So You Want to Be a Pirate: Motive

Why? 

If you're considering it seriously you have access to a ship (or at least a position). Unless you have less sense than a K'kree in an old style phone booth or impaired fortune, a ship will make you money, without people shooting at you (unless you run into pirates...) True you have salaries, payments etc, but you do make a profit. Just look at a subsector map for five minutes and you'll spot places screaming for you to buy low and sell high. 

Reasons to be a Pirate

1) Coercion: it was either join up or take a long jump out of a short airlock. Historically, pirates did abduct crew with skills they needed. They made them sign the ship's articles and bam they were pirates. With their incriminating signature on record they'd hang with the rest of the crew if captured. Bartholomew Roberts, one of the most feared pirates in history, started as an honest navigator on a merchant man. Once he was abducted he decided if he had to be a pirate he was going to be a good one (bad one you know.)

2) Opportunity; there was no opportunity on the planet where you grew up. When the pirate ship took on crew, you went along. It beat digging ditches. You thought.

3) Revenge: someone did you wrong. Piracy was the means to seek revenge, though it requires climbing over some wrecked third party ships.

These reasons work for crew, who may rise to command their own ship. People who already command their own ship may need more of a reason. As I said, they can make money with a ship.

4) Paperwork: you can't be a commander for various reasons. Captains got warrants too as they say. Or you don't have a masters license for various reasons. Maybe you lost it due to shenanigans or didn't finish school.

5) Finances: you had some reversals. After successfully skipping, legitimate business was out of the question. 

6) Mercenary: one man's mercenary is another man's pirate. You fly under a planet's flag to raid and abuse the shipping of their rival. The rival will still blow you out of space if they catch you, but you at least have a friendly port for fuel and repairs.

7) Opportunity: Robert A. Heinlein said,

“A pacifist male is a contradiction in terms. Most self-described “pacifists” are not pacific; they simply assume false colors. When the wind changes, they hoist the Jolly Roger.”

Greed and opportunity made you attack some poor SOB thinking to strike it rich. Only the presumed cargo of Lanthanum backscratchers turned out to be bamboo slide whistles. You made a score but far from  retirement money. Or you want more money and like the life of a buccaneer.

Doubtless there are more reasons than this. Anyway I got you thinking of motivation. Next post we discuss the elements of a successful pirate ruler.