The Final Ships: Military Criticism and Redemption in Post-Cataclysmic Narratives

"The Final Ships: Military Criticism and Redemption in Post-Cataclysmic Narratives," was a presentation given at the annual Popular Culture Association conference in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 30, 2018. This paper argues that Post-apocalyptic stories show the end of the world as we know it and reveal what might come next; post-cataclysmic stories hover on the brink of doom, but offer the hope of restoration and recovery the end of the world is an allegorical tool that allows critique of social and political institutions while also allowing respect for the service of individuals. The reimagined Battlestar Galactica and The Last Ship present themes critical of government leadership and the military’s role in legal and human rights violations, but these shows also suggest how the the military as an institution might be redeemed.