Shot At Dawn: Difference between revisions

{{deathtrope}}

{{examples}}

* In one episode of ''[[Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team]]'', Eledore and Michel are scheduled to be executed at dawn after being captured by Zeon troops.

* Nicola Fafas is executed in ''[[After War Gundam X|Gundam X]]'' for daring to discover evidence that Newtypes can be born on Earth as well as space.

 

* Happens to at least one character in [[Ninja High School]].

* [[Tintin]] faces this in ''Cigars of the pharaoh'', as do the Thompson twins in ''Tintin and the Picaros''.

 

* Seen in ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel (film)|The Scarlet Pimpernel]].''

* The two German boys from ''[[War Horse]]'' are executed after the elder pulls the younger from marching to the front.

* ''[[Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger vs. Space Sheriff Gavan: The Movie]]'': after being arrested by Gavan, the Gokaigers are supposed to be executed by firing squad.

 

* In [[Dan Abnett]]'s [[Gaunt's Ghosts]] novel ''The Guns Of Tanith'', when Caffran is convicted of rape and murder, he is sentenced to be shot at dawn. (Fortunately, Gaunt hears of it before then and dredges up more evidence, resulting in a second trial and acquittal.)

* In [[Voltaire]]'s ''[[Candide]]'', the main character witnesses a British officer being executed by firing squad and comments:

{{quote|"In this country, it is wise to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others [''pour encourager les autres'']"}}

** Averted in "Genesis of the Daleks", after the Doctor is captured. His captors remark that normally he would be executed by firing squad, but since ammunition is so scarce, he'll be hanged instead.

** This also happens in the Fifth Doctor story "The Caves Of Androzani". The Doctor and Peri are captured and sentenced to death. Unusually, neither one refuses a blindfold (or, in this case, a red hood) but that's because {{spoiler|they're android duplicates.}}

* A common sketch on ''[[You Can't Do That on Television]]'' has one of the kids apparently in front of a firing squad in some [[Banana Republic]]. Many sketches end with the commander getting shot instead.

* One episode of ''[[Get Smart]]'' played with this, where Max was put up against a wall and soldiers who always obeyed orders were arrayed in front of him, with the officer giving the orders behind the soldiers. [[Genre Savvy]] readers can tell how well that went:

'''[[Too Dumb to Live|Officer]]:''' Fire!}}

 

* [[Protest the Hero]]'s album ''Kezia'' ends with this.

 

* ''[[Tosca]]'' features the titular character's love interest scheduled for execution at dawn.

 

* The classic painting by Goya, "[[wikipedia:The Third of May 1808|The Third of May 1808]]"

** And by Picasso in his "[[wikipedia:Massacre in Korea|Massacre in Korea]]".

 

* Formerly a popular way for executing people, it has since fallen out of practice for its cruelty and/or [[Squick]], except in the United Arab Emirates. It is notable for being used a lot during the two world wars, obstinately being used by the Germans and their allies in both wars as a means to get rid of undesirables. The Soviet Union also partook in this execution style, and it was how many [[Les Collaborateurs]] and [[The Quisling|Quislings]] were dealt with after Allied forces liberated German occupied zones. (Incidentally enough, Vikdun Quisling, the latter's trope namer, was executed in this manner in Norway after the Second World War).

** The latest usage of this, to this troper's knowledge, was by Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu up until he was overthrown in the late 80's.

** [[The Other Wiki]]'s page on firing squads says this is actually standard practice for spies, honoring their soldier (but not POW) status.

* Firing squad was the authorized means of execution in Finland 1918 to 1944 and abolition of death penalty de ''facto''. The executions were carried out in sunrise; it was thought to be psychologically easiest that way to both the executioners and convicts.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Death Tropes]]

[[Category:24-Hour Trope Clock]]