Since 1986, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:interg൩alactic bounty hunter Samus Aran of the Metroid series has seen more than her fair share of persistent foes. From the life-sapping parasi🔯tes called Metroids to the great radioactive poison known as Phazon, she has run the gamut. The wily ♍Space Pirates are at the root of it all, a constant cause of problems for the lone bounty hunter and the galaxy.

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No matter how many times you've met them and blasted them to bits, very little is known about them. Going by what we learn from the games, at least. When digging a little deeper, some secrets about the Space Pirates are revealed that every Metroid fan might raise an eyebrow at.

9 🌊 The Galactic Fed✅eration Police Was Formed In Response To Them

Metroid official art Galactic Federation Police walking across dangerous planet

In 2004, after Metroid: Zero Mission came out on the Game Boy Advance, a tie-in manga that dove into Samus’ backstory was released in Japan. Thanks to a pretty clean fan translat൩ion by , we’ve been able to learn much more about the origins of our favorite intergalactic bounty hunter and her enemies.

In this manga, we learn why the Galactic Federation Police exists in the first place: In direct response to the rising threat of the Space Pirates. A surprising piece of news, because the Galactic Federation Police is responsible for giving Samus her military training. It's quite poetic in a way.

8 Their Leader Is Not🌱, Technically, Who You Might Think It Is

Metroid split image official art of Mother Brain and Ridley

There continues to be a debate on who the true leader of the Space Pirates is. 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The enigmatic winged ൲powerhouse Ridley, of course, is known to be their Commander, but the organic supercomputer Mother Brain may be an even higher authority. While Ridley has been around longer, Mother Brain looks to be the brains of the operation.

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According to the Metroid: Zero Mission manga (credit again to ), that joke may hold more truth than it was meant to have. Mother Brain was placed as leader of the Space Pirates because of her dominating intelligence, which was apparently enough to make even Ridley obey her orders. It just goes to show that knowledge really is powe🌃r.

7 They Have Been Known To Keep Pets 💫

Metroid Prime gameplay screenshot Samus gets Metroid information from Scan Visor

Hey, everyone needs hobbies. During their Phazon experiments in the Metroid Prime trilogy, the Space Pirates must’ve realized this, because Samus can scan certain creatures with her visor to reveal that some were kept as pets. Some of them even treated Metroids as pets, but they might think twice bef🐓ore choosing a living bioweapon as a companion✅ next time.

As it turns out, pets exposed to the most dangerous substance in the galaxy don’t make for good company. The pirates learned this the hard way, when many of their pets turned against and devoured them.

6 ✃ They Made A Great Cameo In Kid Icaru🔴s: Uprising

Screenshots of Space Pirates from Kid Icarus: Uprising

The Space Pirates have made a cameo in a series that has several connections to Metroid. In Chapter 8 of the main campaign of Kid Icarus: Uprising, titled The Space-Pirate Ship, they can be spotted in the titular vessel (168澳洲幸运5开奖网:not quite as iconic as Samus' own ship). Not only do they look much as they do in the Metroid Prime games, they sound similar as well. They may not be the very same species (rather🌄 a Kid Icarus take on them), but they certainly seem to be.

This shouldn’t be too shocking, as both games have shared similar roots since their beginnings. Even more interestingly, Space Pirates aren’꧒t the only Metroid shoutout in the game.

5 ꧙ 💞 Meta Ridley Is Surely Their Greatest Achievement

Screenshot of Meta Ridley Roaring At The Player In Metroid Prime

There's no question that Samus Aran's arch-nemesis is Ridley. No matter how many times she's pumped him full of missiles, Ridley always seems to find a way to return and give Samus trouble. However, his most menacing and dangerous form is probably the one that jumpstarted the Metroid Prime series: Meta Ridley.

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After he was destroyed in dramatic fashion in the original Metroid, The Space Pirates spared no expense in reviving their fallen commander. They used the most powerful cybernetic weapons and armor they could to do this. In time, Ridley would 🌺regain his organic body in time for Super Metroid, which chronologically takes place after the latest Metroid Prime game. Even so, his original robotic body will live on as potentiall▨y his deadliest form.

4 𒈔 There’s At Least One Rogue Space Pirate

Weavel Wallpaper from Metroid Prime Hunters

In a universe as vast as the one Metroid takes place in, players can run into all kinds of strange and fascinating creatures. One of the most exciting ideas that the series has yet to revisit is the suggestion that more bounty hunters besides Samus exist out there.

Metroid Prime Hunters for the Nintendo DS is a unique multiplayer FPS, which introduces fans to a plethora of new bounty hunters. One of them is a powerful Space Pirate named Weavel. After being soundly defeated by Samus, Weavel was brought back to life using an experimental life support system, and has since split off to become an independent bounty hunt𒉰er. His special power in the game is the ability to split his body, with the top half becoming an immobile turret. Perfect for defending strategic locations while staying on the move.

3 ꦰ🎶 They Can Survive Almost Any Environment, And Their Appearance Changes Accordingly

Omega Pirate in Metroid Prime & Pink Space Pirate in Super Metroid

With threats like the Queen Metroid, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the lurking SA-X, and the brand-new E.M.M.I. of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metroid Dread, it’s a wonder that the Space Pirates manage to keep their place as one of the most dangerous forces in the galaxy. These space-faring criminals, however, take it just a couple of steps further with their grotesque abominations and mutations, like the Omega Pirate from Metroid Prime.

The Space Pirates have also genetically modified themselves to survive in extreme conditions, thanks to the same technology that allowed Samus to survive the planet Zebes from Metroid: Zero Mission and Super Metroid. Their constant self-experimentation with substances like Phazon (as seen in the Metroid Prime trilogy) also helps explain these changes. Their altered appearance often reflects their changed abilities. The Red Zebestian Pirates in the burning catacombs of Norfair and the Pink Zebestian Pirates in the crushing sea floors of Maridia are but two examples.

2 Their Weapons Sometimes Subtly Reflect The Metroid Game They're In

Organic Space Pirates from Other M & Mechanical Space Pirates from Metroid Prime

Weapons technology is the driving force behind the Space Pirates' scientific efforts. However, depending on the game, their arsenal might differ in ways that reflect some of the themes of Samus' adventure. The original Zebestian Space Pirates from Super Metroid have lobster-claw cannons that look like they are some kind of organic-based weapon.

Meanwhile, Metroid Prime is defined b💛y a more mechanically-based atmosphere to an extent. The Space Pirates reflect that by using blasters and jet packs in combat. Both these changes allow you to see for yourself the kind of dangers Samus is about to face.

1 Their Home🎀world Is A Terrifying And Almost Entirely Inhospitable Place ♉

Metroid Active Defense System Used By Space Pirate Homeworld

One of the most fantastical locations in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the Space Pirate Homeworld. Visiting the place they came from would’ve been intriguing and terrifying enough, but you also learn about the harsh environments they’re forced🏅 to endure. Their homeworld reflects everything that makes themꦡ one of the deadliest and most relentless enemies in Metroid.

From the acid rain that even they need protective shielding from to the complete lack of flora or fauna, the Space Pirate Homeworld is a technological terror that fits ꦉa species so destructive, dangerous and determined to survive.

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