Warning: The following contains SPOILERS for the first three episodes of Our Flag Means Death.

Our Flag Means Death claims to tell the true story of Stede Bonnet, yet the true story of the infamous Gentleman Pirate beggars belief. The uninitiated might be forgiven for thinking that Stede Bonnet is an entirely fictional character, given the outrageous details of his life. Yet Our Flag Means Death largely sticks to the historical record, only slightly exaggerating the career of history's most unlikely outlaw with intentional anachronisms.

The brainchild of writer/producer David Jenkins, Our Flag Means Death is one of the most highly anticipated original series of the year. This is largely due to the involvement of Taika Waititi, who plays the role of Blackbeard and directs the pilot episode. The series is also notable for reuniting Waititi with Flight of the Conchords star Rhys Darby, who plays the role of Stede Bonnet in this series that promises to do for pirates what What We Do In The Shadows did for vampires.

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Our Flag Means Death is undeniably hilarious and may be enjoyed by anyone. History buffs, however, will be able to appreciate the show on an entirely different level. For as unlikely as it may seem, the craziest parts of Stede Bonnet's history are entirely factual and true to his legacy as the worst pirate in history and a figure of mockery in the Assassins' Creed games and other media based on his life.

Who Was Stede Bonnet, The Gentleman Pirate?

Rhys Darby in Our Flag Means Death

The facts of Stede Bonnet's life are well documented, yet his actual motivations for becoming an outlaw remain a mystery to this day. He was born in 1688 to a wealthy English family on the island of Barbados and inherited his father's sugar plantation at the age of 16. He married Mary Allamby, the daughter of an equally wealthy planter, in 1709. He sired three sons and one daughter. He served in the local militia and as a justice of the peace. All things considered, Stede Bonnet seemed the last person to become a pirate, much less enter into a partnership with a legendary pirate like Blackbeard.

The most common theory behind Bonnet's career change was that he had become sick of his wife's nagging and, in a time and place where divorce was impossible, sought the freedom of the high seas in order to get away from her. Another theory is that Bonnet was a closeted homosexual and that he turned to the life of a pirate seeking the romance high society denied him. Our Flag Means Death presents a third theory, suggesting that Stede Bonnet turned to piracy because of a mid-life crisis and a desire to prove himself. Whatever his reasons, it cannot be denied that Bonnet was ill-suited for the life of a pirate captain and was as comical a figure as Pirates of the Caribbean's Captain Jack Sparrow, but without the Johnny Depp character's competence.

Beyond coming from a respectable background, Stede Bonnet's entry into a pirate's life was also unusual in that he had his ship custom-built as a made-to-order sailing vessel. Most pirates simply stole the ships they wanted or bought them used from other pirates. Bonnet's ship, uncreatively named Revenge (which was perhaps the most common name for pirate ships and the equivalent of naming a dog Spot), was also equipped with a fully-stocked library, where he spent most of his time reading, to the annoyance of his crew. This behavior helped to cement Bonnet's well-deserved reputation as the worst pirate in the Caribbean.

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Stede Bonnet's Legacy & Real History

Our Flag Means Death Cast Characters and Cameos

Stede Bonnet's life as the self-proclaimed Gentleman Pirate was shockingly short, even by the standards of pirate captains, who were not known for their longevity given the hazards of the job. He set sail from Barbados in the summer of 1717 and his crew managed to capture several ships and relieve them of their cargo. Unfortunately, Bonnet became over-confident and tried to take on a Spanish man-o-war. The fight ended with Bonnet badly wounded and what was left of his crew fleeing the battle and seeking shelter in the Republic of Pirates. It was here that Bonnet attracted the attention of the legendary pirate Blackbeard and was browbeat into surrendering command of the Revenge. Blackbeard led Bonnet's men to greater success than they had known before and most of them abandoned Bonnet to continue sailing with Blackbeard when he finally relinquished control of the Revenge in December 1817.

Bonnet sought a pardon for his crimes from the colony of North Carolina, which was granted upon the condition that he become a privateer and help bring Blackbeard to justice. Bonnet quickly abandoned his post and returned to piracy in July 1718, after adopting the alias Captain Thomas. The ruse was quickly uncovered and Bonnet was captured and brought to trial. He was found guilty on two counts of piracy, and hanged to death in Charles Town, South Carolina on December 10, 1718. He is largely remembered today for his ineptitude, having spent most of his career as a pirate as a virtual captive of the infamous pirate captain Blackbeard.

How Our Flag Means Death Gets Stede Bonnet Right & Wrong

Our Flag Means Death Stede Bonnet Reads His Crew A Bedtime Story

Surprisingly, Our Flag Means Death stays largely true to the historical record regarding Stede Bonnet's shameful career as a pirate captain. Certain details are magnified for comedic effect, but the general story of the first three episodes recalls Bonnet's disastrous early days on the Revenge perfectly. For instance, the pilot episode establishes Bonnet as an avid reader who built a sizeable library into his cabin. This is true to the historical record, which stated that Stede Bonnet spent most of his days at sea reading, while letting his more experienced officers handle the day-to-day management of his ship. The show exaggerates this point by having Bonnet reading the classic children's tale Pinocchio to his illiterate crew as a bedtime story. (Amusingly, one of the factors that prevents mutiny is that the one other crewman who can read can't do the voices properly.)

Another embellishment centers around Stede Bonnet's progressive payment policies. In defiance of the usual pirate tradition of paying his crew with shares of the booty stolen, Bonnet paid his crew a weekly salary. This is also true of Our Flag Means Death's version of Stede Bonnet, but he does in order to prevent workplace stress rather than out of ignorance to the realities of piracy. To that end, he also establishes a recreation center with a full tennis court and a musical "jam" room, causing his ship to more closely resemble a cruise ship than a pirate ship.

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Our Flag Means Death premieres Thursday, March 3 on HBO Max.