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"Set topsails and clear up this mess."
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Commander Richard Prescott.

Commander Richard Prescott.

"I'm the captain of the Dutchman."
"This is not your world now, Jones. I am your commander."
―Davy Jones and Cutler Beckett[src]

A Commander was the lowest formal rank of a captain in the British Royal Navy. The rank was also used by the Spanish Royal Navy during the quest for the Shadow Gold.

History

"Your commander knows that we are here."
―Hector Barbossa to Tai Huang[src]

In reality, the rank of Commander is only temporary as it only exists in times of war. In times of peace, a Commander reverts back to the rank of lieutenant or lieutenant commander. The first permanent rank of captain is the Master and Commander, which is followed by the Post Captain. The rank before Post Captain is commodore.[citation needed]

During the Age of Piracy, one of the most important guidelines in the Pirate Code was the Right of Parlay, coming from the French word parler–to speak–was a right granted to all pirates, enabling them to carry a vital message directly and in person to the very enemy commander who threatened their life.[1] Davy Jones, the cursed captain of the Flying Dutchman, was also considered the commander of the oceans.[2][3] After acquiring the heart of Davy Jones, Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Company declared himself Jones's commander.[4]

Behind the scenes

"I give the orders on this ship."
"You're the Commander. He's the Captain. You tell him what to do, but he give the orders. And he says he needs Jack at his side."
―Mercer and Jack Sparrow[src] (original screenplay)

Commanders were first detailed in the reference book Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide.[2]

In Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's early screenplay draft for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, after Mercer said that he gave the orders on the Flying Dutchman, Sparrow said he was the Commander, while Davy Jones was the Captain.[5] While the word "command" was used in the film, notably by Mercer to Jones, the title of "Commander" was never uttered in the final cut of the film.[6]

In Pirates of the Caribbean Online, Commander was the third rank a player could earn in Privateering Infamy. The game also featured weapons called Commander's Sabre and Commander's Cutlass.[7]

Historically, in the Royal Navy this rank was known as Master and Commander until 1794.[citation needed]

Appearances

Sources

External links

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, pp. 10-11: "The Pirata Codex"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Visual Guide, pp. 50-51: "Jack's Bargain"
  3. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, pp. 50-51: "Jack's Bargain"
  4. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Penguin Readers), p. 3
  5. ↑ PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, original draft
  6. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
  7. ↑ Pirates of the Caribbean Online