Yay! This pleases me.
The Last Ship - Discussion Thread (spoilers possible)
- Thread starter Scout101
- Start date
Yay! This pleases me.
Kind of surprised one hasn't shown up yet.
Could be, there should definitely be a few around. And more likely to be a missile sub than an attack sub. That detail would matter because more likely to be a Captain commanding a SSBN, and more likely to be a Commander on an SSN, so since Chandler has been established as a Commander, the sub Captain would hold rank on him similar to BSG. Otherwise, more of an Equinox pissing contest over strength of ship or time in rank or whatever.
Either way, should be more out there than there is, and the missile subs would be perfect candidates to have been out hiding during the chaos and surviving. Many may have heard news and come home, or alternatively several were probably lost in fighting when things started to disintegrate, but if we've got 14 SSBNs, there's usually at least 5-6 out to sea at any time, so even if most were lost, should be a couple around. And the SSBNs don't exactly make a lot of foreign port stops to get infected (read: none). Guess a couple could have picked up some infection at home before they left, if the timing for a deployment was RIGHT when this was spreading but not well known yet...
Either way, should be more out there than there is, and the missile subs would be perfect candidates to have been out hiding during the chaos and surviving. Many may have heard news and come home, or alternatively several were probably lost in fighting when things started to disintegrate, but if we've got 14 SSBNs, there's usually at least 5-6 out to sea at any time, so even if most were lost, should be a couple around. And the SSBNs don't exactly make a lot of foreign port stops to get infected (read: none). Guess a couple could have picked up some infection at home before they left, if the timing for a deployment was RIGHT when this was spreading but not well known yet...
No pissing contest, the captains would probably go to their bookshelves and look up the other CO as soon as the other vessel was identified. If not, it would take about two seconds to compare lineal numbers and that would be that.
I thought the last episode sort of "jumped the shark" for me.
The idea that the Captain, 1st Officer and Command Master Chief would all go on the same mission and THEN all be on the same boat was a bit . . . well . . . either hard to believe or borderline incompetent. To take all of the senior command staff and the Comms officer and who seems to be the leader of the mountain warfare or seal team (or whatever they are) on the same boat is . . . wow . . . just wow . . . this is Star Trek territory right there. I wonder if that Russian Admiral and his senior staffers are doing the same thing on THEIR adventures!!! haha
And that wasn't the big thing that got me. But when those same people were taking the monkeys and the injured comms officer back to the ship but then decided to turn around and take out the cocaine cartel instead . . . ummmm . . . okay. But wouldn't it be a far BETTER idea to take your injured sailor and monkeys back to the ship where you can resupply, reinforce and plan your tactics instead of going back John Rambo style and attack them with your bare hands?
What was the conversation in that boat about . . . "Grrrrr, I'm so mad I just want to go back there and kill them all with my bare hands!!!"
"Hell yeah commander, LET'S DO IT!!!! HOOOOOYAAAAHHHH!!!!"
I don't think even a boatload of jarheads would go for that plan and those guys are crazy!!! (yet exactly the kind of crazy I'd want watching my back in a firefight)
And sailors . . . these guys are sailors . . . how much jungle warfare and small unit tactics training do Navy Command Staff personnel get these days? Quite a bit I guess. And almost as much hand to hand combat training too!
Maybe I'm far to cautious but I think I'd prefer to re-arm, go in with at least 2 or 3 fire teams and a support element (heavier weapons). And since there were obviously booby traps surrounding the settlement I'd have to weigh the benefits and risk of a daylight or nighttime attack (I assume they have night vision). But hey . . . I guess going in with fists and knives and taking the weapons you needed off of the guards you kill is a good strategy too. I mean was the main goal to free the civilians from the drug lord or was that secondary to arriving in time to make sure the younger daughter wasn't raped (In which case you might want to get there BEFORE nightfall)? Maybe the rest of the sailors onboard ship are just too incompetent to trust with weapons? That's why on the other boat you had to bring along the security contractor from Gitmo instead of your own. I assume the other guy was probably the Master At Arms based on this "all or nothing" approach to landing parties. Maybe they DID go thru that entire combat detachment they took to the artic with already. Sheesh . . .
I hope they don't stray to far from reality like this regularly.
The idea that the Captain, 1st Officer and Command Master Chief would all go on the same mission and THEN all be on the same boat was a bit . . . well . . . either hard to believe or borderline incompetent. To take all of the senior command staff and the Comms officer and who seems to be the leader of the mountain warfare or seal team (or whatever they are) on the same boat is . . . wow . . . just wow . . . this is Star Trek territory right there. I wonder if that Russian Admiral and his senior staffers are doing the same thing on THEIR adventures!!! haha
And that wasn't the big thing that got me. But when those same people were taking the monkeys and the injured comms officer back to the ship but then decided to turn around and take out the cocaine cartel instead . . . ummmm . . . okay. But wouldn't it be a far BETTER idea to take your injured sailor and monkeys back to the ship where you can resupply, reinforce and plan your tactics instead of going back John Rambo style and attack them with your bare hands?
What was the conversation in that boat about . . . "Grrrrr, I'm so mad I just want to go back there and kill them all with my bare hands!!!"
"Hell yeah commander, LET'S DO IT!!!! HOOOOOYAAAAHHHH!!!!"
I don't think even a boatload of jarheads would go for that plan and those guys are crazy!!! (yet exactly the kind of crazy I'd want watching my back in a firefight)
And sailors . . . these guys are sailors . . . how much jungle warfare and small unit tactics training do Navy Command Staff personnel get these days? Quite a bit I guess. And almost as much hand to hand combat training too!
Maybe I'm far to cautious but I think I'd prefer to re-arm, go in with at least 2 or 3 fire teams and a support element (heavier weapons). And since there were obviously booby traps surrounding the settlement I'd have to weigh the benefits and risk of a daylight or nighttime attack (I assume they have night vision). But hey . . . I guess going in with fists and knives and taking the weapons you needed off of the guards you kill is a good strategy too. I mean was the main goal to free the civilians from the drug lord or was that secondary to arriving in time to make sure the younger daughter wasn't raped (In which case you might want to get there BEFORE nightfall)? Maybe the rest of the sailors onboard ship are just too incompetent to trust with weapons? That's why on the other boat you had to bring along the security contractor from Gitmo instead of your own. I assume the other guy was probably the Master At Arms based on this "all or nothing" approach to landing parties. Maybe they DID go thru that entire combat detachment they took to the artic with already. Sheesh . . .
I hope they don't stray to far from reality like this regularly.
I was thinking that last night!
The captain and all the command staff head down to Forbidden Planet leaving Scotty in charge, then they get caught by Lord Garth, get a redshirt poisoned and have to go save the damsels in distress.
And - bonus - got to see Rhona working out! Episode score!
I wouldn't mind seeing another season of this awesomeness at all!
I really liked this week's episode, it kid of reminded me of a 1980s action movie. I wonder if that was intentional, certainly the montage at the beginning where they're taking the boats around the island felt like it could have been a movie's opening credit sequence.
The subplot between Tex and Dr. Scott was also enjoyable. Tex's irreverent attitude makes him a fun character, and it was nice to see Dr. Scott have scenes with someone other than Chandler or her traitorous assistant.
Interesting observations with the Trek comparisons, though I'll echo the above sentiments that this is what Star Trek should be. Although, one has to wonder why they didn't return to the ship, get resupplied and leave the injured guy to get treated before attacking the camp? More importantly, at the end when they're returning to the ship after defeating the drug lord and his gang, why didn't they take their weapons or their hazmat suits back? They only have something like 80 suits, you'd think they wouldn't want to leave those lying around. Or if they did take their stuff back but we just didn't see it, you'd think they'd want their suits on when they went by the beach with all the infected on it.
The scene with the infected on the beach just staring at them is also lifted from the book, only there it's people in advance stages of radiation exposure.
The subplot between Tex and Dr. Scott was also enjoyable. Tex's irreverent attitude makes him a fun character, and it was nice to see Dr. Scott have scenes with someone other than Chandler or her traitorous assistant.
Interesting observations with the Trek comparisons, though I'll echo the above sentiments that this is what Star Trek should be. Although, one has to wonder why they didn't return to the ship, get resupplied and leave the injured guy to get treated before attacking the camp? More importantly, at the end when they're returning to the ship after defeating the drug lord and his gang, why didn't they take their weapons or their hazmat suits back? They only have something like 80 suits, you'd think they wouldn't want to leave those lying around. Or if they did take their stuff back but we just didn't see it, you'd think they'd want their suits on when they went by the beach with all the infected on it.
The scene with the infected on the beach just staring at them is also lifted from the book, only there it's people in advance stages of radiation exposure.
You aren't the only one to think that. That was mentioned a couple of posts back, and I thought that's what they would do when they decided to go back, and I can't think of a single logical reason why they wouldn't...so we're stuck with the illogical Hollywood reasoning: if they went back and rearmed, then we wouldn't get to see Capt. Chandler and the officers of the Starship Nathan James nerve-pinch the sentries to death.
It's not great reasoning, but fun to watch anyway.
First thing I said to the wife when i saw how they broke up the two teams: here we go, can't put all the ranking officers in one shuttlecraft!
Dumb to have everyone even on the mission, but if you do, would have expected CO on one boat, XO on the other. Only reason we knew they wouldn't blow up the other boat was that the doctor was on it, so it had to survive...
Dumb to have everyone even on the mission, but if you do, would have expected CO on one boat, XO on the other. Only reason we knew they wouldn't blow up the other boat was that the doctor was on it, so it had to survive...
My issue with this weeks episode: Would they have really lost that much time to return to the ship; re-arm themselves, and bring more men to make sure they had the upper hand on the Drug lord?
^^^
That was the aspect that really (to me) made them look somewhat crazy - especially since it was BOTH top level command staff at risk.
^^^
That was the aspect that really (to me) made them look somewhat crazy - especially since it was BOTH top level command staff at risk.
Mister Fandango
Fleet Captain
They tried to explain that by having the drug lord vocally admit that he was going to rape the young girl, so they wouldn't have enough time to go back to the ship and then come back before that happened. Hence all the "I have daughters, and so do you" bit from Baldwin.
"Tried to explain," yeah, but it falls short when you counter with "If you died making the attempt because you don't have any guns, then you're dead and she's still raped."
Of course, nobody offered that argument...
Reading the comments I'm glad I wasnt the only one who thought I was watching a star trek episode. I mean seriously, all command in one boat, on the same mission?
Really, the problem here is the exact same problem Trek had for its run, in that the people most prominent in the credits needed to get the bulk of air time and lines, so when an away team was needed, it was just easier to have them on it.
Eric Dane's name is first in the creds, so he has to lead it. Rhona Mitra's is next, so she had to at least be part of it. Adam Baldwin is - i think - an "And", and he plays the guy who has the captain's back, so he had to go, and with all the big names going, they needed a character actor to play "redshirt" and take the poison beartrap. This is what you're stuck with in a show like this when the bulk of the action is "ashore."
Eric Dane's name is first in the creds, so he has to lead it. Rhona Mitra's is next, so she had to at least be part of it. Adam Baldwin is - i think - an "And", and he plays the guy who has the captain's back, so he had to go, and with all the big names going, they needed a character actor to play "redshirt" and take the poison beartrap. This is what you're stuck with in a show like this when the bulk of the action is "ashore."