{{wiktionary
A collision course, also known as a ''
kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in
Sci-Fi
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universe ...
a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages or destroys both.
Uses in history
*Ancient Greek
Trireme
A trireme( ; derived from Latin: ''trirēmis'' "with three banks of oars"; cf. Greek ''triērēs'', literally "three-rower") was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean S ...
s were reinforced and equipped with
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
rammers, so they could collide with enemy ships to sink them
*
Admiral Nelson
Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought abo ...
used a similar tactic to attack the French fleet at
Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to:
* Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain
* Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England
It may also refer to:
Music
* ''Trafalgar'' (album), by the Bee Gees
Pl ...
, to the horror of Captain Hardy, when he ordered the British ships to 'run aboard' (crash into, or just ahead of the ships).
*
PT-109 PT1 may refer to:
* 486958 Arrokoth (New Horizons PT1), a Kuiper belt object and selected target for a flyby of the New Horizons probe
* Pratt & Whitney PT1, a free-piston gas-turbine engine
* Consolidated PT-1 Trusty, a 1930s USAAS primary trainer ...
, a torpedo boat commanded by the future U.S. President, then Lieutenant junior grade
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
, was believed to have been rammed intentionally by the
Japanese destroyer Amagiri (1930)
was the 15th of 24 s, built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. When introduced into service, these ships were the most powerful destroyers in the world. They served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, and remained fo ...
. The destroyer cut the PT boat in half, killing two men and badly injuring another two.
*
Kamikaze
, officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending t ...
pilots from
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
used collision course tactics to take out naval vessels or large Bombers in the latter days of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Such tactics even extended to the construction of dedicated kamikaze aircraft, such as the
Ohka
The Yokosuka MXY-7 was a purpose-built, rocket-powered human-guided ''kamikaze'' attack aircraft employed by Japan against Allied ships towards the end of the Pacific War during World War II. Although extremely fast, the very short range of t ...
.
Fictional uses
* In ''
Space Battleship Yamato (2010 film)
is a 2010 Japanese science fiction film based on the ''Space Battleship Yamato'' anime series by Yoshinobu Nishizaki and Leiji Matsumoto. The film was released in Japan on December 1, 2010. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in Japan on June 24 ...
Jem'Hadar
''Star Trek'' is a science fiction media franchise that began with Gene Roddenberry's launch of the original ''Star Trek'' television series in 1966. Its success led to decades of films, novels, comics, and spinoff series. A major motif of the ...
use a kamikaze run to stop large Federation ships, notably the USS ''Odyssey'' (NCC-71832) destroyed circa stardate 47990.
* In '' Star Trek: Voyager'' episode "
Year of Hell
"Year of Hell" is a two-part episode from the fourth season of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'' which aired on UPN in November 1997. It aired in two parts, on November 5 and November 11, 1997. Part I was di ...
"
Captain Janeway
Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. She was the Captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager (Star Trek), USS ''Voyager'' (on ''Star Trek: Voyager'') while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant on the other side ...
used USS ''Voyager'' to destroy the Krenim weapon ship.
* In J.J. Abrams Star Trek reboot, George Kirk rams the U.S.S. ''Kelvin'' into the ''Narada'' in order for the shuttlecraft to escape destruction by the
Romulan
The Romulans () are an extraterrestrial race in the American science fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. They first appeared in the series '' Star Trek'' (1966–1969). They have appeared in most subsequent ''Star Trek'' releases, including '' The ...
Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
ship ''Jellyfish'' into the ''Narada'' in order to detonate the red matter that is on board.
* In ''
Galaxy Quest
''Galaxy Quest'' is a 1999 American science fiction comedy film directed by Dean Parisot and written by David Howard and Robert Gordon. A parody of and homage to science-fiction films and series, especially ''Star Trek'' and its fandom, the ...
'' (a spoof of ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'') the NSEA Protector flies at Sarris' ship dragging space mines, feigning a suicidal attack.
* In the ''
Babylon 5
''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tele ...
'' episode "
Severed Dreams
"Severed Dreams" is an episode from the third season of the science fiction television series ''Babylon 5''. It won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Title
Writer J. Michael Straczynski explains that the title refers to the sep ...
", the critically damaged EAS Churchill rams the loyalist ship EAS Roanoke, destroying both.
* In the ''
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
''Battlestar Galactica'' (''BSG'') is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the ''Battlestar Galactica'' franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore and executive produced by Moore and David Eick as a re-i ...
'' episode " Exodus Part 2" the Battlestar Pegasus is rammed into a Basestar. Both ships are destroyed, with a second basestar being destroyed by debris.
* In ''
Stargate SG-1
''Stargate SG-1'' (often stylized in all caps, or abbreviated ''SG-1'') is a military science fiction adventure television series within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, ...
'', Jaffa Ha'tak vessels ram Ori battlecruisers on at least two occasions, but are unable to defeat the superior Ori shields, resulting in the destruction of only the Ha'taks.
* In ''
Stargate Atlantis
''Stargate Atlantis'' (usually stylized in all caps and often abbreviated ''SGA'') is an adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Coop ...
'', two darts destroy the Ancient weapons platform that was going to be used to destroy the ZPM powered Hive Ship.
* In ''
Stargate Universe
''Stargate Universe'' (often abbreviated as ''SGU'') is a military science fiction television series and part of MGM's ''Stargate'' franchise. It follows the adventures of a present-day, multinational exploration team traveling on the Ancient ...
'', Destiny's shields were modified to take a lesser amount of damage from the drones' weapons, but the drones used Kamikaze Runs to penetrate Destiny's shields and damage the ship.
* In ''
Return of the Jedi
''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who ...
'' an A-Wing pilot crashes his damaged fighter into the bridge of a '' Super Star Destroyer'' causing it to fall into the Death Star.
* In '' Independence Day'' the final air battle which takes place over Area 51, pilot Russell Casse crashes his jet into the spacecraft core which in turn destroys it.
* In
Killzone 2
''Killzone 2'' is a 2009 first-person shooter developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It is the second main installment in the ''Killzone'' series, following 2004's '' Killzone''.
Simil ...
, Colonel Jan Templar after being mortally wounded reprograms his flagship New Sun to crash into the Helghan defense grid.
* In ''
Prometheus (2012 film)
''Prometheus'' ( ) is a 2012 science fiction horror film co-produced and directed by Ridley Scott, written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof and starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, and C ...
'' Captain Janek uses the ''Prometheus'' to stop the Engineer ship from escaping and delivering its payload to Earth.
* In the '' Thunderbirds'' episode "
Sun Probe
"Sun Probe" is an episode of '' Thunderbirds'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed b ...
", the Sun Probe rocket and
Thunderbird 3
The Thunderbird machines are a series of vehicles imagined for the mid-1960s film and television '' Thunderbirds'' series developed by Gerry Anderson. The released work began with the Supermarionation television series '' Thunderbirds'' and w ...
were both heading nearly straight for the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
Cloudbase
Spectrum Cloudbase, often shortened to Cloudbase, is the fictional skyborne headquarters of the international security organisation Spectrum from Gerry Anderson's science-fiction television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' (1967–68). ...
.
Use in media
*
Collision Course
{{wiktionary
A collision course, also known as a ''kamikaze run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages ...
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
mashup EP that contained the hit single Numb/Encore
* ''
Collision Course
{{wiktionary
A collision course, also known as a ''kamikaze run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages ...
'', a 1989 action-comedy film
See also
*
Self-destruct
A self-destruct is a mechanism that can cause an object to destroy itself or render itself inoperable after a predefined set of circumstances has occurred.
Self-destruct mechanisms are typically found on devices and systems where malfunction could ...