Unfreezable Metroid



An unfreezable Metroid (also referred to as Sector Zero Metroids) is a term to describe mature larval Metroids that have been genetically manipulated to overcome their mortal weakness, the vulnerability to cold.

In the first Metroid Prime game, according to the Pirate Data, Metroid Forces, the Space Pirates wanted in the future to find a way to shield Metroids from their vulnerability to cold, but were seemingly unsuccessful, or they never tried.

Ironically, it would later be the Galactic Federation, the very enemy which Space Pirates had hoped to defeat with their Metroids, that had successfully and intentionally created the unfreezable Metroids.

In Metroid: Other M, the scientists of the Bottle Ship cloned Metroids from fragments of the Baby on Samus Aran's Power Suit after her return from Zebes in Super Metroid. All but one were genetically altered to be unfreezable, and were stored in Sector Zero. These Metroids were part of a bioweapon program titled Project Metroid Warriors. If successful, they would have completely replaced the Galactic Federation's modified Zebesians. Samus was told this by MB while the latter was posing as Madeline Bergman, but she was not warned of the unfreezable aspect. However, despite the fact that these Metroids were said to be unfreezable, Adam was able to freeze and kill a Baby Metroid that tried to attack Samus. Adam inferences that, due to its young age, it had not grown to the immunity it was given.

Later on, it was said that the Queen Metroid's genes were left unaltered so it would act as a control specimen. She would give birth to normal Metroids to be used for further research where they would eventually be modified into unfreezable specimens.

The physiological differences between those seen in Other M and unmodified variants are their nuclei and membranes: unfreezable Metroids have sharp/spiked nuclei instead of the normal raspberry-like shape, and the membranes are dark blue with a slight purple tint.

Before the events of Other M, Samus had encountered many stages of Metroid that could not be frozen, but they were either later stages in the natural life cycle or mutated versions of these specimens created through Phazon. Some examples of the mutated variants include the Fission Metroid, a Metroid in its mature larval stage that was vulnerable to different beams, depending on its colour, and a Metroid Prime; the Pirates played no role in the birth of these mutations as they were created outside of Pirate laboratories and despite the marauding race extensively experimenting with Phazon, it was never capable of recreating them in a controlled environment. Additionally, these varieties of Metroid still retained some weakness to cold (Fission Metroids could become vulnerable to the Ice Beam if they turned blue and Metroid Prime's first form could be frozen and immobilised by the Ice Spreader when it turned white). The Metroids on the Bottle Ship were thus probably the first to have no vulnerabilities to cold whatsoever.

Hologram information
''Common name: Generic Metroid Size: Length 1.5m Classification: Metroid subspecies able to endure frigid temperatures.''

Trivia

 * The unfreezable aspect of the Metroids on the Bottle Ship was first foreshadowed by a dead Gigafraug that appeared to have been fed on by Metroids. Said creature was found in the Cryosphere, a frigid environment.
 * While the modified Metroids from the Bottle Ship could no longer be frozen, it can be assumed they nevertheless retained their alternate weakness to Power Bombs. However, due to the dangerous nature of Power Bombs and their lengthy cooldown time, this probably isn't a wise way to fight them, particularly if they are in a large group, although with the massive destruction the Power Bomb has could completely annihilate all the Metroids in the room and/or the Sector. On the other hand, this massive amount of damage would probably cause the Sector to activate its self-destruct procedure and detach from the Bottle Ship.
 * The Metroid Hatcher is a heavily Phazon-mutated Metroid that cannot be frozen, but can nevertheless be harmed with Ice Missiles. It is unknown if this strain of Metroid was created by Pirate hands.
 * The latter mutations in the natural Metroid life cycle seem to still contain the vulnerability to cold, but are more resistant because they have more developed and resilient bodies. The reason for this belief comes from the Omega Metroid battle at the end of Metroid Fusion; as it was not fought in the same way as the other Omega Metroids Samus battled on her mission to SR388. After absorbing the SA-X's Core-X, Samus was able to penetrate the Omega Metroid's membrane using her Ice Beam.
 * After Samus receives Metroid DNA in Metroid Fusion, the Galactic Federation provides Samus with a Varia Suit upgrade that renders her immune to cold temperatures and the SA-X's Ice Beam, technically making her an unfreezable "Metroid". It is possible that the Varia upgrade employed the same biotechnology that protected the original Metroids.
 * Interestingly, the original Varia Suit and its subsequent upgrades were not 'unfreezable', although they did greatly reduce the damage from freezing. This is shown in the Metroid Prime Trilogy, where Samus will be temporarily frozen if hit by ice attacks.

Незамерзающий Метроид