Sailor John

Sailor John is the main pirate antagonist of the Thomas and Friends special, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure. He is voiced by John Hurt who also played The Horned King, Mr. Mole, and the TV version of General Woundwort.

Aspects
Kicked out of the navy, Sailor John retired to the Island of Sodor and became obsessed with the idea of finding the treasure. He can be quite a charmer appearing both funny and likable, but beneath his friendly exterior lurks a ruthless schemer with no true friends, sans Skiff the railboat and self-loyal, whom he treats more as a lackey. He's smart, vivid and applied, capable of elaborating feats of engineering, such rigging a pirate ship as an escape vehicle.

He also demonstrates an abusive side towards Skiff, initially demonstrated through his apathy of making Skiff constantly swallow sea water. Once Skiff becomes aware of his true intentions, Sailor John forces Skiff to act as his getaway vehicle. In the climax, he also repeatedly threatens to dismantle Skiff, should he continue to protest and counter him.

Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure
Sailor John first appears in the narrative while watching over the uncovering of the lost ship through his spyglass, atop Skiff. Fitting Skiff with wheels, Sailor John travels out to the site of the new branch line's construction. He receives help from Thomas, taking advantage of the tank engine's desire to be helpful. With Thomas' help, Sailor John uncovers the map leading to the treasure. Unfortunately for him, the treasure had been dug up by Marion the Steam Crane and transported to Sir Topham Hatt's office, under his care. When Thomas reveals that the treasure will be taken to the museum, Sailor John becomes enraged, declaring that the treasure is "rightfully his" after years of searching.

That night, Sailor John uses dynamite to break into Sir Topham Hatt's office and steals the treasure. He also reveals that he has stolen the old ship and reworked it into a large escape vehicle. Thomas gives chase and, getting help from both the new engine Ryan and the Arlesdale engines, the large ship is derailed. Escaping with the treasure aboard Skiff, Sailor John throws everything else aboard Skiff at Thomas to ward him off, eventually revealing another bundle of dynamite. Skiff shifts enough to keep the dynamite from hitting Thomas, but they eventually reach the water. The treasure threatens to sink Skiff, and Sailor John refuses to jettison it to save themselves. Fed up with Sailor John's mistreatment and threats, Skiff uses a wave to knock the treasure into the ocean. Sailor John uselessly pursues it, only to float back up to the surface and be arrested by responding policemen.

Trivia

 * Sailor John is the first Thomas  villain to be human (not counting the deleted character P.T. Boomer or Mr. Conductor's Evil Twin or the theives in the railway series or the three theives in King of the Railway.)