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Basic Trope: A spaceship can become 'invisible' in space via some ability, analogous to World War II submarines.

  • Straight: The captain of the USS Silent Star orders the ship stealthed, and it does. It can't be picked up on any scanners.
  • Exaggerated: The USS Silent Star basically disappears with no heat signatures, no physical body, nothing - but it's still there.
  • Downplayed:
    • The USS Silent Star is able to hide the majority of its heat signatures by lowering power output, but they are still detectable by advanced sensors.
    • The USS Silent Star is able to make itself effectively invisible at the scales space warfare is usually fought at in the setting, but it's still visible to someone unusually close to it.
  • Justified: The USS Silent Star is a new, experimental ship designed specifically for Stealth in Space purposes. It has a new technique that the enemy's sensors wouldn't be able to detect.
  • Inverted: The USS Silent Star lights up and becomes the most visible thing in the solar system, just to blind the enemy in hopes of them missing every shot.
  • Subverted: The USS Silent Star attempts to become invisible at first, but it doesn't work since they are in space where heat signatures are easily detectable.
  • Double Subverted: But the scientist aboard comes up with a technique that makes the Silent Star invisible on sensors, Just in Time.
  • Parodied: The captain orders the Silent Star cloaked and its hull becomes camouflage-colored.
  • Zig Zagged: The Silent Star is invisible on sensors, but not to the naked eye, but the Silent Star can use a holographic projection to trick the naked eye, but then it becomes more visible on sensors, but not to the aliens since they are blind and rely on heat signatures to track their prey.
  • Averted: Stealth in Space is impossible since it's impossible to hide a spaceship's various outputs such as heat signatures.
  • Enforced: The creator wants to create an analogue to the Atlantic War but IN SPACE, so he handwaves the Silent Star's cloaking device as Applied Phlebotinum.
  • Lampshaded: "We have Stealth in Space? How does that even work?" "If it works; don't question it, and shut up so they don't hear you!"
  • Invoked: The scientist invents Stealth in Space so The Federation can have an advantage in the war.
  • Exploited: Space Pirates hijack the Silent Star and uses its cloaking tech to become the most notorious pirates the galaxy has ever seen.
  • Defied:
    • An admiral convinces the tech department they don't need Stealth in Space since it would be impossible to perfect anyway.
    • An enemy scientist invents a new scanner that makes the stealth system useless.
  • Discussed: "We're running silent." "Silent, like stealthed?" "Yeah. Stealth in Space. It's a new thing."
  • Conversed: "That spaceship must be stealthed if it can run so close to the enemy base without getting detected."
  • Played For Laughs: The Silent Star becomes invisible so they can spy on a couple of sunbathers.
  • Played For Drama: The Silent Star's cloaking device malfunctions, and now no-one can find her. Its engines also down, it now drifts through space, without anyone knowing it is there.

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