The Last Ship - Discussion Thread (spoilers possible)

[The Wormhole]

Re: The Last Ship: Opinions?

I thought it was a pretty cool show, at least on a guilty pleasure level. It didn't really do a great job selling the idea that this was truly a bleak, post-apocalyptic world they were living in (the show never got serious or heavy enough for that),

Meh, I watched four years of BSG, and while I enjoyed most of it, that is more than enough depressing material for my liking. I don't need it bashed over my head constantly that the world has ended, civilization is gone and I don't want to watch the characters constantly crying, moping and getting depressed over it. So I have no objection to The Last Ship's portrayal of things.

Besides, the novel the show is based on is 600 pages of bleak analysis of what the end of the world would be like that at times makes BSG look like sunshine and roses. I'm okay with the show's more lighthearted action adventure slant.

You could def see the Michael Bay in the show, especially in the pilot. But unlike a lot of his stuff, I thought it was a solid mix of action sequences and story. I had a lot of fun with it this summer.

I don't think Michael Bay actually has much involvement with the show beyond providing funding and getting his name stamped on it. He definitely isn't involved in the day to day affairs of filming or developing the show.

Good Show. But I find the idea of a CO and the Executive Officer going together on a mission more Star Trek than actual Naval practice.

Especially when there is plenty of security and Navy Seals personnel on board trained for such missions.

There was only one episode where both Chandler and Slattery left the ship for a mission, most of the time Chandler leads the "away teams" while Slattery stays behind in command. Which I guess is kind of Star Trek, but who cares? I view the show as a sort of modernized take on adventure shows of old where the lead was the most important character on the show and got into all the action, and if that means the Star Trek style of the captain constantly leaving the ship to take on terrorists, drug cartels and renegade Russians, all the better.

 

[The Wormhole]

The show is probably a better modernization of TOS than any of the other Trek shows, and that includes Abrams Trek.

 

[Guy Gardener]

I'm told that this is quite loyal to the book, which was written in the 80s.

 

[Star Wolf]

Well they didn't change the name of the ship

 

[Guy Gardener]

I was alluding to the point that the book was being written just as the "Gay Flu" was becoming publicly recognized or just before.

Both notions indicate two entirely different books.

1. AIDS is going to kill us all.
2. This is fiction, nothing like GRID, which I have never heard of & probably doesn't exist yet, could just rear up wipe out the species, I'm writing fiction people, not prophecy!

 

[Star Wolf]

The book was about nuclear winter

 

[Guy Gardener]

Well, that's quite different.

Were they at least trying to find a cure for radiation?

 

[Star Wolf]

They were trying to find a couple who maintained their fertility and settled in the Antarctic research station to repopulate Earth

 

[HIjol]

Sorta kinda reminds me of Herbert's "White Plague"

 

[Guy Gardener]

Adam and Eve building a vast society doesn't work without a lot of incest.

 

[HIjol]

It is funny you mention that. I am in a place right now whose society is struggling hugely with that very issue. The power and land and wealth get diffused if the tribe to tribe bonds are not practiced, and there are laws dictating who can marry who with which consequence. In addition, the potentials within the possible gene pool are dwindling and/or already exhibiting aberrations. It will not be easy to solve this set of issues and medical consequences.

"Last Ship", indeed.

 

[Guy Gardener]

If you can't open a Disneyland park, have you considered declaring war on Australia?

 

[HIjol]

If you can't open a Disneyland park, have you considered declaring war on Australia?

So we are clear, here, I am an American Ex-pat teaching here. Believe me, what they have put up here certainly rivals Disneyland ,and Beyond. For what it is worth.

 

[wonderstoat]

Maybe Chandler will be a bit warier about leading every away mission once the ship gets him back...

This. If someone other than the captain had led this mission then there might be some jeopardy as to whether the Nathan James will get them back or not. Even if it was the XO or Master Chief, this show hasn't shied away from getting folks killed and arguably Chandler losing one of his valued officers would be dramatically interesting. But we know that he'll be back within an episode. This show has moments, and is definitely enjoyable, but all to easily falls into episodic TV tropes.

Please note: I'm watching UK pace, and this is our most recent episode ...

 

[The Wormhole]

this show hasn't shied away from getting folks killed

I know you're not done the first season yet, but you're pretty close to the end that I won't spoiler code this. But, as of the end of the first season, no one from the main cast or regular supporting cast has been killed. So how exactly has the show not shied away from getting folks killed?

 

[wonderstoat]

That's a fair point - no major characters, granted, but they've shown some Marines get killed - also I liked the fact that when they liberated the village they used lethal force - as I imagine would be case in a "if we draw our weapons, we're going to use them" sort of way. I just mean the show hasn't been afraid to show killing.