Zebes

''This article is about the planet featured in the Metroid series. For the Super Smash Bros. stage, see Planet Zebes.''

Zebes was a planet in orbit around the star FS-176 and habitat of the devious Zebesian Space Pirates and Mother Brain. Zebes was the locational setting of the original Metroid, its enhanced remake, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Super Metroid. According to Metroid Prime, Zebes had a mass of 4.8 trillion teratons and was in the FS-176 system. Samus Aran, the famed Bounty Hunter was raised on Zebes by the Chozo after her home on the Earth colony K-2L was destroyed by the Space Pirates.

Features
Zebes had a vast network of underground caverns and labyrinths that lead deep into the planet. A deep cavernous area in the planet known as Brinstar seemed to be the home of more than 60% of the planet's wildlife. Brinstar was home to a dense forest, yet the vegetation did not seem to have anything to photosynthesize. It can be said that the plants only needed water, or that the majority were carnivorous as indicated by the foliage in Kraid's Lair. It is also possible that Brinstar plants use chemosynthesis.

Another oddity lies in the existence of huge deposits of water just below the surface. Labeled Maridia, the water from this realm spiraled in all directions, eating away at the land and creating huge and sometimes dangerously vast mazes of water. The ground "liquified" in some areas and formed deadly quicksand traps leading deeper into the planet.

Crateria was the crust of Zebes. It was a bleak and rocky area that was constantly drenched by acid rain. This rain would affect bioforms not able to adapt to the harsh atmosphere (Samus Aran being an exception). There was also a Wrecked Ship that had crashed in a pool on Crateria long ago. The ship appeared to have crashed before or during the Chozo occupation of Zebes as there were several Chozo Statues placed within its compromised hull.

While they lived on the planet, the Chozo had constructed a Planetary Protection Shield to defend themselves from attack. However, it was later disabled by the Space Pirates with a micro black hole.

Moons
Samus uses the phrase "Great Moons of Zebes!" in the early Captain N: The Game Master comics. It is shown in the Metroid Manga that Zebes had two moons, one very large in appearance from the surface and another that is smaller. Both moons also appear in Metroid Prime as holograms in the Observatory. The larger moon had a normal revolution and rotation, while the smaller moon had a retrograde orbit and may have been tidally locked to Zebes. Due to its small size, the hologram's rotation is not visible.

The fates of the moons after the planet's destruction are unknown. Assuming they were not also destroyed by the explosion of Zebes, it is likely that they continued to orbit their sun within the former planet's debris field.

Areas

 * Crateria — The surface area of Zebes that Samus's gunship first landed on in Metroid: Zero Mission and later in Super Metroid. It was constantly deluged by heavy acid rains. In Super, the ruins of the original Tourian were 'integrated' as a part of this area.
 * Wrecked Ship — An ancient, flooded ship that crashed into Crateria long ago, now infested with ghosts. Segments of it are found in Chozodia. The area was home to Phantoon, one of the Space Pirate leaders in Super Metroid.


 * Brinstar — Includes two main sections: a lush underground jungle and a network of caverns primarily composed of dry rock. Home to the Metroid: Zero Mission and Super Metroid minibosses Deorem and Spore Spawn, respectively.
 * Kraid's Lair — A moist subsection of Brinstar that teemed with flora and small animal life. It contained a unique rail system in Zero Mission. As the name implies, this was the habitat of Kraid, a veteran Space Pirate leader and one of their main Enforcers.


 * Norfair — The fiery underground caves of Zebes. The Fire-Sea of Norfair boasted incredibly high temperatures, requiring Samus to obtain the Varia Suit before exploring portions of it. Home to the Super Metroid miniboss Crocomire and the Zero Mission miniboss Kiru Giru.
 * Ridley's Lair — An area of Zebes that was even deeper than Norfair. Ridley's Lair was completely artificial as it was included Chozo Ruins and possibly Space Pirate technology. This area is arguably the same as the Lower Norfair area from Super Metroid, which also served as the base for Ridley, the most infamous of the Space Pirate leaders and one of the two main Enforcers. The Gold Torizo miniboss also resided in Lower Norfair. In Super Metroid, Samus needed the Gravity Suit to explore the area safely.


 * Maridia — The flooded caves of Zebes. This area was composed of underground oceans teeming with aquatic bioforms and some Space Pirate structures and laboratories. It was in these sunken labs that Samus found the results of failed attempts at cloning Metroids by Space Pirates. One of the Space Pirate leaders, Draygon, also lurked in this area in Super Metroid. Maridia also featured Botwoon, a serpent-like miniboss.
 * Chozodia — A series of ancient Chozo ruins situated in or near Crateria, the surface of Planet Zebes. Though Space Pirates secured portions of these ruins due to their proximity to the Space Pirate Mother Ship, there were still parts of Chozodia that remained largely unexplored -- until Samus stumbled across them while fleeing from the pirates. The walls of the silent corridors were covered with Chozo heiroglyphs, and the newly installed Pirate Alarm Systems stood ready to detect any intruders. It is in this area of Zebes that Samus passed the Ruins Test, earning herself the "legendary" Power Suit as a result. Certain segments of the Wrecked Ship are located here.
 * Space Pirate Mother Ship — The Space Pirates' mobile base during the events of Metroid: Zero Mission. Presided over by the Ridley Robot in the absence of Ridley himself, this ship was equipped with state-of-the-art security systems and swarmed with Space Pirates, making it a dangerous place for Samus. It became all the more dangerous when Samus was forced to infiltrate the ship without the aid of her famous Power Suit. The ship was completely destroyed at the end of Metroid: Zero Mission.


 * Tourian — The main Space Pirate headquarters on Zebes. Entirely mechanical, Tourian was the location of the Metroid labs and the place from which Mother Brain, the leader of the Space Pirates on Zebes, commanded her forces. Samus has twice destroyed this area. The first Tourian was built unusually close to the surface; when it was destroyed, another Tourian was rebuilt much further into the depths of the planet, some parts as reaching deep as Norfair and perhaps even farther down. The original's ruins were 'integrated' as a part of Crateria in Super Metroid.

History
Originally a Chozo colony, Zebes (or the Chozo research/tech scattered across it) had been desired by the Space Pirates for some time. The Space Pirates tried to invade it on the founding of the Galactic Federation, but were unsuccessful. It was after this that the Chozo inhabitants took the orphaned Samus Aran under their wing; also, breakthroughs in the design of the Metroids were made by Gray Voice and the organic computer Mother Brain at this time. After Samus became a Federation Police Force officer, the Space Pirates returned with the Space Pirate Flagship, Mother Brain betrayed the Chozo, and the Chozo colony was entirely evacuated and/or wiped out. For the next few years the Space Pirates secretly used Zebes as their primary base of action, and, under the guidance of Mother Brain, became a more effective and deadly force, conducting unthinkable experiments to weaponize the Chozo-made parasitic life-form: Metroid.

The Galactic Federation sent Samus back to Zebes to destroy the threat of Metroids and Mother Brain. Samus succeeded in neutralizing both the Metroids and Mother Brain, and she destroyed the Space Pirate Mother Ship, seemingly ending the Space Pirate presence on Zebes. For the next few years the planet's only inhabitants were the roughly 200 archaeologists and researchers sent there to study the many Chozo ruins on the planet's surface and in the subterranean tunnels. Eventually the Space Pirates returned to Zebes, regained their previous strength, and rebuilt Mother Brain.

Inhabitants
Zebes had a wide variety of inhabitants, the most well known being the Chozo, the Space Pirates, the Metroids, and even Samus Aran for a time in her youth.
 * Alcoon
 * Atomic
 * Badger Glove
 * Beetom
 * Bio-Barrier
 * Bomb Parasite
 * Botwoon
 * Boyon
 * Bull
 * Cacatac
 * Choot
 * Crocomire
 * Dachora
 * Deorem
 * Dessgeega
 * Dragon
 * Draygon
 * Etecoon
 * Evir
 * Fire Flea
 * Flesh-Eating Bacteria (carried to the planet with Zoomers)
 * Fune
 * Gadora
 * Gamet
 * Geega
 * Geemer
 * Geruta
 * Holtz
 * Imago
 * Ion-Faeria
 * Kago
 * Ki-Hunter
 * Kiru Giru
 * Kraid
 * Kzan
 * Magdollite
 * Mella
 * Mellow
 * Menu
 * Metaree
 * Mochtroid
 * Mother Brain
 * Mua
 * Multiviola
 * Nahime
 * Nova
 * Oum
 * Owtch
 * Phantoon
 * Polyp
 * Powamp
 * Puyo
 * Reo
 * Ridley
 * Ridley Robot
 * Ring Beam Unit
 * Rinka
 * Ripper
 * Ripper II
 * Samus Eater
 * Sbug
 * Sciser
 * Shaktool
 * Skree
 * Skultera
 * Spore Spawn
 * Squeept
 * Tangle Vine
 * Tatori
 * Tatori, Jr.
 * Tripper
 * Viola
 * Waver
 * Winged Ripper
 * Work Robot
 * X-45G
 * X-78Q
 * Yapping Maw
 * Yard
 * Zebes Bio-Barrier
 * Zeela
 * Zoa
 * Zoomer
 * ULF 37

Destruction
After Samus defeated Mother Brain for the second time on Zebes in Super Metroid, yet another self-destruct sequence was activated. However, unlike the first, which destroyed the first Tourian, the second engulfed the entire planet: As Samus escaped in her ship, the planet ignited with a blinding flash and a tremendous explosion. Zebes, the former home of the Chozo and Samus herself, was lost forever.



Metroid Prime Scan
"Planet Zebes Mass: 4.8 trillion teratons.

''Profile: Planet's crust is primarily Urthic ore, making it ideal for subterranean construction. A class XIX planet, Zebes is inhospitable to most bioforms. The world was considered unremarkable until it became a base for Space Pirate forces."''

Metroid Prime Website
"object type: Planet

mass: 4.8 trillion teratons

dimensions: 11,700 km diameter

sentient inhabitants: 200, mostly researchers

composition: Urthic Ore"

"Zebes is a Class 5B planet with an Urthic ore crust ideal for subterranean construction. Though many zones on Zebes are seemingly inhospitible to life, extremely tough organisms have evolved on this planet that can thrive in conditions that would kill ordinary terrestrial creatures.

''Planet Zebes is as rich in history as it is in Urthic ore. It is well known across the Galactic Federation as the site of bounty hunter Samus Aran's heroic stand against Space Pirate rogues. In the deeps [sic] below Zebes, the Space Pirates were conducting unthinkable experments with parasitic lifeforms known as Metroids. If harnessed as a biological weapon, the Metroids could have quickly neutralized large armies and forced entire solar systems to accept Space Pirate rule. Working for the Galactic Federation, Samus cut a swath through the Space Pirates' ranks, destroying everything in her path, including the Metroid threat.''

''Planet Zebes is also a popular destination for archeologists studying the enigmatic Chozo, a wise race of birdlike humanoids that prized peace over all other things. They built many civilizations on planets across the universe, including Zebes. Chozo ruins are a common sight on the planet's surface and in subterranean tunnels. Space Pirate attack is the most widely accepted explanation for the Chozo's disappearance from Zebes."''

Trivia

 * The Metroid Prime Trilogy art booklet stated the Pirate Homeworld was one of many Space Pirate homeworlds; Zebes could very well be one of these in the sense that both planets were headquarters with immeasurable importance to the Space Pirate forces. In fact, Zebes was regarded as the homeworld of the marauding race for some time.
 * A girl in Custom Robo for the Nintendo GameCube, when guessing what the "Z" in "Z Syndicate" stands for, guesses Zebes, among other words which also include various Nintendo references.
 * Zebes has occasionally been mistranslated as "Zebeth" (such as in the original Metroid), due to the fact that "s" and "th" make the same noise in Japanese pronunciation, though it has been confirmed that the planet's official name is Zebes.
 * A popular, long running Metroid-based comic website (www.zebeth.com), run by James Harder (under his pen name Kabutroid), used the mistranslated name Zebeth and revolves around Samus and her adventures with a decidedly out-of-character cast, including Kraid, Ridley and a one-armed Geruta.
 * According to chapter 2 of the Metroid Manga, Zebes is the second planet from its sun, FS-176. In Metroid Prime, the planetary orbits are very irregular and Zebes is shown to only (possibly) occupy the second closest position rarely. Whether Samus was referring to that specific time-frame or if events between then and Prime (such as the Pirate attack that involved using a black hole to break through the Zebesian Chozo's defenses) caused alteration in the revolution is unknown.
 * According to Mother Brain in the Metroid Manga, Humans can only naturally survive in Brinstar and Crateria, probably due to the fact that the rest of Zebes is more like Venus than Earth.
 * In Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the destruction of Zebes is paralleled by the destruction of the Dark Sphere, which cracks and explodes.
 * Zebes is the third of four planets to be destroyed by Samus, even if not by her intention, the others being Dark Aether, Phaaze, and SR388 (in that order).
 * Planet Zebes is 11700 km (7270.043 mi.) in diameter, while Earth is 12756.2 km (7926.335 mi.) in diameter. Given its mass, it is safe to assume surface gravity of both planets are alike despite their different sizes and masses.
 * It is commonly stated in media taking place before Super Metroid that Samus destroyed Zebes in her original Zero Mission. Examples of this can be seen in a log about SPC M. Angseth in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, in the Metroid Prime Comic and in the Pirate Data entry "Fall of Zebes". It is likely referring to the Space Pirate base(s) there, with some foreshadowing.
 * In Metroid: Other M, Samus remarks that the Bottle Ship had been turned into a nightmare replica of Zebes. However, she can be considered incorrect as the Bottle Ship has several notable differences from Zebes. First off, some of the creatures on the Bottle Ship are never seen on Zebes, such as Griptians. Secondly, the Bottle Ship does not contain climates based on Maridia or Crateria, but does contain a cold climate, something Zebes lacked.
 * The official pronounciation of the planet's name is "Zeh-bess". However, it is sometimes mistakenly pronounced as "ZEEBz" or "Zee-bees".

Links
Complete Map of Zebes from Metroid:

Complete Map of Zebes from Super Metroid: 

Complete Map of Zebes from Metroid: Zero Mission: