In this pilot episode of TNT's The Last Ship, we see that a virus is destroying the human race. A blood sample is taken from one of the sick, but he is left to die.
We see the ship, The Destroyer, with 217 U.S. Navy men and women on board.
We meet Commander Chandler, the ships captain, and Rachael Scott, a doctor. The Destroyer prepares to sail.
Four months later:
The Destroyer, in frigid waters, is on a top secret Delta mission. They prepare for a missile test and pass. Captain Chandler tells the crew that they are going home.
Dr. Scott is taking samples from the snow, but is ordered to come back to the ship due to declining weather.
Dr. Scott and her assistant are injecting rats with some kind of solution. She radios national security asking for more time to collect samples.
Captain Chandler gets news that their mission has been extended, and that they will not be able to go home yet.
Extension day 2:
While Dr. Scott is out collecting samples again, Russian helicopters approach the ship in vast numbers. They open fire on Rachel and the two lieutenants who are watching them. Dr. Scott scrambles to collect her samples.
The helicopters then fire on the ship, but the Destroyer returns fire and manages to clear the helicopter. They capture one of the Russian attackers on the verge of death. Captain Chandler finds out that they came after them in search for the cure.
Captain Chandler confronts Dr. Scott about her mission. She tells him about an outbreak in Egypt that no one has seen before. Her mission is to collect samples in hope for a cure. The virus spread from phase 2, limited locations in Asia and Africa, to phase 6, a global pandemic (80 percent) of the worlds population.
The Captain goes on a video teleconference with the president. The speaker of the house tells him that the president and vice president has died from the virus. She asks the Captain if Dr. Scott has what she needs for the cure, and tells him a location for which they will go to. Captain Chandler tells her that the Russians attacked them. She tells him about a rebellious group in search for the cure, working on their own and not with their government.
Captain Chandler asks about their families, but is told that their fate is unknown.
Watching the news, Captain Chandler finally sees what is going on in the world. He gets ready to tell the crew about the current situation.
Captain Chandler tries to call home, but the line is disconnected. Lieutenant Mike lost his son.
The Destroyer sets route to France for fuel, but cannot communicate with them. They then see that they are being fired at. They try to track the missile, but the coordinates are unknown exactly. They find that the missile passed them, and is headed for land. As the missile connects, the ship loses power.
The crew scramble to get power back. After succeeding with the power, they find that they are running low on fuel.
They spot an Italian ship in the distance and Captain Chandler tries to communicate with them, but no response. He sends a crew on a raft to find fuel and supplies.
Aboard the ship, they manage to find supplies, as well as all of the passengers, dead. They come across one man who is still clinging to life. Dr. Scott takes a blood sample, and then the man passes away.
Lieutenant Frankie falls and his mask comes off. He became exposed, but his crew does not want to leave without him, so he shoots himself.
Aboard the Destroyer, they hold a funeral for Lieutenant Frankie.
Dr. Scott tells the captain that the virus now has an extra gene, which is why it replicated so quickly. She tells him that she ma have a cure that will stop the virus from mutating.
The captain gets news that North Carolina is no longer safe to board, but the message was five days old due to the lack of radio contact they had. They are unable to get in touch with the president, or anyone at the Pentagon. Another message comes through, a video message. It's the captains wife. She tells him that they are all healthy, and at a safe location, but haven't heard from his sister or brother.
Mayport Naval Station in Florida:
The crew gets ready to dock and make sure the area is safe. Captain Chandler tells Lieutenant Mike that they are better off staying on the ship.
The captain tells the crew that they will not be heading to land until the cure can be made. He tells them that conditions in the U.S. are unknown, and that the safest place right now is on that ship. They prepare to head to another fuel station, and a long journey at sea.
We see Dr. Scott's assistant on the phone. He is speaking Russian and identifies himself as Seagull. He tells them that the ship will not be stopping in America. He is obviously working for someone else.
image courtesy of Jennifer Graylock/INFphoto.com