Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any general questions about Metroid or this website in particular, feel free to browse these frequently asked questions to see if your answer is housed below.
What is a Metroid?
The entire franchise is named after Metroids, so naturally they play a key role in the plot. A Metroid is a curious artificial lifeform possessing a deadly ability. Parasitical in nature, Metroids range from a small, basketball-sized to massive elephant-sized variants. To put it simply, their physical bodies are roughly spherical transparent shells containing a central brain and nervous system, with a pair of dual fang-like protrusions hanging beneath. They have no visible eyes or any other visible sensory system. They also float and can fly anywhere they please, even in the vacuum of space to a certain degree.
Metroids are deadly in the wild. If they catch suitable prey, the Metroid will attach itself to the lifeform and literally drain the life energy from its victim, engorging itself in the process (much like the Iratus bug from Stargate Atlantis). Metroids could also multiply relatively easily if exposed to certain types of radiation, adding to their already potent range of abilities.
As revealed later in the series, the Metroids were crafted by an ancient advanced race of beings - the Chozo - as the "Ultimate Warrior." Why would they create such a deadly weapon? Naturally, to counter an even greater threat - another parasitical being known as X.
Who is Samus Aran?
Samus Aran is the primary protagonist of the Metroid series. She's a no-nonsense bounty hunter equipped with a modular armored suit and aids the Galactic Federation in times of crisis. Her past is a tragic tale of loss and survival - the former thanks to the Space Pirates and the latter the Chozo. She survived a deadly Space Pirate attack on her home of K-2L at the age of three, and was miraculously saved from death by members of the Chozo.
The Chozo raised the child on their homeworld of Zebes, training her to eventually take the fight back to the Space Pirates. Samus' Power Suit is completely Chozo in design and is absolutely vital in all her missions. Samus' missions ultimately bring her into direct conflict with the Space Pirates, and any menace threatening galactic civilization.
What is the Galactic Federation?
In the distant future, Earth has joined the rest of galactic civilization in a golden era of prosperity and trade. The Galactic Federation is the largest governing council of the cosmos, uniting all intelligent beings in a democratic union.
The Federation's sworn enemies are the legions of the Space Pirates, and while they possess military might capable of resisting the Pirate's activities, Samus is often the Federation's first and last hope to deal with any major threat to galactic peace.
Who are the Space Pirates?
Space Pirates are a faction of beings opposed to the peaceful union of the Galactic Federation and seek to dominate any who oppose them. Completely without moral or ethical standards, the Pirates often do whatever it takes to reach their malicious goals. The discovery of the dangerous Metroid organisms has driven the Pirates to control an army of the life-sucking parasites, and only Samus stands in their way of galactic domination. Most of the games in the series feature the Pirates as Samus' main adversary, either on their fortress world of Zebes or locations their devious plots affect.
The Space Pirate leader-mastermind is a being known only as Mother Brain, while its military forces are commanded by the fearsome space-dragon, Ridley. Not surprisingly, Ridley turns out to be Samus' arch-nemesis in battle.
What is Mother Brain?
Mother Brain is the mysterious leader of the Space Pirate faction. This being is the central hub intelligence, strategy and mastermind of Space Pirate activity in the galaxy. Without it, the Pirate forces would be left in disarray and without direction. Naturally, the destruction of this being is Samus' ultimate objective as she infiltrates the Pirate stronghold on planet Zebes.
The origins of Mother Brain have kept the Galactic Federation guessing - is it a rogue artificial intelligence Aurora Unit of the Federation's own design, or did someone else build it? The official Metroid Manga offers one startling explanation...
Who are the Chozo?
The Chozo are an extremely ancient and benevolent race of bird-like beings. The Chozo have existed for millennia, slowly building their technology and culture throughout the history of the galaxy.
Recently their technology has advanced to its developmental limit, leading them to craft cities and life more in tune with nature. They have watched over younger species and even helped their fellow intelligent life to better themselves for the good of galactic civilization. The Chozo are the creators of the Metroid organism and advanced technology such as Samus' Power Suit.
What can Samus' Power Suit do?
When it comes to taking on hostile aliens in equally hostile environments, Samus' Power Suit can pretty much do everything she needs it to. The basic suit provides complete bodily protection from harmful projectiles and dangerous environments, allowing Samus to survive in the complete vacuum of space and underwater. The suit is also highly modular, meaning that extra upgrades and devices can be added to Samus' arsenal of abilities.
The suit was manufactured by the Chozo race, so you can be sure that most of its design possesses technology far beyond human understanding. The Morph Ball in particular, where the entire suit assumes the shape of a large metallic sphere, delves beyond anything the human race has developed. The suit boasts a range of powerful offensive weaponry, from energy projectiles and ballistic missiles to explosives delivered via the Morph Ball. Simply put, Samus is almost unstoppable with a fully powered suit. Often her worst enemy would be herself - a point of contention some of the games certainly exploit.
Can I use any of your images / website code on my own site?
Some of the images you can certainly use, but not website code. The site's design and most of the images are born and bred for this site, so I'd prefer if people don't take anything unique from here. Feel free to use any official screenshots for your own use (like unedited artwork and screenshots), but as for the images used in the site's design and game guides, please leave them where they are.
Can I use or host your guides on my own site?
I'm also reluctant to allow the use of the guides elsewhere without permission. These guides take an enormous amount of time and effort to produce, so I don't want others ripping them off as their own work. But if you're writing up your own guides for any of the Metroid titles, feel free to use these guides as a reference, just don't copy text straight from them.
Would you like to exchange website links?
Our recommended sites list up there in the main menu is starting to fill up, but I would be happy to have your link in our Links page if you have a suitable gaming-related (non-forum) website.