JAG (season 9)

JAG (season 9)
Starring	David James Elliott Catherine Bell Patrick Labyorteaux John M. Jackson Scott Lawrence Zoe McLellan Karri Turner Randy Vasquez
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	23
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 26, 2003 – May 21, 2004
Season chronology

The ninth season of JAG premiered on CBS on September 26, 2003, and concluded on May 21, 2004. The season, starring David James Elliott and Catherine Bell, was produced by Belisarius Productions in association with CBS Productions.

JAG Season 9 aired alongside NCIS (season 1).

Plot

Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr. (David James Elliott) and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie (Catherine Bell) are lawyers assigned to the Judge Advocate General Corps, the elite legal arm of the United States Naval and Marine forces. Mac, a seasoned Marine and JAG's Chief of Staff, is a lawyer-by-trade, while Harm, a former Tomcat pilot, turned to law following a crash at sea. Together, they investigate numerous cases, including espionage ("A Tangled Webb"), a death in combat ("The One That Got Away"), an Islamic conversion at sea ("Touchdown"), the death of an Iraqi prisoner ("The Boast"), and a Quaker who feels the Navy contradicts his fundamental religious beliefs ("Posse Comitatus"). Also this season, Harm departs JAG ("Shifting Sands") and is recruited by the CIA ("Secret Agent Man"), Commander Carolyn Imes (Dana Sparks) reveals she has faked her legal credentials ("Back in the Saddle"), the Secretary (Dean Stockwell) is held accountable for deaths of foreign soil ("People v. SecNav"), the team reflect on what could have been ("What If?"), Mac must track down seized heroin ("Trojan Horse"), and Harriet (Karri Turner) is given a commendation. Also, Bud (Patrick Labyorteaux) is promoted to Lieutenant Commander, the Admiral (John M. Jackson) retires, and Harm and Mac consider their future ("Hail and Farewell").

Production

During season nine, actor John M. Jackson "decided to "retire" from his long-running role on the series".^[1] The character of A.J. Chegwidden retired during the season finale,^[2] and was replaced by David Andrews as Colonel Gordon Cresswell.

Cast and characters

Main cast

• David James Elliott as Commander Harmon Rabb, Jr.
• Catherine Bell as Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie
• Patrick Labyorteaux as Lieutenant Bud Roberts
• John M. Jackson as Rear Admiral A. J. Chegwidden

Also starring

• Zoe McLellan as Petty Officer Jennifer Coates
• Scott Lawrence as Commander Sturgis Turner
• Karri Turner as Lieutenant Harriet Sims
• Randy Vasquez as Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez

Recurring cast

• Chuck Carrington as Petty Officer Jason Tiner
• Steven Culp as CIA Officer Clayton Webb
• Dean Stockwell as Secretary Edward Sheffield
• Michael Bellisario as Midshipman Michael Roberts
• Claudette Nevins as NSA Agent Porter Webb
• Dana Sparks as Commander Carolyn Imes
• Harrison Page as Rear Admiral Stiles Morris
• Jameson Parker as CIA Director Harrison Kershaw
• Laura Putney as CIA Attorney Catherine Gale
• Hallee Hirsh as Mattie Johnson

Guest cast

• Andrea Thompson as Rear Admiral Alison Krennick

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code
183	1	"A Tangled Webb (Part II)"	Bradford May	Stephen Zito	September 26, 2003	183
Harm and Mac must escape pursuers determined to kill them, while also sorting through their feelings. Gunny Galindez must get an injured Webb to a hospital before he dies. At the end of the episode, there is a tribute to the late Trevor Goddard.
184	2	"Shifting Sands"	Jeannot Szwarc	Dana Coen	October 3, 2003	184
Harm returns to Washington and finds that the Admiral has processed his resignation. Harm visits Webb in the hospital and takes a job flying for the CIA. A Navy Petty Officer believed killed in the Gulf War turns up married to a local Bedouin sheik and is charged with desertion, aiding the enemy, and treason for supplying Saddam's regime with intel against U.S. troop movements.
185	3	"Secret Agent Man"	Bradford May	Darcy Meyers	October 10, 2003	185
Harm is recruited by the CIA and his first mission is to drop a bugged limo in the Philippines, but he and his partner end up as impromptu field agents trying to stop an anti-U.S. bombing. Mikey Roberts asks for advice from Mac when he is asked to testify at an honor code hearing. Bud and Harriet have a party after their son is born.
186	4	"The One That Got Away"	Kenneth Johnson	Thomas L. Moran	October 17, 2003	186
While conducting a flight test in the experimental Aurora spy plane, Harm and his co-pilot must conduct a surprise mission over North Korea. Mac deals with a Marine who let a 10-year-old Iraqi boy leave a combat area unhindered, which led to the boy notifying Iraqi fighters of the Marines' position and then the deaths of two Marines. The main plot is based on the incident surrounding Bravo Two Zero, an 8-man British Army SAS patrol that was inserted behind Iraqi lines with the task of destroying Scud missile launchers and ended up being compromised during Operation Desert Storm.
187	5	"Touchdown"	Dennis Smith	Matt Witten	October 24, 2003	187
Mac is asked to defend a sailor accused of working with al-Qaeda after converting to Islam, leading to fraught interactions in court with Turner when Sturgis doesn't have any issues with the sailor's (deserved) guilt and life sentence being earned via a foreign government's torture of a suspect. Harm's mission to extract an agent from Libya goes awry when the man wants his family evacuated as well, and he attempts the impossible by landing his C-130 Hercules on board the USS Seahawk, which appears to be the only safe landing point. After successfully landing the C-130 on the deck of the USS Seahawk, Harm is inadvertently shown on ZNN, which puts his CIA career at risk. This landing of a C-130 on an aircraft carrier is based on a true incident.
188	6	"Back in the Saddle"	Kenneth Johnson	Stephen Zito	October 31, 2003	188
Fired from the CIA (after he was seen on TV in "Touchdown"), Harm takes a job as a crop-duster. He meets Mattie, a 14-year-old tomboy and owner/operator of "Grace Aviation". Mac and Bud are surprised when a former colleague, who returns to JAG as Harm's replacement, reveals that her law credentials are fake. The Admiral asks the Secretary of the Navy to reinstate Harm's commission due to the massive backlog created from Commander Caroline Imes' failure to pass the bar exam and having to review all her previous cases.
189	7	"Close Quarters"	Bradford May	Dana Coen	November 7, 2003	189
Sturgis must determine the intent of 10 North Koreans rescued by an American sub when their vessel sinks while dealing with an angry Korean-American officer and a possible SARS outbreak. Harm helps out a veteran who was part of the Great Lakes Experience.
190	8	"Posse Comitatus"	Stephen Cragg	Paul Levine	November 14, 2003	190
Harm and Mac investigate a Marine AH-1 SuperCobra helicopter pilot who intervened in a local law-enforcement hostage situation and fired on civilians in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act. Bud helps a Naval Reserve physician who claims that his Quaker beliefs make him unsuited to remain in the service.
191	9	"The Boast"	Bradford May	Matt Witten	November 21, 2003	191
Mac investigates when a Marine is accused of boasting about killing an Iraqi prisoner. Harm and the Admiral witness a Navy pitcher hit a Marine batter during a friendly baseball game, leading to the pitcher being charged with assault.
192	10	"Pulse Rate"	LeVar Burton	Darcy Meyers	December 2, 2003	192
When a sailor is killed while repairing a radar dish, Harm and Mac must determine if his death was an accident.
193	11	"A Merry Little Christmas"	Bradford May	Stephen Zito	December 12, 2003	193
Harm's attempts to become Mattie's legal guardian (from "Back In The Saddle") are complicated due to his single status and lifestyle. Turner finds a new girlfriend in the form of a USO vocalist. Sims manages to complete her OIG assignment. The Admiral has difficulties in giving a present to his girlfriend in time for Christmas but Coates manages to help out. After a Christmas sermon from Rev. Turner, Mac brings Mattie to Harm at the Vietnam Wall after convincing Mattie's father to allow Harm to be her guardian.
194	12	"A Girl's Best Friend"	James Keach	Darcy Meyers	January 9, 2004	194
The admiral's investigation into Meredith's diamond engagement ring leads to an international smuggling operation involving blood diamonds, while Harm adjusts to having Mattie around full-time and rents a neighboring apartment for Mattie and Coates. The admiral's investigation leads him to the Naval Research Laboratory and a lieutenant smuggling lab-made diamonds on the black market. Meredith cheats on the admiral with a fellow professor from Italy.
195	13	"Good Intentions"	Michael Fresco	Thomas L. Moran	January 16, 2004	195
Mac must defend a petty officer accused of murdering a female officer, but the man has no memory of the night in question, while a Navy SEAL who purchased nerve gas needs Bud's help to avoid prison.
196	14	"People v. SecNav"	Dennis Smith	Larry Moskowitz	February 6, 2004	196
When Iraqi civilians are killed in a bombing raid conducted by Navy fighters flying off the USS Enterprise, Secretary of the Navy Edward Sheffield (Dean Stockwell) agrees, in a calculated political move, to stand before the International Criminal Court in The Hague, and he wants the best litigators JAG has to offer defending him on foreign soil. A babysitting incident creates a rift between Bud and his brother Mikey.
197	15	"Crash"	Bradford May	Matt Witten	February 13, 2004	197
A crash aboard an aircraft carrier appears to be a case of the pilot committing suicide, and Harm and Mac face off when Mac wants to hold the pilot's CO responsible.
198	16	"Persian Gulf"	Kenneth Johnson	Philip DeGuere, Jr.	February 20, 2004	198
The terrorist who held Mac and Webb prisoner in Paraguay returns, and Mac must determine what he wants with her. Harm suffers temporary deafness when his car battery explodes in his face, courtesy of Sadik Fahd. After a bit of hand-to-hand combat, Mac shoots and kills Sadik before he can destroy an American nightclub.
199	17	"Take It Like a Man"	David James Elliott	Darcy Meyers	February 27, 2004	199
A former marine is accused of Stolen Valor after claiming an unearned Silver Star from Panama, 1989. The fallout from Mac's killing Sadik Fahd (from "Persian Gulf") affects her ability to work on the stolen valor case. Mattie continues to work through her feelings about her father. (The episode finishes when Mac says "He hurt someone I love" and Webb thinks she means him, when she really meant Harm for the battery explosion).
200	18	"What If?"	Kenneth Johnson	Stephen Zito & Don McGill	March 12, 2004	200
As the JAG team celebrates Coates's promotion to Petty Officer First Class, a glance at an alternate reality finds Harm and Mac as a bitter divorced couple regularly berating each other, the admiral a civilian prosecutor, Bud a hot-tub salesman, Sturgis as the manager for his fiancée, Varese, Coates back to her old habits as a master thief, and Harriet a well-to-do but lonely socialite.
201	19	"Hard Time"	Bradford May	Dana Coen	April 2, 2004	201
Mac gets a handful of trouble when she is assigned to guard a female Marine prisoner (who meets every single 'angry black woman' stereotype) after being critical of the Marines originally assigned to the task. A Navy senior chief who contracted HIV after supposedly getting a blood transfusion in Africa seeks help after being exposed by his commanding officer. The admiral ends his engagement to Meredith. Guest-stars Dennis Haskins.
202	20	"Fighting Words"	Jeannot Szwarc	Matt Witten	April 30, 2004	203
Harm and Mac square off over a Marine general who spoke about the War on Terror and equated Islam with Satan, and Sturgis must deal with the complaint of anti-Korean bias against him from "Close Quarters". Bud successfully gets the complaint against Cdr. Turner dropped and regains the level of friendship and professional trust lost in the earlier case.
203	21	"Coming Home"	Bradford May	Stephen Zito	May 7, 2004	202
Harm helps a woman whose son was killed in action in Iraq, while Mac and Bud investigate why the armor given to the troops fails to protect them.
204	22	"Trojan Horse"	Peter Ellis	Darcy Meyers	May 14, 2004	204
When a kilo of heroin seized during a SEAL operation goes missing, Harm and Mac must determine where it went. The intrigue is compounded by the presence of a British MI6 agent, Simon Tanveer. Bud defends a Marine who won an American Idol-type competition, only to have the record company object when he is deployed.
205	23	"Hail and Farewell (Part I)"	Dennis Smith	Dana Coen	May 21, 2004	205
Harriet is given a commendation for her work with the USO tour and announces her pregnancy with twins and resignation from JAG for the IRR. Cmdr. Turner goes to sea to investigate the deaths of 6 people; one of whom is Webb. The Admiral announces his retirement as Judge Advocate General of the Navy. Mac undergoes an exploratory laparoscopy, and the news is not good (details not revealed until episode 10:10). Harm discovers that Mattie's father was not drunk when her mother died and must let her go back to live with him. Harm and Mac attend Admiral Chegwidden's dining out and once again discuss their relationship and how the 5-year pact they made has come due. The Admiral's final act as an officer is to promote Bud to Lieutenant Commander.

References

1. "- What happened to John M. Jackson's character, Admiral...". tribunedigital-chicagotribune.
2. "USATODAY.com - 'JAG' stars ready for another TV tour of duty".