History Main / FakeStatic

* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', Samir Duran claims interference when ordered to intercept an attacking Zerg force; his failure to act allowed Raynor and Mengsk to escape. [[spoiler:This is one of the first hints that Duran's loyalties are not with the UED; he in fact works for Kerrigan. [[TheChessmaster Maybe]].]]

** Used sarcastically when Shepard cuts off the Council, and Joker will remark "Oops, lost the connection."

* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare''
** [[ThatsAnOrder "I'm not asking you, this is an order! You're to--"]] ''*click*'' "Hm. Looks like we lost our connection."
** A similar example in the new ''VideoGame/MedalOfHonor'' reboot, made all the more awesome because the guy who decides to disconnect the call with the GeneralFailure is ''an unnamed technician''.
* Parodied in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankUpYourArsenal''. Ratchet tries to pull this trick during a video call, forgettting the other guy could see him. He promptly shuts him up by killing the conversation.
-->'''Director''': You know I can see you, weasel boy!
-->'''Ratchet''': Yeah? How about now?
-->- immediately disconnects -
* Spoofed in ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', with Pierce and the Boss faking static after Kinzie tells them ''not'' to follow the truck carrying a supercomputer with a tank. Which they do anyway.
* In ''VideoGame/Fallout2'', if you accidentally contact [[spoiler: The Enclave]] in the Poseidon power plant you can use this trope to buy yourself some time.

* At the beginning of ''VideoGame/BorderlandsThePreSequel'', you get to listen to Jack drop a call from Mr. Tassiter through this tactic, [[IsThisThingStillOn or so he thought]].
* In ''VideoGame/NightsOfAzure'', Arnice gets a call from Simon through a phone next to a mysterious door. When asked where it leads, Simon tries to do this to hide the fact that [[spoiler:it leads back to the hotel]].

* In ''Manor Cafe'' food critic Edgar Roux calls the cafe to remind Meg of his impending arrival.
-->'''Edgar Roux:''' So what's on the menu for today?\\
'''Meg:''' You know, I think my reception is bad in here... I can't hear you. I'll call you back, Mr. Roux.
* In ''Atlantis Odyssey'' Tar'per tries this on an Atlantean communications system.
-->'''Nicole:''' Tar'per, this isn't interference, we can hear you hissing... Stop it.
* In ''Andy Volcano'' Stanley, thinking that Andy [[IdenticalGrandson is his grandfather]], calls him on a video link and Andy states that he has a lot of questions to be answered.
-->'''Stanley:''' You know, the line is really bad!\\
'''Andy:''' I can hear you perfectly!\\
'''Stanley: I can't hear you!

* In ''Series/{{Blackadder}} Goes Forth'', the title character avoids battle orders from his sadistic superiors by pretending there is radio interference in the line leading to his unit's phone. (His "static charade" even goes so far as to include snippets of weather reports, a rendition of "A Wandering Minstrel I" sung in a tinny RadioVoice and saying "Quickly! Quickly, potato-head!" in German)

* Horatio Nelson did this [[OlderThanRadio in the 19th Century]] at the (naval) Battle of Copenhagen. When his superior ordered him to retreat, he "looked" for the signal by holding his telescope to his blind eye and said: "I really do not see the signal." He went on to win the battle.\\

* In ''Series/{{Blackadder}} Goes Forth'', the title character avoids battle orders from his sadistic superiors by pretending there is radio interference in the line leading to his unit's phone. (His "static charade" even goes so far as to include a rendition of "A Wandering Minstrel I" sung in a tinny RadioVoice and saying "Quickly! Quickly, potato-head!" in German)

* The French movie ''[[Film/LaVeriteSiJeMens La Vérité si je Mens! 2]]'' has Serge Benamou doing it, moving the phone back and forth away from his mouth and pretending he's in a tunnel, before hanging up.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice'': Lagoon Boy tries doing this while communicating telepathically with the rest of the team. Nightwing immediately calls foul.

* In ''Andy Volcano'' after Stanley contacts Andy on a video link due to thinking that [[IdenticalGrandson he's his grandfather]], Andy states that he has a lot of questions to be answered.
-->'''Stanley:''' You know, the line is really bad!\\
'''Andy:''' I can hear you perfectly!\\
'''Stanley: I can't hear you!

* In ''VideoGame/ManorCafe'' food critic Edgar Roux calls the cafe to remind Meg of his impending arrival.

* In ''VideoGame/AtlantisOdyssey'' Tar'per tries this on an Atlantean communications system.