Zebes
From Wikitroid, the Metroid wiki
This article is about the planet featured in the Metroid series. For the Super Smash Bros. Stage, see Planet Zebes
| Zebes | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Mass | 4.8 trillion teratons | ||
| Class: | Class XIX,[1] Class 5B.[2] | ||
| Size | 11,700 km diameter [3] | ||
| Atmosphere | Presumably oxygen. | ||
| Distinct features | Massive hollow crust due to Urthic ore. | ||
| “ | Planet Zebes... I called this place home once, in peaceful times, long before evil haunted the caverns below. | „ |
Zebes was a planet in orbit around the sun FS-176 and habitat of the devious Zebesian Space Pirates and Mother Brain. Zebes has occasionally been mistranslated as "Zebeth" due to the fact that "s" and "th" make the same sound in Japanese pronunciation, though it has been confirmed that the planet's official name is Zebes. Zebes was the locational setting of the original Metroid, its enhanced remake, Metroid: Zero Mission, and Super Metroid. According to Metroid Prime, Zebes had a mass of 4.8 trillion teratons and is in the same system as Oormine II, Twin Tabula, Bilium, and Tallon IV. Samus Aran was raised on Zebes by Chozo after her home on the Earth colony, K-2L, was destroyed by Space Pirates.
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[edit] Features
Zebes had a vast network of underground caverns and labyrinths that lead deep into the planet. Strangely, a deep cavernous area in the planet known as Brinstar seemed to be the home of more than 60% of the planet's wildlife. Brinstar was home to a dense forest, yet the vegetation didn't seem to have anything to photosynthesize. Perhaps the plants only needed water, or maybe the majority were carnivorous as indicated by the foliage in Lower Brinstar. It is also possible that Brinstar plants use chemosynthesis.
Another strange fact is the existence of huge deposits of water just below the surface. Labeled Maridia, the water from this realm spiraled in all directions, eating away at the land, creating huge and sometimes dangerously vast mazes of water. The ground "liquefied" in some areas and formed deadly quicksand traps leading deeper into the planet.
Crateria is the crust of Zebes. It is constantly hit by acid rain.
There was also a Wrecked Ship that had crashed in a pool on Crateria long ago. The ship appeared to have crashed before or during the Chozo's civilization, as there were several Chozo Statues in its compromised hull. During Chozo occupation, a Planetary Protection Shield was enabled, and subsequently disabled by the Space Pirates with a micro black hole.
[edit] Moons
Samus uses the phrase "Great Moons of Zebes!" in the early Captain N: The Game Master comic. It is shown in Metroid (manga) that Zebes has two moons, one very large in appearance from the surface and another that is smaller. Both moons also appear in Metroid Prime as holograms in the Observatory. The larger moon has a normal revolution and rotation, while the smaller moon has a retrograde orbit. It is unclear as to how it rotates, due to the small size.
[edit] Life
Life on Zebes was very diverse, ranging from huge animals made entirely of molten rock, to small flying creatures that generate their own light, illuminating the entire room. Life was abundant; one could sit down on a rock, and seconds later have it scurry away from under them. The remains of a strange civilization had also been found, indicating that there was once a strong civilization on the planet, however, no live specimens were ever found.
[edit] Areas
- Crateria — The surface area of Zebes that Samus's gunship first landed on in Metroid: Zero Mission and later in Super Metroid. It was constantly deluged by heavy acid rains.
- Wrecked Ship — An ancient, flooded ship that crashed into Crateria. The area is home to Phantoon, one of the Space Pirate leaders in Super Metroid.
- Brinstar — A lush underground jungle area of Zebes. Home to the Super Metroid miniboss Spore Spawn.
- Kraid's Lair — A subsection on Brinstar that was a moist area teeming with flora and small animal life. As the name implies, this was the habitat of Kraid, a veteran Space Pirate leader and the other main Enforcer.
- Norfair — The fiery underground caves of Zebes. The Fire-Sea of Norfair has incredibly high temperature, requiring Samus to obtain the Varia Suit. Home to the Super Metroid minibosses Crocomire and the Gold Torizo, and the Zero Mission miniboss Imago Cocoon.
- Ridley's Lair — An area of Zebes that is even below Norfair. Ridley's Lair was completely artificial, made of Chozo Ruins and possibly Space Pirate technology. The area was arguably the same as the Lower Norfair area from Super Metroid, which also served as the base for Ridley, the most infamous of the Space Pirate leaders and one of the two main Enforcers. In Super Metroid, Samus required the Gravity Suit to explore the area safely.
- Maridia — The flooded caves of Zebes. In Super Metroid, some Space Pirate lab compounds were situated in this area. Maridia also included the result of failed attempts at cloning Metroids by Space Pirates. One of the Space Pirate leaders, Draygon, lurked in the area in Super Metroid.
- Chozodia — Ancient Chozo ruins.
- Space Pirate Mother Ship — Destroyed Space Pirate vessel.
- Tourian — The main Space Pirate base on Zebes was located here. Entirely mechanical, Tourian was the location of the Metroid labs and the place from which Mother Brain, the leader of the Space Pirates on Zebes, resided and commanded her forces. Samus has twice destroyed this area. The first Tourian was built strangely quite near to the surface, however when it was destroyed, another Tourian was rebuilt much further into the depths of the planet, some parts as deep as Norfair and perhaps even farther.
[edit] Primary Inhabitants
- Zebesian Space Pirates — Space Pirates led by Ridley who set up a base on Zebes. It has been confirmed that Space Pirates did not originally come from planet Zebes, contradictory to Super Metroid's manual, where it refers to them as 'Zebesians'.
- The Chozo once inhabited Zebes, raising the orphaned Samus Aran.
- Metroids inhabited the lowest level of Zebes, brought to the planet by the Space Pirates.
[edit] Destruction
After Samus defeated Mother Brain for the second time on Zebes in Super Metroid, yet another self-destruct sequence was activated. However, unlike the first, which destroyed the first Tourian, the second decimated the entire planet: As Samus escaped in her ship, the planet ignited with a blinding flash and a tremendous explosion. Afterwards, Zebes was no more.
[edit] Metroid Prime Scan
Planet Zebes Mass: 4.8 trillion teratons.
Profile: Planet's crust is primarily Urthic ore, making it ideal for subterranean construction. A class XIX planet, Zebes is inhospitable to most bioforms. The world was considered unremarkable until it became a base for Space Pirate forces.
[edit] Metroid Prime Website
object type: Planet
mass: 4.8 trillion teratons
dimensions: 11,700 km diameter
sentient inhabitants: 200, mostly researchers
composition: Urthic Ore
"Zebes is a Class 5B planet with an Urthic ore crust ideal for subterranean construction. Though many zones on Zebes are seemingly inhospitible to life, extremely tough organisms have evolved on this planet that can thrive in conditions that would kill ordinary terrestrial creatures.
Planet Zebes is as rich in history as it is in Urthic ore. It is well known across the Galactic Federation as the site of bounty hunter Samus Aran's heroic stand against Space Pirate rogues. In the deeps [sic] below Zebes, the Space Pirates were conducting unthinkable experments with parasitic lifeforms known as Metroids. If harnessed as a biological weapon, the Metroids could have quickly neutralized large armies and forced entire solar systems to accept Space Pirate rule. Working for the Galactic Federation, Samus cut a swath through the Space Pirates' ranks, destroying everything in her path, including the Metroid threat.
Planet Zebes is also a popular destination for archeologists studying the enigmatic Chozo, a wise race of birdlike humanoids that prized peace over all other things. They built many civilizations on planets across the universe, including Zebes. Chozo ruins are a common sight on the planet's surfce and in subterranean tunnels. Space Pirate attack is the most widely accepted explanation for the Chozo's disappearance from Zebes."
[edit] Other Information
- A girl in Custom Robo for the Nintendo GameCube, when guessing what the "Z" in "Z Syndicate" stands for, guesses Zebes, among other words which also include various Nintendo references.
- A popular Metroid-based comic website (www.zebeth.com), run by James Harder (under his pen name Kabutroid), was named Planet Zebeth and revolves around Samus and her adventures with a decidedly out-of-character cast.
- According to the Metroid Manga Chapter 2, Zebes is the second planet from its sun, FS-176. In Metroid Prime, the planetary orbits are very irregular and Zebes is shown to only (possibly) occupy the second closest position rarely. Whether Samus was referring to that specific timeframe or events between then and Prime (such as the Pirate attack that involved using a black hole to break through the Zebesian Chozo's defenses) caused alteration in the revolution.
- According to Mother Brain in the Metroid Manga, Humans can only naturally survive in Brinstar and Crateria probably due to the fact that the rest of Zebes is more like Venus than Earth
- The death of Amorbis in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes parallels the destruction of Zebes when the Dark Sphere cracks and explodes.
[edit] References
| Planets visited in the Metroid Series | ||||||
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| Other locations visited in the Metroid Series | ||||||
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| Planets in the Metroid Series |
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| Note: Bolded Planets were visited by Samus Aran |
| FS-176 System |
| Bilium | Oormine II | Twin Tabula | Zebes | Tallon IV |
| Tetra Galaxy |
| Alinos | Arcterra |
| Federation Solar System |
| Bryyo | Norion | Elysia |
| SR 388 System |
| SR388 | UCB 1 |
| Other |
| Aether | Bes III | Cylosis | Daiban | Earth | Jigrad |
| Jovia XII | K-2L | Mondreus | Naishii | Phaaze |
| Pirate Homeworld | Tivus | Vho | Wotan VII | UCB 3 |
