How Rachel Scott Exited The Last Ship (& Why Rhona Mitra Left)

Rachel Scott was a major character on The Last Ship for the first two seasons and here's how the character exited and why Rhona Mitra left the show.

Why did Rhona Mitra leave The Last Ship and how did Dr. Rachel Scott exit the TNT series? The Last Ship is adapted from the 1980s post-apocalyptic novel of the same name, with the show following the crew of the USS Nathan James returning home from maneuvers in the Arctic, only to learn the world has been torn apart by a virus. The ship's Commander Chandler (Eric Dane) must work with his crew and Dr. Rachel Scott (Rhona Mitra), to find a cure for the virus. The Last Ship ran for five seasons and was produced by Michael Bay, but while there was plenty of action and explosives the show featured some great characters too.The first couple of seasons of The Last Ship focused on the race for a cure, while later seasons explored how the world rebuilt itself in the aftermath. While some major characters survived the final season, it's doubtful the show will be revived, considering the Nathan James itself was sunk in The Last Ship finale. However, one character who sadly departed long before The Last Ship's final season was Rachel Scott herself. One of the most important characters on the show, and a fan favorite herself, when Dr. Scott died, it really shook things up in the series. But, why did Rhona Mitra leave The Last Ship and was it on good terms or not?

What Happened To Rachel Scott?

After a strong The Last Ship season 1 finale, the finale of season 2 saw the crew succeed in their efforts to find a cure. However, a group of zealots dubbed the Immunes, who are naturally resistant to the virus, believe they've been selected to survive. They try to undermine efforts to distribute it. In the final scenes, the crew is in a hotel to attend the inaugural ball for President Michener (Mark Moses). The team celebrates while Chandler and Scott share a possibly romantic moment before she walks back to her room. It is at this moment that an Immune called Curtis shoots her. This is huge because Scott is who eventually managed to create the cure as well as the vaccine.

This scene was filmed in such a way that kept Scott's fate ambiguous, but the premiere of The Last Ship season 3 confirmed her death. In the months following her demise, Scott became a revered figure around the world, her picture put onto the new ration books to commemorate her actions in saving humanity. The showrunners said her death was meant to haunt Chandler and the crew in season 3 and affect their thinking. Since she wasn't seen dying onscreen and the character didn't get a funeral, fans still hoped Dr. Scott might have survived. However, she did die and this made things tough when someone created an "anti-cure" in season 3.

What Rhona Mitra Said About Leaving The Last Ship

While it was clear why Dr. Scott left the series, one other question remained. Why did actor Rhona Mitra leave The Last Ship? Mitra, who was a main cast member since the first Last Ship episode, revealed her character's fate on Twitter in 2016. Not only that, but it sounds like Mitra didn't leave the show on good terms. "Ok. Let's put this to bed Last Ship fans. Rachel is never coming back. No one gets to decide that but me. Love you all. But not happening," she wrote. From that statement, it sounds like it was either Mitra's idea to leave the show, or she refused to come back after Dr. Scott was shot.

Neither the actor nor the showrunners have given a definitive reason for why did Rhona Mitra leave The Last Ship, though social media posts by the actress suggest it may not have been amicable. When it comes to the character of Dr. Scott, co-showrunner Steven Kane said: "We felt that the challenge for Chandler and the world with Rachel gone was that much greater, and her shadow cast across Season 3 would give her in some ways more of an immortality" (via TV Line). It sounds like Kane just spoke about Scott while Mitra hinted at an acronymous exit. The Last Ship definitely missed Scott as a character following her exit, and Mitra has since moved on.