JAG is a military drama about an elite legal wing of United States military officers, trained as lawyers, who investigate and prosecute those accused of crimes in the United States Navy and Marine Corps. The crimes include espionage, homicide, terrorism, hostage situations, conspiracies, and more. The investigations take the crew all over the world in search of the truth

As the fifth season of JAG opens, Harmon "Harm" Rabb (David James Elliott) is no longer with JAG. During season four he had been cured of night blindness and resumed his career as a fighter pilot. However, he soon realizes that as good as he is, the time away from the cockpit has cost him any real meaningful career as a pilot — his place is with JAG. It should be noted that the first few episodes when Harm has resumed his flying carrier provide some standout moments during JAG's fifth season. In the season opener, "King of the Greenie Board," Harm does his level best to try to rein in a young hot shot pilot. Unfortunately in the next episode, "Rules of Engagement" Harm is forced to defend the young flier after he mistakenly shoots down some Russian peacekeepers.

When Harm does return to JAG, he finds things have changed a lot. Sarah "Mac" MacKenzie (Catherine Bell), promoted to Lt. Colonel and now the JAG chief of staff, has taken over his old office. Lt. Commander Bud Roberts Jr. (Patrick Labyorteaux) has become a seasoned lawyer now trying cases. His wife Harriet (Karri Turner) has just given birth to their first child and is serving on a limited basis in the Naval Reserve. Gunnery Sgt. Victor "Gunny" Galindez (Randy Vasquez) is the new guy, a tough Marine in charge of running the office and helping to investigate cases.

The fifth season follows JAG's successful formula of mixing investigation, high court drama, and action. Several episodes during season successfully combine all three elements to create noteworthy experiences. "Rogue" is a story in which Bud Roberts is assigned as the legal attaché to a Special Forces unit that gets over-zealous after their funding is cut. They go against their bosses and take a nuclear submarine hostage with Bud aboard. As a result, the Navy faces a possible terrorist attack. In "The Bridge at Kang So Ri", Harm and Mac are assigned to investigate charges that American GIs shot and killed civilians during the Korean war. They board a commercial flight to Seoul, along with a former soldier who claims to have taken part in the killings. En route, Korean terrorists take over the plane, set on punishing those responsible for the alleged war crimes.