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Federation Marines (or Federation Troopers) are members of the Galactic Federation Marine Corps, also known as the GFMC, who wear advanced powered armorsuits. These suits allow them to use potent weapons and resist heavy damage in battle. One of the most common sights on Federation worlds, the Marines are the rank-and-file soldiers of the Galactic Federation.
Although they are mentioned frequently throughout the series in the instruction booklets, their first physical appearance is in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, when a Space Pirate starship crashed onto Aether and they met the Ing. Echoes tells the story of GFMC Task Force Herakles's fight against the Ing Horde, revealing much background information about the Federation Marines. They travel around the Federation in patrol ships. The Marines mostly fight against the Space Pirates that attack planets, space stations, and other places located in the Federation universe.
A quadruplet of elite Federation Marines, the Federation Force, are the titular protagonists of Metroid Prime: Federation Force.
Some Marines in Corruption were voiced by Troy Baker, Brian Jepson and Gray G. Haddock. One was voiced by Retro Studios Senior Producer Bryan Walker.
History[]
It is unknown why the Federation first deployed these troops, but they seem to have retconned the Federation Police Force, which could mean they were meant to counter the Space Pirates. It is also possible the Federation Police are simply marines equipped for civil duties rather than military duties (such as having minimal arms, etc.), since Metroid: Zero Mission retained the reference to the Police even with the many other retcons.
Operations[]
The marines, as the main ground and shipboard forces, have likely participated in many missions, two notable ones are depicted in the games:
The Aether Incident[]
While on patrol in the Dasha region, GFMC Task Force Herakles (onboard the G.F.S. Tyr) engaged a Space Pirate frigate near a planet called Aether. When the Pirates retreated to the planet, the G.F.S. Tyr followed in pursuit, but was damaged in a storm during approach. They were forced to land in the Temple Grounds, and set up their base camp there while they waited for the Federation to respond to their distress signal. They split into two teams; Force One tried to repair the Tyr, and Force Two searched for the Space Pirates. Both teams were doing fine until they stumbled upon the Splinters. Force Two attempted to wipe out the Splinters, but was slowly worn down. Eventually a large swarm of Dark Splinters wiped out all of Force One. Later, the only remaining member of Force Two, PFC E. Denys, was killed by wildlife.
Space Pirates and Phazon[]
During Dark Samus's command of the Space Pirates, multiple space battles are fought at Norion, the Pirate Homeworld, and Phaaze, while marines protected the ships from boarding craft and are used as ground troops at Norion and the Pirate Homeworld.
Equipment[]
Federation Marines wear protective armorsuits which increase their durability, and wield rapid-firing assault rifles. The design of these differs between games.
A standard GF trooper from Echoes.
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and prior[]
Their armor is a metallic gray color and has large shoulder and knee pads shaped in the symbol of the Federation. They also have orange highlights on their shoulders in Hunters, as well as slimmer arms.
The GF Marines are armed with rapid-fire assault weapons that fire energy charges, though their actual workings are unknown as of this time. The weapons feed off of an energy cell of some sort, which fits into the rear of the weapon. The weapons themselves are not attached to the armor; both spare Marine assault weapons and emptied power cells can be found around the crash site of their crashed ship on Aether, and Marines can use either this assault weapon or other, similar weapons that can easily be mounted (such as the PED Marine's PED laser or the Missile Trooper's missile launcher). The GF assault weapon has no iron sights, and presumably relies on a heads-up display linked to the wearer's armor to accurately pinpoint targets. The power cells are believed to be rechargeable, but constant attacks by the Ing are implied to have worn down their available energy cells considerably via consecutive attack waves. The weapon is balanced enough to be wielded one-handedly.
In combat, the GF trooper's assault weapon lays down a withering hail of firepower, boasting both good accuracy and a surprisingly fast fire rate. Dark Troopers - functionally the Ing-reanimated corpses of GF Marines - are capable of slowly and methodically wearing down Samus's shielding if she dawdles around too long in areas where they are. It is implied that if they were used by the actual marines, they would be much more effective due to superior marksmanship and accuracy.
The weapons are implied to have a fold-out bayonet under the frame, rather like the scythe-like blades favored by the Space Pirates. A foregrip below the weapon's barrel enables it to be easily stabilized for full-auto or long-ranged fire, and is designed to act as a brace when using the weapon in close combat.
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and after[]
The Marines' armor is different in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It is possible that this is a redesign or a different model (maybe a version better suited to shipboard combat). It is less bulky, darker, and has blue highlights in place of the orange in previous models. The chest plate armor is also in the shape of the Federation mark.
The helmet is smaller and is shaped more like the human head, and the visor is more like a "T" shape than the Federation mark. A raised triangle on the visor's top is similar to the one seen on Samus's Fusion Suit.
They retain the rapid-fire weapons, now referred to as assault rifles, yet they are sleeker, cover more of the arm, and have half the rate of fire. The visual and audio effects made when firing seem less like projectile fire, possibly retconning the earlier mentioned use of ammo, although it may be possible that the weapons have become more advanced between Echoes and Corruption and have been converted to energy weapons to prevent an overdependence on ammo or is a different model issued for shipboard combat. The rounds themselves seem more like energy weapons than before.
Official data[]
Logbook entry[]
Federation Marine
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
Morphology: Federation Marine
Standard GF military personnel.
Trained for combat situations.
Federation Marines wear advanced suits of powered armor, allowing them to use potent weapons and resist heavy damage in battle. Few can match them in combat.
List of Federation Marines[]
- Main article: List of Federation Marines
Variations[]
Missile Troopers[]
The Dark Missile Trooper from Force Two is a boss in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. He acts almost completely the same as any Dark Trooper, only with more health and fire Missiles instead. The reward is a Missile Expansion. The strength and variety of Missile Troopers is unknown, as only one is encountered, and it is possessed by an Ing.
Demolition Troopers[]
A Demolition Trooper.
Demolition Troopers are members of the Galactic Federation who are outfitted with explosive weaponry for special missions. They are only featured in Metroid Prime 3. While capable of destroying the strongest of barriers, they have weaker armor than most marines and often rely on others to cover them while in battle; i.e. they are not as capable in combat as traditional marines. They look almost identical to standard marines, but with slight differences in armor structure (mainly on the back) and with orange highlights instead of blue. Their visors are orange and in the shape of a T. They carry explosive packs on their backs, and are armed with the standard assault rifles (again, with orange highlights). Supposedly, the orange or yellow highlights are just one variety, as one trooper says "Our group color is yellow.", indicating the highlights may vary from one team to another. It is also possible that by "group", the Marine is referring to Demolition Troopers in general (Thus the group color of standard marines would be blue).
"PED" Marines[]
A PED Trooper.
Federation "PED Marines" are Federation Marines of the Galactic Federation with a Phazon Enhancement Device attached to their suit. Only elite troops are allowed to use the devices. With the attachment of the PED, PED Marines can utilize Phazon to increase the power of their armor. While active, the "PED" enhances the attack and defense systems of their suits, making them much stronger than normal troops. Unlike users of the Space Pirate PED, (who seem to have no care for the health of their comrades), none of the Federation PED marines show signs of Phazon sickness.[1]
Deceased PED Marines can be found prior to the Aurora Chamber on the G.F.S. Valhalla. According to scans of the two deceased marines, their suits were presumably overloaded by a Phazon grenade thrown by a Space Pirate, as they are surrounded by Phazon that is apparently "in the process of absorbing the dead bodies." While the suits on the dead marines are no different from any other PED Marine, their suits have two protruding blades similar to wings. This may be an extra storage device for Phazon or it may be a different variety of PED Marine equipped with a jet pack. Unfortunately, as no living variety of this Marine is encountered they cannot be scanned as a new creature.
PED marines are not seen before Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, as the technology used by them is a recent development, and it becomes useless not long after being put to use, as all Phazon is eventually rendered inert after the destruction of Phaaze.
Dark Troopers[]
Dark Troopers are reanimated Galactic Federation Marines that have been possessed by the Ing Horde. When Samus Aran, (who is searching for the missing GFMC Task Force Herakles on Aether), finds them, they are not fully possessed and have slow, zombie-like reaction times, though their weapon systems are fully functional. Single charged shots can easily kill them, although whether this is indicative of standard trooper durability is unknown. Their eyes are a solid red, and their skin is purple. They are only featured in Metroid Prime 2.
Sammy Hall concept art.
Brawl sticker[]
The Federation Trooper sticker automatically gives any character it is assigned to a Super Scope in The Subspace Emissary.
- Federation Trooper Metroid Prime 2: Echoes - Carry Super Scope (All)
Rescued Marines[]
There are five Marines of notable mention in Corruption. During the Pirate invasion on the G.F.S. Olympus, five Marines can be saved from death by Samus. Rescuing each of them will reward Samus a Blue Credit.
| “ | I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Get down to your ship. Go! | „ |
—The second Marine upon being saved. | ||
The first and second Marines can be found in the Port Observation Deck. As Samus walks through the room, a Space Pirate Boarding Pod crashes into the wall. Pirate Militia emerge and attack the Marines, but Samus kills them and saves the Marines. In this case, the Marines' weapons will also damage the Pirates, so rescuing them does not require so much effort.
The third Marine is located in the Xenoresearch Lab room, being attacked by a pair of Crawltanks that have wounded him prior to Samus's arrival. After being rescued, he appears to be in pain, though insists that he is in good condition if Samus continues to talk to him. After being rescued, he has managed to get to safety by the time Samus returns to the room, as a trio of Space Pirates attempt to steal the Energy Cell after arriving via a Boarding Pod.
The fourth Marine is located in the Lab Access room, alongside a companion. They have managed to hold their ground against a pair of Pirate Militia until a Stiletto-Class Fighter crashes into the hallway and explodes on contact, destroying itself and its pilot. The ensuing explosion causes the remaining Pirates and the Marine's companion to be sucked out into the vacuum of space, killing him as well. A faulty sealing mechanism prevents the door from sealing off the damaged hallway, forcing the Marine to hold on for dear life or else be sucked out into space.
Samus, however, arrives and manages to shoot the locking mechanism above the door, causing it to seal off the exposed area and allow the ship's artificial gravity to come back into effect. Now safe, the Marine promptly secures the area. After sealing the doors, he falls down. He humorously attempts to stand, but stumbles back to the floor and remains in this position. He is voiced by Christopher Sabat, the voice actor for Rundas.
The fifth and final Marine is located in the Repair Bay Shaft room. This Marine is pinned down inside the hallway just before the hangar bay by a group of Aeromines. His weapon is ineffective against their shields.
It is interesting to note that when the Aeromine has its shield down, his weapons still do nothing. This may be because the developers may have wanted to imply in a greater way that the Marine is helpless unless Samus saves him. After Samus has unsealed the door and activated the bridge extension mechanism, she manages to attract the Aeromines' attention. After she destroys them and the rest of their squad, the Marine goes on to secure the area.
Locations (Corruption)[]
- Docking Bay 5
- Security Station
- Security Access
- Flag Bridge Access
- Flag Bridge
- Port Observation Deck
- Xenoresearch Lab
- Repair Bay Shaft
- Docking Hub Alpha
- Hub Access
- Cargo Hub
Trivia[]
- The Biologic's research team members from Metroid Fusion look similar to the Marines found in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption; however, the research team members have not officially been stated to be related to the marines.
- The first voice-acted line of dialogue in the Metroid series is spoken by a Marine in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. During the scene portraying the soldiers' fall at the talons of the Ing, the Marine on top of the Tyr alerts his comrades with a cry of, "Incoming! They're closing in fast! I need backup! I need backup!"
- Federation Marines are featured in the attract mode of Metroid Prime Hunters, where they encounter the Bounty Hunter Sylux.
- When Gandrayda tricks Samus by pretending to be a Marine, she uses the designation NZG41, which may provide some insight into how Marines are numbered and may possibly indicate ranking.
- The Galactic Federation Army is a separate military branch of the Federation, seen in Metroid: Other M.
- A dead body resembling a Federation Marine or another type of GF soldier can be found just outside of Kraid's room in Super Metroid. Sbugs can be seen feeding on it.
- Sylux's suit has a similar appearance to all of the Marines' suits. This may refer to the fact that Sylux stole his equipment from the Federation.
- It is stated that the Marines are rank and file soldiers, but in most militaries, marines are a shock troop force, not meant for heavy fighting. Why this transition was made is unknown.
- File data within the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc lists a Marine as Galactic_Trooper. This name appears within a "TestAnim.pak" listed alongside a "BallTransition_ANCS" file, which includes a model, bone weights, and a skeleton for use ingame. Because no Marines are encountered within the Bonus Disc, and the "BallTransition_ANCS" is used for both single-player and multiplayer modes, it is heavily suggested that at one point, a Marine was intended to be playable, similar to the scrapped Space Pirate.
- The final game removes this uncompressed model as well as all accompanying data, replacing the model with a compressed model of the Marine. "Floatsam" data within the final game uses two index numbers, with one of them referring to Samus's multiplayer idle animation, possibly further hinting at the Marine's removed Bonus Disc data.
Gallery[]
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References[]