After the destruction of the American submarine in The Thing from Another World the Erskine-Thing assimilates a fish which is then unwittingly caught in the nets of the Gettysburg. One of its crew Simon Powell is rapidly assimilated and the ship proceeds northwards to the town of Wallace Harbour in Stewart Island, New Zealand. Once there, the Powell-Thing proceeds to murder and feed on several locals, leading to the ship being impounded until the culprit has been found. During the course of the series Wallace Harbour is burned to the ground and the survivors - R.J. MacReady and the Jenny-Thing board the Gettysburg. In a bid to destroy the Thing, MacReady sabotages the ship's boiler and the ship violently explodes.