But the quote heard ’round the world goes as follows: The innocuously-named “HBO Max Actors and Producers Roundtable” panel was about creating breakthrough characters and also featured the likes of Zendaya and Oscar Isaac. Waititi was speaking this week as part of Variety’s Virtual TV Fest, and he had plenty to say about Our Flag Means Death. Then Our Flag Means Death star Taika Waititi-who also serves as an executive producer and directed the pilot-took his praise a step further by highlighting the more NSFW side of fanart that has emerged. That’s been wonderful to see, and a fair bit different than the treatment many fandoms have experienced when it comes to shipping and fanworks in the past. Since the pirate workplace romcom exploded in popularity, the cast and creatives have been outspoken in their support of fandom, with many sharing, liking, and interacting with fan creations like fanart, memes, and meta-analysis. HBO Max’s Our Flag Means Death helped deal a mortal blow to queerbaiting on television.