Silent Running is one of those films that got very little recognition at the time of it's release (1972) because contextually it was ahead of its time. Environmental issues weren't really at the forefront of the public mind at the time and it was mostly received in the context of the ubiquitous sci-fi films coming out at the time.
It presents an interesting twist on the idea of a scientist going rogue for the things he loves. In this version of events quite violently and overtly.
