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Phase Six
The Last Ship Season 1 Episode 1
Season 1, Episode 1
Written by: Hank Steinberg
Steven Kane
Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Running time: 45 minutes
Original airdate: June 22, 2014
Nielsen rating: 18-49 rating:
1.18
Viewers (million):
5.334
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Welcome to Gitmo

Commander Tom Chandler and the crew of the USS Nathan James set out for the Arctic with two civilian virologists, Dr. Rachel Scott and Dr. Quincy Tophet, who claim to be studying birds. When they come under attack by a renegade team of Russian forces, Chandler learns these virologists are actually collecting samples of the source of a deadly virus that has wiped out over half the human population while they’ve been at sea. As they head home on the orders of the remaining U.S. government, Chandler and his crew realize that home is a shadow of what they left, and the safest place to develop a vaccine for this deadly disease is out at sea on their ship.

Summary[]

Commanding Officer Tom Chandler and the crew of the USS Nathan James have been out in the Arctic Circle for four months in complete radio silence. They believe they have completed their mission when they receive orders from the Pentagon to stay in the arctic. This is because Doctor Rachel Scott spoke with the Pentagon, asking for more time to continue gathering valuable microbes that could be the source of the deadly virus. While out gathering samples, Dr. Scott, Doctor Quincy Tophet, Lieutenant Danny Green, and Lieutenant Franklin Benz are attacked by a group of Russian helicopters. After a firefight filled with rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and the naval destroyer using its large five-inch caliber guns to take out the choppers, all the helicopters were destroyed and one man was taken prisoner aboard the Nathan James. Aboard the prisoner, Commander Chandler asks him what he wants. The prisoner, before he dies, lets out a few words saying 'the cure'.

Chandler then goes to Scott demanding to know what is happening aboard his ship. Finally Dr. Scott reveals that she is on-board to find a cure for a virus that originally broke out in Egypt seven months prior. Scott was looking for the primordial strain of the virus, which she believes was in the permafrost, which arctic birds were eating in. Those birds then became the carriers of the virus and spread it around the world. When The Last Ship left port in Norfolk Virginia, 4 months prior, the virus was at stage 2, limited to small clusters in Africa and Asia, now it is at stage 6, a full-blown global pandemic. 80 percent of the world’s population is infected.

The crew of the Nathan James is assembled and told what has happened to the rest of the world while they have been away at sea. Their orders from the President, are to begin heading south for a bio-lab off the coast of North Carolina. The problem is, the Nathan James needs fuel. Luckily, along the way, they encounter an Italian cruise ship floating in the Atlantic. A search party is assembled along with Commander Chandler himself. They find that everyone aboard the cruise ship was dead, but the party are able to find food and fuel. Unfortunately, on the way back from the ship, Lieutenant Franklin Benz trips over a staircase, falling atop of a dead body and resulting in his biomask coming off. He refuses to go along with the rest of the party to be quarantined on the ship and instead, takes his own life. They continue traveling southwest through the Atlantic to go back to America.

Aboard the ship, Commander Chandler and XO Mike Slattery have a disagreement on which direction the Nathan James should take. Chandler pulls rank and gives the crew an inspiring speech on their duty as possibly the last surviving members of the United States Navy, and perhaps the last hope of humanity.

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  • Egypt (First appearance)
  • Russia (Mentioned only)
  • United States (First appearance)
    • Virginia (First appearance)
      • Norfolk (First appearance)
    • Washington, D.C. (Video only)

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