Metroid Prime (creature)


 * This article is about the creature Metroid Prime. For the game, see Metroid Prime.
 * For other uses, see Metroid Prime (disambiguation).

Metroid Prime (initially referred to by Space Pirates as Test subject Z-d) is a highly-mutated Metroid infused with pirate technology which appears in the game of the same name as the final boss. Its influence is felt throughout the entire series, making it the main antagonist of the Prime Trilogy.

History
On Tallon IV, a planet inhabited by the Chozo, there was a prophecy that foretold a "Worm" would infest the planet. The prophecy foretold that the Worm would devour the planet from within and would bring a "Great Poison" along with it. However, the prophecy also foretold of a great "Defender" that would deliver the planet from evil and would confront the "Worm".

Eventually, this prophecy came to fruition. A Leviathan from Phaaze crashed onto Tallon IV which started the destruction of the planet. Chozo who came in contact with Phazon became corrupted and controlled by Metroid Prime itself (or became victims of "Phazon madness", as referred to by the Space Pirates) and lost their sanity. Known as "Turned," they destroyed everything they could and attacked other Chozo. This madness did not end with death, as some would become dangerous Chozo Ghosts, attacking all they encountered.

Seeing the evil that was corrupting the planet, the Chozo created a temple to contain the Leviathan, the source of the Phazon, as well as the Phazon itself. They named this temple the "Cradle". They created twelve Artifacts, known as "Cipher", that one must have to gain access to the temple and visit the Impact Crater of the meteor. Chozo Ghosts apparently attempted to undo the Artifacts.

However, the problems the Chozo faced did not end. Space Pirates landed on the planet and were able to steal some of the Artifacts, causing the Chozo to scatter the rest of the Artifacts across the planet. The Space Pirates tried to comprehend the purpose of these Artifacts though without success. They then tried to destroy the Artifact Temple, though failed again. The Space Pirates eventually found Phazon on the planet and began mining operations to harvest the Phazon under the planet's surface, using it for their experiments on both themselves and other creatures. They then tried mining to get underneath the Artifact Temple's lock, but were unable to because of a force field that was generated by the Cipher. However, the Pirates did detect a powerful life force that was rapidly consuming Phazon inside the crater.

The Chozo came to the conclusion that Tallon IV was doomed to destruction. Before they left, they saw visions of Samus Aran exploring the planet. They left behind upgrades for her battle suit in hopes that one day she will fulfill the prophecy. They then left Tallon IV.

Space Pirate Data
According to NTSC-version Space Pirate Data, Metroid Prime was discovered in a cavern by a mining crew. It quickly killed the miners, though was able to be contained by security units and drones. Studies were then conducted on the creature which led to the discovery that it was genetically similar to a Metroid, though much more "evolved". It has a limitless capacity for Phazon and is not negatively affected by the substance whatsoever. It never stops growing and has some psychotic behavior, likely due to the Phazon.

Metroid Prime was at one time kept in a stasis tank. There was a large batch of Phazon in the room it was in and, sensing it, destroyed its tank and consumed all the Phazon. It also managed to assimilate several weapons and defense systems from fallen security units and began using its new weapons against the Space Pirates. They were able to contain it though were not able to remove the equipment, making them an integral part of Metroid Prime's body.

Metroid Prime eventually managed to fully assimilate the equipment, granting it incredible armor plating and powerful defense screens.

In the PAL-version of the game however, the Space Pirates on Tallon IV were merely aware of the presence of some large Phazon-consuming creature within the containment field of the Cradle. It can be assumed that this is now the accepted canon, since this version of events was retained in the Metroid Prime Trilogy. This version of events makes more sense, as it ought to have been impossible for the Pirates to penetrate the Cipher, but the NTSC release's data implies that the Pirates were able to breach it.

Samus's arrival
When Samus arrived on Tallon IV, the planet was greatly corrupted by Phazon. She explored the planet, exterminating all of the corrupted creatures and destroying the Space Pirate base. She eventually collected the twelve Chozo Artifacts and gained access to the Impact Crater, though she had to fight off Meta Ridley beforehand.

Inside, instead of the normal blue Phazon seen throughout the planet, orange Phazon could be seen. Samus also found Fission Metroids, Metroids corrupted due to the high concentration of Phazon. This Phazon found was almost 86% stronger than normal Phazon, showing how this Phazon can change creatures that are already dangerous. As she progressed through the Impact Crater, she met Metroid Prime.

Battle
Samus's battle with Metroid Prime is the last in the game. Metroid Prime has two forms. Strangely, when scanning Metroid Prime, a close-up of a visor-like part at the top of its armored form reveals some sort of face located inside. It is unknown what exactly this is, but it is possible that this may be part of what would later become Dark Samus. It could also be the Prime's Core form witin the exoskeleton, as it bears some resemblance to it.

Exo form
The first form is Metroid Prime with thick plating all around itself save for the eyes. It uses a shielding system where the color of its body indicates what beam is its weakness. The same can be said of the color of the beam it fires from its massive maw (which spans the bottom of its entire carapace.) Purple is the Wave Beam, white is the Ice Beam, red is the Plasma Beam, and yellow is the Power Beam. Samus must charge the beam required and fire it at Metroid Prime's eyes to damage it. Metroid Prime will retaliate by ramming Samus, which she can avoid by entering Morph Ball form and rolling into the deep crevices in the ground under Metroid Prime. It will also attack with Ultrafrigid Breath, Multi-Missiles, Snare Beams, and Particle Wave Projectors. As Metroid Prime takes more damage, it retreats into deeper caverns, using stronger and stronger attacks as it goes. Eventually, it falls into a hole, with Samus following it.



Core form
When Samus lands, she finds Metroid Prime's plating has been cast off with Phazon oozing out of it. Metroid Prime flies out of the body in its second form, the core essence of Metroid Prime. During the second form Metroid Prime is only vulnerable to pure Phazon. Metroid Prime will use its tentacles to shoot waves of energy throughout the room which Samus must jump over to avoid and will spawn various Metroid species. There are several ways to deal with the Metroids. Samus can use a Power Bomb to kill them, or she can run past them and use the Phazon Beam to kill them. A third tactic only works the first two times it creates Metroids. Use the Ice Beam to freeze them and then Missile them. The third time on, Prime only makes Fission Metroids. Whenever it creates a Metroid, Metroid Prime will create small pools of Phazon. After Metroid Prime creates a pool of Phazon, it may disappear from the Combat Visor and must be tracked with either the Thermal Visor or X-Ray Visor. With the use of the Phazon Suit, Samus can stand on these pools and enter Hyper Mode. She can then fire Phazon at Metroid Prime by the use of the Phazon Beam, greatly damaging it. Eventually, it will completely destabilize. Once Samus has defeated Metroid Prime's second form, it morphs into an odd looking blob, similar to a Metroid or a Core-X from Metroid Fusion. Tentacles will come out of it and grab Samus. Despite Samus resisting, it takes her Phazon Suit (leaving her in her Gravity Suit) and all other sources of Phazon in the general vicinity and explodes, causing the entire cavern to collapse with Samus barely escaping. Samus races to her gunship, observes the Artifact Temple in its destroyed state, and leaves the planet. The Hatchling has fulfilled the prophecy.

Dark Samus
Despite Samus killing Metroid Prime and causing the cavern to collapse, the "Worm" was reborn. With the absorption of the Phazon Suit, the Phazon that once composed Metroid Prime, now left behind, was able to reconstruct itself into a body similar to Samus'. Because Dark Samus was once Metroid Prime, Dark Samus is technically a Metroid. She could travel across the reaches of space and was more powerful than ever before. She was dubbed "Dark Samus" ("Dark Hunter" to the Space Pirates) due to the dark color of her suit and her malevolent nature. The Space Pirates called Dark Samus the "Dark Hunter" due to the fact that the Space Pirates mistook Dark Samus for the original Samus, whom they already called "The Hunter". This information was obtained in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes in a Space Pirate Facility.

Origins
Despite the Prime subseries being over, Metroid Prime's origins were never fully explained. According to the Page 3 of the Art Booklet packaged with Metroid Prime Trilogy, Metroid Prime was originally a Metroid that became corrupted by absorbing Phazon from the Phazon Core that was inside the Leviathan that impacted Tallon IV.

Early Metroid Prime concept art (as shown to the right) depicts several "eyes" in the background that strongly resemble the eyes found in the Leviathan Battleship orbiting the Pirate Homeworld. This could possibly suggest a correlation between Metroid Prime and the Leviathan, however it cannot be certain.

In Corruption, inside the room just before the battle with Dark Samus on planet Phaaze, the remains of an exoskeleton very similar to Metroid Prime's can be found, however it is unknown if they belong to the Metroid Prime found on Tallon IV or to another Prime-like creature that lived on Phaaze. Hopper and Phazon Metroids featured in Corruption also bear resemblances to Prime, suggesting a connection between them.

According to Corruption scan data, Leviathans are great organisms which possess a Phazon seed. When they impact a planet, they come close to death due to the impact. They then use Phazon to lure a nearby creature to defend the seed before they die; this creature will be corrupted by Phazon and will protect the core. According to this data, it is possible that the Metroid that would later mutate into Prime was only corrupted after the Tallon IV Leviathan impacted the planet. However, there is nothing to suggest that it is not possible for the future Metroid Prime to have entered the Leviathan before it was launched from Phaaze, especially since Phaaze is already known to have a large population of Phazon Metroids; indeed, it seems to make more sense that the Metroid Prime was in the Leviathan for a much longer period of time than the other Guardians and therefore have a deeper connection to it and Phazon itself, as it is more powerful than the Guardians encountered in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and possesses the unique ability to generate pure Phazon. But this possibility raises another question: how did Metroids get to Phaaze in the first place?

The following has not been explained in official canon:
 * How a Metroid was able to get inside of the Leviathan, either before crashing on Tallon IV (flying inside of the Leviathan through space), or after, although as seen in Corruption, if a Metroid entered the Leviathan, there is a relatively straightforward path to the core, so if a Metroid (since Phazon and Hopper Metroids already existed on Phaaze) entered the Leviathan, the Leviathan may have taken the opportunity to procure a Guardian before being launched into space. Also there were large numbers of Phazon Metroids (as well as Prime-like husks) in the Genesis Chamber where leviathans were grown, so it would have been easy for one of them to enter or attach to the Leviathan before it was launched. The presence of Prime-like husks also suggests that Metroid Prime or a similarly mutated Metroid had been living around the infant Leviathans but was no longer present.
 * If after is the case (thus giving the Phazon Core a "local predator" to attract), how it was able to bypass through the Cipher/Cradle (although it could have gone into the Impact Crater before the shield was raised).
 * Also, if after is the case, whether the Space Pirates brought the Metroid with them, or whether it was in the possession of the Chozo.
 * What happened to the Tallon IV Leviathan's Phazon Core. Though it has never been officially stated, most theories point to it being completely absorbed by Metroid Prime's insatiable hunger, a trait commonly found in Metroids. The fact that Metroid Prime can create pools of Phazon at will enforces this theory; the Baby from Super Metroid has also demonstrated the capacity to rob the abilities of its prey. This negates at least one Dark Samus survived' theory.
 * Because scan data suggests that Tallon IV was struck by the meteor around 20 years before the arrival of Samus, it is also possible that the Phazon Core died of natural causes (the official canon doesn't state the life span of a Phazon Core, and the only Phazon Cores seen in the Prime series are relatively young).


 * The Metroid: Volume 1 manga seems to hint at Metroids being created during Samus Aran's younger years; this would make the theory of Metroid Prime originating from Phaaze questionable.

Metroid Prime (Exo)
"The form of the Metroid Prime that Samus first encounters. It can become invulnerable to all but one of Samus's weapons at a time. The body color alternates between yellow, purple, white, and red, with the color indicating the weapon that can deal damage. After taking a certain amount of damage, the Metroid Prime exoskeleton reveals its core essence.

GCN Metroid Prime

Metroid Prime (Core)
"The core form of Metroid Prime after losing its exoskeleton. It can make itself invisible for a set time, which requires Samus to make a visor change. Normal hits do not have any effect on it--the Metroid Prime can eventually be defeated by using the Phazon Beam while standing in a Phazon puddle."

GCN Metroid Prime

Trivia

 * Metroid Prime is one of the only guardians of a Leviathan's core that does not reward Samus with a power-up after its defeat, the other possibly being the Emperor Ing. Interestingly, Metroid Prime is also the only guardian to take away one of Samus' power-ups (although this does not affect the gameplay in any way, due to the fact that the game ends when Metroid Prime is defeated).
 * When Metroid Prime's exoskeleton is white, a single Ice Spreader Combo will freeze it solid. In normal mode, this ends its white phase, though on hard mode it takes two to make it change colors. Either way, it is vulnerable to any weapon type while frozen.
 * The part of the creature containing the head resembles the head of a Plasma Trooper from Metroid Prime.
 * When Samus first encounters Metroid Prime (see image above) the part she first sees resembles a surprised face.
 * The opening part of Metroid Prime Battle is a remix of Metroid Prime Theme.
 * In Metroid Prime 3: Corruption there is a room on planet Phaaze called the Genesis Chamber. In it are husks that are identical to Metroid Prime. Scanning them even says "These husks are identical to the bioform you encountered within the crater on Tallon IV". These could be the remains of another Metroid Prime or peeled/molted skin left by the same Metroid Prime.
 * Metroid Prime in its Core form closely resembles the look of the heads of the alien creatures from the movie Independence Day. Another similarity is that, like Metroid Prime, these aliens use an organic exosuit, concealing their true form.
 * The theme of Metroid Prime's core essence was remixed for the second phase of Gorea's battle in Metroid Prime Hunters.
 * The core essence of Metroid Prime has a cartoonish look to it when visible with the normal visor. Some of the main factors that contribute to this is that it's "eyes" bulge out and can look mad.
 * When battling Metroid Prime's core form, one can stand on its dicarded shell, completely avoiding the shockwaves. Also, there is a twig on the side of the room opposite of the discarded exoskeleton. When standing on this twig, it seems as though Samus is at ground level, though the shock waves Metroid Prime uses don't affect her when standing on it either.

Also See

 * Dark Samus