There are a lot of influences that Skeleton Crew could cite as inspiration, from The Goonies to Peter Pan. With the inclusion of a turncoat who had been something of a friend, it's recently looked a lot like Treasure Island. One character dynamic points to a different source, and that is the rivalry between Jod Na Nawood and Captain Brutus.
Who is Brutus in Skeleton Crew named after?
A mutiny is a common trope in pirate stories and it's been entertaining to watch how Jod shifts from quasi-Jedi to conniving swashbuckler throughout the series so far. He even uses a sea shanty to inspire the crew to carry out another kind of mutiny against their new captain, Brutus. In episode 7, "We're Gonna Be In So Much Trouble," he kills Brutus in cold blood and then calls him "back-stabbing." I had just moments before realized that a traitor could have been named for Marcus Brutus, one of the Romans who killed Julius Caesar. The back-stabbing remark only bolstered my theory of the connection.
If you want a relatively recent reference for Brutus, look to William Shakespeare. In his 1599 play Julius Caesar, a host of Roman senators conspired against the title character and stabbed him to death. Caesar turns to his protege and friend, Brutus, and says, "Even you, Brutus?" in Latin. His murderers justify it as "Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead!" and congratulate themselves that "ambition's debt is paid." They talk the people of Rome into accepting this assassination by speaking regretfully of the need for the great leader to die. Here is Brutus' justification:
"If then that friend demands why Brutus rose against Caesar, this is my answer: not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more... As he was fortunate, I rejoice at it. As he was valiant, I honor him. But as he was ambitious, I slew him."Brutus
Antony, Caesar's friend, speaks boldly against this by laying out Caesar's actions and virtues that showed him to be a worthy and honorable man, but repeats in his famous funeral speech that "Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man." Seeing that people believe Brutus, he says, "O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts, and men have lost reason!"
This connection paints a scene of how the Ravager crew was turned against their captain. Brutus talked the crew into believing that Jod was treacherous and self-serving. The Roman historian Suetonius claimed in his Life of Julius Caesar that Casar "could not rid himself of the odium of having aspired to the title of monarch." It's possible that Jod's downfall similarly started with him trying to take too much power. Just as there were three provocations for Caesar's assassination, including this false claim of his ambition, Brutus could only have made his case to mutiny against Captain Silvo based on more than one incident. The crew turned against their captain, possibly because "Brutus says he was ambitious, and Brutus is an honorable man."
Leaving aside our Shakespeare and Suetonius, we have one episode left in Skeleton Crew, and we have yet to see what Jod's crew will do while cut off from At Attin. We look forward to seeing if "men have lost their reason!"
Skeleton Crew can be found streaming on Disney+.