In science fiction a space pirate is an individual who conduct the act of piracy in outer space. They travel the depths of space via spacecraft, steal valuables from space installations (such as space stations and planetary/asteroid outposts) and other ships (sometimes stealing the entire ship itself as well), kidnap spacefarers for ransom (or keep them as slaves/new crewmates) and raid alien ruins for buried treasure. They usually patrol trade lanes with the least military protection and target passing cargo ships. As with their ancient counterparts, they adorn their ships with pirate iconography such such as the classic skull and crossbones. Typical space pirates look like aggressive looking astronauts though some of the more whimsical settings feature pirates that look just like their ancient counterparts but with a sci-fi twist (examples include having bionic eyes and cybernetic limbs in place of eye patches, hook hands and peglegs and a pirate spacecraft in the shape of a galley complete with sails.).

Notable Examples

• The Space Pirates from the Metroid series.