Beginning with post #28 it seems the assumption is that ...."the captain departed the plane with the pax, leaving his FO and cabin crew in danger."
Could he simply have been off the aircraft (walk-around perhaps) when this whole thing started? F/O left in cockpit loading FMC.
Not making sense that hijacker would release the person he NEEDED to fly him to his destination. Nor am I accepting that the COMMANDER would bail on his crew at earliest opportunity.