History Main / RunningTheBlockade

* Creator/HenrikIbsen wrote a poem, Literature/TerjeVigen, about a Norwegian sailor trying to run the British blockade of Norway during the NapoleonicWars. He did not succeed, and was captured. Tragedy ensued.

A blockade or [[TheSiege siege]] on a city or country dependent on trade is something that can put them in dire straits. No goods can come in or leave which stifles their economy, and also means they aren't able to get food either. As it drags on, the people will start to get desperate, and look for a means to get what they need.

Often, if they don't have the military might to break the blockade completely, they get some brash individuals willing run right through it, and hope they can either outrun or outmaneuver the blockading forces, to contact allies. This is known as running the blockade. Chase sequences and close action scenes will probably follow.

** In ''Film/StarWarsThePhantomMenace'' the Jedi and the Queen escape Naboo through the Trade Federation blockade aboard the Queen's royal cruiser, thanks in large part to the efforts of a certain plucky R2 unit.

** {{Averted}} in ''Film/StarWarsANewHope''. While the Corellian corvette used by Princess Leia to transport the stolen Death Star plans in the film's opening moments is known to fans and in some supplementary material as a "Rebel blockade runner," this is an InformedAttribute. There is nothing in the film to suggest that it was ever used to run blockades, and the model's capabilities as established in various ExpandedUniverse materials make it poorly-suited for such a role, with a relatively slow Class 2 hyperdrive, light armament, and no stealth capabilities to speak of.
* In ''Film/ThirteenDays'' after President Kennedy institutes a "[[InsistentTerminology quarantine]]"[[note]]A ''Blockade'' would be an act of war.[[/note]] around Cuba, the Soviets, not really knowing what to do, decide to send their freighters through anyway. At least one of them slips past the US Navy at some point before being spotted again.

* In the book and movie ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'' Rhett Butler spends most of UsefulNotes/{{the American Civil War}} running the US Navy's blockade, delivering supplies from Europe and elsewhere to the Confederates.

** In ''Foundation and Empire'' Toran pilots his ship through the blockades set up by the Mule's ships around the planets Terminus and Haven to begin the search for the Second Foundation.
** In ''Second Foundation'' Preem Palver tries to slip through the Kalganian blockade around the Foundation to arrange for the delivery of desperately needed food at premium prices. He gets caught... by the Foundation fleet, on the eve of a battle that might break the Kalganian fleet. [[spoiler: They are nice enough to pay the premium prices anyway once the battle is won, despite the changed strategic situation -- especially since Palver carried a message for some decently influential men.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'' Korra uses the Avatar State to punch a hole in the Northern Tribe's blockade of the Southern Tribe's harbor, enabling Varrick's boat to race through before the astonished Northern sailors can collect themselves.

* ''WesternAnimation/StarWarsCloneWars'': Given the Separatists fondness for blockades, the Republic found themselves running them on several occasions, notably when they had to get relief supplies to the Twi'leks on Ryloth, past the blockade around the planet.

* During UsefulNotes/WorldWarTwo, Leningrad was blockaded for almost 900 days by the Axis forces. During much of this time, the only way to deliver supplies to the starving city was the so-called "Road of Life"--a precarious path across the Ladoga Lake.

* ''VideoGame/EVEOnline'': The strategically inclined players of EVE Online are known to block off systems in order to seize control over territory. There exists a particular class of Industrial ships (used to haul goods) called Blockade Runners to bypass or otherwise break through perilous security, and all four factions have two such models of their respective lines. One has [[FragileSpeedster next to no tank but exceptional agility]] and can equip the exclusive [[InvisibilityCloak Covert Ops cloak]], while the other is a [[MightyGlacier much tankier and slower brick]].

** In ''Second Foundation'' Preem Palver slips through the Kalganian blockade around the Foundation to arrange for the delivery of desperately needed food at premium prices.

** In ''Film/StarWarsThePhantomMenace'' the Jedi and the Queen escape Naboo through the Trade Federation blockade aboard the Queen's royal cruiser.

-->--''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'', about the ''[[CoolStarship Millennium Falcon]]''.

* At the end of the first part of ''VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' the main characters escape Taris through the Sith blockade of the planet aboard the ''Ebon Hawk'', using the Sith's own ID codes to keep from being automatically targeted and shot down.

** The second season episode ''And Now For A Word'' has a downplayed example: A single shuttle is sent to run a single-warship blockade of the system jumpgate, because Captain Sheridan doesn't think the Centauri are willing to risk an actual shooting war with Earth over the issue (he's right, [[ShaggyDogStory but it all ends in bloodshed anyways due to a third party intervening without need]])

* ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity nova'': The Auroran story line normally starts with the player being hired as a blockade runner and then doing multiple supply runs to the Dominance station.

** ''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'': Following the Battle of Hoth, Han Solo and Princess Leia have to get through an Imperial blockade aboard the ''Millennium Falcon'', which is complicated by the fact that their hyperdrive is out of order.

* ''VideoGame/EscapeVelocity nova'': The Aurorian story line normally starts with the player being hired as a blockade runner and then doing multiple supply runs to the Dominance station.

* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': When Aang needs to get to get to a Fire Nation temple, he finds a blockade between him and his destination. To get past them, he pulls Appa into a steep dive to build speed and then rushes past, dodging fireballs the whole way. Zuko, following Aang wherever he goes, is about to perform a more traditional run, but Commander Zhao decides to let him through and follow after.

* ''AvatarTheLastAirbender'': When Aang needs to get to get to a Fire Nation temple, he finds a blockade between him and his destination. To get past them, he pulls Appa into a steep dive to build speed and then rushes past, dodging fireballs the whole way. Zuko, following Aang wherever he goes, is about to perform a more traditional run, but Zhou decides to let him through and follow after.

* In ''Film/ThirteenDays'' after President Kennedy institutes a "quarantine" around Cuba, the Soviets, not really knowing what to do, decide to send their freighters through anyway. At least one of them slips past the US Navy at some point before being spotted again.

Often, if they don't have the military might to break the blockade completely, they get some brash individuals willing run right through it, and hope they can either outrun or outmaneuver the blockading forces. This is known as running the blockade. Chase sequences and close action scenes will probably follow.

!Examples

* At the end of the first part of ''VideoGame/StarWarsKnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' the main characters escape Taris through the Sith blockade of the planet aboard the ''Ebon Hawk'', using the Sith's own ID codes to keep from being automatically targeted and shot down.

->'''Princess Leia''': This bucket of bolts is never going to get us past that blockade.
->'''Han Solo''': This baby's got a few surprises left in her, sweetheart.
-->-''Film/StarWarsTheEmpireStrikesBack'', about the ''[[CoolStarship Millennium Falcon]]''.

* Blockade runners became essential to the South's survival after the Union blockaded them during the American Civil War, and some became quite noted for it, such as the ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Syren SS Syren]]'', which successfully penetrated the blockade 33 times.