Sinbad was already being pushed away from Proteus before Marina came along.
He sees her on a boat and falls head over heals to the point that he leaves everything and everyone he's ever known because he realizes that she's not meant for him? Just a bit too convenient. It would make more sense that his relationship with Proteus has been strained to the point of snapping—after all, Proteus is a prince and he is not—and Marina's arrival was just the straw that broke the camel's back. She epitomizes all that he's been realizing about class and station, as well as the distance between himself and Proteus, and so, he leaves.
Kale's actually the one running things.
He must have pretty much raised Sinbad after the boy ran away from the palace, and while Sinbad is fearless, a good fighter and captain, Kale has the muscle and fear-factor that must have been necessary to command a ship of pirates. He's just too nice to let Sinbad know who's actually in charge.
Marina's famous, and the crew already knew about her before the events of the movie.
They let her on the ship, no questions asked, and are quite nice to her throughout the movie. Sure, she has jewels, but it would make more sense for her to be renowned as an ambassador of some sorts, perhaps a policy-maker who fights for the rights of the poor. They know her face and name due to the good changes that she's implemented, and hence are much nicer to her than they would be otherwise.
Although the main page calls it a
MacGuffin, it's quite clear the book does
something—witness the enormous aura/field it constantly projects when opened. While it's entirely possible it creates some sort of aura of prosperity, the name implies more than this. So to use
Dungeons & Dragons terminology, it projects the same sort of
pacifying field that an Apostle of Peace can create, only writ large: those who enter it are affected as by
Calm Emotions, having their negative emotions (but especially rage and violence) suppressed.
This would explain why, extended disarmament and friendship with Proteus nothwithstanding, a known thief who had just tried to steal the Book was allowed into the celebration at Syracuse—because Dymas and the rest of the Council of the Twelve Cities knew he couldn't steal it while within its influence. (Note that on the ship, although he claimed he was going to steal it, we don't know if he could have gone through with it because Cetus intervened. And it is likely that taking violent action in order to defend yourself or others, as Sinbad, Proteus, and their crews do, is an allowable exception to the field.)
This would also explain why immediately after Eris steals it, the Council goes right into imprison/execute mode, and why she would want it stolen since it'd be very hard to accomplish anything chaotic within its influence. As to why she could steal it, because it is only a minor artifact (or else was made by a deity of a lower divine rank than she is) and thus as a goddess she is unaffected by it—to a point, since it's also possible the cloud, earthquake, and cracks were a result of her own chaotic aura being able to reassert itself once the Book was closed as much as by the simple absence of the Book's aura.
Sinbad (and by extension, Marina as well) is an ancestor of
Tony StarkHe's exactly like Tony, down to the
snark, the
It's All About Me tendencies, the hidden heart of gold, his worries about being a
Jerk with a Heart of Jerk, being very much an
Unlikely Hero and falling for a woman who quite simply will not put up with his bullshit. On top of that, he's got the same looks,
the same fondness for the colour red, even the same facial hair!
Dymas and Proteus are vassals of the Arabs
Despite the fact that Proteus and his father are not Arabs, the architecture of Syracuse appears to be Islamic (the executioner who was going to behead Sinbad with his scimitar appears to be an Arab and one of the ambassadors seems to be too). Historically Sicily was under Muslim rule for a century so in the film it could be implied that both Dymas and Proteus would be truly Byzantine allies of the Arabs, which would explain why the construction of the city seems to be arabized, and that the plot could take place shortly after the arrival of the Muslims, although it could also be located time after the first Islamic rule (the first Arab rule of Sicily only lasted 4 years compared to the second rule that lasted longer) The latter is based on the DreamWorks' possible timeline (
https://dreamworks.fandom.com/wiki/Middle_Ages_(DreamWorks%27_possible_timeline)
Sinbad is half Arab
Continuing with the previous theory of the vassalage between King Dymas and the Arabs and that Syracuse would be populated by Byzantines and Muslims, it is possible that Sinbad is of Arab descent (despite DreamWorks whitewashing him as more Mediterranean)the protagonist wears a small turban, his facial features seem to be somewhat Arabian and he is armed with typical Middle East scimitars, all this could indicate that Sinbad would be the son of an Arab man and a Byzantine woman.
Lercio is Rat's real name
In the Italian dubbing Rata is known as Lercio. Considering that he is Italian, it would not be so far-fetched if his real name is Lercio, it might even be a venetian gypsy for his physical appearance, accent and also for his ability to climb on boats.
The events of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas occur at the beginning of the 16th century but in a alternate reality in which Sicily was under Ottoman tutelage
That would explain why the domes of Syracuse have an Ottoman air since they have ornaments in the form of networks, plus Sinbad's ship appears to be a mix of a Xebec and a Junk Rig. Marina wears an elegant outfit at the night party that curiously recalls the costume of the ladies of the Ottoman Empire, so she would be a white but islamized Turkish Thracian and Sicily would be in Ottoman rule having a king and a prince as vassals of the Muslim Turks.
