system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
[Star Wars] Are blockades really useful the way they're used?

From what I've seen, blockades are made up of a ring of ships around a planet, but they leave the north/south poles (or opposite sides) unprotected. What's stopping people from coming out of hyperspace in a different direction and landing on the planet before the blockade can stop them?
gpt
Not much, really. Blockades in general, you will never be able to stop traffic completely, particularly when dealing with small/medium sized craft that are built for speed. (Thus, blockade runners) 

All a blockade has to do is somewhat control the gravity well, and an equatorial orbit is good enough, particularly if you have smaller craft or missiles to launch in response to emergent threats. Even if force projection isn't fantastic, commercial vessels would have a hard time justifying risking their livelihoods should they get caught trying to break through by a fighter patrol or long range scans.