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In Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, After rescuing Jack, the crew meet a group of people on small vessels floating towards the same direction with some kind of lantern hanging on each vessel.

Elizabeth sees her father is also among them. After realizing that her father is dead, Elizabeth looks absolutely devastated.

Will asks Tia Dalma if there is a way to "bring him back".

She implied that it's not possible. saying

"Him at peace".

Why can't she bring back Elizabeth's father from the dead like she brought Hector Barbossa back?

2 Answers 2

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Likely because Governor Swann didn't want to be brought back from the dead

Davy Jones can offer mortals to serve him and postpone their death if they accept his deal.

Davy Jones: Do you not fear death?

Chaplain: I'll take my chances, Sir.

Davy Jones: To the depths.

[...]

Davy Jones: Life is cruel. Why should the afterlife be any different? I offer you a choice. Join my crew, and postpone the judgment. One hundred years before the mast. Will ye serve?

Helmsman: I - I will, serve.

Davy Jones: Grand.

Since Davy Jones powers come from Tia Dalma when she was Calypso, we can suppose that similar rules apply to her powers. So when she says:

Tia Dalma: Him at peace.

We can assume that she cannot (or maybe refuses to) bring back to life a soul that is ready for their final journey to the land of the dead, which seems to be Swann's case:

Governor Swann: I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth.

[...]

Governor Swann: I'll give your love to your mother.

Governor Swann seems to have accepted his fate, knowing that he will retrieve his lost wife, and that his daughter Elizabeth is strong enough to take care of herself. In opposite, Barbossa still had some unfinished business in the world of the living:

Barbossa: So tell me, what's become of my ship?

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Tia needs the body of that person in to resurrect them. She had the body of Barbossa, so she was able to resurrect him. Dead people we see coming via boats are actually spirits, not in a physical form. Therefore, there was nothing she could do to resurrect him.

Tia: We are nothing but ghosts to them.

Governer Swann could've died anywhere on the Earth and they didn't know which place was it.

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    Dalma said "He is at peace". It doesn't indicate that finding his body being the concern. Finding Barbossa's body should be equally hard to her considering she wasn't at the place where Jack shot him.
    – Vishwa
    May 15, 2018 at 12:53
  • I'd say that to resurrect someone, that he/she doesn't accept his/her fate. It's unknown if Barbossa did it, but Weatherby said "I'll give your love to your mother." which indicates that he accepted his death Jun 7, 2020 at 18:59

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