Metroid Prime (creature)

Metroid Prime
Metroid series character
First game	Metroid Prime
Created by	Nintendo

Metroid Prime is a fictional creature from the Nintendo GameCube video game Metroid Prime. It is most notably recognized as the title character and the main antagonist of the Metroid Prime trilogy.

History

The first two installments of the Metroid Prime story revealed little information pertaining to Metroid Prime’s past. According to the Metroid Prime website, Metroid Prime is a native of SR388, the home world of the Metroid species. Additional logs from the game reveal that the fictional Chozo race encountered the creature long before the events of the game. The game strongly implies that Metroid Prime was the leading cause of the Chozo’s decline on Tallon IV.

Prime arrives on Tallon IV long before the initial events of Metroid Prime. Samus Aran, the protagonist of the Metroid series, encounters the creature while investigating Zebesian Space Pirate operations on the planet. Amidst the struggle, Samus discovers the ruins of Chozo civilization, and learns about an astronomical object that brought the once glorious and peaceful society to near extinction.

Depending on the regional version of the game, there are two scenarios pertaining to Prime’s involvement with the Space Pirates. According to the North American version, the pirates capture Prime for an unspecified amount of time, but in the European and Japanese versions they are only able to detect its bio-signs. Furthermore, the North American release goes on to state Metroid Prime's name is eponymous to the Metroid species, due to unmistakable genetic similarities. Because the Space Pirates fail to capture Metroid Prime in the European and Japanese versions of the game, the whereabouts of Metroid Prime's name and how it came about its weapons are more inconsistent compared to its North American counterpart. (See Inconsistencies section)

Physiology

Metroid Prime will duel Samus using two forms, the first being a heavily armored insectoid form, and the second a phantasmal form reminiscent of a regular Metroid. Despite the two physically diverse variations, Metroid Prime statically retains its signature characteristic to stare through Samus with a piercing neon gaze.

Exoskeletal form

File:Metroidprimeguide 58.jpg

Metroid Prime in its exoskeletal form

Samus first encounters Metroid Prime deep within Tallon IV’s “impact crater” in its exoskeletal form. While this form is already lethal in terms of size and relatively explicit strength and dexterity, it has undergone much transformation to develop special energy attacks that mimic Samus’ elemental power beam variations.

Furthermore, due to an advantageous genetic flaw, Metroid Prime has developed the ability to screen various weapon attacks by altering its chemical build. In other words, Metroid Prime is able to become temporarily invulnerable to all but one of Samus’ beam weapons at a time, denoted by the color of its exoskeleton. However, despite possessing such a powerful characteristic, the genetic flaw acts as an Achilles heel, limiting the utilization of only one elemental weapon per phase. While in this form Metroid Prime attacks by shooting powerful beams from a mouthlike hinge on the bottom of its shell. It also shoots energy orbs that can be destroyed by the corresponding beam to what attack form Metroid Prime is in at the time, usually leaving behind missiles and energy pick ups.

An interesting note about this form is that unlike all other substances and enemies that deflect a beam or missile they are not vulnerable to, shots that are deflected off of Metroid Prime's shell (or miss its weak spot) can damage Samus.

Samus was able to damage this exoskeleton by shooting the appropriate beam for the current screen into what appears to be the eyes of the beast. After chasing Exoskeletal Metroid Prime through multiple identical chambers under the Impact Crater, the exoskeleton fell into Metroid Prime's lair where it revealed the Core Essence of Metroid Prime by abandoning the exoskeleton on the floor of the lair.

According to Metroid Prime’s log entry, it has mysteriously assimilated various mechanical devices into its body. While the North American version of the game suggests Metroid Prime acquired this technology from the Space Pirates after being captured by them and subsequently escaping, the European version differs slightly, making no mention of this, along with having never been captured by the Space Pirates. Due to Samus’ intervention with the Space Pirates on Tallon IV, all research regarding Metroid Prime has presumably been destroyed.

Core form

File:Metroidprimeguide 59.jpg

Final form of Metroid Prime

After Samus is able to beat Metroid Prime’s exoskeleton form, it will reveal its “core essence”. This form of Metroid Prime resembles a Metroid, although it possesses a somewhat humanoid face and does not possess the pincers that regular Metroids have.

Unlike its preceding form, Metroid Prime is permanently impervious to all of Samus’ weapons. Furthermore, the entity can bend light, leaving it invisible to the naked eye without the aid from an x-ray or infrared device. Also, Metroid Prime is capable of secreting puddles of Phazon, as well as producing Metroids.

By using these puddles as a source of corrupt energy, Samus can momentarily utilize her Phazon Beam, and deal large amounts of damage to Metroid Prime. After delivering a catastrophic blast of Phazon energy, Samus is able to send Metroid Prime into a state of extreme molecular instability, leading it to revert to a mere pulp of Phazon. As Samus attempts to leave the doomed battle site, a tentacle snakes out from the remains of Metroid Prime, absorbs Samus' Phazon Suit, and spontaneously combusts.

Continuity

Main article: Dark Samus

After suffering a catastrophic defeat, Metroid Prime is able to regenerate its body using Samus’ Phazon Suit and genetic material. After Samus’ departure of Tallon IV, a secret cutscene reveals Dark Samus's hand emerge from a patch of Phazon. Dark Samus goes on to confront Samus in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

Inconsistencies

Lore Entries from the PAL version of the game suggest that Metroid Prime arrived on Tallon IV via a meteorite infested with Phazon. After a short period of time, Metroid Prime, known by the Chozo as "The Worm", slowly began to produce malicious Phazon-based toxins that soon corrupted the planet, bringing a spiraling decline to the Chozo's once glorious civilization.

However, in the NTSC version, the capturing of Metroid Prime by the Space Pirates and Metroid Prime's imprisonment by the Chozo seem to contradict one another. In the Chozo Lore, it is claimed that "The Worm" was imprisoned in the Impact Crater, and that the would-be prison was sealed by the Cipher, a containment device created by the Chozo. However, some Pirate Data entries state that Metroid Prime is not only captured, but escapes and "Absorb[s] various weapons and a shielding system". The Pirate Data entries also state that Metroid Prime was encountered "In a series of tunnels," rather than a sealed chamber. This would imply that Metroid Prime either had found a way out of its prison or had been freed by Space Pirate excavation. Furthermore, there exist other Pirate Data entries indicating that the Space Pirates' attempts to open the Cipher were unsuccessful.

External links

• Official Metroid Prime Site
• Metroid Prime on the Alien Species Wiki
• Wikitroid's Metroid Prime article.