The Gunship,[1][2][3] also referred to as Samus's Gunship[4][5] (or Samus' Gunship),[6] Star Ship,[7][8] Starship[9] (スターシップ Sutā Shippu),[7][9][4][1] Samus's Starship[10] (サムスのスターシップ Samusu no Sutā Shippu),[11] or Samus Aran's Spaceship,[12] is a hunter-class gunship flown by Samus Aran throughout the Metroid series. Having officially debuted in Metroid II: Return of Samus and appearing in many games since, this Gunship is considered to be Samus's most iconic ship.
Description[]
This Gunship is easily the most recognisable of Samus' ships. It was first seen in Metroid II: Return of Samus, and its design has largely remained the same ever since. It was custom built for her on Aliehs III. There is no other ship like it, so the distinct hull lines mark it to friend and foe alike.[4] Ancient Chozo script is inscribed on its hull.[11]
The Gunship sets a flight path with coordinates, such as 78.67.863 in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Samus can be seen using a ball pad to control the Star Ship during a cutscene in Metroid: Other M, with the seat body linking directly to Samus. The cockpit's advanced machines and monitor panels are derived from Chozo technology.[11] The ship has three Landing Gear Legs which help it land. Samus enters the ship by standing on the topside hatch and pressing down, allowing her to save her game and recharge her energy and ammunition.
This Gunship is chronologically first seen in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, where Samus is sent on a mission to Aether to find out what happened to and assist Galactic Federation troopers who had crashed onto the planet earlier. What may be the ship's control screen is seen at the beginning of the game, scanning Aether for a landing site before selecting a flight path. The ship suffers damage after it is struck by a bolt of lightning composed of Dark Energy during its descent to the surface of Aether, and it subsequently crash-lands in the Temple Grounds Landing Site. The ship remains there and slowly repairs itself over the course of the game.
The ship is missing in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and Metroid Prime: Federation Force, where Samus has a new, custom-built Gunship that she designed herself. It returns in one of the next chronological entries of the series, Metroid II, where she is sent to SR388 to eliminate the Metroid threat forever. After landing on the planet, Samus leaves the Star Ship and ventures into SR388. Due to the more linear structure of Metroid II, if Samus wants to revisit her ship to recharge her health and missiles, it will require a large amount of unnecessary backtracking. At the end of the game, after eliminating the Queen Metroid and finding the baby, Samus re-boards the ship and leaves the planet.
In Samus Returns, Samus's Gunship restores Samus' health, ammo, and (after obtaining her first Aeion Ability Artifact) Aeion Gauge, indicating that its systems are somehow able to generate Aeion energy. Unlike Return of Samus, Samus will come across Teleport Stations throughout the game, which make backtracking to the Gunship much easier. During the fight with Proteus Ridley, the Gunship is moved to the background of its landing site. After Proteus Ridley is defeated, Samus and the baby use the Gunship to leave SR388, inadvertently allowing the X Parasites to take control of SR388.
In Super Metroid, Samus flies her Starship straight to the Ceres Space Colony to deliver the baby to the researchers there. Shortly after leaving, Samus picks up a distress call from Ceres and returns to investigate. Finding the researchers dead and a fully-healed Ridley making off with the Hatchling, Samus begins pursuit in her Starship and discovers that the Space Pirates had returned to Zebes. After she lands, her Starship stays in Crateria and serves as a mobile restoration unit. After finally dispatching Mother Brain once and for all, Samus escapes on her Starship before Zebes explodes.
In Metroid: Other M, the overall design of the Star Ship seems to be the same as Super Metroid's version, except the landing gear can now retract into the ship during flight, which makes it resemble the ship in Metroid II: Return of Samus, and the landing gear itself looks more like its Echoes appearance except with blue lights instead of red. Samus now exits her ship via a hatch on the bottom (rather than the top) that uses a lift like her ship in Corruption. During the events of the game, Samus leaves the Star Ship landed in the BOTTLE SHIP's Spaceport.
Samus is next seen using this Gunship in Metroid Fusion when escorting Biologic Space Laboratories researchers on SR388, where she is attacked by an X Parasite. On the way back to the Biologic Space Laboratories research station, Samus loses consciousness and her ship drifts into an asteroid belt. Though Samus is safely ejected in the auto-escape pod and is rescued, the Gunship is lost forever and replaced with a new Galactic Federation Starship.
In manga[]
The Gunship is seen in the prologue of Metroid: Volume 1. Sometime between the events of Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion, Samus went on a mission to apprehend a craftsman responsible for bombing the Ardis system. While piloting her Gunship through space, Samus receives a holographic transmission congratulating her on finishing the contract. She flies the Gunship through an urban area before landing at her residence, removing her Power Suit and emerging in her Casual Outfit.
Non-canon warning: This article or section contains information that may not be considered an official part of the Metroid series in the overall storyline by Nintendo.
The Starship appears in two strips in the Super Metroid manga. The first is called An Unexpected Discovery, where Samus removes her suit and decides to clean up the gunship. She then discovers the perfect place to turn into her Morph Ball. The second strip is You Have to Press 'R', where Samus attempts to Shinespark up to a high ledge only to crash into her ship.
Samus flies her iconic Gunship throughout the Samus & Joey manga. Since the ship only has one seat, Joey Apronika is forced to be fastened into the ceiling until Samus later modifies it to carry two passengers. Samus often stops by the Junk Quixote to have Diesel resupply and retune her ship; during one such visit, she has to acquire a new B-Unit for repairing the ship. She attaches the Bunker-Busting Annihilator to the Gunship and uses it to destroy the Dominion's escape ship.
In Metroid EX, the Gunship is damaged from escaping the Solar Core Harvesting Facility and crash-lands in Jatsuk's jungle, where it is dismantled by the Craftsmen. They use pieces of Samus's Gunship and Blast's bomb to build a missile, shooting down Blast's ship. When the Craftsmen repair the ship, Papa Lightning installs a red emergency lever that activates powerful boosters, which prove essential in beating Rockets in the Death Race Firecracker. After Samus is captured by the Greed Corps, Joey and Diesel fly the Gunship to the galactic ruins and hide it behind a meteoroid.
Samus's Gunship appears in Metroid Prime: Episode of Aether, matching its appearance in Echoes.
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
In other media[]
Non-canon warning: This article or section contains information that may not be considered an official part of the Metroid series in the overall storyline by Nintendo.
Galactic Pinball[]
In this Virtual Boy game, a bonus game can be unlocked on the Cosmic table. By destroying all the bumpers in Bumper Clash, the player's ball turns into Samus's Gunship.
Galactic Pinball marks the first time that the Gunship is directly controlled by the player in any game. The directional pad must be used to control the Gunship, with the A button used to shoot. The goal is to kill 50 enemies from Metroid, with each enemy. If the gunship is hit once, the mini-game ends.
Super Smash Bros.[]
Super Smash Bros. Melee[]
Samus's Starship is seen in the opening video, racing the Great Fox from the Star Fox series and the Blue Falcon from the F-ZERO series. It is also featured as a Trophy that is unlocked by beating the Countdown escape sequence at Planet Zebes: Brinstar in the Adventure Mode.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl[]
In Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary, Ganondorf and Bowser use a gigantic Subspace Gunship to battle against Meta Knight's Halberd. Despite the Halberd's impressive capabilities, it was quickly disposed of after a cannon aboard the battle ship pierced it from end to end, after which it exploded above the sea. Much to Ganondorf's surprise, four smaller spacecraft emerge from the explosion; Captain Falcon's Falcon Flyer, Fox's/Falco's Arwing, Captain Olimar's Hocotate ship, and Samus's Gunship. They begin to attack the Subspace Gunship, but this is quickly revealed to be a ruse as Kirby flies in on a Dragoon and guts the ship. Ganondorf and Bowser retreat into the Subspace bubble and are quickly followed by the Falcon Flier, Fox's/Falco's Arwing, Samus's Gunship, Kirby's Dragoon, and finally the Hocotate ship; none of these ships are seen again after this cutscene. The Gunship's design in The Subspace Emissary closely resembles its appearance in Echoes.
The Gunship is featured as a Trophy and a Sticker, using its appearance from Echoes. The Gunship Sticker can be applied to any character to boost their explosive attacks in the Subspace Emissary.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U[]
The Gunship, basing its design upon Metroid: Other M, makes an appearance as part of Zero Suit Samus's entrance, in which she drops down from the ship onto the stage. This replaces her entrance in Brawl, in which she stood up as her Power Suit crumbled, as the suited and suitless Samus are now separate characters.
The Gunship is the focus of a new Final Smash attack, appropriately named Gunship. After breaking the Smash Ball, Zero Suit Samus calls in her Gunship and enters through the ship's lift, then flies offscreen. Samus can then target opponents with the ship's lasers, in a similar style to Snake's Final Smash in Brawl.
The Gunship appears as two Trophies in the Wii U version: one featuring the Gunship itself, and one based on the Final Smash.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[]
Zero Suit Samus now uses the Zero Laser, her suited form's Final Smash, meaning that all three Samus characters (including Dark Samus) use the Zero Laser as their Final Smash. However, Zero Suit Samus's version still uses the Gunship. Instead of entering her Gunship, she now stands on top of it, using it as a platform behind the stage. She dons the Varia Suit during the attack.
The Gunship appears briefly as part of Ridley's Final Smash, Plasma Scream. The player impacted by the Final Smash collides into the side of the Gunship as it speeds off through space. Ridley then soars toward it and then lets loose an energy ray that vaporizes it. After the cutscene ends, the Gunship's flaming wreckage continues to fall in the background.
The Gunship is also an unlockable Advanced class Support Spirit, using its artwork from Super Metroid. When equipped alongside a Primary Spirit with at least two available support slots, the Gunship grants a boost to energy shot attack/resistance. Unlike most Spirits, the Gunship cannot be unlocked through Spirit Battles; it must be purchased from Funky Kong's Shack in the World of Light.
![Image of Zero Suit Samus's Zero Laser tweeted by Masahiro Sakurai.[13]](/wiki/File:Zero_Laser_tweet_from_Sakurai.jpg "Zero Laser tweet from Sakurai.jpg (105 KB)")
Nintendo Land[]
When using the Wii U GamePad in Metroid Blast, the player's Mii flies the Gunship, using a dual analog and gyro configuration to control the ship's altitude, aiming, and movement at once. The Gunship can perform a quick dash move in the direction the control stick is pointing, allowing the ship to avoid enemy attacks, although this movement has a short cooldown time between uses and is forbidden for certain Master Rank conditions. The Gunship fires lasers, although charging the attack before firing will shoot a Missile or Ice Charge Shot. Holding the left trigger allows the player to visually Zoom in.
In Surface-Air Combat (based on the Battle Mii demo), a single Mii flying the Gunship faces off against a team of 1-4 opponent Miis playing as Samus, with the Samus team trying to shoot down the Gunship. In Assault Mission, the Gunship can be used in single-player or multiplayer (teaming up with Samus Miis) to complete various objectives; in Assault Mission's co-op multiplayer, a Samus Mii that aims at the Gunship can use the Grapple Beam to hang onto the underside of the ship, but the Gunship's fire can stun Samus Miis.
The Gunship is also a prize unlocked from the Central Tower's pachinko machine minigame.
Non-canon warning: Non-canonical information ends here.
Official data[]
Metroid II: Return of Samus manual[]
- Star Ship
- "This is Samus' elite custom scout ship designed to travel interstellar distances. Samus traveled to the planet SR388 it [sic]. This ship is her base of operations for this mission. Samus may restore her energy and reload her missiles by returning to it."
Metroid II: Return of Samus Virtual Console manual[]
- Star Ship
- "Samus's spaceship is not only perfect for interplanetary travel but is also an excellent base of operations. Board this ship to fully replenish energy and missile supplies."
Super Metroid manual[]
- STARSHIP
- "The Starship acts as Samus' base. As you guide Samus on her journey, you can save the game data here and fill it up with energy and missiles."
Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide[]
- CRATERIA AREA A (page 28)
- B SAMUS ARAN'S SPACESHIP
- "This tough ship has seen many battles and will likely see many more. It serves as a haven for Samus. She can fully charge her Energy, Missiles and Bombs by entering the ship. No other place recharges Samus to this extent. It's also a Save location. It's always a good idea to Save your game here when you can."
Super Metroid Players' Guide[]
- Terminals (page 8)
- "Located hovering just above the surface of Zebes, entering the ship replenishes all energy and weapons and also allows you to save the game position. Location: Crateria."
Nintendo Power Volume 60[]
- Recharge
- "Samus' ship serves as home base. You can return to the ship at any time to fill up on Energy and Missiles and to save your progress on the built-in battery."
Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy[]
"This compact ship is used by Samus as her base of operations. Of course, Samus can't fly it into the catacombs of every planet she visits, so she leaves it on the surface as her sanctuary. Samus can recharge her Power Suit inside the ship, so it tends to be the only safe and secure spot on inhospitable alien terrain."
Metroid II: Return of Samus [11/91]
Logbook entries[]
Samus's Gunship
Starship: Hunter-Class Gunship
Vessel registered to Samus Aran.
Your ship has been damaged. Auto-repair function initiated. You can return to your ship to recharge energy, reload weapons, and save progress in the game.
Your Hunter-class gunship is one of a kind, its distinct hull lines marking it to friend and foe alike. Custom built for you by the Federated Shipyards at Aliehs III, it contains a mobile energy recharge system and microfactories designed to produce ammunition. A sophisticated onboard computer stores mission data collected in the field for future reference.
| ! | This is a rare creature/object. It may only be scanned in one or few encounters. |
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Trophy[]
"The ship that Samus pilots. Entering the gunship allows Samus to restore energy and save. Samus has been on numerous voyages in the gunship, but after being attacked by an X parasite in Metroid Fusion, she crashes into an asteroid belt and destroys the craft. After that, the Galactic Federation provides her with a new starship."
Super Metroid
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Sticker[]
Gunship (Metroid Prime 2: Echoes)
[Explosive] Attack + 5 | Usable by: All
Metroid Prime Trilogy manual[]
- Gunship
- "The Gunship is Samus’s vehicle. In addition to being able to save your progress, you can also restore energy, beam ammo, missiles and Power Bombs."
Nintendo Land Prize[]
"This is Samus Aran's sleek and stylish mode of galactic travel. The controls take some getting used to, but believe me--once you start soaring through the sky, you'll be hooked!"
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U Trophy[]
"The one partner Samus can rely on in almost all of her missions. In the wide unknown of outer space, she can always return to the Gunship for a safe haven. It allows her to replenish all of her energy and ammunition and even serves as a resting spot for the player. It sounds just like a save point, doesn't it?"
Appears In
Super Metroid [04/1994]
Metroid: Other M [08/2010]
Metroid: Samus Returns manual[]
- Samus's Gunship (Saving Data)
- "Stand on top of the Gunship to save your progress and restore Samus's energy and missiles (page 7)."
- Samus's Gunship (Facilities)
- "Allows you to replenish energy and ammunition (such as Missiles and Power Bombs), as well as save your game."
Metroid: Samus Returns on-screen message[]
"Ammo and energy fully restored."
"Ammo and energy are already filled to capacity."
Metroid: Samus Returns Official Guide[]
- THE ARMORY (p. 10)
- THE GUNSHIP
- "While rarely deployed during Samus' missions, the Gunship is a vital component of her bounty-hunting career. Not only does it get Samus from one star system to the next, it's also a capable combat vessel. Top that off with a suit-maintenance setup designed to refill all of Samus' health, Aeion, and ammunition, as well as save mission progress, and you've got a ship fit for the galaxy's greatest bounty hunter."
- WALKTHROUGH - SURFACE (p. 31)
- THE GUNSHIP
- "Samus' ship, a highly maneuverable Gunship, is filled to bursting with machinery to help her on her missions across the galaxy. You'll likely never be in this area, but if you find yourself back on the Surface and you're hurting for health and resources, stand on top of the ship's center to save, as well as refill all of your supplies."
Development notes[]
Samus' Gunship seen in the Data Network Logbook of the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc.
In Super Metroid, the sound of the flying Starship (as heard in both versions of Movie Ship Landing) is sampled from the Speeder Bikes in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.[14]
Mark Pacini wanted a boss battle in Echoes that was set in a canyon, where Samus would fight on top of her Gunship. Zoid Kirsch and Jack Mathews deemed this technically unfeasible, and it was not realized.[15]
Concept artwork and storyboards in Corruption feature this Gunship flying through the atmosphere of SkyTown and the docking bay of Norion, suggesting that it was originally planned in the game for Samus to use her iconic ship rather than her custom-built one.
In a 2010 Nintendo Power interview with Yoshio Sakamoto, he was asked if the Gunship has a name. He replied that the development team only called it "Starship" or "Samus's ship".[16]
Internally within the data of Echoes, the Gunship is called Samus Ship. A Logbook entry for the Gunship appears in the unused Data Network of the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc. Notably, it is titled as Samus' Gunship. Its entry is near identical to the final's, with minor wording and text changes. The model seen in the entry is much brighter than the one in the final's entry.
Samus' Gunship
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Bonus Disc
Starship: Hunter-class gunship
Vessel registered to Samus Aran.
You can return to your ship to recharge energy, reload weapons, and save progress in the game.
Your Hunter class gunship is one of a kind, its distinct hull lines marking it to friend and foe alike. Custom built for you by the Federated Shipyards at Aliehs III, it contains a mobile energy recharge system, and has microfactories designed to produce ammunition as needed. A sophisticated onboard computer stores pertinent mission data collected in the field for future reference.
Trivia[]
The Gunship in Tropical Freeze.
- In Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Samus's Gunship can be seen in the background of level 1-B: Busted Bayou. This is intentional considering that Retro Studios, the developer of Tropical Freeze, also developed most of the Metroid Prime series.
- In the Cockpit is the song that plays inside of the Gunship Metroid: Samus Returns, carried over from the newer Gunship in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.
- The Starship appears on the Super Metroid Stare-E-O Poster.
- The Star Ship in Metroid II cannot save Samus's progress; while it does not automatically replenish her energy and ammo, jumping into the ship and using the Morph Ball to roll around will reveal a Big Energy Ball and Missile Battery hidden inside. The remake Samus Returns allows for saving and automatic recharging at her Gunship.
- Super Metroid was the first game to feature the ability for the Starship to restore both health and ammo automatically.
- The Gunship's dimensions differ between Metroid II and Super Metroid. In Metroid II, the Star Ship's length is roughly six times Samus's height, but in Super, the Starship is only a little over four times Samus's height. In both games, the ship's height is roughly twice the height of Samus. However this is most probably just due to graphical differences between the Gameboy and Super Nintendo. The ship in Samus Returns is closer in size to its appearance in Super Metroid.
Gallery[]
Metroid II: Return of Samus[]
Super Metroid[]
Metroid Fusion[]
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes[]
.png "Echoes Gunship interior (back).png (1.48 MB)")
Metroid Prime 3: Corruption[]
Metroid: Other M[]
Metroid: Samus Returns[]
Other[]
References[]
- ^ a b Super Smash Bros. Sticker, Trophies, Final Smash, Move List, and Spirit
- ^ Metroid Prime Trilogy manual
- ^ Nintendo Land
- ^ a b c Metroid Prime 2: Echoes Logbook
- ^ Metroid: Samus Returns manual
- ^ Nintendo of America (NintendoAmerica). "Here’s some additional art from Super Metroid, including the three-eyed extraterrestrial Kraid, Ridley, and Samus’ Gunship. ¶ - Samus ¶ - Kraid ¶ - Ridley ¶ - Samus’ Gunship" 17 August 2021 2:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1427691754946535437
- ^ a b Metroid II: Return of Samus manual
- ^ Metroid: Other M manual
- ^ a b Super Metroid manual
- ^ Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy
- ^ a b c Metroid: Other M Gallery Mode
- ^ Super Metroid Nintendo Player's Guide
- ^ Sakurai, Masahiro (Sora_Sakurai). 27 May 2020 11:00 p.m. Tweet. https://twitter.com/Sora_Sakurai/status/1265840291094753280
- ^ SynaMax. "Super Metroid Samples Sources" YouTube. November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022. (starts at 4:44)
- ^ Kiwi Talkz. "#121 - Zoid Interview (Metroid Prime, Cameras, Scripting, Sequence Breaking , Programming etc.)" YouTube. January 22, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2022. (starts at 25:57)
- ^ Nintendo Power #255, June 2010, pg. 45 (excerpt)
| Features of Samus's Gunship | |
|---|---|
| Personal | Adam's helmet • Chozo biotech computer • Chozo language • Data records • Logbook • Mii Bobblehead • Samus Screen • Ship Bumper Stickers • In the Cockpit • Music player |
| Armaments | Plasma Beam • Power Beam • Ship Grapple Beam • Ship Missile Launcher • Gunship Multiball • Bunker-Busting Annihilator • Gunship |
| Mission features | Auto-repair function • Biohazard scanner • Blast Shield • Bombing Run • Command Visor • Commander Adam Malkovich • Cryostasis • Escape Pod Heads-Up Display • Helm controls • Landing Gear Legs • Microfactories Missile Station • Recharge Station • Save Station • Tetra Galaxy Scan Screen • Transmission console • B-Unit |
| Cargo | Theronian Bomb (1st piece • 2nd piece • 3rd piece) • Colossal War Golem |
| Passengers | Baby • Anthony Higgs • Dr. Madeline Bergman • Commander Adam Malkovich (computerized) • Dachoras • Etecoons |