The Last Ship - could've been worse

[shavedape]

OM1 and I aren't being fatalistic, i.e. "Romero" about the reality of such a world. Neither of us said that every new fiefdom would be evil and bad. We simply maintain that communities would generally opt for local control verses bowing down to a new "Washington D.C." that's located a thousand + miles away.

Now, I get that a show like this needs suspension of disbelief, but somethings simply can't be ignored. I'll give you the first two seasons but like you suggested they need to work on wrapping it up because the premise is becoming very, very strained.

 

[Joelist]

Which I already stated. If they try to go beyond Season Three they will be REALLY fishing for premises. Right now they have a reasonable arc of S1 = Disaster; S2 = Aftermath; S3 = Recovery.

 

[Overmind One]

OM1 and I aren't being fatalistic, i.e. "Romero" about the reality of such a world. Neither of us said that every new fiefdom would be evil and bad. We simply maintain that communities would generally opt for local control verses bowing down to a new "Washington D.C." that's located a thousand + miles away.

Now, I get that a show like this needs suspension of disbelief, but somethings simply can't be ignored. I'll give you the first two seasons but like you suggested they need to work on wrapping it up because the premise is becoming very, very strained.

That is the core of my argument. I totally was into the first season, and my comments on this thread from that time reflect that loudly. Then, things dropped off and the focus became fuzzy. Now, the premise no longer supports the story without propping it up with unrealistic elements. The ship is going into dry dock? Then their sailing days are over unless they find another ship in better shape. Why would they even look for one? I cannot imagine anyone volunteering to spend even 30 minutes trying to repair that ship when they have only so many hours of daylight to find dinner and fresh water and to get home to their loved ones.

 

[shavedape]

Which I already stated. If they try to go beyond Season Three they will be REALLY fishing for premises. Right now they have a reasonable arc of S1 = Disaster; S2 = Aftermath; S3 = Recovery.

I gave you credit for stating it. And hopefully they will follow the three-season template you've laid out. It only seems logical. But we all know that we rarely get what we want when it comes to TV shows. It wouldn't surprise me if they milked this show for several more seasons past the "sell by" date.

 

[Overmind One]

I gave you credit for stating it. And hopefully they will follow the three-season template you've laid out. It only seems logical. But we all know that we rarely get what we want when it comes to TV shows. It wouldn't surprise me if they milked this show for several more seasons past the "sell by" date.

Maybe they can skirt the title of the show by having the ship PERMANENTLY dry docked, so they can use it as a base? They can leave it in the dry dock and still live on it and pretend they are in the Navy and under the command of a guy who still thinks he is in command of something.

 

[shavedape]

That is the core of my argument. I totally was into the first season, and my comments on this thread from that time reflect that loudly. Then, things dropped off and the focus became fuzzy. Now, the premise no longer supports the story without propping it up with unrealistic elements. The ship is going into dry dock? Then their sailing days are over unless they find another ship in better shape. Why would they even look for one? I cannot imagine anyone volunteering to spend even 30 minutes trying to repair that ship when they have only so many hours of daylight to find dinner and fresh water and to get home to their loved ones.

Even if we allow for a full crew willing to devote themselves to the ship that still leaves the problem of what the hell they are going to do with their time? What is their mission? Are they just going to float around the various oceans, pulling into port on a whim? This is all fine and well for the coastal communities but they would be completely ineffectual when it came to dealing with inland population centers.

 

[shavedape]

Maybe they can skirt the title of the show by having the ship PERMANENTLY dry docked, so they can use it as a base? They can leave it in the dry dock and still live on it and pretend they are in the Navy and under the command of a guy who still thinks he is in command of something.

It would be hilarious if they had an unused stargate in the background of some of the scenes.

 

[Overmind One]

Even if we allow for a full crew willing to devote themselves to the ship that still leaves the problem of what the hell they are going to do with their time? What is their mission? Are they just going to float around the various oceans, pulling into port on a whim? This is all fine and well for the coastal communities but they would be completely ineffectual when it came to dealing with inland population centers.

Why would anyone they encounter on land think that this ship and it's crew was anything OTHER THAN a threat to them? They would immediately be fired upon no matter where they went. Seems to me that only the bandits and thieves would travel around in a battleship or a tank or fly around in a fighter plane.

The premise was fully supported in season 1. I could see a season 2, then the end.

 

[Overmind One]

It would be hilarious if they had an unused stargate in the background of some of the scenes.

Is this a request?

 

[shavedape]

Why would anyone they encounter on land think that this ship and it's crew was anything OTHER THAN a threat to them? They would immediately be fired upon no matter where they went. Seems to me that only the bandits and thieves would travel around in a battleship or a tank or fly around in a fighter plane.

The premise was fully supported in season 1. I could see a season 2, then the end.

Their little navy of one simply wouldn't work. In order for them to effectively control a continental area they would need more ships, more aircraft and more land-based military infrastructure, including (and especially) troops.

 

[shavedape]

Is this a request?

That would be funny to see.

 

[Bluce Ree]

Maybe they can skirt the title of the show by having the ship PERMANENTLY dry docked, so they can use it as a base? They can leave it in the dry dock and still live on it and pretend they are in the Navy and under the command of a guy who still thinks he is in command of something.

 

[Overmind One]

 

[shavedape]

 

[Overmind One]

View attachment 31544

 

[Overmind One]

The real battle....

 

[YJ02]

so i watched it and i agree it was one of the better eps this season

did anyhow actually say he was being promoted to admiral? i didn't hear it, just the Pres. saying Chandler was going to be chief of naval operations ("operations" implies that there is an actual navy to operate, and there isn't)

and his promotion to an admiral would be skipping ranks--he is currently an O5/ commander (same as the XO, not unheard of to have two same ranked officers in these positions, one still would have more time in grade/service then the other)-making him an admiral would be skipping the Captain/O6 rank

not unheard of either, but that is typically only done in the National guard and only in those states where the Adjutant General position is a political appointee

i can see though how there MUST be some other military units around

if so, then what happens if they think their cause is just and THEY have a US President with them too? the crew of the NJ can't be the only good guys in this world scenario-eventually, they would meet up with a group whose mission was more righteous/justified then theirs.

and what about US military oversees? only a matter of time before they get it together and decide that they need to rescue the homland

 

[Overmind One]

so i watched it and i agree it was one of the better eps this season

did anyhow actually say he was being promoted to admiral? i didn't hear it, just the Pres. saying Chandler was going to be chief of naval operations ("operations" implies that there is an actual navy to operate, and there isn't)

Hell, somebody chose "President", why didn't they just make him a Commandant? Why not Grand Vitara? I do not see how somebody can be a "President" or an "Admiral" in this post-pandemic world. I think I would just call myself Brigadier General of the Local Redondo Marine Force. Why not?

and his promotion to an admiral would be skipping ranks--he is currently an O5/ commander (same as the XO, not unheard of to have two same ranked officers in these positions, one still would have more time in grade/service then the other)-making him an admiral would be skipping the Captain/O6 rank
not unheard of either, but that is typically only done in the National guard and only in those states where the Adjutant General position is a political appointee

It's ridiculous to me.

i can see though how there MUST be some other military units around

if so, then what happens if they think their cause is just and THEY have a US President with them too? the crew of the NJ can't be the only good guys in this world scenario-eventually, they would meet up with a group whose mission was more righteous/justified then theirs.

and what about US military oversees? only a matter of time before they get it together and decide that they need to rescue the homland

I'm not feeling this one dude. I think that the fall of the United States (and Russia and China and Japan and western Europe) would make for a completely different post-pandemic scenario which does NOT include rebuilding them.

 

[Joelist]

so i watched it and i agree it was one of the better eps this season

did anyhow actually say he was being promoted to admiral? i didn't hear it, just the Pres. saying Chandler was going to be chief of naval operations ("operations" implies that there is an actual navy to operate, and there isn't)

and his promotion to an admiral would be skipping ranks--he is currently an O5/ commander (same as the XO, not unheard of to have two same ranked officers in these positions, one still would have more time in grade/service then the other)-making him an admiral would be skipping the Captain/O6 rank

not unheard of either, but that is typically only done in the National guard and only in those states where the Adjutant General position is a political appointee

i can see though how there MUST be some other military units around

if so, then what happens if they think their cause is just and THEY have a US President with them too? the crew of the NJ can't be the only good guys in this world scenario-eventually, they would meet up with a group whose mission was more righteous/justified then theirs.

and what about US military oversees? only a matter of time before they get it together and decide that they need to rescue the homeland

Chandler became an Admiral when he was appointed CNO because the CNO by Statute (Code 5033) automatically serves with the rank of Admiral. As to skipping ranks the Navy actually does that with some regularity. For example, the Submarine Service has been known to skip people directly to O-6 from O-4 and the fleet as a whole has in the past skipped people from O-3 to O-5 and O-5 to O-7 (usually a field promotion in wartime). Either way, the Code for CNO explicitly provides for the rank skipping.

Regarding Presidents, Michener actually has statutory support under the Line of Succession. Plus he has officially taken the oath of office. Hence he has a big leg up in the whole legitimacy area unless someone higher in the Line of Succession who also has been officially sworn in were to show up. And by now such an individual would have shown up.

I agree that they have not really covered the US military overseas for example. Then again the show has only occasionally zoomed out to the larger world. It sounds like (after they resolve the shooting of Doctor Scott) this upcoming season will be a bit more large scale.

 

[YJ02]

Chandler became an Admiral when he was appointed CNO because the CNO by Statute (Code 5033) automatically serves with the rank of Admiral. As to skipping ranks the Navy actually does that with some regularity. For example, the Submarine Service has been known to skip people directly to O-6 from O-4 and the fleet as a whole has in the past skipped people from O-3 to O-5 and O-5 to O-7 (usually a field promotion in wartime). Either way, the Code for CNO explicitly provides for the rank skipping.

Regarding Presidents, Michener actually has statutory support under the Line of Succession. Plus he has officially taken the oath of office. Hence he has a big leg up in the whole legitimacy area unless someone higher in the Line of Succession who also has been officially sworn in were to show up. And by now such an individual would have shown up.

I agree that they have not really covered the US military overseas for example. Then again the show has only occasionally zoomed out to the larger world. It sounds like (after they resolve the shooting of Doctor Scott) this upcoming season will be a bit more large scale.

bolded= unless that "someone" is just a military dictator whose "authority" is a Infantry division

pretty sure that the writers won't deal with any of that though--most are inept and willfully ignorant of the military-ex: most wouldn't even know we still have troops in Korea, Japan and Germany for starters, not to mention the lesser known places