Wrecked Ship

File:Smart wreckedship.jpg

Concept art from a German strategy guide.

The Wrecked Ship was a spacecraft that crashed long ago on planet Zebes, specifically in the area where Chozodia would be built. In Super Metroid it is where one of the main bosses, Phantoon, resides. This area was also glimpsed briefly in Metroid: Zero Mission.

In Super Metroid, the ship is initially haunted by ghost-like entities called Covern who, along with Phantoon, seem to be the spirits of the deceased crew and the crashed vessel itself, respectively. When Samus Aran first enters the area, the Save Stations and Map Station are without power and most of the ship's interior is blocked off by Metal Doors. Sbugs can be seen throughout the unlit sections of the vessel along with non-functioning Work Robots and encased Atomics. After the boss is defeated, all supernatural activity ceases as the energy that was being absorbed by Phantoon returns to the ship, allowing Samus to completely explore the area. However, this unleashes other creatures on board and creates hazards in the form of short-circuiting machinery and Spikes. Also, several rooms become flooded with Water after the ship gets re-energized, possibly as a result from Doors near Crateria's pools being re-activated.

The Super Metroid manual claims the ship had once been in possession of ancient astronauts who crashed on Zebes. These astronauts were the first Chozo settlers on Zebes according to Japanese text in Metroid: Other M's concept art. This is also evidenced by the Chozo Statues, item expansions and Power-ups present inside the ship during Super Metroid, as well as the close proximity between the Chozodia ruins and the wrecked vessel itself in Zero Mission. In the earlier mentioned concept art, it is said that Phantoon, who was believed to be the spirit of the ship in Super, is actually a multidimensional creature that came to Zebes alongside the Chozo, hidden away in their ship during their travels throughout space.

In Zero Mission, the Space Pirate Mother Ship is destroyed on Zebes after Samus defeats Mecha Ridley; at first, this seemed to imply that the Wrecked Ship is actually the remains of the Mother Ship. However, Zero Mission director Yoshio Sakamoto has dismissed this possibility, saying that the two ships are separate - during Zero Mission the player passes through areas in Crateria that appears to be part of Super Metroid's Wrecked Ship before the Mother Ship lands.

The Wrecked Ship in game in Metroid: Zero Mission.

Also, players who wish to leave Chozodia must use a Power Bomb to break the glass tube connecting the Mother Ship to the Chozo ruins. Afterwards, they are able to access a dark green mechanical area that is clearly not part of the Space Pirate Ship; this part of Chozodia is overrun with Zebes wildlife, indicating it is a place long since abandoned. This is likely to be the Wrecked Ship in Zero Mission.

Theory of Survival?

Wrecked Ship in a hand-drawn map from a German guide. (Top-right)

It is possible that the Wrecked Ship may have been used to transport the Etecoons and Dachoras (as seen in the secret ending of Super Metroid) from Zebes prior to its destruction. This would have required the Wrecked Ship to be operational and flight-worthy. This appears to be unlikely due to the age and heavily damaged condition of the ship in Super Metroid, but few alternatives to this theory exist. Supporting this, the room that the creatures are freed from is close to the Wrecked Ship, and they flee in the ship's direction. Also, in Metroid Fusion, the Etecoons and Dachoras help the computerized Adam Malkovich manually pilot Samus Aran's Starship from the Docking Bays at the end of the game, indicating that they have experience onboard starships.

Additionally, the ship may not have actually been as dysfunctional as first thought; while Samus was exploring it, Phantoon was draining power from the ship, which is possibly why it appeared to be no longer working. However, once Phantoon was destroyed, it is possible that the Etecoons and Dachoras could use it once again.

Power Ups

Samus in the Wrecked Ship.

• Gravity Suit
• 1 Energy Tank
• 1 Reserve Tank
• 3 Missile Tanks
• 2 Super Missile Tanks

Enemies

• Atomic
• Bull
• Covern (stops appearing when power is restored)
• Gadora
• Kihunter
• Kzan (non-hostile)
• Puyo
• Sbug (disappears when power is restored)
• Work Robot

Bosses

• Phantoon

Trivia

• The German guide for Super Metroid states the following in its description of the Wrecked Ship: "Many years ago, astronauts founded an ancient civilization on Zebes, but only their starship remains." This supports the theory that the ruined vessel was once used by the Chozo race and that it was through this very ship that they first landed on Zebes and colonized the planet. Whether or not the German guide's information is canon within the Metroid series remains to be seen.

• The same guide also states that every being onboard the ship are underlings of the Mother Brain. Several other sources also stated that most, if not all, the wildlife on Zebes have fallen under the control of Mother Brain through her intense brainwaves. Phantoon is also stated to be tapping into Mother Brain's brainwaves.

• The picture from the German guide depicts Botwoon and Draygon, yet they are only encountered in the underground portion of Maridia (which is admittedly quite near the crashed ship).
• A remix of the Wrecked Ship's theme is heard in the underground sections of Crateria in Metroid: Zero Mission. A different version of the same theme can be heard when Samus first enters the Space Pirate Mother Ship with only her Zero Suit. Curiously, neither of these themes play when Samus explores sections of the Wrecked Ship featured in Chozodia.
• Curiously, if Samus were to enter the Wrecked Ship from the back through Sequence Breaking, not only will she notice that some rooms are not flooded, some rooms are also missing item expansions. These items will not appear until the ship is re-energized; this is most likely the result of the in-game data not being loaded into the area until triggered by Phantoon's death.
• The Atomics in this area seem to have originally been used as power sources, as they are initially encased within equipment/machinery. After power is restored, the glass containers that held Atomics are broken and short-circuiting.

• Several rooms feature the same structures that contained the creatures, however these specific ones are glowing along with their 'cargo', which closely resemble immobile, energized Atomics.

• A variation of Zebetites can be seen within the Wrecked Ship, most notably in the corridor at the front entrance. They are green in color and start to glow after power is returned to the vessel. Whether they were used as power sources (much like Mother Brain's) or not is unknown.
• This is the only area in Super Metroid that does not feature any Zebesian Space Pirates. However, the Wrecked Ship still contains Pirate activity in the form of Kihunters and Phantoon.

References

Click on one of the various locations to navigate to the corresponding article.