Here’s the first Pirates of the Caribbean 5 trailer – and the hidden clues to Jack Sparrow's location

The first trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 5 has arrived and while there are spooky pirates and foggy naval scenes a plenty, there’s no sign of Jack Sparrow yet. However there are a few interesting hints as to where he might be and what’s going on. 

Stars are central to the plot 

Near the end of the trailer the Cassiopeia constellation flares briefly, a group stars which have long been associated with the Bermuda triangle. That’s the supernatural location where Captain Salazar, Jack’s nemesis, has just escaped from in a bit of a bad mood. As well as indicating key locations in the movie it looks like stars will play a pivotal role with astronomer Carina Smyth (played by Kaya Scodelario) swashbuckling alongside Sparrow as he searches for Poseidon’s trident, an artefact which can control the seas and help him defeat Salazar.

Jack’s nemesis might be an ex-soldier

The medals swinging on Salazar’s chest don’t really fit in with the pirate aesthetic, especially as one medal in particular resembles a 1915 Belgian croix de guerre. I would say Salazar probably looted them were it not for the fact that his half-slaughtered crew all wear military regalia instead of the usual mix-and-match pirate wardrobe. Salazar himself even has epaulettes swinging on his shoulders - was he once a military leader tasked with ridding the pirates from the seven seas, gets booted from the military after an encounter with Sparrow?

The Roman Empire or Imperial Germany might be involved

The sight of a ship sailing on the high seas isn’t strange for a Pirates of the Caribbean movie, but for a couple of seconds in the teaser trailer a distinct black two-headed Reichsadler eagle with a white and red crest on its chest can be seen on a ship sail. The Reichsadler was used by the Roman Empire and Germany, so it looks like the feud between Captain Salazar and Jack Sparrow could have some interesting historical twists.

Whose blond hair is that? 

We’re all used to seeing Sparrow’s strands of beaded hair swing about, but the skull which appears at the end of the trailer has some interesting additions. The one on the bottom left is unmistakably Jack’s, but the one above is too ornate to be his and the one on the left, which is intertwined with a lock of blonde hair, is starkly different from any beads Jack wears. These inconspicuous beads suggest that there may be some other significant characters with a part to play that haven't been revealed yet. 

Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, and starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Javier Bardem, and Kaya Scodelario, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will be released in cinemas on May 26, 2017. 

Zoe Delahunty-Light

While here at GamesRadar, Zoe was a features writer and video presenter for us. She's since flown the coop and gone on to work at Eurogamer where she's a video producer, and also runs her own Twitch and YouTube channels. She specialises in huge open-world games, true crime, and lore deep-dives.