White House chief of staff Allison Shaw quotes from The Last Ship

US President Jeffrey Michener

Do you have some news for us?

I'm afraid I do. It seems that Captain Chandler's plane had some very serious engine trouble as it tried to take off from our airport. Unfortunately, the plane went down.

Plane went down? Are there any survivors?

We are searching the waters now... but we are not hopeful.

We walked right into this.

It is certainly suspicious, Mr. President, with what happened in Vietnam.

As I have told you, there are many rogue elements operating in the region. We suspected pirates at first, but your pilot radioed in with engine trouble. We are sending the transmission now between your pilot and our air traffic control.

Yes. Obviously, we'd very much like to hear that recording.

I assure you we will conduct a thorough investigation and keep you fully informed.

Well, we appreciate that, President Peng, and we will speak soon. [Peng hangs up]

You're not buying that, are you?

I'm not jumping to any conclusions, and neither should anyone in this room. Let's hear that transmission.

Mr. President, through no fault of your own, you've stepped through the looking glass into the birth of a new America. The pandemic, the millions of deaths, the complete collapse of law and order demands a revolution of governance.

Revolution? You mean coup d'etat. Who are you working with? Castillo?

Castillo, Price, Wilson, Croft. America can no longer be governed by a central power, not now. Each region must look after itself.

Sons of bitches. I knew it.

Relax, Howard. This is a good thing. You knew that Michener was moving too fast, that America wasn't healthy enough to go back to the way things were. There are no states. There are no cities. There are only tribes scrambling out of the mud over the bodies of 300 million dead Americans. Face it, Howard... Democracy is a luxury that we can no longer afford.

This is crazy. I mean, what the hell are you talking about?

By now, Senator Beatty and Secretary Rivera are dead. If you try to contact any of your allies in the city, the consequences will be swift... As swift as they were for Jeffrey Michener.

You're insane. That's it. Y-You've gone completely insane.

Do you understand me, Howard? Your family, your friends... None of them will be safe if you do not play ball. Take a minute and think about it before you make any decisions you'll later regret. Everybody likes you, Howard. It's a big table, and there's a place for you at it as long as you go with the program. Have I made myself completely clear? This office is your home now. I'll see you in the morning. We've got a lot of work to do.

... 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.

You're a good man. [dies]

Go ahead. Take me away. It won't matter. Somebody else will take my place, somebody who sees the world for what it is and seizes the opportunity. The people are too wounded and scared to think for themselves. Today they follow you, but tomorrow, they will find another golden calf to worship. That much I've learned. Are you so naive? Captain, ‭you didn't save the world. You unleashed the worst in human nature. You really want to save the people, you need to terrorize them. You need to take them by the neck and shake them. You need to be more terrible so that they don't have to be, and deep down inside, you know it's true. The America you believe in is gone!