User blog:J Fan/2013 - The Last Hurrah for Pirates 1's 10th Anniversary

 'Hoist the colors! Snap to and set sail!'



Ahoy, mateys, and welcome aboard! It is a pleasure, as always, to be here with you. As the end of 2013 approaches, some may reflect on what's been going on for the past year. Besides growing our content, the past year has been busy with new releases, updates, and much, much, more!

In the slider below, you can see some of the more well-known affairs showcased by either POTC Wiki or Disney throughout the year...

So what else happened in 2013, you may ask? Well, there has been more for fans, such as whisperings and rumors of Pirates of the Caribbean 5...but we'll get to that on a later date. But for now, there are more things to unravel, including a last-minute surprise to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Consider it an early Christmas present from me to you.

I know everyone's anxious to open their present, but there's just one more thing we have to do...we have to collaborate! What do I mean by that? Well, thought it'd be best if we can all contribute in what the Wiki will look like in the year 2014. Meaning, I wish for everyone to come forward with their opinion on the following:
 * The Wiki-Background (including the Navigation pic copy)
 * Inspirations for Poll ideas (for more information, click here)
 * Any new ideas for making POTC Wiki stand out!

Now I'm sure some of you are wishing for the Wiki to stay as is, and that's totally a-OK. But, even though we're not able to accept every idea out there, it certainly won't hurt to have your voice be heard...or read, I should say. For now, my intention is for everyone to speak there minds below on the topics above, and (depending on how things go) I may post a blog including a poll where we can vote for whatever on that day...but again, it depends. Either or, said changes - if there are any - will be posted on New Year's. And the plan is to keep this look for (hopefully) the entire year of 2014. Whether we keep this look after the year is over depends; mostly on reactions. Personally, I do prefer to keep the look we have now, but I wouldn't mind making a change for a special occasion.

Is there something you truly enjoyed or appreciated in 2013? Are you looking forward to something in an exciting 2014? If so, please comment below!

Now don't think I forgot about showing you all the next surprise. Listen, no more tricks. Just one last piece of the puzzle and that's it - I have no more 10th anniversary goodies after this. I'm sure most of you had enough of what's been done 5 months ago, but hey...''It's a pirate's life for me. Savvy?''

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for. As an early Christmas present from me to all POTC Wiki viewers, I give you: the back-story of The Curse of the Black Pearl, transcribed from the Audio Commentary with Screenwriters Stuart Beattie, Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Jay Wolpert. For those who want to hear it for themselves, it can be heard during the ending credits. Read it, enjoy, and in case I'm unable to say it, Happy Holidays! :)

'''NOTE: As this was in the original 2003 DVD release, a few bits of the information provided below may or may not be different than what is considered true as of today. For instance, Hector Barbossa was already a member of Jack Sparrow's crew as the first mate aboard the Black Pearl (as per the Legends of the Brethren Court series) rather than be recruited with the other pirates who eventually became part of the cursed crew.'''

To access, please click (Expand)

''Ted Elliott: Um, I just wanted to say. For everybody who stuck all the way through to the end here, I'm going to give you the timeline so that you and you alone can know how the events of the story play out. Or what actually happens before the story begins. And so...the way it starts. Ten years earlier, Jack showed up in Tortuga. He was captain of the Black Pearl, he was going after the treasure of Isla de Muerta. And he had the compass. Because Remember, Gibbs says he gave up the bearings which meant he knew where it was and you can only know where it is if you already know where it is and so he had to have already had the compass. He also knew about the curse and was in fact the person who told Barbossa and the crew about the curse. That's the point where in the jail cell, he says "There is a curse, that's interesting," he knew about it, he didn't believe it. Barbossa tells Elizabeth when we first were told the tale. By who? By Jack. We thought it was just a ghost story too, and we didn't believe it. Bootstrap Bill was already a member of Jack's crew...before he recruited Barbossa and the people at Tortuga. That's established when he talks about how he knew Bill as William Turner. He had a different relationship with Bill Turner than Barbossa or any of the others. He gets the crew in Tortuga, Barbossa and his cronies, and more than likely Pintel and Ragetti. They go sailing out. First day out, Barbossa says, "If we're all to going to have a share of the treasure, we should all know where we're going." That's where Jack made his mistake. He told him where Isla De La Muerte was, making Barbossa somebody who could find it because he already knew where it was. Jack's thrown overboard with the compass and is marooned. Bootstrap Bill, while he probably didn't participate in the mutiny, he stayed on board and the reason Jack is OK with that, he says at the end of the movie. He did what's right by him. That's the most you can expect. He stuck by the code. Pintel says "Bootstrap Bill was a man of the code." He showed up, he had the compass, he recruited the crew. Bootstrap Bill, already a crew member. He gave up the bearings to Barbossa who led the mutiny. That's why Jack hates him. He violated the code. Just pointing that out. He got thrown overboard, Bootstrap Bill stays with the crew. They find the treasure, they know about the curse; they don't believe it. They take the treasure. Each of them, including the monkey, takes a bit of the gold, at that point had no name. Then as they go out partying, carousing, they discover that they were cursed. While it's not specifically stated in the movie how they learned to undo the curse, there is a lot of Aztec writing on that chest. My guess is that they went back, they learned that they needed to put all the gold back. Bootstrap Bill had been feeling guilty because of what they did to Jack. It was in violation of the code. He said, "We deserve to be cursed for what we did and to remain cursed." That's when he sent one piece of the gold to Will in England, he never wanted the pirates to be able to lift the curse. Barbossa got tick off strapped him to a cannon, and dropped him into, as Pintel says, "the crushing depths of Davy Jones' Locker," implying that while Bill cursed is still alive, he may be a very thin puddle on the ocean's bottom. That's what happened to Bill. The pirates are cursed, looking for every piece of gold. They find out what they haven't found out. All the blood had to be returned. Now there's two things to do. Get all the gold back and add their blood to the chest. Eight years earlier, that happens between the time that Jack showed up to Tortuga and when the Black Pearl destroyed the ship that Will was on, because the Dauntless was there, the power in these waters, the Black Pearl left without getting Will and the coin. For the next eight years, the pirates continued looking for all the gold. Finally, Elizabeth wearing the medallion fell in the water. The gold called to the pirates. They came after it. It was the last medallion, the last piece they needed. They thought Elizabeth had Turner blood. Turner blood was the last blood they needed to lift the curse. Did I miss anything? Does it make sense? Go through the movie it's all there.''

''Terry Rossio: Do you think that the reason why the ship was destroyed at the very beginning, was it the powder magazine or did the pirates attack? Was it because the medallion touched the water? I think so. Otherwise they were just out searching for gold. They'd have gotten lucky. The medallion touching the water brought the pirates.''

''Ted: And the appearance of the Dauntless. Again, the power in these waters. While the Black Pearl does have some amount of supernatural associated with it... sequel. It still can be sunk, it can be damaged. A 100-gun ship like the Dauntless will turn it into kindling. The pirates, discretion being the better part of valor, took off. Finally, we catch up to the story.''

''Terry: Or we're simply lost in the fog. Another possibility. Ted: It's an unnatural fog. Terry: Or maybe Elizabeth's singing... Ted: Drove them away or called them down. Gibbs does say, "Cursed pirates sail these water." Did that all make sense? Did I forget anything? Terry: It's like fine clockwork. Ted: A very odd way to give information in a movie. It seems to work. Terry: We got away with it.''