Spectral Space Pirates

The Spectral Space Pirates

Space Pirate symbol

The Spectral Space Pirates (in Japanese, the Space Pirate Zanjark; 宇宙海賊ザンジャーク Uchū Kaizoku Zanjāku) are the main antagonists in the anime's second season and later arcade game updates. The members are Spectre (Jark), Gabbro (Gunenco), Foolscap (Zapper), Shear (Mihasa), and Seth (Nopis), also being served by the Gel Jarks (unnamed in the dub). In the arcade game, there is an additional member, Goma, who neither appears nor is mentioned in the anime.

They can travel throughout space and time using their ship. In the anime, they kidnap the parents of the D-Team to make Dr. and Mrs. Ancient build them a detection device, unintentionally causing the D-Team to follow them and interfere with their plans. Throughout the season, they control various dinosaurs equipped with Spectral Armor, though these are rarely retrieved after being defeated (except Achelousaurus), instead being abandoned and replaced with a new species. The Space Pirates' five main dinosaurs that are used (all only near the finale) are Gigas (Gabbro), Armatus (Foolscap), Maximus (Shear), Brontikens (Spectre), and Cryolophosaurus (Seth). Other than Seth's, these are their signature dinosaurs in the arcade game, plus Eocarcharia (Goma).

Goal

They use dinosaur cards provided by Seth to aid them in their search for the 7 Cosmos Stones: Yellow, Blue, Purple, White, Red, Green, and Black. These Stones will allow them, once combined, to control space and time, pretty much making them the controllers of everything.

Spectral Space Pirates' Dinosaurs

Main article: Spectral Space Pirates' Dinosaurs

Statistics

Like the Alpha Gang card, their TCG card only features the main trio under the full team name.

TCG Stats

"The Space Pirates" TCG card

• Team: Spectral Space Pirates
• Card Code: JCL-068/100
• Card Rarity: Thai Common
• Image From: Ep. 77 anime scene
• Other: Its exact name variant ("The Space Pirates" vs. "The Spectral Space Pirates") is unknown, appearing only in Thai, though appears to be "The Space Pirates", using the English term, despite other Thai cards using Japanese terms like "Jark Armor". Like other full-team Character cards, it only features the main trio.
• Abilities:

{translation uncertain} {Discard 2 Move cards with "Spectral" in their name from your hand, then search your deck. Put 2 Dinosaurs with "Spectral Armor" in their names from your deck into your hand and shuffle your deck.} You can include "Gigas", "Armatus" and "Maximus" in your deck if you are using this Character.

Trivia

• Although the Space Pirates were the main antagonists of Season 2, there are numerous things about them that were never revealed until the end of the series.
  • It is completely unclear how the Space Pirates actually met, where they come from or what the name of their alien species is. In the case of the latter, it is also unclear whether the Space Pirates all belong to the same species, as Gabbro's and Spectre's skin colors are very different from those of Sheer and Foolscap.
  • It is never specified with what energy source the Dino Holders of the Space Pirates are powered, as it was originally assumed that the Element Stones were the only way to summon a dinosaur with control. Although the connection between the Space Pirates and Seth suggests that he created their Holders with the copied data he had collected from the Element Stones prior, this was never confirmed.
  • It is unclear how the Space Pirates learned of the existence of the Cosmos Stones in the first place, or how they knew (or suspected) that the Stones could be used to control space and time, though it's a possible assumption the Cosmos Stones were more "common knowledge" in other alien regions of space.
  • The final fate of the Space Pirates can be considered ambiguous, because although at the end it's seen how they're floating aimlessly through space alive in an escape capsule, they could have eventually died of hunger, thirst, suffocation, a black hole, or something else if they didn't end up landing somewhere habitable (they were mentioning how they expected their journey to last forever, though how often their alien species needs to eat was never brought up during the show).

Gallery

Spectral Space Pirates poster

Spectral Space Pirates in arcade game (Easy mode)

Spectral Space Pirates after their defeat against the player in arcade game (Easy mode)

Spectral Space Pirates in arcade game (Normal mode)

Spectral Space Pirates after their defeat against the player in arcade game (Normal mode)

Spectral Space Pirates after the defeat of Spectre in arcade game (Hard mode)