The protagonist is being pursued and must stay in motion, usually moving to a different
Adventure Town each episode. There will be ploys to delay the pursuit. Some will work, some won't. Frequently the protagonist must complete a hunt of their own, to bring the pursuit to an end.
The term "stern chase" comes from the navy cliché, "a stern chase
is a long chase", which comes from the old days of sailing ships. When one ship chased another from behind (the stern), both were limited to roughly the same speed by the wind and each could only use the few guns that could point forward or back to fire at each other. Thus, one catching (or escaping) the other depended entirely on shiphandling skill or perhaps a lucky shot.
A
Stern Chase makes a good reason why those
Walking The Earth choose not to just settle down. It is also commonly associated with
Clear My Name plots. If the pursuer is a well-intentioned, sympathetic character, he is an
Inspector Javert or
The Zenigata.
Examples:
Anime and Manga
Fanfiction
- The Kingdom Hearts fanfic The Renegades is about the former residents of Castle Oblivion being chased through the worlds by the other members of the Organization.
Film
- A literal stern chase is averted in Pirates Of The Caribbean because supernatural circumstances make the Black Pearl faster than the Interceptor (fastest ship in Her Majesty's fleet).
Literature
- Stephen King's The Dark Tower: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."
- The Larry Niven short story "The Ethics of Madness" has Bussard-ramjet-powered starships in a literal Stern Chase into intergalactic space. They keep at it for quite a while.
- A literal Stern Chase occurs in the 5th Book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, Desolation Island. Aubrey and Maturin, in an old, outgunned 4th Rate Ship of the Line, are chased by a new Dutch 3rd Rate Ship of the Line, whilst on their way to Australia, with an implication the reason is that Its Personal for the Dutch Captain. Jack's master-gunner gets a lucky shot on the Dutch ship's line and rigging, it turns sideways, is hit by a giant wave, capsizes and sinks with the loss of all 600 crewmen within minutes. Damage sustained by Aubrey's ship drives the rest of the plot for the novel.
Live Action TV
Video Games
- The backstory for the second title in the recent Prince Of Persia trilogy and a major influence in some sections of the game. "Warrior Within" has the prince running from a demonic entity bent on enforcing the Timeline, which says the Prince must die.
Web Original
Western Animation
