History Main / ExcessiveSteamSyndrome

* In the intro level for ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'', Samus needs to escape a space station, while avoiding gushes of steam coming out from practically everywhere. If you get hit by the steam, you lose precious time to escape.
** Happens again during the escape from planet Zebes, only the steam's escaping ''from the ground'' itself.

* ''VideoGame/RemnantsOfSkystone'' has steam vents as obstacles, despite their supposedly having been untended for [[EternalEngine nearly two hundred years]], often acting just to make you schlep all the way around to try a particularly tricky threading-the-needle series of spikes and nasties.

** Like the Alien example above, excessive steam is a recurring motif in Creator/RidleyScott's work, particularly Bladerunner with large amounts of steam drifting through the building when Deckard tries to escape Roy.

When a place has more steam present than there should be, you've got ExcessiveSteamSyndrome. Two extremely common versions are steam expulsion during an escape sequence after a self-destruct mechanism is triggered and the other is where space faring vessels demonstrate a tendency to belch steam.

* This is often used in the ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games.

* TruthInTelevision: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] during [[http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-03/ff_seacowboys the righting of the Cougar Ace]], the salvage team had to climb down part of the rear deck -- which was being periodically blasted by plumes of -110 degree carbon dioxide.

** Before launch, however, ''all'' Saturn V rockets had plumes of condensed water vapour streaming off them, because the liquid hydrogen ([=LH2=], the fuel for stages 2 and 3) and liquid oxygen (used as oxidiser for all three stages) were so cold. The steaming can be seen in several shots in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzCsDVfPQqk this video]].

** Like the Alien example above, excessive steam is a recurring motif in RidleyScott's work, particularly Bladerunner with large amounts of steam drifting through the building when Deckard tries to escape Roy.

* Brought to the logical extreme by Creator/LeijiMatsumoto in ''Manga/GalaxyExpress999'': the titular CoolTrain is a spaceship that looks like a train pulled by a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JNR_Class_C62 C62 steam locomotive]], smoke included. Justified out of universe by AuthorAppeal and in-universe by RuleOfCool (Maetel quickly points out it was built with that look because people preferred it to more modern-looking space trains).

* While not a spaceship, Raising Heart from ''Franchise/MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' usually discharges ''some'' kind of gas after any particularly impressive attack.

* In the ''Film/StarTrek'' reboot movie, when ''Enterprise'' is getting sucked into a black hole near the end and they're running the warp engines at maximum power, Scotty is running around in Engineering trying to hold the ship together. A pipe cracks overhead and steam comes venting out.

* TruthInTelevision: During [[http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/magazine/16-03/ff_seacowboys the righting of the Cougar Ace]], the salvage team had to climb down part of the rear deck -- which was being periodically blasted by plumes of -110 degree carbon dioxide.
** Given that it was cold gas, that likely counts more as a inversion.

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!!'''Examples:'''

* And how can anyone forget the scenes in ''Franchise/StarWars'', where Darth Vader walks dramatically through steam exhausts that for some reason are set around the ship's main entrance. Made even weirder, though more badass, in the [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse novelizations]], which claim that the steam is burning hot and that normal people won't exit until it's evaporated. This is actually {{lampshade|Hanging}}d as a security feature to prevent assaults or sabotage when docking.

* In the StarWarsExpandedUniverse, leaky starfreighters can release korfaise gas, which looks like steam, into the engine room. This is a bad thing, because korfaise is toxic.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'', all incarnations, most notably in ''Voyager'''s landing sequence.

* In the intro level for ''Super VideoGame/{{Metroid}}'', Samus needs to escape a space station, while avoiding gushes of steam coming out from practically everywhere. If you get hit by the steam, you lose precious time to escape.

** And in the [[MetroidPrime Metroid Prime]] Trilogy, it seems every other hallway is spewing steam all the time, made more evident by the fact that we see the condensation on Samus' visor.

* Larry Niven's Smoke Ring setting includes rockets that travel inside the Smoke Ring, on jets of live steam. It is unpleasant if they malfunction. [[spoiler: The novel Smoke Ring has such a malfunction in an early scene. One victim has the misfortune to not be killed immediately when engulfed by live steam from the exploding ship. There is a brief mention of one of the already-known characters trying to catch the victim as she goes by, grabbing her ankle...and the flesh coming off in the would-be rescuer's hand.]]

*** Though he doesn't realize it until after she leaves. "Son of a bitch." *STEAM!*

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[[caption-width-right:350:TheChosenOne bringing balance to the [[JustForPun fog]]]]

* The "Flush Coolant" command in most ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' video games resulted in a greenish cloud of gas forming underneath your mech as your reactor quickly cooled. Sadly not present in Mechwarrior Online.

* In TheAmtrakWars books the [[MilitaryMashupMachine Wagon Trains]] do vent steam; it's used as a close-range defense system, and capable of blasting the flesh right off your bones.

* And how can anyone forget the scenes in ''Franchise/StarWars'', where Darth Vader walks dramatically through steam exhausts that for some reason are set around the ship's main entrance. Made even weirder, though more {{Badass}}, in the [[Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse novelizations]], which claim that the steam is burning hot and that normal people won't exit until it's evaporated. This is actually {{lampshade|Hanging}}d as a security feature to prevent assaults or sabotage when docking.

* * In ''Film/DieHard'', excessive steam shows in the boiler room under the roof, added for suspense.

[[caption-width-right:350:TheChosenOne [[IncrediblyLamePun bringing balance to the Fog]]]]