Skeleton Crew: The Pirate’s Code, Explained

Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Episode 7, “We’re Gonna Be in So Much Trouble.”

The Pirate’s Code once again plays an important part in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew this week, reconciling our young heroes with their estranged first mate, SM-33. So, what is Skeleton Crew‘s Pirate’s Code, and which organizations in the Star Wars universe are bound by it?

What Is the Pirate’s Code in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew?

The Pirate’s Code in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is exactly what it sounds like: a set of rules and protocols that governs how buccaneers in a galaxy far, far away operate. If you’ve seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, you get the general gist. As in that franchise, Skeleton Crew‘s Code primarily regulates how pirates behave toward each other, and grants them certain rights when things get dicey between captain and crew.

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That’s why Jod Na Nawood doesn’t have to kill Fern when he challenges her for control of the Onyx Cinder in Skeleton Crew Episode 5: because the Code allows for mutinies that end with the incumbent captain keeping their life, provided they yield. The Pirate’s Code also applies when crew members are put on trial. We see this during Jod’s hearing in Episode 6, when the Code’s provision for equal speaking time and its Right of Last Appeal let him talk his one-time crew around.

Do Other Star Wars Pirates Follow the Pirate’s Code?

So, Jod Na Nawood, SM-33, Brutus, and Skeleton Crew‘s other pirates all follow the Code – what about Star Wars‘ wider stable of corsair characters? Are they Code-followers, too? Presumably, yes. That said, since Skeleton Crew Episode 5 marks the Code’s first appearance in pre or post-Disney Star Wars canon, which of a galaxy far, far away’s outlaws observe the Code remains up in the air for now.

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Similarly, we don’t yet know for certain whether the Pirate’s Code is an ancient tradition or a relatively recent invention. Skeleton Crew arguably implies the former, however, there’s no concrete evidence that the Code isn’t something peculiar to pirates active during the show’s post-Return of the Jedi setting. Here’s hoping Skeleton Crew‘s eighth and final episode sheds more light on the subject!

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is currently streaming on Disney+, with its eighth and final episode dropping Tuesday, Jan. 14.