- "I hear it said a kiss from a mermaid protects a sailor from drowning. And sometimes the song of a mermaid will lead a ship away from the shoals."
- ―Derrick
Derrick was a sailor who operated during the mid-18th century. During the quest for the Fountain of Youth, Derrick joined the crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge, where he served under the infamous pirate Blackbeard. He took part in Jack Sparrow's mutiny and the battle at Whitecap Bay. Derrick would be killed by mermaids during the crew's mermaid hunt.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "Lads, I'm sailin' with Sparrow! Who'll buy a sailor a drink?"
- ―Derrick
Not much is known about Derrick's early life, but it is known that he took the life of piracy prior to the mid-18th century. Several years after the War Against Piracy, Derrick went to the pub called the Captain's Daughter, located in Londontown. It was here that Derrick, along with a number of sailors and pirates, signed on to sail under Jack Sparrow. After he was successfully recruited, Derrick proudly stated that he was sailing with Sparrow, and asked who would buy him a drink.[1]
Quest for the Fountain of Youth[]
Mutiny on the Queen Anne's Revenge[]
- "Death...for certain."
"The garden of darkened souls."
"Untimely our ends will be."
"Unless...we take the ship." - ―Derrick, Garheng, Ezekiel, and Jack Sparrow
Climbing aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, Derrick worked as one of the ship's deckhands for the next five days, where he would work with a shanghaied Jack Sparrow. He later met with Jack and some of the other crewmen, who were not satisfied with sailing under Angelica and her zombie crew, and took part in Jack's mutiny aboard the Revenge. Jack's crew were soon victorious until Blackbeard himself came out of his cabin. Blackbeard, in response to being told that this was a mutiny, hung all of the crewmen, including Derrick, with the rigging of the Queen Anne's Revenge. Derrick and the rest of the crewmen were let down to witness the Cook's punishment.[1]
Battle at Whitecap Bay[]
Later, when the crew arrivied at Whitecap Bay, Derrick was forced to sit in the same longboat as Scrum, Philip Swift, Gunner, Ezekiel, and the Cabin Boy. He mentions that a kiss from a mermaid could save a sailor from drowning. Like the rest aboard the boat, Derrick was forced to sing in order to attract mermaids. When the mermaids started their attack and destroyed the boat, Derrick was pushed into the deepest depths of the ocean by one of the mermaids, where he drowned and was eaten by his attackers.[1]
Behind the scenes[]
- "They be drawn to man-made light."
"Sharks?"
"Worse than sharks. There'll be mermaids upon us within the hour. Mark my words, sharks won't dare come near."
"I hear it said a kiss from a mermaid protects a sailor from drowning. And sometimes the song of a mermaid will lead a ship away from the shoals."
"Don't be a fool. Mermaids are all female and lovely as a dream of heaven. But they snatch a sailor out of a boat or off the deck of a ship, and the sailors are pulled to the bottom and drowned or eaten." - ―Derrick, Cabin Boy, Ezekiel
- Derrick was portrayed by Richard Thomson in On Stranger Tides.
- In a revision screenplay draft of On Stranger Tides, Derrick had several more lines prior to the battle at Whitecap Bay. Also, Derrick's death was meant to be more graphical as the mermaids were intended to tear him apart while pushing him into the depths of the ocean as the battle continued.[2]
- One of Derrick's lines in the On Stranger Tides junior novelization prior to the mermaid hunt was "They be drawn to man-made light." This line was originally Ezekiel's as it was written in the film's screenplay as well as said by the character onscreen.
- In LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game, Derrick survives the battle at Whitecap Bay and makes it to the Fountain of Youth along the rest of the crew of the Queen Anne's Revenge.
Appearances[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization) (First appearance)
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides Movie Storybook
- LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean: The Video Game (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources[]
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
- Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (junior novelization)