the means by which energy barriers are projected, the game's form of armour.
* People with the Boson Jump-enabling {{Nanomachines}} in ''MartianSuccessorNadesico'' get glowing Tron Lines over their body when they activate them.
* Lisa Basil from PhoenixWright: Trials and Tribulations has a futuristic suit with flashing lights running up and down the sides and front of it. It's implied that she may or may not be a robot (yes, the game is that vague).
*In ''PowerRangersInSpace'', Ecliptor's body is covered with green Tron lines. The Dark Fortress is also half solid and half Tron lines in many scenes. Interestingly, most establishment shots make it appear to be in another dimension, and when it's in real space, before any of the rare instances of it interacting with the outside world onscreen (such as sending out ships or putting the Rangers' ship in that web thing) the Tron line half becomes solid.
** Which makes even more sense when you consider that the ''SuperSentai'' season that provided the basis for ''In Space'' was themed not around space, but rather technology; its title, translated into English, was ''[[SuperSentai Electromagnetic Task Force Megaranger]]''.
* In ''StarTrekVoyager'', one mid-series episode had some of Seven's nanoprobes infect the Doctor's 29th century mobile emitter, eventually resulting in a highly-advanced Borg drone, featuring extrapolations of the Borg in that century. More sleek and organic looking than the usual drone, it also had embedded TronLines which pulsed at regular intervals.
* In ''{{Gundam 00}}'', whenever the 4 main Gundams go into the [[SuperMode super powered Trans-Am mode]], they gain Tron Lines and a healthy red glow.
* The agents' suits in ''{{Crackdown}}'' display this, as do vehicles in the process of upgrading.
* In ''{{Fable}}'', powerful magic-users' tattoos glow blue.
* In the earlier seasons of ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' (and possibly some of the later ones; this troper stopped watching near the end of the Battle City arc), whenever a card was played onto one of the many hologram-generator playfields present in the series, TronLines would flash briefly around it.
** In [[{{Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds}} 5D's]], whenever a character performs a Synchro or Dark Synchro Summon, the outline of the non-Tuner monsters glow (usually golden, but a white outline appeared when a monster had a Negative Level).
* Appears on ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'''s [[MagicWand Boost Devices]], such as those used by Caro and Lutecia, when they're in use.
* Just about every mecha in ''{{Zegapain}}''
* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'', [[spoiler: Chao]] displays these as a MarkedChange during the Battle of Mahora.
* Real life example: the [[http://bradley.csail.mit.edu/~bradley/cm5/ Connection Machine]], a supercomputer which was never as amazing as its price would indicate, but which looked damn cool.
** The Connection Machine is one of the most beautiful computers ever made, but pretty much every supercomputer made after the [='70s=] looks pretty awesome. After all, if a machine's going to cost over a million dollars, why not throw a few thousand into the case?
* [[TruthinTelevision Truth in Television]]: Try looking at your feet next time you ride an escalator.
** They are actually there to warn you not to put your feet there as you may fall, but still pretty cool.
* [[{{Pokemon}} Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza]] all have these as natural markings. They only glow on the title screens, though.
* ''{{Mass Effect}}'' tech has this as well.
** Specifically: VI holograms have brighter lines going through them. Additionally, the Geth Armory Medium and Heavy suits for the Krogan Wrex has glowing cables and lines.
* Beowulf from ''DevilMayCry'' has these, but LightIsNotGood.
* Baldur in ''TooHuman''.
* The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corpus_Clock Corpus Clock,]] which ironically uses no computers whatsoever. (Everything is controlled by [[{{Steampunk}} bleeding edge clockwork]], including the [[NightmareFuel evil blinking grasshopper]] on top.)
* The tutorial and final levels of SystemShock 2.
* Digital Circuit and Mad Matrix in ''ShadowTheHedgehog'', both cyberspace levels which aesthetics are pretty much [[ShoutOut ripped off from]] ''Tron''.
* In ''EveOnline'', turning on an armor repair unit causes this.
* Non-Technological example: the runes on Hellboy's RedRightHand glow when he plugs it in to a demonic power source.
* The main character in {{Shin Megami Tensei}}: Nocturne gets as version that looks like ordinary full-body tattoos, but then they start glowing in the dark! Apparently becoming mostly-demon does that to ya.
* ''BattleTech'' has the Enhanced Imaging system, a cybernetic interface between the pilot and his Mech. One side effect of the system is that the user's body is covered in what looks like full-body tattoos, but are in fact cybernetic circutry. In the cartoon, they glowed when activated, and EI visuals outlined mechs [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience color-coded]] by IFF.
* [[DannyPhantom Valerie Grey]] gets ''loads'' of these, color-coded red, when Technus upgrades her battle suit.
* In ''[[GaoGaiGar GaoGaiGar FINAL]]'' Evoludar Guy gets them glowing through his skin sometimes due to his body being composed of G-Stone based NanoMachines or something like that.
*''CogaSuro'': Blue on Persephone, red on Styx, and either red or purple on Hades.
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