Silent Running story

movie: Silent Running (1972) · 1972-03-10

Set in a future where all plant life on Earth is becoming extinct, an environmentally-minded crewman of a space arc must decide whether or not to follow an order to destroy all the flora under his charge.

11 total · 10 major · 1 minor

ThemeLevelMotivation
coping with disagreeable orders major Lowell has spent 8 years managing the ecosystem of plants on the ark ship on which he was stationed, but then he was suddenly order to destroy the whole thing and return to Earth. He did not take it well.
ecological destruction major All plant life on Earth was dying out.
ecology major Lowell was managing an ecosystem in a spaceship in orbit around Saturn.
endangered species major The last trees were housed aboard a spaceship in orbit around Saturn.
interplanetary space travel major The ship Valley Forge was in orbit around Saturn.
nature conservationism major Lowell was the only person who seemed to find a problem with Earth not having forests anymore. He took great pains to preserve a geodesic dome enclosed forest in orbit around Saturn.
obsession with a life-dedicated project major Freeman Lowell has spent 8 years managing the ecosystem of plants on the ark ship on which he was stationed, but then he was suddenly order to destroy the whole thing and return to Earth. He did not take it well.
post-scarcity economy utopia major The film is set in a future where poverty has been eliminated on Earth and everyone has a job, but on the other hand, there was massive ecological destruction.
sacrifice for one's beliefs major The film concluded with Lowell blowing himself up to ensure that the forest he was caring would would survive.
speculative spaceship major Four astronauts were manning a large spaceship, named Valley Forge, that was use to preserve as many plant specimens as possible in a series of enormous, greenhouse-like geodesic domes.