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PEEL - The Futurama Message Board    Off Topic    It's got a TV!    Damn those CGI torpedoes!: Last Resort « previous next »
Author Topic: Damn those CGI torpedoes!: Last Resort  (Read 1862 times)
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Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
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« on: 10-25-2012 12:50 »

Well yesterday i watched the pilot.. me being an submarine (and generally naval ship among many other things) geek..

The series is like a mix between Crimson Tide and Silent Service... Silent service was an anime (and i think a manga too) about a nuclear secret japan submarine wich goes rogue and declares itself a nation called Yamato to protect the world against the nuclear threat the US and USSR represent..


Last resort goes about a ficticial Ohio class boomer wich receeves orders to launch a nuclear strike , the Captain and XO concuur to confirm it , and when they refuse to launch unless order is confirmed throught the proper chanel , other US forces attack then. Given for death they retreat to a french island in the indian ocean where they are attacked again and they declare a 200m exclusion zone threating to attack with nukes anyone attacking the island until the issue is resolved..


Well sounds good... tought what i saw in the pilot wasnt much good yet... i will watch the next episodes but its like judging by the enormous amount of plot holes and goofs in the pilot things doesnt look like going for better..

now dive dive dive:

winna

Avatar Czar
DOOP Ubersecretary
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« Reply #1 on: 10-25-2012 13:40 »

Sounds like the show is unfortunately ridiculous.  I noticed the commercials and I was already pretty far on the fence.

I don't see why nuclear subs would need the president to launch.  I mean, as mobile nuclear platforms that hide out in dark corners of the globe, I assumed part of their mission is to function somewhat on their own in the most dire of consequences, including the removal of top authority (ie the president, etc.) in really critical situations.  I suppose that might be too much power for one submarine to have by itself though.
Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #2 on: 10-25-2012 16:39 »

I don't see why nuclear subs would need the president to launch.  I mean, as mobile nuclear platforms that hide out in dark corners of the globe, I assumed part of their mission is to function somewhat on their own in the most dire of consequences, including the removal of top authority (ie the president, etc.) in really critical situations.  I suppose that might be too much power for one submarine to have by itself though.

That was the game in the 70-80 and most of 90s .. but in the end it was decided that it was in fact too dangerous to left nuclear weapons at the disposal of just one crew.. its extremely unlikelly that someone can on their own or even with some few allies trigger boomer missiles.. but just in case why not delegate the final button to the person in charge? That also avoids confusions and miss interpretations..

In crimson tide for example they get a launch order, and just when they are reciving a second order they get attacked and lost comunications with the rest of the world ... so they have a valid launch order and not abort order and no way to quickly veryfy it.. making the system so it requires the direct command from the president finishes ambiguities or the posibility of not being able to abort.

Also unlike in this series launching nukes even in the old times doesnt require just 2 keys... there are up to 5 keys to insert , it requieres the active confirmation and cooperation of the weapons officer and tactical officer too. Even russian subs had a similar system ... actually Crimson Tide was insipired by an incident in the cuban missile crisis.. a russian sub was deep charged by accident by US forces and lost comunications , the captain interpretated it as the start of world war III and wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo at the blockade fleet that fired on them and the political officer agreed with them , but the XO Vasily Arkhipov refused to carry the order and he prevented the launch until they surfaced and got confirmation from Moscow of not firing.. at that time (1962) it was just necesary in soviet ships that all 3 superior officers (captain, XO and political officer or Zampolit) agreed
winna

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« Reply #3 on: 10-26-2012 01:23 »

I guess that does make most sense.  I would have expected a requirement of more than 2 keys as well.

Thanks for the correction and explanation.  I haven't actually seen/read Red October or Crimson Tide.  I had heard about the nuclear sub crisis and the man who prevented nuclear WWIII though.  There's a third Russian almost nuclear war scenario that occurred, but I'm not sure which one that was.
Tachyon

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« Reply #4 on: 10-26-2012 11:03 »


I worked with many ex-nukes (submariners on boomers). IF a missile was spun up and IF it already had the targeting loaded and IF certain other things were done and the ONLY thing left was to turn the firing keys (one of the keys was a button on a cord with a guard covering it) the key interlocks could have been bypassed and the missile launched if a couple of people were sufficiently determined.  In practice, a missile would never be that close to launch, though.

Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #5 on: 10-26-2012 14:09 »

EP2:

What ? Spetsnazs sent to capture the sub? it wasnt good that US was the enemy, now they had to get russia between with such stupid and lame plot? and did they really espected to capture an Ohio class with just 5 or 6 Spetsnazs? did they espect 5 or 6 soldiers to command a nuclear sub that probably needs way more people just for controling the reactor alone to sail a boomer out of an island blockaded and controled by the entire US Navy?

This is becaming funny now
Tweek

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« Reply #6 on: 10-26-2012 16:54 »

This sounds so terrible that it might be hilarious :laff:
Frisco17

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« Reply #7 on: 10-27-2012 00:25 »

This sounds every bit as terrible as I expected it to be.
~FazeShift~

Moderator
DOOP Ubersecretary
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« Reply #8 on: 10-27-2012 00:29 »

You military nerds have the burden of knowledge.
Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #9 on: 10-27-2012 02:37 »

You military nerds have the burden of knowledge.

I guess its like when we computer guys see anything related to computer in hollywood movies... (or most kinds of visual works)
Zed 85

Space Pope
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« Reply #10 on: 10-27-2012 08:57 »

Same with history "nerds" too I'd say.
Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
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« Reply #11 on: 10-29-2012 08:37 »

EP3: Oh... so the stereotipical mafia mob boss now not only thinks he can use a US nuclear sub for himself, but now he begin executing crew to make a point? I allready laughted in first ep when he tried to make conditions on the entire crew of a US Navy sub wich also has a SEAL team on board (sort of) ... and now thinks executing crew members will make them scared of him?

EP4: Ok this moved on a bit better.... but still i dont know what the hell is going on... i mean i know but i dont see where they are going ... i will explain in the chain of events

-USS Colorado picks SEAL after some mission in Pakistan wich has something to to with events that follow
-USS Colorado is given launch order by secondary channel
-Captain and XO request formal confirmation of launch order throught primary chanel since DC is not destroyed (the event for what secondary channels were created)
-US Navy attacks the Colorado with no warning following the formal request
-US Navy ships nuke Pakistan
-USS Colorado escapes to island, takes on NATO station
-US forces launch nuclear bombers to nuke island
-USS Colorado launchs ICBM at DC, programed so it detonates way far of the coast as a warning to avoid attacks on the island
-Captain makes a public speach denouncing the events , it goes wide open

Ok now... why are things not moving... its not like this is all secret and the quest is to reveal it isnt.. i mean.. the Captain and XO had a valid and legal reason to question the launch order , they got fired on by other US ships.. that alone is enought to make a huge scandal and have big parts of US forces / goberment to openly support them... and its not like its secret.. it was aired wide open internationally..
so why nobody is making anything? the show tells that NATO and worldwide forces are allready condenning the nuclear attack on Pakistan.. its not like they would automatically condemn a captain that refused to attack and got fired on..

I know its plot ... but so far its not making much sense...

Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #12 on: 11-02-2012 09:38 »

EP 5 made more sense... we are finally moving in a direction..


but..  the direction they moved in means this can be actually quite good (or not even following the direction) or its going to be utterly lame..

I explain... (spoilers) , clearly something happent involving the SEAL team wich provoqued the nuke.. something also happent so someone ordered to fire against a US ship wich requested confirmation of nuclear launch orders (*) .. the Captain as said has gone public world wide.. its not like a secret issue, that was quite a game changer (usually this crisis thriller shows work underground with the good guys goal to go public and have the bad military/political to get prosecuted , here its been done on day one) but nobody was aparently doing much..

Now the admirall revealed to Chaplin that all arround the world allies are siding against the nuclear attack on Pakistan , in US itself a lot of staf is siding against the president due to the aparently unjustified attack and the Colorado is seen as the last stand wich stops the president , or some other influencial force to move further.. and the goberment seems determinated to prefer killing the Colorado before reaching any acords with them..

so .. this can be a good crisis thriller ... but what i habe seen so far more clearly sugest a lame or non existant stupid explanation wich wont go too far


The problem is that this show is perfect for a miniseries or a 1 season series... and they will drag it too long im afraid..

The combat between the 3 subs was utterly confusing... i know what they did but still dont know how it worked or what was the relative position of any of the ships... it was an utter mess

Also... giving the crew the chance to go home voluntarelly was quite a good move.. but forcing the reactor chief to stay? its against their own logic..  also unless the other/s qualified guy/s died in the initial attack (wich left 12 death including the SEAL leader) in a sub there is never an irremplazable person in a sub.. specially in one wich is suposed to be the last line of defense against an attack and goes in 6 month long patrols
Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #13 on: 12-02-2012 18:37 »

Well its oficial.. Last Resort has been cancelled.. or better put.. not renewed..

They has completed 13 episodes for the classic "13 episode pilot season" so still 5 eps to go..

Now they say they are tweaking the final episode to do a series finale.

I said that this series plot was for a short run or change direction dramatically.. now i think this will end quite badly ... im 90% sure they had some lost type mega-cliffhanger for the final episode hoping to get renewed and hook audience into a second season..

now thats not going to happen.. so unless they had tought about that and made a 13 episode that works as a total final.. i dont see this to fix well..

Javier Lopez

Urban Legend
***
« Reply #14 on: 01-26-2013 03:18 »

Well thats it.. show's over


I have to admit that the ending was way better than expected.. it was quite rushed but as said the show was cancelled and they had to tweak the season finale into a series finale.. and i had guessed it wasnt possible to tweak a cliffhanger into a finale.. well they managed to did it.. and it was inevitable for it to feel rushed as it was added in short time ...

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