Space pirates are a type of

stock character A stock character, also known as a character archetype, is a fictional character in a work of art such as a novel, play, or a film whom audiences recognize from frequent recurrences in a particular literary tradition. There is a wide range of s ...

from

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

. A take on the traditional seafaring

pirates Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...

of history or the fictional

air pirate Air pirates (or sky pirates) are a class of stock character from science fiction and fantasy. Description Such characters typically operate as pirates in the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet or moon, and travel by ...

s of the 19th century, space pirates travel through

outer space Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...

. Where traditional pirates target sailing ships, space pirates serve a similar role in sci-fi media: they capture and plunder spacecraft for cargo, loot and occasionally steal spacecraft, and kill or enslave the crewmembers and passengers.

In science fiction

The archetype evolved from the air pirate trope popular from the turn of the century until the 1920s. By the 1930s, space pirates were recurring villains in the Buck Rogers comic strip. However, their dress and speech may vary; it may correspond to the particular author's vision of the future, rather than their seafaring precursors. On the other hand, space pirates may be modeled after stereotypical sea pirates. They may be humans who originate from Earth or a specific race of aliens. Space pirates are common in

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, it features technological and soc ...

and soft science fiction, including within Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

narratives and erotica.

1920s to the 1960s

In 1925, Hugo Gernsback's science fiction novel, '' Ralph 124C 41+'' featured a space pirate as a character. The book centers around a love story between the protagonist, Ralph and a civil scientist, with a space pirate from Mars also "vying for her affections," part of the scientific speculation of the novel itself. Around the same time, author Henry Edward Warner, who composed his poems which were assembled in a 1929 book, ''Songs of the Craft'', began writing various poems, including some about the "so-called space pirate." Six years later, in November 1935, Stanley G. Weinbaum's novella, ''

The Red Peri "The Red Peri" is a science fiction novella by American writer Stanley G. Weinbaum, which first appeared in the November 1935 issue of ''Astounding Stories''. Sam Moskowitz has noted that Weinbaum planned to write a series of sequels to "The Re ...

'' appeared in the science fiction magazine ''

Astounding Stories ''Analog Science Fiction and Fact'' is an American science fiction magazine published under various titles since 1930. Originally titled ''Astounding Stories of Super-Science'', the first issue was dated January 1930, published by William C ...

''. In the novel, the primary character, Peri, is a space pirate who has a base on the Moon. The novel was praised for imaginative backgrounds, although its romance was considered to be at the level of "shopgirl pulps," and writing which leaves "much to be desired," Everett F. Bleiler, ''Science-Fiction: The Gernsback Years'', Kent State University Press, 1998, p.483 David Bowman's helmetless spacewalk in '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' was inspired by Frank Keene's escape from the pirate base in the novel.Arthur C. Clarke, ''Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography'', Bantam, 1990, . Following this, in 1940,

Jack Williamson John Stewart Williamson (April 29, 1908 – November 10, 2006), who wrote as Jack Williamson, was an American science fiction writer, often called the "Dean of Science Fiction". He is also credited with one of the first uses of the term ''genet ...

's story ''Hindsight'', a space opera, included a character named Astrarch. He was a space pirate and

dictator A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in time ...

of the solar system, with the story focusing on an attempt by those on Earth to break free of his shackles. The 1950s brought with it a blossoming of

, including a focus on computers, space travel, and outer space in general. This included Murray Leinster's novel, ''

The Pirates of Zan ''The Pirates of Zan'' is a science fiction novel by Murray Leinster, originally serialized in Astounding Science Fiction in 1959 as "The Pirates of Ersatz". It was nominated for the 1960 Hugo Award for Best Novel. It first appeared in book form i ...

'', which included a "space pirate much like his typical maritime counterpart in appearance." Alfred Bester said that it wasn't until ''

'' was rescued from an "abyss of space pirates, mad scientists" that he was able to go back to the publication. By 1969 there was a turn to outer space on

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, with heroes changing from

cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaqu ...

s to "Space-Pirate-Cowboys." One year after Turner patented his game, Stanislaw Lem published ''

The Cyberiad ''The Cyberiad'' ( pl, Cyberiada) is a series of humorous science fiction short stories by Polish writer Stanisław Lem, originally published in 1965, with an English translation appearing in 1974. The main protagonists of the series are Trurl a ...

'', a book in which two constructors named Trurl and Klapaucius are "captured by a space pirate who pillages and hoards information." In order to be freed from him, they build something which interprets "the movement of air molecules as information" and the pirate underestimates how much information is within the movement, and he is buried in a "mountain of paper filled with useless information." Later in the 1960s, six episodes of the sixth season of the live-action television show ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the ...

'' featured a gang of space pirates, with the galaxy being described as spanned by a game between those who enforce the law and pirates like Dervish and Caven who will "apparently stop at nothing to continue their lucrative racket."

1970s to the 1990s

In the 1977 film ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has been expanded into various film ...

'', the character

Han Solo Han Solo is a fictional character in the '' Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film '' Star Wars'' portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in '' The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980) an ...

, who helps

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the original film trilogy of the ''Star Wars'' franchise created by George Lucas. Portrayed by Mark Hamill, Luke first appeared in ''Star Wars'' (1977), and he returned in ''The E ...

on his journey, is often described as a space pirate, being a smuggler and a rogue who will flee conflict despite his bravado. The same year,

Leiji Matsumoto is a Japanese mangaka, creator of several anime and manga series. His wife Miyako Maki is also a manga artist. Early life Matsumoto was the middle child of a family of seven brothers, and, in his early childhood, Matsumoto was given a 3 ...

created the iconic manga series

Space Pirate Captain Harlock is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto. It was serialized in ''Play Comic'' from 1977 to 1979, with the chapters collected into five ''tankōbon'' volumes by Akita Shoten. The series follows the titular Capt ...

. The character of Captain Harlock is a "mysterious space pirate captain" fighting to protect the world, which some saw as an homage to

samurais were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the ''daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ha ...

, and the stories would inspire many other characters in the years to come. Some said that Captain Harlock "set the template for anime’s "space pirate" archetype." In 1978, Daniel C. Dennett proposed a philosophical question where a viewer would have to answer three questions correctly in order to "save the world from a space pirate." The following year, the first book in

Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (radio series), BBC radio comedy, ''The H ...

' ''

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comic science fiction, comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally The Hitchhiker's Guide to th ...

'' series featured space pirates.Alt URL
/ref> In the story, Ford Prefect, a main character, explains that the trade routes between the center of the galaxy and outer areas were disrupted in the past by space pirates, but that they were "wiped out in the Dordellis wars," with freighter ships equipped with huge space ships thereafter. Adams also wrote a tale of space piracy in his 1978 Doctor Who serial ''

The Pirate Planet ''The Pirate Planet'' is the second serial of the 16th season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 September to 21 October 1978. It forms the second serial ...

'', where pirates move a hollow planet through space. The 1980s also brought Captain Zargon, a space pirate, and a representation of "space-age warfare," part of the

Action Man Action Man is an action figure launched in Britain in 1966 by Palitoy as a licensed copy of Hasbro's American "movable fighting man", G.I. Joe. Action Man was originally produced and sold in the United Kingdom and Australia by Palitoy Ltd of ...

toy series released by

Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of K ...

. 1984 brought various stories including space pirates. John Steakley's novel ''

Armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or f ...

'', an homage to ''

Starship Troopers ''Starship Troopers'' is a military science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein. Written in a few weeks in reaction to the US suspending nuclear tests, the story was first published as a two-part serial in ''The Magazine of F ...

'', a novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1959, introduces a proagonist named Felix. In the 1990 sequel, '' Vampires$'', Jack Crow, an antihero is introduced, who is a " legendary space pirate" which may have been the "source for Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow." The same year that ''Armor'' was published, the film, '' The Ice Pirates'' was first shown in U.S. theaters. Apart from the film being noteworthy for its cheeky, obviously cut-rate production values, mid-eighties " color-blind casting", sexual frankness, and near-deliberately slack "

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

" direction, the film included space pirates. TCM described the film as about two space pirates being dragooned "into helping a princess find her father." In 1986, the video series ''

Metroid is an action-adventure game franchise created by Nintendo. The player controls the bounty hunter Samus Aran, who protects the galaxy from Space Pirates and other malevolent forces and their attempts to harness the power of the parasitic ...

'' began, and it would feature a space pirate. Many years later, one student reviewer, in looking at the evolution, mechanics, and roles of "boss battles" within video games, noted that in this game, players have to fight a "space pirate pterodactyl" which is named Ridley. The same year, Lois McMaster Bujold's novel ''

The Warrior's Apprentice ''The Warrior's Apprentice'' is an English language science fiction novel by Lois McMaster Bujold, part of the Vorkosigan Saga. It was the second book published in the series, and is the fifth story, including novellas, in the internal chronology ...

'' was published. The book's main character, Miles Vorkosigan, is an antihero, aristocrat, soldier, and space pirate, beginning in this novel and continuing in the Vorkosigan Saga series. The 1990s brought various space pirates. For instance, the 1994 game Super Metroid featured a

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

named Samus Aran who is searching for a space pirate by the name of Ridley. In addition, the

Stephen R. Donaldson Stephen Reeder Donaldson (born May 13, 1947) is an American fantasy, science fiction and mystery novelist, most famous for ''The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant'', his ten-novel fantasy series. His work is characterized by psychological complexit ...

novels, ''This Day All Gods Die'' (1997) and ''Forbidden Knowledge'' (1992) include a space pirate by the name of Nick Succorso. This portrayal was criticized by the fact that Succorso may have raped the protagonist, Morn, in the latter novel, depending on how one defines the term, rape.

2000s to the 2010s

The early 2000s had many space pirates as well. The anime series, '' FLCL'', the first series which aired between 2000 and 2001, focused on the story of a carefree female rockstar who wants to "save a space pirate" from an industrial corporation with the help of main character, Nandaba Naoto. In 2002, the video game '' Zathura'' would feature space pirates as some challenges that the protagonists need to overcome. More directly, in the game Metroid Prime, which came out the same year, there is a space pirate research facility, space pirates doing "biological experiments" on creatures, natural resources, and themselves, and the pirates having an interest in mystical liquid energy. The game also includes a research area led by space pirates, monsters bred by the same pirates that try to attack the player, and the pirates threatening to destroy precious artifacts. It would later be made into a film titled '' Zathura: A Space Adventure''. In 2005, the film, '' Serenity'' featured a space pirate named Captain Malcolm Reynolds, who said that he "aim to misbehave." He would be described by some as "good at heart" and a romantic figure. Following this, in 2009, Chris Wooding would publish a novel, ''Retribution Falls'' which some described as a "space/pirate fantasy" and a space racing game named ''Hooping'' which features pirate ships which can fire on the player with lasers, cannons, fireballs, or other projectiles. In the 2011 novel, '' The Martian'', adapted as a 2015 motion picture, botonist Mark Watney declares he is the first "space pirate." This garnered some discussion, with various scholars debating whether he is a space pirate, asking if his actions constitute piracy. One scholar, Christian J. Robson, stated that like in Andy Weir's ''Artemis'',

maritime law Admiralty law or maritime law is a body of law that governs nautical issues and private maritime disputes. Admiralty law consists of both domestic law on maritime activities, and private international law governing the relationships between priv ...

applies in space, allowing for Watney to make this claim, and argued that space law would also apply in this novel. The line about space piracy was retained in the 2015 film. ''The Martian'' was not alone in this. In 2014, a game named ''Quing's Quest VII'' premiered. The game itself pitted the player and their lover/advisor, a

genderfluid Non-binary and genderqueer are umbrella terms for gender identities that are not solely male or femaleidentities that are outside the gender binary. Non-binary identities fall under the transgender umbrella, since non-binary people typically ...

"Social Justice Pirate" named Nero against forces named Misogynerds that destroyed their planet. In The Expanse

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

and

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

, space piracy is seen as a big issue with multiple organizations forming to fight off the pirates. The later 2010s had their share of space pirates. In 2016, a reviewer in ''The Catholic Library World'' reviewed Leslie Staub's children's novel, ''Time for Earth School, Dewey Dew'', which included a space pirate. The story's main character, Niko, asked his cousin to come for a ride in his spaceship, but before this can happen, a female space pirate whisks her away, as he tries to get find her, complete with various illustrations to "capture the mood of the story." Also that year, Michael J. Martinez, who authored the ''Daedalus'' series, which involves pirates in space and Mars, was interviewed. He said he was excited by the "notion of putting a sailing ship in space" after seeing the 2002 animated film, ''

Treasure Planet ''Treasure Planet'' is a 2002 American animated science fiction action-adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. The 43rd Disney animated feature film, it is a science fiction adaptat ...

'', which features space pirates, but was disappointed. The idea was invigorated when he saw the 2003 film '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'', wondering what the notion of sailing ships in space, with a

Napoleonic era The Napoleonic era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislativ ...

setting in the

Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding astronomical nomenclature, specifies capitalizing the names of all individual astronomical objects but uses mixed "Solar ...

, would be like. Also that year, two other stories featuring space pirates premiered. Specifically, Nicolette Barischoff's story, "Pirate Songs" included a disabled space pirate with a glass eye named Margo who uses a high-tech chair for mobility, and ''The Waves Project'', a webcomic, features a space pirate named Beck, who finds himself in the seedy underground of Aezerea, an "Earth-like moon." The following year, the 2017 film, '' Star Wars: The Last Jedi'', featured Han Solo, who is described as a "grizzled" and "underdog" space pirate with his fellow pirate, Chewbacca, and the ''

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...

'' film featured scenes with a blue-skinned space pirate named Yondu. A science fiction novel titled ''Barbary Station'' came out the same year, focusing on space pirates. The next year brought the film, '' Solo: A Star Wars Story'' to theaters. One of the film's characters, Val, was compared to a space pirate as she engages in heists and criminal activity. In March of the following year, a comic series titled ''Astro Hustle'', described as a "sexy space pirate romp," began its four-issue mini-series. Accompanying this was the publication of Alastair Reynolds's novel '' Shadow Captain'' with the main character, Fura, taking in some of the personality of a ruthless space pirate, Bosa Sennen, from the previous novel, returning from his ship. This was the sequel to his 2016 novel, '' Revenger'', the latter which features an "attack by horrifyingly sadistic pirate": Sennen. It was also described as a "swashbuckling thriller" and an "emotionally raw trilogy about a space pirate crew looking for collapsed planets." Roy McBride, main character of the film '' Ad Astra'', fights with space pirates on the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

before traveling to Mars. The film's

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, f ...

mentions "mining pirates" and "pirate activity."

2020 to present

In 2020, various stories and narratives featured space pirates. In the

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

novel, ''Aphotic'' by D. R. Mattox, a main character, Ko, is shipped off onto a "self-driving, unmanned pirate ship" en route to a training camp. The Korean science fiction film ''

Space Sweepers ''Space Sweepers'' () is a 2021 South Korean space Western film directed by Jo Sung-hee, starring Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Seon-kyu and Yoo Hae-jin. Regarded as the first Korean space blockbuster, it was released on Netflix on February ...

'' has a main cast of space pirates who discover a humanoid robot created as a

weapon of mass destruction A weapon of mass destruction (WMD) is a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or any other weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to numerous individuals or cause great damage to artificial structures (e.g., buildings), natu ...

. This includes Captain Jang, a "mysterious ex-space pirate." L. Neil Smith's 2020 novel ''Henry Martyn'' focuses on pirates in space, specifically protagonist Henry Martyn, who tutors another to become a pirate and take up his name. In February 2021, CBR called Hondo Ohnaka, who had appeared in '' Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' leading a group of pirates, a "lovable space pirate and smuggler," who mentors one of the protagonists of '' Star Wars Rebels'', Ezra, with the crew of his ship reluctantly accepting him as an ally.

In the real world

Some have considered the idea of space pirates operating in the

, with the possibility of a space-based economy,

asteroid mining Asteroid mining is the hypothetical exploitation of materials from asteroids and other minor planets, including near-Earth objects. Notable asteroid mining challenges include the high cost of spaceflight, unreliable identification of asteroids ...

, debates over

Extraterrestrial real estate Extraterrestrial real estate refers to claims of land ownership on other planets, natural satellites, or parts of space by certain organizations or individuals. Previous claims are not recognized by any authority, and have no legal standing. Never ...

and other

space law Space law is the body of law governing space-related activities, encompassing both international and domestic agreements, rules, and principles. Parameters of space law include space exploration, liability for damage, weapons use, rescue effort ...

questions. In 2018, Michael Viets proposed adding "space piracy" into the lexicon of

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

and in 2019, legal scholars Alex Ramsey and Jessica Ramsey asked what would be "responsible actors" in space, saying they would not include those who are "some form of a space pirate," adding that the United States would determine the "responsible" parties in space. In May 2019, U.S. Senator

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas fro ...

spoke in a congressional hearing, stating that "pirates threaten the open seas, and the same is possible in space", and defending the creation of the

Space Force A space force is a military branch of a nation's armed forces that conducts military operations in outer space and space warfare. The world's first space force was the Russian Space Forces, established in 1992 as an independent military service. ...

. In 2019, American entrepreneur

Nova Spivack Nova Spivack is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and author. He is the founder and CEO of the early stage science and technology incubator Magical and co-founder of The Arch Mission Foundation. Spivack previously co-founded Bottle ...

declared he was the "first space pirate" for smuggling tardigrades to the

on board an

Arch Mission Foundation Arch Mission Foundation is a non-profit organization whose goal is to create multiple redundant repositories of human knowledge around the Solar System, including on Earth. The organization was founded by Nova Spivack and Nick Slavin in 2015 and ...

lander without informing the Israeli launch company SpaceIL. Items have been taken into space without permission since the mid 1960s.

List of space pirate media

{, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! Work , , Years , , Medium , , Description , - , ''

'', , 1935 , , Novella , , Peri is the novel's protagonist and space pirate who has a base on the Moon. Additionally, some said that "the background is imaginative, but the romance is on the level of the shopgirl pulps, and the writing leaves much to be desired," with David Bowman's helmetless spacewalk in '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' inspired by Frank Keene's escape from the pirate base the novel. , - , ''

Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids ''Lucky Starr and the Pirates of the Asteroids'' is the second novel in the ''Lucky Starr'' series, six juvenile science fiction novels by Isaac Asimov that originally appeared under the pseudonym Paul French. The novel was first published by ...

'', , 1953 , , Novel , , Juvenile science fiction penned by

Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...

. , - , '' The Space Pirates'', , 1969 , , Television serial , , A ''

'' serial starring the

Second Doctor The Second Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor Patrick Troughton. While the Troughton era of ''Doctor Who'' is well-remembered by fans an ...

. The

TARDIS The TARDIS (; acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension In Space") is a fictional hybrid of the time machine and spacecraft that appears in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' and its various spin-offs. Its exterior a ...

materializes in the midst of a pitched battle between space pirates and the Army Space Corps. The pirates dismantle space beacons for their scrap value of a rare material. , - , "

The Pirates of Orion "The Pirates of Orion" is the second season premiere episode of the American animated science fiction television series ''Star Trek: The Animated Series'', the 17th episode overall. It first aired on NBC on September 7, 1974. It was directed ...

", , 1974 , , Television episode , , An episode of '' Star Trek: The Animated Series'', the crew of the USS ''Enterprise'' are threatened by a band of space pirates. In the episode, these Orions are shown to be ruthless pirates, As such, some recommended this episode for featuring the trio of characters Kirk, Spock, and Bones of ''The Original Series''. Later, the Orion Syndicate was mentioned in ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'', but no actual Orions were seen, only members of other species. Erdmann & Block (2000): pp. 538-539 , - , ''

'', , 1978 , , Television serial , , A ''

'' serial starring the Fourth Doctor, written by ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

'' creator

. A band of space pirates use their own planet to drain the life force of other planets by materializing around them, the Captain has a giant robot parrot. , - , '' The Ice Pirates'' , , 1984 , ,

Film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

, , Space pirates raid cargo vessels carrying ice, in a system where water is scarce. , - , ''

'' series, , 1986–present , , Video game , , Space pirates are the series' primary enemies. , - , '' Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon'', , 1989, , Video game , , Roger visits a variety of locations, including a fast food restaurant called Monolith Burger and a desert planet called Phleebhut. At the latter, he encounters trouble, as ''Arnoid the Annihilator'' (an

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

-like android terminator) persecutes him for not paying for a whistle acquired in ''

Space Quest II ''Space Quest II: Chapter II – Vohaul's Revenge'', commonly known as ''Space Quest II: Vohaul's Revenge'', is a graphic adventure game released on November 14, 1987 by Sierra On-Line. It was the sequel to '' Space Quest I: The Sarien Encounter'' ...

''. From the information he picks up there and at Monolith Burger, Roger eventually uncovers the sinister activities of a video game company known as ScumSoft, run by the "Pirates of Pestulon". , - , ''

Planet Pirates ''Planet Pirates'' is a science fiction trilogy written by Anne McCaffrey and two co-authors separately, Elizabeth Moon and Jody Lynn Nye. The three novels were published as paperback originals by Baen Books in 1990 and 1991, although the Double ...

'' series, , 1990–1991 , , Novel , , Trilogy of novels by

Anne McCaffrey Anne Inez McCaffrey (1 April 1926 – 21 November 2011) was an American-Irish writer known for the ''Dragonriders of Pern'' science fiction series. She was the first woman to win a Hugo Award for fiction (Best Novella, ''Weyr Search'', 19 ...

. , - , ''

Sol Bianca is a two-volume Japanese OVA series released in 1990 and 1991. It was directed by Katsuhito Akiyama and Hiroki Hayashi in association with AIC. '' Sol Bianca: The Legacy'', a six-episode OVA remake of this series. The name of the OVA is also ...

'', , 1990-1991 , , Original video animation , , The name of the 1990 OVA is also the name of the ship that serves as both the home and the interstellar headquarters for an all-female band of notorious pirates. Thanks to a stowaway who hides aboard their ship following one of their raids, they learn of the ultimate treasure: the

Gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...

(pronounced "G'Nohsis" in dialogue), an artifact reputedly from old Earth itself. The second OVA, in 1991, centers around the crew encountering pirates "with a grudge," and their ship is "hit by a missile containing a virus. A single video game was released based on the series for the PC Engine CD-ROM² on June 29, 1990 by NCS exclusively in Japan. It's a

role-playing video game A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...

. It featured the ship's crew from Sol Bianca and offered seven episodes. , - , '' Path of the Fury'', , 1992 , , Novel , , Written by

David Weber David Mark Weber (born October 24, 1952) is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He has written several science-fiction and fantasy books series, the best known of which is the Honor Harrington science-fiction series. His first nove ...

, after a woman's family is slain by space pirates she is possessed by a Fury and seeks revenge. , - , '' Wing Commander: Privateer'', , 1993 , , Video game , , A space pirate computer game based in the ''Wing Commander'' universe. A television series based on ''Privateer'' was planned to debut sometime in 1997. An unofficial fan

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the sam ...

entitled ''Wing Commander: Privateer - Gemini Gold'' was made using the ''

Vega Strike ''Vega Strike'' is a first-person space trading and combat simulator, developed for Microsoft Windows, Linux, FreeBSD and OS X systems. Many of the core game mechanics of ''Vega Strike'' are indirectly inspired by ''Elite''. Other games, such ...

'' engine and released in 2005. , - , '' Space Pirates'', , 1992 , , Video game , , The player assumes the role of a star ranger (as in all American Laser Games releases except ''

Who Shot Johnny Rock? ''Who Shot Johnny Rock?'' is a live-action full-motion video laserdisc video game produced by American Laser Games and released for the arcades in 1991, and then for the DOS, Sega CD, 3DO and CD-i platforms around 1994. As part of a series of ...

'', the

player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...

's name is not given, and he is referred to throughout the game as "Star Ranger") who picks up and responds to a transmission by Ursula Skye, the commander of a

starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 1882 in '' Oahspe: A Ne ...

called ''Colonial Star One''. The

SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use. In formal notation is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" ...

call lets the star ranger know that the ship has been invaded by an evil group called the Black Brigade, led by Captain Talon. As the entire colony on board the ship is in danger, the player answers the distress call. Following a short target practice tutorial, consisting of shooting at fast-moving

asteroid An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere. ...

s, the player heads out to the Black Dragon to defeat the space pirates. Some praised the game for "mindless fun", liking the game's futuristic setting, saying that the imaginative characters and scenery make the game much more visually appealing and atmospheric than most

full motion video Full-motion video (FMV) is a video game narration technique that relies upon pre-recorded video files (rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models) to display action in the game. While many games feature FMVs as a way to present information duri ...

games. Others complained that American Laser Games' usage of the same basic format for all their games was becoming tiresome, but acknowledged that the game had good quality video and enjoyable acting and gameplay. They scored it two out of five stars, deeming it "entertaining enough, in a brain-dead sort of way". , - , '' Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie , , 1995 , , Film , , The antagonists of the film are space pirates who are involved in mass kidnappings of children on behalf of Queen Badiane, who intends to use the power of their dreams to absorb the Earth into her Black Dream Hole. , - , ''

Outlaw Star is a Japanese anime television series produced by Sunrise and ''seinen'' manga series written and illustrated by Takehiko Itō. The series takes place in the "Toward Stars Era" universe in which spacecraft are capable of traveling faste ...

'', , 1997–present , , Manga, Television series , , Gene Starwind and Jim Hawkins are machine repairmen who meet Hilda, a space outlaw, and through clashes with others like her, they end up "on the run with her and the cargo" that the outlaws want. , - , '' Independence War'' , , 1998 , ,

Video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedba ...

, , Pirates and terrorists are the target of the player in this

space combat Space warfare is hypothetical combat in which one or more belligerents are situated in outer space. The scope of space warfare therefore includes ''ground-to-space warfare'', such as attacking satellites from the Earth; ''space-to-space warfa ...

game. Followed by '' Independence War 2: Edge of Chaos'' in 2001. , - , ''Space Pirate''{{efn, Not to be confused wit
the 1992 arcade game
by American Lase
of the same name
the 1994 DOS game also with the same name, or , , 2011–Present , , Online/in-browser Video game , , In this video game, the player has to kill all the space pirates attacking you by "placing towers" in different locations. , - , '' Rayman 2: The Great Escape'', , 1999 , , Video game , ,

Platform game A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...

where robo-pirates from deep space have invaded Rayman's world and broken its heart into a thousand pieces of energy. , - , '' Sol Bianca: The Legacy'', , 1999–2000 , , Television miniseries , , In this six-episode mini-series, a group of five pirates travel across the galaxy, chased by the "army of the entire solar system." , - , ''

'', , 2002 , , Film , ,

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

animated

version of the novel ''

Treasure Island ''Treasure Island'' (originally titled ''The Sea Cook: A Story for Boys''Hammond, J. R. 1984. "Treasure Island." In ''A Robert Louis Stevenson Companion'', Palgrave Macmillan Literary Companions. London: Palgrave Macmillan. .) is an adventure no ...

'', the cast try to locate the treasure hoard of space pirate Captain Flint. , - , ''

Rogue Galaxy ''Rogue Galaxy'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in Japan in December 2005, in North America in January 2007, and in most Europea ...

'', , 2005 , , Video game , , When the game begins, the storyline follows a linear path, but at a certain point, the game world opens up, and the player is free to move from planet to planet using the pirate ship, ''Dorgenark''. When Jaster learns they are space pirates working for the legendary Dorgengoa, he decides to join, maintaining the ruse that he is Desert Claw. , - , '' Galactic North'', , 2006 , ,

Short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

, , This story starts in the year 2303, when Captain Irravel Veda of the lighthugger ''Hirondelle'', her

second-in-command Second-in-command (2i/c or 2IC) is a title denoting that the holder of the title is the second-highest authority within a certain organisation. Usage In the British Army or Royal Marines, the second-in-command is the deputy commander of a unit, ...

Markarian, and some fraction of their Ultranaut crew are ambushed by pirates while engaged in an unexpected repair stopover in a cloud of rocks and cometary matter in the charted but uninhabited star system

Luyten 726-8 Luyten 726-8, also known as Gliese 65, is a binary star system that is one of Earth's nearest neighbors, at about 8.7 light years from Earth in the constellation Cetus. The two component stars are both flare stars with the variable s ...

.{{cite web , url=https://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2008/08/review_galactic_north_by_alastair_reynolds/ , title=REVIEW: Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds , last=DeNardo , first=John , date=August 18, 2008 , website=SF Signal , access-date=November 25, 2020 , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125194124/https://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2008/08/review_galactic_north_by_alastair_reynolds/ , archive-date=November 25, 2020 , url-status=live She briefly considers activating the "Greenfly"

terraforming Terraforming or terraformation ("Earth-shaping") is the hypothetical process of deliberately modifying the atmosphere, temperature, surface topography or ecology of a planet, moon, or other body to be similar to the environment of Earth to make ...

Von Neumann machines being transported on board, which she believes would easily be able to swarm and dismantle the pirate vessel and probably aid in repair as well. She rejects this option, however, and their ship is captured by the infamous terroristic pirate Run Seven. She is

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts ...

d to reveal the codes to the security protecting her ship's cargo – twenty thousand colonists' cryopreserved bodies – but refuses due to intense psychological conditioning that makes her view the cargo as her children and do anything to protect them. Pirates also appear in the short story, "Weather," as the shipmaster, Inigo, finds a girl on a pirate ship. , - , '' Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction'', , 2007 , , Video game , , The main character, Ratchet, fights through hordes of robotic Space Pirates led by Captain Romulus Slag.{{cite web, url = http://ps3.ign.com/articles/829/829409p1.html, title = Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction Review, last = Dunham , first = Jeremy, date = 2007-10-23, work = IGN, publisher = News Corporation This game is followed by '' Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty'', where Ratchet again fights the Space Pirates.{{cite web, first=Jeremy, last=Dunham, publisher=IGN, date=2008-08-15, access-date=2008-08-16, title=IGN: Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty Review, url=http://ps3.ign.com/articles/899/899120p1.html , - , '' Space Pirates'' , , 2007-2008 , , Children's television series , , A TV series that was aired on The BBC's CBeebies Channel between 2007 and 2008. The show is primarily aimed at children aged from four to six years old, although the show is designed to reach all ages and "bring the whole family together to explore a diverse range of musical performances."''Space Pirates - Information for grown-ups''
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511135441/http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/grownups/about/programmes/spacepirates_03.shtml , date=11 May 2008 , - , ''Miniskirt Space Pirates/ Bodacious Space Pirates'', , 2008–present, , Light novel/ Television series , , In the far future where space travel is the norm, Marika Kato, born and raised in the Tau Ceti planet Morningstar, is the newly recruited teenage captain of the space pirate ship ''Bentenmaru'', inheriting the title from her deceased father.{{Cite web, url=https://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1474, title=Bodacious Space Pirates eviewlast1=Høgset, first1=Stig, date=2012, website=

THEM Anime Reviews THEM Anime Reviews, otherwise known as THEM or T.H.E.M. Anime Reviews, is an anime review website that writes about current and past anime in any form, including OVAs and ONAs. The website offers reviews, editorial content and hosts forums. ...

, language=en, access-date=November 25, 2020, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015060543/https://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1474, archive-date=October 15, 2020, url-status=live Apart from the anime series, she appears in the manga series of the same name, and the 2014 film, '' Bodacious Space Pirates: Abyss of Hyperspace''. Other pirates in the show included Marika's mother, once known as "Blaster Ririka" and wife of Gonzaemon Kato (otherwise known as Captain Ironbeard), Captain Kenjo Kurihara of the ''Barbaroosa'', helmsman Shane McDougal of the ''Barbaroosa'', Quartz Christie of the ''Grand Cross'', The Legendary Chef who runs the Pirate's Nest, heir to the ''Barbaroosa'' (Chiaki Kurihara), and those on the crew of the ''Bentenmaru''. These include Misa Grandwood, Kane McDougal, Hyakume, Coorie, Schnitzer, San-Daime, and Luca. , - , ''

Fallout 3 ''Fallout 3'' is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The third major installment in the ''Fallout'' series, it is the first game to be developed by Bethesda after acquiring ...

Mothership Zeta There are five pieces of downloadable content (DLC) for the Bethesda action role-playing video game '' Fallout 3''. Each package of downloadable content adds new missions, new locales to visit, and new items for the player to use. Of the fiv ...

'', , 2009 , ,

, , In this side-quest for Fallout 3, the

Vault Dweller ''Fallout'' is a series of post-apocalyptic role-playing video games—and later action role-playing games—created by Interplay Entertainment. The series is set during the 21st, 22nd and 23rd centuries, and its atompunk retrofuturistic set ...

abducted by aliens Alien abduction (also called abduction phenomenon, alien abduction syndrome, or UFO abduction) refers to the phenomenon of people reporting their experience of being kidnapped by extraterrestrial beings and subjected to physical and psychologica ...

and must form a space pirate crew with fellow survivors, like Sally, in order to seize control of the

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has ...

, steal advanced alien equipment, and teleport back to the Wastes. , - , '' Space Pirates and Zombies (S.P.A.Z.)'' , , 2011-2012 , , Video game. , , ''S.P.A.Z.'' is an open-world game which allows players to choose which tasks to undertake during play.{{cite web, url = https://www.dualshockers.com/interview-s-p-a-z-creators-minmax-games/, title = Interview: S.P.A.Z. Creators – MinMax Games , first = Scott, last = Lipowitz, publisher = Dual Shockers, date = 2011-12-24, access-date = 2017-11-15 Players can take the role of space pirates "looking to explore the universe, expand their fleet, and make a buck or two in the process,"{{cite web, url = http://www.shacknews.com/article/68564/space-pirates-and-zombies-impressions, title = Space Pirates and Zombies preview, author = Mattas, Jeff, publisher =

Shacknews ''Shacknews'' (originally Quakeholio, then ShugaShack) is a website that hosts news, features, editorial content and forums relating to computer games and Video game console, console games. It is currently owned by a company called Gamerhub Cont ...

, date = 2011-05-24, access-date = 2011-08-22 as the player builds up their pirate fleet, allowing them to "negotiate feuding factions and eventually take on the zombie horde."{{cite web, url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/222134/review-space-pirates-and-zombies-pc/, title=Review of Space Pirates and Zombies, author=Capri, Tony, publisher=GamePro , date=2011-08-18, access-date=2011-08-20, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202233613/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/222134/review-space-pirates-and-zombies-pc/, url-status=dead, archive-date=2011-12-02 , - , ''Chronicle: Unit Eight'' , , 2020 , , Video game , , This game on

Steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporizatio ...

was released which challenges players to take down a fleet of space pirates. , - , ''The Mechanisms'' , 2010-2020 , Band , A "band of immortal space pirates, roaming the universe on the Starship Aurora". Nine members at their peak, all with one or more mechanical body parts- made by the vampire Doctor Carmilla, who they eventually threw out of an airlock- the Mechanisms tell stories of the people they've met through their eons in the stars; often science fiction or steampunk reworkings of mythologies or classic works. They have a penchant for violence and crime- a police officer notes that first mate Jonny d'Ville has "literally committed every crime we have a name for". Their final album, ''Death to the Mechanisms'', marks their end, both in and out of character.{{Cite web, title=Death To The Mechanisms, by The Mechanisms, url=https://themechanisms.bandcamp.com/track/death-to-the-mechanisms, access-date=2021-03-23, website=The Mechanisms

Notes

{{Notelist, group=nb

References

{{Reflist

External links

How to become a space pirate
in

Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

* Christian Powell,
Cancer Spaceship
" 2013 {{Pirates {{Stock characters Fictional pirates Science fiction characters Stock characters