His dad does a bunch of stuff in optics, and has written papers as a researcher. I hope they put something on there from his dad.

That is what gets me, all these people who need guns and such to feel strong and tough. The pirates did that. The purpose of the Jolly Roger was to instill fear, but ultimately they wanted the other ship to surrender quickly and without a fight. Pirates were all about show to make victims be afraid of them. But ultimately they were just men in poor health.