CAPT Tom Chandler quotes from The Last Ship

CAPT Tom Chandler

Kara, it's May 27th. I'm recording this message at... 11:22 hours local time, South China sea. You should know Danny will be assigned off the ship, but in case we don't make it out of here... please forward the following message to my children. Mm. Ashley, Sam... I hope to God you never see this. But if you do... I wanted you to know... I wake up every day proud of you. Please never forget that. Be brave. Be kind to each other. Help each other whenever you can. And listen to your grandad once in a while. He's a pain, but the older I get, the smarter he seems to be. I wish I could have been there more. I hope you know that.

I speak to you today a humbled man. I've made mistakes. I was silent when I should have spoken out. I ran when I should have stood and fought. But in adversity, we find strength and courage. The great Naval Captain Nimitz once said "God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right, even though I think it hopeless." Stand with me. Fight with me. Because together, we can move forward. Together, we can be strong again.

Darien, I'm not going to the Med. Navy's sending us to the Arctic.

The Arctic? That's crazy.

Tom

Some cold-weather test on a new weapon system. It's all classified. It's happening very fast. We're gonna be at complete radio silence. No e-mails, no calls.

For how long?

Tom

Six months, maybe five.

Figures.

Tom

It's my last tour for a while. Then I'll be around the house so much, you'll be sick of me, I promise.

Gonna be puttering around all day?

Just getting the place in order.

[sighs] Well, I thought you might just be procrastinating... 'cause you don't know how to go back to the ship and tell that crew of yours that you're quitting. Do you not realize that they... that they can't do it without you? What kind of message are you gonna send to them, that you're, uh, George Washington and you've come back to work on your farm? You think because you got a... a lab in Baltimore and six planes with the cure that everything's in hand? The world is in chaos. There's a lot more to do.

Tom

And that crew is trained to do it, with or without me.

They need you.

Tom

And they don't? [referring to Ashley and Sam] And what if I don't come back? I'm gonna make my kids orphans?

You think you're the first soldier that had trouble leaving their family behind? Huh? During World War II, English naval captains put their wives and children in bunkers in London and went back out to sea... to fight the Nazis for years.

Tom

Wives and children, Dad. The wives were there.

[remembers what happened to Darien] I know you, and I know you're beating yourself up, but if you're looking for someone to blame, blame me. I should have never let her go to that town. So cut the shit and quit laying this guilt trip on yourself. There's no time for it. Whether you like it or not, you're Noah and that ship is your Ark.

China is still a great nation.

CAPT Thomas Chandler

President Michener hoped that you would be our partner in this endeavor.

And we are. But there is only so much we can do. We are under constant attack by warlords, pirates, and our own neighbors. Vietnam continues to confront us on our southern borders. And what does America do to help, Captain? You deliver more cure to my enemies.

I think you got the wrong idea. Nathan James landed in sovereign Vietnamese territory on a humanitarian mission.

A humanitarian mission. And yet you deliver the cure using a guided missile destroyer. So tell me, Captain, do I really have the wrong idea?

CAPT Thomas Chandler

All that said, we have no concrete leads right now to help us find our people.

US President Jeffrey Michener

But you're certain Peng is behind this.

He blew up our plane, to be sure But we have reason to believe that pirates from Shanzhai were responsible for the attack in Vietnam.

So... We sortie the ships in Okinawa. Shackleton and Hayward can be in the region in a matter of days.

I appreciate that, sir, but those ships need to be in Japan, investigating the possibility of the virus mutation. And a larger presence here may draw attention, and it could be counterproductive. I need a lower profile.

You? You're the Chief of Naval Operations and, for all intents and purposes, the head of our entire military. I need you running our global operations from here.

Sir, the James is without its senior leadership. I can't just leave anybody...

I understand your loyalty to your people, Tom.

This isn't just about my people. You sent me here because the region is a tinderbox. I need to stay here now and find out why this happened, what the bigger play is... Not just to save my crew. Though I believe that will be the first step, sir.

I want to know where you're going and what you're doing at all times.

Understood, sir.

Bring 'em home, then.

I will.

CAPT Tom Chandler

I want details about what happened after you received the cure. You can keep fighting us, thinking we're monsters, or you can cooperate, help us figure out what went wrong and how to fix it.

Takehaya

I heard the call over the radio. The Americans are coming with the cure. We rushed to the port, thousands of us. Survivors. The ships arrived. American ships. And we lined up to receive our injections. They told us to spread out, to pass the cure on to the rest of our people. Soon... there was no way to tell who had the cure and who did not.... because everyone died.

But other than the U.S. Navy, who had custody of the cargo once it landed? Could someone have tampered with the doses on the pier?

Takehaya

No.

How can you be so sure? We delivered to dozens of countries on this ship. We always worked with the local partners...

Takehaya

I was a local partner, Captain. My crew was there. We'd made sure everyone received a dose. I was in charge. I was responsible.

That's why you wanted those ships out of Okinawa. That's why you wanted to punish the people that brought you the cure. But why work with Peng?

Takehaya

I did not work with Peng.

Oh, come on. The coincidence is too great. You kidnapped my men in Haiphong at precisely the same moment Peng blows up my plane in Hong Kong?

Takehaya

I do not call that coincidence, Captain. I call that luck.

And how certain are you of this intelligence?

CAPT Tom Chandler

Fairly certain. Peng is too smart to do this out in the open. He'd build and transport these weapons out of sight to conceal his involvement.

And what do you need from me?

Sir, Shackleton and Hayward have been running in circles since this whole thing began. I'd like them to join us. We're gonna need them to take on Peng and what's left of his navy.

My understanding is that President Michener once offered you those ships and you turned him down, choosing to run this operation solo.

Yes, sir.

And since then, you've left a lot of bodies in your wake, many of them American sailors. Captain, we don't know each other well, but you need to know that if my first act in office is to declare war on China, I'd like to base it on something more than the testimony of smugglers and pirates.

Of course, sir.

Go to this Paraiso island, find the source of these missiles, tie it to Peng, and I'll do everything in my power to help you finish him off. Consider those two ships under your command.

Thank you, sir.

Good luck.

Captain Chandler... Before we begin, you're entitled to make an opening statement.

CAPT Thomas Chandler

I've spent half my life in the Navy. Like you, I did everything right. Worked my way through the pipeline just to get my chance to lead. Nathan James was my first command. Suddenly... I was thrust into a situation that no one can prepare you for. The world was turned upside-down, and all the rules were thrown out. But... the Navy taught me many things. Most importantly, it taught me to adapt. I had to make some difficult decisions. God knows I made some mistakes. But never once did I waver from what I knew to be right... The core values that run through all of our veins. Honor... courage... commitment. And I served my sailors as they served me and as we all serve this great country of ours. I didn't ask for this. I could've taken this uniform off at any time. But I always believed in the work that we were doing as a team, and the decisions that I was making as a captain. And though my tactics changed to address an insane world... my resolve and my dedication to the Navy never faltered. I stand by my record.

What the hell is this? [sees that the men are all from the Nathan James] I see. This was never about your guilt or innocence.

You forced our hand here, Captain. There was a moment today... where I actually had my doubts. Thank you for removing those for me. When the chips fall, if I'm proven wrong, I'll face justice from a higher power than you. Cooper, Green, please remove the officers and sequester them in Helo Bay 2.

Lt Danny Green

Gladly.

Captain, I need you to set a new course for Japan.

CAPT Mike Slattery

Yes, sir.

CAPT Tom Chandler

Peng's only destroyer now belongs to me. You should know Cobra Team found a payload of anti-cure missile on board. According to the crew, that's the last of it.

Takehaya

So... it is done. The rest of Asia won't suffer as we did.

Let's get you home.

Takehaya

I am home, Captain Chandler. I want to remain here... [Exhales deeply] On Japanese soil.

Takehaya.

Takehaya

Kaito. My name is Kaito. Like my son.

... We are strong people, and we have survived worse than this. And those who still love life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness have come together and formulated a plan to move forward. So in the absence of any working federal government, and deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, your regional leaders, Price, Castillo, Wilson, and Croft hereby call for the immediate suspension of the government of the United States. Each region will be able to govern itself and focus on reconstruction until such time as a central authority can be safely reestablished.

CAPT Thomas Chandler

Yeah. In other words, never.

By the time you hear these words, control of the Armed Forces will have been split among the regional leaders, and I would like to assure you that the military turnover has been peaceful, thanks to an unprecedented collaboration between the nation's highest-ranking generals and your four regional leaders. All enlisted men and women are to report to regional military offices immediately to become part of one of four localized armies under the command...

Captain, I can't get the generals on the line... Any of them. I tried to raise an entire Naval base. It's a coup, Captain.

Thank you and God bless.

Those men are already dead.

If there's no military, what's that mean for us?

It means we're all alone.

CAPT Mike Slattery

We lost our country, Tom.

Not yet. Captain, set a course for Naval Base San Diego, all ahead full. Take us home.

Tom Chandler. Saved America from the virus, and they loved you for it. Then they got hungry. They miss things like heat, clean water, and Wi-Fi. They don't have any time for heroes now. So do your victory dance, and when the filthy masses turn against you, give me a call. I'll show you how to keep them in line.

CAPT Thomas Chandler

But I will never cooperate. Here's the deal, Manuel... From here on out, you no longer get to decide what you will and will not do. See, you had the chance to kill me, again, and you blew it... again. So you will cooperate.

And why is that?

Your army turned on you without hardly a shot fired. Once your partners find out you lost control of your region and Beatty's... They will cut you out like the cancer you are. And let's not underestimate the "filthy masses." Once they hear what you're really about, you'll need more than an army to keep them in line. But we can always drop you back off at the depot, see for ourselves.

You are leaving. I can see it in your eyes.

CAPT Tom Chandler

Alex told me that I couldn't run from destiny. I left home because I was confused... between justice and revenge.

And now?

I want both.

CAPT Tom Chandler

Thank you very much. [sips] First-growth Bordeaux.

Lucia Vellek

You have nice taste in wine, for a fisherman.

Just reading the label.

You shouldn't let it go to waste. Could be the last growth.

[in Italians] Next, hands. Give me your hands.

CAPT Tom Chandler

I'm good.

Oh, you speak English, huh? Give me your hands. I'm gonna wrap 'em. You seem pretty calm for a guy facing death.

I've faced worse.

Oh, a warrior, huh? Yeah. Well, I've had my fill of warriors.

You picked a funny profession.

What, this? Oh, this is just a side gig, man. Here, they call me Il Dottore.

You're a doctor?

Philosophy. Everybody needs a philosopher, right? Especially now, this End of Days shit.

And you just hand out wisdom?

Indeed, I do. And here's your dose for today, man. Every single civilization since man walked out of a cave... Greece, Rome, Vikings, Asia, Aztecs, Africa... It's been ravaged and then decimated and devoured by the same set of fangs, and it ain't famine or plague or even war, in all of its lame excuse. It's the urge, man. The urge. Always dormant in our primordial brains, waiting like an arched leopard to pounce and butcher whatever the hell it smells for its own gratification. Did you know the leopard and the house cat are the only two animals besides man who kill for sport? For sport, man. Just for the buzz of bloodletting. Violence is an urge, brother. It's our urge. And if it were up to me, I'd cry havoc, slip the dogs of war back on the leash. Get 'em back protecting the sheep. Know what I'm saying?

Then who's the shepherd?

So you're a philosopher, too. [takes hand wraps and puts on some powder] Little herbal concoction. Get a little of this in the other guy's eyes... Poof, fight's over. If you gotta go to war, make it quick. [Snaps fingers] Bocca lupo. You know what that means?

Into the wolf's mouth.

Right on. Good luck.