East India Trading Co.


 * This is for the fictionalized version of the organization in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, if you are looking for its basis, see the Honourable East India Company.

Within the fictional universe of Pirates of the Caribbean, the East India Trading Co., or simply referred to as the Company, is a fictional British merchant company set as an antagonistic force behind the Pirates trilogy. The Company made its first appearance in Dead Man's Chest under the supreme leadership of Lord Cutler Beckett whose purpose in film is to eradicate piracy from world waters. Heavily based upon Great Britain's Honourable East India Company, the East India Trading Co. bears its uniquely designed flag, motto, trademark, and Coat of Arms all created by the producers of Dead Man's Chest.

Accourding to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, the East India Trading Co. was established to regulate sea trade in the East Indies. Afterwards, the Company grew in power and came to control much of Indian trade. In-universe, the Company has such a profound fictional influence in British trade that a threat against the Company is taken as a threat to Great Britain itself. It is because the Company wants to expand into the Caribbean, that Lord Cutler Beckett arrives at Port Royal in Dead Man's Chest, overseeing the expansion while knowing that he must eradicate piracy before making any progress. This instigates the following chain of events in the Pirates trilogy.

Symbolically speaking, the fictional East India Trading Co. is the embodiment of Industrialization and Imperialism, much as how the actual Honourable East India Company was, having full control over India and other territories under British control. In Beckett's possession is the Company's Terra Incognito, a fictional world map where the Company's worldwide influence in recorded upon.

Background
Europeans were first mesmerized when European explorers returned from their expeditions in the East Indies and the Far East with goods of luxury potential. Sometime in the early 17th century, the fictitious East India Trading Co. was established by in the ''Pirates of the Caribbean universe by English merchants who were awfully successful in sponsoring trading voyages. The purpose of the Company was to regulate the merchants' trades and commercial gains throughout the East Indies. Within the following years, the fictitious Company grew immensely in wealth and power, harbouring great influence in merchant trading. Recognizing the Company's potential power, the King of Great Britain gave it government protection and made it the official trading company of the Kingdom (similar to England's actual trading body, the Honourable East India Company). British marines are then on supplied onboard the Company's trading ships which are escorted with a Royal Navy escort; all for protection against piracy.

During sometime later on, fictional character Cutler Beckett becomes a part of the East India Trading Co., and is later appointed chairman and supreme leader, thus given the title of "Lord". By now, the Company has reached its fullest fictitious potential in the East Indies, and turns an eye towards the Caribbean trading market. Beckett would gladly change the name of the Company to the "East & West India Trading Co."

Dead Man's Chest
The fictitious East India Trading Co. makes its first appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in the opening scene to the film. Thunderclaps roar in a dark and cloudy day as longboats sail shore Port Royal; the harbour is blocked off by Navy ships. Lord Cutler Beckett sails to shore astride a white horse in a longboat all while the Company's flag waves in the wind and rain; symbolism of his and the Company's powerful status. The marines line up ashore while Beckett's horse prances out of the boat and onto shore, riding alongside. Beckett and the Company arrive in time to postpone the wedding of Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner. Beckett carries warrants of arrest for both of them as well as for other characters involved in the events in The Curse of the Black Pearl; they helped set pirate Jack Sparrow free from the gallows. Beckett, however, makes a deal with Will; If Will brings back Jack to him with Jack's compass, then Beckett will pardon Will and Elizabeth. Cutler Beckett wants to employ Jack Sparrow as privateer for England and the Company with Letters of Marque signed by King George I, in exchange for his compass which Beckett needs in order to find the Dead Man's Chest. The Chest contains the heart Davy Jones. Whom so ever acquires the heart may use it to control Jones through extortion, thus controling ever aspect of the seas. This would allow Beckett to exterminate piracy from the oceans, something which he desires to do most over all else.

Later on the Pelegosto's Island, Jack Sparrow finds a paprika can branded with the East India Trading Co. trademark while its theme plays in the background, obviously showing that the Company has even presence in a native cannibalistic island. In a later scene, the merchant captain onboard the Edinburgh Trader complains of the many tarriffs the Company has placed upon the ship. Afterwards, Beckett beckons Governer Weatherby Swann to his office in shackles (he comes from the Port Royal prison, where he was imprisoned for aiding his daughter escape). Beckett tells Swann that he will offer pardon for his daughter if Swann allows Beckett to use his authority as Governor and his influence in London to aid him for the better of the Company. By the end of the film, Beckett acquires the heart of Davy Jones from James Norrington.

At World's End
The East India Trading Co. makes its final appearance in the film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. In the opening scene, a mass hanging at the gallows is seen being conducted by the Company while other people await in line to be hanged for the charge of being a pirate or being associated with one. Meanwhile people are "suspended", a Royal Navy clerk reads out that King George I has also "suspended" legal rights for those convicted. During the hanging, the masses begin to sing Hoist the Colors, and the Brethren Court are called out, signally that the state of piracy is in grave danger - Beckett wants to destroy the Court to eradicate piracy in its entirety. Beckett is now, as well, using the powers of Davy Jones through extortion for the better of the Company. Jones is ordered by the Company to kill his fictitious monster, Kraken (in fear of it being used to attack the Company), and to attack pirate ships at sea with the Flying Dutchman for prisoners to interrogate. Jones, leaving none alive, makes Beckett awfully annoyed.

Later, Beckett attempts to acquire the Black Pearl for the Company through trickery onto Sao Feng, wanting to rid the pirates of the only ship of which can out run the Flying Dutchman. To aid the Company in destroying the pirates, Great Britain supplies the East India Trading Co. with a vast armada. After Beckett makes a plan with Jack Sparrow to bring out the pirates from Shipwreck Cove, the Company arrives at the location with hundreds of ships from the Royal Navy; Davy Jones' Flying Dutchman serves as the primary flagship and Beckett's Endeavour as the secondary flagship. Later on, after the epic battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman within a maelstrom, Cutler Beckett becomes convinced that his Company will triumph; the Black Pearl remains by itself with the small fleet of the Brethren Court, both against the overpowering force of the Endeavour and the Company's armada. The Flying Dutchman, however, resurfaces, and teams up with the Black Pearl against the Endeavour which had begun to make its way towards the Pearl. Both, the Pearl and the Dutchman, surround Beckett's ship-of-the-line and begin to fire non-stop. They then penetrate the ships powder magazine and blast the Endeavour apart. Lord Cutler Beckett's corpse falls onto the burnt, torn, and fallen flag of the East India Trading Co. - it has been defeated, piracy has won.

It must be noted that just because Cutler Beckett and his ship, the Endeavour, were eliminated, does not mean that the entire East India Trading Co. has fallen. It will still continue on in-universe, simply with a different chairman.

Flag, trademark, and coat of arms

 * These are the designs for the fictitious Company in the Pirates of the Caribbean films, if you wish to view the designs of the actual Company from Great Britain, see "Honourable East India Company".

When first introduced in Dead Man's Chest, the producers ensured a feel encompassed of a powerful score and of an in-film environment to establish the East India Trading Co. as a supreme authoritative force in the Caribbean, including the use of the Company's flag. The Company flag with the only colors of Navy blue and gold, bears the Company's initials "E", "I", "Co.", centralized on itself and are separated by three crosses resembling "T"'s for "Trading". The insignia on the flag is also the trademark of the Company and the colors of the flag are as well the signature colors. The flag is always waving atop the Company's ships' back mast. The flag is seen constantly throughout the films, stating Company presence about. Its burnt and torn state is symbolism of its defeat in the end of At World's End.

The Coat of Arms of the Company are colored only maroon and gold. It resembles two mythical sea lions supporting a shield adorned with ships and roses. A ribbon atop the Company's trademark bears the name, "East India Trading Co." The Coat of Arms is never seen in the films, though a picture of it is shown in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide, along with its description.

Trade and trading
The East India Trading Co. is the fictional official trading Company for Great Britain in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe, supplying the kingdom and other ports with goods from the Far East, East Indies, and the Caribbean. Goods picked up by Company ships include: colorful silk (a luxury in the Caribbean) from the Far East; tea (for England) from the East Indies; and sugar loaves, molasses, and rum (which makes up most of the cargo) from the Caribbean. Slaves have also made up for cargo among Company ships; Cutler Beckett once commanded character Jack Sparrow to sail a "cargo" to Africa from India when Sparrow was under the employ of the East India Trading Co. The East India Trading Co.'s in-universe trademark is stamped, stenciled, and painted on every box, bundle, and barrel loaded onboard Company ships. The Company trademark guarantees quality goods and "discourages petty thieves."

Ship officers onboard Company ships are allowed to trade on their own account once the Company's business at the port they visit is completed. Though it is strictly not allowed for them to smuggle goods, they do so anyhow. Once their trading is over, many merchants and farmers line up on the dock the Company ship is tied up, to load the officers' purchases.

The fictional Company opts in using massive ships (such as East Indiamen) in and around India and China, partly because they supply greater amounts of goods and take longer journeys to trade. As for the Caribbean, small merchant ships are the mostly used. Out of the ships' financial gains, the Company takes up an amount of percentages including Port tariffs, berthing fees, wharf handling, and pilotage. The percentages are considered outrageous to the captain of the Edinburgh Trader, a vessel in the Caribbean in Dead Man's Chest.

Terra Incognito
Terra Incognito is a fictional world map painted upon character Cutler Beckett's office wall, making its first and only appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Arriving at Port Royal, with great ambitions for the fictitious East India Trading Co., he employs an artisan to create for him the map. Throughout the film, the Terra Incognito is slowly being completed by the artisan. On this map, Beckett has the artisan record areas of the world under the influence of the Company. During his stay at Port Royal, Beckett is constantly brought reports of the Company's "growing power and new discoveries." For this reason, the map has its blank sections filled in progressively as new ports, countries and towns fall under the power of the Company.

The map is a crude depiction of the world as known in the 18th century, depicting the continents and seas accompanied by their latin names. For the continents: North America, America Septen Trio Nalis; South America, America Meridio Nalis; Eupore, Evrope; Asia; Africa; and Australia, Hollandia Nova. Within the continents, their rivers are also drawn, and at their borders with the seas, hundreds of names of ports are writen in small lettering. The map also features the oceans: Atlantic Ocean, Mare Atlanticum; Indian Ocean, Oceanus Orientalis; the seas west of China and Japan, Oceanus Chinesis; and the Pacific Ocean, Mare Pacificum. Within these bodies of water are painted small ships and islands.

Other details of the map include: two length scales, Miliaria Germanica Communia and Miliaria Gallica Communia; a sea at the bottom encompassing of sea creatures, ships, and ice bergs; and a crest stating, "Britannia prout divila fuit temporibus Anglo-saxonvm praefertim durante illorum heptarchia." The Terra Incognito is also crossed with a series of latitude and longitudinal lines. It also includes the: Arctic Circle, Circulus Arcticus; Tropic of Cancer, Tropicus Cancri; the equator, Circulus Æquinotialis; and the Tropic of Capricorn, Tropicus Capricorni (the map is missing the Antarctic Circle and the continent of Antarctica). On the top of the map, a ribbon proclaims, "Nova totius terrarum orbis geographica ac hydrographyca tabula".

The whole map in its entirety can be viewed in a two page spread in the book, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Complete Visual Guide.

Symbolisms: Terra Incognito'' and the Company
The East India Trading Co. is symbolism for the upcoming of industrialization and imperialism in the Pirates of the Caribbean universe. Because the trilogy's main theme is the upcoming of the modern world and how the pirates dealt with it, the Company serves as an important aspect of the films, used to amplify the theme. The Honourable East India Company, of which the E.I.T.C. is heavily based upon, was indeed an imperialistic Company which seized control over India. In the film's, this idea is expressed as "the edges of the map filled in", a saying represented through Cutler Beckett's Map of the World, Terra Incognito.

The producers of Dead Man's Chest use the Terra Incognito symbolically to represent the World getting "smaller" as England's East India Trading Co. gains worldwide influence, thus leaving no more "freedom" in the world. In the script, Beckett states, "Jack Sparrow is a dying breed [a pirate]. The World is shrinking. The blank edges of the Map filled in. Jack must find his place in the New World or perish." Through the process of "completing the world" and conquering its farthest reaches, their is indeed nothing left in the world. Jack Sparrow clearly stated this when he surveys the dead Kraken in At World's End. The Kraken was the last of its kind. Jack himself had previously said that it would be nice to be the last of his kind, a pirate, once the Company exterminated all the others, leaving him to remain. Hector Barbossa, however, added that there is no point in being the last, because in the end, there is no purpose else for you to remain and then, you'll be gone, very similar to the Kraken and how, as the world becomes finally known, Jack as well will be killed.