See full version: An ode to Hector Barbossa, the true captain of the Black Pearl
Jack Sparrow, the wily, morally ambiguous pirate with a Keith Richards gait, was an immediate audience favorite, as tweens experienced their first bad boy crush in a family movie based on a ride at Disney World. But the franchise overlords were wrong to make Jack the de facto star of the series. The true edgy bad boy deserving of attention, and the command of the Black Pearl, was Captain Hector Barbossa.
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures [links]
Along with Jack Sparrow and Jack’s friend and first mate, Joshamee Gibbs, Barbossa is one of only three main characters to appear in all five Pirates movies. He’s introduced as the main antagonist and captain of the Black Pearl, though as the perpetually knowledgeable Gibbs explains, Barbossa once served as Jack Sparrow’s first mate aboard the ship. After Jack shared the location of the treasure they were hunting, Barbossa organized a mutiny and marooned his captain on a deserted island. Ironically, however, the Aztec gold they plundered turned out to be cursed, dooming Barbossa and his crew to remain undead until they returned all of the medallions along with a blood sacrifice.
Reader, I screamed. Barbossa’s return meant we were in for one of my favorite movie tropes: former enemies teaming up. In the third Pirates of the Caribbean movie, At World’s End, the newly revived Barbossa rescues Jack (and his beloved ship) from the purgatory-like state of Davy Jones’ Locker. Once they become allies (though of course, each has his own private agenda) the contrast between Captains Barbossa and Sparrow is at its most pronounced. Each embodies the pirate ethos of self-preservation and -enrichment. But where Jack Sparrow is characterized by a loose, stumbling nature, Barbossa is tight and controlled. It’s hard to imagine Barbossa letting himself get tricked into passing out in a drunken stupor. He knows exactly what he wants: to captain the Black Pearl, amass a horde of treasure, and eat bushels of apples. more
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures more
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures
Photo: Walt Disney Pictures [links]
Like all mariners, pirates were a superstitious bunch, and they believed that women on board a ship would always bring bad luck. They made one exception: wooden women were allowed, but only if they were nailed to the bow as a figurehead. Mariners believed the eyes of the figurehead would help their ship to find its way at sea. [1]
Although earlier ships had often had some form of bow ornamentation (e.g. the Viking ships of ca. A.D. 800–1100), the general practice was introduced with the galleons of the 16th century, as the figurehead as such could not come to be until ships had an actual head structure on which to place it.
The figurehead of the Silent Mary. [links]
The figurehead of the Silent Mary comes to life.
In his original appearance, Captain Redbeard has a black bicorne printed with a white Jolly Roger. He was the first minifigure ever to bear a hook hand and a peg leg, breaking from the traditional minifigure mold. He wears earth orange epaulets as a shoulder accessory. His black torso is decorated with a yellow-trimmed captain's coat, a green shirt and cravat, and two brown leather belts. His face features his eponymous red beard, as well as an eyepatch over his left eye.
LEGO Racers - Captain Redbeard's Opening
From a number of sources, Captain Redbeard has an extensive family tree. Flatfoot Thompson is his great-nephew according to LEGO Mania Magazine. [1] In the 4+ continuity, Redbeard is the brother of Captain Kragg. In the lore of LEGO Quest & Collect, Captain Redbeard met an expert swordswoman and sired twin daughters, Pirate Princess Argenta and Ms. Dagger; Redbeard also has a son, Nobeard, whom he banished for being unable to grow a beard.
Jack Sparrow and the new crew of the Black Pearl.
Jack and Barbossa arguing over captaining the Pearl. here
Captain Jack Sparrow and his crew would embark on many adventures for the next year. However, their freedom wouldn't last too long, as Jack's debt with Davy Jones was due, having received the Black Spot from former crewmember Bootstrap Bill Turner who was now aligned with Jones. Jack's only hope was to find the fabled Dead Man's Chest, which lied the heart of Davy Jones. The search would end with a disgraced Norrington, who briefly served aboard the Pearl, stealing the heart, and the Kraken dragging the Pearl to the depths, along with its captain. [6] here
The crew of the Black Pearl [1] was a pirate crew that served aboard the infamous pirate ship known as the Black Pearl. Having embarked on many an adventure, the crew operated across the Seven Seas, most notably in the Caribbean.
This crew was under the command of Captain Jack Sparrow when the Black Pearl left from Tortuga to find the Treasure of Cortés, located on the mysterious "island of the dead" known as Isla de Muerta. During the voyage, Jack gave up the bearings to his first mate, Hector Barbossa, who soon led a mutiny against Jack. The crew marooned Jack on a desert island, with a pistol with a single shot, and left him to die. [5] more
This crew were recruited by Jack Sparrow, with the assistance of Joshamee Gibbs, during his helping of Will Turner in his attempt to save Elizabeth Swann from the clutches of Barbossa's crew. By the time of the battle of the Isla de Muerta, the crew was imprisoned aboard the Pearl, until Elizabeth came to save them. After which, they took the Pearl for themselves, leaving Jack, who was able to kill Barbossa, at the mercy of the British Royal Navy, led by Commodore James Norrington. The crew later had the Black Pearl arrive to Port Royal to save Jack from his appointment at the gallows, giving him command aboard the Pearl once again. [5] here