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| “ | Any objections, Lady? | „ |
—Adam Malkovich | ||
Commander Adam Malkovich (アダム・マルコビッチ Adamu Marukobitchi) (previously General Adam Malkovich in the 2002 manga) was the celebrated military genius that served in both the Federation Police (formerly) and in the Galactic Federation Army as the only Commanding Officer to Samus Aran during her time in the Galactic Federation. He was described by Samus as being gruff, harsh, a perfect military mind and relentless in criticism - but not a machine obsessed with duty. The way that he was described suggested that Samus had grudging respect and admiration for him that since grew into friendship. Adam was first introduced in Samus' soliloquies in Metroid Fusion, though he was seen and interacted with in Fusion's prequel, Metroid: Other M which greatly expanded on his character, revealing that he left the police and joined the Army as a commander, leading the 07th Platoon.
Biography
During Samus' time with the Federation Police, Adam was the only one who truly understood her according to Samus herself. She viewed him as her best friend and surrogate father figure. He "joked" around with Samus, saying the phrase "Any objections, lady?" after a briefing. It was said in Fusion that it was to denote trust, but in Other M, Samus responded with a "thumbs-down" while the other troopers responded "thumbs-up" as acceptance to the knowledge from the briefing. The reason why Samus responded differently was for two reasons: Derision at being called "lady" and the understanding of the mission directives.
Later, it was revealed that Adam had a younger brother, Ian who supposedly died during a mission when Adam sacrificed him to save approximately 300 people on board a cruiser. During that time, Samus protested to save Ian, but Adam ignored her and ordered to dispatch the malfunctioning drive unit.
Metroid (2002 Manga)
| “ | You will report your full name and rank immediately... Or I will take my @#*$ fleet and get the $#&%@ out of here. | „ |
—General Adam Malkovich | ||
Adam Malkovich as he appeared in the events of the Metroid (manga).
Malkovich had a small role in a few chapters of Metroid as a commanding officer who arrived after Samus' first training mission in the Galactic Federation Police. He allowed Samus to investigate Zebes for Chozo survivors before the Federation attacked. He also commanded the Federation Army Special Ops Battleship Vixin IV which he used to battle Ridley near the end of the manga in an attempt to give Samus more time to storm Zebes.
Malkovich would call Samus Aran “Lady” during missions which Samus noted that he managed to make it sound dignified where it would seem sarcastic from anybody else. When he was giving her orders, he would end with “Any objections, Lady?” The question was rhetorical as he knew that she would not disagree. It was merely a phrase to denote their trust.
Metroid: Other M
During the events of Metroid: Other M, Adam received the "Baby's Cry" distress call and led a team of Federation Marines on the BOTTLE SHIP, the Galactic Federation 07th Platoon, which consisted of Anthony Higgs, Lyle Smithsonian, Maurice Favreau, James Pierce and K.G. Misawa. When he saw Samus Aran, he refered to her as an "outsider" on the team, treating her very coldly and ordering his team not to reveal any details of their mission to her. Samus even stated that when breaking open a Red Blast Shield, he scowled at her as the Missile was unauthorized. However, he accepted her after they cooperated in defeating the Brug Mass, realizing that they need her support and started authorizing different items and equipment for Samus to use at the cost of her completely obeying his orders. Adam was stationed in the BOTTLE SHIP Control Room. He ordered the Platoon to the different areas of the BOTTLE SHIP and allowed them to use whatever they could due to the threat, but their top priority was to locate survivors. He learned that the communication systems of the Platoon are rendered useless with the exception of Samus's which Adam used to see everything that she did.
Adam assigns missions to each of the members of the 07th Platoon and Samus.
Samus and the Platoon (save for Adam who was still monitoring them) later rendezvoused at the Biosphere Test Area and discovered a dead Zebesian Space Pirate. Maurice uncovered evidence that the Galactic Federation was experimenting with bioweapons which are strictly prohibited under Galactic Federation law. Samus decided not to press Adam on the matter, knowing that he was strongly against the use of bioweapons and other living things for unnecessary purposes, believing that life was not to be tampered with. Because of this, Samus realized that he would have been against her delivering the baby to the Galactic Federation and despite her intentions, it was a clear violation of protocol. Shortly afterward, several active Zebesians attacked Samus and Adam ordered the Platoon to evacuate the building while Samus handled the threat. After fending off the Mystery Creature, Adam ordered her to hunt the Mystery Creature down to the Pyrosphere. Later, he suggested that she should look for survivors in the Cryosphere. However, when the Mystery Creature became more threatening, he told Samus to hunt for it again and ordered her to use the Plasma Beam against it.
After Samus saved Anthony from a Rhedogian, he asked her what she thought about Adam. Samus reminisced about Adam's brother, Ian who was responsible for repairing the drive unit of a ship with approximately 300 people on board. The drive suddenly went critical and although Samus volunteered to save Ian, Adam refused to allow her to risk the craft. Instead, he commanded the crew to disengage the drive unit before it exploded, sacrificing his younger brother to save everyone else on board. Despite what they thought then, Samus and Anthony realized that they might not be alive had Adam not made the decision that he did and no one should have to make.
Continuing the hunt to the Geothermal Power Plant, the room was shrouded by darkness with the Mystery Creature (who molted) blazing the area. Adam ordered Samus to use her Super Missiles to open a Magma-eruption port, pouring Lava which lit the room. The evolved creature turned out to be a reborn variant of Samus' nemesis, Ridley, thought to be destroyed along with Zebes much to her horror and shock. Realizing that Samus was unable to respond, Adam tried to get through to her and commanded her to use the Plasma Beam before he was attacked by someone who shot off his communications earphone. After defeating her old foe, Samus realized that she was unable to contact Adam since. She arrived at the conclusion that Adam may have been well aware of everything that was occurring on the BOTTLE SHIP before he even arrived, making him the biggest threat in the Deleter's eyes. Although Adam would not go down easily and may have learned about the assassin, she believed that his life was in danger. Pursuing the possible traitor to the Biosphere, after he deactivated a bridge and destroyed the controls to hinder her progress, Samus "objected" Adam by activating her Space Jump and Screw Attack which led her to the Bioweapon Research Center.
Expecting to find the assassin, Samus instead encountered the woman that she encountered earlier, claiming herself to be Madeline Bergman, the person in charge of the bioweapon project. She explained the Galactic Federation's plans to create an army modeled after the Space Pirates after the destruction of Zebes which included Metroids, the Zebesians and an A.I. based on Mother Brain called MB. She also revealed that Adam was the one who authorized the project. Samus decided to head into Sector Zero to destroy the Metroids and MB.
As Samus encountered an Infant Metroid at the entrance of Sector Zero, Adam inexplicably shot her in the back with what looked to be a Freeze Gun that disabled her Varia Suit before shooting the Metroid with his Freeze Gun. When Samus regained consciousness, he explained to her that he did this to prevent her from entering Sector Zero which contained the Metroids that could not be frozen and Samus was incapable of destroying. Developing bioweapons with their obvious weaknesses intact would be (figurative) suicide so the Sector Zero Metroids had their weakness to cold removed through genetic engineering. Pressing him on why he was credited as the creator of the Metroid military program report, Adam explained that he was requested by Galactic Federation HQ to write a report in which he outlined the potential dangers of such a program. Although HQ listened, a small group within the Federation co-opted his report for their own purposes which allowed the scientists to proceed with the project.
Samus pleads with Adam to stay.
Realizing the threat of the Metroids, believing that their extinction was wise and the threat of MB planning to attack the Galactic Federation, he decided to enter Sector Zero and destroy it by himself. By inflicting enough damage to the sector, it would detach from the BOTTLE SHIP before self-destructing which would ultimately destroy the Metroids and MB at the cost of his own life. He also gave Samus several orders: Divert the BOTTLE SHIP's propulsion system from intercepting the Galactic Federation, secure a survivor that he located in Room MW, found in the Bioweapon Research Center and destroy Ridley. He also warned her that the woman that she met earlier was no ally. Despite hearing all of this, Samus refused to allow Adam to do it and volunteered to destroy Sector Zero much like the incident involving Ian, but Adam claimed that he could not defeat Ridley and he was not the galactic savior like Samus was, but was merely human and could save her. After apologizing to Samus for getting a little rough with her, he left her behind. Although Samus tried stopping Adam by calling out his name and following him, Adam was "unstoppable" by Samus and he locked the doors to Sector Zero. His last words to Samus are "No objections, right Lady?" which she responded with a bitter thumbs down.
Adam's sacrifice.
As planned, Sector Zero shortly detached from the rest of the ship and self-destructed with Adam on board. The man who knew Samus best and was the closest thing to a father that she had vanished and she was the only person who witnessed his final moments. While fighting the Queen Metroid, a flashback of Adam's death was previewed. Also, as Samus headed back to Galactic Federation Headquarters, she recounted the events of the BOTTLE SHIP and the images of Adam could be seen forming out of space dust, dispersing when Samus' Gunship passed through them. She could be seen at headquarters looking out the window, hearing Adam's voice in her head and knowing at that moment that he made the right decision as it was with the Ian incident. She swore to never grieve for him and for the first time gave him a thumbs up. After Anthony Higgs gave her a thumbs down in response, she stated that she compared him with Adam, finding another person who understood her as best as him.
In the game's ending, after it was decided by the Galactic Federation that the BOTTLE SHIP was to be destroyed, Samus returned to the ship to retrieve "something that could not be replaced": Adam's helmet. A cutscene showed that Adam witnessed the conversation between Samus and MB and when Samus decided to go to Sector Zero, he grabbed his guns and ran to stop her, leaving the helmet. Deactivating her Power Suit, Samus grabbed the helmet and held it tightly in a tender moment that was interrupted by the ship's self-destruct alarm. In the game's final sequence, she escaped the BOTTLE SHIP suitless with Adam's helmet before the ship was completely destroyed.
Metroid Fusion
| “ | As I listened to the briefing, my thoughts turned to Adam. The real Adam understood me well. He would end orders by saying, "Any objections, Lady?" He knew I wouldn't disagree. That was just his way of noting our trust. I wonder if I can trust this computer, too... | „ |
During her mission at the BSL research station, Samus was given a personal computer to serve as her new Commanding Officer. The computer reminded her of her former CO so she decided (With noted irony) to name it after Adam.
Samus remembers Adam.
At the end of Metroid Fusion, when the ship's computer Adam informed Samus that the Galactic Federation will soon be landing aboard the Biologic Space Laboratories research station to try and capture the SA-X to use it for military purposes, Samus questioned the orders and accidentally called the computer Adam. This led to a conversation where Samus realized that somehow (The computer said, "Any objections Lady?" after giving her an order to crash the station), the computer was the real Adam Malkovich. With the computer's identity established, it decided to help Samus and agreed with her about the X threat. The two of them conspired a means to destroy the research station and catch the planet, SR388 in the ensuing vaporization field and hopefully destroy the X threat for good.
It was here that Samus learned that it was a common practice to upload the minds of great leaders and scientists into computer form and this was evidently what happened with Adam Malkovich and Samus's new gunship. The pair set off for an unknown destination. Samus also pondered the possibility of the original Adam managing to guide the ship from beyond the grave to save Samus from the doomed BSL station after she narrowly defeated an Omega Metroid clone due to the ship saving her despite it lacking an autopilot feature, although the computerized Adam revealed that he and the ship actually had help from the Etecoons and Dachoras that Samus saved earlier in the aforementioned action.
The Adam computer was housed in the onboard computer in Samus's new Gunship and could be contacted through the Navigation Rooms. The computer had some control over the station, though it was limited to opening/locking the doors and restoring the power to the elevators. Unusually, it had a single purple eye that seemed to serve as it's face.
Also, right before the computer gave Samus the order to blow up the station, it (possibly under the influence of its Galactic Federation components) gloated and told Samus "when Adam chose who would live, he chose incorrectly", referencing Adam's sacrifice of his own life to save Samus's. Up until the point when Samus realized the computer's identity, it seemed to be under the influence of these components as it was aware of the presence of the Restricted Lab, but chose not to tell her. Additionally, as it was seen in dialogue with the "Federation official", it seemed to be chosen to keep Samus in the dark regarding the Federation's plans for the Metroids and the X. In addition, before returning to Sector 1, Adam informed Samus that it would report her unauthorized entry into the Restricted Lab, with Samus afterwards reflecting that, while the original Adam also would have done the same, he at the same time would have softened the blow as well, as he wasn't "a machine obsessed with duty."
Character criticisms
The story of Metroid: Other M was one of the aspects criticized by fans of the Metroid series and is seen by many to have negatively impacted Adam Malkovich's character, as the plot portrays him making highly dubious actions and decisions, some of which a person of his stature and ranking should not take. As a result, Adam put lives at unnecessary risks.
Among these decisions is Adam's order to have his team split-up into weaker, smaller groups in the BOTTLE SHIP. This is aggravated by the fact that the group had moments earlier battled the Brug Mass and was powerless to defeat it if not for Samus aiding said group. Seeing as how the Brugs were among the first threats encountered within the ship, there was little doubt that more dangerous organisms would be present in the ship, therefore making Adam's choice highly questionable. In addition, the ship's interference rendered comm channels between individual members useless, putting the divided team in a more vulnerable position.
His choice of prohibiting Samus' use of power-ups is mostly seen as an unexplainable and unreasonable order, as it gave the impression Adam did not trust her skills nor did he believe her to be a responsible person. Furthermore, Samus has, at this point in the timeline, vast amounts of experience in completing missions on hostile planets and stations, consequently making Adam appear condescending overall in his behavior towards her (which also conflicted with Samus explicitly mentioning that Adam's catchphrase to her of "Any objections, Lady?" was meant to be dignified than condescending). While her devasting Power Bombs were seen as an understandable weapon to restrict, several other prohibited items are entirely harmless, such as the Varia Suit. In addition, his prohibiting Samus' use of power-ups, in particular power-ups, without explicit authorization came to a head with the infamous Hell Run sequence in Sector 3 / Pyrosphere, where Adam did not authorize the use of her Varia Suit until just before fighting the Goyagma.
At least one other criticism regarding Adam involved his backstory with Samus in Other M, in particular the flashbacks in that game as well as his relationship to Samus overall. In particular, a flashback Samus had revealing why she left the Federation Military had her leaving because she thought she needlessly complicated a tough decision Adam had to make involving his brother Ian Malkovich where he jettisoned a malfunctioning drive unit while he was still in it, and it being implied that his current cold treatment to Samus was the result of her leaving his command to become of a Bounty Hunter after this incident. This bit contrasted with the manga, where Adam if anything suggested Samus leave the military specifically because it hampered her potential. This particular aspect, namely Adam being cold toward Samus for her leaving the military and in particular his command, was due to elements of Japanese culture being inserted into the game due to Nintendo trying to market the Metroid franchise to the Japanese base, in particular the concept of filial piety, which demanded that one was to have absolute obedience to authority and not turn their backs on a commanding officer for any reason due to an emphasis on having absolute trust in the CO.
Moments prior to his death, Adam makes yet another heavily criticized action: shooting Samus in the back with his Freeze Gun and rendering her powerless in front of a Baby Metroid. Despite Adam saving her almost immediately by killing the Metroid, he soon reveals he was unsure why his Freeze Gun was able to harm the creature at all, since he presumed all Metroids nearby were immune to cold-based weapons. He ultimately speculates that the young Metroid had yet to develop this trait. Adam had therefore gambled Samus' life by shooting her first and shooting the Metroid second, as he admits he was clueless if he could have stopped the creature from feeding on her.
Based on how Metroid Fusion's in-game dialogue and events greatly praised Adam as not only being a military genius, but also a person who deserved utmost respect and one of the few who genuinely cared for Samus, many fans believe Other M failed to provide evidence to these claims, but rather irreparably damaged his reputation.
Official data
Metroid.com
Adam Malkovich
"Samus' former superior officer, Commander Malkovich is firm and steadfast in his resolve on the battlefield. Beneath this tough exterior lies a strong moral compass, and a deep respect for those that serve him."
Metroid: Other M Art Folio
Adam Malkovich in Combat Armor
"I hadn't seen Adam since I left the Galactic Federation Army, and seeing him in full battle dress was disconcerting to say the least. He and his team had been called to the Bottle Ship by the same distress call that I followed, and though he clearly wasn't pleased to see me, I decided to stay for the safety of his team."
General Adam Malkovich
"A general in the Galactic Federation Army, he was not only a trusted confidant but also my former superior officer. Because I was so young when I lost both of my parents, there's no question I saw Adam as a sort of father figure. When I rebelled against him, I knew I could get away with it."
Characters
- Beginning
- "Samus's superior from her days in the Galactic Federation. Investigating the BOTTLE SHIP's distress signal."
- After Brug Mass
- "Giving orders on the investigation from the BOTTLE SHIP Control Room."
- After Main Elevator cutscene
- "Currently cannot be contacted. Reasons unknown."
- After Sector Zero
- "Sacrificed his life in order to destroy Sector Zero."
Metroid: Other M Premiere Edition
"Adam Malkovich is the Commanding Officer of the Galactic Federation force currently on the BOTTLE SHIP with Samus. Not only is he a decorated Galactic Federation soldier, he's also Samus's old commanding officer when she served in the Galactic Federation. Samus trusts Adam, even though she hasn't always agreed with his decisions, and she has strong feelings for him. He's a mentor and role model for her."
Official Nintendo Magazine issue 59, page 77
"Samus' estranged mentor - a 'certain incident' drove her and the Galactic Federation commander apart. Samus bumps into his squad of space marines on The Bottle Ship, who are also investigating the distress call."
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U trophy description
"Formerly Samus's commanding officer, Adam led the Galactic Federation 07th Platoon on a rescue mission to the Bottle Ship in Metroid: Other M. Samus held him in high regard, considering him one of the few people to really understand her. Unfortunately, Adam gave his life during the mission, saving Samus in the process."
Similarities to other media
The "eye" of the Adam computer bears an uncanny resemblance to that of HAL 9000, the infamous computer in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey. HAL also serves a similar purpose as onboard computer, though he has considerably more control over his own ship than Adam (the entire ship, in fact). The ending, where Adam locks Samus in a room, is also similar to the famous scene from the film where HAL locks David Bowman out of the spaceship Discovery One, even down to their dialogue. A similar eye-like object can be seen in Samus's gunship cockpit, above her computer displays, during the ending of Other M when Samus is escaping the BOTTLE SHIP.
Adam's computer form shares character traits with the android Bishop 341-B from Aliens. Like Samus, Ellen Ripley is distrustful of Bishop, but eventually comes to accept and trust him. Like Adam, Bishop "dies" and becomes an adversary to Ripley in Alien3. Adam's initial treatment of Samus in Other M is also similar to that of the warden Harold Andrews in Alien3, who believes Ripley's presence on Fury 16 is disruptive to the prison population.
Adam is also similar to Bob, a character from Iria: Zeiram the Animation OVA and Zeiram the live action film the OVA was based on. Bob was originally a human ally of the bounty hunter protagonist Iria, that is fatally injured by the titular antagonist Zeiram, though his personality is later transferred into a computer by the person who's actions lead to Zeirem's rampage (similar to how the Federation's Project Metroid Warriors resulted in Adam's death). In another comparison to Adam, Bob is later reunited with Iria and becomes her personal AI who helps her on missions. Its possible that these similarities may be more than a coincidence as Iria: Zeiram the Animation was released in Japan in 1994, eight years before the release of Metroid: Fusion.
In Other M, when Samus is killed in some points prior to Adam's death, Adam will yell her name and then plead for her to respond. This may be a reference to the Metal Gear series, where Snake's or Raiden's name is shouted in a similar manner during game over scenes in that series.
Trivia
- In Other M, if Samus delays in the Bottle Ship Control Room after being ordered to follow Lyle to Sector 1 / Biosphere, Adam asks her what is wrong and reminds her to head to her designed destination. The same applies if she tries to enter a sector that she isn't assigned to (even though it is actually locked) at the Main Elevator.
- After he dies in Other M, Samus references Adam's catchphrase by asking, "Any objections, Adam?" when she triggers her Space Jump and Screw Attack without his official consent.
- Adam knew nearly everything about the secret Metroid breeding program on the BOTTLE SHIP, yet he never mentioned one word of it to the 07th Platoon or Samus.
- When Adam sacrifices himself to destroy Sector Zero, the light in the background gives off a halo of light around him, when aimed correctly, which represents his upcoming sacrifice. Examples of this halo include portrayals of Mary in many medieval paintings, and Bill in the "Sacrifice" poster from Left 4 Dead.
- Adam is one of two people to have acted as a surrogate father to Samus, the other being Gray Voice, whose blood was given to Samus.
Gallery
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See also
| Galactic Federation 07th Platoon | |
|---|---|
| Members | Commander Adam Malkovich • Anthony Higgs • Lyle Smithsonian • Maurice Favreau • James Pierce/Deleter • K.G. Misawa • Samus Aran |
| Equipment | Freeze Gun • Plasma Gun • Galactic Federation Power Suit • Adam's helmet • Galactic Federation Military Transport Hygieia • Submachine Gun • Assault rifle |
| 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 |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) | |
|---|---|
Intercom | "SkyTown announcer" | Bottle Ship P.A. Announcer | MB ADAM | Computer voice | "Scanner" | Mad AI | Overdog | |