Year 20X5

Year 20X5 of the Cosmic Calendar was the year in which Metroid and Metroid: Zero Mission are set.

As stated by various game manuals and the introduction of Metroid: Samus Returns, the Space Research Vessel Marina was attacked by the Space Pirates in Year 20X5. The ship had been returning to Galactic Federation with samples of a newly discovered life-form before it was attacked. This life-form was called the Metroid, and it was discovered to have parasitic traits, including the ability to siphon the life energy of any living organism, leaving nothing but a brittle husk. The Space Pirates, desiring to use the Metroids as bioweapons, seized the creatures and made haste for their stronghold on planet Zebes, where they began to clone the Metroids by exposing them to beta rays. The Galactic Federation located the base, Tourian, but was unable to seize it. They sent in legendary Bounty Hunter Samus Aran to Zebes to destroy the Metroids, in what would be called her Zero Mission.

Related manual quotes

Metroid

"It is now year 20X5 of the history of the cosmos, and something terrible has happened. Space pirates have attacked a deep-space research spaceship and seized a capsule containing an unknown life-form that had just been discovered on Planet SR388."

Metroid II: Return of Samus

"Samus' greatest achievement has been the destruction of the pirates' Metroid plans on the planet Zebes. In the year 20X5 of the cosmos, an unknown life-form was discovered on planet SR388 by a Galactic Federation deep-space research ship."

Metroid Fusion

"In Cosmic year 20X5, a Galactic Federation exploration vessel discovered an unknown organism on SR388. The hovering creature was a Metroid, an entity that exhibited frightening parasitic, energy-absorbing properties."

Metroid: Zero Mission

"In the year 20X5 of the Cosmic Calendar, a terrible incident occurred. The Space Pirates attacked a deep-space research vessel and seized capsules containing samples of an unknown species that had been discovered on planet SR388."

Metroid Prime Trilogy

"Cosmo Dating System, Year 20X5, Galactic Federation exploratory vessel was attacked and destroyed by Space Pirates which transporting an unknown life form that was captures[sic] on SR388. The Metroid was taken to a stronghold on the planet Zebes."

Metroid Prime Trilogy (EU)

"In the year 20X5 of the Cosmic Calendar, a Galactic Federation research ship on its way back to base was attacked by Space Pirates and completely annihilated. The ship had been carrying several Metroid specimens – mysterious life-forms which had been discovered on the planet SR388. The Metroids were taken to a Space Pirate stronghold on the planet Zebes."

Trivia

• According to The Official Nintendo Player's Guide, Metroid takes place in the year 2005, just five years after the formation of the Galactic Federation in 2000. This is disregarded by all other sources, which keep 20X5's exact date undefined but imply that it is later than 2005. The Magazine Z manga, for example, makes it clear that 20X5 is more than eleven years after 2000.