Codenames don't sound too useful, given that a kegful of pirates isn't important enough or organised enough to spy on and I doubt we're the stealthy infiltration type ourselves. I'd steer clear of backstory-originating spacecraft before the group actually starts writing, too.

Maybe assets for new members are selected by the rest of the team, or at random (with discussion, obviously). Grab-bag skill additions suit the vibe. And are fun. And less prone to the abuse that comes with choice.

[@Dark Light][@ChickenTeriyaki] Shameless advertising: Go check out the Harmonious Network thread. It's a sizeable project to character-populate a setting outside of Federation space. Quetz did a bunch of worldbuilding for part of it, the Myrlian Belt, which is shaping up to be an excellent setting to play around with piracy and revolution.

They need another head or two to get approved, hop to it.