History Main / RuthlessModernPirates

* The [[ParodyReligion Church]] of the [[WarOnStraw Flying Spaghetti Monster]]], which holds that the decrease in pirates leads to an increase in global warming, specifically says these pirates don't count.

Unlike their [[{{Pirates}} fictional counterparts]], there is nothing romantic about these modern-day pirates. They tend to be completely ruthless, cold-blooded killers, devoid of honour and willing to stoop to any crime: {{Sociopathic Soldier}}s on the high seas. Bonus points if characters express disappointment at these pirates' failure to shiver timbers.

Related to RuthlessForeignGangsters.

** The characters are first seen robbing and kidnapping Rock. They were hired specifically to steal a disk by Hotel Moscow. Later, they were hired by someone else to hijack the ship. Basically, they commit whatever crimes they are hired to do (smuggling drugs, et cetera.) Luak and his men were also pirates before getting wiped out by Revy.

* In ''{{Clear And Present Danger}}'', an act of piracy leads to an attempt by the U.S. government to systematically assassinate the leaders of drug cartels in revenge.

* In ''AtlasShrugged'', Ragnar Danneskjöld is a Norwegian 20th Century ideological pirate, completely dedicated to promoting the ideology of Capitalism and unrestrained Free Market by force of arms on the high seas. Of course, AynRand [[AuthorTract portrays him as a hero]].

* The ''{{MacGyver}}'' episode "Pirates" had Mac clash with modern day pirates.

* B. Jenet is the female leader of the Lilian Knights (a band of modern pirates) in the ''VideoGame/{{The King of Fighters}}'' universe. They use a nuclear-powered submarine rather than a galleon.

* ''{{Anno 2070}}'' features modern pirates.

* ''{{Archer}}'' was captured for ransom by modern Malay pirates in "Heart of Archness"; he thought that pirates didn't still exist and many pirate stereotype jokes are made. Then Archer becomes the Pirate King by KlingonPromotion, but proves pretty bad at maritime hijacking (he lets his victim keep his ship out of sympathy for small-business owners).

** Some in the church do point out that Somalia has the most of these pirates and least greenhouse gasses. That's because without a real government to keep order and create a suitable climate for business (including investment in heavy industry), there is little heavy industry in Somalia, and not a lot of greenhouse gasses as a result. In other words, an increase in pirates ''does'' lead to a decrease in greenhouse gasses, but that's [[{{Your Mileage May Vary}} probably a case of the cure (piracy and anarchy) being worse than the disease (global warming)]]...

-->-- '''Hank Venture,''' ''TheVentureBrothers''

* The ''TerryAndThePirates'' comic strip dealt with the pirates of the China Seas in the 1930s (modern day for the strip), the beginnings of modern day piracy.
* Pirates were a common foe in the early days of the ''JungleJim'' strip.

* Modern pirates often appeared in ''BoldVenture''.

* Mugen's old crew in ''SamuraiChamploo'' were 17th-century Japanese pirates, but they behaved like modern pirates (as real-life pirates always have).

Malaysian and Indonesian pirates, on the other hand, live up to their reputation in creative ways that would make Type 1 pirates of yore proud. Instead of walking the plank, for instance, they like to leave crewmembers stranded in shallow water coral reefs 50 miles off the coast, where they have to stand on tip-toes waiting for a passing ship. This is to ensure you don't call for help while the ship is still in the vicinity--and that is if they don't [[LeaveNoSurvivors execute everyone on board]]. The Somalis, on the other hand, make millions on ransom alone.

* In ''[[IndianaJones Raiders Of The Lost Ark]]'', the crew that are hired to transport Indy, his [[LoveInterest Doggone Partner]] and the Ark pretend to be these to try and prevent the two of them being captured by Nazis (claiming they killed Indy and planned to sell her into slavery). Interestingly it fails, [[EvenEvilHasStandards but not for the reasons you'd think]].

* The ''WebOriginal/ChaosTimeline'' has the modern Red Pirates of the Socialist Block, which rob ships of the capitalist nations. And also Nipponese terrorists doing this, who are even worse.

* On ''ThirtyRock'' Cerie's wedding is delayed by several months because her fiancée is captured by Somali pirates. Due to StockholmSyndrome, some of them end up as groomsmen at the wedding.

* ''{{Archer}}'' was captured by modern pirates; he thought that pirates were from fake stories.

* Anno 2070 features modern pirates.

* The ''ChaosTimeline'' has the modern Red Pirates of the Socialist Block, which rob ships of the capitalist nations. And also Nipponese terrorists doing this, who are even worse.

* {{Archer}} was capture by modern pirates; he thought that pirates were from fake stories.

Unlike their [[{{Pirates}} fictional counterparts]], there is nothing romantic about these modern-day pirates. They tend to be completely ruthless, cold-blooded killers, devoid of honour and willing to stoop to any crime. {{Sociopathic Soldier}}s on the high seas. Bonus points if characters express disappointment at these pirates' failure to shiver timbers.

* Since ThePhantom's origin involves pirates, he often fights the modern versions. In one DCComics story, the brutal thugs attacking a yacht are contrasted with a swashbuckling movie playing on the yacht's TV.

[[caption-width-right:350:[- What [[IncrediblyLamePun ARRRRRRRRRR]] they, hijackers?-] ]]

* Historical pirate crews ''did'' operate according to rules set by the captain: John Phillips of the ''Revenge'', for example, decreed that any member of his crew who committed rape would be put to death. However, this was less because EvenEvilHasStandards and more because captains needed to maintain discipline among their crews.

Then again, this characterization is exactly how pirates were viewed during the Golden Age of Piracy and many of them lived up to (or down to) this reputation. [[NostalgiaFilter Perhaps 400 years from now, Somalian pirates will be viewed as romantic rogues.]] Also in the defense of modern piracy methods, the entire venture cannot work without at least some decent degree of stealth, i.e. independence from worldwide law enforcement. The use of vessels like Blackbeard's ''Queen Anne's Revenge'' or Bartholomew Roberts' ("Black Bart's") ''Royal Fortune'' would be easily visible by satellite imagery, and even if a modern pirate could take control of a hyper-fast and -powerful ship on the order of a US Navy destroyer, most every nation in the world would almost certainly launch immediate near-limitless-resource missions to hunt down and destroy it. That's on top of the fact that operating a modern warship requires resources far beyond what it took to run an effective pirate ship in the 18th century. In other words, piracy, like any other form of criminal enterprise, was forced to [[TechnologyMarchesOn change with the times]], or die.

* Trope name comes from Cartman's assessment of piracy in Somalia in the ''SouthPark'' episode "Fatbeard". However, the Somalian pirates are shown sympathetically to a degree, having resorted to piracy only because a CrapsackWorld forced them into it. And the Somalis ''do'' turn into the more romanticized brand of pirate for a time (complete with sea chantey sing-alongs), if only because (as Cartman points out) it's just much more fun that way.

Malaysian and Indonesian pirates, on the other hand, live up to their reputation in creative ways that would make Type 1 pirates of yore proud. Instead of walking the plank, for instance, they like to leave crewmembers stranded in shallow water coral reefs 50 miles off the coast, where they have to stand on tip-toes waiting for a passing ship. This is to ensure you don't call for help while the ship is still in the vicinity. And that is if they don't [[LeaveNoSurvivors execute everyone on board]] -- whereas the Somalis make millions on ransom alone.

** The characters are first seen robbing and kidnapping Rock. They were hired specifically to steal a disk by Hotel Moscow. Later, they were hired by someone else to hijack the ship. Basically, they commit whatever crimes they are hired to do (smuggling drugs, et cetera.) Luak and his men are also pirates before gettin wiped out by Revy.

* In ''LightAndDarkTheAdventuresOfDarkYagami'', Dark's boat is attacked by "moden pirates with guns and rockets and [[RippedFromTheHeadlines taking over oil tanks lick those guys on tv]]."
** Who inexplicably still [[TalkLikeAPirate talk like traditional fictional pirates.]]

* In ''{{Clear And Present Danger}}'', an act of piracy leads to an attempt by the U.S. government to systematically assasinate the leaders of drug cartels in revenge.

* In ''[[IndianaJones Raiders Of The Lost Ark]]'', the crew that are hired to transport Indy, his [[LoveInterest Dogone Partner]] and the Ark pretend to be these to try and prevent the two of them being captured by Nazis (claiming they killed Indy and planned to sell her into slavery). Interestingly it fails, [[EvenEvilHasStandards but not for the reasons you'd think]].

* A group of modern day pirates run afoul of Tina in her introduction in the ''DOA: DeadOrAlive'' movie. And then have the misfortune to encounter the heroines when they are stranded at sea at the movie's end.

[[folder:Religion]]
* The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, which holds that the decrease in pirates leads to an increase in global warming, specifically says these pirates don't count.
** Some in the church do point out that Somalia has the most of these pirates and least greenhouse gasses. That's because without a real government to keep order and create a suitable climate for business (including investment in heavy industry), there is little heavy industry in Somalia, and not a lot of greenhouse gasses as a result. In other words, an increase in pirates ''does'' lead to a decrease in greenhouse gasses, but that's [[{{Your Mileage May Vary}} probably a case of the cure (piracy and anarchy) being worse than the disease (global warming)]]...
[[/folder]]