Unfreezable Metroid

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“	There's a strong likelihood that the Metroid's mortal weakness, the vulnerability to cold, has been overcome through genetic manipulation. And if that's true, there's no way you can destroy them.	„
—Commander Adam Malkovich

Unfreezable Metroid
An Unfreezable Metroid from a cutscene of Metroid: Other M
Featured in	Metroid: Other M
Location	Sector Zero
Homeworld	BOTTLE SHIP
Weakness	Powerful explosions
Life cycle	Preceded by: Baby Metroid
Stage	Stage 3: Larva

Unfreezable Metroids (also referred to as Sector Zero Metroids or Genetic Metroids) are Metroid larvae that have their genes manipulated by a corrupt faction of the Galactic Federation to overcome the species' major vulnerability to cold temperatures, therefore maximizing their potential as bioweapons. They are only seen in cutscenes in Metroid: Other M.

Shielding Metroids from their weakness has long been a desired goal of the Space Pirates, but the organization seemingly does not have the chance to do so or never has the same degree of success as the Galactic Federation, which, ironically, is the very enemy the Pirates hope to defeat with Metroids.

Physiology

An unfreezable Metroid in its tank. Note its unique coloration and spiked nuclei.

Unlike the green and red colors of its natural counterpart, an Unfreezable Metroid's transparent membrane is blue and its organs (i.e. its nuclei and the structure holding its fangs) have a purple pigmentation, respectively. The four spherical nuclei within its membrane are covered in spikes instead of having a raspberry-like surface, and its underside has a lamprey-like maw in between the four fangs.

It is unknown if the scientists alter the genes of a Metroid while it is developing in its egg or after it hatches, but Commander Adam Malkovich speculates that the creature will not manifest its resistance to subzero temperatures nor the above physical traits until it grows out of its infancy. In other words, a modified newborn is identical to a normal Infant Metroid and will supposedly transform into the Unfreezable Metroid strain when reaching the next stage of its lifecycle.

The process of making Metroid larvae immune to the cold is suggested to also work with any of their advanced forms seen on SR388. This is implied by Samus when she states that the Queen Metroid on the BOTTLE SHIP was left unaltered so it would act as a control specimen that gives birth to normal Metroids.

History & role

Pre-Other M

Following the events of Super Metroid, the BOTTLE SHIP's scientists secretly produce a Metroid clone from the deceased baby's organic matter preserved on Samus's Power Suit. Once it grows into a Queen Metroid, its offspring become part of a bioweapons program titled Project Metroid Warriors. Not wanting to repeat the Space Pirates' mistake of using bioweapons with a significant flaw, the ambitious ringleaders experiment on the young Metroids for an unknown length of time until they successfully remove their weakness to the cold. Regular Metroid larvae from SR388 can only be killed via a strict two-step method: the first is to encase them in ice, followed by blasting them with concussive weapons. Unfreezable Metroids render the first step inapplicable, thereby making the creatures invincible; nothing short of an unconventional, massive explosion powerful enough to eradicate entire areas can kill them.

The ringleaders' next step is to find a means to reliably control Metroids. To that end, a body is given to MB (an AI aboard the ship) to make her resemble a living entity in the hopes that future Metroids will imprint onto her from the moment they hatch from their eggs: this would theoretically allow the creatures to be tamed and to willingly obey her commands. However, MB becomes rogue and kills the majority of the ship's scientists using other bioweapons and plans to unleash the modified Metroids against Galactic Federation Headquarters. Sometime prior to MB's revolt, all Unfreezable Metroids are stored within Sector Zero.

Other M

During the game's events, the existence of the Federation's Unfreezable Metroids is first alluded to when Samus Aran comes across a dead Gigafraug within the BOTTLE SHIP's Sector 2 / Cryosphere. The creature's body features evidence of its life-energy drained by a Metroid, which is something that Samus comments as an impossibility not only because Metroids are extinct, but also due to Sector 2 being a subzero environment.

Wireframe hologram of an unfreezable Metroid.

Eventually, the unknowing Samus meets MB, who poses as Dr. Madeline Bergman and reveals most of the information regarding the Metroid program and its origins. MB also proceeds to tell her the Metroids are in Sector Zero, but intentionally withholds the crucial information regarding their immunity to the cold, hoping that the specimens will have the element of surprise and kill the unwary Samus. This plan is ultimately foiled by Adam Malkovich when he prevents entry to the area and warns Samus about the Metroids' modified genes. These Metroids are ultimately killed offscreen by Adam when he triggers Sector Zero's self-destruct mechanism.

It is never stated if the Unfreezable Metroids within Sector Zero have imprinted onto MB or not. Taking into account that she is never seen near the creatures during Samus's visit on the BOTTLE SHIP and how they are kept isolated in an enclosed location (within containers no less), it is implied that either the specimens are not exposed to MB during their birth, or the theoretical method of control is ultimately unsuccessful.

Prior cold-resistant Metroids

Samus's previous missions feature Metroid strains with varying levels of resistance towards subzero temperatures, making them either impossible to immobilize in ice and/or are invulnerable to damage from cold-based weapons.

Metroid Prime series

Chronologically, the first of these are several of the mutants created through Phazon. These include the Fission Metroid, Metroid Prime, and the Metroid Hatcher. The Fission Metroid strain have the ability to split into two Metroids that are each given a random, singular weakness to either the Power Beam, Wave Beam, Plasma Beam, or Ice Beam, thus the creature have a high probability of producing Metroids that are completely invulnerable to the cold. Metroid Prime's first form is also immune to the Ice Beam, except for the brief moments its exoskeleton shifts to a white color, during which its face can be damaged with said weapon and the Ice Spreader; the latter weapon has the bonus effect of immobilizing Metroid Prime temporarily, despite only encasing its face in ice. Metroid Prime's second form, the core essence, has no such weaknesses. The Metroid Hatcher cannot be frozen, but still receives damage when its mouth and tentacles are hit with an Ice Missile.

Although the Space Pirates extensively experiment with Phazon, they play no role in the birth of the first two mutant strains, as they are created outside of Pirate laboratories and are therefore incapable of recreating them in a controlled environment. The Metroid Hatchers are the only ones the Pirates may have been involved in creating, as Samus finds a Metroid Hatcher in the research sector of the Pirate homeworld.

Metroid: Samus Returns

The advanced stages of a Metroid's lifecycle on SR388, known as the Alpha Metroid, Gamma Metroid, Zeta Metroid, Omega Metroid, and Queen Metroid forms, have exoskeletons and tissue that prevent their bodies from being completely frozen, rendering it impossible to immobilize them. However, their exposed membranes and mouths can still be damaged and/or covered in ice with the Ice Beam; a charged shot can freeze the membranes of Alpha Metroids and Gamma Metroids, slowing down their movements.

In the original version of the game, Metroid II: Return of Samus, the Ice Beam has no effect on any of the advanced forms.

Super Metroid

The Big Metroid that Samus encounters on planet Zebes cannot be damaged, immobilized, or repelled with any of Samus's weapons, including the Ice Beam and stacked/charged variants.

Official data

Story

"Adam knows the Metroids in Sector Zero can't be frozen and decides to destroy them using a self-destruct protocol, which he activates, causing Sector Zero to detach and explode while Samus remains safely behind."

Hologram information

Common name: Genetic Metroid
Size: Length 1.5m
Classification: Metroid subspecies able to endure frigid temperatures.

Trivia

• Whether the Gigafraug's corpse in the Cryosphere of the BOTTLE SHIP implies that an Unfreezable Metroid has escaped Sector Zero, or is the result of an earlier test performed by the ship's scientists to verify the Metroid's invulnerability, remains unknown. It is interesting to note that a cutscene of a modified Metroid breaking its containment tank is shown during Adam's exposition of the organisms.
• The modified Metroids from the BOTTLE SHIP are unlikely to have the Zebesian Metroid larvae's alternate weakness to Power Bombs, due to the fact that they are the offspring of the Metroid strain from SR388, which does not have this alternate weakness.
  • Other M's Power Bombs may possess enough firepower to trigger Sector Zero's self-destruct procedure, killing all Unfreezable Metroids. However, this would have consequentially led to Samus's death, as she would be required to detonate the Power Bombs from within the sector, trapping her inside when it would detach from the BOTTLE SHIP and explode.
• The model for the Unfreezable Metroid is present in the game's data, possibly indicating that a non-prerendered version of the cutscene featuring it was intended at some point.
• After Samus receives Metroid DNA in Metroid Fusion, the Galactic Federation provides Samus with the Varia Suit upgrade, which renders her immune to cold temperatures and prevents her from being frozen by the SA-X's Ice Beam, technically making her an unfreezable "Metroid" throughout the events of the game, due to her being able to move freely in cold temperatures, merely receiving damage in cold areas until she acquires the Varia suit. This happens again when she acquires the Gravity Suit on ZDR in Metroid Dread, though in a more genuine fashion than in Fusion, as she acquires the Metroid Suit soon afterwards, and is also able to move freely in cold zones, even though she receives damage when she does so prior to obtaining the Gravity Suit. Whether or not the Metroid Suit canonically confers immunity to cold temperatures is unknown, though based on how it looks similar to the carapace of Alpha Metroids, Gamma Metroids, Zeta Metroids, Omega Metroids, and Queen Metroids, this is presumably the case.
• Hacking into Metroid Fusion and accessing the Debug Menu reveals that the Infant Metroidsbeing housed inside the Restricted Laboratory are completely immune to both Ice Missiles and the Ice Beam (via Debug Menu). Due to the fact that Samus is not meant to have the Ice Beam at this particular point, it is likely the game developers simply did not bother to program the Metroids to be affected by the Ice Beam.
• In the original NTSC release of Metroid Prime, a creature known as a Metroid: Alpha Type is able to thaw much quicker than of other Tallon Metroids. As scan data may suggest, it is quite possible that this is the first, earliest known attempts of the Pirates attempting to create Unfreezable Metroids (before being retconned).